Chapter 139: Embarrassed Gu Tingxiao
Gu Tingxiao followed with wide strides, loaded down with shopping bags, leaving the gossips behind to spectate the aftermath.
Mother Gu returned home carrying herself like a victorious general and sank onto the living room sofa. Grandpa and Grandma Gu had just finished their lunch and were preparing for an afternoon stroll when they saw the trio walk in.
“How went the shopping trip for the return gifts?” Grandma Gu asked.
Mother Gu smiled and nodded, eagerly pulling out the tailored garments. “Mom, Dad, look at these—these are the new clothes Wanyan bought for you both. Go on, try them on and see if they fit.”
The two elders were deeply moved by the quality of the garments, but a familiar trace of worry soon crossed their faces.
“This child really is too generous,” Grandma Gu sighed. “You two should be saving every penny for when Tingxiao returns to the northern command. What do we old folks need new clothes for?” She turned to Wanyan, her tone full of gentle instruction. “Wanyan, keep your money safe. You’ll need it to decorate your new home when the time comes.”
“Grandma, we have plenty of funds,” Wanyan replied warmly. “This is just a small token of respect for you both.”
Grandma Gu didn’t press the issue. Deep down, she was incredibly touched by her new granddaughter-in-law’s filial devotion. “It’s a beautiful thought, child. Just don’t spend so much next time.”
Wanyan smiled and nodded. We can worry about ‘next time’ later, she thought. As long as she is happy today, that’s all that matters.
Grandpa Gu held up his new Zhongshan suit and slipped into the jacket. The length was absolutely perfect, and the new cloth shoes fit like a glove. He truly hadn’t expected his third grandson’s wife to have such a sharp eye for sizing and quality; Tingxiao had clearly found a remarkable woman.
Grandma Gu didn’t even need to try hers on; she could tell at a glance that the fit would be flawless. Wanyan had specifically selected high-grade, durable fabrics in deep, classic colors. The elders immediately took their new garments upstairs to wash them, eager to wear them out for their morning walk the very next day.
While Mother Gu took Father Gu’s new clothes to the washbasin, Wanyan gathered the three new sets she had purchased for Tingxiao and headed toward the bathroom. Just as she dropped the clothes into the basin and prepared to start washing, Gu Tingxiao stepped up from behind and gently took the basin from her hands.
“I’ll wash these,” he said. “Go eat something and rest.”
Before she could protest, he rolled up his sleeves and began scrubbing the fabric. Wanyan couldn’t help but smile at his domestic diligence.
She headed downstairs to check the kitchen. There was only a small pot of morning porridge left, as Mother Gu had already eaten her fill.
“Wanyan, come eat something,” Mother Gu called out.
“Alright.” Wanyan finished the last serving of porridge, but knowing Gu Tingxiao had yet to eat, she decided to whip up something quick for him. Familiar with his hearty appetite, she boiled a large bowl of egg noodles, tossing in two handfuls of fresh greens. It would have to do for a quick midday meal to tide him over.
Later that evening, she would be helping to prepare the main dinner. She had been observing Grandpa Gu closely; the patriarch carried a heavy walking cane everywhere he went. His legs were stiff, his mobility poor, and his overall vitality seemed slightly faded—the lingering toll of countless battlefield injuries. Grandma Gu’s health was similarly frail, her complexion noticeably paler than Grandma Sheng’s back in Chengdu. Even Father Gu, though seemingly robust, undoubtedly carried the hidden physical burdens of his high-stress command position.
Wanyan decided she would secretly infuse a few drops of her spatial spring water into the family’s rice and soup over the next few days. Fortifying their health would grant her immense peace of mind before she relocated to the northern base.
As Gu Tingxiao moved to the courtyard to hang his freshly washed clothes, Wanyan noticed a stray garment left in his basket—a vibrant pink dress.
“And whose dress is this…?” Wanyan asked, leaning against the doorframe with a teasing smile.
Gu Tingxiao paused, lowering his head to offer a sheepish cough. “I bought it for you.”
“Oh? And exactly when did you manage that?” She couldn’t resist poking fun at his suddenly embarrassed expression.
“When you were busy buying clothes for the elders earlier.”
“Is that so?” Wanyan crossed her arms, her eyes dancing with amusement. “Comrade Gu Tingxiao, seeing as you surrendered your entire savings to me last night, where exactly did you get the money for this?”
The moment she asked, Gu Tingxiao deliberately looked away, refusing to meet her gaze.
“Comrade Gu Tingxiao, have you already started hoarding a secret stash of private money on your very first day of marriage?”
Gu Tingxiao’s head snapped back, looking at her with genuine panic. He had absolutely nothing to hide from his wife. The memory of her icing him out the night before was a lesson he would never forget; he was terrified of repeating the mistake.
“I didn’t.”
“Then where did the money come from?”
“I… I borrowed it from my mother,” he admitted quietly.
Wanyan was genuinely stunned. She had never imagined that this terrifyingly cold, stoic military officer would secretly beg his mother for a loan just to buy her a dress. The image was entirely absurd.
“Cough!” Gu Tingxiao cleared his throat, trying to regain his dignity.
“Alright then,” Wanyan laughed softly. “I’ll give you the cash later so you can go pay Mom back.”
“Mhm.”
Gu Tingxiao was slightly devastated that his grand romantic gesture had been so thoroughly exposed. He had originally planned to wash and dry the dress himself before presenting it to her as a pristine surprise. He hadn’t expected his sharp-eyed wife to uncover the evidence the literal second she finished her lunch.
Wanyan looked at him, thoroughly amused. On paper, this man was a brilliant, highly decorated tactician. So why did he constantly act like a clumsy fool around her?
“Wife, please stop laughing at me in your head,” he grumbled.
“I’m not.”
“You are.” Gu Tingxiao stared at her.
“I’m really not.”
“Your eyes literally say the word ‘joke.'” His face was perfectly expressionless, yet he stared at her with dead serious intensity.
Wanyan: “…”
“Shut up,” she finally said.
“Oh.”
Wanyan truly wanted to strangle him sometimes.
That evening, as the extended Gu family returned home for dinner, Wanyan took charge of the kitchen, simmering a massive pot of rich chicken soup. While no one was looking, she discreetly added two concentrated drops of her spatial spring water into the broth. Since she was scheduled to depart for the northern command in four days, she wanted to ensure Grandpa, Grandma, and her parents-in-law received a potent health boost before she left.
By the time the family had changed out of their work clothes, Mother Gu, Aunt Lin, and Wanyan had the feast fully prepared. Grandpa and Grandma Gu had been smelling the savory aroma of the soup from the parlor for hours, eagerly awaiting their first bowl. The fragrance was incredibly rich; their new granddaughter-in-law’s culinary skills were truly unmatched.
“Dinner is ready!”
Mother Gu and Wanyan began carrying the heavy dishes to the dining table as the extended family took their respective seats.
“What is that smell? It’s incredible,” Eldest Brother Gu Tingye noted, his mouth watering.
Mother Gu removed the lid from the massive soup tureen, and everyone’s eyes instantly locked onto the golden broth.
“Smells divine, doesn’t it?” Mother Gu boasted. “This is the chicken soup Wanyan has been slow-simmering all afternoon. Everyone have a bowl; it’s the perfect time to replenish your energy.”
Mother Gu respectfully served the first two bowls to the elders, leaving the rest of the family to serve themselves.
Gu Tingxiao ladled a generous bowl for Wanyan, explicitly fishing out a tender drumstick and placing it directly into her bowl.
Leave the drumsticks for the children, Wanyan signaled, discreetly tugging at his sleeve. What kind of grown man openly stole the premium cuts of meat from the kids?
Across the table, Wang Chunmei rolled her eyes in silent outrage. The whole chicken only possessed two large drumsticks, two small drumsticks, and two wings. Naturally, the two large drumsticks had been granted to the elders, and the wings had gone to Father and Mother Gu. But rather than allocate the two remaining small drumsticks to the children at the table, the third brother had brazenly dumped one into Wanyan’s bowl!
What kind of ridiculous behavior was this? How could a man spoil his wife this shamelessly? The family hadn’t formally divided their assets yet; the food belonged to the collective household. What gave his wife the right to such flagrant exceptionalism?
“You worked hard brewing the soup all afternoon. You need to eat more meat,” Gu Tingxiao stated firmly, entirely ignoring her tug. In his eyes, his wife had spent the entire day laboring over the stove; she was more than entitled to a single drumstick.
Seeing the utterly venomous glare Wang Chunmei was directing at her—as if the woman wanted to reach across the table and devour her alive—Wanyan’s rebellious streak flared. Fine, she thought, picking up her chopsticks. She took a deliberate, satisfying bite of the drumstick.
Eldest Sister-in-law Liang Nazhen quietly transferred the final remaining drumstick into her son Jinfang’s bowl. Since Jinfang was the eldest great-grandson and the future heir, Wang Chunmei didn’t dare utter a word of protest against him. She could only sit and seethe in silence, glaring furiously at the drumstick in Wanyan’s bowl—a piece of meat that, in her mind, rightfully belonged to her own daughter.
