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

An Qinghe was dragged away, but he couldn't stop chuckling to himself. "Grafting, grafting, such a brilliant idea, how did you come up with it?"

Gu Xixi said, "Calm down!"

"Let's not talk about whether it's miraculous or not. You haven't even seen the results of the grafting with your own eyes, so why don't you question me?"

When the two men holding An Qinghe saw that he had stopped struggling, they tentatively let go.

An Qinghe was still agitated, but thankfully he didn't resort to violence again. "I don't question it, because it's a miracle! I'm willing to wait for this miracle to happen, whether I see it with my own eyes or not is not important."

"And Xixi, do you know? For generations, we've cultivated fruit trees, and we've always believed that certain characteristics would always exist. For example, it would be great if they could bear fruit every two or three years, or if the canopy were shorter to make harvesting easier, or if every tree could produce sweet, crisp, and large fruit every year."

"We dare not even mention such thoughts anymore; even just thinking about them would seem as ridiculous as daydreaming."

An Qinghe was more serious than ever before, and his sharply defined face seemed to be shrouded in a sacred light.

"But Xixi, whether it was what you said at the nursery in Yunling County or the grafting you proposed now, you have truly shown me the miracle of dreams coming true!"

The room had long since fallen silent.

Although everyone couldn't fully understand what An Qinghe was saying, they were deeply moved by his impassioned speech.

A surge of intense passion and hope welled up in everyone's hearts.

They couldn't wait for the day to plant trees, so that everyone could work together to create a new world and have a great time with Gu Xixi!

Sister-in-law Qin said, "I also had a feeling that this matter would work out!"

The crowd shouted in agreement: "Yes!"

"From now on, if anyone dares to speak ill of me in front of me, I won't be polite to them!"

"That's right, no matter what others say, I'm determined to stand tall!"

Gu Xixi smiled without saying a word, her cheeks slightly flushed.

It's all Anqing's fault for saying those words, which were both pleasing to the ear and embarrassing! They were so exaggerated!

An Qinghe continued to draw inferences from this example, asking, "If the *Pinpoche* fruit can be grafted, can other fruit trees be grafted as well?"

His eyes lit up, and he couldn't suppress his smile. "I have a feeling that grafting will be a great discovery! Such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, why don't we join hands?!"

An Qinghe looked around, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopped himself.

He winked at Gu Xixi, trying to remain calm, "Let's not talk about this now, we'll discuss it in detail later."

On the other side of the street, Mu Nanzhao had already reached the vicinity of Lao Qian's house.

Turn right at the fork in the road and you'll see Old Qian's gate.

Mu Nanzhao heard the door open, followed by a burst of laughter and cheerful chatter.

The moon is hazy tonight, and it keeps disappearing behind the clouds.

Just as the moonlight began to dim, Mu Nanzhao suddenly stopped.

He stood in the shade under the tree, watching Gu Xixi being surrounded by a group of people as she came out.

An Qinghe was right beside her, chatting and laughing with others, clearly already quite familiar with them.

The fire that Mu Nanzhao had been holding in his heart all the way suddenly cooled down.

He stood there, watching the crowd disperse, watching An Qinghe carry a lantern and escort Gu Xixi home.

Because one was in the light and the other in the dark, neither of them noticed Mu Nanzhao's presence as they passed by.

Mu Nanzhao only moved his feet when the light of the lanterns could no longer be seen.

Just now, the moment he saw Gu Xixi, Mu Nanzhao's mind raced with a multitude of thoughts.

Some words, once spoken, cannot be taken back. Regardless of whether Gu Xixi agrees or not, the result will leave her with a psychological burden.

Moreover, he is currently on the verge of death.

Even if he doesn't die, he will have his own path to follow in the future.

He couldn't offer Gu Xixi any promises at the moment.

Gu Xixi also has her own future.

What merit or ability does Mu Nanzhao possess to ask Gu Xixi to give up everything and go with him?!

Mu Nanzhao slowly walked back, a self-deprecating smile curving his lips.

In fact, Gu Xixi had said long ago that he had his own ladder to heaven.

She harbored her own dream of becoming the nation's granary.

If we wait a little longer, until he finishes those things, maybe, perhaps...

When Mu Nanzhao entered, Gu Xixi was standing in the courtyard with a lantern, smiling at him.

The nights in early spring are still quite cold.

Mu Nanzhao frowned and said, "Standing here in the cold wind? Be careful not to catch a cold and get scolded."

The old doctor has been so focused on prescribing medicine lately that he hasn't even had time to come to the front yard for meals.

If anyone were to get sick at this time and cause trouble for the old doctor, wouldn't they be scolded?

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "I'm waiting for you."

"My aunt said you went to pick me up, but when I got back I didn't see you. I guess you went the wrong way."

"If you don't come back soon, I'll have to go out and pick you up again."

The warm yellow light illuminated her smiling face, making her look warm and gentle.

Mu Nanzhao's expression softened unconsciously. "I can walk back even with my eyes closed. I won't get lost."

Gu Xixi took two steps forward, stood facing him, smiled, and then suddenly asked in a low voice:

"Then why did you suddenly run to pick me up? Is something the matter?"

Mu Nanzhao met her gaze, a slight smile curving his lips. "It's nothing."

"Old Jiang said that it is not advisable to sit for a long time after meals, and that moderate exercise is beneficial to physical and mental health."

"Perfect timing, I'm tired from walking, let's go back to sleep."

Gu Xixi watched Mu Nanzhao walk towards the west room, tilting her head in confusion.

Just exercising after meals, as a side effect?

At this moment, An Qinghe lifted the curtain of the main room and called out excitedly, "Xixi, come back quickly, let's discuss that important matter from earlier!"

Stone's voice came from behind, "Brother An, come in quickly! Didn't we agree to play dominoes together?"

"Okay!" Gu Xixi replied with a smile, "I'll come over after I turn off the lights!"

Mu Nanzhao listened to the conversation and silently closed the door behind him.

An Qinghe confessed his thoughts to Gu Xixi, then squatted on the kang like a little dog, eagerly waiting for Gu Xixi to say what she would say.

Gu Xixi chuckled, "Boss An really knows how to make money."

An Qinghe proudly said, "You can say I'm not capable, but you can't say I have poor judgment."

"The businesses I'm optimistic about have always been highly praised by my father, brothers, uncles, and elders; otherwise, they wouldn't have put me in the seedling and timber association alone."

Gu Xixi said, "So you want to partner with me to make money?"

Anqing nodded solemnly, "I'm absolutely certain I'm not mistaken; grafting has great potential."

"And I've heard them say you have some secret methods for growing crops? Why don't you make use of them?"

"As long as you master the core techniques, we can make a lot of money using this method, and it will be a continuous stream of money!"

Gu Xixi thought to herself, "I underestimated this guy before."

I never expected him to open up his mind so quickly, thinking ahead to the development of agricultural technology industries for future generations.

Gu Xixi also became serious, "Then you should think it over carefully and figure out exactly how to do it. Once you come up with a plan, I'll consider whether or not to agree to your cooperation."