Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside-Chapter 1013: Returning to the Village

"Thank you, Brother Gu, for taking care of us over this period. We are deeply grateful, and we will meet again at the college examination in June." Yao Youqian only found out today that the girl helping Lv Bai with his work is Gu Jin’an’s sister. He is very grateful; without the help of Brother Gu’s sister, Lv Bai would never have earned so much Silver.

Lv Bai was also embarrassed and said, "I lacked insight before and caused Brother Gu trouble. I hope Brother Gu can forgive me." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

He wanted Gu Jin’an to pass a message to Gu Jinli, thanking her, but thinking about the restrictions between men and women, he changed his tone and said, "The kindness of Brother Gu’s family will always be remembered, and I will surely repay it in the future."

After saying this, he performed three bows to Gu Jin’an before stopping.

Gu Jin’an chuckled and said, "We are all people of He’an Prefecture. Once we enter the officialdom, we’ll be fellow townspeople, and we should support each other. There’s no need for such polite words in the future."

But Lv Bai was terrified by poverty. He knew how significant Gu Jinli’s kindness was to his family. She gave his family a way to survive, so he still remembered this kindness, intending to repay it someday.

"Alright, stop bowing. If you keep bowing, the sun will set. Let’s not delay Brother Gu’s family dinner here. Let’s hurry up and leave." Yao Youqian couldn’t stand Lv Bai’s clingy behavior and, after giving a quick bow to Gu Jin’an, said straightforwardly, "See you at the college examination in June. Goodbye."

After speaking, he dragged Lv Bai away.

Gu Jinli waited for them to leave before stepping down from the mule cart and said, "Big brother, are they going back to the village too?"

Gu Jin’an nodded, "Yes, they have already delayed quite a bit in the Prefecture. They need to hurry back."

Looking at the mule cart again, he asked, "Did you only butcher a few things and return?"

It didn’t seem like her style.

Gu Jinli smiled and said, "How could that be? I took half of the Qi Family’s shop’s goods and have already sent them back to the village."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jin’an sighed in relief; he would finally stop running into Qi Yun and Qi He when he goes out.

He called Zezi over to help move things into the house.

As soon as Gu Jinli entered, Mrs. Chen caught her and said, "Little Xiao Yu, hurry and see if this works now. I’ve already altered it according to your instructions. If it doesn’t work again, Aunt will be at her wit’s end."

Gu Jinli examined it and said, "It’s alright, but still too rough. Please redo it."

"Redo it again!" Mrs. Chen shouted angrily, "Little Xiao Yu, you are doing this on purpose to trouble your Aunt, aren’t you? It’s been done twice already, and you still want another?"

Gu Jinli scratched her ear and said, "Only twice, what’s the big deal? Besides, what’s the hurry? We’re going back to the village tomorrow, and the opening of the shop in the Prefecture can wait a bit."

Mrs. Chen, upon hearing this, pulled Gu Jinli and said, "Little Xiao Yu, how about we delay going back by a day? Aunt wants to go to the broker to buy some people tomorrow. I’ve already negotiated with the broker; both the government and private slave markets have prepared personnel for us."

Mrs. Chen really enjoys buying people. She can observe rows of servants over and over, and when dissatisfied, she can snort and say, "What kind of lousy goods are these? Isn’t there anything better around? Are you fooling the villagers? Quickly fetch better ones for me!"

Imagine, listen, and think about it—that scene can make people feel awe.

That’s why Mrs. Chen wants to show off a bit at the broker before returning.

But Gu Jinli said, "You don’t need to worry about buying people; I’ll have someone get good ones for you."

"What? Not letting me buy people!" Mrs. Chen was shocked. Being denied such a prestigious task, how can this be?

"Little Xiao Yu, the shop is Aunt’s idea, and Aunt will manage it in the future. So, the purchase of servants should be handled by Aunt," Mrs. Chen argued. "If Aunt doesn’t select the servants personally, what happens if they don’t listen to Aunt in the future?"

Gu Jinli replied, "If they don’t listen to you, sell them off."

A master should be able to handle disobedient servants, right?

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Chen pressed on, "Little Xiao Yu, it really won’t work. Let’s stay an extra day and let Aunt go to the broker to buy a batch of people. I’ve already arranged with the broker; it wouldn’t look good not to go."

Understanding Mrs. Chen’s intention, which is to show off and relish her authority as a master, Gu Jinli replied, "Picking people is a great skill. Picking them wrong could harm the shop’s success. Don’t meddle in this process; just wait until the shop opens, and your needs will be met."

After saying this, Gu Jinli no longer paid attention to Mrs. Chen and went to her room to change clothes.

Left with no other options, Mrs. Chen walked away with a disgruntled expression.

That evening, after everyone had dinner, they discussed the plans for returning to the village and went to bed early.

Gu Jinli didn’t sleep immediately. Qin San Lang found her and shared the findings that You Xi had uncovered regarding the Cen Family’s pharmacy.

"The Cen Family’s pharmacy indeed has hidden secrets. You Xi found the pattern you mentioned at the bottom of the lantern. This is the rubbing." Qin San Lang handed a paper with the tripod furnace pattern to Gu Jinli, saying, "The Cen Family’s pharmacy has patrols; the patrols are quite skilled. It took You Xi two nights to get this rubbing."

Gu Jinli took the paper, looked at the tripod furnace pattern, and smiled, "It’s indeed the Shi Lu Medicine Store."

Seeing her smile, with no sign of worry, Qin San Lang also relaxed and asked, "Is it really alright? This is the closest pharmacy trouble you’ve ever had."

Gu Jinli raised her head, smiling at him, and asked, "What? Worried about me?"

Qin San Lang hugged her and nodded, "Yes, I fear that you’ll encounter trouble, and I won’t be by your side to protect you."

Gu Jinli smiled more warmly, poking his face and said, "Don’t worry. Whether Shi Lu Medicine Store will be troublesome or not is still hard to say. Even if it’s a problem, Yuanzi Pharmacy will handle it. I only have to focus on making medicine."

Still, she was somewhat worried because she didn’t know who the current head of Shi Lu Medicine Store is.

If it’s someone without ties to Yuanzi Pharmacy, then surely Shi Lu Medicine Store and Yuanzi Pharmacy will have a confrontation.

"Have you ever heard about Shi Lu Medicine Store before?" Gu Jinli asked Qin San Lang, "Do you know their story? How much do you know?"

Qin San Lang shook his head, "Not much."

Although many herbs are used in the military, currently the supplier is Chushen Pharmacy, and Shi Lu Medicine Store isn’t often mentioned.

Qin San Lang said, "Grandfather mentioned that Shi Lu Medicine Store was famous during the former dynasty, but after Great Chu was established, Shi Lu Medicine Store slowly faded from the public eye."

After hearing this and recalling what Doctor Wu shared with her, Gu Jinli knew who was behind Shi Lu Medicine Store, "Shi Lu Medicine Store should be jointly operated by various noble families, primarily controlling medicinal herbs."

The name Shi Lu Medicine Store is too obvious; it inevitably leads people to think deeply.

"However, I don’t know who currently manages Shi Lu Medicine Store. I hope it’s not the Zongzheng Family."

After recently confronting Zongzheng Ya, if Zongzheng Family is in charge, things could get tricky.

But she laughed again, "It doesn’t matter, anyway, Boss Min and the others are in charge. I don’t need to worry."

Qin San Lang looked at her relaxed yet clever smile and laughed along, "Little Xiao Yu is indeed brilliant. She considered these scenarios early and prepared."

Gu Jinli hummed proudly, "Of course. My cleverness is undeniable."

Looking at her proud little face, Qin San Lang felt a surge of joy. Mimicking her, he poked her face gently and said, "Yes, our Little Xiao Yu is the smartest, unmatched by anyone."