Chapter 31: You Are a Man!

After a moment of contemplation, Su Ruan finally said,
“Master, if we truly need money, I might have a solution.”

Lu Chuan looked up, surprised.

“But… it might be a bit risky,” Su Ruan said, her expression serious.

Lu Chuan smiled and asked,
“What kind of plan?”

If Su Ruan considered something dangerous, it probably wasn’t simple.

“To the north of here, there’s a mountain called Heishui Mountain,” she began.
“On that mountain is a bandit stronghold, and a gang of mountain bandits live there.”

“When my father was ordered to eliminate them, he carefully studied the topography of Heishui Mountain—I’ve seen the maps myself.”

“Those bandits have hoarded a fortune. If we can sneak in and find where they keep their treasure, we might be able to steal it.”

Su Ruan’s eyes gleamed with excitement as she spoke.

“Hold it right there…”
Lu Chuan quickly raised a hand, exasperated.
“How is this just ‘a bit risky’?”

Was Su Ruan being too bold?

Who were these people?
Mountain bandits!

And when it came to protecting their lifeline—their treasure—bandits were exceptionally vigilant. Trying to steal it quietly would be nearly impossible.

Su Ruan chuckled sheepishly,
“Well then, I guess I don’t have any other ideas for now!”

“Alright, let’s go back and eat,” Lu Chuan said helplessly.

There were too many places where money was needed: they still had to buy 200 jin of grain, purchase a weaving machine, and acquire more land.

Adding it all up—
They needed at least 100 taels of silver.
Maybe even more.

But Lu Chuan didn’t say much.

After the meal, Su Ruan took Chen Miaomiao to rest.

Lu Chuan returned to the room with Bai Siyu.

Bai Siyu carefully closed the door and gently asked,
“Are we short on money?”

“Mm.”
Lu Chuan responded casually,
“But it’s okay—I should be able to handle it.”

At that moment, Bai Siyu slowly took the wooden hairpin from her bun and carefully handed it to Lu Chuan.

“Back when disaster struck our family,” she said softly,
“my father knew there was no escaping it. So he made some secret preparations—to help any of us who might survive at least scrape by.”

“Each of us received something different.”

“This hairpin was what my father left me.”

“It’s made of wood on the outside, but inside is a valuable jade pin. If you pawn it, it should fetch at least 300 taels of silver.”

Bai Siyu spoke gently.

Lu Chuan stood there stunned.
“What are you doing?”

“As the saying goes—marry a chicken, follow a chicken; marry a dog, follow a dog.”

“Since I’m already yours, then what’s mine is also yours,” she said softly but firmly, her gaze steady.
“There’s no reason for me to eat your food, drink your water, live in your house, and yet still cling to this hairpin.”

“Now that we’re in trouble, it’s only right to bring it out.”

“If you truly care, then once things get better and we’re financially secure, you can buy it back for me.”

After she finished speaking, Bai Siyu added seriously,
“Master, I have only one request when I give this to you.”

“Go ahead,” Lu Chuan asked, puzzled.

Bai Siyu let out a sigh.
“In the future, if you ever come across something that can’t be overcome—please avoid it if you can.”

“I know you have a kind heart, and you want to protect us, but right now… we’re just ordinary folks.”

“If we really run into trouble we can’t solve…”

“At worst, our whole family can just find another place to hide.”

“Don’t act recklessly. My sisters and I—we all care about you.”

Hearing Bai Siyu say this, Lu Chuan was deeply moved.

So moved, in fact, that he took off his clothes and expressed his gratitude through actions rather than words.

…

The next morning

When Bai Siyu woke up, Lu Chuan was already gone.

Only a wooden hairpin and a note were left on the table.

“Keep it safe. Don’t worry—I’m here.”

Bai Siyu stared blankly at the hairpin for a moment.

Then, out of nowhere, she suddenly burst into laughter, her eyes full of tenderness.

She quietly sat down and began fixing her hair into a high bun.

…

Meanwhile, Lu Chuan was at Widow Wang’s house.

Widow Wang was sitting on the bed.

Her complexion looked pale, and even after drinking some meat broth, she hadn’t improved.

“Qingqing,” Lu Chuan said, raising his head to look at Chen Qingqing.

This woman looked very similar to Chen Miaomiao—
The only difference being that Miaomiao appeared more malnourished, her face sallow and thin. If one didn’t look carefully, the resemblance might be missed.

Lu Chuan, however, had a sharp eye for faces, and he could tell right away.

“Can you step outside for a moment?” he asked with a smile.
“There’s something I’d like to discuss with Aunt Wang.”

Chen Qingqing nodded, though she glanced worriedly at the older woman.

Widow Wang lay there, a slight shyness in her expression.

After Qingqing left the room, Widow Wang sighed and said,
“Brother Lu, I’m truly sorry. My health is getting worse day by day. I fear I may not survive this winter…”

“Aunt Wang, you’re exaggerating.”

“But there’s something I’ve been wondering… I’m not sure if I should ask.”

Lu Chuan calmly studied her.

Widow Wang wasn’t good-looking. Her face was covered in moles, and the men in the village—young and old—rarely spared her more than a glance.

It was said that she was quite beautiful in her youth.

But those were just countryside rumors.

Lu Chuan’s gaze grew more focused.

Suddenly, he realized—

Widow Wang wasn’t actually a woman.

Her disguise was remarkably convincing. Her figure, posture, and even her voice were nearly indistinguishable from a real woman’s.

“Brother Lu, you’ve helped us so much. If there’s anything you want to ask, don’t hesitate,” she said with a hint of resignation.
“We’re just a couple of lonely women. We don’t have much to hide.”

“I heard government officers came to the village looking for someone. A man with two women. And it happened over ten years ago.”

“If I’m not mistaken… they’re looking for you and Qingqing, aren’t they?”

Lu Chuan asked calmly.

Widow Wang’s pupils shrank instantly.

Her breathing quickened for a moment, before she shook her head.
“That’s impossible—too much of the information doesn’t line up!”

Lu Chuan nodded.
“Yes, many details don’t match. But that’s because you intentionally altered them.”

“Qingqing likely has a twin sister—either older or younger.”

“And you—”

“You’re a man.”

He then glanced at Widow Wang’s lower body.
“Or rather… a eunuch.”

“You were afraid of being discovered, so you decided to disguise yourself as a woman,” Lu Chuan said matter-of-factly.