Transmigrated into a fat wife, farming, raising children, and picking up husbands

Unlike Wu Liangcai and Hu Yidao, who left in a great hurry, Chen Mingxuan left the back mountain with light steps.

As long as he could persuade Miss Ruyan to take the lead, he wouldn't have to play the role of the Moonlit Beauty himself, which greatly relieved him.

It wasn't that he was afraid, but rather that he felt ashamed that a grown man like him, with his hair down, dressed in women's clothing, and playing the piano...

The scene was too beautiful for him to imagine.

Ruyan, a young woman at Wanfu Teahouse, has a clear and melodious voice, a slender figure, and fair skin.

In terms of temperament, her ability to play the piano and sing, and the mysterious aura she possesses, she is simply the perfect candidate.

In the afternoon, the teahouse wasn't crowded. A storyteller was eloquently recounting tales of the past dynasties on stage, while the tea drinkers listened intently, munching on melon seeds.

Chen Mingxuan didn't go through the main entrance. Instead, he went around to the small door at the back corner of the teahouse, slipped a few copper coins to the old woman guarding the door, whispered, "I have urgent business with Miss Ruyan," and then slipped inside.

Chen Mingxuan walked through the side corridor with familiarity and arrived at a relatively secluded wing room in the backyard.

Liu Ruyan was putting on makeup in front of the mirror in her elegantly decorated little room, preparing for her singing and playing music later.

Hearing the knock, she assumed it was a maid and casually replied, "Come in."

The door was pushed open, revealing Chen Mingxuan's face, which had his usual smile but now looked more serious.

"Young Master Chen?" Liu Ruyan was somewhat surprised. She put down the rouge in her hand and showed just the right amount of surprise and a familiar smile on her face.

"Why are you here at this hour? Do you want to hear a new piece of music?"

"No, no, no, Miss Ruyan, there's something important I need your help with." Chen Mingxuan slipped in and closed the door behind him.

The woman wore a light green dress, had a slender figure, and her black hair was loosely tied up.

Seeing him enter, Liu Ruyan got up and led him to sit down at the round table by the window. Several fresh jasmine flowers were arranged in a vase by the window, filling the room with a delicate fragrance.

She picked up the teapot with her delicate hands and poured him a cup of warm tea, her movements elegant and composed.

"Young Master Chen, please speak slowly. What's troubling you so much?"

Chen Mingxuan took the tea but had no interest in drinking it.

Setting down his teacup and skipping the formalities, he went straight to the point, explaining how Lin Xiuer had been extorted and bullied by the Black Fish Gang, and how Jia Heiyu had colluded with Master Mei and Wu Lizheng to frame her.

They briefly recounted their plan to scare the other party with ghostly tricks.

Of course, the specific division of labor between him and Wu Liangcai was omitted, and the emphasis was placed on the need for a beautiful woman to play the zither in the deserted garden pavilion to lure out those scoundrels.

"...That's how it is. After thinking it over, I think you're the most suitable candidate." Chen Mingxuan said, looking at Liu Ruyan with some nervousness.

"I know this request is abrupt and risky. But the Black Fish Gang is really going too far, and Xiu'er was forced into this situation."

Liu Ruyan listened quietly, her eyes lowered, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath her eyelids.

Chen Mingxuan spoke urgently, his eyes full of anticipation.

Completely unaware that when he mentioned the desolate western garden and the Black Fish Gang, a very complex undercurrent flashed deep in her eyes.

A desolate garden. Wronged souls.

These words clashed repeatedly in her mind, but her face showed no sign of anything amiss.

On the surface, her face still showed the fear and worry that any ordinary girl would normally have.

After a while, she looked up at Chen Mingxuan.

Those eyes, which were always shrouded in a faint mist of sorrow, now revealed just the right amount of surprise, hesitation, and a hint of fear that belonged to a delicate woman.

"Such a thing is true. It's truly terrifying to hear." Her voice trembled slightly, filled with unease and worry. "I've also heard many eerie rumors about that desolate garden."

"Going there to play the zither at night will only lure out those vicious and desperate criminals. If we are discovered, I am afraid."

This reaction was entirely within Chen Mingxuan's expectations. He quickly said, "Don't worry, young lady! Our plan is meticulous; we've arranged everything else perfectly, and we will absolutely not let you take any risks!"

"You only need to sit in the pavilion and play some music. Once I see anyone coming, I will immediately help you leave and will never let those villains get close to you! Afterwards, I will reward you handsomely!"

Liu Ruyan remained silent, her fingertips clenching slightly, as if she were struggling intensely inside.

After a long while, she seemed to have made a great decision. She gently bit her lower lip and looked up with a fragile yet determined look in her eyes.

"Young Master Chen has always been very kind to me. Now that his friend is in trouble, although I am afraid, I would like to do my part."

"But..." she paused, her voice lowering, "This matter must be kept a secret. Don't let anyone else know, otherwise..."

"I understand! I understand!" Chen Mingxuan was overjoyed to see her relent and repeatedly assured her, "It will be absolutely confidential! Everything will be arranged with utmost care! It will absolutely not implicate the young lady!"

Liu Ruyan nodded slightly and asked softly, "What do you need me to prepare? When should we proceed?"

Looking at Liu Ruyan's calm and composed face, he felt that this girl was not only beautiful and kind-hearted, but also incredibly courageous, and he felt even more certain that he had found the right person.

"All you need to do, young lady, is prepare an elegant white dress; we will provide all other clothing and props."

"I will inform you of the specific time after I discuss it with Xiuer and the others."

"Miss Ruyan is so understanding and righteous! I'll go tell Xiuer right away! She'll be overjoyed!"

"If we can really drive the Black Fish Gang away this time, Peach Blossom Town will finally have some peace and quiet."

Having resolved his major concern, Chen Mingxuan gave a few more instructions before leaving the room with a satisfied and light step.

After seeing off the expectant Chen Mingxuan, the door was closed, and the private room returned to silence.

Liu Ruyan slowly raised her head.

Chen Mingxuan spoke lightly, unaware of the profound impact his casual remark of "tranquility" had on Liu Ruyan's heart.

The fragility and hesitation that had been on her face just moments before, the one that belonged to "Ruyan, the top courtesan of Wanfu Teahouse," vanished like the tide, disappearing without a trace.

Instead, there is a calmness beyond her years, and a sharp glint left in the depths of her eyes after a violent upheaval.

Without a moment's hesitation, she stood up abruptly and strode towards the small door on the inside that led to another room.

Pushing open another small door at the end of the passage, in an inconspicuous accounting room, the teahouse owner Zhang Wanfu was working on an abacus.

Zhang Wanfu looked to be in his fifties, with an ordinary face, like any other businessman. Hearing the noise, he looked up and saw Liu Ruyan; his eyes flickered slightly.

"Uncle." Liu Ruyan closed the door, her voice no longer gentle and weak, but crisp and clear.

"Chen Mingxuan came to see me just now and told me something interesting."

Zhang Wanfu looked up and saw her unusual expression. He put down the account book in his hand: "Yan'er, what's wrong? Did that kid surnamed Chen bully you?"

Liu Ruyan shook her head, walked a few steps to the table, and clearly and concisely repeated Chen Mingxuan's words.

As she spoke, the ease on Zhang Wanfu's face gradually disappeared, and his brows furrowed more and more tightly.