Observing how beloved Gu Qingcheng was in Phoenix Village, Du Lanyue felt that Gu Qingcheng could rally everyone with a single call.
During a simple lunch, Gu Qingcheng asked if everyone was tired and if they wanted to go back to rest.
They were all young, especially Du Lancheng. Seeing Gu Qingcheng so vibrant, he, who had been brought by his father to compete with Gu Qingcheng, naturally refused to be outdone. He smiled and said, "Not tired. If Young Master Gu wants to rest, he can go ahead. We can take a walk around the village, alright?"
"Since you've come to our Phoenix Village, I must play the host. If no one is tired, I'll take you on a tour of our village. Look, opposite us are our school and nursery. Let's go take a look together."
They ate late, past the normal lunch hour. The children in the school had already eaten and were in class.
Mr. Huang was shaking his head and chanting, teaching the children the Three Character Classic. Though the children had childish faces, each one was very serious. Even with a group of visitors, no one was distracted.
Mr. Huang's face showed surprise when he saw Gu Qingcheng, but he didn't stop teaching. He just nodded slightly at her.
Gui Xiang was teaching in the girls' school. Seeing Gu Qingcheng, she also looked surprised and nodded with a smile.
Gu Qingcheng also nodded back at her.
Du Lanyue realized that Gu Qingcheng was truly adored by everyone in Phoenix Village, young and old, male and female.
If Gu Qingcheng were only liked by one or two people, she might have felt a pang of jealousy. But with so many people liking Gu Qingcheng, she felt at ease.
"Are these two teachers very familiar with you?" Du Lanyue asked Gu Qingcheng as they left the school.
"Yes, they've both had hard lives. On the road fleeing famine, one lost her husband, the other lost her spouse. All sorts of tragedies. Especially Gui Xiang, she was also carrying a child, which was very difficult. Eventually, the two of them fell for each other here, and I played matchmaker for them. They're married now and living a good life."
Gu Qingcheng had just noticed that Gui Xiang's abdomen was slightly swollen. It seemed a new life was being nurtured.
The tour group, led by Gu Qingcheng, attracted considerable attention.
As Young Master Gu's distinguished guests, the villagers naturally treated them with greater warmth.
Next, they visited the nursery and learned about the childcare system. Seeing that the children here received free food and lodging, and even high-end food like milk, everyone marveled.
Actually, seeing this, Du Lanyue knew that she and Gu Qingcheng were truly incomparable. He was completely convinced.
Setting aside other matters, just to maintain the food and drink for this group required considerable financial resources. How much wealth would it take to support this?
If it were her, she certainly couldn't do it! Even if she had the money, she wouldn't waste it like this!
In times of chaos, what concern was the life and death of others? She only cared about herself and her own family.
Someone like Gu Qingcheng, using her vast fortune to support an entire village, was something she could never do.
Du Lancheng was only concerned with his gains and losses in terms of money, lacking foresight. This was precisely the main reason he would be utterly defeated by Gu Qingcheng.
Gu Qingcheng, on the other hand, hadn't considered that Du Lancheng would be secretly competing with her all along. Perhaps it was out of love for her dear ones, or her deep friendship with Du Lanyue, that she was more lenient with Du Lancheng.
She wasn't afraid of others learning from her methods of village management, because there were a thousand eyes seeing a thousand Hamlets, and everyone's circumstances were different. It was impossible to learn perfectly.
The most crucial point was that no one possessed her capabilities! The ability to have a continuous supply of free food.
Gu Qingcheng then took them to visit the village guard, the medical base, the brick kilns... In short, these large-scale investments brought limitless returns.
After visiting Phoenix Village, Du Lancheng felt deeply disheartened.
So, Gu Qingcheng, with her casual and understated demeanor, was already the head of such a prosperous village. And him? He was still gloating over a small profit from a merchant ship.
In comparison, he felt inferior.
Fine, since they couldn't compare, he wouldn't compare. Du Lancheng adopted a mindset of letting go, and suddenly, his mind cleared, and he felt refreshed, no longer dwelling on it. After forgiving himself, Du Lancheng felt truly more comfortable.
Seeing that most of the group had finished their tour, Gu Qingcheng happened to arrive at Mi Guo's warehouse. Mi Guo was drinking tea under the osmanthus tree outside the warehouse. Gu Qingcheng called everyone to join her for tea.
The group sat under the osmanthus tree, drinking hot tea brewed by Mi Guo on a tea stove, smelling the fragrant osmanthus, and felt extremely content.
Du Lanxing couldn't help but exclaim, "Your Phoenix Village is too peaceful. I even want to live here."
"Then come! Marry into our Phoenix Village, and you can stay forever," Mi Guo said cheerfully.
Du Lanxing rolled her eyes at Mi Guo and snorted, remaining silent. She and Mi Guo were like a bickering couple. The first time she met Mi Guo was when she intentionally let Mi Guo step on her, hoping to create an opportunity for her sister and Gu Qingcheng. Who would have thought that in the end, her sister and Gu Qingcheng wouldn't get together?
During her sister's engagement, she had asked her sister why she was marrying Young Master Wang. Her sister hadn't answered directly, just evaded the question. After much thought, Du Lanxing recalled her sister mentioning Gu Qingcheng's unwavering integrity. She slapped her thigh, secretly thinking that her sister must have discovered the secret of Gu Qingcheng's impotence.
However, such matters were not easy to spread around. Thinking that Gu Qingcheng had saved her sister's life, her sister must have been covering for him. Therefore, Du Lanxing felt it was inappropriate to press further. It was truly regrettable, Gu Qingcheng was good in every aspect, except for this one. Her sister, being able to let go of all this and form a marital alliance with Young Master Wang, must have come to terms with it.
Thus, Du Lanxing pretended nothing was wrong and no longer asked about the past, so as not to embarrass her sister. This time, when Du Lanyue invited her to Phoenix Village, Du Lanxing was quite surprised. She realized her sister hadn't completely let go of Gu Qingcheng. But she could understand. Perhaps her sister came to Phoenix Village to see Gu Qingcheng's environment and fulfill one last wish.
Originally, she worried if their parents would allow her sister to come. Unexpectedly, their father so admired Gu Qingcheng that he even sent her elder brother along. That was for the best; it avoided needing an excuse and prevented awkwardness.
However, Du Lanxing observed secretly throughout the journey and felt quite troubled for her sister. She noticed that her sister still lingered around Gu Qingcheng, her gaze as tenacious as silk threads, fixed on Gu Qingcheng. Du Lanxing could only heave a long sigh.
People say beautiful women have difficult fates, and it's indeed true. Du Lanxing's admiration for Gu Qingcheng unconsciously turned into a hint of disdain. If he knew he was incapable, why did he still flirt with her sister? With that in mind, she was no longer polite to Mi Guo.