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

By then, the rain had stopped.

Gu Xixi calmly stood up and said, "We agreed to sell another batch of grain to Manager Liao. I really haven't had time to go into the city lately, so I'll let him come and pick it up himself."

Five large carts were lined up outside the house, all made of tall, strong mules. It was truly the grandeur of a grain shop owner.

Besides the coachman, Manager Liao only brought an accountant with him.

Seeing the host come out to greet him, he smiled and took two steps forward, cupping his hands in greeting. "My car got stuck in a mud pit on the side road, so I'm late. Please forgive me, Mr. Gu."

The drivers were wearing straw hats and raincoats, and Manager Liao was holding an umbrella. Their clothes were wet and the hems were covered in mud, showing that they had indeed come in the rain.

Gu Xixi returned the greeting and said, "It's alright. It's inconvenient to transport grain on rainy days. It's rare that Manager Liao has come as promised."

Manager Liao said, "If I can't even keep basic promises, how can I live up to Boss Gu's trust?"

He glanced at the sky and laughed, "Even the heavens are helping us. The rain has stopped now, so we won't have to worry about anything later."

Gu Xixi invited the guests inside.

Although they said they were there to buy grain, Manager Liao told the drivers to wait outside and only brought the accountant, Old Ma, inside.

He Jinglan asked Gu Xixi in a low voice, "Aren't they going to the backyard to move the grain?"

Gu Xixi said, "No rush, let's talk about more important things first."

In the main room, Gu Xixi did not invite the guests to sit on the kang (a heated brick bed), but instead had them sit around a table nearby.

Manager Liao placed a small wooden box, about the size of a palm, on the table. "Within three years, Liao's Company has the highest priority right to purchase the grain grown by Boss Gu, with the price fluctuating according to the market price of that year."

"In return, this is what Boss Gu wants."

Gu Xixi took it without hesitation and opened the box.

He Jinglan looked over curiously and found that the box was filled with small, dark brown beans.

She felt the object looked familiar and frowned in thought.

At the same time, Gu Xixi reached into the box and stirred it a few times, then randomly picked up a few and spread them in her palm.

Smell it, observe it in the light, and finally use a knife to split open a small bean to examine it.

He Jinglan suddenly remembered, "Grapes! These are grape seeds!!"

She had eaten grapes once.

The grape seeds inside the raisins that were sent as tribute from the Western Regions to the capital looked like this!

At this moment, Gu Xixi also finished her inspection.

She tossed the remaining grape seeds back into the box. "Not bad, these seeds are all from last year's harvest. They've been stored fairly well, and most of them are still viable."

Manager Liao secretly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "I'm glad you're satisfied. To be honest, this stuff is really hard to find. I had to pull several strings to get this little bit."

Gu Xixi closed the box, smiling as she said, "If it were an easy thing, I wouldn't have asked Manager Liao for help. Thank you."

Don't underestimate Manager Liao just because he only runs a grain shop in Qingtian County.

The Northwest region is not as prosperous as the Jiangnan region, which is known for its fish and rice. Qingtian County is adjacent to the border and inevitably has to deal with trade between the north and south. Moreover, the Northwest Army is extremely strict in its administration.

To do grain business in this area, you need connections, sources of goods, and distribution channels.

Even if Manager Liao wasn't a tycoon, he probably knew quite a few people from other regions who were involved in the agricultural industry.

Gu Xixi had anticipated this, which is why she made the exchange with Manager Liao.

As it turned out, she got what she wanted.

Aunt Zhang came in, served tea to the guests, and then left with Shitou and Xiaohua.

Manager Liao reached for the teacup, but found it was too hot, so he put it down.

He rubbed his hands together and hesitated for a moment before deciding to speak frankly.

"Mr. Gu, since you are satisfied with the grape seeds, I have already prepared the contract and brought it with me."

Gu Xixi readily agreed, "I've checked it and there are no problems. Let's sign it."

Manager Liao was overjoyed.

Thinking that he had brought a great gift to Boss Gu, if he could help him make this happen, his grain shop would never have to worry about the supply of goods again. There would be plenty of top-quality products, and opening a branch shop would not be a problem.

Manager Liao could barely contain his smile and repeatedly told the accountant to bring out the contract.

As Gu Xixi's temporary accountant, He Jinglan had already taken her own writing materials and a piece of red clay.

The contract is still made in duplicate.

Gu Xixi took it and looked at it first, then handed it to He Jinglan.

He Jinglan looked at it for the time it takes to drink two cups of tea before confirming, "No problem."

Although a three-year priority purchase right for grain was agreed upon, the pricing power was partially in the hands of Gu Xixi.

Using the market price of that day as a reference constitutes a restriction on both parties.

Gu Xixi couldn't raise prices arbitrarily, and Manager Liao couldn't cheat her out of the price.

After hearing He Jinglan's words, Gu Xixi took the document without looking at it any further and signed and pressed her fingerprint decisively.

Manager Liao was somewhat surprised by this scene. "So Miss He is a female accountant?"

"Disrespect, disrespect."

He Jinglan smiled slightly, "Not at all."

Even without an accountant, Manager Liao wouldn't have hidden anything suspicious in the contract.

The truth was exposed, and the cooperation fell through. It's better to play the long game; following Gu Xixi means you can always eat your fill, even to the point of being stuffed.

Manager Liao could still distinguish the pros and cons.

After they put away their contracts, Manager Liao felt a surge of warmth in his heart, as if he could see countless copper coins and grains flying towards him.

So he forgot all about drinking tea and urged:

"Old Ma, hurry up and show the list you wrote to Boss Gu and Miss He!"

The accountant took out a folded piece of paper from his sleeve and carefully unfolded and flattened it.

Then he presented the item to Gu Xixi with both hands, saying, "Please, Boss Gu."

The two women leaned against each other, looking at a full sheet of paper, neatly categorized and listed.

"North of Qingtian County... ten mu of fertile land, farmland, and fifteen mu of irrigated land..."

He Jinglan suddenly looked up at Gu Xixi, "You want to buy land?"

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "Mm."

Each village is a relatively closed little society.

For a long time, the residents and the land have been fixed.

It is impossible to buy farmland around Huachidu Village.

So after thinking it over, Gu Xixi turned her attention to the area surrounding the county town.

I asked Manager Liao to inquire whether there was any farmland for sale inside or outside the county town.

Manager Liao bought grain everywhere, and he knew exactly where the land was for growing grain.

After several busy days, I've actually made some progress.

Manager Liao said, "Boss Gu's timing was truly divine!"

He explained in detail that since the start of the war, the biggest reaction came not from ordinary people, but from wealthy households with vast landholdings.

Some people are pessimistic about the Northwest, believing that in the long run, the Northwest Army will definitely lack money and food, and there may even be civil unrest. They fear that the general will then try to squeeze them dry.

Or perhaps they had connections with certain wealthy families in the capital, fearing retaliation from the General later.

These people left one after another with their families. They could take their money and valuables with them, but they couldn't take their land with them.

Manager Liao was beaming with joy, looking even happier than Gu Xixi herself.

"Although not every family is in a hurry to sell their land and turn it into cash."

"But isn't our goal simply to take advantage of the chaos?"