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

Gu Qingye only noticed that her brother's hair was wet and asked casually.

Gu Tiezhu seemed greatly offended. He forcefully pushed over the cane leaning against the headboard and shouted, "I'm a cripple, and people laugh at me wherever I go!"

"How am I supposed to get out?! Where else can I go?!"

Gu Qingye was startled. "Brother, that's not what I meant."

Gu Tiezhu, however, seemed not to hear him and remained immersed in his own world.

He pounded his legs frantically, muttering venomously, "I'm not the only one who took her land, so why am I the only one with a broken leg!"

"It's all that woman's fault! She ruined me, she's a viper, she deserves to die!!"

Gu Qingye wanted to comfort him, but was too scared to go forward.

Ever since Gu Tiezhu broke his leg, his emotions have been so intense and unpredictable. Sometimes he's manic, sometimes he's sullen and ignores everyone.

After Gu Tiezhu finally vented and calmed down.

He looked up at Gu Qingye, then returned to his normal expression. "Have all the children been rescued?"

Gu Qingye secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded with a smile, "Mm!"

“I dug the soil with them from the very beginning to the end. Uncle Qian and the others saw it all.”

Today's rescue operation, involving digging through the soil, is a major event that mobilized the entire village.

Anyone who doesn't contribute manpower and effort will be talked about behind their back later.

Gu Laosan and Liu Shi didn't want to go, so they sent their daughter as their representative. They also told her to stand where there were many people and to make sure that the village chief and other prominent people in the village could see her.

Gu Tiezhu said, "Now that I'm useless, the burden of the family falls on your shoulders."

"You, a girl, are working so hard, it's all because of your brother."

Gu Qingye rarely heard her brother say such caring words.

She paused for a moment, then quickly concealed her surprise and tried to appear naturally moved.

"Brother...don't say that,"

“We’re family, so it’s only right that I do whatever I’m asked.”

Gu Tiezhu nodded.

The two smiled at each other, presenting a picture of deep brotherly and sisterly affection.

Gu Xixi carried the bowl into the west room. "Master said you can only eat this for now."

After Mu Nanzhao woke up, he looked much better.

He had been staring blankly out the window, and only when Gu Xixi approached did he lazily turn his gaze to the porridge in the bowl.

"Who wants to eat this bland food? I'm not dying."

Gu Xixi sat down on the stool by the bed. "You really have no inhibitions when it comes to talking."

She deliberately stirred the rice porridge with a spoon, letting the aroma rise with the steam.

"The sow thistle is chopped, stir-fried with a little sesame oil, and then egg and salt are added. Aunt Zhang put so much effort into cooking it, but it's a pity that some people don't like to eat it. They're really missing out on the good fortune."

Mu Nanzhao suddenly snatched the bowl of porridge, scooped up a full spoonful, and put it in his mouth.

He didn't say whether it tasted good or not.

However, Gu Xixi saw that he looked relaxed and ate one bite after another, so he seemed to be quite satisfied.

She sighed softly, "Do you know why those five children were in the abandoned cave?"

"Play," Mu Nanzhao replied with a single word, continuing to eat calmly.

Gu Xixi felt helpless; the other person didn't seem interested in listening to the story, but she still had to continue.

“When the children of Huachidu Village were young, they had no adults to supervise them and could only run around the village like sheep. When they grew up to be seven or eight years old and could barely do any work, they were given a small hoe and followed the adults to the fields. It was really pitiful.”

Seeing that Mu Nanzhao's expression hadn't changed, she braced herself and steered the conversation toward the main topic.

"They have no choice but to do this because there is no school in the village."

"The adults are too busy to look after the children, so how would the little kids know what danger is?"

"Sister-in-law Qin said today that if there had been a village school, this whole thing wouldn't have happened."

Mu Nanzhao had already finished a bowl of porridge.

He looked calmly at Gu Xixi. "So what exactly do you want to tell me?"

The two looked at each other for a moment, and Gu Xixi blinked. "For generations, the entire village of Huachidu has been looking forward to having a schoolteacher."

"Whoever accepts this task will not only have done a great deed, but will also gain everyone's respect and love."

Mu Nanzhao gave a soft "Mmm," and said, "Then you don't need to worry."

"With such good conditions, there should be plenty of talented young people volunteering."

Gu Xixi choked, but Mu Nanzhao calmly extended the empty bowl over.

"I'm still not full, have another bowl."

Gu Xixi snatched the bowl away, "Do you think I'm a maid in your household?"

"I think you're already full, and you're just being silly. You know perfectly well what I'm going to say, but you insist on watching me go around in circles. If you don't want to be straightforward, just say so. Why play games with me?"

She turned and left, leaving behind Mu Nanzhao's soft sigh, "Sigh..."

"They wouldn't even give a bowl of porridge, and the schoolteacher is about to starve to death, yet they still lie to people about respect and love."

Gu Xixi stopped in her tracks instantly, asking incredulously, "Are you really willing? You agreed so easily?"

She shook her head first, "Something's not right!"

Mu Nanzhao raised an eyebrow slightly, "I didn't make you kneel and beg every morning and evening to show your sincerity, and you're not happy about that?"

Gu Xixi raised her hand and pressed it against Mu Nanzhao's forehead, frowning as she felt it for a moment.

"There is indeed no fever."

Mu Nanzhao looked up at her, a wicked smile playing on his lips. "You also think that being a village schoolteacher in a small, run-down village doesn't seem like something I would do?"

Gu Xixi looked at him and nodded.

Although it was her idea and her wish that he become a teacher.

But the fact that it was so easy to achieve still felt very unreal to her.

Mu Nanzhao said, "The original Chen Fang came from a scholarly family."

"He failed the provincial examination twice and then committed a crime, which led to his current predicament. It is only reasonable for him to become a village school teacher."

"Abandon principles for power." A sly smile flickered in his eyes. "The closest thing to a perfect disguise is when a person truly integrates into their surroundings."

Gu Xixi smiled with relief, "Deal. I'll talk to Lao Qian tomorrow."

Mu Nanzhao was quite surprised by her reaction. "Aren't you afraid that I have impure motives and ill intentions?"

Gu Xixi said earnestly, "In my opinion, people who can be honest about their motives are more reliable, cooperative, and trustworthy than those who initially reiterate that they have no other desires."

She quickly went to get another half bowl of porridge and came back.

"You shouldn't eat too much right now; this is already extra."

Mu Nanzhao shook his head and sighed, "What's so good about a man being controlled by a woman after marriage? I really don't understand why fools in this world rush to their deaths like moths to a flame."

“Then you can rest assured.” Gu Xixi’s expression was always solemn, as if she were making a vow, when she brought this up. “Whether you become a moth or not in this life, I promise that I will never be the kind of fire you want to fly into.”

Mu Nanzhao stirred the rice porridge, his eyes becoming somewhat indifferent.

"The rockfall today was not an accident."

Gu Xixi was taken aback. Old Qian had mentioned that the soil above was a bit loose when it rained.

So she didn't think of anything else.