“Customer, come take a look, these are the newly released candies. Malt candy, peony honey pastry, lychee paste, and fruit general, there are many types, customer, please take a look.” At the candy stall, the small vendor enthusiastically introduced to Su Mu.

“Do you have honey seed candy?”

“Yes, how much do you want, customer?” The small vendor took out honey seed candy already packaged in oil bags from a small box.

“I’ll take them all.” When Xie Yi goes back this time, they might never see each other again in this life, so naturally, buy as much as possible.

“All of them? Alright!” The small vendor happily gave all the large packages of honey seed candy to Su Mu.

“Also some peony honey pastry, lychee paste, and snow flower crisp.” The small vendor’s smile blossomed, not expecting to meet such a big customer on the first day of business.

Su Mu couldn’t even hold all the large piles of candies and honey pastries, only with Xie Yi’s help could they carry them all.

“Sister Mu, it’s too much, don’t buy anymore.” Seeing Su Mu paying readily, Xie Yi tried to stop her.

Su Mu handed the money to the small vendor, her eyes naturally carrying a smile: “Although these things seem a lot right now, if spread over several months, it’s not that much. The climate in the Western Regions is dry, as long as they are properly stored, things like honey seed candy might not spoil even after half a year.”

Feeling the heavy weight in his arms, Xie Yi’s heart was equally heavy.

He wanted to grab Su Mu’s clothes and shout at her, don’t buy for him, don’t spend money on him, he’s not worth it, not worth it!

Back then at the door of Teacher Li’s house, when he was abused by the teacher’s husband, he cried to Su Mu, not for anything else, just to seduce her, to seek her sympathy.

Later, when he was taken home by Su Mu, his subservience and humility were also fake.

When he was choked by Yan Jiyue, his face scratched, he deliberately didn’t resist, to make her pity and feel guilty, to find a chance to escape back to the desert.

This fool, yet she… didn’t even need him to use any tricks or schemes.

Xie Yi felt a lump in his throat, fool, fool.

At night, Su Mu was reviewing her books in the room, while Xie Yi was cooking in the kitchen.

Su Mu wanted to help with the fire, but Xie Yi wouldn’t allow it no matter what.

Just as two dishes were served on the table, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Su Mu went to open it.

“Su girl, I heard you divorced the Yan family’s eldest young master?” Uncle Yang walked in fanning himself, followed by a young man.

Uncle Yang was Su Mu’s landlord, a widower with a son and a daughter. The young man behind him was his son, Lin Xiaoxing.

She had just transmigrated here and rented a room from him. He was also the only person who didn’t hold prejudice against Su Mu because of her status as a married-in son-in-law.

“Uncle Yang, please sit. You already know?”

Uncle Yang sat down with a smile, while Xiaoxing stood properly behind Uncle Yang, always keeping his head down.

“Not just me, now the whole city knows. You should have seen how lively the Yan family manor was tonight. Many of Yan family’s rural elders and relatives came, probably discussing how to divide the property,” Uncle Yang said.

Su Mu lowered her eyes and smiled as she poured tea for him. Indeed, telling Yan Ruyu was equivalent to buying a hot search.

“But I say, child, this divorce was the right choice. I told you long ago not to wade into the Yan family’s muddy waters. There are many ways to repay kindness, no need to use this self-damaging method, making the whole city mock you.” Uncle Yang had seen through Su Mu’s reason for marrying into the family at a glance.

“I was young then, only thinking that one should be grateful and repay kindness. Now that I think about it, I was inconsiderate,” Su Mu sat next to him, holding the teacup, lightly brushing away the tea foam with the lid.

“No matter what, now that you’re divorced, it can be said you’ve escaped from suffering. Yan Jiyue is not a kind master. In the future when looking for a husband, you must find one who is gentle, understanding, and lovable,” Uncle Yang glanced slightly behind him: “My Xiaoxing heard you were divorced and was happy for you too. He even specially brought a gift for you.” Lin Xiaoxing lowered his head, blushing: “Sister Su, this is the snow foam plum wine I made, please… try it.”

“Thank you.”

“No, Sister Su, no need to be polite.” Lin Xiaoxing didn’t dare to even look at Su Mu, quickly hiding behind Uncle Yang.

Lin Xiaoxing used to be like this too, hiding whenever he saw her. Was she that scary?

Su Mu lowered her eyes and smiled.

Lin Xiaoxing blushed even more, like he was on fire.

“Sister Mu.” Xie Yi came in with freshly cooked stir-fried cabbage, just in time to meet eyes with the red-faced Lin Xiaoxing.

In just an instant, Xie Yi quickly sized up Lin Xiaoxing from head to toe, and keenly perceived the shyness in Lin Xiaoxing’s eyes.

Men facing men, their gazes were like invisible blade edges, able to distinguish friend from foe in an instant, penetrating the other’s thoughts.

“Who is this?” Uncle Yang looked at Xie Yi’s appearance, secretly shocked.

“This is Xie Yi,” Su Mu introduced.

“Is this the new person you’ve taken a liking to? Or a servant you bought?” Yang Shu exclaimed in surprise, while Lin Xiaoxing behind him clutched his handkerchief tightly.

Su Mu explained: “Neither. He’ll be returning to the Great Desert in a few days.” Yang Shu and Lin Xiaoxing both let out a sigh of relief simultaneously.

“Sister Mu, who are they?”

Finally, after seeing off Yang Shu, Xie Yi casually opened his mouth at the dining table.

“Oh, them? They’re my landlord and his son,” Su Mu said, while also inevitably explaining the meaning of landlord.

Xie Yi hadn’t expected that even this shabby little house didn’t belong to Su Mu herself.

He secretly clenched his chopsticks. His days in the Great Desert were quite well-off, and women often eagerly sent him gifts. The women pursuing him were either the daughters of the town’s wealthiest or the most valiant warriors.

He couldn’t even be bothered to look at those from humble families. After all, which man would willingly go through hardships? He certainly didn’t have a penchant for poverty.

But he hadn’t expected that Su Mu’s own life was so frugal, yet she still spent 20 taels of silver to redeem him, almost emptying her savings to give him money for travel expenses, and even used what little money she had left to buy him candy.

Xie Yi felt both moved and bitter.

Silly woman.

“Why did you stop eating? Are you full?” Su Mu looked at Xie Yi lowering his head, biting the tip of his chopsticks, looking as if he had lost his appetite.

“…Mm.”

“Then let’s stop eating. It just so happens that Xiaoxing made some snow foam plum wine.”

Lin Xiaoxing. Xie Yi put down his chopsticks, inexplicably feeling alert. His appearance was just average, extremely plain, with no beauty to speak of. A man standing next to Su Mu, not even as good-looking as her, a woman.

How could someone like this dare to have designs on Su Mu?

“His skill is unparalleled. I see the amount is just right for one bowl each. You should try it too.” Su Mu picked up the food box that Lin Xiaoxing had brought, preparing to get bowls from the kitchen to share.

Is his skill really that good?

Xie Yi shifted his gaze to the snow foam plum wine. The fragrance wafted through the air; just the smell was enticing. The delicacies of the Central Plains were indeed as his mother said, pleasing to the eye, nose, and palate.

His mother had also taught him a saying: to capture a woman’s heart, you must first capture her stomach. That’s why many men in the Central Plains honed their culinary skills, all to capture the heart of their beloved.

Xie Yi propped his chin up and took out the snow foam plum wine to examine it. Two plum blossom-like flowers floated on the crystal-clear liquid.

Capture the heart of the beloved?

Xie Yi playfully extended his finger into the wine, his slender jade-like finger stirring in the wine, as if congealed snow and jade cream, light and airy to the touch, seemingly smooth yet refreshing.

Su Mu had just brought a bowl out from the kitchen. As soon as her foot crossed the threshold, she heard the sound of porcelain shattering.

The snow foam plum wine spilled all over the floor. Xie Yi anxiously knelt on the ground, his expression timid, his dark green eyes looking as if they were about to shatter: “I’m sorry, Sister Mu. I just wanted to help you take it out, but the bowl was too slippery.”