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

Night falls.

Lu Xuan led Shen Jinglian to an inn and stopped. "Miss Shen, you can stay here tonight."

Shen Jinglian had agreed before descending the mountain that after arriving in Qingyang County, they would rent a small courtyard or stay at an inn. Since it was already late, it would be more appropriate to stay at the inn for the night and rent a room tomorrow.

Shen Jinglian finished the last "goose leg" in her hand, picked her teeth with a bamboo skewer, and then casually looked up at the inn. Her voice was a little muffled as she said, "I've given all the money to Hong'er and the others. I don't have any money on me, so I can't stay at the inn."

"It's okay, I have it."

A night at an inn costs only a hundred or eighty coins, which Lu Xuan can help pay for, he said, and then stepped inside.

"Hey, stop! Stop right now!" Shen Jinglian hurriedly threw away the bamboo skewer in her hand and grabbed Lu Xuan.

"What's wrong?" Lu Xuan stopped and turned around, looking puzzled.

The woman's eyes darted away, but her hands gripped Lu Xuan tightly. "I...I don't want you to spend money..."

"It's okay, you don't need to pay me back."

"No! I've suddenly changed my mind, I don't want to stay at the hotel anymore."

She simply laid it all out: she didn't want to stay at the inn.

But where can I go if I don't want to stay? I can't find a place to rent late at night.

"I want to go to your house. I want to see what your wife looks like. Hehe."

Lu Xuan was stunned for a moment.

He quickly shook his head and said seriously, "Miss Shen, didn't we agree beforehand that you would either stay at an inn or rent a courtyard? How can you go back on your word? What happened to your promise to keep your word?"

The woman waved her hand dismissively, "Fool, I'm neither a monarch nor a gentleman. What does the principle of a monarch's word being law have to do with me?"

Lu Xuan: "..."

Bao Bulv: "..."

Lu Xuan was careless!

I never imagined that trust between people could be so fragile. I was tricked and scammed!

Shen Jinglian is a scoundrel, unreasonable and like a piece of chewing gum stuck to your trouser leg, impossible to shake off no matter what you do...

Lu Xuan was at a loss!

Back in my own little courtyard.

Shen Jinglian followed behind him, and as soon as she entered, she pretended to look around, calling out, "Madam Lu? Is Madam Lu here? I'm your husband's friend, come out and meet me~"

No one responded.

Lu Xuan's face darkened. "Alright, stop shouting. Otherwise, the neighbors will hear. There's no one else at my house, just my sister and brother-in-law who occasionally come over."

"Then why did you tell me you were already married with a wife?" Shen Jinglian looked at him with a smile. "You fooled me, and I fooled you, so we're even."

"I... oh well, never mind, I can't be bothered to talk to you."

Lu Xuan was indeed a married man, but the situation was rather special and complicated. He could only say, "Anyway, Miss Shen, please don't act like a rogue anymore. You can only stay at my house for one night. I'll find you a courtyard to stay in tomorrow... Otherwise, if my sister sees you here, I won't be able to explain."

"Okay, okay, you stingy little thing." Shen Jinglian pouted, yawned, and asked, "Where am I sleeping tonight?"

"You can sleep in my sister's room."

Lu Xuan and her brother have lived together since they were little. Their house always had two rooms and two beds, and Lu Qingqing would sometimes come back to stay for a few days.

"Can't I sleep in your room?" the woman asked, blinking slightly, her eyes still a little dreamy. "I'd feel so bad if I made Lu-jie's room dirty, I think..."

"Absolutely not! Miss Shen, please have some self-respect!" Lu Xuan refused sternly.

What kind of talk is it for a man and a woman to be alone in a room together?

He doesn't want to be in a situation where he can't clear his name even if he jumps into the Yellow River!

Lu Xuan turned around, took out his key, and opened Lu Qingqing's room. The room was not large, but it was very clean and tidy.

With a thought, he took out a burlap sack from his storage ring and placed it in an empty space. "All your things are here. You should have bedding and pillows, right? Take care of them yourself."

"You hypocrite!" The woman huffed and puffed as she entered the room, deliberately ignoring Lu Xuan and even stepping on his foot.

Lu Xuan: "..."

She walked to the package, squatted down, opened it, took out a thin blanket, and spread it on the bed.

With a "thump," he collapsed onto the bed, his face instantly filled with enjoyment.

Ah, that feels so good!

After a long day, lying in bed is definitely the most comfortable thing to do!

Lu Xuan turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. "Get some rest. Call me if you need anything."

"Oh!" the woman inside responded, then quickly added, "Don't wake me tomorrow, I want to sleep in!"

"oh!"

Lu Xuan stood at the door for a while and heard a soft snoring sound coming from inside the house; the woman seemed to have fallen asleep.

The courtyard fell silent again, occasionally a night breeze would blow by, bringing a refreshing coolness, and often accompanied by Bao Bulu's ramblings in his sleep...

"I...I am the divine donkey under Captain Lu's command, you all have to be polite to me."

"Who hasn't offered me carrots yet? I remember them all..."

Lu Xuan was speechless.

He walked into the courtyard, lay down on the rocking chair under the pomegranate tree, held the back of his head with his hands, and gazed at the night sky with a deep look in his eyes, as if he were thinking about something.

After a long pause, he sighed softly, "I still have to tell Miss Su..."

A lot happened today, but what bothers him the most is that he has inexplicably incurred an emotional debt!

In the past, it would have been fine to accept it.

But his situation is rather special now. He's married and has registered his marriage. Su Qingwan is his wife in name and law... For the sake of reason and to avoid being misunderstood or criticized by others, it's best to inform them of the situation!

Lu Xuan flipped his hand, and a sound transmission talisman appeared in his palm...

the other side.

The Su family mansion, Plum Blossom Garden.

Miss Su Qingwan gently unfolded a painting on the table.

The painting depicts a young man riding a donkey. He has delicate features and an extraordinary air about him, and he is holding a large red embroidered ball in his hand...

That's Lu Xuan!

Su Qingwan is a famous talented woman in Yunzhou City, proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Today, having nothing to do, she imagined the scene of Lu Xuan catching the embroidered ball and created this painting.

The painting of Lu Xuan bears a striking resemblance to the real person, with nine parts physical resemblance and eight parts spiritual resemblance. He's incredibly handsome, except... his expression is a bit off.

When Lu Xuan unintentionally caught the embroidered ball, he had a look of bewilderment and insincerity, but the boy in the painting was holding the embroidered ball with a beaming smile and high spirits!

...It looks nice, but it's a bit unrealistic.

"Wow! Is this my brother-in-law? He's so handsome!" Standing next to Su Qingwan was a girl in green, about fifteen or sixteen years old. The girl looked at the portrait on the table with admiration. "My brother-in-law is so amazing. He's handsome and a good fighter. Even my bad cousin wouldn't stand a chance against him with two punches, hahaha."

The girl in green praised Lu Xuan's portrait highly, exclaiming how handsome and amazing he was!

"Haha." Su Qingwan covered her mouth and chuckled.

The girl in green is her younger sister, Su Xiaoxiao, the second young lady of the Su family.

Su Xiaoxiao was sixteen years old. She was lively and active, and like her older brother Su Wenyuan, she loved to practice martial arts and swordplay. She had a delicate wooden sword hanging at her waist.

However, Madam Su did not want her youngest daughter to practice martial arts. She preferred to raise Su Xiaoxiao to be a well-bred young lady like Su Qingwan, so she often had Su Xiaoxiao stay in the room to study and learn to read.

Perhaps it was innate, but Su Xiaoxiao couldn't help but feel sleepy and drowsy whenever she opened a book. Over the years, she had read quite a few books, but none of them really caught her eye or entered her brain. She had only finished a few books properly.

Last time, when the embroidered ball was used to choose a husband, Madam Su saw that Su Xiaoxiao was too young to appear in public, so she told her to stay in her room and read. As a result, she fell asleep as soon as she started reading.

The girl didn't get to see Lu Xuan!

So when she learned that her brother-in-law was a skilled doctor who saved her sister, and also had exceptional intelligence and martial arts skills, and had seen through her evil cousin's plot at a glance and killed him in an instant, the young girl's heart was greatly shocked!

She felt an immense longing and admiration for her brother-in-law, whom she had never met before!

"Sister, I really want to see my brother-in-law soon! Once I see him, I'll pester him to teach me martial arts and magic..." The girl in green blinked her big, bright black eyes with anticipation, then took the wooden sword from her waist and waved it wildly. "I want to become as powerful as my brother-in-law someday, and then travel the world with my sword, punishing evil and becoming a female knight-errant!"

The girl in green wanted to see her brother-in-law, and even more so, she wanted him to teach her martial arts!

Looking at her lively and energetic younger sister, Su Qingwan said softly with a smile, "Your brother-in-law is a very busy man. He practices medicine and saves lives every day, so he won't be back until the Mid-Autumn Festival..."

Lu Xuan had promised Su Qingwan that he would return to the Su residence for a reunion dinner on Mid-Autumn Festival.

"Huh? Mid-Autumn Festival?" The girl in green counted on her fingers. "That means we have to wait another five days, that's too long!"

The girl slumped down like a deflated balloon, sighing and groaning.

Su Qingwan couldn't help but picture Lu Xuan in her mind. She looked up at the window; the moon in the night sky was already quite full. "Five days, that's really a long time..."

hum~

At that moment, a communication talisman on the table vibrated slightly, and then she heard Lu Xuan's voice.

"Good evening, Miss Su..."