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

The locals call the edible edible stems and leaves of the edible edible edible lotus in early spring.

This substance is also a medicinal herb, capable of detoxifying, cooling the blood, and having an excellent hemostatic effect.

Yesterday, at the old doctor's request, Gu Xixi plucked several handfuls of herbs for him to take back.

When picking ink plants, her fingers inevitably get stained black, and it was from this that she came up with the idea of ​​using ink and paper as substitutes.

"As for the calligraphy brush," Gu Xixi smiled, "then we'll have to trouble those of you with skillful hands to help."

"Aren't there several families in our village that raise sheep? We can make our own sheep hair brushes."

Children learning calligraphy for the first time are not calligraphy masters, so their requirements for brushes are not high; as long as they can be used, that's enough.

The previously tense atmosphere became lively again.

"I've seen calligraphy brushes before. They're just a handle and a tuft of hair. It's nothing more than a matter of fine craftsmanship. It's not difficult!"

"I have two sheep at home, both of which can be used."

“My mother-in-law had saved up a lot of rags before she passed away. If any of you are short of rags, just come to my house and take some.”

……

Gu Xixi said, "In the end, all that's left are books."

"Children don't need books during their early education; oral instruction and written teaching from the teacher are sufficient."

"If a family's child is good at studying and has the potential to enter officialdom through the imperial examinations, the whole family can wait until they reach that point before making any further plans."

Sister-in-law Qin asked, "Does passing the imperial examinations and becoming an official mean passing the provincial examinations and becoming a county magistrate?"

Gu Xixi nodded and smiled, "Pretty much."

"However, if you can pass the exam and score higher than a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination), you will have the opportunity to become a higher-ranking official."

The villagers were astonished. An official even more powerful than the county magistrate must be incredibly powerful!

At this point, no one raised any further objections.

Old Qian looked at Gu Xixi with emotion, almost bowing on the spot.

He personally escorted Gu Xixi out of the earth temple, excitedly babbling on and on:

"My dear niece, how come we never noticed you were such a lucky star before!"

“Our Huachidu Village absolutely cannot function without you.”

"From now on, if you come up with any good ideas, or if you are dissatisfied with anyone or anything in the village, feel free to give me your opinions."

Gu Xixi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Uncle Qian, I do have something to do."

Old Qian generously replied, "Go ahead and say it."

Gu Xixi didn't stand on ceremony, "Could I borrow that small patch of wasteland in front of the earthen cave where I rescued the child yesterday?"

Old Qian readily agreed, "Of course!"

"However, that place is prone to waterlogging, and the land is narrow and long, so nothing can grow there, let alone build houses."

Over the years, the village has divided up its land several times, and all the arable land has long been allocated.

Old Qian really didn't understand why Gu Xixi wanted to use that unwanted nook and cranny.

Gu Xixi laughed and said, "I just wanted to transplant a few wild tea trees for fun."

"I'm worried that the little ones might be naughty and cause damage. If you agree, I'd like to temporarily put up a fence."

Old Qian readily agreed, "Okay, I agree. Go ahead and do it."

"If anyone says anything, tell them to come find me."

Gu Xixi had previously discovered that the soil in Huachidu Village was very suitable for growing tea trees.

However, to widely cultivate it as an economic crop, two major problems need to be solved: cold winters and the fact that tea varieties are not tolerant of waterlogging.

The site selection for the tea tree experimental field has now been successfully resolved.

At that time, tea was second only to salt in status and was also an unwritten hard currency.

Especially in the cold and harsh Northwest region, where tea is not produced, the demand for tea is very high.

Huachidu Village is located within the northwest gateway.

If tea can be produced and sold in the Northwest, the cost of short-distance transportation will be greatly reduced.

Even without detailed calculations, it's clear that this will be a long-term, guaranteed profitable business.

The next day was the beginning of autumn, and Gu Xixi got up early, got ready, and was about to go out.

As she walked through the yard, munching on the red date buns Aunt Zhang had given her, she remembered her promise to Gu Qingye to take Mu Nanzhao with her.

Xi Xi looked at the west room, her heart in turmoil.

He was injured while saving her life, and in return for the life-saving grace, plus the benefit of his promise to become a teacher.

Finally, she took a deep breath and decided to let him go for now.

Let's try to get him and Gu Qingye together once he's recovered.

However, just as Gu Xixi lifted one foot, Mu Nanzhao opened the door and came out.

"I will go with you."

"Why?" Gu Xixi asked instinctively.

Mu Nanzhao glanced at her coolly and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Don't forget, the woman outside the door is Gu Tiezhu's sister."

Gu Qingye had been waiting outside the door for a while.

When she saw Mu Nanzhao and Gu Xixi come out together, her eyes instantly filled with a bright smile.

"Good morning, Brother Chen and Sister Xixi!"

Unfortunately, the girl's charming appearance did not move Mu Nanzhao.

He maintained his cold expression and walked straight ahead. "Aren't we going into the mountains? Hurry up."

Throughout the journey, Gu Qingye focused all her attention on Mu Nanzhao.

"Brother Chen, I brought some scallion pancakes. I made them myself this morning. Have one."

Mu Nanzhao: "I just ate, I'm not hungry."

Gu Qingye was not discouraged.

She continued to follow him closely, tilting her head to look at him from time to time, like a cute little bird.

"Brother Chen, are you thirsty? I brought some sweetened tea, and I added two spoonfuls of honey."

Mu Nanzhao: "I'm not thirsty, and I don't like sweets."

Gu Xixi deliberately lagged behind them by two steps.

She watched Mu Nanzhao and Gu Qingye interact and sighed deeply.

Even a stone would react to such advances from a beautiful girl.

Not to mention that the two of them were originally a couple.

As Gu Xixi was lost in thought, Mu Nanzhao suddenly turned to look at her.

"come over."

Gu Xixi stepped forward, "What's wrong?"

Mu Nanzhao pointed to the side next to Gu Qingye, "It's too noisy, come over here."

Since Mu Nanzhao had come to her of his own accord, Gu Xixi naturally wouldn't want to ruin such a good opportunity.

“The mountain road is narrow, making it inconvenient and unsafe to walk side by side.”

Mu Nanzhao gave her a cold glance, then actually took a few steps back with his hands behind his back. "Is this alright?"

Helpless, Gu Xixi had no choice but to continue climbing the mountain alongside Gu Qingye.

Gu Qingye's disappointment was visible to the naked eye.

In front of Mu Nanzhao, Gu Xixi dared not encourage her and could only remain silent.

On the day of the Autumn Equinox, the mountains and forests already showed signs of harvest.

Gu Xixi picked the medicinal herbs that the old doctor needed, as well as the herbs she used to learn how to prepare medicine.

We picked some Japanese raisin tree fruit, akebia quinata, myrica rubra, and wild pine mushrooms.

Gu Qingye, needless to say, came specifically to pick fruit. After filling half a sack, she could only regret that she couldn't carry too much today.

"I didn't expect to find so many pine mushrooms. My mother will be very happy."

"Sister Xixi, why don't we go back today and come back tomorrow?"

"I'm not free tomorrow," Gu Xixi said, looking towards the distance of the woods.

To the right is a huge tree, so thick it would take two people to hug it, its roots protruding above the ground and covered in pine mushrooms...

This scene looks so familiar.

Gu Xixi's eyes widened suddenly. If there was no mistake, this was likely the place where Gu Qingye had saved Mu Nanzhao's life!