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

"Okay! I'll start thinking about it right away."

When An Qinghe gets into business, he looks completely different.

"Your goods are already extremely valuable, so I have to show my sincerity and come up with a complete plan."

"So that later, when someone else discovers a hidden gem, they won't come and try to snatch it from me!"

Gu Xixi sighed, "You really love using idioms."

An Qinghe rolled his eyes and laughed, "I might as well stay here for a couple more days, and I'll discuss it with you anytime."

"No way!" Gu Xixi and Shi Tou said in unison.

Shi Tou looked at Gu Xixi happily, "Sister Xixi, you don't want him to live here either!"

An Qing was stunned, then immediately clutched his chest, heartbroken, "Xi Xi said she considers me a good friend, Xiao Shi Tou said she likes me playing with her, but you two, you two!"

With trembling hands, he pointed at the two men, "Aren't you two turning your backs on me too quickly? You're crossing the river and burning the bridge, betraying your promises!"

"Stop!" Gu Xixi calmly interrupted An Qinghe. "It'll be over in a little while."

"You're staying at my house instead of going back. Putting aside whether my house is big enough for you, have you forgotten that you haven't finished what you promised me?"

An Qinghe's sobbing came to an abrupt end.

He chuckled and said, "Didn't I tell you? Everything was arranged in advance for this trip."

Seeing Gu Xixi's stern face, An Qinghe quickly changed his tune, "I know, I'll go back tomorrow morning and keep an eye on things for you. I'll be there from the very beginning, from unloading to loading the saplings and rootstocks you requested, and I guarantee there won't be a single mistake!"

Gu Xixi was satisfied. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother An."

"Once my orchard is planted, Brother An, please feel free to come and visit for a while, so that I can do my best to express my gratitude as a host."

An Qing was immediately appeased, grinning foolishly, "We'll be on the same side sooner or later, no need for thanks. A short stay is fine, the more the merrier!"

Stone rolled his eyes at this arrogant person and said, "The more the merrier?"

"I already told you there are too many people in my family and there's not enough room!"

Everyone was pleased with An Qinghe, and even Mr. Chen disappeared without a trace.

Only he, a true man, held onto his last shred of reason!

An Qinghe magically picked something up from under the table.

It is cylindrical in shape, about seven inches long, with red lacquer inlaid with silver foil lion and embroidered ball patterns. One end is hollow and covered with perforated crystal glass. The workmanship is extremely exquisite.

An Qinghe said with a smile, "I prepared some gifts before I left. I was so happy to see Xixi during the day that I didn't have time to open my luggage."

He handed the cylinder to the stone, saying, "Here, you can play with this."

Stone pretended to be uninterested, saying, "I appreciate your kindness."

Gu Xixi took it, glanced at it, and laughed, "So it's a kaleidoscope. That's quite a novelty."

“Stone, face it to the light and look inside from this side, try it.”

An Qinghe exclaimed in surprise, "I bought this from a traveling merchant from Ye Liangguo, and you actually recognize it?"

Kaleidoscopes are extremely rare in Daye territory; very few people have ever seen one.

Although Gu Xixi knew she had misspoke, she remained calm and said, "Oh, when I went to the city before, I saw someone with something similar."

Fortunately, kaleidoscope is called by the same name here.

Stone looked at the kaleidoscope according to Gu Xixi's instructions.

Inside, the colors shifted and changed unpredictably, creating a bizarre and fantastical world, as if one had entered a strange and unfamiliar place.

Stone exclaimed, "This is fun! This is fun!"

An Qinghe asked with a smile, "Do you like it?"

Stone was overjoyed, continuing to fiddle with the kaleidoscope while excitedly saying, "I love it, I love it so much! Thank you so much, Brother An!"

At this moment, the big, strong boy Stone only had eyes for his toys and forgot his principles.

Anqing continued to take the gifts out one by one.

A box of Cistanche deserticola for the old doctor.

A bolt of Western Region woolen fabric, for Aunt Zhang.

Two wolf-hair brushes, for Mr. Chen, the man who lives in Xixi's house.

Gu Xixi received a stone instead.

An Qinghe opened a square brocade box, inside which was a smooth stone, about the size of a woman's palm, with a bluish-black color, looking no different from the pebbles in the stream.

Gu Xixi naturally didn't think that an ordinary stone was worth crashing into such a gorgeous box.

She leaned forward to look and asked, "What's this?"

An Qinghe solemnly stated, "This object is called the Illusionary Color Stone, also known as the Weather Stone."

"Before rainy days, its surface will become moist; before snowy days, it will turn dark black; and on sunny days, everything will remain the same."

Gu Xixi exclaimed in astonishment, "A weather forecast stone?!"

An Qinghe understood Gu Xixi's meaning and nodded, saying, "It does have the effect of prediction and foresight."

Gu Xixi sat up straight and politely declined, saying, "No, such a rare item must be very valuable, I cannot accept it."

An Qinghe pushed the box toward her and said with a smile, "This is not just a token of my affection."

"The members of the Chamber of Commerce have been helped by you. Although they haven't seen any results yet, business is about give and take, so they're discussing what to give you as a gift."

"Whether it's Hetian jade or Gobi emerald, I noticed you don't like wearing hair ornaments, so I thought of this iridescent stone."

"It can not only predict the weather, but is also most useful in agricultural matters."

Gu Xixi pondered for a moment and said, "Then I will accept it. Please thank the bosses for me."

She was so blunt because she was confident that the ideas she had given to the seedling association would bring in far more benefits than just the value of this one piece of iridescent stone.

Anqing returned, and ten days later...

One horse-drawn truck after another entered Huachidu Village.

Gu Xixi became extremely busy.

Her family converted two acres of land into a grafting site, and surrounded it with fences so that no busybodies in the village could see anything.

A few days later, after the women and children had finished digging up the first batch of wild shepherd's purse, the village's tree planting activity officially began.

Qin Da Sao's family uses a method of intercropping with Bodhi fruit trees and medicinal herbs.

The Qian couple opted for a combination of fruit tree farming and chicken and duck breeding.

The other companies also adapted to local conditions and chose the most suitable option based on their own circumstances.

The six families worked diligently and created something that the villagers had never seen or understood before.

Those who were waiting to see the show were secretly anxious, but no matter how much they made sarcastic remarks, the six families remained united, unmoved by any provocation or wavering.

That day, Second Master Gu couldn't sit still at home, so he went to First Master Gu's house.

"Brother, I think those families have almost finished planting their trees."

"Didn't Gu Xixi order so many saplings that she couldn't use them all? Why did she bring in other trees from elsewhere? They look like peach or pear trees to me."

Grandpa Gu said with a dark face, "You're asking me? How would I know?"

"If you're so capable, go ask her!"

Master Gu touched his nose and remained silent.

He doesn't have that ability. Looking at the whole village, who else has that ability?

Master Gu said helplessly, "Then what do you suggest? I don't see her panicking at all. What if she returns the extra saplings? How else can we force her to hand over the secret recipe?"