Chapter 132: Let's Date

After Jiang Sijin finished venting her anger, the county magistrate's face turned exceptionally red, as if it had been smeared with rouge.

Seeing that she had calmed down, Su Zhenzhen turned to Hensheng and started talking about serious matters.

"Let the soldiers rest first. Not only Yangcheng, but also the cities we captured earlier need to be re-planned, especially the frightened civilians. We must calm their emotions."

Su Zhenzhen doesn't understand politics, but she understands human nature.

These cities, nestled between the mountain county and the capital, suffered the least from the ravages of war thanks to the opportunistic actions of their local officials.

For ordinary people at the bottom of society, they don't care about lofty ideals or national sentiments. They are the most direct and realistic people. Whoever makes them live in fear is a bad person.

Hensheng nodded. "I will appease the people's emotions. If necessary, I may have to actually produce some grain."

To put it bluntly, everything in the world boils down to profit.

The common people will follow whoever provides the most benefits.

Although Shanxian County is growing grain, it cannot fill the mouths of the people in these cities.

"Don't worry, I can't help with anything else, but there's plenty of food."

Su Zhenzhen wasn't exaggerating; she had enough points in her backpack to buy food from the system shop without feeling guilty.

"Zhenzhen, there's something I want to tell you privately." Hensheng was quite hesitant.

Su Zhenzhen was completely confused. "What is it? Do I need to tell you separately?"

Jiang Sijin immediately leaned closer, "Of course it's about your marriage. This kid wants to know if the marriage is still valid."

"Go away!" Su Zhenzhen said irritably. "I'm leaving these people to you. Hensheng and I are going to take a stroll around Yangcheng."

Without waiting for Jiang Sijin's reply, he grabbed Hensheng's sleeve and walked out.

The two walked silently for a while after they came to the street, neither of them speaking first.

Su Zhenzhen had originally planned that if Hensheng was too shy to speak up, she would be the one to break the ice first. But as she walked, she found herself immersed in the ancient streets and began to wander aimlessly.

Seeing that Su Zhenzhen was in a very relaxed state, Hensheng couldn't bear to disturb her.

The two of them strolled along the ancient road for a while.

As expected, no girl is immune to the allure of shopping.

Although Su Zhenzhen doesn't participate in such down-to-earth activities, her girlish nature will inevitably be unleashed when she gets involved.

It wasn't until they came across a sachet stall that Su Zhenzhen felt the urge to buy something and realized that the two of them had been wandering around like idiots for a long time.

Seeing that Su Zhenzhen had stopped, Hensheng assumed she wanted to buy something and quickly asked, "Which one have you taken a fancy to?"

Su Zhenzhen casually pointed, and Hensheng immediately asked the stall owner the price and paid.

When Su Zhenzhen finally held the sachet in her hand, she still felt a little unreal.

Is this what they call dating and shopping together?

Swirling a sachet in her hand, Su Zhenzhen casually asked, "What are your thoughts on that wedding that never happened?"

“If I could,” Hensheng stopped and walked up to Su Zhenzhen, looking directly into her eyes, “I would like to have another wedding.”

Thinking about all the trouble she'd gone through before, and now with so much more to deal with, Su Zhenzhen immediately shook her head. "Too much trouble."

Hensheng was clearly disappointed, but he still had a smile on his lips.

"I'll do whatever you say. That's really true..."

His voice unconsciously carried a hint of tension.

Are we considered husband and wife now?

Su Zhenzhen was a bit overwhelmed. After calming down, she realized that she had acted impulsively.

Husband and wife? What kind of husband and wife are you referring to? A husband and wife in name only, or a husband and wife who sleep in the same bed?

If it's the former, I'll gladly accept it.

But if it's the latter, doesn't it feel like it's too fast?

"Well, where we're from, before a man and woman become husband and wife, there's another layer of relationship called boyfriend and girlfriend."

Su Zhenzhen gave Hensheng a brief explanation of the meaning of boyfriend and girlfriend.

Hensheng readily agreed, "So, are we now in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship?"

“That’s right, you can understand it that way.” Su Zhenzhen nodded. “Generally, it takes several months to several years for boyfriends and girlfriends to become husband and wife. We call this period of dating.”

The barrage of comments timely expressed disdain.

[Sister, you're taking advantage of people's ignorance. Not everyone here follows the proper dating rules; many people who hit it off get married in a flash.]

Su Zhenzhen simply ignored them. Anyway, Hensheng couldn't see them, and he could say whatever he wanted.

“Alright, Zhenzhen.” Hensheng extended his hand to Su Zhenzhen. “Let’s start dating.”

Su Zhen's heart raced, and she suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

If such a celestial being were to extend his hand and invite you to fall in love, who could resist?

Su Zhenzhen felt a shameful stirring in her heart and, as if possessed, reached out her hand.

The moment our fingers intertwined, a sudden jolt ran through me.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

Hensheng, however, happily took Su Zhenzhen's hand, and the two walked together toward the house where Jiang Sijin was staying.

Seeing the two return hand in hand in an ambiguous atmosphere, Jiang Sijin's bad mood of the past few days finally dissipated.

Once Su Zhenzhen gives birth to a benevolent ruler, she will seize the child's imperial destiny, and the Jiang family dynasty will be restored to its rightful place.

Noticing Jiang Sijin's gaze, Su Zhenzhen curled her lips into a smile.

Before, we might not have known what this little monster was up to. But ever since we learned about her past and present lives, we've put Jiang Sijin's weaknesses in our own hands.

A child who lacks love from a young age but longs to be loved is easily stubborn and easily manipulated.

They are also easily crushed by the harsh reality, losing their will to live.

Su Zhenzhen had already figured out a way to deal with her, but there was no rush.

Hensheng chatted with Su Zhenzhen for a few more minutes before going to deal with miscellaneous matters in Yangcheng.

For several days in a row, nothing went wrong.

One day, when Hensheng was preparing to help the city's residents repair their old houses, he dug up seven corpses from the site during the groundbreaking ceremony.

Yangcheng, which had been calm for many days, suddenly became abuzz with excitement.

The people had no idea when or when people were buried under their old houses, and they were all terrified, fearing that they would be haunted by evil spirits in the middle of the night.

Su Zhenzhen rushed over immediately after receiving the news, and the coroner from the county government also came to examine the body.

The body was reduced to bones, and the clothes on its body were tattered to shreds. The coroner was at a loss for what to do.

Just as Su Zhenzhen was about to try to summon their souls, Chunzhi, who had come to help, excitedly stepped forward and examined the cloth on the remains.

"They are from the Hu family!"

The Hu family? Which member of the Hu family?

Su Zhenzhen's heart skipped a beat, and she voiced the question that had been on her mind.

“My mother-in-law, Xu Hua’s mother, and Xu’s maternal family members, it’s them!”