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

Grandpa Gu already harbored resentment towards Gu Xixi.

Seeing Gu Xixi come to his door, he naturally had to put on airs, saying, "Your third uncle and aunt just left my place crying this afternoon."

"They looked for Lao Qian, but Lao Qian was nowhere to be found and didn't say why."

"Now I want to hear what good deeds you've done to cause your cousin this mess!"

The Gu family, which used to be at odds with each other like fighting cocks, has now made up.

They really are a den of snakes and rats, without any principles.

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "It's not something I did well; you should ask Qingye what good deeds she did."

"So the village chief has no choice but to personally take her to the ancestral hall to keep her under guard, and then hand her over to the yamen the next day?"

Everyone in the courtyard was shocked.

Grandpa Gu slammed his hand on the table, it was unclear whether it was out of anger or shock.

"You...what did you say?"

“Our Gu family has never been involved in any lawsuits, nor has our family produced any criminals. Qingye is just a little girl. What has she done that warrants handing her over to the authorities?”

Gu Xixi's tone was not loud, but the two words were firm and resounding: "Poisoning."

Her gaze swept over the two dining tables, and everyone else stared at her in surprise. Only at the inner table, a young man's eyes flickered as he turned his back to look elsewhere.

This man is Grandpa Gu's youngest son, named Gu Youqing. He has a fiery temper and is easily impulsive. He often gets into fights and is known as a troublemaker among the young men in the village.

Gu Xixi already knew what was going on. She turned her head and called out to the door, "Chen Fang, why aren't you coming in yet?"

Only then did everyone realize that there was another person behind them, and they watched in as Mu Nanzhao stepped in.

Grandpa Gu was still frowning and talking to himself, "I don't care what Qingye did wrong, you can deal with her however you want in private, just don't send her to the authorities for the sake of the Gu family's reputation."

"You have a lot of influence with Lao Qian, don't you? Go and beg him to take this back."

Grandpa Gu also has grandchildren studying at the village school, and the child's mother immediately stood up, "Mr. Chen, please have a seat."

Mu Nanzhao said, "No need to be so polite. I'm just here to say a few words to Xixi and drop off some things before I leave."

Send something?

Only then did everyone notice that Gu Xixi was holding a bowl.

With a smile, Gu Xixi placed the bowl in front of Grandpa Gu, lifted the lid, and a fragrant aroma of meat wafted out.

Villagers rarely eat meat, so even Grandpa Gu couldn't help but take a few more glances at the steaming, fragrant roasted pork.

"What are you doing?"

Gu Xixi said, "We cooked mule meat at home today, and I thought since you are the oldest person in our Gu family, I'm sending some to you to help you recover."

Grandpa Gu had never been able to save face in front of Gu Xixi in the past, but now he felt proud of himself.

"Alright, it seems you've grown up a bit and finally know to respect your elders."

As he picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of meat, he asked, "Mule meat? You mean that big animal, the mule?"

Gu Xixi smiled and nodded, "Yes, Aunt Zhang simmered it over low heat for an hour, and the meat is fragrant and tender. You should try it."

Just as Grandpa Gu was about to put the meat on his chopsticks into his mouth.

Gu Youqing jumped up, almost overturning the table.

He grabbed Grandpa Gu's chopsticks.

Seeing the fragrant chunks of meat fall to the ground, Grandpa Gu was heartbroken and angrily shouted, "What are you doing!"

Gu Youqing noticed that everyone was looking at him, including Gu Xixi.

He stammered guiltily, "Dad, it's late, meat is hard to digest."

Previously, there were poisoned rats in the village. He personally witnessed wild cats sniffing the dead rats but refusing to eat them. He also heard from others that the meat of poisoned creatures was contaminated with poison.

Gu Xixi looked at Gu Youqing and said, "I heard from Heiwa, who fought with you, that you brag to people that your family has arsenic, and that it's very expensive. If anyone angers you, you feed them arsenic?"

This was the first time Grandpa Gu had heard of this, and he glared at his son reproachfully, "Why are you bragging about this to others?"

"I bought that stuff to treat my boils, and I'll save the rest for later."

"Let me tell you, don't even think about trying anything!"

If farmers work hard, they can have enough to eat if the harvest is good.

But to actually earn a penny is really not easy.

For the stingy Grandpa Gu, not a single vegetable or thread could be wasted, let alone the small amount of medicine he was willing to buy with his copper coins.

Gu Xixi said, "Grandpa, why don't you check if your family still has the arsenic?"

Grandpa Gu hurriedly stood up and was about to go back into the house to find his arsenic.

But when he caught a glimpse of his youngest son's deathly pale face, he belatedly realized something and stepped back.

"You scoundrel!" Old Master Gu shouted at Gu Youqing, pointing at Gu Xixi and asking, "Why did she come to our house to ask about the arsenic? Was it you? What did you do?!"

Gu Youqing didn't dare look at his father, but still stubbornly said, "What else can I do? Has Gu Xixi caught the person who poisoned me? She's just slandering me."

Grandpa Gu's expression changed several times; he was now certain that his son had gotten into trouble.

But there's already the example of Gu Qingye. If Gu Xixi's methods are proven true, wouldn't she also send Gu Youqing to see the authorities?

After a few moments of reflection, Grandpa Gu vehemently denied it again, saying, "I don't have arsenic at home. I was mistaken. We ran out of it before!"

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "Grandpa just said there was still arsenic in the house, how come he changed his mind?"

"But it's not a big deal."

She picked up the bowl of roasted pork on the table. "I was mistaken. This isn't mule meat; it's just roasted pork."

After Gu Xixi finished speaking, she and Mu Nanzhao leisurely left with the meat.

Does this family even deserve to eat the meat she bought? Take it back and give it to Xiaohua as an extra treat.

Grandpa Gu and his family looked at each other in bewilderment. The eldest daughter-in-law asked, "Did your younger brother poison someone?"

Grandpa Gu glared at him fiercely, "Shut up!"

No one dared to ask at first, but Gu Youqing spoke up triumphantly, "Everyone says she's capable, but in my opinion, she's just a little girl. Everyone's praising her too much."

"She didn't catch them in the act, and she had no evidence. She went back in disgrace today. She knows what's good for her."

Grandpa Gu was so angry that it took him a long time to speak, "Why...why did you provoke Gu Xixi?"

"You...you still poisoned her? What if she treats you the way she treated Aoba? Let's see how you handle that!"

Gu Youqing said nonchalantly, "I only put some arsenic in his mule, I didn't kill anyone or commit arson, what can the yamen do to me?"

Grandpa Gu, however, felt uneasy.

He always felt something was off. She made a scene, but it didn't lead to anything, and then she just gave up so easily?

The next morning, Old Qian took Gu Qingye and Widow Zhou to the county town.

Liu chased after the donkey cart, crying and sobbing, while the Gu family hid away and no one dared to come forward to deal with the matter.

Unfortunately, Mr. Gu's efforts did not bring about a peaceful resolution.

At noon, Old Qian came with two constables and immediately put Gu Youqing in shackles.

The whole family immediately erupted in chaos.

Gu Youqing still stubbornly shouted, "Why are you locking me up!"

He looked at Lao Qian and suddenly realized, "Oh, I know, Lao Qian, you listened to Gu Xixi and are taking revenge for her! You're so old, yet you're acting like a dog for some young girl!"