Chapter 272 Fish and Bear's Paw
The elder of the Gu clan looked at Jiang Mingyuan and said, "You will be leaving for the capital at the end of the year, right?"
Next spring, Jiang Mingyuan will take part in the imperial examination in the capital.
Elder Gu continued, "It's just right. Xixi has been busy with her own things for the past six months, so you can prepare for the exam with peace of mind."
"There is still a long way to go. I don't believe that you will eventually be defeated by that kid named Chen."
Mu Nanzhao, who was thousands of miles away, suddenly sneezed several times.
Tomorrow's tactics are being discussed in the central military tent.
Huo Jiang looked at Mu Nanzhao and frowned, "You really can't take it anymore, you should go back and rest for a while."
Mu Nanzhao had just returned last night. Instead of going back to his tent to rest, he immediately received Huo Jiang's military order and went out secretly to contact old acquaintances in the city.
He just came back this morning and came straight here to attend the meeting. He hasn't slept for almost a day and a night.
Mu Nanzhao said, "Thank you for your concern, General. I'm fine."
The military has a strict hierarchy, so in front of everyone, he would of course give Huo Jiang some face.
Mu Nanzhao continued, "The general planned a strategy of internal and external cooperation. Last night, I was fortunate enough to fulfill my mission."
Now the troops have arrived at Fengcheng, and tomorrow will be the first siege.
Fengcheng has a century-old city wall that is tall, thick and solid, easy to defend but difficult to attack. It has been the eastern gateway since ancient times and a battleground for military strategists.
As long as Fengcheng is captured, the army can march straight in, and it is only a matter of time before they attack the capital.
Therefore, there are heavy imperial troops stationed in Fengcheng.
If the Northwest Army launched a forceful attack, it would surely pay a heavy price and take a long time.
Given the current tense situation in the imperial court in the capital, it is unclear how long the advantage He Jinghui has finally gained can last.
If the Queen Mother's party is allowed to recover, both the capital and the Northwest Army will face more variables.
When the generals heard that Mu Nanzhao had succeeded, they all showed joy on their faces.
Mu Nanzhao was not so optimistic. "But this internal and external cooperation still depends on us."
Huo Jiang said solemnly, "You say."
…
In Huachidu Village, in the morning, Gu Xixi went down the mountain to loosen the soil for the tea trees. When she was walking back with a hoe on her shoulder, she saw someone pacing back and forth outside her house from afar.
He walked a few steps, stopped, peeked inside through the crack in the door, and then continued walking back and forth.
Isn’t this Master Gu?
I haven't seen him for a long time, and it seems that he didn't go to the land temple last time.
Gu Xixi walked over with a normal expression.
When Mr. Gu heard the noise, he turned around and saw it was her, and was actually shocked.
Gu Xixi was stunned. Before she could say anything, she saw Master Gu turn around and run away with his head lowered and his back hunched.
Gu Xixi shook her head and pushed the door into the yard.
Aunt Zhang was picking vegetables in the shade under the eaves. "Are you back? I'll make you some mung bean soup."
Gu Xixi put down the hoe and said, "No hurry, didn't Master Gu talk to you just now?"
Aunt Zhang frowned and looked outside. "Him? You said he was outside?"
Gu Xixi told what she saw outside the door.
Aunt Zhang hated these people to begin with, and she was displeased when she heard this, "I didn't even know he was peeping outside the door. He was so sneaky, and I don't know what he was doing!"
Although Gu Xixi had some guesses in her mind, she said, "No matter what, let him be."
"That's right!" Aunt Zhang nodded. "Who has the time to figure out his thoughts?"
At noon, a villager was eating at his doorstep when he saw a convoy of four donkey carts entering Huachidu Village.
The young man riding in front and leading the way had curly tan hair and deep blue eyes.
“An Qinghe?!”
"It's Xiao An who's back!!"
First I saw the villagers of Anqinghe running happily along the way, shouting so that the whole village knew:
"An Qinghe is here! Our pesticides and fertilizers are here! Everyone, come out quickly!!"
Four full carts were parked directly on the threshing ground in front of the land temple.
As soon as the donkey cart stopped, the villagers rushed over.
Everybody was looking around, expecting, and asking about the price, and the scene was very chaotic.
An Qinghe was not in a hurry to discuss business. He just dealt with them with a smile and asked the driver to unload the goods first.
He announced the price only after he saw Gu Xixi coming.
This time, a mixed fertilizer and two pesticides were delivered, all of which were formulated by Gu Xixi for corn.
Each bag of fertilizer weighs 100 kilograms. The amount of powder used is small and needs to be diluted with water, which is 30 kilograms per bag. It is sold by bag.
Anqing and quoted in public.
For the villagers, this is definitely not a small amount, but it is lower than the price everyone privately expected.
So no one raised any objection at the scene.
Lao Qian organized everyone to line up, treating those who paid for the goods and those who bought on credit equally.
Those who buy on credit only need to hold a deed as proof and register the quantity, and then they can collect the money directly.
As for how much was needed, everyone reported to He Jinglan in advance how many acres of corn they had planted, and then Gu Xixi calculated it.
The transaction proceeded in an orderly manner. An Qinghe walked up to Gu Xixi and said with a smile, "I'll send your share home directly later."
Gu Xixi saw that he seemed to have lost some weight, and said, "You went to Shu to take care of the new orchard, and now you have to run this workshop. The time is tight, and you must have worked hard."
An Qinghe grinned widely, "Xixi cares about me so much, it's worth it even if I die of exhaustion."
He Jinglan glanced sideways, "Don't talk as if you're not doing this to make money for yourself."
An Qinghe was exposed, but he was not angry. "Both factors are there. We can have our cake and eat it too."
Gu Xixi and He Jinglan both laughed.
The villagers were not idle during the days waiting for An Qinghe.
Everyone was actively studying, and the village chief's family even organized four study classes a day.
At least for now, everyone has mastered the "secret recipe" of the first stage.
Just wait for the fertilizers and pesticides to arrive before you can start the actual operation.
Gu Xixi casually glanced at the people in line and found that Gu Laosan was there too. He was standing silently in the purchasing line. As if he had noticed Gu Xixi's gaze, he hurriedly lowered his head and avoided her gaze.
Gu Xixi turned her eyes away indifferently. She would not take the initiative to help Gu Laosan's family, but if Gu Laosan came to buy things by himself, or if he went to others to learn how to use something, no one would stop him.
He Jinglan whispered, "It seems that neither your great grandfather nor your second grandfather came."
Gu Xixi smiled and said, "Maybe not."
He Jinglan was puzzled, "Do you think they can still shamelessly take advantage of you?"
Gu Xixi smiled and said nothing.
Not to mention that Master Gu had been thinking about the so-called secret recipe for a long time, and he used both soft and hard tactics, using all kinds of means.
Take Uncle Gu for example. Although his family is a vegetable farmer, they also have to grow grain.
The worst thing is that his family's unique status has long been shaken by Gu Xixi.
Now, Zhou Dasao has a fruit forest and grows vegetables. Her husband Zhou Haode often goes to the city to sell vegetables recently.
The couple, one sells pickled vegetables and the other sells fresh vegetables. I don’t know how much money they made. It’s really enviable.
Several families in the village have privately approached Gu Xixi to express their interest in learning how to grow vegetables.
Gu Xixi didn't believe that Uncle Gu and his family were completely unaware of these things.
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