This time, Gu Jiangli and her companion did not bring anyone else with them on their long journey.
Actually, when you're traveling, you only need to bring enough banknotes; you don't need so many people to take care of you.
So she left Hehua and Xiao Anzi in the palace, also to provide for the three Zhaoxu brothers.
To avoid disturbing their time together, Doctor Wu and Physician Lü specially prepared the medicine A Yao needed into pills so that he could carry them with him.
As long as you take your medicine on time, there shouldn't be any major problems.
They were indeed gone for a long time this time, so long that Gu Jiangli's memories of the palace became somewhat blurred before they decided to return.
On the carriage.
Gu Jiangli nestled in A Yao's arms, quietly watching the scenery outside the window.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, she grabbed his hand.
"Ayao, do you remember? At the end of this road on the left, that's where Zhaoyu and Zhaohe were born!"
That is, Dujia Village, the small village where they lived for almost a year.
Ayao was visibly delighted: "It really is! Shall we go and take a look?"
"Hehe, that's exactly what I was thinking."
The two quickly finalized their plan.
Their carriage arrived at the gate of Dujia Village. After getting off, Gu Jiangli and A Yao both felt dazed.
The large, gilded characters on the signboard were excessively dazzling, and the number of people coming and going inside was more than double what it had been before.
The brick houses from many years ago have now been transformed into two-story detached houses, and many have even become large courtyards with two entrances and two exits.
In just a few years, the village has changed more than the people have changed.
Gu Jiangli and A Yao exchanged a glance and swallowed simultaneously.
"Ah Yao, Dujia Village... has a mine been discovered?"
"Maybe... we've raised a rooster that lays golden eggs."
The two joked with each other as they walked into the village.
They hadn't walked far when an old woman, trembling, walked up beside them, staring wide-eyed at the two of them:
"Oh my! Is that Mr. Chu and Mrs. Gu?"
Passersby were drawn to the old woman's startled breath, turning around frequently, and many stopped in their tracks.
"It really is Lady Gu and Mr. Chu! You're back!"
"It's been so many years, but you haven't changed at all. I recognized you at a glance!"
Surrounded by friendly greetings from all directions, the two felt much better.
Gu Jiangli also remembered the first woman who recognized them; she was Granny Jin, who wanted to give them a live chicken when they were leaving, but in the end had no choice but to accept a basket of eggs.
"It's an honor that everyone still recognizes us. How have you all been these years?"
As soon as she asked this, everyone around burst into hearty laughter. "It's wonderful! Look at my house, Madam Gu. It was just renovated last year. It has a small yard, a small ditch, and a rockery. You can enjoy the scenery right at home!"
"That's right! Our Du Family Village is quite wealthy now!"
Gu Jiangli was also happy for them, but couldn't help asking curiously, "Did they really find a mine?"
"Haha, Madam Gu is still as witty as ever. Where did we get any mines here? If we're talking about ways to get rich, it's all thanks to His Majesty's favor and the Prince's special care that we've become wealthy."
Upon hearing the words "Your Majesty" and "Prince," Gu Jiangli and A Yao became even more interested.
Ayao's curiosity was practically popping out of his eyes.
Gu Jiangli quickly grabbed the woman's hand and asked, "Auntie, tell me your story. I really want to hear about how you made your fortune."
The woman beamed, shook Gu Jiangli's hand in return, cleared her throat, and began to explain:
"To be honest, Dujia Village owes its current state entirely to the young prince. He's His Majesty's own brother, a true member of the royal family, such a noble person! Yet he actually came to Dujia Village and is farming alongside us village women!"
“That’s right!” another auntie chimed in, “Farming is no easy task. Everyone thought that young prince was just looking for fun and something new, and that he would go back home after a few days when he got tired. But no one expected that not only would he not go back, but he would work harder than us, getting up early and working late!”
"After planting wheat, he probably felt it wasn't enough, so he went to plant fruit trees. Oh my! The young prince was really amazing. He grafted two different saplings together and planted them. At the time, everyone thought the young prince was just playing around. No one had ever planted fruit trees like that before. But unexpectedly, a kind of fruit that no one had ever seen before grew out of it."
"The fruit is bright yellow, with thin skin, lots of flesh, and sweet juice—it's delicious! His Majesty heard that we've grown fruit that's never been seen before here, and he specifically asked to taste it himself. After tasting it, His Majesty loved it so much that these fruits became tribute!"
"Once it became a tribute item, business boomed. Many people came to buy fruit from us. Look at those people on the road wearing silk and gauze; they are the ones who came from outside to buy fruit from us."
"In just two years, everyone in our Du Family Village has made a fortune. Mr. Chu, Mrs. Gu, when you entered the village, did you see that plaque with gilded characters? His Majesty himself wrote those characters for us!"
"The young prince is very kind to us. He doesn't want us to reveal the techniques for growing fruit trees. He says we should wait until we've earned enough money before we can share these techniques with other villages."
The middle-aged women chatted away, one after another, while Gu Jiangli and A Yao kept turning their heads from one side to the other.
After listening, they took a while to process what they heard.
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