Fu Yunchen racked his brains but could never have imagined that this small, thin body housed a soul from another world. She would never, under any circumstances, resort to crying, making a scene, or threatening suicide.

He forcefully pulled the hesitant Mu Run closer and leaned down to kiss her...

The next day, Mu Run sat on the bed, feeling emo!

Should her name really be written backwards?

'Knock knock knock~' A knock came from the door, followed by a clear, bell-like voice, 'Sister-in-law, it's me, Hongmi.'

"Wait a minute." Mu Run composed herself and went to open the door.

Hongmi came in with a grin and handed a box to Murun.

She heard everything Fu Yunchen and Mu Run made last night from the next room. Now that they were together, she no longer needed to doubt whether she would betray her boss.

"Sister-in-law, this is the box you asked me to pick up from your uncle's house."

"You really went to get it?" Mu Run was quite surprised.

Hongmi nodded, "Yes. As long as it's something I, Hongmi, promise, I will definitely do it; otherwise, I would never agree. It's just that when I went to the Cao family later... I didn't see you, so I returned it to your uncle's family. But they didn't want it. I thought the box was well-made, so I kept it. Now it's just right to return it to its rightful owner."

“My uncle’s family would love for me to be kicked out and make room for me, so naturally they won’t put my things in there anymore. Thank you for your help.” Mu Run took the box and then took out the neatly wiped silver note from his waist pocket. “As promised, I also want to keep my word.”

"Thank you so much, sister-in-law, hehe~" Hongmi left happily.

Once outside the courtyard gate, Hongmi stopped again… Oh, she forgot to tell her sister-in-law that she had run into the eldest son, who had taken the books from the box. But they were practically inseparable now, so there was no need to mention it. Thinking this, she happily took the silver notes and ran off.

Mu Run opened the box; inside were some children's toys: embroidered balls, rattles, dolls, a nine-linked ring puzzle, and so on. But the registers and documents related to Xin Lian were missing. Could Xin Lian's uncle have thrown them away? Probably not; perhaps Xin Lian's uncle had given them to the Cao family to process the marriage contract.

Now that the Cao family is all dead, the marriage contract probably can't be processed.

If not, then so be it. We can find a chance to get a new one later, using her own name, Mu Run, or Runmu?

ah--! ! !

Mu Run covered her face with her hands, her ear tips turning pink. How could she be so unable to resist temptation?

Could it be that the mother's body has been exposed to the cold for too long, resulting in low resistance and making her collapse with the slightest push?

...

With the addition of Redmi, Murun finally had a female companion to talk to on the road, instead of being surrounded by a group of rough and uncouth bandits, including the bandit leader with a 'troublesome' face.

Come to think of it, with her small, flat body, like a bamboo raft, how could he even bring himself to kiss her? He's a pervert! A super pervert!

"Sister-in-law, how old are you this year? You look about the same age as me, you're not fourteen, are you?" Hongmi handed Murun a bag of roasted melon seeds.

Mu Run, who was usually quiet, grabbed a handful of snacks, cracked open one that was quite crispy, and then started talking, "I'm... eighteen this year."

Because Xinlian suffered mistreatment from her uncle's family for many years, never having enough to eat or wear and having to work every day, she looked several years younger than other girls her age.

"Eighteen?" Redmi exclaimed in surprise.

"She does look a bit young."

"Eat more meat in the future, maybe it will help you grow taller."

"...I'm not going to count on it." In modern times, girls are pretty much fully developed by the age of 18, but girls in ancient times developed even earlier.

"I heard from Second Master that the eldest brother's ancestors were no ordinary people. But does Sister-in-law know just how they were extraordinary?"

"I don't know. As the saying goes, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and rats' sons know how to dig holes. Your boss is a bandit, so his ancestors must have been big shots somewhere, dominating the area and having a great reputation!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Sister-in-law is right!"

They completely failed to detect the sarcasm in Mu Run's words.

Fu Yunchen rode by, first glancing at Mu Run, then saying to Hongmi, "Xiangcheng is ahead. We'll have to take the waterway. If you want to buy anything, you can look around the city." With that, he tossed Hongmi a bag of silver.

Redmi quickly replied, "Thank you, boss."

"Get her two outfits, preferably Hunan embroidery. I don't want my brothers to think that I mistreat women and only have one set of clothes for several days."

"My clothes are all clean." I can wash them tonight, dry them, and wear them the next day. Mu Run thought he was saying her clothes were dirty and couldn't help but retort.

Hongmi glanced at Mu Run's coarse gray-blue cloth dress. It was indeed quite clean, but it looked a bit like something a maid would wear, lacking the air of a bandit's wife.

"Don't worry, boss, I'll make sure your wife looks beautiful."

"If you don't have enough money, just ask Qiao Dongzi."

Fu Yunchen glanced at Mu Run's clothes again, "The brighter the better, don't make her look like a widow."

"I'm not a widow." Seriously, how can this guy be so cheeky! She said there's no marriage contract, she's not anyone's wife! And she certainly can't be anyone's widow!

“I’m still alive, but you’re not.” Fu Yunchen smiled meaningfully and rode away.

Mu Run turned around, picked up a rectangular brocade box from the carriage, which was inscribed with the year 29 of the Xiaozhi reign of the Northern Jin Dynasty, and threw it at Fu Yunchen, yelling, "Bastard, you filthy rogue!"

Fu Yunchen seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, catching it precisely, then opening it to reveal a century-old ginseng. "I just happen to be meeting someone, this gift is perfect."

Mu Run: "..."

Redmi chuckled. "Hitting is a sign of affection, scolding is a sign of happiness," the eldest brother and sister-in-law seemed to have a very close relationship!

...

The convoy entered Xiangcheng.

Fu Yunchen took Liu Lao Er ahead of him. Before leaving, he made a special trip to see Mu Run, but he didn't say anything and left.

Qiao Dongzi led the carriage and the remaining bandits toward the waterway dock.

The only two women—Mu Run and Hong Mi—entered South Street in Xiangcheng and began shopping.

Mu Run seemed a little distracted because she had something on her mind... She had to escape!

If we don't leave now, we'll miss our chance!

She can't swim, so escaping by water would be a certain death. This purchase is the perfect opportunity, and since it's only for Hongmi, she's determined to seize it.

Hongmi was in high spirits. Before going to the market, she was entrusted by Qiao Dongzi and Liu Lao Er to buy gifts for their wives. With such an important task, she couldn't care less about Murun and went on a shopping spree, even having Murun help carry the loads. In the end, there were so many things that they had to hire a donkey cart to help them move the loads.

Xiangxiu Workshop is the largest embroidery workshop in Xiangcheng. Every year, its embroidery is presented as tribute to the imperial palace, and high-ranking officials and nobles consider it an honor to wear a Xiang embroidery. Naturally, the price is also imaginable! The customers who enter Xiangxiu Workshop are all wealthy and noble, and the shop's staff will definitely serve them tea and snacks in a private room.