Chapter 639 | Chapter 640 | Chapter 641
Chapter 639: Poor Great-Grandpa Gu
The way he spoke gave Gu Jingjing the strong impression that he was completely dependable!
“Eldest Brother…”
Gu Jingjing bit her lip, her eyes reddening as she looked at her older brother who was promising to protect her.
“Don’t be scared. What you guys need to do is grow up safe and sound, and I’ll protect every single one of you.”
“If anyone bullies you, I’ll charge right up to their doorstep and beat them up!”
“Third Aunt said that if a problem can be solved with fists, there’s no need to reason!”
Sheng Wanyan: “…” I never said that!
“Mm!”
Gu Jingjing wiped away her tears. She would grow up well, and when the time came, she would help her older brother.
The next day, Gu Jingjing ended up giving all the money to Sheng Wanyan after all. She loved those books and wanted more of them, promising herself that she would repay her brother once she earned money in the future.
With just a quick question, Sheng Wanyan knew the money had come from Gu Jinfang. Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-Law Gu learned about it very quickly as well.
Gu Dagao let out a deep sigh, exchanging a look with Eldest Sister-in-Law Gu, whose eyes were filled with heartache.
“Jingjing, come to Mom.”
Gu Jingjing ran over. Eldest Sister-in-Law Gu gathered her into her arms, patiently trying to communicate with her.
“Jingjing, did you not take Mom’s words to heart?”
Eldest Sister-in-Law Gu smoothed her hair. Gu Jingjing lowered her head and remained silent, not daring to take those words to heart.
“Jingjing, Mom has said it many times before: you are our child.”
“You always will be. It’s only right for Mom and Dad to spend money on your education.”
“No… it’s not ‘only right’.”
Gu Jingjing weakly protested. Eldest Sister-in-Law Gu and Gu Dagao understood everything all too well—she was far too insecure and far too sensible for her own good.
“Jingjing, you have to remember one thing.”
“I wanted you to join our eldest branch not just because you are a child of the Gu family.”
“It’s also because Mom really, really likes you, and wants you to be my daughter.”
Hearing Eldest Sister-in-Law Gu’s words, Gu Jingjing’s eyes grew red once more. Could she truly be liked?
“Really?”
“Really. Mom likes you very much.”
“Our Jingjing is sensible, sweet, knows how to paint, and does well in school.”
“Whose family wouldn’t love a child like you?”
Eldest Sister-in-Law Gu counted off her good qualities one by one. Listening to her, Gu Jingjing felt her head go light and dizzy. Was she really that good?
Gu Dagao reached out and ruffled her hair. This child was simply too sensible, constantly overthinking things and trapping herself in dead ends.
“Jingjing, there are all kinds of people in this world, and no one is loved by everybody.”
“There is only one thing we need to do: act with a clear conscience.”
“As long as we in the Gu family act in a way that honors our nation, our people, and our own moral conscience, that is enough.”
So long as one didn’t break the law, violate morality, or betray the country, one was a very, very good person.
“Dad, Jingjing understands now.”
Gu Jingjing broke into a smile, healed bit by bit by everyone around her. She believed she would get better.
“Third Aunt has so much money, why would we need your older brother’s?”
“I have money! I have it!”
“I have this much!”
Yi Yi traced a big circle in the air. She was very rich; supporting her sister was no problem at all!
If it wasn’t enough, she could use her little brothers’ New Year red envelopes and pay them back later… well, they’d see about that later.
Lailai and Maomao: “…” Sister, listen to us say ‘thank you’.
“Oh? How much money do you have?”
Eldest Sister-in-Law Gu couldn’t resist teasing her. Yi Yi, being completely honest with family, laid out her whole fortune.
“I have 1,500 yuan.”
The moment Yi Yi said this, Eldest Sister-in-Law Gu was genuinely stunned. How did this little darling get so rich?
“You have that much money?”
“Yep! Yi Yi’s red envelope money and pocket money haven’t been spent at all. It’s all saved up!”
Hearing this, Eldest Sister-in-Law Gu instantly felt envious of Sheng Wanyan. Why did her own son spend money so fast, while Yi Yi hadn’t spent a single cent?
“Yi Yi is so amazing.”
Eldest Sister-in-Law Gu forced a smile, though her heart felt bitter. What an absolute crime!
She wouldn’t name who was jealous right now.
“Do you want some, Eldest Aunt? Yi Yi can give it to you to spend.”
Yi Yi was extremely generous. She knew who was good to her and understood how things worked.
“Eldest Aunt doesn’t need it. Yi Yi should keep it to use for school in the future.”
“In the future, when Yi Yi goes to school, I’ll buy pretty dresses, buy good food for myself, and make friends with my classmates.”
“Hehe~ Yi Yi won’t spend money on classmates! Yi Yi wants to spend it on herself.”
“You have to be good to yourself~”
Why should she spend money on classmates? Wasn’t spending money on herself much better?
Mommy said that girls must love themselves!
“Yes, yes, yes, Yi Yi is right.”
Eldest Sister-in-Law Gu hadn’t expected Yi Yi to understand social ways so well at such a young age.
“Then I won’t spend money on my classmates either.”
Gu Jingjing learned her lesson on the spot. She wouldn’t spend money on classmates either; she hadn’t even spent enough on herself yet.
Little Sister was right: you had to be good to yourself. Spending money on classmates didn’t do you any good~
“Alright, alright, you two little girls go outside and play. Yi Yi’s little sidekicks have come to the house looking for her.”
“Sister! I’ll take you to meet my little sidekicks!”
“Ah!? Maybe I shouldn’t go.”
Gu Jingjing felt a little afraid. She knew her little sister was the boss of all the girls in the compound. Usually, when she went out with her older brother, she was the only girl.
She was afraid these girls wouldn’t like playing with her, especially since her background wasn’t very good.
“Why wouldn’t you go? They all really want to play with you.”
“They want to play with me!?”
Gu Jingjing felt flattered and surprised. She didn’t even know them, so why would they want to play with her?
Yi Yi nodded, a hint of guilt in her eyes. Actually… it was because she kept showing off her older sister in front of her sidekicks.
Naturally, the sidekicks weren’t convinced, so they demanded she bring her sister out to meet them to see if her sister was really better than all of theirs!
“Sister, please go with me~”
Yi Yi brought out her ultimate weapon: acting spoiled. This was the one thing Gu Jingjing was most helpless against. Her little sister was far too needy when she acted spoiled, leaving her no choice but to surrender.
“Alright, alright.”
Hearing that she agreed, Yi Yi immediately dragged her out the door in a hurry. When the family heard that Gu Jingjing was going out to play, they could barely snap out of their shock.
Great-Grandma Gu couldn’t help her eyes from turning red. Ever since her eldest granddaughter developed depression, this was the very first time she was going out to play with the kids in the compound.
In the past, she always huddled at home, going nowhere except to school, without a trace of a child’s natural vitality.
Now that she was willing to go out, make friends, and see people, how could Great-Grandma Gu not be overjoyed?
“Old man! Jingjing went outside!”
Great-Grandma Gu hurried to the backyard to share the news with Great-Grandpa Gu. Hearing this, Great-Grandpa Gu quickly set down the watering can in his hand.
“Is that true!?”
Great-Grandma Gu had originally been brimming with joy, but seeing Great-Grandpa Gu crush the flower she had just raised with his watering can, her temper instantly flared up.
“True, my foot!”
Great-Grandma Gu launched straight into scolding, rushing forward to check on the flower she had just started raising. The first time she ever tried growing a flower, it had been ruined by her old man.
She really had spoiled him too much!
Great-Grandpa Gu didn’t get angry either. Stroking his beard, he continued watering the flowers.
“You miserable old fool! My flowers are all being watered to death by you!”
Great-Grandpa Gu had nothing to do all day, so he would come over to water the plants several times. With all this overwatering, quite a few flowers had already died.
“What!? Dead?”
Chapter 640: Leisurely Time
One look and Great-Grandpa Gu knew trouble was brewing. He quickly turned on his heel to slip inside, but Great-Grandma Gu grabbed him straight by the ear.
“Gu Ronglong! Look at you, getting bolder by the day!”
“Ouch, ouch, ouch! That hurts!”
“It serves you right! Didn’t you promise back then that you’d take good care of my flowers?”
“Back then? When was that? How come I don’t recall?”
“Gu! Rong! Long!”
Great-Grandma Gu roared. Sheng Wanyan, who was taking care of Lailai and Maomao in her room, heard the shout clearly and couldn’t help poking her head out the window to peek.
“I was wrong! Old woman, go easy on me!”
“You better compensate me for it!”
“I’ll go buy you new ones right now!”
Seeing this, Sheng Wanyan quickly shut the window to keep Auntie Hu from witnessing the scene, saving Great-Grandpa Gu some face.
Auntie Hu wisely feigned ignorance. Oh, my goodness~ Now that I know the Old General’s private embarrassments, will I even live to see tomorrow?
“Auntie Hu, keep an eye on Lailai and Maomao. I’ll go check on them.”
“Sure, sure, Wanyan, I didn’t hear a single thing!”
Sheng Wanyan: “…” It would have been fine if you hadn’t said anything, but saying that…
Sheng Wanyan nodded, then headed downstairs to comfort Great-Grandma Gu to keep her from working herself into a rage.
“That miserable old fool, always infuriating me!”
Great-Grandma Gu downed a large glass of tea in one gulp before her temper cooled down a bit.
“Grandma, don’t be angry. Careful not to harm your health over it.”
Sheng Wanyan gently patted Great-Grandma Gu’s back. Great-Grandma Gu let out a cold snort, thoroughly displeased.
“Your grandfather, that old fool, loves nothing more than talking nonsense!”
What Great-Grandma Gu despised most was Great-Grandpa Gu’s deceitful mouth. Back then, he had tricked her into becoming his wife, and now he had tricked her into thinking he’d take good care of her flowers.
“Wanyan, you have to keep a close eye on Old Third. Don’t let him pick up those habits.”
“Eldest Brother too; I need to make sure to warn Xiaozhen.”
Gu Tingye and Gu Tingxiao: “…” Are you really our biological grandmother?
Great-Grandma Gu dug a quick pit for her grandsons, leaving Sheng Wanyan caught between laughter and tears, instantly losing all sympathy for Great-Grandpa Gu.
“Grandma is completely right.”
Great-Grandma Gu patted her hand with satisfaction. She loved how Third Daughter-in-Law always listened to good advice.
Only after Great-Grandpa Gu returned with new flowers did Great-Grandma Gu’s anger finally subside, allowing him to breathe a massive sigh of relief.
As long as his old lady didn’t throw a tantrum, his days would remain peaceful.
While Great-Grandpa Gu was busy making his tactical calculations, Sheng Wanyan received an envelope from Chengdu, sent by Gu Tong.
Every month, Gu Tong sent a sum of money to repay the initial support of twenty thousand yuan Sheng Wanyan had provided back then. This was the final installment.
Not only did Gu Tong’s family repay the twenty thousand yuan, but they also added an extra five hundred yuan as interest from Gu Tong.
When Sheng Wanyan learned of this, she didn’t dare accept the extra money. However, Gu Tong possessed a sharp and persuasive tongue, declaring that if Sheng Wanyan refused it, her family wouldn’t dare ask Sheng Wanyan for help if they faced difficulties in the future.
Helpless, Sheng Wanyan had no choice but to accept the five hundred yuan interest, resolving to mail back some gifts for the children later on to make up for it.
Just as Sheng Wanyan stepped out the door, Yi Yi happened to return with Gu Jingjing. Seeing her about to leave, Yi Yi immediately pulled Gu Jingjing along, scurrying after her like a little shadow.
Sheng Wanyan glanced at Yi Yi; this little girl was getting harder to fool by the day.
“Mommy, are you going out to buy things?”
“Take Yi Yi and Sister with you!”
Yi Yi looked at her eagerly, her meaning plain as day—she wanted her to buy them a few things too.
“Let’s go.”
“Yay~”
Yi Yi pulled Gu Jingjing along and scrambled into the car. Now that they had a car at home, she couldn’t cling to her parents like before, where they couldn’t shake her off no matter how hard they tried.
Lately, the moment her parents got in the car, they stepped on the gas, leaving her abandoned before she even had a chance to climb in.
So she had switched strategies—if the hard approach failed, she’d use the soft one instead.
Sheng Wanyan called out a greeting to Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Gu so the two elders wouldn’t worry about the kids disappearing.
She then took the two children to the Overseas Chinese Store, buying a few toys for Gu Tong’s grandchildren and picking out items the two young girls liked for themselves.
Yi Yi was thrilled all day long. She had proven to her sidekicks that her sister was the best sister of all, and she had gotten the gift she had been longing for.
It was another perfect day~
Over the next few days, Sheng Wanyan took Yi Yi and Gu Jingjing out to play every day. Having been away from Capital City for so long, she needed to make up for lost time with the children.
Gu Tingxiao was unable to take time off. With the military exercises currently underway, going to the station to pick her up earlier had already been an exception.
Sheng Wanyan took the two children to the Forbidden City. Over two lifetimes, she had never actually managed to walk through the entire place.
It was simply too easy to lose one’s way; every time she walked around, she ended up having no idea where she was.
Gu Jingjing was also fascinated by the colorful architecture. The aesthetic taste of their ancestors was truly top-tier.
“Mommy, can people dance in that place?”
Yi Yi pointed at an open courtyard—the very place where emperors used to hold court and court officials stood during imperial assemblies.
Positioned high up and viewed from below, it looked grand and magnificent. Sheng Wanyan hardly knew how to explain it to her.
To dance in a place like this—your whole life would be worth it.
“Yi Yi, this place belongs to the nation, so it isn’t open to the public.”
“You can dance outside by the entrance.”
“Mommy, I love this place! If the country agrees, would it be okay then?”
“Yes. Only someone who dances exceptionally well and dances for the nation can perform here.”
“Then in the future! I’ll dance for the nation!”
Yi Yi blurted it out without a second thought. Sheng Wanyan chuckled upon hearing this, gently ruffling her hair.
“Alright, then Mommy will wait for Yi Yi to grow up and dance for our country.”
“Okay!”
Yi Yi nodded with absolute seriousness. Her goal was set: to dance right here and have everyone watch her performance!
“Then I’ll paint a picture of Little Sister dancing.”
Gu Jingjing thought about it for a moment before looking at Yi Yi and voicing her idea. Yi Yi grew instantly excited.
“Yes, yes! Sister, that’s a deal~”
Yi Yi ran over, grabbed Gu Jingjing’s arm, and swayed it back and forth. Gu Jingjing let her swing her arm, her eyes filled with yearning.
It seemed… she had found her own life dream as well.
Sheng Wanyan didn’t interfere with the promises between the two young girls; there was no need for adults to step in on children’s matters.
Along the way, Sheng Wanyan explained the culture and history of the Forbidden City to them, covering every spot they passed.
As the two children absorbed the knowledge, Yi Yi clearly began to lose focus towards the end, while Gu Jingjing remained intensely attentive.
“Yi Yi, you need to stay focused no matter what you do.”
“Mommy, I know.”
Yi Yi said the words, but her eyelids were already fighting a losing battle. Having missed her afternoon nap, she couldn’t hold out any longer.
“Third Aunt, let’s go home.”
Gu Jingjing couldn’t bear to see Yi Yi struggling to keep her eyes open; she could simply visit again next time.
“Alright, let’s head back to rest. I’ll bring you here again next time.”
“Okay.”
Sheng Wanyan bent down and scooped Yi Yi up. The little girl rested her small face against her shoulder, and before long, the soft, steady sound of her breathing reached Sheng Wanyan’s ears.
Sheng Wanyan smiled silently to herself. What a little tyrant, spoiled rotten by everyone.
Chapter 641: Mother Sheng’s Trip Back to the Countryside
Sheng Wanyan carried Yi Yi back to the car and laid her down to sleep in the backseat, with Gu Jingjing sitting beside her to keep her company.
Sheng Wanyan drove back to the compound. She hadn’t even had the chance to visit that ten-courtyard mansion she had purchased yet; she would need to find an opportunity to take a look.
The moment they arrived home, Yi Yi woke up again, instantly bursting with energy once more.
“Eldest Sister!”
A little girl had come over to look for Yi Yi. Her voice arrived before she even stepped through the gate, and Yi Yi quickly ran out to welcome her.
“Little Sister, over here!”
Seeing this, Sheng Wanyan shook her head, went inside to grab some snacks, and brought them out for Yi Yi to share with her sidekicks.
“Little Sister, these are for you!”
Yi Yi distributed the snacks to the girl who had come looking for her, and the girl immediately thanked her enthusiastically.
“Thank you, Big Boss!”
“You’re welcome!”
Well, who asked her to be the Big Boss? Sigh~ Being the Big Boss was tough work; she had to pamper and coax every single one of her sidekicks equally.
Sheng Wanyan and Gu Jingjing went inside to rest—they truly didn’t have anywhere near Yi Yi’s level of energy.
Back in her room, the twins were lying on the bed, blabbering back and forth to each other with a series of “Ah~” sounds. Watching them, Sheng Wanyan found it quite amusing.
“Lailai, Maomao, what are you two talking about?”
“Ma~”
Lailai called out to her. The two children were now blurt out a few words every now and then.
“Mommy’s here.”
“Ah ah ah ah ah~”
Seeing Lailai win his mother’s affection, Maomao instantly threw a fit, hurriedly crawling over to join in.
“Alright, alright, Mommy will hold both of you.”
What Sheng Wanyan feared most was the two little guys fighting. Every single time, they competed for her favor as if doing so was the only thing that made them happy.
Sheng Wanyan let them squabble with each other as much as they wanted. After all, they were twins; squabbling a bit might actually make their relationship stronger.
When the two children saw that Sheng Wanyan wasn’t paying attention to them, they instantly stopped fighting, as if the whole thing had lost its meaning.
Holding a son in each arm, Sheng Wanyan lay down to sleep. Auntie Hu smiled and stepped outside, leaving the mother and sons to enjoy their quiet time.
Sheng Wanyan didn’t dare fall into a deep sleep; she merely closed her eyes to rest, afraid that the two children might roll off the bed without anyone noticing.
After a short while, Auntie Hu came back inside. Seeing that Sheng Wanyan was genuinely tired, she carried the twins out.
Sheng Wanyan was finally able to get an afternoon nap. In the very next second, she hugged the quilt and drifted off into a deep sleep.
The next day, Sheng Wanyan took Yi Yi to the ten-courtyard mansion. Seeing such a massive property, Yi Yi’s eyes darted around, hardly knowing where to look first.
“Mommy, where is this?”
“This will be our home in the future.”
Hearing this, Yi Yi’s eyes widened in shock. Their future home???
A courtyard mansion this huge was going to be their home—just thinking about it felt completely unbelievable to her.
“Does Yi Yi like it?”
“I love it~”
No one wouldn’t like it.
As expected, this courtyard mansion had been preserved remarkably well; truth be told, it was hardly any different from Prince Gong’s Mansion.
She would only need to renovate a few areas, clear the weeds from places like the fish pond in the rear garden, and plant some fresh flowers and greenery.
The furniture here was also completely intact, and the wood used for it was all precious timber.
The bed was made of yellow rosewood, while the chairs and tables were made of red sandalwood—every piece of furniture had been preserved.
Sheng Wanyan called Gu Tingxiao and asked him to arrange a team to renovate it so the whole family could move in when the time came.
Compared to Western-style architecture, she far preferred Chinese-style houses—grand, elegant, and imposing.
Gu Tingxiao had contacts for construction teams, and being a military officer, having him reach out to arrange the renovation carried even greater authority.
“Wife, how do you want it renovated?”
“Just a fresh coat of paint, clear the weeds, and plant trees in the spots I specify.”
“There are some hundred-year-old trees in the courtyard, so trim those up a bit.”
“Once that’s done, hire a few older women to clean the place up and get the flowers and fish in the rear garden taken care of.”
“Alright.”
Gu Tingxiao agreed without a moment’s hesitation. Sheng Wanyan felt completely at ease handing the matter over to him.
It was impossible for the country not to know about Sheng Wanyan’s every move; after all, she was someone the higher-ups kept an eye on regardless.
However, Sheng Wanyan was simply using her own hard-earned money to give herself a good life, so the country naturally wouldn’t say anything about it.
The construction team arrived the very next day to start the renovations. When they saw how massive the courtyard mansion was, they were utterly flabbergasted.
They couldn’t even fathom what kind of family could afford to live in a place this big.
Still, none of them dared to ask any questions. Their boss had explicitly warned them not to pry—especially around prominent, wealthy families like this, where having improper thoughts was strictly out of the question.
Sheng Wanyan’s family also returned to their home near Peking University. With only two days left before classes started, she needed to tidy up the residence here properly.
Mother Gu stuffed a whole car’s worth of meat onto them, worried that her three grandchildren would go hungry.
Sheng Wanyan accepted it helplessly. Every time she returned, Mother Gu wished she could move the entire house over with her, and no matter how much Sheng Wanyan tried to dissuade her, it was useless.
Upon returning to Peking University, Yi Yi immediately went to find Huzi to play with, while Sheng Wanyan and her husband set about cleaning the house.
Auntie Hu helped out by watching the two youngest children. Unoccupied for two months, every surface was coated in dust.
“Wanyan, let me do that.”
Auntie Hu took the rag from Sheng Wanyan’s hand. How could she let Sheng Wanyan handle this kind of rough work?
These were her duties, and she didn’t dare enjoy herself while letting her boss do the work for her.
“Alright, then I’ll go fold the clothes.”
“Okay.”
Sheng Wanyan went into the bedroom to fold the clothes that their family of five had brought back, keeping an eye on the two children at the same time.
Children’s clothes were truly endless in quantity, and since kids grew and changed so fast, they constantly needed new ones.
Still, while the two little ones were too young to notice, she made them wear the clothes their older sister had worn when she was little.
Save where one could—there wasn’t much money left at home now, and she had far too many places that required funds.
Over in Shanghai, Chen Zuhua was also spending money like water, though she knew that money was necessary to spend!
Sheng Wanyan took care of the less noticeable chores. Fortunately, Yi Yi wasn’t home; otherwise, all three children would have needed constant watching.
After a whole afternoon of tidying up, just as Auntie Hu was about to cook dinner, Mother Sheng and Pan Yue arrived carrying dishes of food.
“Little Sister, don’t bother cooking—we’ve already cooked everything!” Pan Yue called out.
Sheng Wanyan walked out. Having not seen her for over a month, Mother Sheng had gained some weight, looking even more prosperous and comfortable.
“Mom, Sister-in-Law.”
“How was it? We heard from Little Gu that you went on a business trip. Did everything go smoothly?” Mother Sheng quickly pulled her close to ask, worried she might have run into trouble on the road.
“Smoothly, smoothly. Mom, don’t worry.”
“I’m a grown woman now.”
“No matter how old you get, aren’t you still my daughter?” Mother Sheng teased back with a smile. Sheng Wanyan shook her head helplessly and took the dishes they brought over.
“Sister-in-Law, where are Huzi and Little Huzi?”
“Playing with Yi Yi at our house.”
Sheng Wanyan nodded with a smile and had Auntie Hu pour two cups of water for them to sit down and talk.
“Yi Yi was so popular when she came back to our hometown with us this time!”
“Really?” Sheng Wanyan was quite curious about what had happened when her daughter went back to their hometown. After all, when she asked Yi Yi, the girl couldn’t explain it clearly herself.
