Chapter 2: That Little Fiancée of Yours

Du Wan suddenly remembered.

In the novel, wasn't the Mu family of Pingnan City Pei Hao's maternal family?

With that, Du Wan pointed out Pei Hao's location without any psychological burden. "You can go find him yourselves; I won't disturb you. I need to hurry down the mountain."

The young man shook his head. "No, no, little sister, you should see a good deed through to the end. Come with big brother one more time."

"That's not necessary, is it?"

"It is, it is. That way, we'll find him faster."

"……"

She had thought that by telling them, she could get away, but it turned out they had no intention of letting her go at all. They simply grabbed her and started walking.

When she saw Pei Hao again...

He was already unconscious, his wounds crudely covered in hemostatic herbs.

Naturally, the next step was to save him and bring him down the mountain.

Before Du Wan could even collect her thoughts, the group had already entered her home in the county.

Before long, a middle-aged steward arrived, leading a physician in a hurry.

Then came the boiling of water, the brewing of medicine, and a whole flurry of activity.

Of course, none of this involved Du Wan; they didn't trust her anyway.

Hu San stood by the door like a guardian deity, not saying a word.

When the young man saw Du Wan, he smiled and asked, "Little girl, are you the only one living here?"

"Yes."

"And how should we address you?"

Du Wan nodded guardedly. "My surname is Du."

The young man noticed her wariness and said gently, "Miss Du, sorry for the intrusion. My master is injured, and the physician says he shouldn't be moved for the time being. How about we stay at your place for a while? We will cover all your food expenses, and there will be a reward when we leave."

"Fine, I suppose."

Du Wan thought about it and nodded.

Her own bedroom had been occupied; what else could she say?

She efficiently moved into the small cubicle next to the bedroom.

By the time she woke up, it was already early the next morning.

Du Wan went to fetch water to wash her face.

Seeing Hu San dozing on the steps under the eaves, and the bedroom door standing wide open, the little girl felt a spark of curiosity and poked half her head inside to peek.

On the bed lay a handsome youth with a pale complexion.

He was just taking the medicine from the young man, drinking it in one gulp, when his gaze swept over the sneaky little girl at the door. He frowned and asked, "Why is she here?"

That attitude, that tone—it was full of disdain.

The young man took the empty bowl. "We saved you from the mountain yesterday and couldn't risk exposing our tracks. It was just convenient to come to Miss Du's house."

He explained what happened yesterday in a few short sentences.

"Si'an, I don't want miscellaneous people near me." Pei Hao glanced coldly at the door again before lying back down with a sour face.

He had the arrogant air of someone who didn't want to see her!

Du Wan walked away, fuming, but she couldn't let it go.

So, acting like a petty person who had gained the upper hand, she stood under the eaves with her hands on her hips, and in a crisp, clear voice, she shouted toward the courtyard: "Oh my, what kind of world is this? A person becomes a 'miscellaneous person' in their own home. Some people, have you forgotten? You are sleeping in a miscellaneous person's room, lying on a miscellaneous person's bed, and covering yourself with a miscellaneous person's quilt!"

"……?!"

The young noble, who had a slight obsession with cleanliness, stared fixedly at the thin quilt covering him, his mind looping one sentence

Sleeping in her room, lying on her bed... covering himself with her quilt?!

Mu Si'an turned away, stifling a laugh.

Damn!

The little girl is truly cute.

And she's got guts, too—daring to talk back to the young noble!

After a while, Mu Si'an walked out of the room with the medicine bowl, smiling, and closed the door behind him.

He asked with a grin, "Yo, Miss Du, don't be angry."

"Who's angry?" Du Wan scoffed.

"Yes, yes, you're not angry." Mu Si'an put on his good-natured mask again. "But it seems you and my master are old acquaintances?"

"He knows me, but I certainly don't know him."

"Oh, oh, you're right."

"……" There was no way to continue this conversation.

Mu Si'an asked deliberately, "What's wrong? Why aren't you talking?"

The little girl had clear eyes and a pure heart.

Dressed in coarse cloth, her hair tied up casually, she was surprisingly captivating.

Du Wan rolled her eyes and pointed at the room. "If you want to know, go ask him yourself."

Without waiting for Mu Si'an to say anything, she scurried off to the kitchen.

Mu Si'an tossed the empty bowl to Hu San and turned back into the room.

Soon, he learned of Du Wan's identity from Pei Hao.

Mu Si'an asked in surprise, "Is she really your little fiancée?"

Pei Hao asked, "Are you surprised?"

"Do you think there might be a mistake...?"

"No." Pei Hao's tone was certain. "It's her. She's just a bit thinner than before she went missing, and her skin is a little darker."

Still as heartless and annoying as ever.

He would remember what happened yesterday for the rest of his life!

Mu Si'an raised an eyebrow. "You're that sure?"

The young noble frowned. "What are you worried about? Just send word back to the capital that she is here. Whether it's true or false is for the people at the Grand Princess's mansion to worry about."

"You're right."

Mu Si'an wisely stopped discussing it.

It was just that the little girl didn't look like someone pampered and spoiled; she looked more like someone raised on the streets.

Du Wan, the subject of their discussion, had run to the kitchen to eat a large bowl of mixed porridge.

She ladled out another half-bowl, and while sipping it slowly, she wandered around the small courtyard.

After one lap, she confirmed that there were more guards in the courtyard.

Du Wan only recognized Hu San, so she went up to him. "Uncle, have you had any porridge?"

Hu San smiled foolishly and rubbed his forehead. "Not yet, little girl, you eat first."

"Mm-hmm, no rush if you haven't eaten; there's still half a pot in the kitchen." Du Wan took another happy sip of porridge. "It's so fragrant. Rice is just delicious."

Hu San stood guard at the gate, still smiling foolishly.

Du Wan finished the porridge, spoonful by spoonful. "Uncle, is the capital far from here?"

"It's far. It takes about ten days by horse."

"……" That really was quite far.

Du Wan would ask about the capital from time to time.

Actually, it wasn't that she hadn't thought about sending a letter to the capital before, but it had come to nothing.

First, she had no money; second, she didn't dare.

How the original owner was plotted against and killed, and who the mastermind was—Du Wan knew nothing about any of it. The unknown was the most terrifying thing, so she dared not act rashly.

But thinking about these troublesome matters potentially falling on her own head later made her feel depressed again.

Du Wan's mind raced, and she began to ponder.

With Pei Hao here, contacting the original owner's family shouldn't be a problem anymore.

There was one more important thing that needed to be solved right now.

"Miss Du." Mu Si'an stood behind her and called out several times.

Du Wan was startled. "Oh my, why don't you make any sound when you walk?"

"It's because you were too lost in thought." Mu Si'an leaned in with a curious look. "What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

She would have to be a fool to tell him.

This guy looked like he was full of bad intentions.

Mu Si'an couldn't help his curiosity. "Say, Miss Du, can I ask you a question?"