Chapter 269 Newcomer
Someone has already gone to call the elders.
The crowd surrounded the three guests and walked in, greeting them warmly:
"Is it Village Chief Qian and Madam Qian? It was our families who were ignorant and caused such a big mess before."
"Thanks to Village Chief Qian's best efforts to stop it, it didn't cause a disaster."
Old Qian and Aunt Qian hurriedly waved their hands and said with a smile, "No, no, they are all misunderstandings. It will be fine once they are resolved."
Everyone turned to Gu Xixi again, "Of course, it's also thanks to our boss Gu for not holding a grudge!"
"Boss Gu is one of us, so we won't bother to greet you. Just treat this place as your own home, do whatever you want and say whatever you want!"
Gu Xixi said, "You guys are too kind."
"Since we are family, you can just call me by my name from now on. There is no need to be so distant."
Everyone responded in unison.
There is still one hour before the banquet starts.
The two leaders took Mr. and Mrs. Qian to have a rest and eat some cold fish soup noodles.
Gu Xixi had other arrangements.
She knew the clan elders and several people in charge.
The clan elder personally took her to meet several elders of the Gu family who were highly respected for their virtues.
Some of these people looked older than Uncle Gu, while others were middle-aged, about the same age as Lao Qian.
Gu Xixi greeted them one by one.
Several elders responded with smiles, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
It can be seen that they have no objection to Gu Xixi, the new person in charge.
The elder pointed to the altar in front of the site and said, "This year, God and the God of Land have blessed us with a good harvest. We need to burn incense and offer wine to express our gratitude later."
"Just stand behind me."
Gu Xixi nodded and said, "Yes."
Someone's young daughter-in-law brought a bowl of cold fish noodle soup to Gu Xixi.
"Sister, drink a bowl. It will cool you down and quench your thirst."
Pour the wheat flour water into a large iron pot in advance and stir it clockwise until it becomes a paste.
The cooked wheat flour paste is poured into a colander and dropped into cold water drop by drop to set in shape, which resembles small fish or tadpoles.
There is also a sour and salty cold soup prepared in advance.
Serve the fish noodles in a bowl and pour soup over them.
Be sure to eat it as soon as possible, otherwise it will lose its taste.
The fish noodles are tender and melt in your mouth. When eaten with the refreshing soup, there is almost no need to chew them. Therefore, eating fish noodles is not called "eating" but "drinking".
It was almost noon and the sun was shining brightly.
Gu Xixi took a sip from the edge of the bowl and indeed felt her mouth water and her heat was relieved.
At this time, someone else came over, pulling the scholar over.
The clan elder smiled and introduced, "Girl Xixi, this is Mingyuan. His surname is Jiang. His mother is the daughter of our Gu family who got married. His father is a clerk beside the prefect. He is also from a family of scholars."
Gu Xixi had no choice but to stand up with the bowl in hand and greet him, "Mr. Jiang, nice to meet you."
Jiang Mingyuan bowed and said, "I've heard of Boss Gu's great name a long time ago. It's a pleasure to meet you, a woman of great character."
The elder laughed, "You two are of similar age, both young people, why do you have to be so polite when speaking."
He said to Jiang Mingyuan, "Although your two families are not related, your mother's surname is Gu after all."
"You have to take good care of your sister Xixi today."
Sister? Gu Xixi was startled and pondered in her heart. She hadn't heard of this title for a long time since she killed Gu Tiezhu's perverted cousin.
Jiang Mingyuan looked up at Gu Xixi, seemed a little shy, and lowered his head slightly.
"yes."
The elder of the clan said to Gu Xixi, "Mingyuan was raised in his maternal grandparents' home for a few years after he was born. I watched him grow up. He is a good and obedient child."
"I heard that he won the first place in the provincial examination this year. I was so happy."
"Even though our Gu family doesn't have this luck for the time being, Mingyuan still has Gu blood in his veins. He passed the imperial examination at the age of 18, and even the prefect said that he has a bright future!"
Gu Xixi looked at Jiang Mingyuan and was also a little surprised.
In ancient times, after passing the provincial examination, one could become a Juren.
The status of a juren was the first step in achieving class transition from being a commoner.
After passing the examination, one can go to the capital to take part in a higher-level imperial examination.
Jiang Mingyuan won the first place in the provincial examination when he was only eighteen years old, which is equivalent to the provincial top scorer in the modern college entrance examination.
So when the clan elders said that he had a promising future, it was not an exaggeration.
Gu Xixi smiled at Jiang Mingyuan and said, "Although it's a little late, I still congratulate Brother Jiang on passing the exam."
She had a bright smile and graceful manners, completely different from the girls Jiang Mingyuan had seen before.
The young scholar was stunned by what he saw. After a moment, he said, "It's not too late for good advice. Thank you, Sister Xixi."
The elder glanced back and forth between the two of them and nodded with satisfaction.
"You two kids definitely won't like what we old guys say."
"Mingyuan, this is Xixi's first time at the clan gathering. Take her around and let her get to know everyone."
Gu Xixi followed Jiang Mingyuan away and handed the empty bowl to the person in charge of collecting the bowls.
Jiang Mingyuan started the conversation first, "My grandparents also grew corn."
"I just came back this time and I heard a lot about you."
Gu Xixi smiled, "You probably didn't hear that I was holding on to the secret recipe before, but I finally told you recently, but I'm selling things to everyone. I'm cunning and treacherous, but I won't suffer any loss anyway. That's me."
Jiang Mingyuan's handsome face froze, and he first opened his eyes wide in surprise.
Realizing that Gu Xixi was joking, he chuckled, "You are indeed extraordinary."
"However, what I heard was not what you said. Instead, it was all compliments."
Jiang Mingyuan told the story with a smile.
From his words, one can tell that he is a talented and learned man.
There is a lot of humor in it.
Perhaps because they had gradually become familiar with each other, Jiang Mingyuan was no longer as nervous as when they first met, and became talkative.
From time to time, he would introduce passers-by to Gu Xixi.
He also talked about the traditions of the local Gu family association, interesting events over the years, etc.
He behaved in an elegant manner, but he did not show off his knowledge or talk big at all.
Even on the topic of farming that Gu Xixi is most interested in, Jiang Mingyuan has his own insights and opinions.
Gu Xixi thought this trip would be a bit boring, but she didn't expect to meet someone as interesting as Jiang Mingyuan.
"Do you think there's still not enough food being grown in the Northwest?"
Jiang Mingyuan hummed, "It's far from enough."
"In the past three years, the grain circulating in the market and the government grain stored in various places are only enough to maintain the stability of the market price for the time being."
"After the Northwest Army finishes this battle, no matter what the outcome, the food supply in the Northwest will not be able to withstand any storms."
With a sad look on his face, he sighed, "It would be great if someone could open up more land and grow more food."
Gu Xixi lowered her head and curled the corners of her lips upwards.
This man, a mere scholar, actually thought the same thing as her.
Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing that large tracts of land had already been opened up on the northwest frontier.
Jiang Mingyuan looked at Gu Xixi and said solemnly, "So I admire what you do."
“As the saying goes, food is the primary need of the people. If we can grow more food on the same land, the northwest will no longer have to worry about anything!”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com