Chapter 288

Gu Xixi's cough from being choked wouldn't stop.

Zhang Shen skillfully reached out to pat Gu Xixi's back to ease her breathing, while wondering aloud, "It seems the Regent Prince's surname is something like... Mu? I've heard his appearance is unparalleled."

"You say men can be good-looking, but how good-looking can they be? Like Xiao Chen?"

Gu Xixi coughed even harder while lying on the table.

Ah, I remember Xiao Chen saying last time he came back that his original surname was also Mu, the same as the Regent Prince's?

Zhang Shen doesn't know many characters, so she only remembers that they sound the same.

Gu Xixi was speechless, choked up.

She stopped coughing, lifted her head, and forced a smile, "The Regent Prince's noble surname—we commoners shouldn't pry into it."

Zhang Shen nodded, picked up the shoe sole again, and muttered while furrowing her brows, "What was Xiao Mu's name again? Mu something, three characters? That name is too hard to remember; I can't keep it, so I'll just call him Chen Fang."

Ah, you say, why hasn't he come back? Even if his family matters aren't settled, if he can't return he could at least write you a letter!

Really worrisome!

Before the New Year, can he make it back in time? Last month I made two new quilts, and only now have I started making shoes. For the wedding, it's best if the bride's family makes the groom's shoes.

I had measured his sole before, originally wanting him to pick a shoe style, but I've waited left and right and still no one shows up!

……

Gu Xixi silently lowered her head to eat noodles.

Since Mu Nan Zhao last came back, proposed to Gu Xixi in front of the whole family, revealed his real name, and promised to return again.

Zhang Shen felt as if she had taken a reassuring pill.

She had always been satisfied with this future son-in-law; since he hadn't run away, she no longer worried about Gu Xixi's marriage, and instead began preparing the items needed for the wedding.

Gu Xixi had said several times not to rush.

Zhang Shen only smiled and said preparing for a wedding is complicated; big and small items can't all be gathered at once, so she had originally planned to do it slowly.

So that if one day Gu Xixi suddenly wants to marry, the family won't be unprepared.

Gu Xixi felt helpless, so she went along with it.

Now hearing Zhang Shen talk about preparing shoes for Mu Nan Zhao, Gu Xixi's heart was filled with mixed feelings.

What should I say?

Should I tell Zhang Shen that Chen Fang, who later became Xiao Mu, won't be coming back?

Or should I just say outright that Mu Nan Zhao is that lofty Regent Prince, our families are mismatched, worlds apart, and from now on we'll pretend we never knew him?

Zhang Shen was still lowering her head to sew the shoe sole; this was for the future son-in-law to wear on his wedding day, she sewed it with utmost care and diligence, and because she harbored beautiful expectations, a smile lingered at the corner of her mouth.

Seeing Zhang Shen like that, Gu Xixi had words on the tip of her tongue but couldn't utter them.

At that moment, the door curtain was lifted, and Shitou helped the old doctor inside.

They had just shaken off the snow from their bodies under the eaves, and upon entering they still carried a slight chill.

Shitou saw Gu Xixi and exclaimed delightedly, "Sister Gu Xixi, you're back!!"

Gu Xixi perked up, smiling, "Well, I bought honey tangerines and the flaky pastry you like; hurry wash your hands and come eat."

She said this while getting off the heated brick bed and unloading the medicine box from the old doctor's shoulders.

"Did your medical call-out go smoothly, Master?"

The old doctor smiled and nodded, "Elder Lady Zhou has recently been suffering from frequent insomnia and nightmares, unable to sleep peacefully for a long time, which suddenly caused her heart to race and ache."

"The cause is deficiency of spleen and kidney; taking medicine early on, it's not a serious illness."

After getting onto the heated brick bed and sitting down, Shitou, while eating, told Gu Xixi what had happened in the village during her absence these past few days.

"Old Man Gu and his eldest son went on a long trip; everyone says they went to visit their younger son."

Gu Xixi sipped her tea, "To see Gu Youqing?"

She felt somewhat surprised, "Even at the exile camp, are family visits allowed?"

The old doctor said, "I have actually heard of such matters; the Imperial Court's regulations do not prohibit family visits."

"However, most exiles are sent far from home, so relatives wanting to go are unable to do so."

Gu Xixi nodded, "But here we are quite close."

Initially, Gu Youqing poisoned Gu Xixi's family, brought misfortune upon himself, and was sentenced to exile; the exile location is in the Northwest.

After winter began and the farming households had free time, taking the opportunity to visit was quite normal.

Gu Xixi pondered for a moment, then asked the old doctor, "For exiled prisoners, if family members pay off the officials, what happens?"

The old doctor held his teacup with both hands and said, "Perhaps it works elsewhere."

"But this is the Northwest; everyone knows the Generalissimo rules with strictness, especially now when the army has just returned after receiving imperial rewards. Who would dare to bribe officials with money? They might instead be arrested."

Gu Xixi smiled satisfactorily.

Shitou laughed, "Sister Gu Xixi, rest assured, I've heard that exiles sent to the Northwest are all assigned to border mines, locked up to dig ore and haul stones every day, doing hard labor."

"That bastard in there will surely not have an easy time!"

Gu Xixi chuckled, broke off a slice of tangerine and shoved it into Shitou's mouth, "Alright, eat more, talk less."

"It seems you know everything all day; I'm afraid that when you go to school, you'll use all that cleverness for gossiping."

Shitou chewed the tangerine, speaking indistinctly, "No way, I'm really capable; every time Liu Xiansheng tests us, basically Gou Wa Ge comes first and I second!"

He himself then grabbed the remaining half of the tangerine, stuffed it all into his mouth, closed his eyes, and shivered.

"The tangerine is so cold! So good!"

Gu Xixi said, "Since you say that, I haven't quizzed you on your studies in a while; let's do it tonight."

Shitou showed no fear, puffed his chest and lifted his head, "No problem! Random spot checks, random tests!"

Anyway, it's still early before evening, so Shitou continued chatting, "Just now I went with Doctor Grandpa to the Zhou household, and everyone there was praising you."

"They kept saying that this winter the whole family will have enough food and drink, and they even want to let us eat with them."

Zhang Shen raised her head, laughed and said, "This isn't anything surprising."

From autumn, each household gathered millet; who would say that Xixi isn't all smiles, praising her.

Speaking of these, Zhang Shen also couldn't help feeling proud.

Thinking back to the two years since Gu Pipa passed away, the villagers openly and secretly mocked and looked down on Gu Xixi.

But now it has completely turned around.

At the autumn harvest, the fact proved that Gu Xixi's initial promise of a yield of five hundred catties was still too conservative.

Everyone achieved a yield of six hundred catties per mu, with some approaching seven hundred.

Originally each household had stored wheat from the summer harvest, plus an extra abundant harvest of millet this season.

In this way, they finished collecting all debts before He Jinglan returned to the capital.

He Jinglan personally verified with the debtors, burned the contracts to settle accounts, and each was settled on time.

Then, when it came time to sow winter wheat, Gu Xixi only needed to teach everyone how to do it; each person would go on their own to buy fertilizer and pesticide from An Qinghe, a few small coins anyone could come up with, and there was no more talk of signing contracts and buying on credit.

As for the new planting method, it was easy to learn after a couple tries, and once understood, it could be applied broadly.

Gu Xixi gave a little guidance, and everyone knew what to do.

In the capital, at the Regent Prince's mansion, snow fell abundantly; He Jinglan reached out and plucked a red plum blossom.