Chapter 72: The Village's New Hope

After the millet harvest, everyone in Huachi Du Cun was paying attention to Gu Xixi's movements.

Her family's twenty-two mu of land, surprisingly only planted ten mu of winter wheat.

The remaining land lay idle; what did she intend to do?

The local autumn-sown grain is only winter wheat; could Gu Xixi be planning to plant vegetables in spring?

Those few households that had previously been burned, having briefly tasted profit from selling water spinach, privately discussed and then approached Qin Dasao, who was on good terms with Gu Xixi, hoping that if Gu Xixi grew vegetables she would also take them along.

But Qin Dasao was very tight-lipped; when asked she knew nothing, smiling and saying "Let's wait and see," refusing to commit to anything.

Meanwhile, Gu Daye's family was even more anxious.

They had originally been the sole vegetable growers in the village; if next year everyone else planted vegetables, what would become of them?

But Gu Xixi's twelve mu lay fallow there; as the deadline for autumn planting passed, there was still no movement.

On the day of Frost's Descent, Chen Dafu and the eight hired workers were about to finish this season's final task, digging up Chinese yam.

Several dozen ridges of yam, looking not much, were originally thought to be like common sweet taro, with a few tubers under each vine. But following the vines and carefully digging up section by section, wow, the yam could actually grow this long and long!

Everyone's eyes were opened; they rushed over to watch the yam digging.

A few elderly people had some experience.

Someone said, "When I was a child during a famine, my mother dug this on the mountain, but the biggest was only a span thick, about the thickness of a woman's finger. Something as thick as a bamboo pole and this long—I've really never seen before."

"When roasted and peeled, it's sticky and floury, somewhat like sweet taro, just not as sweet, but with a different fragrance. Later I heard it's also a medicinal herb."

Another said, "Yam nourishes the body; sold to a pharmacy, the longer and unbroken it is, the higher the price it can fetch."

A youngster behind exclaimed, "Isn't that just like ginseng?"

Gu Xixi laughed, "How could they be the same? Yam is far cheaper than ginseng."

Although she said that, everyone only deeply remembered the phrase "the longer it is, the higher the price."

Someone took advantage of Gu Xixi's opening and half-jokingly asked, "Xixi, why is it that when the same thing comes into your hands it grows more and larger? Do share this secret with us."

The crowd laughed and echoed, praising Gu Xixi as having no equal under heaven, as if they had completely forgotten their former contempt.

Even Gu Daye and Gu Erye, hiding behind the crowd, pricked up their ears.

However, after waiting and waiting, all they heard was Gu Xixi saying, "This isn't something that can be explained in a sentence or two; please let me go back and think about it."

"It's rare that both summer and autumn harvests are good this year, and after driving away the rat plague, this winter everyone can rest properly; field work can wait until next year without delay."

Some believed Gu Xixi's words, smiling broadly.

Some were half-believing, half-doubting.

A few felt that Gu Xixi's words were just an excuse; she surely didn't want to reveal her secret.

Gu Xixi understood all this, but she didn't care what others thought; she let results speak for themselves.

Originally she had no particular feeling for this village.

But when she was trapped in a pitfall, it was the villagers who searched the mountains and rescued her.

When the rat plague struck, it was the whole village cooperating to get through the toughest time.

Now Gu Xixi herself has completely escaped the danger of going hungry.

She had long wanted to raise the overall agricultural productivity of Huachi Du Cun to a higher level.

The next morning, Mu Nan Zhao set off driving a donkey cart, the cart full of millet and yam.

Gu Xixi and Mu Nan Zhao sat side by side in front, "Today we'll first sell three hundred catties of millet; the yam we'll keep only a little for ourselves to eat, the rest we'll sell fresh."

She gazed at the azure, spotless sky and let out a relieved long sigh, "From now on we won't have to pinch pennies when spending money; let's first buy a draft animal later, then we won't need to borrow Lao Qian's donkey."

Mu Nan Zhao glanced at her, didn't respond, a hint of a smile flickering in his eyes.

As they approached the village entrance, a woman's scolding came from ahead, "I've raised you with your father all these years, and you run off like this—haven't we raised you for nothing?"

That voice was all too familiar; Gu Xixi looked up.

She saw Gu Qingye bound with a hemp rope, Gu Lao San and Liu Shi pulling her forward.

Gu Qingye cried and struggled, "That person is a leper; you only care about my brother, don't you care whether I live or die?"

Liu Shi scolded, "Your brother is like this now; how am I supposed to support my old age with your father, and how is your brother supposed to marry a wife?"

"How can you, this lass, be so hard-hearted, insisting on causing our family to die out?"

Gu Lao San said with a stern face, "The betrothal gifts have been taken; if you die, forget other thoughts, just wait obediently to be married off next month!"

Gu Qingye, heartbroken and furious, choked out, "I won't marry! I'd rather die than marry!"

The donkey cart met that family of three under the big locust tree.

Gu Lao San and Liu Shi turned cold faces away, pretending not to know them.

Gu Qingye, however, lifted her head and stared fixedly at Gu Xixi.

Her gaze was twisted with jealousy, yet when it swept over Mu Nan Zhao it welled up with intense infatuation.

Yet Mu Nan Zhao didn't even glance at her; the donkey cart simply drove on.

Having left the village gate, Gu Xixi said, "She probably thinks her marriage is all my fault."

Mu Nan Zhao glanced sideways, "Then do you still want to save her?"

Gu Xixi said, "I'm not saving her; a few days ago I went with my master to that man's house—his sister is only eleven, she's so young, kind and gentle; marrying her to Gu Tiezhu, that lunatic, with Liu Shi as a mother-in-law..."

Saying this, Gu Xixi couldn't help sighing, "If she really married in, she'd probably be tortured to death not long after."

"And what has she done wrong?"

Gu Xixi, after finishing her own autumn harvest, finally had time to deal with Gu Qingye's bride-exchange matter.

The family to whom she was betrothed is in Stone Village.

Gu Xixi had previously met this family's younger sister; she inevitably felt pity, so this time she asked Village Chief Zhao to act as intermediary.

The old doctor treats leprosy patients; the condition is that if it works, this family must proactively call off the engagement with Gu Lao San's household and thereafter no longer need to exchange daughters in marriage.

The old doctor said the patient is still in the early stage, with a good chance of being completely cured.

His parents, overjoyed upon hearing, immediately agreed to Gu Xixi's conditions, signed and pressed their handprints.

That day, as Gu Xixi and Lao Langzhong left his house, the little girl came running out alone, without a word she knelt down with a plop, and then three heavy kowtows sounded—bang, bang, bang.

When Gu Xixi went to help her up, all he saw was her face streaked with tears.

……

Mu Nan Zhao paused, then asked, "As for this girl, that's fine, but your cousin—aren't you afraid you'll end up like a farmer who raises snakes?"

"The farmer and the snake?" Gu Xixi laughed.

"I have never taken her into my bosom; what's more, I only need to keep a sharp blade hanging over her at all times."

"If the snake makes any rash move, just sever its seven inches."

She looked at Mu Nan Zhao, feeling helpless; although keeping this snake might be useful.

When the time comes that there is no alternative, killing is still necessary.