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

Seeing Aunt Zhang's distress, He Jinglan and Shi Tou were at a loss and didn't want to interrupt at this time, so they could only look at Gu Xixi and see what she would do.

The stalemate didn't last long. Gu Xixi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I know my aunt has always been worried about my future. It's just about finding a man to marry, so I agree."

Aunt Zhang looked up in surprise, "Really?"

"We cannot agree to this!"

"Sister Xixi, don't be impulsive!"

He Jinglan and Shi Tou spoke up simultaneously in a hurry.

Gu Xixi turned to Aunt Zhang and said with a smile, "Of course it's true."

She glanced at the two anxious people beside her. "Marriage is a joyous occasion, why can't we agree?"

"Don't either of you want to attend my wedding?"

He Jinglan stared at Gu Xixi, her rich expression silently asking: Are you serious?

Gu Xixi smiled and closed her eyes, as if to say: It couldn't be more real.

Stone didn't have so many concerns. He jumped up and down and shouted, "Sister Xixi, have you forgotten me, Mr. Chen?"

Aunt Zhang said unhappily, "That person has run away. No one should mention him again."

Shi Tou argued forcefully, "Although Mr. Chen has run away now, I believe he will definitely come back after he has finished his business!"

"A gentleman keeps his promises; he always keeps his word and fulfills his commitments. This is what Mr. Chen taught us!"

Stone tugged at Aunt Zhang's sleeve, "Grandma Zhang, you'll know if you look at the lock in the west room."

"If Mr. Chen is not coming back, why did he leave such a big lock behind?"

Aunt Zhang actually liked Chen Fang, her son-in-law, very much; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so heartbroken to learn that he had run away.

She wavered for a moment, but forced herself to harden her heart.

“I don’t care what he thinks, the fact is he ran away without saying goodbye or saying when he would come back.”

"Are you suggesting that your sister Xixi wait for him forever, until she turns into an old maid?"

Shi Tou was at a loss for words. After stammering for a moment, he turned his attention to Gu Xixi, "Sister Xixi, although I think there are indeed better men in the world than Mr. Chen, such as me."

“But I have to wait many years to get married, and Grandma Zhang definitely won’t agree to Sister Xixi waiting so long.”

Seeing him say such childish things with such seriousness, the three women couldn't help but laugh.

Aunt Zhang was overjoyed. "This silly child, you don't even know what marriage is, yet you say you want to marry your sister Xixi?"

The stone, however, remained undisturbed and continued to be serious and focused.

"So we had no choice but to settle for Mr. Chen, since we know him well and are familiar with each other."

"I wouldn't feel at ease letting Sister Xixi marry another bad man!"

Gu Xixi calmly replied, "Who said I was going to get married? Even if we do get married, the man will have to move in with his wife's family."

Aunt Zhang thought for a moment and agreed, "Xixi is an only child, and she has so much land. We should keep the wealth within our own borders."

She picked up Zhao the matchmaker's roster and handed it to Gu Xixi with a smile.

"Take a look and see which one you like. I'll go and discuss the terms with Matchmaker Zhao!"

Gu Xixi refused to take the booklet. "No need to look at it. Since we're going to find a suitable one this time, let's just tell the matchmaker my criteria for a husband and let her find one accordingly."

"So that she doesn't find someone I like, and then we've all worked for nothing."

Aunt Zhang thought this made sense. "Then tell me, what kind do you like?"

Gu Xixi said, "He must marry into the family, have children who take my surname, and be no less handsome than Chen Fang. He must be educated and knowledgeable, tall and strong, neither too fat nor too thin."

"He needs to have a good personality, not be short-tempered or easily angered. He also needs to be quick-witted and good at socializing. He should be able to do housework at home and help me with chores outside, something like An Qinghe would be fine."

Aunt Zhang was stunned.

He Jinglan burst out laughing and quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Gu Xixi reluctantly agreed, saying, "I'm not young anymore, so I can't ask for too much. Let's leave it at that for now."

Aunt Zhang's lips trembled a few times before she finally regained her ability to speak, "Goodness, this isn't high?"

Gu Xixi frowned and thought for a moment, then asked innocently, "Auntie, which point did I make that's wrong?"

Aunt Zhang thought back on everything and found that most of Gu Xixi's points were irrefutable.

Finally, they stubbornly picked out three reasons: "How many men in the world are as good-looking as Xiao Chen? This kind of appearance isn't something you can eat or drink, so why insist on using it?"

"There are also those who have studied. In our rural households, we don't need sons-in-law who have passed the imperial examinations. In fact, it's harder to manage someone who is educated."

"As for being quick-witted and able to help you with tasks, that's fine too. If your husband is a bit slow, it's perfect if you manage the household affairs completely, and he'll be more obedient, which will save you a lot of trouble."

Gu Xixi listened patiently, nodded, sighed, and said with a heavy expression:

"First of all, people laugh at me for not being able to keep a man. If I were to find someone big and burly who is far inferior to Chen Fang, wouldn't I be even more of a laughingstock?"

"Secondly, my father was educated. He personally taught me when I was a child, which shows how much he valued education. If my husband were illiterate, I think my father would not agree to it if he knew in the afterlife."

"Thirdly, my husband is an idiot. Putting everything else aside, what if he makes my future children less intelligent? How can I harm my descendants for my own selfish reasons?"

Aunt Zhang felt like her mind had gone blank.

Something seems off, but there's no way to refute it.

Gu Xixi stood up gracefully, "I'll leave my marriage to Aunt and Matchmaker Zhao."

"It's getting late, I'll go call Master for dinner."

Shi Tou and He Jinglan exchanged a glance.

Sister Xixi (Gu Xixi) is amazing!

He Jinglan made an excuse to get some bowls and chopsticks, then slipped out to catch up with Gu Xixi, unable to stop herself from giggling.

"At first, I was terrified of you. I really thought you couldn't win against Aunt Zhang and were going to give up."

Gu Xixi glanced sideways, "Who are you calling a broken pot?"

He Jinglan grinned, "Anyway, it's not you, so whoever it is."

“I was afraid that you would soften if Aunt Zhang cried, but thankfully you held firm and didn’t give in.”

Gu Xixi said, "I don't blame Aunt Zhang. Her thinking is limited to this."

“There are some truths that she might not understand if you tell her directly. Rather than refusing her outright and having a head-on confrontation that makes everyone unhappy, it’s better to use a roundabout approach.”

"Easy and effortless."

"I see." He Jinglan nodded and smiled, "This method is indeed good."

"Of all the conditions you mentioned, even if Zhao the matchmaker wore out all her brochures, she couldn't find a single one that met all of them."

Gu Xixi said, "If you can't give up early, then keep looking if you want."

The next day, Gu Xixi got up early and began processing the soil she had brought back from the border.

After finishing the first phase, she stood up, opened the window to look at the sun, and realized it was already noon.

The courtyard was very quiet; no human voices could be heard.

Gu Xixi was puzzled. It was lunchtime, and the village school had long since ended, so why was no one there?

As she walked out, she looked around and called out, "Jinglan?"

"Stone?"

"Auntie? Auntie, are you there!"

Gu Xixi glanced at the kitchen and the main room; indeed, no one was there.

As she was wondering what was going on, she turned around and saw a dark shadow flash by.