Minnie was treated well. Though she was also a guest, she was arranged to stay in the same courtyard as Jax and Sanruwi. In this world, there were still rules between men and women, but they mostly applied to men.
Women weren't held to strict standards. Boss Hayes saw Minnie and Jax go up the mountain together and assumed they already knew each other. Besides, Phoenix Mountain wasn't like other places.
Men here were bolder and more open, so Boss Hayes didn't think too much before putting them together. Minnie stayed in the east wing. Sanruwi and Jax were in the west wing.
The courtyard wasn't big, but it had everything. Minnie was quite satisfied. Sanruwi heard a noisy voice at the front gate.
"Minnie-jie, is it true? You have a twin brother?"
"Yes, but we don't look alike."
"Minnie-jie, will you have twin babies in the future too?" Kane's eyes lit up with excitement.
"In theory, the chances are a bit higher for me than others," Minnie answered honestly. "Minnie-jie, can you give birth to twins for me?" Kane rushed forward and grabbed her hand.
Minnie looked down at Kane, who only reached her chest, and was speechless. Rhett saw Kane holding Minnie's hand and turned green with envy. Why couldn't he have this kind of luck?
Kane, being young, had no sense at all and stuck close to her the whole way up, leaving Rhett no chance to say anything private to her. Rhett shouted, "Kane, what nonsense are you talking about? So wild, where's your decency as a man?"
"Be careful or you won't be able to marry in the future." "I'm not afraid. Minnie-jie will marry me. Right, Minnie-jie?" Kane blinked up at her.
Minnie couldn't answer. She just said, "I'm going to rest. You two should go rest too." She went into the courtyard and shut the door, blocking Rhett and Kane's intense gazes.
What kind of strange world was this? These kids were talking about marriage at such a young age. And wasn't he a boy?
Why were men the ones getting married off? At first, Minnie thought she misheard or someone misspoke. But after hearing it multiple times, she realized it was real.
It seemed like women held a higher status here. How could that be? Wasn't ancient society male-dominated?
And how did she end up in this place? On the way down the mountain, she had been walking carefully, looking at the ground. Nothing unusual had happened.
After walking around Phoenix Mountain, she could basically confirm that this Phoenix Mountain and the one she had visited before were not the same at all, even though they shared a name. While Minnie was tangled in thought, a door on the side opened. Jax appeared in the light.
"You're back." He smiled. Seeing his smile, Minnie suddenly felt a lot more at ease. She smiled too.
"Yeah, I'm back." But when she saw the person behind him, her smile froze. She stammered, "H-hi, um… I didn't mean… don't take it the wrong way. I didn't know what I was saying back then…"
She had heard about Kai's miserable fate and now felt anxious about her own future. Sanruwi's face was expressionless. He didn't say a word.
"Don't worry. Sanruwi isn't angry," Jax said. "Really?" Minnie was overjoyed.
"Trust me." Jax winked at her. Minnie knew he must've spoken on her behalf. She lowered her voice.
"Thank you." "By the way, Miss Minnie, did you have fun with the third leader?" Jax smiled.
"No fun, just walked around. We ran into a large group from Phoenix Mountain." "They followed you the whole time?"
"Yes." Jax smiled. "Good."
That night, Minnie had a dream. She was holding a pair of twins, a boy and a girl judging by their faces. They were smiling up at her, very cute.
Minnie looked at them full of joy. Suddenly, Kane popped out. "Minnie-jie, you really gave birth to twins for me."
What? Kane was the father? Minnie was horrified. Sanruwi had long flowing hair, wearing a police uniform.
He was incredibly handsome. He stood in front of Minnie with a cold face and said, "Minnie, female, twenty-five years old, sentenced to life imprisonment for molesting a young boy."
As he spoke, he raised a pair of shiny handcuffs to arrest her. Minnie screamed, "I didn't do it, I was framed, help!"
She ran everywhere. The children were nowhere to be found. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Minnie heard hoofbeats. She turned and saw Jax galloping over on a white horse, majestic like a god. "Grab my hand."
Jax reached out and pulled her up onto the horse. Minnie had just breathed a sigh of relief when Sanruwi whispered coldly in her ear, "You think you can escape? I'll find you no matter where you go."
Minnie screamed and fell off the horse. Below was a cliff, clouds rolling, wind howling. There was no end in sight.
"Ah…" She woke up screaming, still frightened. It was too scary. Way too scary.
She patted her chest and got out of bed to drink some water to calm down. In the darkness, she accidentally kicked the small stool again.
"Ah!" Her toe hurt terribly, and Minnie nearly jumped up hugging her foot.
This was no good at all. There were no lights. Feeling discouraged, Minnie squatted beside the bed and didn't move for a long time.
Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she barely made out the layout of the room and carefully walked to the table to pour a cup of water. Minnie sipped the cold water and couldn't help but recall the dream from earlier.
"Hmph, so good-looking yet so petty." She remembered how Sanruwi looked, standing under the soft yellow lamp. The light gave his white clothes a golden glow, making him look like someone not of this world.
This must be what people mean when they say beauty is dangerous, Minnie thought.
Someone knocked softly on the door, then said, "Miss Minnie, is something wrong?"
Minnie recognized Jax's voice and quickly replied, "It's nothing."
"But earlier…" Jax was sharp. Everyone had been asleep when Minnie suddenly let out a scream, and Jax had rushed over thinking something had happened.
"I had a nightmare."
Jax was speechless for a moment, then said, "I'm just across the hall. Call me if you need anything."
"Mm, thank you."
Jax turned to leave, but then heard Minnie call out, "Jax…"
"Miss Minnie, what is it?" After a while, Jax heard Minnie say softly, "Just call me by my name, like my old friends used to."
Minnie had brought this up many times, but this time, Jax could hear how serious she was. There was even a trace of sadness in her voice.
Though he didn't fully understand, Jax agreed.
"Then let me hear you say it once."
Jax hesitated, then said, "Minnie."
There was no response. Jax called again, "Minnie? Minnie?"
On the other side of the door, Minnie suddenly started crying. The tears came so suddenly, she wasn't prepared for them.
She wiped her eyes and tried to speak in a steady voice. "Thank you."
Jax stood at the door for a while longer, and only left after confirming she was alright.
After Jax left, Minnie cried even harder. Through her teary eyes, she saw moonlight shining through the window into the room.
It was the same moonlight, but a different world. Mom and Dad, and little brother, what are you doing right now?
Sanruwi was in a bad mood.
Boss Hayes had called him over early in the morning because his wife was running a fever.
The woman on the bed had an unhealthy flush on her thin cheeks, her pulse was weak and rapid. How had she become like this overnight?
Sanruwi suddenly remembered something Minnie had said before. She had mentioned that the thorn fruit was a powerful tonic.
If what she said was true, then it could explain the condition of Boss Hayes's wife.
But he had never heard of the thorn fruit having such effects. How did Minnie know about it?
Just who was she, really?
Sanruwi was filled with doubt.
Jax was practicing martial arts in the courtyard when Minnie woke up and saw his lean and agile figure. She thought he was really full of energy.
"You're up." Jax finished his movements. "Boss Hayes's wife sent over breakfast. It's still hot. Go eat."
"What about you?"
"I already ate."
"And Sanruwi?"
"He ate too. Boss Hayes called him over."
Minnie was the last to get up. Her face felt warm. "I overslept."
"You were tired yesterday. It's fine to rest more." Jax smiled. He noticed Minnie's eyes looked red and swollen. Though he was curious, he didn't ask.
Sanruwi walked over with a dark expression.
Minnie was drinking porridge. When she looked up and saw Sanruwi, she choked badly, coughing violently.
It wasn't her fault. Just seeing him reminded her of the nightmare she had last night.
Sanruwi quickly dodged and didn't get splashed, but his frown deepened. He said angrily, "Minnie!"
"Have some water." Jax handed her a cup.
Minnie drank the water and finally stopped coughing. She looked carefully at Sanruwi. "I didn't mean to, I'm sorry."
Sanruwi snorted and walked to his room.
But after a few steps, he turned back.
Minnie looked distressed. "I really didn't mean it." Was he going to get back at her now?
Sanruwi stopped in front of her. Minnie's heart was uneasy. After a long moment, she heard him ask, "How do you know about the thorn fruit?"
"Eh?" So he wasn't here to scold her. Minnie let out a breath. Thorn fruit—wasn't that just durian? "What about it?"
"You said it was a strong tonic. How do you know?"
Minnie blinked. "Well, I think a lot of people know that."
Sanruwi stared at her, making her feel chilled.
"Are you saying I'm ignorant?" His tone was cold.
"No, I didn't mean that at all!" Minnie shook her head quickly.
"I had never heard of thorn fruit before this, never seen it, let alone known about any medicinal effects." His voice got colder.
"Jax knows about it," Minnie muttered.
Sanruwi looked at Jax.
"I only learned in recent years," Jax explained. "Kai once took an escort mission to Yue Country and brought some back.
Everyone thought they were interesting. According to Kai, thorn fruit is rare even in Yue Country.
Because Yiying liked the taste, Kai would try to bring some every time he went. In total..." Jax thought a bit. "Maybe five or six times."
Sanruwi considered this. If it was rare even in Yue Country, it would be even rarer in Huaguo.
This also explained why his prestigious teacher hadn't heard of the fruit. The strong smell would have driven his teacher away, even if he had encountered it.
So for the average person in Huaguo, the chance of ever seeing it was close to zero.
"Then how do you know about it?" Sanruwi looked at Minnie again.
"Actually, where I'm from," Minnie scratched her head, "it's pretty common."
"Common?"
"If you want to buy it, you definitely can. It just costs a bit more than regular fruit."
Sanruwi looked her up and down. "Where exactly is 'your place'?"