On the way back home, Gu Xinran happily praised Xiao Ba, "You were so impressive just now. From now on, you will be my dear little starling."

Xiao Ba scratched his head and smiled foolishly because of the praise.

In order to welcome Brother Xiaoba and thank him for his help, Gu Xinran specially cooked a pot of white rice with spiritual spring water.

The food was a takeaway meal from Xiangyuanlou, and everyone was incredibly satisfied.

They ate and talked in a harmonious atmosphere. With the heroic act of punishing Widow Sun, Xiao Ba quickly integrated into the Gu family.

After dinner, Xiao Ba went out to familiarize himself with the surroundings, while Xuan Xuan took Ting Ting back to her room to learn how to read. The rest of the group held a small meeting.

Gu Xinran first asked Brother Gu to close the courtyard gate and then the door of the main hall.

She took out the 141 taels of silver she had earned today and a wooden box full of gold.

"One hundred and forty-one taels is from selling the deer and the Polygonatum." He gently opened the wooden box. "This is for making the potion."

Looking at the box full of gold, the silver lost its luster and the other four were shocked.

This is too much!

After recovering from her worries, Grandma Gu said earnestly, "Ranran, we can't do anything deceptive. What kind of potion is so valuable?"

Mother Gu looked into Gu Xinran's eyes and said slowly and forcefully, "Life is already very good at home. You must not make mistakes."

Grandpa Gu and Big Brother Gu went to Xiangyuanlou with her, but they didn't know that she had accepted so much gold from others, and they were all very anxious.

Seeing everyone's anxious expressions, Gu Xinran immediately spoke up, "Don't overthink it! I'm going to tell you something, don't be afraid.

When I fell into the water and passed out, I experienced another life in a trance. I learned many new skills, one of which was the Spirit Gathering Water, which can detoxify, save lives, and improve physical fitness, but it is not easy to come by.

Have you noticed any improvement in your health? I put two drops in my teapot every day."

Everyone was stunned. There are so many strange things in this world!

Grandpa: "I haven't had any back pain or leg pain lately. I always thought it was because I ate well."

Gu Yuchen: "No wonder my strength and speed have improved so much. I thought I was a martial arts genius."

Mother Gu: "My eyesight is no longer blurry after sewing, and I have endless energy every day."

Grandma Gu: "No insomnia, sleeps through the night."

So amazing!

Then everyone became worried again. Grandpa looked at everyone with a stern face and a serious look, "We have to keep this matter to ourselves and tell no one. Ranran, you shouldn't even tell us."

Brother Gu understood the principle that even if a man is innocent, he will be guilty of possessing a treasure. "This matter can only be known by a few of us. Xuanxuan and Tingting are too young, and I'm afraid they might let it slip. We absolutely cannot tell them."

Grandma Gu and Mother Gu also repeatedly stressed that this secret must be kept strictly confidential.

Gu Xinran looked at his family members who had been so worried about him with relief. "It's great to have you. From tomorrow on, I will stay in the room and prepare the potion. My little starling will be watching over me and won't let anyone disturb me."

Grandpa thought for a moment and said, "If anyone asks about the potion, just say that I saved an old man in the mountains and that I taught him how to make it, but that the old man has passed away."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Grandpa Gu pushed the wooden box and the silver from selling the Polygonatum to Gu Xinran, saying, "Hide what you earned yourself. The silver from selling the deer is enough for you to spend." He then pushed the rest to Mother Gu, saying, "Taoyuan, keep this one hundred taels."

Gu Xinran happily put away the small box, leaving behind one or two taels of silver, and divided the remaining forty taels among her grandparents, nanny, and elder brother, each receiving a ten-tael silver ingot.

"Grandpa, grandma, and big brother, this is my gift to you. You should all carry some pocket money with you so you can buy whatever you want, but you have to live frugally. I'm the head of the household, so you need to be more generous. Whether our family can eat well and dress warmly depends on you. Come to me for more when you're done."

Mother Gu had never handled so much money before, and her hands were shaking a little when she touched it. "Great! From now on, our family will have fine grains and meat every meal, and live a good life!"

"Then Grandpa thanks Xinran. The small treasury has grown stronger..."

Before Grandpa finished speaking, the silver ingot was in Grandma's hand. "I'll keep this silver. You're too loose with it. If I leave it with you, it will be borrowed by others soon."

Turning to Gu Xinran with a pleasant expression, she said, "Ranran is the best. Grandpa and grandma are enjoying all the blessings from you!"

Grandpa Gu was angry but dared not speak out.

Brother Gu took the silver and looked at it, smiling, "It's good to have a capable sister. Thank you, Ranran."

After admiring it for a while, he handed it to Mother Gu and said, "Mom, please keep it for me. I'm afraid I'll lose it. I'll ask you for it when I need it."

"Okay." Mother Gu was still very confident in her ability to hide things.

Now that I have money and food, the next step should be to buy land and real estate and live a decadent life.

Gu Xinran said seriously, "Grandpa, let's add some land and buy a house in the county town so Xuanxuan can go to school."

Grandpa's face was filled with helplessness and a look of vicissitudes. "Alas, I've discussed this with your grandmother and the others. The drought is getting worse, and the lack of water and food may lead to unrest. We can't start building a family business until the drought stabilizes. If we flee the famine, all our efforts will be wasted. We can buy some more food."

Gu Xinran was surprised, "Well, Grandpa is wise."

An old person in the family is like a treasure!

When Brother Gu heard what his grandfather said, he felt that the burden on his shoulders was very heavy. He had to protect the elderly, the weak, women and children in the family, and a big secret. He had to practice harder.

How about the whole family practice together? My sister is very good at it, and she can keep fit without having to flee.

It just so happened that a master came to my house, which was really a timely help.

"Grandpa, let's all learn martial arts and let Little Starling teach us. If we ever have to flee famine, we'll have an extra layer of security."

Grandpa agreed wholeheartedly, "Well, that's a good idea, but I don't know if people are willing to teach me."

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