Village Chief He was very pleased with how the Gu Family handled the situation. If they could get rid of Village Chief Sun, he himself could breathe a sigh of relief. Third Grandma and Mrs. Cui knew that Village Chief He was coming, so they added a plate of fried eggs and reheated the leftover Fried Crispy Pork from the previous evening, serving it to Village Chief He. Village Chief He looked at the Fried Crispy Pork and fried eggs with emotion, thinking about how the Gu Family’s life was getting better, even having meat early in the morning. "Don’t be shy, village chief, please help yourself," Third Grandpa invited Village Chief He. Village Chief He did not hesitate, and although his teeth were not very good, the Fried Crispy Pork was so fragrant that he ate several pieces. After eating, Village Chief He turned to Qi Panzi and said, "Now that your family’s household registration has been transferred to Da Feng Village, you are people of Da Feng Village. Live here with peace of mind, and do not be afraid. If anyone causes trouble for you, come and talk to me, this old man will certainly stand up for you." Village Chief He spoke very righteously, which was a very different attitude from when Gu Jinli and his family first came to the village. Hearing Village Chief He’s words, Third Grandpa inwardly sighed, recognizing that it really takes capabilities. Without their skills, opening a workshop, and having County Captain Jiang’s protection, Village Chief He would not be so easy to talk to. Qi Panzi stood up, bowed to Village Chief He, and said, "The youngster thanks the village chief for his care." Speaking, he took the gift handed over by Gu Daya and presented it with both hands to Village Chief He, "This is a gift for the village chief from our family; I hope you won’t disdain it and will accept this gift." Originally, Village Chief He did not want to accept, but knowing that only by accepting it could Qi Panzi feel at ease, he accepted the gift. The gift was quite generous, containing a piece of gray-blue cotton cloth, half a piece of pork belly, a packet of caramel, and a small bag of rice weighing about two taels. Looking at the gifts, Village Chief He laughed so hard that his laugh lines deepened, "You are welcome to visit the village whenever you have time. If you spot any uncultivated land you’re interested in, just come and talk to me. We farmers still need to farm." "Eh, we will find some time to look in the next few days. Thank you, village chief." Qi Panzi, who used to be a peddler, was not bad with words, quite eloquent, although he felt guilty towards Gu Daya, and became somewhat inarticulate when facing Third Grandpa, Third Grandma, and Gu Dashan. After accepting the gifts, Village Chief He was very responsible, turning to Third Grandpa and saying, "Brother Gu, you need to clarify the Lu Family’s matter with your great-niece’s family, to prevent them from being harmed by the Lu Family." He added, "Speaking of which, the Lu Family has been quite honest recently. While you were away in the Prefecture, they didn’t cause any trouble at all, just stayed quietly in the Lu Mansion, hardly going out." Third Grandpa was also surprised that the Lu Family didn’t take the opportunity to cause trouble while they were in the Prefecture, but he wouldn’t let his guard down because of this. They had fled famine all the way here, and had seen too many cases of people who seemed honest on the surface but were wicked behind closed doors. Isn’t Sister Liu and her group just like that, and that Ma Cuilan as well, appearing kind and pitiable, but actually being the most calculating and harmful? "Village chief, why haven’t the Zou Yuzhen siblings returned yet?" Gu Jinli asked. Village Chief He replied, "I heard that Old Man Lu is sick, and the two of them came to attend to him. Another story is that the Lu Family did so many wrong things, and Mrs. Zou caught them, seizing the opportunity to send them back to the Lu Family. Not sure which story is true, but in any case, as long as those siblings haven’t left, that’s correct." Village Chief He is quite annoyed by the siblings Zou Yuzhen. When the son and daughter of the County Governor come to the village, he, as the village chief, must serve them carefully. And that Zou Yuzhen, for some unknown reason, also came looking for his Jin Sheng. "He said he and my Jin Sheng are both scholars, and they are of similar age, so they have things to talk about. What can they talk about? He is already in his twenties, and my Jin Sheng is only sixteen, four years apart, and they are not from the same social status. What could they possibly have to discuss?" "I’m fed up with him. Recently, I’ve let my Jin Sheng stay in town for schooling, staying at the teacher’s house and not coming home." Village Chief He specifically mentioned this to show the Gu Family his stance and to tell them that his He family would not turn around and join County Magistrate Zou. Third Grandpa and Gu Jinli understood and replied with a smile, "You have worked hard, village chief." "It’s not hard, not hard, it’s getting late, I should head back home now." After saying what he needed, Village Chief He picked up the gifts and walked home. Just after Village Chief He left, Luo Huiniang ran to the entrance of her family’s courtyard and shouted, "Third Grandpa, Xiao Yu, we are going to set up the stall in town. Dad asked us to check if you’re ready. We are leaving soon." Last night, while discussing money and finding a shop, originally Third Grandpa didn’t need to set up the stall every day, but finding a shop was important, and he needed to be there, along with Xiao Yu too. "Ah, we are coming now." Gu Jinli turned and went back inside the house, and asked Mrs. Cui to get four silver notes. These silver notes were the deposits given by Elder Lei Wu. Recently, some were spent on medicinal materials. Xuanhu Fang had been delivering medicinal materials every other day, and there was a batch for which they had yet to pay. Today, while going to town, they planned to settle the payment for these medicinal materials and look for a shop. If they were lucky enough to find one, they would use these silver notes for the deposit. Gu Jinli took out the silver notes, gave two to Third Grandpa, and after hiding the notes securely, they went to gather with Luo Huiniang and the others. Before leaving, Gu Jinli told Gu Daya, "Auntie, you guys rest at home first. When I come back, I’ll discuss the shop opening matter with you." "Ah, okay. Take care of yourself and stay with Third Grandpa, don’t get separated." Gu Daya and the others are not ones to sit idly; they had already planned to help grind spices at Gu’s Workshop. Third Grandpa and Gu Jinli quickly arrived at the Luo Family, and with Father Luo, Ms. Chu, and Luo Huiniang, headed to Gu’s Workshop. In the workshop, Uncle Tian and Aunt Tian had already loaded the tofu, seasoning spices, and bean dregs onto the cart. This cart was made by Gu Dashan during his free time, and the wheels were provided by Scholar Shang’s Family. Once the cart was assembled on the wheels, it was ready. Pulling the cart by manpower to transport goods to town was easier than carrying loads. They couldn’t afford to buy oxen or mules yet; once they can, they’ll replace the manpower with these animals and have carts pulled by them. "Xiao Yu, why have you just arrived? We have been waiting for a long time," Mrs. Chen, dressed in a floral spring shirt with her hair neatly combed and slicked with oil-containing water, making it look shiny. Gu Jinli looking at her, frowned and asked, "Aunt Da Gui, aren’t you supposed to be setting up your stall today? Don’t you have to prepare the spices? The quantity for your family was already decided. If you don’t stay home to prepare the spices and can’t deliver the goods on April 26th, our families will have to compensate." Mrs. Chen laughed and said, "Look at what you’re saying. Do you think your aunt is someone who doesn’t understand these matters? Your Uncle Da Gui is at home. Brother Xing and Brother Wang have school only in the morning, and will be home to prepare the spices after noon. It won’t matter without Aunt Da Gui being there."