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

He Jinglan stared in surprise.

Not long ago, Gu Xixi solemnly swore that from now on, she would pretend that Chen Fang never existed.

At this moment, she actually acknowledged Chen Fang in public.

Are these three boxes of seeds so rare that even Gu Xixi has to bow down and bend over?!

Gu Xixi sensed the implication of He Jinglan's question, but it wasn't appropriate to explain in public, so she could only give an awkward smile.

There's nothing I can do, it's all his fault for giving me too much!

At this moment, Qin Dasao, Zhou Dasao, and others who were on good terms with Gu Xixi gathered around and sincerely congratulated her.

People used to have a very good impression of Mr. Chen.

If he can return, and the two can successfully get married, it would be a wonderful thing.

Sister-in-law Qin spoke her mind: "It seems it was all a misunderstanding before. I even said a lot of nasty things to Mr. Chen. I'll have to apologize to him when he gets back!"

Aunt Qian was pleased, "This is a good thing! It's rare that Xiao Chen is so sincere towards Xixi. That one-cent marriage has finally turned out to be a happy accident!"

The other women chimed in.

"That's right! After all, they're assigned by the government, and whether they're chosen or not depends entirely on luck at that moment. As far as I know, there are several couples like this who couldn't make it work and broke up."

"Isn't that Widow Zhou from our village the same? She was the most enthusiastic when it came to choosing a man, but after only a few days of bringing him home, she was dissatisfied with him in every way, finding fault with everything he did. She even took a fancy to Chen Fang and wanted to change her mind halfway through!"

Sister-in-law Qin cleared her throat and gave everyone a meaningful look, signaling that since Chen Fang's reputation had finally improved, they shouldn't bring up anything unpleasant at this time.

Moreover, it was Xixi who initially sent Widow Zhou to the yamen.

The woman quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "It's all Zhou the widow's fault for being so wicked and malicious. She deserves to be in jail. It's a good thing the village chief kicked her out, otherwise she would have ruined the reputation of our village!"

Sister-in-law Zhou looked at the seeds with great interest and asked, "These three sound like vegetables and fruits. I wonder if they can be made into pickles?"

The women laughed, teasing Sister-in-law Zhou that she now wanted to throw everything she saw into the kimchi jar.

The Zhou family's Pinpo Orchard grows vegetables, and with Gu Xixi's guidance, their pickled vegetable business is thriving.

Now, Sister-in-law Zhou's reputation as the "Pickled Vegetable Beauty" has spread far and wide.

When people in Qingtian County talk about buying pickled vegetables, they always mention the "Pickled Vegetable Beauty".

Recently, even people from Huachidu Village and nearby villages have come to Zhou's house to buy some pickled vegetables to improve their palate.

Instead of being angry at everyone's jokes, Sister-in-law Zhou actually enjoyed them.

"I'm so obsessed with making pickled vegetables now. If I weren't worried about human flesh turning sour, I would even pickle myself in it to try!"

Everyone burst into laughter again.

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "Sister-in-law Zhou is right. Persimmons and cucumbers are both vegetables, but when they ripen, they can be eaten raw, and they also have a unique flavor when pickled."

"As for the cold melon, it is a kind of fruit, and the ripe pulp can be made into cold melon jam."

"Really!" Sister-in-law Zhou's eyes lit up with anticipation.

But she knew in her heart that these were seeds from the Western Regions that she had never seen before. They must be extremely precious for Mr. Chen to have someone bring them back. So she was naturally embarrassed to ask Gu Xixi for them.

Gu Xixi could easily see through Zhou Dasao's thoughts, and said with a smile, "I don't know how well these three crops are suited to growing in our local area, or how to take care of them."

Even if we distribute some to everyone immediately, they may not be able to grow them successfully.

"So I have to wait until I try planting it. If it's successful, I'll breed more seeds and see."

Everyone was delighted to hear this.

While they were chatting and laughing, only He Jinglan frowned in confusion, her gaze fixed on "Chen Yuan," looking him up and down.

When Chen Yuan noticed He Jinglan staring at him, he didn't try to hide it and openly looked up to meet her gaze.

He Jinglan's pupils suddenly contracted, "You actually!"

Master Liu quickly jumped in and said, "Cousin! You've brought the things, let's go."

He smiled and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to He Jinglan and Gu Xixi, saying, "We have other matters to attend to, so we'll take our leave now."

Master Liu grabbed "Chen Yuan" and fled the land temple at top speed.

Such blatant behavior is unacceptable. Playing for a short while is fine, but lingering there would inevitably be a hint of provocation.

I'm afraid it won't be something that can be resolved peacefully with just three boxes of seeds!

He Jinglan looked at Gu Xixi in astonishment, as if to say: You know?

Gu Xixi shrugged, a helpless expression on her face. The meaning was: There's nothing I can do, so be it.

The Gu family members were about to return home, and He Jinglan accompanied Gu Xixi to see them off at the village entrance.

When we returned, the sun had set, and most of the villagers had gone home to cook, so there were hardly any people on the road.

He Jinglan then exclaimed in surprise, "Chen Fang, Chen Yuan, are they really not afraid of being exposed?"

Gu Xixi held the three wooden boxes tightly in her arms, her feelings complicated. "It's not that he's not afraid of being exposed, but that he's arrogant enough to be certain that no one can expose him."

This is true.

There were many people familiar with Chen Fang in the temple, but not a single one recognized him, not even his students.

He Jinglan said, "This disguise technique is quite realistic. It's the first time I've ever seen one. I'll ask him to teach us sometime."

Gu Xixi's eyes lit up. "Yes, this is a good thing."

"Once you learn it, you can use it in many situations."

The two men looked at each other, both revealing sly smiles of certainty.

Back home, Mu Nanzhao had returned to his original self and was practicing calligraphy while looking at a stone.

"Hold on, that stroke is about to fly into the sky."

"Master Liu said your handwriting was acceptable, but the standard is really too low."

In fact, since Mu Nanzhao left, Shi Tou's calligraphy has improved a lot.

Gu Xixi bought him the cheapest paper to practice writing, replacing the wooden board they used before.

In addition to completing his schoolwork, Shi Tou practices calligraphy every day at home, filling at least two sheets of paper with his writing.

His brushstrokes have become much stronger and more stable, and even Master Liu has recently praised him repeatedly, saying that Shi Tou's calligraphy is the best in the school.

Mu Nanzhao frowned and shook his head, clearly showing his disdain.

He Jinglan patted the stone sympathetically and comforted it, "He can say whatever he wants, don't take it to heart."

"You've made great progress, but this person's standards are so strict they're almost inhuman."

"Few people would remain unscathed in the face of such a situation."

Shi Tou looked up, troubled, and said, "But Mr. Chen... oh no, Mr. Mu's handwriting is really good."

"Mr. He and Mr. Mu have known each other since childhood. Do you know how long it would take to practice before you could write as well as him?"

He Jinglan's smile froze, as if she had encountered a topic that was extremely difficult to talk about.

Mu Nanzhao said coolly, "You've come to the right person."

Gu Xixi and Shi Tou asked curiously, "Why?"

Mu Nanzhao remained silent, only glancing at He Jinglan with amusement.

He Jinglan's anger flared at that look. "I'm a person who dares to take responsibility for my actions. What is there that I wouldn't dare to say?"

"Isn't it because I've admired your handwriting since I was a child? In order to catch up with you, I visited famous teachers and practiced diligently every day?"