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

Gu Xixi said, "The Zhang family nursery was left to you by your parents, especially those old trees. Didn't you treasure them the most?"

Gu Xixi had already found out that there were several nurseries west of Qingtian County.

Local varieties of peach, apricot, and pear trees, and even the Pinpo fruit from the Western Regions.

She had wanted to go for a long time, and now that she had the money, the price of the saplings was not a problem.

Once the New Year holidays are over, we can officially begin the plan to plant fruit trees.

Stone rolled over in one go, bracing himself on the kang (a heated brick bed) with both hands, and glared anxiously, saying:

"Sister Xixi, I'm not a child anymore. I'm not joking when I say this!"

"I really want you to use my family's fruit trees!"

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "I know you're sincere."

"But I brought you to the village and sent you to school, just so you could grow up properly."

"As for whether you will follow in your father's footsteps or do something else when you grow up, I just want you to have more choices for yourself in the future."

Stone pouted and muttered softly, "I know you're good to me."

“Last time when Gouwa and I chased after the human traffickers, I saw how worried and anxious you were about me.”

“If it were someone else, I wouldn’t give her the fruit trees either.”

Gu Xixi's eyes softened. This child!

She usually seems lively and mischievous, but I never expected her to be so good at keeping secrets.

Stone raised his head again, took a deep breath, and his eyes sparkled.

"Grandpa said that fruit trees are like crops; they will repay you in the same way you take care of them."

"Sister Xixi, everyone in the village says you're the best at farming."

“I’ve been thinking these past few days that if I entrust the fruit trees to you, you’ll definitely make them better and better.”

Gu Xixi was still hesitating, "This..."

Shi Tou grabbed her arm and shook it playfully, saying, "Every day the nursery is idle, it wastes a day's worth of capital. It's not worth it to go out of your way to take care of them."

“Sister Xixi, since you’re going to buy trees from someone else anyway, why not make use of the trees in my yard?”

Gu Xixi already had a plan in mind.

"Alright, I'll take over Zhang's Nursery."

Stone jumped up and cheered, "Great!!!"

Gu Xixi grabbed him and said, "Don't jump! If you break the kang before the New Year, Grandma Zhang will spank you!"

The stone stuck out its tongue, now behaving itself.

Gu Xixi said, "However, I will hire a middleman to appraise and count all the fruit trees and convert them into your shares."

"What are shares?" Stone asked, puzzled.

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "You'll know when you put your fingerprint on it."

In the afternoon, Sister-in-law Qin brought over a bowl of homemade steamed cabbage and pork buns.

They happened to run into Mu Nanzhao carrying a teapot and walking towards the west room.

Sister-in-law Qin smiled and bowed, "Hello, Mr. Chen."

Mu Nanzhao nodded politely, "I'm here."

Sister-in-law Qin said with a smile, "Gouwa was also going to come and see Mr. Chen, but I was afraid he would make a fuss and disturb your peace, so I told him to come and pay his respects to Mr. Chen during the New Year holidays!"

Mu Nanzhao said, "Gouwa is smart and learns quickly. He doesn't make a ruckus in the school and can even take the initiative to maintain order."

Sister-in-law Qin stared blankly for a long time, her expression one of disbelief.

Mu Nanzhao looked at Gu Xixi with a questioning look in his eyes, wondering why.

Gu Xixi reached out and pulled Qin's sister-in-law along, "Gouwa was praised by the teacher, sister-in-law must be overjoyed!"

Sister-in-law Qin snapped out of her daze and nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, that's right, I'm so happy! I'm so happy!"

"When I sent that boy to school, I didn't dare to hope that he would be good at studying."

"Suddenly hearing the teacher say that he's smart and learns quickly, oh my, I'm really..."

Mu Nanzhao glanced at Gu Xixi again and said he had other things to do and wouldn't disturb their conversation.

Sister-in-law Qin, arm in arm with Gu Xixi, walked towards the main room, glanced back at Mu Nanzhao's retreating figure, and whispered:

"That really gave me quite a shock."

"It's already quite surprising that our dog received praise from my husband."

"What's even more surprising is that Mr. Chen actually said three sentences to me at once, three sentences! And they were all praising Gouwa! Pinch me, am I dreaming?"

Gu Xixi chuckled, "It's not that exaggerated. Gouwa is a good kid."

"Influenced by Gouwa, Shitou has recently started memorizing texts and practicing calligraphy."

Sister-in-law Qin sighed, "Actually, I really hope Gouwa does well in his studies."

"If he ever becomes the top scholar in the imperial examination, I can earn a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe to wear, just like the old lady on the opera stage."

At this point, Sister-in-law Qin couldn't help but burst into laughter.

She looked around and whispered, "I've never even said this to Gouwa's father. I know you're the only one who won't laugh at my daydreaming!"

Gu Xixi said, "What's so funny? How many poor scholars have passed the imperial examinations in this dynasty?"

"If Gouwa really loves reading, he might just become successful in the future."

Sister-in-law Qin nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

The two went inside and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed). Hua Hua stood up from the corner, walked over to Gu Xixi, and rubbed her hand against hers.

Sister-in-law Qin said, "Although I don't know many words, I do know that going to school costs money."

"At this stage, we are only beginning our education, which saves us the expense of paper, pens, and books."

“But if he wants to continue his studies in greater depth and take the imperial examinations in the future, I can’t just make him practice writing on a board all the time.”

Gu Xixi gently scratched the cat's chin and said, "To take the imperial examinations, one must be accustomed to using the Four Treasures of the Study."

"That's right," sighed Sister-in-law Qin, "taking the imperial examination also requires travel expenses and lodging."

“Counting on my fingers, there are expenses at every level.”

“I’m really afraid that one day he will be able to climb up the ladder step by step, and I, as his mother, will not be able to afford it and will hold him back.”

Gu Xixi smiled and looked at Sister-in-law Qin, "Sister-in-law came to find me because you want to find a way to make money with me."

Sister-in-law Qin blushed, "You really are more cunning than others; nothing can be hidden from you."

She took a breath and said seriously, "My family only has four acres of land. Before, I secretly followed your example and left two acres empty."

"But once the New Year holidays are over, we'll have to decide what to plant next year..."

Gu Xixi laughed and said, "It's my fault. I knew what you were thinking all along. I was planning to tell you after the New Year when things were going well. But I ended up making you worry."

Sister-in-law Qin quickly shook her head, "I believe you, but I'm not worried."

"The thought of having the opportunity to make a big splash makes me feel like I'm on fire, and I can't calm down."

Sister-in-law Qin thought highly of Gu Xixi and trusted her unconditionally.

Otherwise, why would he disregard Gouwa's father's objections, leave two acres of land vacant, and devote himself wholeheartedly to working with Gu Xixi?

Gu Xixi understood Qin Dasao's feelings and took the opportunity to reveal her intentions: "I want to plant fruit trees."

"Fruit trees that can reach the level of royal tribute fruit."

"Tribute fruit?" Sister-in-law Qin exclaimed in surprise. "Is that what the emperor eats?"

Gu Xixi said, "More or less."

Sister-in-law Qin said, "I know that growing fruit trees is not easy. It is common for them to not bear fruit for three to five years."

"It's not easy for the fruit to grow, but the fruit is small and unpalatable, and the yield may not be high."