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

Mu Nanzhao looked up at the stone, seemingly hiding complex emotions.

"What you didn't know before, you can learn."

The principle of abandoning the right path and using power is something even a child understands.

Despite being in Huachidu Village for so long, he has never truly relinquished the prestige of the Mu family and the status of a powerful minister.

Not to mention integrating into the village and into Gu Xixi's home.

Mu Nanzhao drank the tea, let out a long sigh, and relaxed his brow.

The rift had already been established, no wonder Gu Xixi said she was afraid of people like him.

Gu Xixi did not notice the change in Mu Nanzhao's expression.

During her casual conversation with Shi Tou, she learned that Shi Tou's full name was Zhang Minglei, and his nickname was Shi Tou.

Zhang Family Nursery now only has peach and pear trees.

Besides the more than two hundred saplings, the most precious are the twenty mother trees.

The term "mother tree" refers to a superior parent tree used for propagating seedlings.

Most of them were passed down from Grandpa Stone's generation.

Stone, biting into a steamed bun, said, “The others are one thing, but those mother trees are all old. My great-grandfather, my grandfather, and my father put in so much effort. From finding the tree species to selecting and cultivating them, it took at least fifty years.”

Gu Xixi was already in this field, and she knew very well how long it took to discover a tree species, select, cultivate, and optimize it. She also knew how many methods had to be tried and how much hardship had to endure.

Gu Xixi sighed, "It really wasn't easy."

"That's why you risked your life to protect these trees and refused to let others take them away."

Stone nodded. "Money, selling for money, that's all they ever talk about when they see me."

"I'm not going to sell trees to people who know absolutely nothing!"

The boy angrily swore, "They're nothing but bullshit, they'll only ruin my trees in the end!"

After filling his stomach, Shi Tou immediately carried a wooden bucket to the well, saying he wanted to water the trees.

He was tall for his age, and it was still quite difficult for him to lift a full bucket of water.

He could only place the bottom edge of the bucket on the ground, grab the handles with both hands, and slowly move to the tree.

Seeing this, Gu Xixi stepped forward to help.

Shi Tou's face turned red from exerting force, and the veins in his neck bulged.

But he still stubbornly waved his hand, "Sister Gu, you can just sit and drink your tea, I'm fine!"

"I usually do these chores myself, so I'm used to it."

This was the first time Shi Tou called Gu Xixi "sister".

Xi Xi smiled; this kid has a sweet tongue.

She looked around and thought that without labor-saving and efficient tools, it would be difficult for an adult to water so many trees by herself with just a bucket, but it would be quite strenuous for a small child.

Gu Xixi still brought a bucket of water, saying, "I know you're the most capable."

"But since I'm here today, it'll be faster if the two of us work together."

While Shi Tou and Gu Xixi were working, Mu Nanzhao sat there drinking tea and gazing at the sky, leisurely and indifferent to everything.

Gu Xixi never thought much about it, after all, Mu Nanzhao's background was what it was, and he had never done such rough work in his life.

Stone glanced at Mu Nanzhao several times.

She whispered, "Sister Gu, your husband... isn't he treating you very well?"

Gu Xixi was taken aback. "Why do you say that?"

Shi Tou glanced back at Mu Nanzhao, then lowered his voice seriously, "My father said that a man who loves his wife should take the initiative to do all the heavy and tiring work at home."

“In the past, my father never let my mother do chores like carrying water or turning over soil.”

Gu Xixi chuckled, "You little rascal, you know all this at such a young age."

Stone straightened his chest and said, "I'm a child, not a fool. I understand everything I need to understand."

He continued, "But your husband is good-looking and capable, so it's normal that you're reluctant to leave him."

Gu Xixi suppressed a laugh and replied cooperatively, "You're right about everything."

"It's really difficult for us women to get a divorce, so let's just make do for now."

Mu Nanzhao was too far away to hear what they were saying.

However, seeing that the two occasionally glanced at him, Gu Xixi looked overjoyed.

He figured it wasn't anything nice, but he wasn't interested in finding out more.

When Gu Xixi and Shi Tou returned to the well, chatting and laughing, after pouring two buckets of water, they heard Mu Nanzhao say calmly:

"It's going to rain tomorrow, so don't get wet."

Xixi and Shitou exchanged a glance and said in unison, "How did you know it was going to rain?"

Mu Nanzhao glanced at the two of them with displeasure, "You've only known each other for a short time, but you two already have a lot of chemistry."

"Of course," Shi Tou said proudly. "I consider Sister Gu even closer than my own biological sister."

"This is what they call... instant connection!"

He looked at Gu Xixi with a smile, and Gu Xixi returned the smile.

Mu Nanzhao sneered, "Aren't you an only child? Where did you get a sister from?"

Gu Xixi got back to the main point, "How do you know it will rain tomorrow?"

Mu Nanzhao picked up his teacup and took a slow sip. "I've studied a little about celestial phenomena in the past."

"Believe it or not, it's up to you."

Gu Xixi pulled Shi Tou aside and whispered, "We'll see tomorrow anyway, so why don't you just wait and see?"

"You've gone to so much trouble and wasted so much water today; if it really rains, wouldn't all your efforts have been for nothing?"

Stone looked up at the bright, clear sky. "But... will it really rain?"

Gu Xixi told the truth, "He had never shown this skill to me before."

"I don't have concrete evidence, so I can't give you a guarantee."

After thinking for a while, Shi Tou finally decided, "Okay! I'll listen to Sister Gu and try it out in a day."

This time, they were not far apart, and Mu Nanzhao overheard their conversation.

He had a cold face and was full of disdain. At such a young age, he already knew how to say fancy things to please women.

He was the one who saw that it was going to rain, but that kid actually said he would listen to Gu Xixi?

Since they no longer needed to water them, Shi Tou took Gu Xixi's hand and said he wanted to go see his most treasured trees.

The area where they are now is full of saplings.

Walking east through the nursery, as you approach the end, you'll see peach and pear trees that are several times larger than those in front of you.

Two of the peach trees still had fruit hanging on them.

Gu Xixi exclaimed in surprise, "Is this the local late-ripening peach?"

Stone nodded, "Yes! It was originally a tree species cultivated by my great-grandfather, and now many people in the neighborhood are planting it."

"At this time of year, the only peaches you can find in the market are these."

Gu Xixi gently stroked the tree trunk, then looked up to observe the branches, leaves, and fruit.

"It is indeed an old peach tree."

"Even if it's not used for economic purposes, it's already extremely beautiful just as a scenic spot."

The pear trees nearby were also graceful and shady, their black trunks like cast iron.

As autumn approaches, tiny green fruits have already formed among the lush green leaves.

Gu Xixi looked at it and said, "You did the thinning of flowers in spring and the thinning of fruit in late summer?"

"Who else could it be?" Stone patted his chest, looking like he wanted praise.

"I'm Zhang Miaomu's child, I've known how to watch it since I was born!"