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

Sister-in-law Zhou smiled and glanced at Gu Xixi, saying, "The village chief was right, I really struck gold."

"However, please allow me to keep you in suspense for now, village chief. If it works out, I'll have Old Zhou deliver it to you and Aunt Qian's house tomorrow."

Old Qian glanced at the basket that Sister-in-law Zhou was carrying. Although he was very curious about what it was, he couldn't very well keep asking since the young wife and girl had their own private conversations.

So he smiled and said, "Then I'll be going now. You two talk."

The clouds on the horizon had turned leaden black, and Gu Xixi and Sister-in-law Zhou quickened their pace.

The two had barely stepped into the courtyard when large raindrops began to fall.

Gu Xixi said "Run!" and sprinted to the eaves. When she looked back, the ground was already completely wet.

The rain poured down in torrents, dense and heavy, creating a white, misty curtain of rain that the locals call "white rain," a sight that can only be seen in summer.

Sister-in-law Zhou checked the basket in her hand and breathed a sigh of relief. "Luckily we ran fast, otherwise this basket would have been soaked through, and we wouldn't have been able to eat the pickled vegetables."

Gu Xixi turned her gaze away from the downpour. "Pickled vegetables?"

Judging by the time, the Zhou family's pickled vegetables should be ready by now.

The curtain in the main room was lifted slightly, revealing Qing'er's cute little face.

"Aunt Xixi, it's so hot, humid and stuffy with this downpour. Why don't you invite the guests inside to talk?"

Gu Xixi chuckled, "You little devil, did He Jinglan tell you to say these things?"

"I think she has good hearing. When she heard that there were pickled vegetables to eat, she was worried that I wouldn't take her with me, so she got anxious."

Qing'er's eyes widened in surprise. "How did Aunt Xixi know?!"

He Jinglan's laughter came from inside the room, "I knew this girl would sell me off the moment she turned her back."

Gu Xixi lifted the curtain to let Zhou Dasao go in first, then followed her into the room, saying, "You can't blame Qing'er for this. The things you taught her don't sound like things Qing'er would say."

Apart from the old doctor and An Qinghe, everyone else was there.

This was Zhou Da Sao's first time visiting Gu Xi Xi's house. She didn't know Meng Da Niang Zi, nor had she spoken to He Jing Lan before, and she was very reserved.

Aunt Zhang warmly pulled her to sit on the kang (a heated brick bed), and introduced her to the woman opposite her, "This is Madam Meng, and this is her daughter, Qing'er. When Xixi goes to the county town on business, she often receives a lot of help from Madam Meng."

Madam Meng smiled and greeted Sister-in-law Zhou, saying, "Auntie, you're too kind. It's Xixi who has taken such good care of my daughter and me."

Looking at the adorable little girl, Sister-in-law Zhou finally found a topic to talk about.

"What a beautiful little girl, she's so pleasing to the eye."

Qing'er looked at Zhou Dasao curiously, but her eyes kept glancing at the basket in her arms.

Sister-in-law Zhou relaxed considerably and asked with a smile, "Auntie made several kinds of pickled vegetables, could you help her taste them?"

Qing'er turned her head to look at the stone.

Stone encouraged her, "Eat whatever you want here, you don't have to look after others."

Qing'er then nodded to Sister-in-law Zhou, "Thank you, Auntie."

The little girl was adorable and had a soft, sweet voice. Sister-in-law Zhou's heart melted, and she said, "You're welcome."

"You helped Auntie taste the food; she should be thanking you."

There were four small jars in the basket, all made of coarse pottery, about the size of a palm, usually used to store things like oil and salt.

Sister-in-law Zhou placed the jars on the table one by one and said, "This is my first time making this, so please help me taste it and see if there's anything wrong with it."

Aunt Zhang asked curiously, "Making pickled vegetables at this time of year?"

Sister-in-law Zhou smiled and glanced at Gu Xixi, then nodded. "Yes."

Locals usually make pickled vegetables around the time of the Beginning of Winter, using cabbage or mustard greens that have matured in the fall.

They were placed in a large vat in the yard as one of the winter-stored vegetables, and could be eaten until late spring of the following year.

This was the first time Aunt Zhang had ever heard of anyone making pickled vegetables in the height of summer.

This definitely won't keep well. Aren't you worried it will spoil before you can finish it?

Taking advantage of the brief moment, Gu Xixi whispered to He Jinglan, "Where is An Qinghe?"

The whole family has agreed not to leave the village for the time being.

The old doctor either visits villagers' homes during the day or fiddles with his medicine in the backyard; it's normal that he's not here.

Where can Anqing go now?

He Jinglan teased, "Why did you ask him first thing when you got back? They say a good woman is afraid of a persistent man, could it be that..."

"Go away!" Gu Xixi pinched He Jinglan on the back. "I think you're just bored."

He Jinglan then regained her composure, saying, "He was taken to the backyard by the old doctor to help process the medicinal herbs."

"Don't worry, I've had people keeping a close eye on him, and he won't be allowed to go out and wander off on his own."

Everyone in the Northwest knows that the Hu people come here to do business, and the Hu merchants are rich.

An Qinghe's appearance clearly indicates that he is from a foreign country.

Alone here, he is definitely a prime target for bandits.

The road to Yunling County is currently closed, and since An Qinghe is temporarily stranded, Gu Xixi must ensure his safety.

As soon as the jars of pickled vegetables were placed on the table, their aroma wafted into everyone's noses.

The aroma of sourness, garlic, and spice blends with the unique freshness of vegetables, making one's mouth water.

Sister-in-law Zhou introduced them one by one, "This jar contains freshly pickled green beans, raw."

"But Xixi wrote that it tastes better when it's cooked thoroughly."

"I tried making two kinds. This one has Sichuan peppercorns and chopped garlic, and this one has minced ginger and boiled tender beans in salt water."

"This jar contains pickled coriander, which can be eaten directly."

Shi Tou had already brought chopsticks, and everyone gathered around the kang table to taste the food.

"Mmm!" Aunt Zhang nodded repeatedly. "It's delicious! I didn't know you could pickle green beans and cilantro like this!"

After savoring the dish for a moment, Madam Meng praised it, saying, "Pickled green beans are sour, fragrant, and crisp on their own. Stir-frying them adds even more layers of flavor and oiliness. They are an excellent side dish, perfect with rice or porridge."

He Jinglan had already picked up a few pieces of food and was giving Sister-in-law Zhou a thumbs up.

Everyone gave it rave reviews, which made Sister-in-law Zhou very happy, but she lacked confidence, fearing that everyone was just saying nice things to save face.

She then focused her attention on Qing'er, Shi Tou, and Gu Xixi, waiting for their reactions.

Qing'er tried them all, smacked her lips, and looked up, "Auntie, it's delicious!"

Sister-in-law Zhou asked nervously, "Which one tastes better?"

Without hesitation, Qing'er replied, "They're all delicious."

Stone held up his chopsticks and said, "Except for the coriander, I think everything tastes delicious."

Gu Xixi added, "It's not that your cooking is bad, it's just that this child just doesn't like cilantro."

"Yes, yes, yes." Stone grinned and nodded.

Gu Xixi received Zhou Dasao's expectant gaze and continued, "I like coriander the most. Coriander itself is crisp, and when mixed with the spiciness of garlic, the sourness is just right. It's very appetizing and refreshing when eaten cold."

"Of course, the pickled green beans are good too. The ones you made taste even better than I expected."

With Gu Xixi's affirmation, Sister-in-law Zhou finally felt relieved.

When she was making pickled vegetables at home, she naturally tasted them first. Although she found them surprisingly delicious, she couldn't believe they could be sold on the market until Gu Xixi personally approved of them.

When Madam Meng heard that Sister-in-law Zhou was going to sell pickled vegetables, she also became interested.