Chapter 2

Gu Xixi couldn't avoid buying the male lead's fate, was struck, and her soul was unsettled.

Oh.

Oh? Mu Nan Zhao raised his eyebrows slightly.

Gu Xixi saw the faint light in his eyes and suddenly became alert.

She must not forget what kind of person Mu Nan Zhao is!

The direct line of the Jiangbei Mu great clan, equivalent to grasping an official seal at birth.

He is not only good-looking, but also extraordinarily wise.

At three he composed poetry, at five he wrote essays, at seven he could discuss military strategy.

Because he scorned entering office through family connections, he placed first in the imperial examinations at thirteen.

At twenty he attained the rank of Second Rank Secretary, the former emperor's most trusted confidant, uniquely granted the privilege to enter the palace at any time to see the sovereign.

If it weren't for the sudden palace upheaval a month ago.

He still held the position of a powerful minister in the capital who could turn clouds and rain with a flip of his hand.

Gu Xixi thought that, given Mu Nan Zhao's calm, scheming, ruthless nature, maintaining peaceful relations with him was the best course.

Besides that, Mu Nan Zhao's lifelong hatred is those who betrayed him.

The second hatred: when he fell on hard times, he was entangled by the vulgar village girl Gu Xixi and lost his virtue, becoming a live-in son-in-law.

Therefore, for Gu Xixi to live peacefully, she must let Mu Nan Zhao know she harbors no lustful designs on him.

"Actually..." Gu Xixi solemnly lifted her gaze, "My father once arranged a childhood engagement for me."

According to Aunt Zhang, when Xixi was just a month old, Gu Papi went far to buy livestock, got drunk on the way and made a childhood engagement with someone, returning home with only a silver lock as a token.

He couldn't recall the other party's surname, name, or where they lived, so Xixi's mother complained about it for a long time.

Mu Nan Zhao and Gu Xixi locked eyes, "So?"

Gu Xixi took a breath, adding her own fabrication to the true events, "When my father was on his deathbed, I promised him I would wait for that person to come propose."

"So our relationship is purely a mix‑up; rest assured, when I find the chance I'll clarify things with the government office..."

Before his words finished, Mu Nan Zhao suddenly began to cough.

He clutched his chest, swaying on the verge of collapse, each cough worse than the last, coincidentally cutting off Gu Xixi's train of thought.

Xixi glanced at him appraisingly.

Seeing Mu Nan Zhao's phoenix eyes slightly hazy, his complexion deathly pale, his thin lips pressed into a line, only his cheeks flushed with a rosy glow.

She recalled that in the book Mu Nan Zhao had been poisoned, forcing him to assume the identity of the prisoner Chen Fang and mingle with the exile convoy to escape his political enemies' pursuit.

Looking at him now, it didn't seem like an act.

Things having come to this, despite her great reluctance, Xixi could only say, "Why not go back to my home first and discuss further?"

"You already have a plan in mind." Mu Nan Zhao gasped a few times, struggled to lift his head, and curled the corner of his mouth into a cold smile.

"Why bother feigning kindness?"

In the instant Gu Xixi met his gaze, she actually felt her inner thoughts laid bare.

But the more such a moment, the less she could show weakness.

"I still have things to do; if you don't want to die outside and become a spectacle, follow me."

Basically everyone else had dispersed.

Gu Xixi walked on her own, and from the corner of her eye she saw Mu Nan Zhao trailing not far nor near beside her.

He kept his head half-bowed, strands of hair behind his ear falling down, casting a faint shadow on his angular, clear-cut profile.

One could not tell whether he lacked strength or was simply in low spirits at the moment.

Having finally entered the Gu Clan's small courtyard safely, Gu Xixi had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard a thud.

She turned her head in surprise and saw Mu Nan Zhao collapsed on the ground, eyes tightly shut, a trickle of bright red blood at the corner of his mouth…

After a cup of tea.

Gu Xixi looked at the man in a deep sleep on the small wooden bed, sighing for who knows how many times.

This time it's really fallen into her lap.

She had resolved not to buy Mu Nan Zhao, resolved not to spend money on his treatment and ruin the family.

Yet nothing turned out as she had hoped.

What should she do now?

She couldn't just watch him die like that.

Thinking this, Gu Xixi walked toward the corner cabinet placed against the wall.

This east room was where Gu Bapi used to live; after Gu Xixi's mother passed away, he let Gu Xixi stay in the main house, with Zhang Shen helping to look after her, while he himself moved here.

Several drawers above the corner cabinet were stuffed full of medicinal herbs.

Because Huachi Du Cun had no local doctor, villagers went into the mountains to gather herbs themselves, drying and storing them for later use.

For any minor ailment, they would first brew their own herbal soup.

When faced with a serious illness they could not endure, those with some money went to the city's medical clinic, while those without left it to fate.

Gu Xixi also had no money now, and moreover Mu Nan Zhao's injury was special—it might reveal his identity and thus attract enemies.

All she could do was try to treat a dead horse as if it were alive.

Gu Xixi may not know medicine, but she understands plants.

So she grabbed three handfuls of herbs from Gu Bapi's store that had detoxifying properties and were themselves non-toxic.

Even if it didn't cure him, it wouldn't kill him to drink.

Zhang Shen hadn't returned from wherever she had gone.

Gu Xixi could only take out the little stove and medicine pot herself, and after lighting the fire and boiling the decoction, she had been busy for about half an hour.

She returned with a bowl of thick, pitch‑black medicinal broth, and without hesitation pried open Mu Nan Zhao's lips with a spoon, dripping it in little by little.

The feeding was too slow; Gu Xixi's hand grew sore, and only a little of the broth had gone down.

She was about to pause and rest when Mu Nan Zhao suddenly opened his eyes.

He grabbed her wrist holding the spoon in one swift motion, clenching it tightly, his eyes like a cornered beast bursting forth.

"What did you feed me!"

Gu Xixi's features twisted in pain, "It's just ordinary medicinal tea—let go! I'll drink it so you can see!"

Mu Nan Zhao eased his grip slightly but didn't let go, only staring coldly at Gu Xixi.

Gu Xixi, out of spite, brought the medicine bowl to her lips, took a sip, and swallowed it right in front of him.

"See? Satisfied now?!"

Mu Nan Zhao's hand slipped down, and he continued to stare blankly at the ceiling.

Gu Xixi glared at him, stood up, turned, and walked away.

She had plenty to do and simply had no energy to waste on anger here.

Before Gu Papi died, he had sold off much of the grain; the household stores were already scant, and the thirty‑two mu of fields lay fallow—effectively, for nearly a year they had been living off nothing but what they could scrape together.

It is already May, and the spring planting opportunity has long passed.

If we don't think of another solution, next year when the old grain runs out and the new harvest hasn't come, the whole family will starve!

On the west side of the courtyard there is a cool, ventilated patch covered with a layer of river sand.

Xixi poked her finger to test the moisture, then took a watering can and evenly sprayed water over the surface.

She was busy when someone pushed the door open and walked straight in—turning out to be Aunt Liu, the third aunt.

Liu Shi is Gu Qingye's mother; her husband is Gu Papi's paternal cousin.

Xixi gave a lukewarm greeting and asked, "Third Aunt, what brings you here at this time?"

From the moment Liu Shi entered, her eyes darted around everywhere, as if she wanted to scrape gold out of the wall cracks.

"Oh, you're not planning to start a family, are you?" she said, her face breaking into a smile full of wrinkles like a blooming chrysanthemum.

"Your third uncle and I have been discussing that the family assets need to be settled sooner rather than later."

"It's perfect, since you don't want to farm—your fields will be tended by your third uncle and third aunt from now on."

Gu Xixi thought she had misheard, "Property? You want to farm my land?"

Liu Shi simply assumed Gu Xixi was still as clueless as before, and said confidently:

"That outsider man is unreliable; we're the real family. Hand over the land to us, and I'll guarantee you'll have enough to eat for the rest of your life."