The Second Sister of a Farmer's Family's Path to Imperial Destiny

When Guo Xin returned home from the headman's house, the sky was gradually darkening and birds were flying across the clouds.

Smoke was rising from every household. She walked slowly towards home, enjoying the evening breeze, only to find that there was no smoke at home, which was rare.

Were these three so happy that they even forgot to cook?

She entered the house with questions in mind, and saw three people discussing enthusiastically what to buy for Guo Xi after he entered the private school.

"When you go to the county town, you will have to live in a small compartment where several people live together. Now it's winter, and it will definitely be very cold. You should bring more clothes with you." Daya said as she was about to take out an old cotton-padded jacket from under the bed and put it in her bag.

Guo Zhi looked around Guo Xi and jumped up and down, "Si Dan, oh, no, it's my younger brother Guo Xi, are you going to be the top scholar in the future? Why didn't I see that you have the potential to be a top scholar?"

Guo Xi looked at Guo Zhi in front of him, and was so angry that he said, "What are you talking about!"

Guo Xin saw that the farce was about to start again, and hurriedly quickened his pace. Seeing that the corner of the room was full of Guo Xi's luggage, he couldn't help but laugh and cry: "Don't rush to pack the luggage. He won't enter the private school so soon. Manager Mo said that he will start school next week. Let's go to the county town tomorrow and buy some things that Xi'er needs."

When Guo Ruo and Guo Zhi heard that they didn't need to pack their luggage, they were at a loss and suddenly didn't know what to do.

"Sister~what are we eating tonight?" Guo Xin asked coquettishly.

It's a rare chance to take a break, so I must enjoy the happiness of having my sister.

"I went to the fields today and saw that the lettuce in your greenhouse was growing well, so I picked some. So we'll have lettuce and egg fried rice tonight."

It was the first time that Guo Xin heard of this method of cooking. She didn’t know whether it would taste good or not, but she had no choice.

Speaking of lettuce, she thinks the stir-fried lettuce with black bean sauce and dace is really delicious. She will try to replicate that dish when she gets the chance, otherwise it would be too bland.

……

Late at night, the only sound heard was Guo Zhi tossing and turning, and Guo Xin, who had already fallen asleep, was woken up by the sound again.

Thinking that everyone should be asleep, I asked in a low voice, "Zhi Er, why aren't you asleep yet? Are you feeling unwell?"

Unexpectedly, before Guo Zhi could speak, Guo Xi spoke first: "Sister, I haven't slept yet either."

"I do not have either……"

When Guo Xin heard their voices, she was startled for a moment. Why weren't these three people asleep? Was she the only one who was asleep?

"I... am so excited. This is my first time going to the county town." Guo Zhi spoke with some embarrassment.

Guo Xin, who was about to comfort him, yawned loudly and said sleepily, "Go to sleep. I think there are just more people in the county than in the town. There shouldn't be any difference."

He slept until dawn, when he was awakened by the sound of pots and pans. Guo Xin sat up and opened his eyes hard. He saw that except himself, everyone seemed to be out of the room.

"Sister? You're awake." Guo Zhi came into the room carrying breakfast, and seeing Guo Xin sitting up in a daze, she greeted her.

Guo Zhi was already dressed neatly, and if you looked closely you could tell she had been carefully dressed up, except for a dark spot under her eye that hindered her beauty.

Guo Xin nodded. Looking at Guo Zhi like this, she was afraid that the eldest sister and the younger brother were not much different.

"I'll pack it up quickly. If you bring everything, we can set off."

After getting ready, the four siblings first went to the town to find Rufangzhai to get the deed, and then followed Grandma Liu to the carriage and horse shop.

"I still remember the last time I saw the girl, she was still in a hurry." Grandma Liu led the way and joked with a smile: "Now when I see the girl again, she has been reborn, with a different demeanor than before, and the same is true for her family."

Guo Xin admitted: "That's true. It may be that wealth supports people. This is also thanks to the help of your shopkeeper. If it weren't for you taking care of my business, I'm afraid we wouldn't be here today."

It was the first time that Grandma Liu had seen a girl who openly admitted the fact that wealth could support a person. She was still quite young and her words were very interesting, and she was amused to the point of laughing.

"Girls, this is the carriage house." Grandma Liu led them to a very simple place. There were only a few carriages inside, most of which were ox carts. She explained, "Because this is in the town, and the people here are not very rich, it looks a bit shabby, but the cars inside are all very good."

"Of course I trust grandma's judgment." Guo Xin looked at the only carriage, although the horse looked a little old: "How much does it cost to rent this carriage?"

"This carriage costs 100 wen a day. If you include the coachman, it will cost 180 wen." Seeing that the guests brought by Rufangzhai were actually interested in his carriage, the coachman hurriedly introduced: "Don't look at this horse as old, but it runs very fast and very stable..."

"Okay, that's it."

Guo Ruo, who was listening to the introduction, was about to stop his sister's actions, but unexpectedly Guo Xin rented it directly. One hundred and eighty coins could buy a lot of things, but renting a carriage for a day now was really too...

Seeing Guo Ruo frowning, Guo Xin explained: "The county town is still some distance away from us, and we have to hurry back and buy some of Xier's writing brushes and ink. Maybe we will run into our future classmates. We can't be too shabby."

Guo Ruo's frown slowly relaxed. It was true that his fourth brother would go to a private school in the future. It would not be good if he was laughed at by his classmates for being too shabby.

The coachman steered the carriage towards the county town. The people who were traveling far away for the first time looked at the changes around them curiously.

Thanks to the fact that the carriage was moving quite fast, they soon arrived at the county town, got off the carriage, and had it wait at a fixed place.

Several people were walking on the road in the county town. Guo Zhi and Guo Xi were no longer chattering as before, but instead seemed a little timid, as if they were frightened by the prosperity of the new environment.

Guo Xin also looked at the county town with so many people for the first time in a long time. In his previous life, before the end of the world, he had naturally seen the scenes of tall buildings and revelry every night, but that was a long time ago.

She saw a small shop where people dressed as scholars came and went, and she thought that was the study.

"Let's go to the front and buy some things for Xier for school." Guo Xin pointed to a shop not far away.

The study was filled with the special aroma of ink. The waiter who was watching the shop was dressed in scholar's clothes. When he saw Guo Xin and his family come in, his cotton coat was washed white and didn't fit his figure well. However, he didn't lose his attitude and said warmly, "Sir, if you want to buy something, just pick it up and come here to pay."

Guo Xin glanced at the shop and saw that the decoration was simple yet luxurious, but she didn't really know how to choose pens and ink.

"I wonder if you can give me some recommendations? My younger brother is about to start attending a private school, and he doesn't have any writing materials or anything."

The waiter took out a brush made of pig hair from the cabinet, and then took out ink sticks, rice paper, and inkstones one after another, "This should be the most suitable for you, and the total should be one tael of silver."