The Abandoned Daughter's Second Chance

Chapter 127: Chapter 117: For Her Own Good

Back in the car, Gu Shaojun suddenly thought of something. "The buses back to the countryside have stopped running for the day, right? So where will you stay tonight? Do you have any relatives in Wancheng?"

Xiao Man shook her head. "No relatives. I came yesterday. A child from my neighborhood was injured in an accident and brought to Wancheng Hospital. His mother can’t read, so she brought me along to help out... We stayed in a hotel last night, and we missed the bus this morning, so we have to take an early one back tomorrow."

Gu Shaojun looked at her. "Isn’t that something an adult should be helping with? What can a kid like you do to help? Your parents are okay with this? What grade are you in?"

"I don’t have parents, only my Grandpa and Grandma. I’m in the fifth grade now."

’No parents? So she’s an orphan. What a poor little thing!’

Gu Shaojun reached out and patted Xiao Man’s head. ’Shaozhen was right, this little girl’s hair is amazing. It’s dark, shiny, and silky smooth.’ Her two pigtails bounced playfully when she walked, and they already reached her earlobes. ’Hey, those are the "ingot ears" Grandma always mentioned,’ he thought. They were fair and tender with a pinkish hue. So cute. He couldn’t resist giving one a little squeeze...

Xiao Man flinched and glanced sideways at him. ’Do all you brothers have this hobby? The moment you see someone, you’re pulling their pigtails and pinching their cheeks, and now you’ve moved on to their ears.’

Gu Shaojun pulled his hand back and said in a serious tone, "I understand your family situation now. I’m out of time; I have to rush back to the provincial capital tonight. I have a comrade at the Wan City Military Sub-Region. In a moment, I’ll ask him to arrange for a vehicle and have Zheng Shaolian drive you home. That way, he’ll know the way. From now on, Zheng Shaolian can... well, you two can look out for each other. I’ll come visit when I have time."

"Is that alright? I’m still with my neighbor..."

"If your neighbor wants to go back, they can come along. If not, you’ll go by yourself. Remember, you’re still a child. Some things aren’t your responsibility to manage, understand?"

"Okay. But really, I’m fine with taking the bus tomorrow morning."

"No. Which hotel did you stay at last night? A young girl shouldn’t just stay at any random hotel; they’re unsafe and unsanitary. In the future, if you come to Wancheng, call Shaolian first. I’ll make arrangements for him to pick you up in a car, and you’ll stay at a proper guesthouse!"

’A phone in the countryside? Does he think this is twenty years in the future, when cell phones are everywhere and everyone has one?’

Gu Shaojun quickly came up with an idea. "Then send a telegram. The post office in your village can send telegrams."

Xiao Man: ...

’Send a telegram just to visit Wancheng? I’d probably get here on the bus before the telegram even arrived!’

Gu Shaojun drove back to the big banyan tree, where Gu Shaofeng’s car was already waiting. Two men from the Wan City Military Sub-Region were with him. They came over, shook Gu Shaojun’s hand, and clapped him on the shoulder with a laugh. They were clearly old friends.

Zheng Shaolian pulled Xiao Man over to a concrete bollard and pointed to three boxes sitting on top. "That bastard, Gu the Second, confiscated all the things Grandma gave me! He left them with Staff Officer Yang, saying it was a hassle to take them into the barracks and that I’d have to come out every Sunday to get a little at a time. I just had a big argument with him and managed to get these back. You should take them with you. It’s all good food."

Xiao Man said, "You should take them back to the barracks and eat them there. I have plenty. Brother Gu just bought me a lot of things; they’re in the car."

Zheng Shaolian glared at her. "What he bought is from him. This is from me!"

Gu Shaozhen, who had appeared behind Xiao Man at some point, chimed in. "Go on and take them, little sister. Some things are just better when they’re imported. These are all from the foreign trade shop; they can’t be compared to what you buy at the department store!"

He walked around to face her, reaching out to flick one of her pigtails with a smile. "I brought quite a lot with me, actually. If I’d known about you sooner, I would have set aside a share. But I didn’t, so I split it all between my eldest and second brother. It’s a shame my eldest brother gave his entire share to his fiancée. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have needed to take you shopping at the department store!"

Xiao Man looked up into Gu Shaozhen’s eyes. ’In my past life, this man became a financial tycoon. He was said to be the most handsome of all the country’s billionaires, and also the biggest playboy. He was so good at managing his ’harem’ that there were never any public fights or jealous scandals. Only he could pull that off.’

’His public image was that of a handsome, elegant, and somewhat aloof gentleman, but among his brothers, he loved to talk and laugh, always the one to liven up the mood. A lawyer once said that he was, in fact, an incredibly meticulous person.’

’So what does he mean by saying something like that to me now? This is the second time he’s mentioned Gu Shaojun’s fiancée.’

Xiao Man thought for a moment before replying to Gu Shaozhen, "As far as I’m concerned, the department store is already the best. What are these ’imported goods’ you’re talking about? I don’t know, and I’d ask you not to talk to me about them. I’m still little, so I can’t understand! I have my own principles. I have my own boundaries for what I should and shouldn’t do. I treat others with sincerity, and I expect to be treated with the same respect. If you don’t like the look of me, then I’m sorry, but please just pretend you don’t see me. It’s not like I know you, anyway!"

With that, she snatched her pigtail from his hand and turned to walk away.

Gu Shaozhen stood there with his mouth hanging open in shock. Zheng Shaolian kicked out at him. "What the hell is wrong with you? I told you, she’s my sister!"

The Gu family came from a long line of military men, and the boys had all trained in martial arts since they were young. Gu Shaozhen hadn’t enlisted, but he’d gone through plenty of military drills. His skills were a cut above the Zheng Family brothers, who’d had a more relaxed upbringing under Old Mrs. Gu’s doting protection. He easily dodged Zheng Shaolian’s kick and grabbed him.

"This little sister you picked up off the street isn’t some kind of monster, is she? She claims she’s just a kid, but she understood what I was implying the second I said it!"

Zheng Shaolian struggled, wanting to land a punch. "You’re the monster! If you didn’t think she’d understand, then why would you say that stuff in the first place? How bored are you? Are you just trying to be a jerk?"

Gu Shaozhen: ...

’He’s got a point. Why did I just assume she would understand?’

"I was doing it for her own good! She’s so cute, but she’s also sharp as a tack. She got attached to our eldest brother the very first time she met him. What if... You know there are some things you shouldn’t aim for. In the end, she’ll be the only one who gets hurt!"

"That’s ridiculous! She’s only eleven. What could she possibly be aiming for?"

"Does she act like she’s eleven? Did you hear her? ’I have my own principles. I have my own boundaries for what I should and shouldn’t do’! Could you have said something that profound when you were eleven?"

Zheng Shaolian struggled free from Gu Shaozhen’s grip. "What’s so special about that? It’s not strange at all for Little Ni’er to say a few profound things. Do you know what book she carries around with her?"

"What?"

"The *Spring and Autumn Annals*!"

"The *Spring and Autumn Annals*? What’s that?"

Zheng Shaolian looked at Gu Shaozhen with disdain, enjoying the moment as he tossed out a new phrase he’d learned. "It’s terrifying to be so uncultured! It’s the *Spring and Autumn Annals* with the Zuo Commentary, one of Grandpa’s treasured thread-bound books. Could you even understand it?"

"I... Holy crap! Speak clearly, will you! How is a little kid like her reading that stuff?"

"What did you expect? Even the ’comic book’ she carries around is on that level. Dealing with your little schemes is just ’sou sou shui’ to her!"

Gu Shaozhen scoffed. "Oh, so it’s just a comic book. And here I was thinking she was some kind of genius! And that ’sou sou shui’ thing—what does that even mean?"

"It’s Cantonese for ’a piece of cake’!"

Gu Shaozhen: ...

’Damn you,’ he thought. ’I can’t even understand that phrase. A native Cantonese speaker would have even less of a clue what you’re talking about!’