My husband and I both have golden fingers.

Suiyu Village nestled at the foot of the Wangchuan Mountains, where the southwest and northwest regions converged. A small settlement of just over fifty households, all the families were related by blood or marriage.

When the Jiang family built their house, all the flat land near the village entrance had already been taken. Their home stood at the far end of the village. To reach it, Jiang Xinyi, supporting Xu Luming as they emerged from the mountains, had to guide him through the stream where ducks paddled and past every household's doorstep.

Spring's warmth had arrived, signaling the start of the harvest season. However, Suiyu Village primarily cultivated rice in its terraced fields. With the seedlings already planted, there was little work left to do in the fields at this time.

After a long winter's quiet, the villagers seized the opportunity of the sunny day to wash and air their bedding, clothes, and cotton shoes. As Jiang Xinyi led Xu Luming into the village, every villager turned to stare at them with curiosity.

In this timeline, the Song Dynasty never existed. History had taken a different turn after the Last Ruler of Southern Tang. Instead of Emperor Taizong of Song dispatching troops to conquer Southern Tang, it was Emperor Taizong of Chu who led the campaign.

Without the rigid doctrines of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, which suppressed human desires and enforced strict social hierarchies, gender segregation wasn't as severe.

Yet even married couples rarely walked hand-in-hand in public, let alone an unmarried ger like Jiang Xinyi.

Madam Jin, Jiang Dafa's wife, was washing clothes in her courtyard when she spotted them. Ever the nosy neighbor, she couldn't resist asking, "Dr. Jiang, what's going on here?"

Jiang Xinyi tightened his grip on Xu Luming's arm, shedding his usual mountain reserve and flashing a rare smile. "My fiancé came to present the betrothal gifts. He rushed here and twisted his ankle. Luckily, I ran into him in town, or I don't know how he would have made it to our village."

"Oh!" Madam Jin exclaimed in surprise, startling Xu Luming, whose hand trembled involuntarily. *How did I become her fiancé?!*

"So this is the fiancé you've been engaged to for so many years!" Madam Jin exclaimed, oblivious to Xu Luming's discomfort. She scrutinized him from head to toe, her face beaming. "He's quite handsome!"

Xu Luming's towering height alone was enough to draw attention. His sword-like eyebrows, starry eyes, and cheerful, unburdened expression clearly marked him as someone well-cared for and unaccustomed to hardship.

The only flaw was his slightly tanned complexion, whether from sun exposure or his hurried journey, which paled in comparison to Dr. Jiang's fair skin.

"Greetings, Madam Jin, uncles, aunts, sisters-in-law, and sisters. I apologize for intruding." Xu Luming wasn't socially inept. When Madam Jin spoke, he immediately understood Jiang Xinyi was using him as a shield. He smiled warmly and greeted the crowd.

This was perfect. He was being hunted, and until his pursuers found his body, they would undoubtedly continue searching. He needed a legitimate identity to conceal himself.

Besides, if he didn't play along, the knife hidden in Jiang Xinyi's sleeve might find its way to his ribs.

"Oh, how wonderful!" Madam Jin had lived in the village for decades, and the prospective sons-in-law she'd seen were usually awkward, tongue-tied, and ill-at-ease. She'd never encountered someone as confident and sociable as Xu Luming. Delighted, she showered him with compliments on his sweet tongue.

Not content with just praising him, she remembered that Jiang Danian and his wife were still unaware of the prospective son-in-law's arrival. After pulling weeds in the rapeseed field early that morning and hanging out the laundry to dry, she hurried up the terraced fields to the Jiang family's plot. Standing at the edge, she called out to the Jiangs, who were working diligently in the field: