Chapter 262: He really is damnably good at understanding me

He Jinglan stared wide-eyed in surprise.

Not long ago, Gu Xixi made a solemn vow, from now on she would pretend Chen Fang didn't exist.

Yet now she actually publicly recognized Chen Fang again.

These three boxes of seeds are so rare that even Gu Xixi couldn't help but bow and scrape?!

Seeing He Jinglan's questioning look, Gu Xixi found it hard to explain outside and could only laugh awkwardly.

No way, it's all because he gave too much!

At this moment, Qin Dasao and Zhou Gua Fu, who were on good terms with Gu Xixi, gathered around and sincerely offered congratulations.

Everyone previously still had a pretty good impression of Mr. Chen.

If he could return, the two smoothly becoming husband and wife would not be a bad thing.

Qin Dasao spoke bluntly, "Looks like it was all a misunderstanding before; I even scolded Mr. Chen with many harsh words. When he comes back, I'll have to apologize to him!"

Aunt Qian felt relieved, "This is a good thing! It's rare that Little Chen has such sincere feelings for Xixi; that one‑coin marriage fate from the beginning has finally turned out right!"

Several other women chimed in agreement.

"No kidding! After all, they were distributed by the government office; whether good or bad, it all hinges on that moment's luck. As for such couples, I know of several that couldn't make it and split up."

"Isn't that just our village's Zhou Gua Fu? When picking a man she was the most eager, but after bringing him home a few days later she found fault with everything, picking at his nose and eyes, even took a liking to Chen Fang and wanted to change her mind mid‑way!"

Qin Dasao cleared her throat and gave a look, signalling everyone that Chen Fang's reputation had finally improved a bit, so they shouldn't bring up spoilers now.

What's more, Zhou Gua Fu was originally sent to the government office by Xixi.

The woman who said that hurried to smooth things over, "It's all Zhou Gua Fu's own twisted mind, full of nasty schemes; she deserves to be locked up. Moreover, it's thanks to the village chief expelling her, otherwise our village's reputation would have been ruined by her."

Zhou Gua Fu then eyed those seeds eagerly and asked, "These three sound like vegetables and fruits; I don't know if they can be made into pickles."

Several women laughed, teasing Zhou Gua Fu that she now wants to toss whatever she sees into the pickle jar.

The Zhou family's Pinpo Guoyuan grows vegetables, and thanks to Gu Xixi's guidance, their pickle business is thriving.

Now Zhou Gua Fu's nickname "Pickle Beauty" has spread far and wide.

In Qing Tian Xiancheng, when people talk about buying pickles, they always mention the Pickle Beauty.

Recently even the people of Flower Pool Ford Village and nearby villages have come by reputation to the Zhou family to buy some pickles to vary their flavor.

Zhou Gua Fu wasn't angry at everyone's jokes; on the contrary, she quite enjoyed them.

"I'm practically addicted to making pickles now; if I weren't afraid of human flesh turning sour, I'd even pickle myself to try it!"

Everyone laughed again.

Gu Xixi chuckled, "What the Zhou family's sister‑in‑law said is right; persimmons and cucumbers are vegetables, but when their fruit ripens they can be eaten raw, and pickling them gives a different flavor."

"As for the cold melon, it's a fruit; the mature pulp can be made into cold melon sauce."

"Really?" Zhou Gua Fu's eyes lit up with anticipation.

But she knew full well these were unseen Western Region seeds that Chen Fang had someone specially bring back; they must be extremely precious, so she naturally felt embarrassed to ask Gu Xixi for any.

Gu Xixi could hardly miss Zhou Gua Fu's thoughts; she laughed and said, "I don't even know yet how well these three crops would grow locally, or how to manage them."

"Even if we gave some to everyone right now, they might not grow."

"So we still need to wait for me to do a trial planting; if it succeeds, we can breed more seeds and see."

Several people hearing this were happy.

While they chatted, only He Jinglan frowned in confusion, her gaze directed at "Chen Yuan," sizing him up from head to toe.

"Chen Yuan" noticed He Jinglan staring at him and, without avoiding her gaze, openly met her eyes.

He Jinglan's pupils shrank sharply, "You actually—!"

Master Liu hurriedly jumped out and said, "Younger cousin! The stuff you brought is here; let's go."

He smiled and bowed to He Jinglan and Gu Xixi, "We have other business; we'll take our leave first."

Master Liu grabbed "Chen Yuan" and fled the Tudimiao at top speed.

Being so blatant, playing a little while is fine; if they lingered, it would inevitably look provocative.

It's probably not something those three boxes of seeds could fix!

He Jinglan looked at Gu Xixi in shock, meaning: You know?

Gu Xixi spread her hands, showing a helpless expression, meaning: Can't help it, just leave it as is.

The Gu clan's relatives were about to leave, and He Jinglan accompanied Gu Xixi to see them off to the village entrance.

When they returned, the sun had set; most villagers had gone home to cook, and there was hardly anyone on the road.

He Jinglan then clicked her tongue, "Chen Fang, Chen Yuan—he really isn't afraid of being exposed."

Gu Xixi tightly held the three wooden boxes in her arms, feeling complex, "He isn't unafraid of being exposed; rather, he's so bold he's certain no one can expose him."

Indeed, that's exactly the case.

Inside the Tudimiao, there were many who knew Chen Fang, yet not a single one recognized him—not even students he had personally taught.

He Jinglan said, "This disguise technique is quite realistic; I've never seen it before—let him teach us too sometime."

Gu Xixi's eyes lit up, "Exactly, this is a great thing."

"Once learned, it can be useful in many places."

The two locked eyes, both revealing a determined, wicked grin.

Back home, Mu Nan Zhao had already restored his original appearance, watching Shitou practice writing.

"Steady— that left‑slanting stroke is almost flying off the page."

"Your handwriting, even Master Liu said it passed— the standard is really too low."

Actually, since Mu Nan Zhao left, Shitou's brush‑hand writing has improved considerably.

Gu Xixi bought the cheapest paper for him to practice writing, replacing the wooden board he used before.

Shitou each day at home, besides finishing his lessons, also practices writing separately, filling at least two sheets of paper.

His brush strength and steadiness have improved a lot; even Master Liu has recently praised him repeatedly, saying Shitou's calligraphy is already the best in the school.

Mu Nan Zhao, however, frowned and shook his head, clearly finding it unacceptable.

He Jinglan patted Shitou sympathetically and comforted him, "He's talking about his own calligraphy; don't take it to heart."

"You've improved quickly, but this person's standard is so strict it's almost inhuman."

"Faced with him, few people aren't discouraged."

Shitou raised his head, troubled, "But Chen… oh no, Mr. Mu's calligraphy is really good."

"Mr. He and Mr. Mu have known each other since childhood; do you know how many years of practice it would take to write as well as him?"

He Jinglan's smile froze, as if she had encountered a topic extremely hard to bring up.

Mu Nan Zhao said coolly, "If you ask her, you've asked the right person."

Gu Xixi and Shitou were curious, "Why?"

Mu Nan Zhao said nothing, merely giving He Jinglan a meaningful glance.

He Jinglan felt anger rise at that glance, "I'm someone who dares to act and own up; what do I have that I dare not say?"

"It's just that I've envied your good handwriting since childhood; to catch up with you, I've sought out famous teachers and studied diligently every day."