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

There were two small houses in the estate. Gu Xixi kept one for herself, and the other, which was originally used for storing miscellaneous items, was cleared out to put a small double-door cabinet, a wooden bed, and a small three-legged round table.

This became the dwelling place for Madam Wu and her daughters.

The furniture consisted of unwanted old items left behind by the original owner. The cabinet doors had fallen off, the wooden bed was loose and wobbly, and the round table had a broken leg. Wu Niangzi repaired all of these herself.

Gu Xixi pushed open the door and went in, only to find the room spotless and clean.

The pale yellow checkered sheet on the bed was a very ordinary and simple style.

But on it, large light pink lotus flowers were ingeniously embroidered. The combination of pale yellow and light pink not only brightened the simple little house but also added to the warmth of home.

Two little girls were writing on the table, their mouths full of candy, their cheeks puffed out like cute little squirrels, yet they wrote each stroke with utmost seriousness.

Gu Xixi also sat down at the table. Several stacks of wooden pieces were piled high on the table, all of which contained the words written by the two little ones a few days ago.

Considering that Madam Wu didn't have spare money to buy paper, thin wood chips were used as paper, and dried ink plants were boiled in water to replace ink.

This method was also used by the children of Huachidu Village.

However, nowadays more students in the village school are using real writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

Gu Xixi looked at Xiulan and Xiuhe, thinking to herself, "I hope they will have a better future too."

A few days later, the weather turned warm one day and cold the next.

Sister-in-law Qin carried the jujube paste buns she had just steamed to visit Gu Xixi's house.

Gouwa came along too, but he wasn't looking for stones to play with; instead, he brought his newly bought books.

In the past, none of the children in the village school had textbooks.

The only way was to rely on the teacher to dictate and lead the reading, teaching the children to memorize it again and again.

Simply because books are too expensive.

Back then, Gu Xixi didn't have much money either. When she sent Mu Nanzhao to be a schoolteacher, she was struggling to afford books.

Gouwa and Shitou sat face to face on a small stool, discussing important matters.

Gouwa said seriously, "School is about to start, so we need to review and preview."

"Otherwise, when the new teacher arrives and checks our homework, if we can't recite it, we'll lose face for the entire Huachidu Village!"

Stone nodded seriously. "Yes, you're right."

"Master Liu said that he would invite a very capable teacher, even more capable than he is at teaching his students."

"He must have told that gentleman about us too, so we absolutely cannot show any weakness!"

Sister-in-law Qin and Gu Xixi, who were listening in, were amused.

Sister-in-law Qin whispered, "Listen to this, they've lost all face for the entire Huachidu Village."

"So all of us are counting on these little things."

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "Their willingness to learn and strive for improvement, whatever their reasons, is a good thing."

Sister-in-law Qin hesitated for a moment, then said, "Speaking of ambition,"

"My husband Qin has recently become acquainted with people from the pharmacy and a few drug dealers."

"During the meal, I heard them say that if you want your child to take the imperial examination route, staying in the village school is like being a frog at the bottom of a well; there is no hope."

“In places like ours, after starting their education, students are at least sent to the county school in Qingtian County. Those from wealthier families are even sent to academies in the prefectural city.”

The Qin couple have managed to save a little money by selling medicinal herbs.

She cares more about her son's studies than before, and is even willing to spend money to buy books for Gouwa.

It's clear that the couple has high hopes for Gouwa's future.

Gu Xixi asked, "Are you planning to send Gouwa to the county school?"

"I heard that the county school can provide accommodation for students, paying monthly fees and covering room and board."

Sister-in-law Qin said, "I've inquired about it too. The two of us are tightening our belts to support him, and we can barely afford it."

"In two years, when the Bodhi tree bears fruit, life will only get better, but..."

She shifted her position along with the stool and leaned closer to say, "Old Qin heard that the teachers at our Qingtian County school are not as good as before, ever since the former school magistrate retired."

"The number of candidates who passed the preliminary examination last year did not exceed this number."

As Sister-in-law Qin spoke, she held out one palm.

Gu Xixi thought to herself, "This college entrance rate is a bit low."

She remembered that Jiang Mingyuan had always studied in the prefectural city.

Sister-in-law Qin said worriedly, "Now we can't go to faraway places, and we can forget about the academy in the prefectural city."

“I hesitated. If going to the county school is no different from staying in the village, why bother?”

Gu Xixi thought for a moment and suggested, "If the county school is really like this, we might as well wait and see how the new teacher at the village school is."

"After all, it was in the past..."

Gu Xixi cleared her throat before she could continue, "Mr. Chen, Mr. Liu, and Mr. He, they all taught very well."

"I think the teacher that Mr. Liu personally found should not be much worse than the three of them."

Sister-in-law Qin nodded, "I'll listen to you and wait a little longer."

She laughed again, "Actually, I didn't finish my studies, so I don't know how to teach well, or how to teach poorly."

"I could only hear from people that a certain teacher had taught many students who passed the imperial examinations and had produced several successful candidates."

Gu Xixi was at a loss for words.

Choosing a school is all about the college entrance rate; parents in ancient times viewed it the same way.

However, she couldn't explain to Sister-in-law Qin how many hidden talents had been hidden in this small village school since its inception.

The first Mr. Chen was a genius who passed the imperial examinations in three consecutive years; he is now the Regent Prince Mu Nanzhao.

The second Mr. Liu was a top student who had passed the imperial examination and was about to enter officialdom.

Mr. He, who worked with Mr. Liu, was the eldest daughter of the He family. She was also well-read and had excellent calligraphy skills, but she was unable to become an official because she was a woman.

Gu Xixi smiled at Sister-in-law Qin, "Sister-in-law, have some tea."

In the afternoon, Gu Xixi received a letter from the capital.

Because of the long distance, the letter first went to Zhenbaoge in Qingtian County, and then was forwarded to Huachidu Village by Madam Meng.

Gu Xixi smiled knowingly when she saw the handwriting on the envelope. She went back to her room, sat down at the table, and carefully opened the letter.

This is a reply from He Jinglan.

Gu Xixi had previously written to inform him that she would be going to the capital after the spring, and explained the purpose of the trip in detail.

He Jinglan was very happy, partly because she was saddened by their separation and hoped to reunite with Gu Xixi in the capital soon.

Secondly, she said that since Boss Gu was coming, she should start preparing for the joint opening of the shop in advance so that Boss Gu would have time to hang the plaque and cut the ribbon for the shop.

Thirdly, she talked about Meng Chengping's recent situation in Beijing, detailing her several meetings with him, and said that she would let things take their course for now.

Fourthly, and finally.

He Jinglan wrote: "Just take these few sentences as an amusing anecdote. The Chen Fang you know originally wanted to go back to Huachidu Village, but he was unable to make it several times."

“Xixi, my brother said that someone is afraid that if too much time passes, he will no longer have a place in Huachidu Village, especially in Gu Xixi’s house.”

"Xixi, I'm looking forward to your coming to the capital so you can tell me in person what's been happening lately. Is it as my brother guessed?"