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

Mr. Song bowed to Gu Xixi, his sleeves drooping, and said, "If he ever comes back, whenever it may, may I see him?"

Gu Xixi found it difficult to answer, "This..."

Mr. Song thought that Gu Xixi had some concerns, so he said sincerely, "I am old and no longer have the ability to compete for honor and boast. I only wish to meet famous people and see their demeanor in the rest of my life. That's all."

Gu Xixi quickly said, "I don't doubt your character, sir. If you want to climb the social ladder or gild your own image, find a way to do so. The students you taught in your earlier years would have been enough."

"But you stayed in Qingtian County, devoting half your life to supporting countless students."

"The reason I can't agree immediately is simply because..."

Gu Xixi paused for a moment, then said truthfully, "Because of my own reasons."

Mr. Song paused for a moment, then looked at Gu Xixi, as if he understood something.

He said apologetically, "I was too naive and made things difficult for the young lady."

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "It's alright, it's not that difficult."

Mr. Song looked wistful and sighed, "I understand. Perhaps he was once a schoolteacher in this village, and even more so, your..."

He glanced at Gu Xixi, then hesitated to continue, feeling a pang of sympathy.

"No matter how good he is, times have changed."

Gu Xixi was quite nonchalant, saying, "Actually, it's not entirely impossible that we'll meet."

“I promise you, if I see him again, I will convey your wish.”

Mr. Song smiled with relief, "That's enough, thank you, Mr. Gu."

After another spring rain, the warm breeze coaxed the flowers in Huachidu Village to bloom.

Gu Xixi had almost finished taking care of everything before her departure.

Whenever I had free time at home, I would pack some things and wait for Anqing to come.

As Aunt Zhang helped fold the clothes, she sighed with worry, "The capital is very far away, isn't it? You've never been this far from home since you were a child. Can you manage?"

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "I can do it. You've asked me several times already, so don't worry."

Aunt Zhang was still full of worries, "Although Xiao An is with you, having someone to accompany you on the road makes you a little safer."

"But he looks like a stranger. What if someone takes advantage of you because you're from out of town? Can he handle the situation?"

"Otherwise, I'll go with you. That way, I can take care of you on the way."

Gu Xixi put down what she was holding and smiled helplessly, "You forgot, there's still Shi Tou and my master at home."

Aunt Zhang murmured, "I almost forgot, the young have to go to school, and the old have to treat patients; no one can leave."

"And our land, we can't just hand it all over to hired workers, someone has to keep an eye on it."

She sighed heavily, looking helpless.

“That’s right,” Gu Xixi said, “that’s why there are so many things to do at home, how can we do without you?”

She wrapped her arms around Aunt Zhang's arm and said coquettishly, "You don't need to worry about me. I've been to the border several times already. The world is at peace now, so this trip will definitely go smoothly."

"Your greatest help to me is simply staying here and taking care of our home."

Aunt Zhang could only nod, "Alright, I'll give Xiao An some more advice when he comes!"

The two continued packing their things.

Xiao Hua strolled in, lightly leaped up, and paced along the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), trying to find a spot she liked.

Ever since Gu Xixi prescribed external parasite medication for Xiaohua, even after the Awakening of Insects and the subsequent resurgence of insects, Xiaohua has not developed any fleas and can freely enter the house and sleep on the kang (heated brick bed).

Aunt Zhang looked at Xiaohua and noticed something was wrong, so she tilted her head and looked at her more carefully.

"Is its belly a bit big?"

Gu Xixi also turned her head to look.

The two exchanged a glance, both showing surprise.

Gu Xixi said, "It always leaves early and returns late after spring begins, but today it came back early to rest. It's not impossible..."

Aunt Zhang waved her hand resignedly, "Fine, now I have another pregnant woman to take care of."

Gu Xixi lowered her head and chuckled to herself.

Unfortunately, given the conditions in ancient times, it was impossible to sterilize female cats, so they could only follow the natural laws of reproduction.

In the afternoon, Gu Xixi went to the field to check on the growth of the wheat seedlings.

As soon as I stepped onto the ridge, I saw Gouwa and Shitou running towards me.

With big smiles on their faces, the two waved and shouted to Gu Xixi from afar, "It's blooming! It's blooming!!"

In the blink of an eye, Stone ran up to them, panting, and said first, "Sister Xixi, the Bodhi fruit tree is in bloom!!"

Gouwa hurriedly added, "Yes, it's blooming! My mother told me to ask Sister Xixi to come and see it quickly!"

Although Gu Xixi was happy, she wasn't overly surprised. "Let's go together!"

The white hibiscus flowers had just begun to bloom, and it was Sister-in-law Qin who was the first to discover them.

Before Gu Xixi arrived, Sister-in-law Qin had already notified the other families.

Everyone found the Bodhi flower in their own orchard.

There aren't many flowers yet; most of them are buds.

After inspecting the flowers, Gu Xixi said happily, "Don't worry, they will all be in full bloom within the next day or two."

She had seen the flower buds when it rained last time.

It was cold that day, and she was worried that it would affect the first bloom.

Fortunately, these grafted fruit trees are all doing very well.

Sister-in-law Qin patted her chest and said, "That's wonderful! It's finally blossoming and bearing fruit; we've taken the first step!"

The other families also looked delighted.

Even if it doesn't bear fruit this year, just seeing it bloom is enough to inspire people.

Seeing that the Bodhi tree was in bloom, Gu Xixi could go to the capital with peace of mind.

She said with a smile, "Come to my orchard tomorrow at noon, and I'll teach you how to thin the flowers next."

Everyone cheered and put in their best effort.

Considering that Xiao Hua might be about to give birth to kittens, Aunt Zhang complained, but as soon as the old doctor returned from his house call, she immediately pulled him over to Xiao Hua.

"Could you check quickly to see if there are kittens?"

The old doctor looked helpless. "My dear Zhang, how many times have I told you, I'm a human healer, not a veterinarian!"

Aunt Zhang said, "What's the difference between treating something and treating it? Didn't you prescribe medicine for it before?"

"You can decide for yourself how you see it!"

The old doctor sighed resignedly.

However, he did have a method. He first reached out and pinched the wrist of Xiaohua's left front paw to take its pulse.

After waiting a moment, he placed his palm on the side of Xiaohua's slightly protruding belly.

"That's right, it's a pregnancy test. There are probably five kittens, and they'll give birth in about half a month at most."

Aunt Zhang was surprised, "You were able to diagnose this?"

The old doctor was speechless. "Didn't you ask me to make this diagnosis?"

"What kind of tone is that? Are you doubting my medical skills?"

Aunt Zhang simply said "oh," thought for a moment, and then asked, "Does it need anything to help with the pregnancy? Or could you prescribe another remedy?"

The old doctor, unable to bear it any longer, exclaimed, "Adding feet to a snake is superfluous!"

"Every medicine has some degree of toxicity. If a woman is pregnant, healthy, and the fetus is healthy, then there is no need to use any medicine."

"Even if you supplement your nutrition, it should be done in moderation; excessive progress is more harmful than beneficial."

He looked at Xiaohua, "The same principle applies to cats."

Aunt Zhang seemed thoughtful. "So you can't just take pregnancy-preserving medicine indiscriminately, and you can't overdo it with supplements. I need to remember that."

It will come in handy when taking care of Xixi in the future.