After passing through the waist-deep wheat fields, the group arrived at the farm gate. The farm had heard that the Marquis was coming, and the steward Liu Song had already stood at the gate with the maids to welcome him. Xiao Du directed the servants to move the boxes into the room, and pointed at Luo Yuan and said, "Put him in the farmhouse at the back."

Liu Song knew from Xiao Du's attitude that this person was not a distinguished guest, so he casually sent a servant to take him away. Luo Yuan, however, did not take it seriously, and bowed to Liu Song humbly, saying, "Then I'll leave it to you, Liu." When he passed by Yuan Xi, he paused, turned around and smiled at her politely, and Yuan Xi nodded in return.

Xiao Du found this scene very unpleasant, so he took Yuan Xi's hand and walked inside while saying, "Are you hungry, my lady? Let's go eat."

Yuan Xi felt a little embarrassed when he suddenly held her hand in front of so many people, so she quickly followed him and tried to secretly pull her hand out, but he gave her a fierce warning look, so she had to shrink her neck and let him hold her hand obediently.

Xiao Zhixuan saw this from behind and laughed very happily, so she followed him with a hop and a skip. Liu Song had already ordered people to prepare a large table of food and wine in the courtyard. Although they were all farm dishes, not as exquisite as those in the mansion, the few people found them to be very delicious.

After dinner, Xiao Zhixuan suggested going to the orchard to pick peaches. Yunniang, who had not yet recovered from the turbulence of the boat, sat in a daze under a tree in the courtyard accompanied by her maid. As the others passed by, they saw a dense orchard in the distance, with emerald green and bright red, swaying in the wind to create a pastoral scene.

Yuan Xi had never gone out with her sisters when she was at the Xiangfu, so she felt that everything was new. She was pulling the leaves on her head with interest, when suddenly something flew from the sky and fell into her arms. She was so scared that her hands went limp and she was about to drop it on the ground, but she found that it was a big, red peach.

She looked up and found Xiao Du standing under a peach tree not far away, with his arms crossed, staring at her with a sly smile on his face. The sunlight sprinkled on him, making his smile look particularly dazzling. Yuan Xi didn't know why she wanted to blush again. Fortunately, Xiao Zhixuan had already jumped to her side and said, "This is what my brother picked specially for you. Come and taste it. Is it sweet?"

Yuan Xi lowered her head, took a bite, blushed and smiled, "It's sweet."

Xiao Zhixuan giggled and pulled Xiao Du and the servants to go pick peaches together. She was not satisfied until she had a basket full of peaches. She was in a playful mood and didn't care that her body was soaked with sweat. She insisted on going to the stream to catch fish. So the group passed through the orchard and came to a stream. In the clear stream, fish of all colors swam happily. Xiao Zhixuan shouted excitedly: "Brother, hurry up, let's go fishing with my sister-in-law." The two asked the servants beside them to wait outside. Xiao Zhixuan tied up her skirt, rolled up her trousers, and happily stepped around in the water. Xiao Du also rolled up his trousers and stood in the sparkling stream. He smiled at her and stretched out his hand, saying: "Come down, the water is very clear."

Yuan Xi said timidly, "I can't."

Xiao Zhixuan splashed water happily and shouted, "Let big brother teach you. He knows how to catch it."

Yuan Xi then carefully rolled up her trouser legs, tied up her skirt and walked into the stream, but she soon found out to her dismay that the fish were swimming around right under her feet, but she couldn't catch any. She was frowning and thinking about how to deal with these fish, when suddenly she heard a warm feeling in her ears. Xiao Du was already behind her and said, "I'll teach you." Yuan Xi was startled, her feet slipped and she fell backwards, but she soon fell into a warm chest, and the hands were still intentionally or unintentionally around her waist. Yuan Xi's heart was beating wildly, and she hurriedly said, "I'm a little tired, you guys catch them first, I'll go up and take a rest."

After saying that, she ran to the shore as if escaping, gently squeezed her slightly wet trouser legs, then sat on the soft grass with her legs hugged, letting the sun shine warmly on her body. Not far away, the Xiao brothers and sisters picked up fish one by one in the splashing water and threw them into the basket, laughing and playing happily. She suddenly felt a sense of happiness in her heart, and couldn't help but laugh along.

After a while, she saw Xiao Zhixuan suddenly walk up to Xiao Du, saying something to him while smiling at her with ulterior motives. Yuan Xi suddenly had a bad feeling. She remembered the purpose of her trip and suddenly became flustered. She quickly picked up a peach and put it in her mouth, pretending to concentrate on eating the peach, not daring to look over there again.

Xiao Du came ashore and sat next to her. He looked her up and down for a few times before saying with a smile, "Xuan'er just told me that you wanted to share a room with me tonight."

Yuan Xi had a peach in her mouth, and she didn't know whether to swallow it or spit it out. Her face turned red and she couldn't speak. Xiao Du rubbed it over again and asked, "Is it true?"

Yuan Xi lowered her head and coughed continuously, her face flushed, but thinking of how much Nanny Li had thought about her and how much she had told her, she finally made up her mind, closed her eyes and nodded, then felt so ashamed that she wanted to dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it. Xiao Du smiled even more happily, gently took the half-eaten peach from her hand, and whispered in her ear, "Okay, I'll definitely go tonight."

Yuan Xi felt as if something had gently scratched her heart, making it feel numb and tingling. Xiao Du had already stuffed the half-eaten peach into his mouth and jumped into the river to catch fish. Yuan Xi was no longer in the mood to watch. She was in a state of anxiety and only hoped that the sun would set slowly.

They kept doing this until the sun went down and the sky was filled with sunset glow. The two finally had a great time catching fish. They asked the servant to pack the fish and returned to the farm with a few baskets of peaches. When Yuan Xi and Xiao Zhixuan came in, several of their personal maids came up to them and took them inside to change their clothes.

When Yuan Xi passed by Yun Niang who was still sitting under the tree in a daze, she suddenly felt something was wrong. She turned her head and found that Yun Niang was staring at her with her sharp eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, and when she looked carefully, Yun Niang was still looking into the distance with that silly expression. She wondered: Is it because she was too tired today that she felt dizzy?

When Yuan Xi came out after changing her clothes, Xiao Du had already changed into a dark green straight-collared gown, and urged the kitchen to slaughter the live fish they had caught today. Behind him, the dusk was all around, the sunset was faint, and in the village, curls of smoke were rising. Yuan Xi suddenly felt a little satisfied. If she and Xiao Du were just an ordinary couple in this manor, living an ordinary life, far away from the intrigues, calculations and precautions of the Marquis' Mansion, would they be happier? Then she felt a little funny. She couldn't do anything, so what qualifications did she have to envy others?

As the sky gradually darkened, the maids worked quickly and the food was quickly served. Yuan Xi thought about what was going to happen tonight and did not dare to look up at Xiao Du. She just lowered her head to eat. As she ate, a piece of fat fish belly appeared in her bowl. Before she could react, Xiao Du's malicious smile was already close to her ear and said, "Eat more, so you will have strength tonight." Yuan Xi knew that he was teasing her on purpose, but she still blushed. Xiao Zhixuan on the side did not understand why, but she was very happy, thinking that she would complete her good deeds today.

After finishing the meal with great difficulty, he saw a man walking in the twilight. He was wearing a blue shirt and a long belt, and his posture was calm. It was Luo Yuan. He walked to the table, bowed to Xiao Du and said, "Luo has been waiting for you for a day. Can I have a word with you?"

Xiao Du glanced at him impatiently and was about to refuse when he heard Yuan Xi whisper, "I just wanted to ask Manager Liu about the harvest accounts in the farm. If you have anything to do, please go first." Xiao Du was getting more and more unhappy, but seeing that Luo Yuan was still standing there as if it was a matter of course, with an attitude of not leaving, he just wanted to get rid of him first, so he lifted his robe and stood up, and said to Yuan Xi, "Wait for me to come back."

The two walked all the way to the farmhouse at the back of the yard. The house was very simple, but it was tidy. On the table in the middle was an unfinished chess game, which added a bit of elegance to this simple farmhouse. Xiao Du couldn't help but snorted, "You waited for me for a whole day just to let me play chess."

Luo Yuan smiled noncommittally and said, "I wonder if you would appreciate my kindness, Lord Hou." Xiao Du casually glanced at the chessboard and said disdainfully, "Your black piece is dead, what else is there to play?"

Luo Yuan smiled and shook his head, saying, "What if I say that this black piece still has a chance of recovery?" Xiao Du was immediately aroused, so he let Luo Yuan play black against him. The two of them played until the moon was at its highest point in the sky. Luo Yuan raised his head and said leisurely, "Lord Hou, you lost."

Xiao Du's face looked very ugly, the black piece had obviously been surrounded, with no chance of survival, so how come it was able to break through and counterattack to win?

Luo Yuan seemed to see through his thoughts. He put down the last chess piece in his hand, stared at him and said, "This principle is actually very simple. As long as you have the belief that you will win, you will definitely be able to break through and survive."

Xiao Du glanced at him, then casually threw down the chess piece in his hand and said, "What does Luo Hanlin want to say next?"

Luo Yuan stood up and said seriously: "Luo just wants to tell you, Lord Hou, although the Xiao family army is constrained by both the Xia family and the imperial power, and it is difficult to move forward, Lord Hou, you can't pretend to get away with it. Only by fighting can we survive."

"How dare you!" Xiao Du slammed the table and shouted angrily, "Who allowed you to talk like that? Just based on what you just said, I would kill you ten thousand times."

Luo Yuan looked at him without any fear and said, "My life is nothing, but do you really want to see the Xiao family army being devoured by the Xia family step by step, or even let the tragedy of Pingduguan happen again?"

"Enough!" Xiao Du stood up angrily, walked to the door, and said, "As long as I am alive, the Xiao family army will never be controlled by the Xia family." He turned around and restored his expression of not caring about anything, and smiled, "Just pretend you didn't hear what I said today. Hanlin Luo, please remember your duty and don't make things difficult for me. I have to go back now, after all, my beloved wife is waiting in the house."

Luo Yuan looked in the direction he left, thought of that little figure, and a wry smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

On the other side, in Yuan Xi's room, An He and Rong Xuan had been told by Nanny Li in advance to help her wash and wash before leaving early. Yuan Xi was extremely nervous and felt a little tired, so she simply lay down on the bed with her clothes on. Although she was clearly full of worries, she didn't know why her eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, and she almost wanted to fall asleep.

At this moment, there was a rustling sound at the door. Yuan Xi's heart skipped a beat, knowing that what was coming was finally coming, and she hurriedly turned inside. Who knew that the door rang for a while, but no one came in. Yuan Xi was a little strange, maybe An He and the others accidentally locked the door, so she sat up and wanted to see what was going on, but she felt dizzy as soon as she sat up.

Then she discovered that there was a pair of eyes pasted on the paper window, and it was not Xiao Du!