Su Ruanruan then remembered something she had overlooked yesterday.

"Brother Mubai, these dried peaches and apricots are so sweet. Did you ask an old lady to bring them back? I'll dry some more later. Did you buy them or did the academy pick them?"

Mu Bai wiped the medicine from Su Ruanruan's lips, a smile appearing on his gentle and refined face. "Neither of them. They were given to me by a young lady. If you like them, I'll go to the market and buy some more that are just as sweet."

Su Ruanruan's expression remained unchanged, but she understood perfectly; her guess was indeed correct.

"When did Brother Mu Bai meet other girls? I wonder if I've ever seen them?" Su Ruanruan glared at him reproachfully.

"..." Is Ruan Ruan angry again? I should have known better than to be so honest. I should have just said that he picked it from the woods behind the academy.

But he didn't want to lie to Ruanruan; it really was a gift from a girl.

"You probably don't know her. Her name is Su He. Once, I helped her pick up some fallen apricots on the road. I don't know how she found me. She gave me some plums, apricots, and peaches as a way of repaying me."

"I couldn't refuse, so I accepted them. These fruits are so sweet, I wanted you to try some too. I shared some with my classmates, and I had someone give you the rest..."

Su Ruanruan pretended to be angry and turned around, "Are other people's peaches and apricots sweeter, or are Su He's sweeter?"

"..." Oh no, this is impossible to explain.

Mu Bai quickly tried to coax her, "Ruan Ruan, why are you angry again? You know, you're the only one in my heart."

"If you don't believe me, I swear to you."

Su Ruanruan suddenly laughed, "I don't need you to swear an oath. If one day you fall in love with someone else and leave me, your oath won't count."

Mu Bai felt a pang of sadness and hugged Su Ruanruan tightly. "Ruanruan, having you in this life is enough."

...

Mu Bai changed Su Ruanruan's dressing and told her to rest well. He then went to the academy with a small bundle in his arms.

Su Ruanruan lay on the bed, recalling scenes from the past.

No wonder these fruits looked familiar; it turns out the plums and peaches were indeed picked by her own hands, and the apricots were probably from the tree in Suhe Courtyard.

After going around in circles, my sincere heart has returned to me.

How ridiculous!

Su Ruanruan took a sip of tea and gave a self-deprecating smile. She thought she had a good eye for people, but it seemed she had misjudged them this time.

She thought she could pull Su He out of the abyss, but she didn't expect that the salvation others wanted was not her, but her man.

Su He clearly knew that Mu Bai was the man she loved...

Su Ruanruan sat in the courtyard for a while before wrapping up the sketches from last night and going out.

On the way, it was inevitable that I would be recognized, and unpleasant voices still filled my ears. Passing by a tea stall, I saw a few thugs sitting there, making a ruckus, and occasionally I could hear even more vulgar language.

Su Ruanruan stopped in her tracks, wanting to leave her own handprints on their faces.

But considering her situation, she had no choice but to endure it.

She had no powerful background; she was just a tiny ant at the bottom of a monarchical society.

She understood the principle of being at the mercy of others.

Even if Zhou the butcher hadn't done anything to her, she couldn't have done what other women did—jump into a well or hang herself.

A woman's chastity is never measured by her skirts, but she dared not say that here.

She cannot change this monarchical society, nor can she change their deeply ingrained beliefs.

It's as if she doesn't often say the words "equality for all".

This is the real pyramid; she's still struggling at the bottom of the food chain.

She can't go back now; the only thing she can do is integrate into the environment and then change her life.

She snapped out of her daze, ignored the thugs, and continued walking forward.

She has more important things to do now.

The discordant sounds continued to ring in her ears as Su Ruanruan took a few steps forward.

But he was startled by the sudden low growl.

"Shut up, do you want to go back to jail?"

"And you guys, aren't you all bored? Do you want me to find you something to do?"

Huo Yan's cold gaze swept over the onlookers, who instantly fell silent.

But it frightened several children on the street, whose parents were stunned for a moment, then quickly covered their children's mouths and hurriedly left.

Some people left when they saw there was no excitement to see, while others went back to their work, and the market returned to its lively atmosphere with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares.

The thugs in the teahouse lowered their heads and quietly left, afraid of offending this big shot again and being thrown into jail once more.

Huo Yan sat at the table and continued drinking tea. Noticing someone watching him, he looked up and saw Su Ruanruan tilting her head and sizing him up.

Despite being petite and slender, she was different from other women.

Putting aside her chaotic life, she was indeed a different kind of woman he had ever met.

If it were any other woman, she would have been on the verge of death long ago after her reputation was damaged, and she would never dare to show her face in public again.

From what moment did his impression of her seem to change?

Huo Yan thought about it, and it seemed to be before she was taken away by Butcher Zhou. He had overheard her talking to the man with the broken leg in the teahouse.

"They shouldn't be afraid of you; they should respect you."

"We should not let heroes feel disheartened."

"We should not leave wounded soldiers who have been discharged without any support, adrift in the wind and rain."

"If we want our country to be strong, we must have a strong military."

Her words kept echoing in his ears. He was really curious how Su Ruanruan, a country girl, could have such unique insights.

Furthermore, what is the truth behind Zhou the Butcher's death? What is his relationship with Su Ruanruan?

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!