Farmer's eldest sister becomes rich

An Yue smiled and asked, "Auntie, what is the important matter that you want to talk to me about?"

Gu Qinglian took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Miss An Yue, I heard that not long ago, all the villages were hit by a locust plague. Is your family okay?"

"Thank you for your concern, Auntie. The fields at home have been eaten clean by locusts. I came to the county town to deliver goods today, and I also wanted to buy some more food to take back."

Gu Qinglian stood up and asked meaningfully, "Well, does the girl know where to buy food when she arrives in the county?"

"It's still unknown. I'm still worrying about this!" An Yue naturally knew where to buy it, but she still wanted to hear what Gu Qinglian meant by saying this.

After all, when I delivered the goods to Xiangxiang Pavilion, I had already heard from the shopkeeper that I could buy grain at Lin’s Rice Shop.

Gu Qinglian raised her hand to signal the servants to leave, then she rolled up her sleeves and prepared to water the potted plants in the courtyard.

She picked up the ladle and sighed as she watered the area, "Ah! Yongchuan County is now covered in dark clouds, dark clouds!"

Although An Yue looks like a half-grown child, Gu Qinglian has dealt with An Yue twice before, and she knows very well that An Yue is very observant and mature in mind, which is by no means comparable to ordinary children.

An Yue deliberately asked step by step: "What do you mean, Auntie?"

"Miss, have you seen the whole Yongchuan County now? There are refugees everywhere and the people are starving?"

"Yes! Droughts and locust plagues happen one after another, which makes the people suffer."

Gu Qinglian couldn't help but sigh, and continued: "Alas! Natural disasters are terrible, but the most terrible thing is people! They are in high positions but do nothing for the people, and they still hope to make a fortune from natural disasters."

From what An Yue heard, she was complaining about the officials being unfriendly to the people.

"Yongchuan County has been shrouded in this net. This is a tragedy for the dynasty and even more so for the people!"

"An Yue doesn't know who Auntie is referring to." An Yue just wanted her to speak out clearly.

An Yue thought: [Everyone has seven emotions and six desires, and greed is endless. If everyone has power, it is not clear who is a good person.]

"I told you last time that your parents' death was caused by that pendant. Do you know how many lives that pendant is related to?"

When An Yue heard this, she raised her eyebrows and finally got to the point.

Gu Qinglian sneered, put down the ladle in her hand, and shook her rolled-up sleeves.

She sat next to An Yue and whispered, "The girl doesn't usually stay in the county town, and has never been involved in this muddy water. So I will speak frankly to the girl."

An Yue changed to a comfortable sitting position and said with a faint smile: "Well, I'd like to hear more about it."

"Do you remember the origin of the pendant I told you about before?"

An Yue nodded and continued to listen carefully.

At this moment, Gu Mingchuan suddenly ran quickly from the courtyard corridor.

He ran and called Gu Qinglian: "Aunt is not well, Aunt..."

Gu Qinglian stood up quickly and asked, "Brother Chuan, why are you in such a hurry? What happened?"

"Aunt, I'm afraid something might happen to my uncle." Gu Mingchuan said breathlessly.

After hearing this, Gu Qinglian's face suddenly turned pale. She quickly asked Gu Mingchuan: "Brother Chuan, please tell me, what is going on?"

"The county magistrate hosted a banquet and invited my uncle to his house. I sensed something was amiss. So I followed him quietly."

"I followed him all the way to the main gate of the Shen Mansion. There were several skilled men guarding the gate. When I saw my uncle enter the mansion, I became suspicious, so I sent someone to secretly inquire about the situation inside the mansion, and then ran back to inform you."

After hearing what Gu Mingchuan said, Gu Qinglian tightly grasped the handkerchief in her hands with both hands and said in panic, "What is Shen Qianqiu trying to do!"

"Don't worry, Auntie. I think there will be results soon."

"Your uncle is also confused! Knowing that Shen Qianqiu has no good intentions, why did he still go to the Shen Mansion?"

As Gu Qinglian spoke, she paced back and forth in the courtyard anxiously.

Gu Mingchuan saw that the person standing beside him was An Yue. He frowned and asked, "Miss An Yue, why are you here?"

"I..." An Yue was about to say something, but was interrupted by Gu Qinglian.

"Oh, by the way, Chuan'er, don't tell Xiang'er about this for now."

The chief clerk and Gu Qinglian had a daughter named Zhao Lingxiang, who was twelve years old.

Just as Gu Qinglian finished speaking, Zhao Lingxiang came from the backyard and asked, "Mother, what happened to Daddy?"

"It's okay, Xiang'er, go back to your room quickly!" Gu Qinglian signaled the maid standing next to Zhao Lingxiang to pull Zhao Lingxiang back to the room.

Zhao Lingxiang pushed away the maid's hand and said, "Mother, I won't go back. I've heard you say that Daddy was summoned to a banquet by the county magistrate."

After hearing what she said, Gu Qinglian said to the maid, "Forget it! You go down first!"

Zhao Lingxiang ran forward, grabbed Gu Qinglian's arm, and asked anxiously, "Mother, is Dad going to be okay?"

Gu Qinglian held Zhao Lingxiang's hand and said, "Xiang'er, don't worry. Your father will be fine. Don't worry!"

Although Gu Qinglian was comforting her daughter Zhao Lingxiang, she was actually extremely anxious in her heart.

At this time, the person Gu Mingchuan sent to inquire about the news came back.

He ran to Gu Qinglian, bowed his head and saluted, panting and said, "Madam, Master, I got the news that the Shen Mansion not only hosted the Master today, but also invited other distinguished guests, saying that they were discussing important matters."

"Have you found out when the banquet will end?" Gu Qinglian hurriedly asked the person who was trying to find out the news.

The man shook his head.

Zhao Lingxiang, who was standing by, cried and asked, "Mother, what should we do?"

Gu Mingchuan said to the person who was trying to get information: "Take one more person to keep an eye on it, and report back as soon as there is any situation."

The person who inquired about the news responded: "Yes, Master."

He turned around and asked a servant to follow him out of the house.

Gu Mingchuan said, "Aunt, Sister Lingxiang, don't worry. I believe there will be a result soon. Let's calm down and think about how to deal with it."

An Yue, who was sitting nearby, saw that the situation was not good and wanted to take the opportunity to slip away.

As soon as she stood up, Gu Qinglian turned her head and looked at An Yue. She asked seriously, "Miss An Yue, do you plan to hold on to that thing for the rest of your life?"

After hearing this, An Yue saw that Gu Qinglian was no longer beating around the bush, so she simply stopped pretending.

She stood up straight and said calmly, "That thing doesn't belong to me in the first place. If my father and mother were still alive, what would be wrong with me handing it over?"

An Yue paused, took a deep breath, and continued, "It's just... this thing! It destroyed my family, and when my father was alive, he repeatedly told me not to tell anyone, let alone give it to anyone. This anyone must include you!"