Chapter 23: Who knows if you're real or just pretending?

Sunlight slanted in through the window, casting a faint shadow beside the two people sitting opposite each other.

Gu Xixi coldly laughed and said, "You woke up but said nothing, watching me outside borrowing strength to stall, anxious and fearful—do you find it amusing to toy with me like this?"

"Or are you coldly watching the show, using this to test whether I am loyal to you in a crisis?"

Gu Xixi was truly angry this time; Mu Nan Zhao remained silent, which only intensified her anger.

"Tell you, I am not your subordinate, and I have no obligation to be loyal to you!"

"If I had, for self-preservation, actively handed you over just now, would you want to kill me, and kill everyone in this courtyard?"

Mu Nan Zhao coughed lightly a few times, a bitter smile appearing on his lips: "I... probably don't have that strength right now."

Gu Xixi was still fuming, retorting, "How could you have no strength? You were fine just a moment ago—even the constables praised your strength!"

"If I had known, I should have left you two mu of land to farm, so you wouldn't..."

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder.

Gu Xixi stared in shock sideways.

Mu Nan Zhao weakly leaned against her, breath like a thread: "You don't trust me; when I was unconscious, I entrusted my life to you—how could I not trust you..."

His eyes were tightly shut, his hand limp and sliding down.

Gu Xixi sat dazed for a moment, "Ah, why aren't you speaking?"

She suddenly rose; Mu Nan Zhao's whole body slid onto the bed, lying there motionless.

Gu Xixi pushed him twice with her hand, no response, then she checked his breath.

Confirming he had merely fainted and wasn't dead, she had to muster strength to turn him over and lay him flat.

She rechecked the bandaged area on his chest—no sign of bleeding; perhaps his body simply hadn't recovered yet.

Gu Xixi stood by the bed, murmuring, "You say I don't trust you, but when have you ever truly trusted me?"

Sometimes real, sometimes false; sometimes fierce and bloodthirsty, sometimes frail and pitiable.

Who knows which of his faces is genuine and which is feigned?

Gu Xixi would not be fooled by a momentary softening of heart.

Meanwhile, Lao Qian, leading Constable Ma and the other constables, had already swept through Huachi Du Cun.

The households they visited either had recently arrived relatives from outside, or had previously purchased a man.

Among them, they discovered nothing abnormal.

Lao Qian had escorted the constables to the village entrance before he finally caught his breath.

Walking along the road, Constable A asked, "The superiors ordered us to check recent outsiders in each village."

"Especially young men who have suffered serious illness or external injury—they require special attention, though I don't know why."

Constable Ma hissed low, "Don't ask what you shouldn't!"

"Since the higher-ups have made arrangements, we just need to carry them out—think less, speak less."

He had once suspected Chen Fang while at Gu Xixi's home.

Thus he deliberately offered a bowl to test him, only to find Chen Fang's strength was that of an ordinary man; coupled with his gait and exertion, he was certainly not seriously wounded or ill.

After dispelling his doubts, Constable Ma immediately cast Chen Fang from his mind, even barely remembering his name.

After another half month, Mu Nan Zhao, using the internal and external wound medicine left by the old doctor, could now leave the room on his own.

But he noticed Gu Xixi was constantly coming and going, often absent from home; when they occasionally met, she merely gave a polite greeting, courteous yet distant, just right.

As a result, he wanted to say a few words to her, but kept failing to find an opportunity.

That day at lunchtime, Gu Qingye arrived.

Gu Xixi saw her and was somewhat surprised, having thought that with the two families feuding like that, they should be permanently estranged.

Thinking of her own scheme to pair the male and female leads, she squeezed out a smile for Gu Qingye.

"Come in? Please have a seat."

Gu Qingye blinked, "Sister Xixi, don't you blame me?"

Gu Xixi laughed, "What would I blame you for? Others are others, you are you."

Gu Qingye lowered her head, "My brother is ill, running a fever, his leg hurts terribly; Sister Xixi, could you go see him and, by the way, clear up our misunderstanding?"

Since Gu Tiezhu was carried back home that day, he has come to be seen by everyone as a "ruffian."

As a result, Gu Qingye can't even lift her head when going out.

So she devised a plan: if Gu Xixi would forgive him, she would publicly register his household.

Then others would know that the earlier situation was merely a misunderstanding.

Gu Xixi, of course, could not miss her little thoughts, and said with a half-smile, "If he's ill, quickly call a doctor; if the village quack won't do, then carry him to the city clinic."

"What's the point of having me, a layperson, look at him?"

Gu Qingye choked, lowering her head to clutch the corner of her garment.

Gu Xixi couldn't bear to see her looking aggrieved and unable to speak, so she turned her gaze and said, "I'll go call Chen Fang to eat; would you like to stay and join us?"

Gu Qingye had intended to take her leave, but upon hearing Chen Fang's name, she found herself unable to rise from the stool.

"... Well, it's been a long time since I last ate together with Sister Xixi."

Mu Nan Zhao, hearing the commotion indoors, took the slip of paper in his hand and brought it to the fire to burn, then turned back with a hint of a smile.

"You came back early today."

"Yeah." Gu Xixi laughed, "It's time to eat; let's go."

Mu Nan Zhao hadn't seen her smile like that in a long time; inexplicably, the four characters "flattered and startled" rose in his heart.

But he quickly dismissed that thought.

"It's just a smile—what's there to cherish?"

He rose with a calm expression, "Next time, just have Zhang Shen call from outside; there's no need for you to come personally."

Upon reaching the hall, Gu Qingye stood up, three parts nervous and seven parts shy.

"Chen Fang, big brother Chen, it's been a while. Gu Xixi, sister said you've been busy helping her prepare medicines at home."

"Thanks to you, those people were willing to let our family go."

"I should have thanked you in person long ago, but my parents... they simply wouldn't come."

Mu Nan Zhao looked inquiringly at Gu Xixi.

Gu Xixi responded calmly, "That's what he should do."

"Those scorched fields can't just be left unattended, can they?"

She rose with a smile, "I'll go check the kitchen; you two talk."

Having said that, she ignored Mu Nan Zhao's changing glances and left on her own.

Only Gu Qingye and Mu Nan Zhao remained inside the house.

Mu Nan Zhao drank water with a cold face, as if someone owed him a lot of money.

Gu Qingye stole several glances at him, shyly lowered her head, and asked softly, "Big brother Chen, why haven't you and sister Xixi gotten married yet?"

Mu Nan Zhao replied lightly, "Why suddenly ask this?"

Gu Qingye felt a wave of nervousness, laughing as she said, "It's just that recently there's been a lot of gossip in the village… saying… you two have been together so long, yet you're not really husband and wife."

"I don't even know… who looks down on whom."

Mu Nan Zhao's gaze was chilling: "Do these words, does Gu Xixi also know them?"

Gu Qingye nodded.

This time she didn't dare to lie.

Recently, whenever Gu Xixi worked outside, people—either curious or well-meaning—would ask her why she still hadn't married and consummated with Chen Fang.

Gu Xixi always brushed it off, saying she wasn't in a hurry.

Thus, rumors spread that Gu Xixi looked down on Chen Fang.

Otherwise, who could resist being moved by such a stunning beauty day after day at home?