She was tricked into marriage for three years, then remarried a childless, tough guy and became preg

Huo Xiuyuan gently pinched her nose and chuckled, "Thinking nonsense again."

The two packed up their clothes and headed back. Huo Xiuyuan led the soldiers to continue repairing the houses, while Shen Tang and the female members of the cultural troupe carried thermos flasks to deliver water to everyone. Their eyes met from time to time, their gazes lingering on each other.

Zhao Wenjing leaned close to Shen Tang's ear, squinting her eyes, "What are you looking at? It's all stringy."

"Of course, it's to see my man," Shen Tang said with a smile.

"Oh dear, oh dear, how shameless," Zhao Wenjing teased.

"What's there to be ashamed of about your own man?" Shen Tang looked at Zhao Wenjing. "Do you have feelings for Ji Huaizhou?"

Zhao Wenjing blushed and quickly denied it, saying, "No, I didn't."

"Really not?" Shen Tang stared at Zhao Wenjing. "You've been hanging around him quite a bit, bringing him towels and water."

Zhao Wenjing lowered her head and rubbed the hem of her clothes. "People don't like someone like me."

Shen Tang's eyes widened. Zhao Wenjing really likes Ji Huaizhou?

"Did you talk to him?" Shen Tang asked.

"No, it's pointless to say anything. I can tell he likes you the way you are." Zhao Wenjing bit her lip.

"How will you know if you don't try?" Shen Tang hooked her arm around Zhao Wenjing's. "Be brave and win him over!"

"Never mind." Zhao Wenjing shrugged and continued distributing water.

Shen Tang's gaze fell on Ji Huaizhou, and a smile spread across her face. Ji Huaizhou was taken aback when he saw Shen Tang smiling at him, and his face flushed red instantly.

He glanced at Huo Xiuyuan in disbelief. Huo Xiuyuan held an iron shovel, which he plunged into the sand with a "whoosh," his gaze shooting towards him like an arrow. Ji Huaizhou quickly looked away and lowered his head to fetch water.

Shen Tang followed his gaze and saw Huo Xiuyuan looking at her coldly.

Shen Tang smiled, walked over, poured a bowl of water, and handed it to Huo Xiuyuan.

Huo Xiuyuan took the drink and downed it in one gulp. "You seem to be enjoying it. What's wrong? You've got your eye on pretty boys again?"

"Don't talk nonsense," Shen Tang leaned closer and said, "Zhao Wenjing has taken a liking to him."

Huo Xiuyuan's eyes widened, and Shen Tang nodded at him.

"They're a good match." Huo Xiuyuan suppressed a smile and continued working.

"The itinerary is set. We'll rest tomorrow and head back the day after," Huo Xiuyuan said.

"Really?" Shen Tang asked in surprise.

"Hmm, don't forget about tonight," Huo Xiuyuan said in a low voice while working.

"I can't forget it." Shen Tang picked up the water bottle and went elsewhere.

Night fell, and the moon rose high in the sky.

Shen Tang walked to Huo Xiuyuan's tent, where Huo Xiuyuan was already waiting. He took Su Tang's hand and strode forward.

"Where are we going?" Shen Tang asked, puzzled.

Huo Xiuyuan turned to look at her, smiled but didn't say anything, and squeezed her hand even tighter.

A white horse was tethered under a big tree. Huo Xiuyuan walked over, untied the reins, leaped onto the horse, reached out his hand to Shen Tang, and gently pulled her onto the horse's back.

The quiet summer night was filled with the fragrance of wild grass. The horse moved forward at a leisurely pace, and Shen Tang leaned against Huo Xiuyuan's chest with a smile on her lips.

"Sit still." Huo Xiuyuan tightened his grip on her waist.

Shen Tang sat up straight, gripped the handles on the saddle, and Huo Xiuyuan gave a soft shout, and the horse galloped happily.

"Giddy up!" The horse galloped faster and faster across the grassland. The wind blew past her ears, ruffling Shen Tang's hair. She leaned forward slightly, her smile becoming even brighter.

"Faster?" Huo Xiuyuan's cheerful voice rang in my ears.

"Faster!" Shen Tang shouted with a laugh.

Huo Xiuyuan chuckled, squeezed his legs tightly around the horse's belly, and the horse galloped off, the wind whistling past his ears.

Shen Tang stretched out her arms and leaned back into Huo Xiuyuan's embrace, surrendering herself completely to him. The horse's hooves pounded across the grassy slope, startling several night birds that fluttered and soared into the sky.

Shen Tang smiled excitedly, "Huo Xiuyuan, I'm so happy!"

This was the most relaxing moment she had experienced since arriving here. She didn't have to think about how to survive, nor about the future; all she felt was nature and the people she loved.

The horse galloped freely across the grassland, and a bay appeared ahead, shimmering with tiny lights under the moonlight.

Huo Xiuyuan gently pulled on the reins, and the horse gradually slowed down, stopping at the edge of the bay.

Huo Xiuyuan dismounted, turned around, wrapped his arms around Shen Tang's waist, and pulled her down.

"Huo Xiuyuan, how come you have so much energy?" Shen Tang leaned into his arms, poking his chest and laughing.

Huo Xiuyuan couldn't help but smile again. He put his arm around Shen Tang's waist and walked forward, taking a towel out of his bag and spreading it on the grass.

"Put something on, the ground is cold," Huo Xiuyuan said.

Shen Tang smiled and sat down. The water in front of her flowed gently, the sound of the flowing water particularly crisp in the night.

Huo Xiuyuan sat next to her, and Shen Tang moved closer to him, snuggling tightly into his arms.

Huo Xiuyuan's voice slowly rang in my ears:

"Shen Tang, do you know? I liked you from the first moment I saw you. When I jumped into the river, you reached out your hand to me," Huo Xiuyuan said gently, recalling the scene.

"Do you know how beautiful you were back then? The sunlight cast a halo around you, and your eyes were so beautiful—beautiful, pure, and with a touch of stubbornness."

Shen Tang listened quietly. So, he had liked her from that time on.

"But then Lu Jingshen came," Huo Xiuyuan tightened his arms, holding her even tighter, "and when I heard what he said, I really wanted to smash his head open. I thought to myself, he's such a fool, he doesn't know how to cherish such a good wife."

Shen Tang chuckled softly and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Luckily he's blind, I managed to snatch you away." Huo Xiuyuan gently rubbed Shen Tang's head.

"How could you have stolen it? I clearly lured it away myself," Shen Tang said with a smile.

"Okay, you've got it," Huo Xiuyuan said softly, "Wait for me a moment."

He stood up, ran to the side, and bent down to pick something.

After a while, he ran back, holding a wreath in his hand. The colorful little flowers adorning the branches were exceptionally beautiful.

"Do you like it?" Huo Xiuyuan asked.

"I like it." Shen Tang's eyes sparkled.

She lowered her head slightly, and Huo Xiuyuan placed the flower wreath on her head.

Huo Xiuyuan took out a small cloth bag from his pocket, knelt on one knee, and poured out two shiny rings from the bag.

Shen Tang looked at him in surprise. Was he proposing?

"Shen Tang, will you marry me?" Huo Xiuyuan held the ring in both hands and looked at her devoutly.

"Yes!" Shen Tang reached out her hand to him, and Huo Xiuyuan slipped the ring onto her ring finger.

Shen Tang took the other ring and put it on Huo Xiuyuan's finger.

Two hands clasped together, fingers tightly interlocked.

"Shen Tang, I will definitely treat you well. I will give you my best. I will do my best to give you whatever you want. I will never let you be bullied again. No matter if you are right or wrong, I will stand up for you. My wife is someone only I can bully."

"You still want to bully me?" Shen Tang frowned.

"I want to, I want to right now."

Huo Xiuyuan shielded Shen Tang's head and fell backward.