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

Gu Xixi was still laughing when she suddenly heard An Qinghe ask, "Do you like me like this now?"

The courtyard fell silent instantly, with only the sound of the wind remaining.

Aunt Zhang was terrified and cried out in a trembling voice, "Stone, close the door! Quickly, close the door!"

Although the people of the Daye Dynasty were not exactly closed-minded, they still placed great importance on the chastity of women.

Now there's a group of people in the village waiting to make fun of Gu Xixi.

What would happen if anyone heard Anqing spouting such nonsense?!

Stone immediately ran to close the gate tightly.

Aunt Zhang stood in front of Gu Xixi like a mother hen protecting her chicks, glaring angrily at An Qinghe.

"What nonsense are you spouting in other people's homes, you young man!"

"Let me tell you! We are a respectable family, and my daughter Xixi is a respectable girl. No one led you to say such nonsense! It was all your own wicked idea!"

An Qing nodded honestly, "It was my own idea."

"But it's not a bad idea, it's a good idea."

From the moment An Qinghe entered the courtyard, Mu Nanzhao stood in front of the main hall.

He watched the farce in silence, his face expressionless, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Shi Tou took small, quick steps to Mu Nanzhao's side and whispered, "Sir, sir, aren't you going to say something?"

In Shi Tou's mind, Sister Xi Xi and Mr. Chen should be a couple.

Although Shi Tou was not in favor of the marriage from the beginning, compared to the blue-eyed man who suddenly appeared in front of him, Shi Tou felt that it would be better to let Mr. Chen try to win him over for the time being.

Gu Xixi recovered her senses and looked at Mu Nanzhao awkwardly, "Um, let me introduce you. This is An Qinghe from the Yunling County Nursery Stock Company, a merchant from the Western Regions."

She then introduced her three family members to An Qinghe.

Thinking to myself that I should just let it go and pretend that Anqing and that awkward remark from earlier never existed.

An Qinghe was very polite, greeting everyone with the etiquette of Daye.

Aunt Zhang and Shi Tou both responded, but Mu Nanzhao stood there without moving.

He looked at Gu Xixi and said, "Boss An just asked a question, but the boss hasn't answered yet."

Gu Xixi closed her eyes, feeling suffocated.

This Mu Nanzhao, why does he have to bring up the things he shouldn't say!

She took a deep breath and smiled, "People from the Western Regions are warm and outgoing, and their way of speaking is different from ours."

"What I mean by liking is like liking Aunt Zhang, liking stones, liking delicious food and beautiful scenery."

Gu Xixi turned to An Qinghe, "Brother An, you agree, right?"

An Qinghe hadn't been in Daye for very long, but he was already dizzy from Gu Xixi's string of "likes".

He only knew that Gu Xixi was seeking approval, so he nodded blankly, "Yes, Xixi is right!"

Mu Nanzhao's lips curled into a smile. "I see."

Seeing this, Aunt Zhang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Xixi has never explicitly mentioned marriage, Chen Fang was bought by Xixi in the first place, so it wouldn't be right to let her down.

Just then, the old doctor came over and asked Mu Nanzhao to take a medicinal bath, but Mu Nanzhao said, "I won't accompany you."

He did not show any displeasure.

When Gu Xixi looked into his eyes, she felt as if she had been caught cheating and hadn't wiped her mouth clean, and was being silently mocked.

However, she quickly dismissed the idea and straightened her back.

"Mr. An, please come inside and have a seat. I'll go prepare some tea and snacks."

Why should she feel guilty?

Firstly, Mu Nanzhao is her pampered fiancé, but this is a facade, a last resort.

Secondly, she had nothing to do with An Qinghe. She wouldn't be so narcissistic as to think that An Qinghe would fall deeply in love with her after spending a few days with her and doing business with her.

In the kitchen, Aunt Zhang helped Gu Xixi set out the snacks.

Pine nut candy, peanut brittle, and jujube paste flatbread.

With some spare money at home, these snacks and treats are always readily available.

As Aunt Zhang arranged the dishes, she absentmindedly stole glances at Gu Xixi's expression.

"I wonder if he, a person from the Western Regions, can get used to our local snacks."

Gu Xixi said with a smile, "He's used to the food; he's been living in Yunling County for some time now."

Aunt Zhang continued to probe, "You and him...have a good relationship?"

Gu Xixi nodded, "He has a good personality and has been very helpful to me. I am very happy to be with him."

Aunt Zhang's heart sank.

Gu Xixi had already picked up the tea-making pot and was heading outside. "I can't let the guests sit alone. I'll go and brew some Fu tea first. Auntie will bring some snacks later."

According to An Qinghe, he came here for two purposes.

The first, of course, is the matter that Gu Xixi entrusted to him.

Gu Xixi said she was too busy at home to go to Yunling County to select saplings as agreed, and wanted to entrust An Qinghe to take full responsibility for the selection and arrange transportation and other matters.

An Qinghe said seriously, "I selected the best saplings one by one according to the year you requested, and the convoy has also been booked. It will definitely be delivered on the date you requested."

"Leave these things to me, don't worry."

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "Of course I'm at ease, otherwise I wouldn't have just sent you a letter."

Aunt Zhang brought in some snacks, but overheard Gu Xixi and An Qinghe talking about serious matters. Knowing she shouldn't disturb them at this moment, she put down the snacks, said a few polite words, and then left the main room.

An Qinghe then asked with concern, "You said in your recent letter that the Firefly Bone Flower has been found, so I don't need to ask anyone to search for it anymore."

"Could it be Mr. Chen Fang, whom we just met? Is he ill?"

Before Gu Xixi could answer, An Qinghe added, "Judging from his complexion, it seems like he has a long-term deficiency of qi and blood."

"And your master, that old gentleman, he has a strong medicinal smell about him."

The tea has been brewed to perfection.

Gu Xixi calmly opened the lid, scooped out the tea with a wooden spoon, and said with a slight smile:

"You mean Chen Fang? He's always been a bit weak, it's nothing serious."

"The Firefly Bone Flower was something I found to help another friend who was seriously ill."

"As for my master, he was a doctor, and his body was covered in the smell of medicine for a long time, so it was inevitable that people would smell the medicine on him."

She raised her hand and placed a cup of hot tea in front of An Qinghe, saying, "You like tea cakes, try the tea I brewed."

An Qinghe drank the Fu tea and praised it highly.

"Excellent tea! Rich and with a sweet aftertaste. It would be delicious with milk and sugar!"

"What's this tea called?"

“Fu tea,” Gu Xixi said, “is a tea cake made by fermenting tea leaves transported from the south and combining them with the local climate.”

An Qinghe said with some regret, "This tea was transported from the south. The raw materials, shipping costs, and labor must have made it quite expensive, right?"

"Unfortunately, I thought I was about to discover a new business opportunity."

Gu Xixi smiled, "If we can solve the raw material problem and get tea to be grown locally in the Northwest, this business can be done."

An Qinghe said, "That's not just possible, it's absolutely possible! There's great potential!"

Gu Xixi smiled and sipped her tea. The tea trees she planted were still being cultivated, so she would leave it for later as a surprise.

With her immediate concern settled, and in a moment of relaxation, she casually asked, "Is there a second thing?"

“Oh,” An Qinghe said with a smile, “of course I came to see you.”