A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Chapter 418 No one believed it

The mule walked fast and soon left Zhao Dabao far behind.

Lu Jing turned her head and said, "Is this the old bachelor everyone's been talking about?"

"He's a lazy bum; can you really trust what he says?"

After a moment, Gu Xixi spoke, "He didn't have any connection with Gu Tiezhu in the past."

"It's just a reminder to be careful of Gu Tiezhu, but there's no need to investigate whether he's trustworthy."

"only……"

She paused, her expression turning somewhat serious. "My considerations were a bit flawed."

When I got home, Aunt Zhang and Shi Tou were already waiting at the door.

Upon seeing his car in the distance, Shi Tou immediately ran over, exclaiming, "Sister Xi Xi, Sister Jing Jing, why are you back so late!"

Gu Xixi laughed and said, "There was a lot of work to do at the farm today, and I only went back after I finished it all, so I was late."

"Have you eaten?"

Stone grinned, "Of course I haven't eaten yet. I'm definitely waiting for you guys to come back so we can eat together."

The mule cart came to a smooth stop. Gu Xixi got off and looked at Aunt Zhang apologetically, saying, "I've kept you waiting."

"If I come back late in the future, you can eat first."

Aunt Zhang refused, saying, "That won't do!"

She took the things from Gu Xixi's hands and said matter-of-factly, "If you people who work hard outside can't even have a fresh meal when you come home, what use am I, the person who cooks at home?"

Gu Xixi smiled, put her hand on Aunt Zhang's shoulder and said, "You are the most useful. Our whole family depends on you for our livelihood."

"I was just worried that you'd be starving if you kept waiting for me and missed mealtime."

When Shi Tou saw the cart full of cold melons, his eyes lit up.

"Sister Xixi, why did you pick so many?"

Gu Xixi replied, "Pick one if you want to eat it."

Stone cheered, mustered all his strength, picked up the smallest one, and wobbled into the yard.

Aunt Zhang turned to him and instructed, "Soak it in a basin of water to chill it first, then eat it after the meal!"

"Otherwise, we'll just eat sweet fruit and not eat rice!"

The three of them carried the remaining winter melons into the yard.

Gu Xixi said, "The cellar is cool, let's save five to eat slowly."

Unlike later generations, when watermelon vendors could be seen everywhere on the streets from late spring to late summer.

Even Gu Xixi can't achieve watermelon freedom these days.

The whole family shares a large winter melon each time, which is quite satisfying.

The dream of eating every day, at every meal, and whenever you want is still a long way off.

We'll have to wait about ten days to harvest the next batch of melons, so I'll keep five for myself for now, and naturally, I'll take it slow and steady.

There are still eight melons left, and Gu Xixi said she plans to send them to the capital.

Aunt Zhang nodded, "You received help from the He family when you were in the capital, so you should give them more."

"I'll wrap it with several layers later to prevent it from getting damaged on the way."

Once everything was tidied up, Gu Xixi noticed that mosquito-proof window screens and screen doors had been installed in all the rooms.

Stone proudly boasted, "I changed it with Grandma this afternoon!"

"We've put mosquito repellent packets in the room and hung mosquito nets on the beds. Sisters, please check later to see if you're satisfied."

Lu Jing smiled and pinched the stone's cheek. "Satisfied. You're so thoughtful, I'm satisfied even without looking."

Aside from the mosquito net, this was the first time Lü Jing had ever seen such meticulous arrangements.

She examined the screen windows and doors of the main room closely, marveling at them. "What a wonderful thing!"

"The door frame is nailed with mesh screen to form a separate door, which is both ventilated and cool in summer, and keeps mosquitoes away."

Without hesitation, Lü Jing looked at Gu Xixi and said, "It's still your idea, right?"

Gu Xixi smiled.

Dinner was cold noodles steamed by Aunt Zhang, using a method originally taught to her by Gu Xixi. Aunt Zhang succeeded on her first try.

Shred the cucumber and dice the tomato, then pour on the seasoned garlic sauce, spiced salt water, rice vinegar, etc. and mix well.

Although the seasoning wasn't exactly authentic for Gu Xixi.

However, due to limitations in the types of ingredients, this is the best we can do for now.

After taking a shower on a sweltering evening, I ate this bowl of food and felt completely refreshed.

While cutting the winter melon after dinner, Gu Xixi told Gu Tiezhu about his feigned madness.

"I didn't want to say it, so as not to make you worry. It was my oversight."

Excluding An Qinghe, who had already returned to Yunling, only Aunt Zhang and Shi Tou were still unaware of the situation.

Gu Xixi looked at the two of them and said, "I've thought about it, and I think I should make things clear to you."

"Don't go to places with few people lately. When you go into the mountains, make sure you go with a few other people."

"Stone, you should play with everyone during the day, but don't walk alone in the village after dark."

She paused for a moment, then said, "But don't worry, I will resolve this matter as soon as possible."

Aunt Zhang and Shi Tou both nodded.

Shi Tou picked out the largest, most central slice of cold melon and handed it to the old doctor first.

"Sister Xixi, Sister Jingjing, you two are really not being fair."

"They didn't include me in this great opportunity, and they're trying to keep it from me."

He was wondering why Sister Xixi suddenly stopped asking him to go out that night, and it turned out to be because of this.

Aunt Zhang glared and scolded, "Getting covered in dog poop? What good thing is that?!"

"Kids shouldn't get involved!"

Stone grinned foolishly and continued to eat his melon seeds.

It seems like this matter is over.

However, no one saw the little guy's eyes darting around, clearly indicating that he already had other plans in mind.

The announcements regarding the regent have been posted all over the Northwest.

The discussion was so heated that Gu Xixi was constantly stopped and teased by people as she walked around the village for the past two days.

"Xi Xi, the Regent's pseudonym is also Chen Fang."

"Our Mr. Chen hasn't returned for a long time. Could it be that Mr. Chen is the Regent?"

The others laughed and said, "It just so happens that Xixi's surname is also Gu. I think Xixi is the Gu family girl that everyone envies!"

Everyone laughed.

They all said, "As the saying goes, 'When one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.' If we really have such good luck, then everyone in our village will be an acquaintance of Mr. Chen, and a relative or friend of the Regent!"

"Our Xixi is so wonderful, I think she's more than a match for the Regent!"

Gu Xixi knew that everyone meant no harm and just wanted to have some fun together.

He then laughed and said, "That's right, I'm also hoping Chen Fang will transform himself."

"When he returns to our village with the royal entourage, accompanied by officials from all over the Northwest, I can also take advantage of his power and prestige."

The crowd burst into laughter once again.

Some people laughed so hard they leaned on others, while others laughed until tears streamed down their faces.

Lü Jing followed Gu Xixi away and said, "Look at them, how happy they are."

"Northwest, Chen Fang, a woman surnamed Gu, a son-in-law who married into the family—such obvious clues, and no one suspects anything?"

Gu Xixi remained remarkably calm. "It's normal. Who told me to be so different from the rumored Miss Gu?"

She was as beautiful as an angel, kind and gentle, and proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Ha ha.

Lü Jing looked up at the sky and sighed, "I really want to see what their expressions will be when they find out the truth."

Gu Xixi said, "We'll go into town to find the caravan tomorrow."

"Go to the yamen to find Jiang Mingyuan again."

Tea trees can be transplanted in early autumn, and there is not much time left, so the selection of a site for the tea garden must be done as soon as possible.

Two days later, Gu Xixi rode in a carriage from the Qingtian County government office to the prefectural city.

Jiang Mingyuan rode alongside him on horseback.

It was he who arranged for me to meet the prefect at the government office.

He said to Gu Xixi through the window, "I heard that a distinguished person has come to the government office, and his whereabouts are mysterious."

"We need to be careful on this trip to avoid offending this person."