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

"Drink it quickly," Gu Xixi urged, "I specially chilled it in well water."

"Once this stuff stops cooling down and stops steaming, it's like a person has lost their soul!"

He Jinglan exclaimed in surprise, "Is it really that amazing?"

She looked at Gu Xixi and said seriously, "To be honest, you didn't tell us before you started doing this, were you also afraid that you wouldn't succeed?"

Gu Xixi nodded, "That's... true."

She then raised an eyebrow and asked, "You don't trust me, you're afraid to drink?"

He Jinglan stared at the water in the bowl and chuckled, "I like every kind of sweet soup you make, but this fermented pine needle water, you've never even drunk it yourself before..."

She was too embarrassed to say that she was worried about getting an upset stomach immediately after drinking it.

There's only one outhouse in the house. If all three of us use it at the same time, we'd probably fight over it.

An Qinghe made up his mind at this moment, "I'll drink! Xixi said we can't wait any longer!"

As he spoke, he brought the bowl to his lips, closed his eyes tightly, and looked as if he were bravely facing death.

Gradually, An Qinghe's brow relaxed, and he suddenly opened his eyes, "Hmm!!!"

He looked at Gu Xixi and He Jinglan in turn, nodding vigorously with delight.

He Jinglan exclaimed, "It really tastes good!"

Anqing paused, then exclaimed "Ha!" with a hearty laugh, "Delicious! It's a particularly delicious kind of delicious!"

"It feels like it's pricking your mouth and throat, but it's very refreshing to drink!"

Curiosity prompted He Jinglan to abandon her concerns and let the diarrhea continue.

She took a sip, and sure enough, it was a bit prickly and spicy, but it wasn't the same as real spiciness.

The texture is very subtle, and with the sweet and sour taste, a fruity aroma that I've never tasted before lingers in my mouth. It's cool and refreshing when you put it in, and it's surprisingly addictive.

She couldn't help but keep eating.

"belch!"

"belch……"

Both of them made a sound.

He Jinglan covered her mouth in embarrassment.

Gu Xixi said with a smile, "The little bubbles in soda are just air. It's normal to burp when you have air in your stomach."

He Jinglan said, "It really tastes good and is very thirst-quenching."

"Speaking of which... I've never tasted the fruity aroma here before. It's somewhat like orange peel, but also different."

Gu Xixi then explained the origin of the citron slices.

He Jinglan was greatly surprised, "It really is a rare item that money can't buy."

"Thanks to Elder Jiang, we are fortunate to have such a delicious meal."

Looking at An Qinghe, he was already dancing with joy, practically bubbling with happiness. "What is this?! Soda? It's so delicious, so amazing! Xixi, can I have another bowl? I love bubbles!"

"No." Gu Xixi resealed the jar and soaked it in the well water.

"We haven't made many yet; Aunt Zhang, Master, and Shitou haven't tasted them all."

An Qinghe slapped his forehead, "Oh right, I was just so happy I got carried away! We must share this joy!"

He said to Gu Xixi, "After hearing about the citron fruit, I've discovered that Lingnan is truly a little-known treasure trove!"

"Once your great cause brings peace to the world, we will definitely find an opportunity to visit Lingnan!"

Gu Xixi was taken aback, suddenly recalling the wild days she used to spend traveling around collecting wild plants.

An Qinghe said confidently, "I believe that if there are such good wild fruits in that place, there must be other good fruits and good trees as well."

"Just like these citron fruits, they can only be buried deep in the mountains. Isn't that a pity?"

Gu Xixi knew that citron fruit could not be adapted to a large geographical area, and that it would be difficult to transplant and domesticate it into a cash crop under the current conditions.

But she didn't want to discourage An Qinghe like that.

She simply smiled and agreed, saying, "It would be good to go and see it if I have the chance."

"I heard that Lingnan is hot and humid all year round, and lush greenery is everywhere in all four seasons, which is completely different from the Northwest. Many of the plants that grow there are ones that we have never seen before."

An Qinghe and He Jinglan both showed longing.

Not long after Master Gu left, he hurriedly returned, carrying a bag of copper coins and his two sons.

The copper coins were used for transactions, and the son was responsible for carrying the goods.

The process went smoothly, and He Jinglan calculated the quantity and amount of money as instructed by them.

Anqing received the money and delivered the goods.

Before leaving, Second Master Gu looked around and asked cautiously, "Where's Xixi? Is she still angry with me?"

He Jinglan did not answer directly, but said, "Don't worry, Xixi will keep the promise she made to everyone at the land temple."

"If you have any questions or problems later, you can ask Village Chief Qian or Xixi."

“As long as she is available at the time, she will not ignore you, much less deliberately keep things to herself.”

Master Gu stammered, "Yes, I know."

“Xixi dares to lend money to people who can’t afford it, and doesn’t charge interest, which shows that she has no selfish motives and wouldn’t deliberately harm us.”

He Jinglan said calmly, "It's good that you understand this. Take care."

After leaving the house, Master Gu turned back again, but still couldn't see Gu Xixi.

He knew in his heart that this relationship was completely severed and could never be restored.

Gu Xixi was still willing to call him Second Grandfather back then, but he ruined the relationship himself, so who can he blame?

Master Gu sighed resignedly and followed his sons away.

In the evening, when Aunt Zhang came back to cook, she mentioned hearing about Master Gu from someone else.

Gu Xixi then realized why Second Master Gu had changed in that way.

Since Second Master Gu was expelled from the local Gu family, his name has even disappeared from the family genealogy.

His family had a lot of complaints about Master Gu.

Then Gu Xixi openly announced the "secret recipe," and the whole village was overjoyed.

The entire Gu family, however, was immersed in deep regret.

The food and money belonged to others, and as Gu Xixi's relatives, they could have had the advantage of being close to her.

But Second Master Gu has offended Gu Xixi to the point of no return.

Isn't this cutting off the whole family's future livelihood?

Someone jumped into the river at the farmland the female protagonist bought, and she rushed to save them.

The male lead is upset and jealous. "You're partnering with An Qinghe to run a workshop?" He Jinglan adds insult to injury, "It's like a husband-and-wife business. Who told you you didn't have the ability?"

3. Anqing and others delivered fertilizer, and the whole village planted millet. The story describes the reactions of Grandpa Gu, Second Grandpa Gu, and Third Grandpa Gu. (The male protagonist helps solve the problem again.) It describes Second Grandpa Gu feeling guilty, afraid that Gu Xixi would not take them along and would make things difficult for them by increasing the price of pesticides. He discusses with Grandpa Gu what to do.

3. We started planting on the land we bought, and it lasted until early winter. We wrote that everyone had a good harvest this autumn, thanked the female lead, and received a refund.

Zhao Niangzi helps sell apples. Manager Liao buys grain and helps the female protagonist purchase land.

7. General Liu made contact, and Gu Xixi, the female protagonist, planned to plant new crops on the border, including yams, sweet potatoes, and a small amount of pumpkin, all of which could be used as military rations.

The Nine Clans Association, repeatedly postponed, finally convened when the Northwest Army achieved successive victories, the battlefield advanced eastward towards the capital, and the millet seedlings grew to knee-high by late summer. The local Gu family association decided to hold its event, with the female protagonist seated in a superior position, receiving respect from all.