"Oh? What should we do then?" Lu Zheng looked troubled. "Xin Xin, you must tell the Empress Dowager that you love me very much and that you will marry no one but me. Otherwise, I'm not sure I can handle it!"
"Pah! Shameless! Who says I have to marry you?" Gu Xin blushed, then glared at him. "My brother and father told me that with my qualities, I can choose any good man I want. I'm both scholarly and martial, I'm presentable in public and good at cooking, gentle, kind, generous, and adorable. There aren't many like me in the entire Great Zhou. Why should I have to marry you?"
"Cheng Huaijin!" Lu Zheng muttered the name angrily.
"Hahahahaha..." Gu Xin laughed loudly, "Brother Yuanyuan, Brother Xiaojin is my own brother. He and the entire Liusha Kingdom are my backing. You're already dissatisfied with your future brother-in-law before even discussing marriage."
"You naughty girl, are you deliberately trying to make fun of me? I'll pinch your cheeks!" Lu Zheng ran to grab Gu Xin.
Gu Xin turned and ran.
They ran and chased each other, their laughter carried away by the sea breeze, drifting far, far away...
Contrary to Lu Zheng's expectations, the two did not travel for two days. That very night, they heard Cheng Huaijin and Peng Silang shouting.
Gu Xin was asleep by the fire when she heard the sound. Lu Zheng nudged her and said, "Xin Xin, listen, isn't someone calling us?"
Gu Xin woke up groggily, and after a while, she heard a voice: "It's my brother, it's my brother's voice!"
She stood up and was about to run towards the source of the sound.
Lu Zheng also got up and followed.
"Brother! I'm here!" Gu Xin shouted as she ran.
"Si Lang, Xiao Jin, we're here!" Lu Zheng's voice was louder.
Soon, Cheng Huaijin, Peng Silang, and a group of soldiers appeared before the two men, each carrying a torch.
Cheng Huaijin suppressed the urge to hug Gu Xin and try to understand her true feelings. After getting closer, he simply poked Gu Xin's head hard with his hand: "You scared me to death! Are you hurt? From now on, you're not allowed to go to the battlefield!"
Gu Xin flashed a big smile: "Of course I'm not injured! I'm so strong! Brother, don't worry, even if you sent me to the battlefield, I wouldn't go after all this hard work. Besides, it's all over, there's nothing left to fight. From now on, I'm going to be a good girl!"
Cheng Huaijin smiled and shook his head.
Peng Silang leaned closer: "Xinxin, it's good that you're not hurt. When I came to the west, that silly girl Huo Yanyu said she would kill me if you lost even a single hair! Sigh, it's okay if you lost a hair, she doesn't know how many you used to have, as long as you're not hurt anywhere else!"
Cheng Huaijin and Lu Zheng gave Peng Silang a disdainful look.
Gu Xin, however, had time to gossip: "Brother Peng, it seems you and Hanhan have gotten along very well while I was away for a year! Hanhan actually has so much confidence in you, not bad at all!"
Peng Silang looked terrified: "Xinxin, don't talk nonsense. Hanmei is so fierce, and her brother isn't very strong, but he's smart. I can't afford to mess with them. Unless I'm out of my mind, I would never have anything to do with Hanmei."
Gu Xin looked on with a knowing expression.
Cheng Huaijin took two pancakes out of his pocket and gave them to Lu Zheng and Gu Xin: "Brother Yuan, Xin Xin, eat up, you haven't eaten for two days. I even saved some water for you. Eat first, Sister Huihui is here too, but we probably won't run into her until we get back, then we can have a proper meal!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com