Chapter 168: Aggressiveness
Yu Wenxiu herself no longer knew what she was saying. The emotions she had been suppressing since last night finally seemed to find an outlet, pouring out all at once.
Large tears rolled down her cheeks, dropping onto her legs. The gray fabric of her pants darkened into blotchy stains.
Gu Haiyan simply listened quietly. Hearing the commotion, Gu Min and Wang Jia’an also came out of the kitchen, gradually understanding what Yu Wenxiu was talking about.
After Yu Wenxiu calmed down a little, Gu Haiyan gave Wang Jia’an a look. He quickly went to fetch a hot towel.
Taking the towel, Gu Haiyan gently wiped Yu Wenxiu’s face and spoke calmly, “Sister Yu, don’t overthink for now. Let me ask you one thing—do you want to see your child?”
Yu Wenxiu nodded through her sobs.
“That’s enough,” Gu Haiyan continued. “If you want to see her, then go see her. What you do afterward is another matter.”
“You have to meet her and interact with her first, to understand what her situation is now. Only then can you decide what to do next. Otherwise, everything is just imagination.”
Yu Wenxiu seemed to be awakened by those words. She stayed dazed for a while before her eyes gradually cleared. “You’re right… I need to sort out what I should do.”
Gu Qinghuan quietly let out a breath of relief. Gu Min also patted Yu Wenxiu’s arm reassuringly. “Wenxiu, don’t think too much. You’ve been looking for your child for so many years—you at least owe yourself an answer.”
Yu Wenxiu wiped her face again with the towel and said hoarsely, “I will. I just lost my head for a moment. I feel much better now.”
She stood up. “I’ll go back to cooking. There are several main dishes today—I promise they’ll taste good.”
After Yu Wenxiu returned to the kitchen, Gu Haiyan patted Gu Qinghuan’s arm, signaling her to follow into the bedroom for a private talk.
“That classmate of yours… Yu Yuan…” Gu Haiyan carefully considered her words.
Gu Qinghuan spoke quickly, “She’s not the Yu family’s biological daughter. When she was little, she was switched by criminals. Yu Xin is the biological one—Yu Yuan is the one who was swapped in.”
Gu Haiyan looked at her with a strange expression. “Did you already figure this out earlier?”
“I wouldn’t say I didn’t,” Gu Qinghuan scratched her head. “I noticed that Yu Yuan looks a lot like Aunt Yu. But her family situation is pretty complicated, so I didn’t dare tell Aunt Yu on my own.”
Gu Haiyan asked, “What exactly is the situation?”
Gu Qinghuan thought for a long time before answering, “I can only say that, in my opinion, the Yu family treats her like a valuable commodity.”
Did the Yu family treat Yu Yuan well? It was hard to say. At least materially, she lived a very comfortable life.
But the way they treated her—Gu Qinghuan, Yu Xin, and Jiang Chuchu could all see it clearly.
Especially since Gu Qinghuan suspected that the “surprise” Cui Wanning gave Yu Yuan yesterday couldn’t have been anything good. Otherwise, how could Yu Yuan have gone there so happily and come back looking so lost?
Even the holly branch she had been holding so carefully was dragging on the ground, berries falling off. Just that alone was enough for Gu Qinghuan to know she was in a bad mood.
Gu Haiyan sucked in a breath. “I see…”
“Mom, what do you think we should do?” Gu Qinghuan asked sincerely.
Gu Haiyan frowned. “Does Yu Yuan know she’s not biological?”
Seeing Gu Qinghuan nod, Gu Haiyan pondered for a moment before saying, “Finding the child is the parent’s responsibility. Let Sister Yu handle it herself.”
She didn’t think Yu Yuan was wrong for not searching for her biological mother. For a girl who had just entered high school, simply learning she wasn’t biological was already enough to cause panic.
Even if she went to the police and found her—what if her biological mother wasn’t a good person? Or already had another child and didn’t want her?
It wasn’t like such cases didn’t exist—some people, realizing a child they had once sold had grown up, would try to find them again just to sell them off for a bride price for sons like “Tianci” or “Yaozu.”
To Yu Yuan, these were all unknown risks. She simply didn’t dare to gamble.
She couldn’t even afford to gamble on the “love” the Yu family gave her.
Gu Haiyan decided to discuss it with Yu Wenxiu—at the very least, they should arrange a meeting with Yu Yuan.
Looking at Gu Qinghuan, she said, “If you get the chance, try to understand Yu Yuan’s attitude. See how she feels about her biological mother.”
She could understand Yu Yuan, but she also had to consider Yu Wenxiu.
If Yu Yuan didn’t care about her biological mother and only wanted to live a “good life” with the Yu family, then even if Yu Wenxiu found her daughter, it would only bring disappointment.
In that case, it would be better for both sides to sit down, talk things through, and part ways—giving Yu Wenxiu closure so she could move on with her life.
“I got it,” Gu Qinghuan nodded firmly. Even if her mother hadn’t said it, she would have done the same.
The lunch Yu Wenxiu prepared was indeed delicious. Gu Qinghuan barely touched her rice, focusing entirely on the dishes.
Salt-and-pepper shrimp, with heads removed, backs split, and veins cleaned, fried to a golden crisp. Even the sharp spikes on the tails had been removed. She popped a whole shrimp into her mouth—the shell crackled, crisp and fragrant, while inside the meat was tender and juicy. It was unbelievably good.
The cabbage, tofu, and vermicelli pot was steaming hot. The tofu, coated in egg and pan-fried to a golden crust, lay atop the cabbage and vermicelli. The broth was rich and sweet. One bite of the almost-melting cabbage and chewy vermicelli warmed her from the inside out.
There were also several other dishes—cola chicken wings, braised lamb, dry-fried potato slices, radish braised pork… Though they were all home-style dishes, Yu Wenxiu made them exceptionally delicious.
Gu Qinghuan sampled this plate, then that one, eating until she was about eighty percent full, before going out onto the balcony to burp.
She absolutely had to find a way to tell Yu Yuan—her mom’s cooking was really amazing!
After the meal, Gu Haiyan stayed behind to discuss with Yu Wenxiu how to arrange a meeting with Yu Yuan, while Wang Jia’an and Gu Qinghuan went home first.
Once home, Gu Qinghuan finally gathered the courage to face her WeChat. She sent a “peeking” emoji in the class group chat.
Immediately, another wave of people popped up.
After explaining things more or less, Gu Qinghuan let out a sigh of relief, then privately messaged Yu Xin, asking what kind of “surprise” Cui Wanning had given Yu Yuan yesterday.
Yu Xin: [I think it was more “shock” than “surprise.”]
Yu Xin: [At lunch today, Father and Mother talked about it at the table—it’s… Yu Yuan’s engagement.]
Gu Qinghuan: [?]
Gu Qinghuan: [What were those last two words again?]
Yu Xin: [I was shocked too. It seems to be some Wei family’s son, named Wei Xiao. They said Yu Yuan knew him when she was little—childhood sweethearts.]
Gu Qinghuan: [I don’t believe it. If they were that close, why has Yu Yuan never mentioned him?]
Yu Xin: [I don’t believe it either.]
Gu Qinghuan: [What does Yu Yuan think?]
Yu Xin: [She didn’t say anything. She just quietly ate the whole time, only responding when she was mentioned.]
Yu Xin: [Yu Jinxin did say she’s still young, no need to marry so early. But Mother immediately said they need to cultivate feelings quickly—what if someone else snatches him away?]
Gu Qinghuan: [Snatched away? Oh, so that means this Wei Xiao is flirtatious, shallow, and brainless—someone who’ll follow anyone who crooks a finger at him, right?]
Yu Xin: [Wow…]
When needed, Qinghuan’s sharpness was truly something to admire.
