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

Sister-in-law Zhou had hoped to earn more money by selling green beans, as the price was good when they were first harvested in early summer.

The couple beamed as they counted the coins. Old Zhou even said that it was a good thing they hadn't listened to Gu Xixi completely, otherwise they wouldn't have earned so much.

But after three or four days, they gradually stopped laughing.

More and more people are selling green beans in the county town. Besides vegetable farmers like them, ordinary families also sell their surplus beans along the street, carrying baskets.

The price of green beans drops several times a day; the price is one price in the morning, but is cut in half by noon.

By afternoon, the vegetables had lost their vibrant color, so I sold them in heaps for one coin each, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to sell them all that day.

In the last couple of days, green beans have become even cheaper.

The Zhou family has been eating green beans for every meal lately. Not only are the children refusing to eat, but the two adults are also tired of it.

Lying in bed last night, Lao Zhou comforted his wife, "Don't worry, we'll make whatever money we can from selling them."

“We used to grow crops on those few plots of land. We didn’t have this way of making money, but we still managed, didn’t we?”

"At least now I can earn some coins by selling vegetables every day, which is much better than before."

It wasn't easy for ordinary farmers to earn a penny. Besides selling some grain after the summer harvest each year, common methods included raising chickens, saving eggs to exchange for money, or directly exchanging with peddlers for daily necessities such as needles and thread.

As for hunting, gathering herbs, selling vegetables, and other similar jobs, they all require skills and are not something that just anyone can do.

Otherwise, Grandpa Gu's family wouldn't have hogged the position of vegetable farmer and refused to teach others no matter what.

Sister-in-law Zhou sighed, "That's true, but I still regret it."

"We should plant less green beans and more coriander."

“Look at our coriander, it’s sold out in no time every morning as soon as we put it down from our load.”

"Three times the price! Coriander is even more expensive than green beans!"

At this moment, when facing Gu Xixi again, Sister-in-law Zhou felt a pang of heartache as she thought about the price difference between coriander and green beans.

"It's all my fault. I didn't listen to you and planted those green beans. Now... sigh!"

Gu Xixi wasn't angry. She often visited various orchards to provide technical guidance, so she naturally knew about the Zhou family's large cultivation of green beans long ago.

The reason I didn't stop it was because this minor flaw was insignificant and didn't constitute a mistake.

On the contrary, it can teach farmers a lesson called "market".

The saying goes that you can learn something in one go, but you can only truly remember it if you experience it yourself.

Gu Xixi said, "The green beans have already been planted. Instead of regretting it, we should think about how to turn waste into treasure."

Old Zhou knew a few words and understood what Gu Xixi meant.

The taciturn man hurriedly pressed on, "Turning trash into treasure? There's a way to turn unwanted green beans into something valuable?"

Sister-in-law Zhou asked, "Is it the pickled vegetables that Xixi just mentioned?"

They had already recouped their initial investment in vegetable seeds. They had hoped that they could sell these unwanted green beans, even if they didn't make any money, it would be a blessing from heaven.

To everyone's surprise, Gu Xixi proposed turning waste into treasure.

He looked at the couple with a mixture of doubt and skepticism, yet also with a hint of eager anticipation.

Gu Xixi smiled and offered another choice, "There are three methods. The first one has the lowest profit but is the least labor-intensive and cost-effective: don't harvest them, let the beans grow naturally and mature, and then shell them."

"The second method is to pick them, dry them into dried green beans. In autumn and winter, people need to stock up on winter vegetables. In addition, locals love to eat hot soup noodles and stews. When they are taken out then, there is no worry about not being able to sell them. The cost is low and the profit is moderate."

"The third option is to make it into pickled vegetables. The cost is moderate, but the profit is the highest, although there are risks involved."

The Zhou couple asked in unison, "What risks?"

Hearing about the highest profits, who wouldn't be tempted?

Gu Xixi said, "Pickled green beans and pickled coriander taste best when they are fresh."

"So you have to bet that in about ten days, once the Northwest Army has finished its reorganization, the county town will be open as usual."

Old Zhou frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Let's bet!"

Gu Xixi reminded them, "Don't you want to discuss this further? If we can't go into the city to sell our goods after the deadline, we'll even have to pay for the seasonings."

Old Zhou raised his head and smiled nonchalantly, "It's not a waste. We can keep it for ourselves to eat slowly. It's better than letting it rot in the field."

He frankly told Gu Xixi, "We're almost at the border. Even if we were to fight, it would be outwards. As long as the Northwest Army doesn't suffer a defeat, the fire won't reach Qingtian County."

"Besides, even if there's no war, life has to go on as usual. The people in the county town don't farm. If the city gates are kept tightly closed and we're not allowed to go in, what will they eat?"

Gu Xixi smiled and nodded, "I will only state the pros and cons, and you can consider them yourselves."

She was quite impressed with this old Zhou.

In the past few village meetings, Lao Zhou never spoke up or made a sound. When everyone gathered outside to eat and chat, Lao Zhou was nowhere to be seen.

He seems like a person with little presence, yet he always manages to make bold decisions when faced with choices.

Old Zhou looked at his wife and said, "Pickled green beans and pickled coriander. Although I've never eaten them before, just hearing about them makes my mouth water. Let's start making them when we get back."

Sister-in-law Zhou rolled her eyes at him and scolded, "What are you doing? You men are all the same! You think cooking is such a simple thing, something you can just do with a flick of your wrist?"

Old Zhou was taken aback, then realized, "You don't know how to make this?"

Sister-in-law Zhou retorted angrily, "We only have pickled cabbage for the Beginning of Winter and salted mustard greens. We've never eaten either of those two that Xixi mentioned!"

Just hearing Gu Xixi's description of the taste, Sister-in-law Zhou didn't have the confidence to make it.

Gu Xixi, however, was prepared. She took out a folded piece of paper and said, "I remember Brother Zhou is literate. This is a recipe for pickled vegetables. The ingredients, cooking steps, and pickling time are all clearly written on it."

Old Zhou and his wife exchanged glances, both showing expressions of surprise and delight.

The two hurriedly bowed to Gu Xixi repeatedly.

Sister-in-law Zhou said with shame, "I didn't listen to you completely, yet you're still willing to help us."

"Now I truly understand what it means to offer help in times of need."

“You are the truly magnanimous one. The way some people in the village talk about you is clearly blind and deaf, making wild guesses and spreading lies from one person to another…”

Seeing that his wife was emotional and had gone a bit too far, Lao Zhou quickly stopped her, saying, "That's enough."

"Don't say things that make people uncomfortable in front of Boss Gu."

He solemnly told Gu Xixi, "Every place has its share of gossipy, muddle-headed people. It's not worth getting yourself into trouble because of them."

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "I understand."

Sister-in-law Zhou had already opened her heart to Gu Xixi, "Actually, everyone admires you. Only a few people are jumping around. They're just like grasshoppers in autumn, they seem stubborn, but aren't they just jealous?"

"And then there's the matter of that old bachelor. Although no one knows the details, it was Old Qian who handled it. They don't dare to criticize Old Qian, but instead praise you for being amazing, and even say that no one dares to marry you."

"Nonsense!" Sister-in-law Zhou spat out, laughing. "Don't you have Mr. Chen at home? He's the most outstanding man in our village!"