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

Grandpa Gu lowered his head and remained silent for a while.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute."

He muttered to himself, unsure whether he was speaking to himself or to Master Gu.

As the village's pineapple trees were planted one after another, An Qinghe came again to personally escort the last batch of saplings.

This time he came in a very high-profile manner, deliberately making sure that many people in the village saw him.

They even went out of their way to loudly proclaim in crowded places that the fruit of the Bodhi tree was expensive, that rich people loved to eat it, and that they were willing to spend money to buy it.

These weren't just boasts; he provided concrete details about the purchase price, selling price, and location, leaving no room for doubt.

The actions of Qin Dasao and her family had already caused some people in the village to begin to doubt themselves.

Then I heard An Qinghe's words again.

That very evening, two families secretly went to Gu Xixi's house one after the other, wanting to try planting fruit trees on a mu (approximately 0.16 acres) of land.

However, Gu Xixi had already made her promise, so she wouldn't back down.

She didn't even show up herself; she just had Aunt Zhang turn down both families, saying they'd consider it again next year if there was an opportunity.

When Grandpa Gu and Second Grandpa Gu received this news, they began to have doubts again.

Master Gu said, "I see that the land reserved for those families is already fully planted."

"She's not going to share these new saplings with others; is she going to keep them for firewood?"

Grandpa Gu originally thought he had seen through Gu Xixi, but now he couldn't understand her at all.

Does Gu Xixi really want to plant trees in the sky?

The next morning, many people saw Gu Xixi and An Qinghe leading a convoy of saplings out of the village.

Where are they going? Nobody knows.

The next day at noon, Gu Xixi and An Qinghe returned, only to find that the saplings and the convoy had disappeared.

Finally, a curious onlooker stopped the two horsemen and asked, "Xixi, why did you take those extra saplings back to the village and then take them out again? Did you sell them because you couldn't use them all?"

Gu Xixi laughed and said, "Who said I can't use them all? I've already planted all those trees."

However, it was planted near the Northwest military camp.

The person asking the question stared wide-eyed, looking incredulous.

Gu Xixi didn't explain, but smiled and rode home.

When she ordered the saplings, she had already considered two possibilities.

If the villagers are willing to plant trees, that's best; if not, she can ask the general for a piece of land.

Although that place doesn't have the same good soil and water as Huachidu Village.

It simply requires a little more effort and a slightly longer growing period; the resulting Bodhi fruit will still taste just as good.

The nursery in Yunling County is also in its busy season. An Qinghe will rush back after finishing this important matter for Gu Xixi.

Gu Xixi, Aunt Zhang, and Shi Tou saw him off at the village entrance.

Anqing left with two extra bundles. Aunt Zhang had packed a lot of things, including several local pastries he liked, homemade cured meat, and newly made steamed buns, flatbreads, and vegetable and meat buns.

At least half of the kitchen cabinets had been moved out.

The several Jinhua Fu tea cakes were a return gift that Gu Xixi had asked him to deliver to several business owners in the Chamber of Commerce.

Stone reciprocated, saying, "My family also grows fruit trees, although they're a different kind from yours..."

He handed a small notebook to An Qinghe, saying, "Recently, whenever I miss my father and grandfather, I write down some of the things they told me in this notebook."

"They're all related to fruit trees; you might find them useful."

An Qing carefully placed the package inside, cupped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you very much, Brother Shi Tou. I will definitely cherish and keep it safe!"

Aunt Zhang was even a little reluctant to see you go, saying, "You only stayed one night this time, and I didn't even have time to cook you any more delicious food."

An Qinghe laughed and said, "You've already packed so much delicious food for me, that's more than enough!"

He said something very polite, "I'm so embarrassed to accept both food and gifts."

Aunt Zhang said, "You brought gifts for everyone in our family. I asked Xixi last night, and they were all expensive items. Please come again next time, but don't bring any more gifts. It's too much of a waste."

If we delay any longer, we won't be able to reach Yunling County by nightfall.

An Qinghe bowed to the three men again in farewell, and reluctantly rode away.

Shi Tou patted his schoolbag and said, "Grandma Zhang, Sister Xi Xi, it's getting late. I'm going straight to school and won't be going home with you."

After he finished speaking, he skipped away, but Gu Xixi grabbed his backpack strap.

"and many more."

Shi Tou slowly turned back, his smile barely concealed. "Sister Xi Xi, is there anything else?"

Gu Xixi unbuckled her schoolbag, reached inside, and pulled out a kaleidoscope.

"what is this?"

What did you promise me last night?

Stone's smile vanished, and he drooped listlessly like a little quail: "I can't bring the kaleidoscope to school."

Gu Xixi said, "Since you know, then I'll take it home for you."

Stone looked up at the kaleidoscope, feeling very reluctant to part with it, so he changed his strategy and clung to Gu Xixi's arm, acting coquettishly.

"Sister Xixi~~ Dear sister~~ I know kaleidoscopes are very expensive. But since none of you have ever seen one before, just like me, and kaleidoscopes are so much fun, I want to invite them to see one too. Just to look, we won't break it!"

Although Gu Xixi smiled, she stuck to her principles, "No. This isn't about whether it's expensive or not."

"The kaleidoscope is yours to keep. You can let whoever wants to play with it, but you have to wait until after school."

"If you bring your classmates or friends home to play, or take your kaleidoscope out to play, whether you break it or lose it is your own business, I don't care."

“It is absolutely forbidden to bring it into the village school.”

She paused, then explained, "You bunch of little brats, when you find something fun, how can you stay still and sit still?"

"What if they start fighting over toys again? Wouldn't that just cause trouble for your husband?"

Stone was able to listen to reason; he nodded and stopped insisting.

"That's right, it's my fault for not thinking it through."

Recently, Sister Xixi has told him more than once that he should make things easier for Mr. Chen at the village school.

For example, try to be quiet and don't let the dog lead everyone in playing around.

For example, help if you can, so as not to tire Mr. Chen out.

Also, help maintain order in the school and try to prevent those naughty children from angering Mr. Chen.

Stone took two steps, then suddenly remembered something, turned back, and frowned.

"Sister Xixi, is your husband sick?"

“I’ve noticed that the old doctor has been calling him to the backyard every day lately.”

Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhang also looked at Gu Xixi.

Gu Xixi smiled calmly, "No, he's just a little weak and needs to recuperate."

Stone sighed like an adult, "So that's how it is."

"It seems I haven't been caring enough for you, sir."

He said solemnly, "Don't worry, Sister Xixi, I will treat him even better in the future."

“It’s great that you think that way, but…” Gu Xixi bent down and whispered in Shi Tou’s ear.

"Your husband is very proud. You should know about his poor health, but don't tell Gouwa and the others."

Shi Tou winked. "I understand! Including Mr. Chen, I won't let anyone know that I know."

Gu Xixi smiled and patted the top of his head, "You're a promising young man."

She was still holding An Qinghe's proposal in her hand; she'd take a closer look when she got back.