Chapter 275

"Drink up!" Gu Xixi urged, "I deliberately chilled it in well water."

"Once this isn't cold and loses its fizz, it's as if a person has lost their soul!"

He Jinglan gasped, "Is it really that miraculous?"

She looked at Gu Xixi, solemnly said, "To be honest, you didn't tell us you were making this before—were you also afraid you wouldn't succeed?"

Gu Xixi nodded, "Indeed… it's the truth."

She then raised an eyebrow, "You don't believe me, so you dare not drink?"

He Jinglan stared at the water in the bowl, chuckling embarrassedly, "I like every kind of sugar water you make, but this pine‑needle‑fermented water—you've never even tried it yourself..."

She didn't dare say it, but wondered, "Won't drinking this give me diarrhea right away?"

There's only that one outhouse at home; if all three of us needed to go at once, we'd probably end up fighting over it.

An Qinghe, however, made up his mind then: "I'll drink! Gu Xixi said we can't wait any longer!"

He said that and lifted the bowl to his lips, eyes tightly shut, his expression as if he were marching to his death.

But gradually, An Qinghe's brow relaxed, and he suddenly opened his eyes, "Mmm!!!"

He looked in turn at Gu Xixi and He Jinglan, nodding vigorously with delight.

He Jinglan exclaimed, "It's actually delicious?"

An Qinghe paused, then let out a hearty "Ha!" and said, "Delicious! It's a special kind of delicious!"

"There's a prickly sensation on the lips and throat, but drinking it feels very refreshing!"

Curiosity prompted He Jinglan to set aside her worries—let the diarrhea come if it must.

She took a sip, and indeed it had a slight prickly, spicy‑on‑the‑tongue feeling, yet it differed from genuine spiciness.

This mouthfeel is quite subtle, combined with a sweet‑sour taste—a kind of fruit aroma I've never tasted before, lingering in the mouth, icy cool on entry, and surprisingly addictive.

It made her unable to stop taking sip after sip.

"Burp!"

"Burp…"

Both of them made the sound.

He Jinglan covered her mouth, embarrassed.

Gu Xixi laughed and said, "The tiny bubbles in soda are gas; having gas in your stomach makes burping normal."

He Jinglan said, "It's indeed delicious and very thirst‑quenching."

"Speaking of… the fruit aroma in here, I've never tasted anything like it; it's somewhat like orange peel, yet different."

Gu Xixi then explained the origin of the citron slices.

He Jinglan marveled, "It's truly a rarity that money can't buy."

"Thanks to Elder Jiang, we have this blessing."

Looking again at An Qinghe, he was already jumping for joy after drinking, his whole body seeming ready to bubble over, "What is this?! Soda? It's too delicious, too wonderful! Gu Xixi, can I have another bowl? I love the bubbles!"

"No." Gu Xixi resealed the jar and soaked it in well water.

"There isn't much made; Zhang Shen, Master, and Shitou haven't tried it yet."

An Qinghe slapped his forehead, "Oh right, I got carried away with joy—I must share the blessing!"

He told Gu Xixi, "Hearing you speak of this citron fruit, I realize Lingnan is truly an unknown treasure trove!"

"When the Great Undertaking Dynasty brings peace to the world, we'll definitely find a chance to go see Lingnan!"

Gu Xixi stared, suddenly recalling her days of wandering everywhere to forage wild plants.

Then An Qinghe spoke confidently, "I believe that place has such fine wild fruit; there must be other good fruits and trees as well."

"Just like this citron fruit, which can only remain buried in the deep mountains—what a pity!"

Gu Xixi knew the citron fruit's suitable range is limited; trying to transplant and domesticate it as a cash crop is actually hard to achieve with current conditions.

But she didn't want to discourage An Qinghe like that.

She merely smiled and agreed, "It would be nice to have a chance to go see it."

"I've heard Lingnan is hot and humid year‑round, with lush greenery everywhere, completely unlike the Northwest; many of the plants growing there are ones we've never seen."

An Qinghe and He Jinglan both showed a look of longing.

Not long after Gu Erye left, he came hurrying back, carrying a sack of copper coins and his two sons.

The copper coins were for trade, and the sons were there to provide labor for moving the goods.

The process went smoothly without a hitch; He Jinglan calculated the quantities and amounts as they said.

An Qinghe took the money and handed over the goods.

Before leaving, Gu Erye glanced around and asked carefully, "Where's Gu Xixi? Is she still angry with me?"

He Jinglan didn't answer directly, "Rest assured, Gu Xixi will fulfill what she promised everyone at the Tudimiao."

"If you have any questions later, you can ask Village Chief Qian or Gu Xixi."

"As long as she's free at the time, she won't ignore you, nor will she deliberately withhold information."

Gu Erye mumbled, "Yes, I know."

"Gu Xixi is willing to give credit to those who can't pay, without interest—this shows she has no selfish motive and won't deliberately harm us."

He Jinglan said calmly, "As long as you understand that, take your leave."

Gu Erye went out the door, turned back once more, but still didn't see Gu Xixi.

He understood in his heart that this familial tie was completely severed, unlikely to be mended.

Back then Gu Xixi was still willing to call him "Second Grandfather"; it was he himself who ruined that relationship—who else could he blame?

Gu Erye resignedly sighed and walked off with his sons.

In the evening, Zhang Shen returned to cook and mentioned what she'd heard from others about Gu Erye.

Gu Xixi only then learned why Gu Erye had undergone such a change.

Since Gu Erye was expelled from the local Gu Clan, even the clan genealogy no longer bears his name.

The family has held many grudges against Gu Erye.

When Gu Xixi openly announced the "secret recipe," the whole village was overjoyed.

Yet Gu Erye's whole family was immersed in deep regret.

The grain and wealth belonged to others, but as relatives of Gu Xixi, they could have enjoyed the advantage of being close to the water.

But Gu Erye managed to utterly offend Gu Xixi.

Isn't this cutting off the family's future livelihood?

Someone jumped into the river at the farmland the female lead bought; she hurried to rescue them.

1 male lead feels uneasy, jealous—you're partnering with An Qinghe to open a workshop? He Jinglan adds insult, just like a husband-and-wife shop; who let you lack this ability?

3 An Qinghe delivered fertilizer; the whole village planted millet, noting the reactions of Gu Daye, Gu Erye, Gu Lao San and others. The male lead again helped resolve the trouble) writing that Gu Erye felt guilty, fearing Gu Xixi wouldn't take them along, he raised the price of pesticides to make things difficult for them, and consulted Gu Daye on what to do.

3 The purchased land began to be sown, spanning into early winter, noting that this autumn everyone had a bountiful harvest, thanks to the female lead, and the repayments also came in.

Zhao Niangzi helped sell apples. Shopkeeper Liao purchased grain and helped the female lead buy land.

7 General Liu made contact; Gu Xixi, the female lead, planned to plant new crops on the border—Chinese yam and white cool potato, a small amount of pumpkin—all of which could serve as military rations.

9 The clan meeting was repeatedly postponed; finally, with the Northwest Army winning successive victories, the battlefront advanced eastward toward the capital. When the millet shoots grew to calf height in late summer, the local Gu clan decided to hold the meeting; the female lead took the seat of honor and was respected,