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

Gu Xixi was drinking tea when she heard Manager Liao's words and coughed lightly twice.

He Jinglan said unhappily, "What do you mean by taking advantage of someone's misfortune? Our Boss Gu only does legitimate business. He's not like those corrupt officials and tyrants who seize farmland!"

Manager Liao was taken aback, realizing he had gotten a little carried away, and quickly took a sip of tea to calm himself down.

"I was too happy and used the wrong words. Please forgive me, Mr. Gu and Ms. He!"

"Mr. Gu, this...this must be described as having exceptional foresight and seizing the initiative!"

Gu Xixi had finished reading the contents of the list and said with a faint smile, "Alright, I know Manager Liao meant no harm."

She looked up and stared directly at Manager Liao, her gaze carrying a hint of meaning.

"Moreover, I believe that Manager Liao also hopes that I can buy the fertile land I want this time."

"Of course." At this moment, Manager Liao no longer hid his thoughts and said frankly, "In the past three years, the larger Boss Gu's business has expanded and the more grain he has collected, the more profit I have made."

Gu Xixi was also aware of this.

She had just looked at the prices listed on the order, and they were lower than the market price of the land two months ago, so Manager Liao probably hadn't added any markups.

Manager Liao quickly got back to the main topic, "After visiting the sites and making inquiries from various sources, I selected these locations."

"These are all fields that will never be returned after this departure, and they are all fertile fields with irrigation. The fields are relatively concentrated, ranging from eight to fifteen mu. They are definitely not scattered."

"The only estate here, though called an estate, doesn't have many houses. It has fifteen acres of land, and the rest are just two small houses where the people who manage the estate and farm the land live."

Gu Xixi had actually taken a liking to this farm as well.

Located between the county town and the official road, transportation is extremely convenient.

The price is just...

Gu Xixi looked at the amount of money listed on the bill again.

The average price per acre is still slightly higher than in other places.

Seeing Gu Xixi's hesitation, Manager Liao smiled and said, "The price written here is just the price the seller quoted when I first met them."

"If Mr. Gu takes a fancy to any of these places, I will go and discuss them in detail. Naturally, I will try to lower the price as much as possible."

He inquired and found out that none of these families planned to come back.

The remaining mansions, fields, and shops are all for sale.

Now, in this chaotic world, with the country still unsettled, no one can say for sure what the future holds for the Northwest.

Almost no one will buy real estate at this time.

Even Manager Liao himself had his eye on two shops, but hesitated and didn't dare to buy them.

The only advantage is that sellers are eager to sell, so they offer low prices, making it easier to negotiate a lower price.

This is the boss, Ms. Gu, who, despite being a woman, dared to go against the grain.

Manager Liao looked at Gu Xixi, his heart filled with complex emotions.

Gu Xixi used a brush to make two checkmarks on the list and handed it back. "Just these two places, one is a 15-mu farm, and the other is 8 mu. They're close by so they can be managed together."

Manager Liao took the document, glanced at it, and solemnly agreed, "Okay, I'll get on it as soon as possible, and there will be results in the next two days."

Gu Xixi said politely, "I'm really too busy at home lately, so I'll have to ask you to make the trip a couple of times."

"After the deal is done, I will give you the middleman's commission according to the market rate."

Manager Liao did not refuse.

Having been in business for so many years, he knows very well that to earn what you deserve, a reciprocal relationship is essential for a long-lasting and stable one.

The matter was almost settled, and the accountant went outside to call the drivers in to unload the goods.

After seeing Manager Liao and his party off, Gu Xixi turned back carrying a heavy bag of silver ingots.

He Jinglan said regretfully, "It's a pity we can't leave the village yet, otherwise I really want to go and see the land you want to buy."

"And the bargaining, leave it all to Manager Liao. Is it alright for you not to show up at all?"

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "Who said we can't leave the village?"

"Haven't you felt that these past few days have been quite peaceful?"

He Jinglan pondered for a moment, "It seems so."

Recently, the He family's secret guards have not detected any suspicious activity and are even getting a little bored.

Gu Xixi said, "Besides the additional manpower sent by Master Liu."

"There might be a bigger move happening elsewhere."

She looked at He Jinglan and asked, "How long has it been since you received a letter from home?"

He Jinglan was taken aback. "You mean my brother?"

"What did he do? To check or balance? Or to threaten certain people?"

"To deter them from attacking you and me?"

Gu Xixi said, "Maybe, but it's just a guess."

She yawned. "I can't take it anymore, I need to sleep for a while."

Negotiating business deals is too mentally taxing; it's much more tiring than doing her own job.

Gu Xixi slept until evening.

The glow of the clouds shone into the room, and when I opened my eyes, the room was filled with red light.

She stretched comfortably, the cool air after the rain helped her get a good night's sleep.

With a series of muffled thuds, Stone shouted, "Sister Xixi! Are you awake?"

"Come out quickly! Something terrible has happened to our family!"

"Grandma Zhang is overwhelmed, what should we do!"

Gu Xixi was startled and quickly got out of bed to straighten her clothes. "Shitou! Come in!"

Shi Tou then pushed open the door and entered. Xiao Hua was right at his feet, with a cicada in her mouth. It was still alive and making a chirping sound.

Gu Xixi asked, "What serious thing happened? Tell me slowly."

“Hmm…” Stone’s expression was a little strange. “Oh dear, I’m scared… I’d better not say anything.”

"Sister Jinglan said, 'Come out and take a look, and you'll know for yourself.'"

He pointed outside, "It's right outside."

The door was open, and Gu Xixi could hear voices.

It seems like there are many people talking outside.

very noisy.

Gu Xixi followed Shi Tou out, full of doubts, and saw a huge crowd of people outside her house, with a long queue forming.

Many of the unfamiliar faces were not from this village.

He Jinglan stood under the eaves, holding a bowl of mint plum syrup and watching the commotion.

Seeing Gu Xixi come out, He Jinglan put the soup bowl in her hands and said with a smile, "You just woke up, are you thirsty? I was worried you might get a sore throat later, so I prepared this bowl especially for you."

The sweet soup was boiled early this morning and has been hanging in the well ever since; it's still cool and refreshing.

Gu Xixi was really thirsty, so she took a couple of sips and was about to ask what was going on when she heard Aunt Zhang shouting from outside:

"I've said it countless times, our family has no plans for arranged marriages!"

Why can't you listen?!

"If you're here to propose marriage, there's no point in lining up here no matter how long you wait!"

He Jinglan and Shi Tou seemed to hear a click.

Gu Xixi felt like she was about to crack open.

Propose marriage?

Are all these people outside here to propose marriage?

She heard her own voice, weak and ethereal, ask, "Who are they going to propose to?"

Shi Tou looked at Gu Xixi with sympathy.

He Jinglan replied, "Naturally, it's you, the head of the family."

Gu Xixi swayed and raised her hand to steady herself against the wall. "Didn't I already refuse them? Why are so many people still here?!"

He Jinglan looked at the crowd outside the door who were still unwilling to leave.

"Didn't Aunt Wu say that a good woman is sought after by many families, and they'd be scrambling to find one?"

Outside Gu Xixi's house, a figure was hidden under the shade of a tree at the other end of the road, watching everything.