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

The agreement was that the entire estate would be sold, including the houses and all remaining items.

No wonder Gu Xixi wanted to go to the city that very day to get the land deed from the seller.

He Jinglan grinned and said, "This pile of stuff under the felt cloth alone is worth almost half a farm, isn't it?"

Materials that can be made into nails, utensils, and weapons must be made of refined iron and copper.

Even if you don't need it yourself, you can still make a considerable amount by reselling it.

Gu Xixi smiled and did not deny it.

However, this is only one of the reasons.

When Gu Xixi first saw the spiked board among the clutter, she immediately thought of her and He Jinglan's situation as "prepared hostages".

As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows; perhaps this place can be set up as another refuge for the two of them.

I just didn't expect this day to come so soon.

He Jinglan frowned and pondered, "I wonder what the previous owner of this estate was like. What normal person would spend money to get these things? And hide them inside the farm, without even the housekeeper knowing about them."

"Could they be plotting a rebellion?"

Gu Xixi said, "If they were plotting this, they would have already joined General Huo. Why would they need to move their entire families?"

"Furthermore, rebellions mostly result in the forging of swords, spears, and halberds..."

"It was probably used by the village to defend against bandits in the past."

As she spoke, she pulled out a long, five-pronged iron fork.

This thing is quite common; it's used to turn over and dry wheat straw after the wheat harvest.

He Jinglan had her guards take out the iron fork, "Setting up a trap would be a good idea to impale bad guys."

The guard looked at the five tips of the iron fork and nodded in deep agreement.

"Young Miss is wise; this is indeed a rare and powerful tool."

Encouraged, He Jinglan worked even harder at rummaging through the trash.

By noon, everything usable in the storeroom had been dug out.

The two most powerful large crossbows, along with a number of iron-shafted arrows.

Two iron nail boards, three meteor hammers, six bronze pots, five iron forks, a bundle of sharp, long iron rods as thick as clotheslines, several copper bells, several iron chains of different thicknesses, several bronze pots, and several thick hemp ropes.

There are also everyday items such as wooden buckets, iron buckets, machetes, axes, shovels, etc.

Among the He family's secret guards, there are people skilled in all sorts of techniques.

When Gu Xixi and He Jinglan came out of the storeroom, some of the mechanisms had already been set up.

The focus is on the two entrances to the estate, the front and back gates, as well as the area around these two houses.

Bells are hung in several hidden places and tied with thin lines. If an outsider breaks in and triggers the mechanism, the alarm will sound loudly.

Both the front and back doors will be used to prevent intruders from being hit by a shower of nails.

Iron forks are hidden under the eaves on both sides of the bedroom next to the storage room.

The guards carefully explained the location of the mechanism to prevent their own people from accidentally triggering it.

It's the hottest time of the day right now.

He Jinglan had just finished her work and felt parched, so she grabbed a palm-leaf fan she had just found and fanned herself vigorously.

"Did you get some water? Have some to drink!"

The driver, Old Li, said with a smile, "Knowing that Miss works hard, I have prepared her meals and water."

He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Gu Xixi, saying, "Please, Mr. Gu, and Miss Gu, move over for a meal."

Gu Xixi glanced at He Jinglan.

I almost forgot that so many people need to eat; when they come to the farm, they have to take care of their own food and drink.

Gu Xixi said apologetically to Lao Li, "I'm sorry, I invited you to help out at my farm in this sweltering heat, but I haven't been able to take care of your food and drink. You'll have to do everything yourselves."

Old Li laughed and said, "Mr. Gu, you don't need to be so polite."

“These are small things that we do every day anyway.”

When the bodyguards go on missions, wilderness survival skills are an essential ability.

Finding something to drink and making something to eat is no problem at all.

However, the choice of ingredients and whether it tastes good are two different things...

Not far from here is a thatched pavilion, open on all sides, with a stove inside, which used to be where people working in the farm cooked.

The guards were scattered in the pavilion and in various shady spots outside, some sitting and some squatting, already eating.

Upon seeing He Jinglan approaching, they all stood up and bowed.

He Jinglan waved her hand, "Now that we're out here, there's no need for these formalities."

"You've all worked hard enough, so please relax a bit."

Next to the pavilion is a cherry tree, which is past its fruiting season, but is full of lush green leaves.

A table was set up under the tree, with food and drinks prepared for Gu Xixi and He Jinglan.

He Jinglan was already extremely thirsty, so she picked up the water jug ​​and poured two full bowls.

She picked up a bowl and drank it all in one gulp, as if she had received nectar.

Gu Xixi was also thirsty, and after drinking half a bowl, she tasted the fishy smell of grass leaves.

She noticed that the water was clear and colorless, and wondered what had been put in it.

He Jinglan had already asked, "Uncle Li, what has been soaked in this water? It smells like grass."

Old Li was taken aback and ran to the pavilion to ask a young bodyguard.

A moment later he ran over and said with a smile, "It's willow leaves, this stuff clears heat and reduces internal fire."

"Add a little bit when boiling water; it has a pleasant aroma and tastes better than plain water."

There is a clear water channel in the farm. If you put hot water and the pot into the channel, it will cool down in no time.

He Jinglan's lips twitched for a moment, then she quickly broke into a bright smile, "Oh, it really is delicious!"

In fact, compared to Gu Xixi's almost daily tea and sweet soup, how is this anything good to drink?

However, when thirsty, having this jar of cooled willow leaf water to drink is already quite good.

He Jinglan had another bowl, sipped it slowly, and then looked at the food on the table.

Several pieces of stiff, unleavened dough, with dark, rounded edges.

Another plate of dark brown food sprinkled with salt...

Why does it have claws and eyes?!

Watching Gu Xixi calmly grab something with claws and put it in her mouth, making a crunching sound as she chewed.

He Jinglan felt a chill run down her spine and asked incredulously, "This is... an insect, isn't it?"

"Hmm." Gu Xixi nodded. "Cicadas before they molt and grow wings are a good thing. They're fragrant and crispy when roasted, and eating them can replenish your energy."

She took another bite of the biscuit, drank some water, and chewed diligently.

"Look at what they're eating; they've already saved the best for you and me."

He Jinglan glanced around and noticed that everyone's pancakes were more or less burnt.

The pancakes on her table were the least burnt.

He Jinglan silently reached out and took a pancake, then mustered up her courage to pinch a roasted cicada, closed her eyes and stuffed it into her mouth.

Even though she was spoiled since childhood.

She didn't want to appear spoiled at this time.

Fortunately, Gu Xixi had brought some wheat flour, millet, mung beans, and tea with her in the car.

In the afternoon, everyone had mung bean soup.

That night, someone was spying outside the front gate of the manor, and the guards immediately fired arrows from their crossbows as a warning.

Those outside were merely scouting ahead and, unaware of the true situation inside the manor, dared not approach any further.

Gu Xixi and He Jinglan slept in the same room.

Neither of them could sleep.

He Jinglan said, "What if they come to our homes, arrest us, and force us to submit?"