Xu Nian stared blankly at Gu Zhan's increasingly ardent breath and the steady beating of his heart, a blush creeping up her ears involuntarily.

What is he doing?

Xu Nian felt a little awkward and struggled slightly, but Gu Zhan did not let go for a long time.

Just a moment ago, he noticed a hint of sadness in the little girl.

So even though it was against etiquette, Gu Zhan still hugged Xu Nian's petite body in time and whispered, "You have helped us a lot, and everyone likes you very much."

This is true; both the soldiers and the villagers loved and respected Xu Nian very much.

He himself also felt that Xu Nian was a kind and outstanding person, a rare and wonderful girl.

Feeling Gu Zhan's comforting words, Xu Nian couldn't help but chuckle, "General Gu can comfort people too."

Xu Nian had only ever seen Gu Zhan's cold and indifferent demeanor, so this was quite surprising to her.

She got up from Gu Zhan's burning embrace and met his unusually firm gaze. For a moment, she felt dizzy and unconsciously looked away.

Gu Zhan's gaze was too intense, burning her heart.

Seeing Xu Nian look away, Gu Zhan didn't dwell on it and continued patiently, "Don't think so much. You'll have more family in the future."

He worried that the young girl might become sentimental after seeing his jade pendant and start talking incessantly.

Xu Nian listened intently.

[Waaaaah, the general is so sweet!]

Am I the only one shipping them?! It's so sweet!

[It seems like the general treats the streamer like a little sister, the kind of protective kind.]

"Okay."

Xu Nian didn't expect that her occasional expression of loneliness would elicit such a strong reaction from him, and she responded repeatedly.

Upon hearing this, Gu Zhan felt relieved, but then realized that he had seemingly overstepped his bounds, and his expression became slightly unnatural.

"I was too anxious just now, so..." he hurriedly tried to explain.

"I know, thank you."

But Xu Nian didn't think too much about it; she only felt that Gu Zhan was gentle and had considered her feelings.

The two chatted for a while longer in the night, but Gu Zhan realized it was getting too late and suggested, "Let's go back."

Xu Nian was also feeling sleepy, so she didn't object. She rubbed her eyes, got up, and walked back.

Gu Zhan followed behind her, one step at a time.

He wanted to explain his actions, but seeing that Xu Nian didn't seem to care, he kept quiet.

Having learned from today's experience, the villagers all put their grain bags to their sides, fearing that people from the neighboring village might have some ulterior motives.

The next day.

Xu Nian, as usual, invited the villagers to cook, and everyone was happy and harmonious.

The people from the neighboring village watched them longingly, filled with envy.

Those who were deprived of double the food were especially envious, yet none of them dared to say anything.

"Damn it."

Zhao Jinfeng gritted her teeth and slammed her fist into the ground.

Her food reserves were already meager, and Xu Nian had taken most of them, leaving her in dire straits.

"Hey, second sister, let's not mess with her anymore."

Seeing that Zhao Jinfeng was hungry, Yang Chunhua hesitated for a moment before sharing some of her steamed buns with her.

"Provoke? Do you also think I did something wrong?"

At this moment, Zhao Jinfeng was like a flammable bomb, jumping up and down in a shrill voice.

Upon hearing this, Yang Chunhua frowned almost imperceptibly, speechless to herself.

But she didn't argue with her and continued, "Not really. But Xu Nian may have some kind of sorcery, and she has soldiers by her side. If she continues to oppose her, her fate will not be good."

Although she is weak-willed, she has a clearer understanding of things.

Zhao Jinfeng pondered for a while, feeling unwilling to accept it, and realized that what Yang Chunhua said was true, which made her even more depressed.

Are we just supposed to watch Xu Nian do whatever she wants?

Zhao Jinfeng was helpless but to no avail. She bit into the cold steamed bun in her mouth fiercely and secretly vowed to Xu Nian if she had the chance!

"Sister!"

Da Bao and Er Bao woke up very early today. After getting up, they followed Xu Nian and kept saying they wanted to learn to read.

"We've already reviewed the words we learned before! It's been a very long time since we've learned anything new!"

Seeing the two children's eager expressions, Xu Nian couldn't help but smile and bent down to pat their heads.

"Sister understands. We'll go learn to read after we finish eating, okay?"

Da Bao and Er Bao are not only intelligent, but also very studious and have a strong curiosity about the things around them. They often chase after Xu Nian and ask her all sorts of questions.

Therefore, Xu Nian was happy to teach them and even specially found some small stone slabs and wooden blocks to carve words on, so that the two children could learn.

"Yay, that's great!"

Upon receiving Xu Nian's affirmative answer, Da Bao and Er Bao cheered and hurriedly grabbed their rice, starting to eat it in a gulp.

Xu Nian scooped herself a spoonful of porridge and chuckled, "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

"Look at those two children, how studious they are."

"The fortune teller is really good to them; I'm even a little envious!"

"Ha ha ha ha."

The surrounding villagers couldn't help but smile at this heartwarming scene.

But this harmonious scene aroused great jealousy in the eyes of the neighboring village.

"Those two toddlers can actually learn to read? I've lived half my life and I haven't learned much!"

"Heh, can you compare to them? They have food and soldiers to protect them, so naturally they can do whatever they want."

A few people from the neighboring village were talking sourly, and when they saw how lively and active Da Bao and Er Bao were, they started whispering among themselves.

In a secluded corner, several men sat together, carefully watching Da Bao and Er Bao's movements.

"Boss, those look like that bitch's two younger brothers!"

They were the same men who had previously followed Zhao Jinfeng in stealing grain, and under pressure, they handed over most of their grain.

"Hehe, that's perfect!"

The man called the boss was named Wang Meng. His face was contorted with rage as he spat viciously, "If we can't handle that woman, can't we at least touch these two kids?"

Ever since Xu Nian ridiculed him, Wang Meng has held a grudge and is trying to find a way to get revenge.

However, he had heard from many people that Xu Nian seemed to have considerable abilities, so he hesitated to take action.

"Boss, what should we do?"

The henchmen, equally eager for revenge, chattered and asked questions.

Wang Meng stood there pondering for a while when he suddenly heard Xu Nian shout, "There might be wild animals in the forest, we should come back soon!"

"Okay!"

Da Bao and Er Bao responded with a grin and quickly ran off into the distance.

He immediately slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

"Those two little brats must have gone to play in the forest. Let's go find them!"