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

Since the villagers weren't in a hurry, Gu Xixi was even more patient than them.

A person who still has room for hesitation and second-guessing is unlikely to be single-minded.

Starting from the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, people officially begin visiting distant relatives and friends.

Many people had gone outside the village, and Huachidu Village became much quieter.

Gu Xixi finally had some free time.

After breakfast, I went to the foot of the mountain to tend to the tea trees. When I came back, I saw Stone and Dog running towards me.

The two little ones were very excited and waved their arms at her from afar.

Shi Tou shouted, "Sister Xi Xi, we have guests at home! Grandma Zhang wants you to go home right away!"

"What kind of guest?" Gu Xixi asked as she approached.

Gouwa tugged at Shitou, "Don't let it slip! Grandma Zhang said this is a surprise, and Aunt Xixi has to see it with her own eyes. She'll be overjoyed!"

Stone quickly covered his mouth, "Yes, you can't say it!"

These two little ones are almost inseparable and have become best friends.

But one of them calls Gu Xixi "sister," while the other calls her "aunt."

They address Aunt Zhang and the old doctor as both Grandpa and Grandma. It's a complete mess of generational distinctions.

Gu Xixi never corrected them, letting them call her whatever they wanted.

She raised her hand and poked each of the two little ones on the forehead with her finger. "Such a young age, but you're quite tight-lipped."

"Alright, then come back with me and see what's going on."

Outside Gu Xixi's house, eight carrying poles were lined up, each adorned with red cloth flowers, and baskets at both ends of the poles were filled with various items.

All these things were placed on the ground, and the eight men standing nearby smiled when they saw Gu Xixi return.

Chen Dafu took the lead in bowing and greeting, "Happy New Year, sir!"

The other seven people followed suit, their shouts of "Happy New Year!" ringing out loud.

It was obvious from the procession that everyone had come to offer New Year's greetings to the host with gifts.

Gu Xixi smiled and returned the gifts one by one, "It's the New Year, and you've all made a special trip for us."

"It's cold outside, come inside and have some tea."

"As for these things," Gu Xixi glanced around and said, "I appreciate the sentiment, but you should take them back with you later."

Chen Dafu said seriously, "That won't do!"

“We employees wish our employers a Happy New Year, saying that we all had a good year and made a good living, and that we want to work for our employers again next year.”

"Does the master really intend to refuse this gift?"

"This..." Gu Xixi was in a dilemma.

According to her modern work mindset, she gives her team the highest possible salary when they work for her.

This is a win-win situation; you're good, I'm good, and everyone's good.

But she is now dealing with interpersonal relationships in an ancient village, which follow a different set of rules.

Aunt Zhang walked over and said with a generous smile, "It's the New Year, there's no reason to turn away guests."

She winked at Gu Xixi and smiled at Chen Dafu, "Old Chen, the boss is just worried that you'll spend too much money. Why don't you have everyone bring everything in?"

Chen Dafu beamed with joy and waved to everyone to carry their gifts into the courtyard.

Aunt Zhang pulled Gu Xixi aside and whispered:

"They earned a lot last year and want to continue working for you this year. Only by accepting their gifts can you put their minds at ease."

"As the host, you should host a banquet as a gesture of courtesy and to express your gratitude to them."

Gu Xixi suddenly realized that this was equivalent to moving the thank-you banquet of later generations to the middle of the New Year.

She chuckled softly, "Thanks to Auntie's reminder, otherwise I wouldn't have known these things, and I would have offended people and embarrassed myself."

Aunt Zhang said, "Alright, go talk to them."

"The food at home is all ready, I'll go and prepare the food and drinks."

The employees eagerly displayed the gifts they had brought.

"Master, when my family slaughtered the pig for the New Year, I specially froze this pork knuckle in the snow. It's still very fresh!"

"Master, this is my family's homemade sorghum liquor. This jar has been stored in the cellar for eight years. It's fragrant and strong!"

"These pears belong to our family. My wife planted two pear trees in the backyard, and this year's pears are the sweetest they've ever been!"

"My family's lamb..."

"These are the largest goose eggs we picked out..."

Gu Xixi smiled and looked at them one by one, saying, "Since these are your own products, I won't be polite and will keep them all to try."

The workers burst into laughter, shedding their initial awkwardness, and the atmosphere instantly became harmonious and joyful.

When the banquet began, Aunt Zhang brought out Mu Nanzhao and the old doctor to accompany the guests.

Even Shitou and Gouwa became the source of joy at the dinner table.

Chen Dafu and the others were in high spirits, each of them talking about their family relationships and the old stories they had experienced in their lives.

The banquet lasted until evening.

We drank all ten jars of aged liquor that we bought before the Lunar New Year.

Ever since Gu Xixi discovered that her alcohol tolerance had decreased after transmigrating into the book, she has basically given up her hobby of drinking.

So when buying New Year's goods, Aunt Zhang told us to buy more cheap and flavorful old-fashioned liquor to have on hand.

Gu Xixi initially didn't think much of it, saying that buying some sweet osmanthus rice wine that she drank at home would suffice.

But Aunt Zhang insisted, saying that some wine should be prepared to entertain guests during the New Year.

If no one drinks it, it can be kept for cooking or for the old doctor to use in processing medicinal herbs; it will never go to waste.

Gu Xixi smiled and sighed, "Thanks to Auntie's insistence, otherwise I really wouldn't know what to serve our guests today."

As Aunt Zhang sorted through the gifts she had received that day, she smiled and said, "Young people always have some old customs they don't understand."

"Otherwise, what's the point of having us old folks?"

The old doctor shook his head and sighed, "These people can really drink. I was thinking of making a pot of hangover medicine, but none of them passed out."

Aunt Zhang turned around with a smile, about to say something, but then she saw a person standing outside the gate.

"Gu Qingye?"

Aunt Zhang felt uncomfortable seeing this girl and immediately went over with a rag, asking, "What are you doing here?"

"The county government is releasing you ahead of schedule. From now on, you must behave yourself!"

"If you dare to harbor any ill intentions towards my Xiao Chen and Xi Xi again, don't blame this old woman for being impolite!"

The courtyard was silent, everyone was looking at the entrance, except for Mu Nanzhao.

After nearly two months in prison, Gu Qingye looked much thinner and more haggard.

Her gaze passed over Aunt Zhang, looked into the courtyard, and finally settled on Mu Nanzhao.

"No more." Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a calmness that suggested she had seen through everything.

"I'll leave tomorrow."

"I just..." Gu Qingye stared intently at Mu Nanzhao, a glimmer of light seemingly flashing in her dark eyes.

"Just came to take a look."

Aunt Zhang remained wary. "Where are you going? What are you looking at? You're always acting all mysterious and ghostly, and you can't even speak clearly!"

Gu Qingye seemed to take a deep breath.

When she looked up at Aunt Zhang, her expression had completely lost all trace of lingering affection.

"I got married in a place quite far away. They don't know that I used to work in the government office and that my family is quite well-off."

"I probably won't be coming back, so you can rest assured."

Aunt Zhang was stunned for a moment, "You're not coming back? What about your father and mother?"

Gu Qingye sneered, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Gu Xixi couldn't help but look at Mu Nanzhao. Gu Qingye was getting married. How would he react?