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

The old doctor was forced to check the cat's pulse to see if it was pregnant before he fumbled for his money bag at his waist, opened it, and turned it upside down.

All that could be heard was a clanging sound.

Three pieces of silver and several dozen copper coins lay on the kang table.

The old doctor said, "This is the money I've earned from consultations recently; I'll use it for household expenses."

Aunt Zhang frowned. "You save up a few coins and give them to me each time. I haven't used up the last one you gave me. Take it back."

Speaking of which, the old doctor has been making more and more money this year.

The old doctor chuckled and said, "There are four mouths to feed at home, and Shitou is still young and can eat a lot. How could we not spend all this money?"

"Besides everyday household use..."

He paused, then stammered, "You can use the rest to buy yourself something."

Aunt Zhang was stunned.

She felt a little uncomfortable, her face inexplicably flushed, and she said fiercely, "Why would I buy anything? I don't lack food or clothing."

"Take it back right away! If you don't have enough for your family, I'll ask you for more!"

The old doctor still refused to accept the money, and said seriously, "I have been living here all this time, and you have taken care of all my food and clothing. I have caused you a lot of trouble. If you do not accept this, I will truly feel ashamed."

He stood up and said, “Then I will go back to Stone Village immediately so as not to be a burden to you.”

Seeing that he was getting anxious, Aunt Zhang had no choice but to accept it, saying, "Alright, alright, I'll take it!"

"But you're a grown man who goes out often, you can't be without any pocket money."

She put a small piece of silver and a dozen copper coins into the old doctor's money bag, tightened the rope, and handed it back to him.

"Keep this with you."

The old doctor smiled and accepted it, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Using her own fruit trees as an example, Gu Xixi demonstrated the standards, techniques, and timing for thinning flowers.

It took half a day to teach all the fruit tree growers how to do it.

She also wrote a letter to Aunt Lin about the orchards on the northwestern border, which detailed her experiences.

I am confident that Aunt Lin and the other military dependents will be able to take good care of the fruit trees.

Two days later, Gu Xixi had settled everything before going to the capital and packed her luggage.

At noon, wisps of smoke rose from the village chimneys, and An Qinghe drove his horse-drawn carriage, stopping at just the right moment in front of Gu Xixi's house.

After a satisfying lunch, An Qinghe couldn't wait to take Gu Xixi out to see the carriage.

Stone and Aunt Zhang also came out.

The carriage was pulled by two horses and had a medium-sized wooden cabin. Although it wasn't particularly luxurious, it was spacious enough.

Having already seen the carriage sent by the He family to pick up He Jinglan, Aunt Zhang was not surprised to see the one in front of her.

He kept praising An Qinghe for doing a good job, saying, "You're so thoughtful. I was worried about whether Xixi could make it to the capital in the mule cart. What if it rained? Now I'm much more relieved."

As Aunt Zhang spoke, she patted the frame of the bicycle vigorously to make sure it was sturdy and reliable.

Gu Xixi smiled at An Qinghe, "Thank you for going to the trouble of making these arrangements."

An Qinghe looked at her smile, his ears burning. "No need to thank me. I borrowed the carriage from the Chamber of Commerce. They weren't mainly looking out for me, but for your reputation, Boss Gu."

"As soon as they heard it was for you, they didn't say a word!"

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "It seems I need to find an opportunity to go to Yunling County and host a few banquets to thank everyone."

"Really?" An Qinghe was overjoyed. "But since we're on my turf, let me host, or we can take turns hosting."

The two looked at each other and smiled, while Stone frowned as he watched from the side.

Although he also liked Brother An quite a bit, he still preferred Mr. Mu.

Moreover, Aunt Zhang didn't want Sister Xixi to marry a Hu man.

Why hasn't Mr. Mu arrived yet after all this time?

What if he comes back after Sister Xixi leaves? Should we persuade him to follow Sister Xixi to the capital?

so hard!

Stone looked up at the sky and sighed softly, realizing how much he had worried about this family.

The next day, at the first crow of the rooster, An Qinghe was already waiting by the carriage.

The luggage had already been loaded into the car in advance, and Aunt Zhang, the old doctor, and Shi Tou all got up early to see the two off.

The old doctor didn't say much, but he brought Gu Xixi a lot of commonly used medicines, including those for sprains and bruises, colds and fevers, calming the mind, and detoxifying and cleansing...

Aunt Zhang then went on and on, giving instructions on everything from food and clothing to housing and transportation.

Gu Xixi agreed to all of them.

Just before getting into the car, she glanced at the silent Shi Tou, bent down in front of him, and whispered, "Both of you are getting on in years. Please help take care of your families while I'm away."

Stone lowered his head and mumbled an "Mm."

Gu Xixi added, "Mr. Song is a very good teacher. You should study diligently under his guidance and strive to take the imperial examinations with Gouwa from our village and go all the way out."

Shi Tou hummed in agreement, and after a moment, he spoke, "Gouwa has told me all of this. Mr. Song is capable; the rest depends on how capable we are ourselves."

After saying that, he looked up and glared at him, "You should just leave already. Why are you nagging me so much? It's not like you're not coming back!"

Gu Xixi straightened up. "Fine, you don't like me? Then I'm leaving."

She could clearly see that Stone's eyes were red, and she was afraid that if he said a few more words, he would burst into tears.

Anqing pulled on the reins, and the carriage gradually disappeared into the morning light.

Anqing was quite skilled at driving, and in just seven days they left the Northwest region, bypassing the mountains and heading east.

Following his pre-planned route, although it would take more time, he could always reach the post station or city before sunset each day and stay in a guest room at night, thus avoiding the hardship of sleeping outdoors.

A few days later, they finally arrived at Fengcheng, the largest city connecting east and west.

Although it was Gu Xixi's first time here, she was very familiar with the place.

Because the story of the Regent's clever capture of Fengcheng could be heard everywhere in teahouses, and even major opera troupes created new plays about it, it was hard not to know about it as one traveled through the streets.

Anqing drove to find an inn.

As the two got out of the car and entered the store, the storyteller in the lobby was telling the story of "Taking Fengcheng by Strategy".

An Qinghe laughed and said, "This regent is really a remarkable person. I heard he is very young. I really want to see what he looks like."

"When we get to the capital, we might even have a chance to see him on the street!"

Gu Xixi paused for a moment, then said, "...Perhaps."

She thought to herself, "You not only know what he looks like, but you've also eaten at the same table with him."

The two of them each booked a standard guest room and went back to their rooms to rest.

An Qinghe has been staying next door to Gu Xixi recently, so that if there's any emergency on her end, he can hear her if she calls out.

In the evening, Anqing knocked on Gu Xixi's door and asked her to come downstairs for dinner.

The two had just turned a corner in the corridor when they ran into an acquaintance coming down from the third floor.

Their eyes met, and the man exclaimed in surprise, "Xixi, what are you doing here?"

Gu Xixi greeted him with a smile, "Brother Zichu."

"I was on my way to the capital, passing through Fengcheng."

Jiang Mingyuan suddenly realized, "Then I understand the purpose of your trip."

"Since we're going the same way, why don't we travel together from here on out?"