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

Chapter 446 To be honest, nobody believed it.

The mountain breeze swept through at dusk, and the courtyard was completely silent.

Lu Jing looked to the left at Gu Xixi, then to the right at Aunt Zhang.

On the way home, Gu Xixi said that she would lay all her cards on the table when they got home and asked Lü Jing to cooperate according to the situation.

Especially if Aunt Zhang gets angry, you must help her say some nice things.

Lü Jing naturally agreed without hesitation.

But what's going on here?

Aunt Zhang remained silent and unperturbed, simply staring blankly at Gu Xixi, as if she hadn't understood a word she was saying.

This left Lü Jing feeling uncertain, and she didn't dare to break the silence for a moment.

Gu Xixi had been hiding it for so long, so of course she felt guilty.

She cleared her throat, about to admit her mistake.

Then Aunt Zhang burst into loud laughter, "What? You're that Gu Shi upstairs?"

She slapped her thigh, laughing so hard she almost fell over, and said, "If you want to make your auntie happy, you have to come up with a more plausible excuse!"

"Although our Xixi is comparable to Miss Gu, whom everyone envies, can our Xiao Mu be the regent?"

"How could that be! Our family has never taken in another Xiao Mu, hahaha..."

Gu Xixi became a little anxious, "Auntie, I'm not kidding you, I'm serious!"

Aunt Zhang stared at Gu Xixi for a moment, then couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"My sweetie, stop fooling around."

She then realized that perhaps she was the one who had put too much pressure on her child, and said with a mixture of affection and heartache:

"I know you don't want to get married right now, so I promise I won't pressure you anymore."

"Don't try to fool me with that excuse again, okay?"

After saying that, Aunt Zhang couldn't help but laugh again, turning around and walking away as she spoke:

"You two rest, I'll go knead the dough again. Hand-pulled noodles need to be kneaded and rested properly to be chewy and delicious!"

Gu Xixi and Lü Jing watched silently as Aunt Zhang laughed until her stomach hurt, then, supporting her lower back with one hand, she walked into the kitchen with a groan.

The two turned to look at each other, their expressions both complex.

Gu Xixi said, "Why don't you believe me even though I've told the truth?"

She frowned in confusion, "Lü Jing, am I really that bad in your aunt's eyes?"

"Why don't you believe I'm that Gu family member?"

Lu Jing said quietly, "No, I think in Aunt Zhang's eyes, you are more than worthy of the gods in heaven."

"What she just said sounded to me like... unworthy of being... a regent."

Gu Xixi's lips twitched, her eyes filled with despair.

Considering that she couldn't prove to Aunt Zhang that Mu Nanzhao was indeed the Regent, Gu Xixi had no choice but to give up.

"Oh well, let's just take it one step at a time. We'll meet again someday."

The border, at the western end of the village of dependents.

Mu Nanzhao and Huo Jiang entered the slightly dilapidated little house.

The door was already open, and the elderly woman stood inside with her arms crossed and bowed in greeting.

Looking behind her, Ina sat upright on a bamboo and wooden couch.

Her belly was noticeably protruding, but it did not diminish her charm at all.

Huo Jiang smiled, speaking to Mu Nanzhao, but his eyes were fixed on Yina:

"It seems they anticipated our visit and made all the necessary preparations."

Upon seeing the guest, Ina made no attempt to get up and greet him.

"Both of you are distinguished guests, but unfortunately, I have nothing to offer you in this place."

"Please take a seat."

There were two dented square stools on the ground, a bit wobbly, but still usable.

Mu Nanzhao and Huo Jiang sat down calmly.

Huo Jiang always preferred to take the initiative, so he spoke up directly, "Since we've already revealed our cards..."

"Why don't we just talk about cooperation?"

……

Qingtian County, farmland outside the city.

Chen Dafu and others were helping to move the grain, while Aunt Tao and Madam Wu were responsible for watching the grain store clerks over the process and checking the weight.

Lü Jing used a booklet and a brush to check and record the accounts.

Manager Liao came to collect the grain as agreed, bringing his own helpers, drivers, and ten large carts.

He grabbed a handful of freshly harvested wheat, rubbed it between his fingers, looked at it, and then smelled it.

Then he picked up a grain of wheat, put it in his mouth, and chewed it for a moment.

After this inspection, Manager Liao smiled with satisfaction and readily said:

"I trust Mr. Gu, so there's no need to test the rest."

"Although we've had a bumper harvest and grain prices are trending downwards, we're old friends, so how about we stick to the price we agreed on before?"

Since Gu Xixi shipped out a large quantity of goods today, she naturally had a good idea of ​​the current grain prices.

Although the imperial court reduced taxes, it still had to purchase military rations locally in the Northwest to supply the Northwest army.

With such high demand, it is unlikely that the price of grain, especially refined grain, will drop in the short term.

Fortunately, Gu Xixi had known Manager Liao for so long that she knew he had no bad intentions; at most, he was just a merchant with a glib tongue.

She didn't take it to heart and half-jokingly said, "If Manager Liao finds the price difficult, there's no need to force it."

“I’ll unload my wheat from the truck and find another buyer.”

Manager Liao was startled, inwardly groaning, but outwardly forcing a smile, "Boss Gu just loves to joke!"

“The truck is already loaded with thirty bags. If we unload any more, even if I, Lao Liao, have a bad mouth, I deserve it. But Boss Gu is kind-hearted and shouldn't make us unload any more, considering how hard my men have worked.”

Gu Xixi knew when to stop and smiled without saying a word.

Manager Liao hurriedly waved his hand, urging his employees and driver to load the cart faster, as if afraid that Gu Xixi would change her mind and not sell it.

This batch of wheat has been loaded onto the truck.

The weight and number of bags recorded by Manager Liao's accountant matched perfectly with the booklet in Lü Jing's hand.

Gu Xixi accepted the silver note from Manager Liao, checked the markings and anti-counterfeiting measures, smiled, and put it away, bowing slightly as she said:

"Thank you for patronizing my business, Manager Liao."

Manager Liao returned the gift with a smile, saying, "We're in the same boat, looking out for each other and supporting one another."

With the acquisition now complete, Manager Liao relaxed and decided to chat with Gu Xixi to get closer to her.

"In a short period of time, Boss Gu's growth rate is much faster than mine."

"Thinking back to when I first met Mr. Gu, he was still driving his own car, selling grain on a small scale."

“Now, in the blink of an eye, you’ve become a large-scale grain grower, and it’s us merchants who come to your door to buy your grain.”

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "I had no choice. How could I compare to Manager Liao's large and powerful family business?"

"I can't provide that many laborers and that many delivery trucks."

Lu Jing watched with great interest, thinking to herself, "This must be what Xi Xi was talking about: mutual flattery in business."

Study, study, take notes.

Manager Liao laughed heartily a few times, "Hey! It's not about having many helpers, but about having quality ones."

"The female strategist who used to be by Boss Gu's side was formidable enough, but this one now..."

He looked at Lü Jing and asked, "This is the first time I've met you. Are you a new employee hired by Boss Gu?"

Lu Jing cupped her hands generously and said, "Lu Jing is indeed a new employee of the employer. Manager Liao has never seen me before."

Manager Liao's eyes lit up with admiration. "Impressive!"

"Having only been here a short time, I can already do bookkeeping quickly and accurately without making mistakes."