Chapter 259: Camellias After the Rain
Gu Chiyan chatted a few more sentences with Old Master Gu. Between the lines, there was only one meaning—don’t make things difficult for Su He.
Old Master Gu agreed readily, wearing the face of a kind and benevolent elder.
But in his heart, he sneered. You little brat, you’ve clearly been bewitched by that fox spirit! You can’t even tell good from bad anymore!
Me, make things difficult for her?
Hmph. Just a country girl—if I knock on her a couple of times, she’ll know to retreat on her own!
That night, Old Master Gu gathered the whole family together.
Of course, Gu Chiyan wasn’t there—he usually lived in his work unit’s dormitory.
With a solemn expression, Old Master Gu said, “You’ve probably noticed—Chiyan seems to be showing signs of being in a relationship lately.
He’s taken a fancy to some country girl. Truly wise his whole life, only to be muddle-headed at this moment!
Tomorrow, that girl will come to the house as a guest. Push aside whatever you’re doing—everyone should meet her, and also let her learn what proper etiquette means.”
The Gu family naturally understood his intention. This was clearly about giving that country girl a show of dominance!
Gu Wenqing frowned slightly. “Father, as long as the girl has good character and a clean background—”
Before he could finish, Old Master Gu slammed the table.
Gu Wenqing immediately fell silent.
Gu family’s sixth child, Gu Chiyan’s younger aunt Gu Wenfang, smiled and said, “Fourth Brother, Father is right. Chiyan is the eldest grandson of our Gu family—his choice of wife cannot be careless.
There are plenty of good girls in our circle. Shen family’s Manli is quite good—I think she matches Chiyan perfectly.
As for this country girl coming tomorrow, just send her off casually.”
Old Master Gu nodded approvingly. “Wenfang is right. Chiyan will shoulder the family in the future—how can he marry a country girl?! Wenfang, call your eldest and third brothers later. Tell them to come back tomorrow morning!”
Gu Wenfang agreed with a smile.
Gu Wenqing shook his head. He didn’t agree with his father’s approach at all, but there was nothing he could do—the weaker arm cannot twist the stronger thigh.
Meanwhile, Su He informed Principal Chen and Factory Director Tian that she would be visiting the Gu family.
Principal Chen was somewhat worried. “Little Su, the Gu family is of high standing. There must be many rules—you should restrain yourself a bit when the time comes.”
Director Tian curled his lips. “Don’t worry. This girl knows better than anyone how to put on an act!”
Su He: “……”
Principal Chen was still uneasy and gave a few more reminders before finally saying, “Little Su, while you should be polite as a guest, if the Gu family disrespects you or bullies you, don’t swallow your anger!
A three-legged toad is hard to find, but two-legged men are everywhere!
Little Gu is excellent, yes—but there are definitely many young men even better than him!”
Su He felt a warmth in her heart and nodded. “Mm, Principal, I understand.”
Director Tian also chimed in, “Exactly. Life in a prestigious family isn’t easy. Better to find a young man in the provincial city—at least you’ll be closer to your own family.
If anyone dares bully you, I’ll bring hundreds of workers from the food factory to back you up…”
Principal Chen shot him a glare—he was getting more and more ridiculous!
The next morning, Gu Chiyan arrived early downstairs at the guesthouse.
Su He asked him to leave his bicycle there and take a tricycle with her to the Gu residence.
Because they had quite a lot of things, the two sat close together. Gu Chiyan placed his hands on his knees, staring straight ahead, a fine layer of sweat forming on his forehead.
Su He found it amusing. Anyone who knows would think I’m going to meet my in-laws—anyone who doesn’t might think you’re the one going to meet your father-in-law!
After more than half an hour, the tricycle stopped at the entrance of the Gu residence.
With one glance, Su He could tell—the Gu family had even more influence than she had imagined!
She hadn’t expected that the “rich fish” she’d casually hooked would turn out to be this valuable.
Gu Chiyan and Su He got down with their things, pushed open the gate, and deliberately made quite a bit of noise.
Yet no one came out from inside.
Gu Chiyan felt a bit apologetic and explained, “Little Su, maybe my family doesn’t know we’ve arrived.”
Su He understood perfectly—this was a deliberate show of power.
They had already agreed on the time yesterday. Even if they weren’t waiting at the door, they should have come out upon hearing the noise.
No matter. Next time, they’d probably come all the way to the alley entrance to greet her.
She smiled. “Chiyan, we’re the younger generation. It’s only proper that we go in to pay respects to the elders.”
At that moment, in the main hall’s living room, more than twenty people were seated. Old Master Gu sat leisurely in his chair, sipping tea, his eyes constantly scanning the room.
Except for the eldest son Gu Wenlian and the fourth son Gu Wenqing, who had official duties and said they would return later, everyone else was present.
The third son Gu Wenming and the fifth son Gu Wenmin didn’t quite agree with Old Master Gu’s approach.
But then they thought—if she wanted to become a daughter-in-law of the Gu family, she should at least have some courage. If she couldn’t even endure this small test, she wouldn’t be able to integrate into the family anyway. Better to break it off early.
So they stayed put.
As for the sixth, Gu Wenfang, she was eager to watch the show and naturally wouldn’t go out to greet them.
The rest didn’t dare oppose Old Master Gu either—no one moved.
Seeing everyone’s reaction, Old Master Gu was very satisfied. The Gu family had always been his domain—his will was the Gu family’s will.
That had never changed.
At that moment, a voice came from outside the main hall: “Chiyan is back?”
It was Liu Ahua, the Gu family’s housemaid.
There were two maids in the Gu family—Liu Ahua and Zhang Acai.
Liu Ahua was older, and Gu Chiyan usually treated her with respect.
Gu Chiyan nodded. “Little Su, this is Aunt Liu, who helps out at home.”
They no longer used terms like “servant,” so he used “help” instead.
Su He smiled. “Hello, Aunt Liu.”
Liu Ahua merely gave a faint “mm,” then said to Gu Chiyan, “Chiyan, give me the things.”
Gu Chiyan frowned slightly. “No need.”
He knew very well that Liu Ahua must have been instructed—otherwise, she wouldn’t dare act like this.
He was worried Su He might be upset, but when he looked at her, she still wore a gentle smile.
For some reason, though, that smile felt a bit off—but he couldn’t quite pinpoint why.
Old Master Gu had been listening carefully all along. He gave Gu Wenfang an approving look—his youngest daughter was indeed thoughtful!
She had handled this matter well.
Gu Wenfang felt quite pleased with herself. A country girl wanting to marry into the Gu family? Truly overestimating herself!
At that moment, Gu Chiyan and Su He pushed the door open and entered.
Everyone inside turned to look at the doorway.
Of course, Old Master Gu didn’t even raise his head, continuing to sip his tea.
The Gu family members were somewhat surprised. They had assumed that even if a country girl looked decent, she would surely carry a petty, small-town air.
But the girl before them, though dressed only in a simple white dress, was like a camellia after the rain—fresh, delicate, and refined.
Gu Chiyan set down the things. “Grandfather, Little Su is here.”
Only then did Old Master Gu slowly raise his head.
The next moment, his hand trembled—the teacup shook, and tea spilled all over him…
[Almost forgot—wishing everyone a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Come back tomorrow to watch Old Master Gu get thoroughly slapped in the face one after another! Also, Gu Wenfen and Gu Wenfang were too easy to mix up, so I changed the fifth child’s name to Gu Wenmin.]
