You've already caught the embroidered ball, and you still say it's not my husband?

As the sun sets, the sky is filled with rosy clouds.

Outside Yunzhou City, a handsome young man wearing a scholar's hat and carrying a medicine box sat cross-legged on his shoulder rode a black donkey along a forest path. The afterglow of the setting sun shone warmly on him through the gaps in the trees.

He sneezed twice in a row.

"..."

Lu Xuan sighed and rubbed his temples.

He could imagine that after he "irresponsibly" ran away, Mrs. Su would be furious, probably cursing him behind his back over and over again...

"Master, it's also possible that the young lady woke up and is missing you because she's longing for you!"

The black donkey that Lu Xuan was riding could actually speak.

Lu Xuan encountered this donkey half a month ago when he passed through a deep mountain forest.

It was captured by a ferocious tiger demon and was about to become its meal when Lu Xuan rescued it. After that, it became Lu Xuan's personal mount, carrying him around.

"It's not that bad."

Lu Xuan smiled.

He was self-aware; he was indeed good-looking and outstanding, but wasn't the eldest daughter of the Su family also pitiful and beautiful?

The other person had been in a coma and hadn't even opened their eyes to see him yet... Lu Xuan wouldn't presume to think that the other person would miss him.

"No, no!"

The donkey, munching on a carrot with relish, instinctively retorted, "Master, you are handsome, dashing, charming, and irresistible... Which young lady could resist your gaze? That young lady from the Su family must be missing you terribly after waking up and not being able to see your splendor, hehe..."

This donkey had one major flaw: it loved to argue and its catchphrase was "No, no, no," so Lu Xuan named it "Bao Bu Lu" (meaning "Bao the Donkey").

"Master, why don't you stay in the Su family and become their son-in-law?"

"That young lady is so beautiful, and you even cured her. If it were me, I would have stayed on the ground and refused to leave even if you told me to!"

Bao Bulu was puzzled, wondering why Lu Xuan wanted to run away.

Lu Xuan accepted the Su family's embroidered ball in front of everyone, becoming the Su family's son-in-law. Later, he rescued Su Qingwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family, killed the culprit Wang Hao, and became a great benefactor of the Su family.

Even if Su Qingwan doesn't fancy Lu Xuan after waking up, Lu Xuan only needs to "repay her kindness" a little to be sure he can still marry the beautiful woman...

Lu Xuan refused!

They didn't even ask for any reward before running away.

If those romantic and talented men of Yunzhou City knew about this, wouldn't they be heartbroken, regretful, and even bang their heads on the ground in despair?

Ugh!

Bao Bulu sighed, deeply regretting the situation.

Otherwise, it could have benefited from its owner's fame and lived a life of luxury in the Su family mansion.

Cluck cluck! Cluck cluck~

Birdsong filled the woods.

Lu Xuan pointed to the birds flying in the sky above and smiled: "Bao Bulu, let me ask you this: do you think it's better to be a free-flying bird, or a caged bird trapped in a cage?"

Lu Xuan compared himself to a bird that could soar freely in the sky, while his son-in-law was a caged bird!

Do I even need to ask how to choose?

Bao Bulu answered without hesitation, "Then it's definitely better to be a caged bird!"

???

Lu Xuan looked completely bewildered.

"Master, think about it. Although birds nest in the sky and can fly freely, they still have to work hard every day to find food!"

"Look, the sun has already set, and those silly birds in the sky are probably still starving and looking for food! Hahaha, how silly!"

"If it were me, I'd rather be a caged bird. It doesn't matter if I can't fly; at least I won't have to worry about food and shelter. I can just wait for everything to be handed to me, tsk tsk... how comfortable that life would be!"

Bao Bulu's eyes were shining as he spoke, showing his deep longing for this kind of life.

"..."

Lu Xuan's face darkened, and he twitched his lips, thinking that this donkey was really useless and had no ambition at all.

I want to eat donkey meat.

hiss!

Bao Bulu immediately shrank back, then quickly adopted a very obsequious and fawning expression: "Master, please don't be angry, I was just joking! I am utterly loyal to you, heaven and earth can bear witness!"

"Little Donkey, my greatest dream is to serve you faithfully, to carry you through fire and water, and to travel the world..."

This donkey is also a master at being opportunistic and flattering.

Snapped!

Lu Xuan slapped the donkey's rump and smiled helplessly: "Alright, stop flattering me, let's keep going."

Da da da.

The donkey's hooves moved swiftly as the man and the donkey traveled through the mountains and forests.

Lu Xuan's family lived at the last house at the end of Ping'an Lane on West Street in Qingyang County.

The distance between Qingyang County and Yunzhou City is 60 li (approximately 30 kilometers). If you take a horse-drawn carriage along the official road, it will take about two and a half hours.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Lu Xuan usually rode a donkey to take a shortcut, which only took one hour (one hour in ancient times was approximately equal to two hours).

However, every ten kilometers, the greedy donkey needs to be fed a carrot to replenish its energy.

That translates to ten carrots per 100 kilometers. Each carrot costs one coin, so ten carrots would cost ten coins.

It's not expensive!

At nine o'clock in the evening, Lu Xuan returned home.

This is an ordinary little courtyard.

The courtyard was small, with low walls and a ground paved with bluestone slabs. In the courtyard stood a lush pomegranate tree, planted three and a half years ago by Lu Xuan's older sister, Lu Qingqing, as a symbol of "many children, many blessings"...

There is a main house directly behind it, and two side rooms on the side. The houses are made of brick walls and gray tiles. There are no luxurious furnishings inside, but they are simple and clean.

After a busy day, sleepiness overcame him, and Lu Xuan collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep...

Noon the next day.

Sunlight streamed through the window, and Lu Xuan woke up naturally.

He stretched comfortably, feeling completely relaxed!

"I wonder how things are going with the Su family?" Lu Xuanren, a compassionate person, couldn't help but think of what happened yesterday and the delicate young woman from the Su family.

Su Qingwan is perfectly fine after his treatment and must have woken up; Madam Su was furious that Lu Xuan ran away, I wonder if she's calmed down yet? Wang Hao, who practiced demonic arts, died in the Su family, I wonder if Master Su and Su Wenyuan have given their statements to the Yunzhou government yet...

Lu Xuan shrugged. These weren't big problems.

He couldn't help but imagine what would have happened if he had stayed in the Su family as a son-in-law yesterday because he was attracted by the girl's beauty.

Will he be able to sleep in until he naturally wakes up today? Will he still be able to enjoy this freedom in the future?

Although Mr. Su and Mrs. Su promised him many "generous treatments," they might all be "traps" to fool him.

I've heard that wealthy families have a lot of rules and routines!

In many wealthy families, the sons-in-law who married into the family had a status similar to that of servants.

Regardless of wind, rain, or extreme heat or cold, they had to get up early every day without fail to pay their respects to the master and mistress. During meals, the son-in-law was not allowed to start eating before the master, mistress, and young lady had begun, and they couldn't even sit at the same table; they had to eat standing up...

Want to share a room? That depends on the lady's mood!

When she's in a good mood, she might make you do it ten times a day, and you'll have no choice but to grit your teeth and do it. When she's in a bad mood, she might make you sleep on the floor or kneel on a washboard, and you'll have nowhere to complain!

"How terrifying!"

"This is simply unbearable! Thank goodness I ran fast yesterday!"

Lu Xuan couldn't help but shudder, still feeling lingering fear.

He didn't ask for anything in return from the Su family for treating and saving lives; he just hoped they wouldn't hold a grudge against him!

Boom boom boom!

A knock came at the door, which immediately made Lu Xuan's heart tighten.

Could it be that Mr. and Mrs. Su have come to his house?