Chapter 39: Are you hungry and want to boil stones to eat?

No one noticed Grandpa's little thoughts, and they all lowered their heads and ate their meals.

Seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, grandma urged grandpa to take Gu Jiayue to see the village chief quickly, so as not to go too late and disturb everyone's rest.

The village chief lives in the south of the village, some distance away from the Gu family.

Fortunately, Hu Zi came back and drove the carriage back.

The grandfather and grandson got on the carriage and arrived soon.

After getting off the car, Grandpa Gu looked at the carriage pulled by two horses and sighed: "No wonder everyone wants to be rich."

A horse-drawn carriage is more comfortable than an ox-drawn carriage, and it is faster.

Gu Jiayue smiled, held her grandfather's arm and said, "Don't worry, Grandpa. When I make a lot of money in the future, I will definitely let you live a carefree and wealthy life."

Grandpa was originally quite happy, but after hearing this, he couldn't help but roll his eyes and said with a pout: "Come on, your school? Don't lose all your money by then."

As the grandfather and grandson talked, they arrived at the village chief's house. Grandpa stood at the gate and called out, "Pingzi, are you home?"

Taohua Village is home to the majority of residents with the surnames Gu and Zhang. Legend has it that the ancestors of these two families were good friends who fled famine hundreds of years ago. Running out of food and ammunition, and unable to move any further, they settled down. Over several generations, Taohua Village gradually took shape. Later, more people moved in, and the village grew in size.

The village chief was named Gu Huangping, and he was of the same generation as Gu Jiayue's father. According to their clan relationship, Gu Jiayue had to call the village chief "uncle."

The village chief had just finished dinner and was enjoying the cool breeze in the yard. When he heard someone calling him, he quickly got up to check.

"Here I am, uncle, please come in and sit down."

Even though the village chief is the head of the village and hundreds of households in Taohua Village listen to his arrangements, that is because everyone gives him face for the sake of their clan relationship.

Even in private, he had to greet his elders respectfully when he met them.

After Grandpa sat down, Hu Zi placed the gift in his hand on the table in the main hall.

The village chief was surprised to see this. There was wine, snacks, fabrics, and even an inkstone. With such a generous gift, it seemed that the eldest uncle was asking for something very big! He quickly said, "Look, they are all my relatives. I'm so happy to have you here. Why are you bringing all these things? Take them back later."

The village head's wife, standing by, was so shocked to see the head of the household actually pushing such a good thing away that she almost blinked blindly. She cursed in her heart: "This old fool, is he stupid? The moon-white fabric is perfect for making a scholar's robe and a Taoist robe for his eldest grandson. And the inkstone is obviously for the eldest grandson, how can he push it away?"

How could the village chief not know that these were good things? Although he coveted these gifts, he really didn't dare to accept them, fearing that he couldn't fulfill his uncle's request. Even more afraid that he wouldn't live to enjoy them.

Grandpa had been drinking, and his voice was a bit louder than usual. "What kind of nonsense are you talking about? How can you give something away and then take it back? Do you look down on me, your uncle?"

The village chief quickly said, "How could that be possible? It's just that this gift is too valuable. I really don't dare to accept it!"

I’m afraid that I’ll live long enough to receive the money but not live enough to spend it!

Seeing the two of them pushing and shoving each other in a stalemate, Gu Jiayue felt a little helpless.

The human relations in Daxia really have a long history, and this remains true even in a different time and space.

She could guess a little bit about the village chief's intentions. She wanted quite a bit of land, and without the village chief's help, it would be difficult for her to obtain so much land. That's why she prepared a generous gift, hoping that the village chief would help her make this happen.

Seeing that the two of them had been talking for a long time but still hadn't gotten to the point, he said, "Uncle Village Chief, these aren't just for you."

Gu Jiayue stood up and walked over to the gifts. "This is a Duan inkstone from Zhaoqing Prefecture. The stone is fine and delicate, with the characteristics of being 'heavy yet light, hard yet soft, and silent to the touch.' It releases ink without damaging the brush tip, and can be ground with just a breath. It's highly prized by scholars and literati. It's excellent for personal use or as a gift."

"There's also this 'Zhaoming Wenxuan'. Although it's not the original manuscript, it contains the insights and annotations of the great scholar Xi Jitang of the previous dynasty. It will be of great benefit to students who want to take the imperial examinations."

The other gifts were all purchased by Hu Zi in the county and were nothing special, except for these two, which she had specifically ordered to be selected from her luggage. She thought that since the village chief had a well-educated grandson, these gifts would be just right.

After Gu Jiayue finished her explanation, the village chief could no longer say no.

He secretly marveled in his heart, this girl is not simple, this gift really touched his heart.

After all, he was the head of the village. Although he was a farmer, he had some knowledge. He had inquired about the Duan inkstone when he bought books for his grandson. An average Duan inkstone cost five taels of silver per square, but the one Gu Jiayue gave him was obviously an extraordinary piece.

As for the "Zhaoming Wenxuan," while he hadn't heard of it, he was well aware of the name of the great scholar Xi Jitang of the previous dynasty. He was a remarkable figure, rising to fame at a young age, rising from an obscure peasant to become a prime minister and, ultimately, the crown prince's tutor. He not only had numerous disciples but also developed his own unique educational philosophy, earning him widespread acclaim and esteem as a mentor. A copy of his book, with his insights and annotations, would be a true heirloom!

Grandpa didn't understand what a Duan inkstone or "Zhaoming Wenxuan" was. To him, they were just a piece of stone and a book. There were plenty of stones along the river, so what was so special about them? He said, "They are all for the children, they are not worth much."

The village chief gritted his teeth, and finally said with a smile as bright as spring breeze on his face: "Thank you, uncle and niece Jiayue."

Even if this girl was asking for the moon in the sky, he would still have to find a way to get it down for her. After all, she had given him so much.

Gu Jiayue felt relieved. This kind of push and pull was what she was worst at.

When the village chief's wife saw the village chief accept these things, she went into the kitchen with a smile to boil water, took out the family's treasured tea, and even generously brought a plate of melon seeds, "Come on, don't be polite, take some and eat them."

Gu Jiayue was stuffed with a handful of melon seeds. She didn't know whether to eat them or not.

Fortunately, Hu Zi was smart and quickly took it with both hands. He stepped back and peeled the melon seeds one by one and put the kernels on a plate.

Gu Jiayue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She really didn't want to talk while cracking melon seeds.

The village chief didn't want to beat around the bush and asked directly, "Jiayue girl, is there anything you need my help with?"

Gu Jiayue likes people who are straightforward. Back when she was in school, she had offended the vice-principal in charge of logistics because she was not good at dealing with people. After several setbacks, she gradually understood the twists and turns in the relationship.

But even though she understood it, she was still impatient with those routines.

Gu Jiayue said, "It's like this. I recently walked around the village and found a vacant lot at the foot of the South Mountain. I want to ask if there is an owner of that land?"

The village chief was stunned and asked, "Land?" "Does she want me to grant her a piece of land?"

Hmm. If that's the case, then he can still make the decision. "Girl, do you want it? If it's just one or two acres, I can write the deed to you right away."

Gu Jiayue nodded first, then shook her head and said, "I do want to buy it, but I'm not looking to buy just one or two acres. I want to buy the entire rocky land at the foot of Nanshan Mountain."

"What?" Grandpa, who had been enjoying his tea and not caring about anything else, jumped up in surprise at Gu Jiayue's words. "Are you drunk?"

His eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

This ignorant girl, does she even know how big that rocky patch of land on Nanshan Mountain is? And it's all rocks and shrubs, useless except for building a house! What did she buy it for? Is she going to chew on rocks when she's hungry?

The village chief was also shocked. Buying all the land at the foot of Nanshan Mountain? He really couldn't make the decision on so much.

No wonder she gave such a generous gift. She was going to hoard land and become a landlord. But the rocky land in Nanshan couldn't grow food at all, otherwise it would have been occupied by the landlords and bureaucrats long ago. So she advised: "Girl, that piece of land is too rocky and can't be cultivated, so it has been left idle. It's really not very useful."

He thought it would be better to persuade the young woman so that she would not regret it later.

Gu Jiayue smiled and said firmly, "It's okay. Village Chief, just tell me the price and how to buy it. As for the use, I have my own plans."

The village chief was helpless and could only look at Mr. Gu, hoping that he could persuade Gu Jiayue.

The grandfather wanted to persuade his granddaughter, but he remembered what the old woman told him when he left, so he had to shut up and pretend that he didn't hear or see anything.