Drive a RV and go farming in ancient times.

However, in recent years, what the Gu family is most famous for is not their growing business, but the library, charity hall and pharmacy under their name.

Originally, the seed shop was the most praised, but with the popularization of those high-yield crops, people have gradually become accustomed to them. Peppers and tomatoes, which used to bring huge profits to farmers, have become commonplace and are no longer rare. As a result, the influence has naturally declined year by year, so that people now take it for granted.

On the contrary, those three companies not only did not lose their reputation as time went by, but their significance of existence became more and more apparent as they developed.

The library was completed four years ago. When it opened, the sensation it caused in the capital was no less than an earthquake. All the literati and scholars rushed there, and most of them were students. The free and abundant books were too attractive to them.

Besides, the environment is good and you won’t feel bored even if you spend a whole day there.

There are also knowledgeable scholars in charge, lectures are given regularly, and there are novel reading clubs. These are not just gimmicks. The library has been practicing these practices for several years, and many readers have benefited greatly from them.

Correspondingly, this also established the status of the library in people's hearts. Its influence can be compared with that of the Imperial College. The threshold of the Imperial College was too high, which blocked the way for most people to study and make progress. But the library is open and inclusive. It is willing to accept all those who love reading, whether you are a son of a noble family, a commoner in the countryside, a student with merit, a little child who has just started to learn, or a girl, you are all welcome here.

Gradually, the reputation of the library spread throughout Dayong, and Mr. Jiang was already planning to open it in other prefectures. The location, books, and staffing all required considerable financial support. Xu Huaiyi was willing to be the "sucker", and half of the money he earned in the past few years was invested in this educational cause.

Since ancient times, education has been the most expensive thing. How many children from ordinary families could only look on. The existence of free libraries has undoubtedly opened a new door for them. Perhaps they still cannot pass the imperial examinations, but studying is not only for the purpose of becoming an official, but also for the purpose of gaining wisdom and understanding, which can still change a person's destiny.

Mr. Jiang praised him for his great merits, but Xu Huaiyi just smiled indifferently.

He used to think that the meaning of time travel was that he could have a different life and realize his ambitions and dreams, but now, he has re-understood and redefined this journey of time travel.

That is, while achieving your own success, you can also help more people, give them the opportunity to change for the better, and leave something memorable in this era.

Now, he has achieved it little by little.

Mr. Jiang specially wrote a couplet for him which read "If you are poor, you should take care of yourself; if you are rich, you should help the world", and he accepted it with a smile without any modesty.

In addition, he also urged Gu Huanxi to publish the newspaper, which was published four times a month. The content covered all aspects and was rich and colorful, including various major events that could be announced to the public by the court, policies and regulations related to people's livelihood, and articles and poems by great scholars. He accepted all interesting and high-quality storybooks and published them in serial form, and had a lot of them on hand.

There were even various news and gossips about eating, drinking and having fun in the newspapers, which were widely circulated and greatly promoted the booming entertainment and catering industries in the capital.

This is also one of the sources of profit for newspapers, advertising fees. Otherwise, the money from selling newspapers would not be enough to pay the authors' royalties.

Xu Huaiyi can provide temporary support, but it cannot provide support for a lifetime. We still need to dig out a model that can allow it to survive in the long run, otherwise, it will die too easily.

Now, we can barely break even.

Unlike a charity, it is pure investment with no returns, a charity in the true sense of the word.

In recent years, the charity hall has expanded to a new location, and can now accommodate about 5,000 people. In the beginning, it only accepted orphans, but now, elderly widows and widowers without support also live there.

Fortunately, sweet potatoes have become popular, and there is no shortage of food on the farm. Otherwise, no matter how kind and generous Xu Huaiyi is, he would not be able to afford to feed so many people.

Although the charity has been operating at a loss, it has won a good reputation for the Gu family, so it is not too much of a loss. After all, a good reputation is still very useful nowadays and can serve as a talisman.

Although the couple doesn't care whether others praise or criticize them, for their daughter, this reputation can increase her value in my eyes.

In fact, she no longer needs others to flatter her, as she has earned a lot of money on her own. Ever since she could walk and talk, she has followed Doctor Jiao to learn about herbs, memorize prescriptions, and read medical books. She is smart and studious, and in the past five years, she has memorized most of the medical books she could find. Now, at the age of ten, she has a solid grasp of the basic theories, and Doctor Jiao has begun to teach her how to take the pulse and perform acupuncture treatments.

The master and his disciple, one was called a miracle doctor, and the other was jokingly called a little miracle doctor.

In the capital, both of them were well-known. They were saviors of ordinary people, guests of honor of wealthy families, and had even entered the inner courtyard of the imperial palace.

Firstly, it was naturally relying on Doctor Jiao’s superb medical skills, and secondly, it was the medicinal materials in the pharmacy.

The prices of medicinal materials are fair and honest, and the goods are genuine. This is just the basic principle. The main reason why people are flocking to it is still the quality issue.

For the same medicinal materials, the quality of those produced by Gu’s pharmacy is simply superior, and the efficacy of the medicine after being used to treat the disease is significantly improved, you can’t deny it.

All this is thanks to A Li.

After improving high-yield varieties, she used all her talents in growing medicinal herbs. This is also her hobby, and she is often immersed in it.

If you have interest and talent, how can you not succeed?

From the initial one hundred acres of land, Xu Huaiyi has now purchased several hilltops for his daughter, specializing in cultivating various common or rare medicinal materials.

No matter what kind of thing it is, in her hands, she can turn decay into magic, so the Gu family pharmacy has always been the first choice for patients in Beijing since its opening.

Some rare medicinal materials even became tributes and entered the emperor's private treasury.

Despite the huge benefits it brought, Ali did not become a wealthy woman.

There is no other reason. As Xu Huaiyi's biological daughter, A Li is truly of the same bloodline in some aspects.

In recent years, Xu Huaiyi has vigorously developed the charity hall. The silver he throws into it is in the tens of thousands. Moreover, he only gives without asking for anything in return. The children who left the charity hall after growing up did not give back, and some even became ungrateful, but this did not dampen his idea of ​​doing charity.

The same was true for A Li. Most of the money he earned from selling medicinal herbs was used for free medical consultations. He set up a tent in an open space outside the city and tricked a few doctors into coming for consultations. The medical treatment and medicine were all free. This kind of activity of making a fool of oneself would last for ten days or half a month.

Especially in winter, which is the peak season for various diseases, medicinal materials have to be sent out continuously, and the money is like running water that never comes back.

A Li didn't feel sorry, and Xu Huaiyi also supported him. The two of them were almost passed down as Bodhisattvas.

Gu Huanxi complained about this more than once, "It's true that the daughter takes after her father. She earns a lot but spends even more. You two are the only kind-hearted people in the world, right? If I weren't here, you two would have ruined the family. Others would still worry about how we would divide the family property in the future. Ha, with the way you guys are doing things, is there any property to divide?"

Ah Li waved his hand casually, "Mom, you don't have to give me any of your property, give it all to Zhuang Zhuang."

Gu Huanxi joked, "You don't want the medicine shop and the medicine field anymore?"

Ah Li smiled and said, "You don't have to. I'll work for Zhuang Zhuang when the time comes."

Gu Zhuangzhuang kept his book in his hand. Hearing this, he raised his head and said quietly, "Thank you, sister!"

As if Ah Li couldn't hear the resentment in her brother's voice, she said generously, "You're welcome, Zhuangzhuang. I'm your biological sister. From now on, I'll let you manage the family business. I'll help you run the medicine farm and the medicine shop. You just need to give me some money every year to hold a few free clinics."

Gu Zhuangzhuang took a deep breath, "How can I do this? You are the elder sister, the eldest daughter of the Gu family. According to the rules, the eldest daughter should inherit 70% of the family property. If you give it all to me, won't that put me in an unfair position?

What's more, I don't know how to run a business. If those businesses fall into my hands, I will definitely lose them. By then, how will I have money to provide you with free medical treatment?

I'll give them all to you. I just want the bookstore."

Ah Li's eyes widened. "Just the bookstore? No, absolutely not. You are a son. According to the traditional customs of Dayong, sons inherit the family business. Daughters are like spilled water. How can they share the family property with you?"

That would put me in an unfair position!

The family property must be yours!"

Gu Zhuangzhuang said slowly, "But in our family, men and women are equal, and children have the same inheritance rights."

Ah Li put her hands on her hips and acted like a sister. "You say this is our family. People's gossip is scary. Zhuangzhuang, you should adapt to the local customs. You can't survive in this era if you are too unconventional."

Gu Zhuangzhuang is young but has a very smart brain. He blinked and said in a more serious tone, "But Dad also said that we don't need to care about other people's opinions. We should have our own principles in life. How can we achieve great things if we just follow the crowd?"

Ah Li said as a matter of course, "I don't want to be a great man, I just want to be a doctor who saves people."

Gu Zhuangzhuang's attitude was even more extreme. He said calmly, "I just want to study and become a top scholar."

Ah Li was shocked by these words, "Number one scholar? That's all? My brother is really getting better and better!"

Gu Zhuangzhuang retorted calmly, "Little Divine Doctor Gu, you are no less capable than me. It's the same for you."

Ah Li began to coax her, "Studying is the most expensive thing, brother, where will you get the money if you don't inherit the family property?"

Gu Zhuangzhuang was completely unmoved, "It still can't compare to your free clinic. Mom said that's the most expensive. Without financial support, how can you continue your dream of saving lives?"

The brother and sister went back and forth, trying their best to push the family property out.

It seems like the family property is too hot to handle and no one wants to take over.

Normally the brother and sister love each other very much, but when they encounter this problem, they start attacking each other in various ways.

Gu Huanxi couldn't help but hold his forehead and sigh. Outsiders had been worried that the couple would treat their children equally, which would spoil the daughter's appetite and then cause unrest in the family by fighting for the family property. Who could have thought that the siblings didn't want either of them at all!