Chapter 257 - 236: Enthusiasm
Chapter 257: Chapter 236: Enthusiasm
"Xiao Man, let’s not joke like that in the future, okay?"
"What joke? The one about turning into butterflies? I think it’s fun!" Xiao Man laughed so hard she could barely pick up her noodles.
"I mean the part you said earlier: ’who would abandon who.’" Gu Shaojun said helplessly. He would never admit that a grown man like him was so affected by the story of *Liang and Zhu*.
Xiao Man finally managed to suppress her laughter. Seeing Gu Shaojun’s dejected expression, she felt it was a little mean to upset him so early in the morning. Trying to smooth things over, she added some pickles to his bowl with her chopsticks. "Eat up, eat up! We’ll talk about something else from now on and drop this silly topic, okay?"
Gu Shaojun: ...
’It felt like a paw was scratching at his heart. His little girl was beautiful, adorable, and so mischievous. He couldn’t imagine how many heads she’d turn out in the world. He just couldn’t feel at ease. What was he going to do? He desperately wanted to just whisk her away!’
When it was time for Xiao Man to go to school, Gu Shaojun insisted on walking her, claiming it was on his way to buy groceries. Xiao Man was at a loss. "The only people shopping for groceries this early are grandmas. Aren’t you afraid of the gossip if you go jostling in line with them?"
"What’s the big deal? I’m usually stationed with the military, and I finally got a two-day leave to come home. Isn’t it right for me to buy groceries early and cook for my family? They’ll understand. What do you want for lunch? How about braised ribs?"
"Anything’s fine."
"Seriously, think about it and tell me what you really want!"
"Alright then, braised ribs. Outside the kitchen window, there’s a small bamboo basket hanging. Inside, there are some sliced and dried Chinese yams. Use those in the stew. Oh, and see that ceramic pot on the stove? The water in there is for cooking. The tap water in our mountain region comes from a mountain spring. The quality is good, but it can sometimes have a bit of sand in it, so we always let it settle first. Use the water from that pot to cook the rice."
’Actually, it was spiritual spring water. Gu Shaojun wasn’t much of a cook, so she’d let the spiritual spring water help improve the flavor.’
Gu Shaojun smiled and nodded. He felt wonderful listening to his little girl’s rambling instructions.
"Make sure to cook a lot. Ai Lan and Ling Hui are coming over for lunch," Xiao Man added.
"Did they say they were coming?"
"They don’t have to. There are a lot of students at our school, so everything is cooked in huge pots. The food is pretty plain, and if you’re late, you might not get any at all. They usually come over for lunch and dinner every day."
"Okay, got it. I’ll see if they have any fish for sale. How about I buy a big one to give you all a nutritional boost?"
"No, don’t. We have dried fish and shrimp from home that we eat all the time."
’There was no doubting "Chef Gu’s" courage, but she was worried he’d make the fish so bad they couldn’t eat it. That would be a terrible waste.’
The two chatted as they walked, running into many of Xiao Man’s classmates, both boys and girls, who all greeted her. The shyer, more reserved students would just pass by, but the more outgoing ones gathered around to walk with them. A few of the bolder boys, full of admiration for a man in the military, even struck up a conversation with Gu Shaojun. Meanwhile, the girls snuck glances at Gu Shaojun while linking arms and surrounding Xiao Man, laughingly asking if this handsome soldier was her uncle.
It wasn’t a strange question. Tang Qingshan and Tang Qingyun had walked the siblings to school before, so the students had seen them. Those two were her father and uncle, and they looked nearly identical. This man didn’t resemble them at all, so which relative was he? A cousin-uncle?
’A cousin-uncle...’
’Why did it have to be an ’uncle’? Hey, kids, have you seriously never met a slightly older cousin before?’
「On Saturday afternoon」
Zheng Shaolian arrived right on time, driving the car Gu Shaojun had brought from the provincial city. He was there to take the two of them back to Gongdao Village to visit Grandpa and Grandma.
In addition to some apples and pears bought from the county fruit stand, Gu Shaojun also unloaded plenty of cigarettes, liquor, and sweets from the trunk, along with autumn and winter clothes and shoes he had bought for Grandpa and Grandma, and for Xiao Man.
Xiao Man: ...
’This guy... He’d never even met Grandpa and Grandma, yet he was bold enough to buy them things just like that.’
But Gu Shaojun said, "I got a group photo from Shao Jin, and I also asked him for Grandpa and Grandma’s real heights. Then I went to a store and had the clerk help me pick things out. The sizes should be about right."
"That actually works?" Xiao Man was speechless. ’Then again,’ she thought, ’clothing styles back then were mostly loose-fitting, so it might just be fine.’
Grandpa and Grandma already knew of Gu Shaojun. Before he’d gone to the front lines, he often had things sent over from the provincial city, and Xiao Man always told the old couple who they were from. Zheng Shaolian had also told them about Gu Shaojun coming home from the war as a triumphant hero. So, now that they were meeting him in person, the two elders were absolutely ecstatic. They grabbed his hands, showering him with questions about his well-being. Grandpa immediately instructed Mo Chengfu to slaughter a chicken and a duck for a feast and told him to invite the clan elders to join them. Grandma was even busier, bustling back and forth with chestnuts, peanuts, dried fruit, meat jerky, and Xiao Man’s homemade fruit preserves. She looked as if she wanted to pile every edible thing in the house in front of Gu Shaojun, constantly urging him to eat. She then shouted for Zheng Shaolian to make tea for his older cousin and keep him company. Zheng Shaolian felt utterly neglected. ’So he went to war, big deal,’ he grumbled inwardly. ’Do they have to be like this? I was on the outskirts of the battlefield myself, and I’ve never seen them show me half this much enthusiasm!’
Gu Shaojun was moved, but also incredibly relieved. ’Thank goodness Xiao Man has her kind, good-hearted Grandpa and Grandma looking after her. I’m so grateful!’
When there were guests, the neighbors in the village loved to drop by and join in the excitement. Country folk are straightforward and don’t hold back; people of all ages gathered to spectate and comment. Gu Shaojun wasn’t in uniform that day, so they were a little less intimidated. Seeing how tall, handsome, mature, and steady he was—even more dashing than Zheng Shaolian—everyone clicked their tongues in admiration. Some boldly asked his age, how many brothers he had, if he was married... Even though Gu Shaojun was aware of rural customs, it was a bit much for him. He seized the opportunity while Grandma was handing out candy to slip out of the courtyard. At the gate, he saw Grandpa giving Xiao Man a bottle and telling her to hurry back. As Xiao Man turned to leave, Gu Shaojun quickly greeted Grandpa and followed her.
Xiao Man glanced back at him and grinned. "What are you doing out here? The villagers love you! You’re way more popular than Zheng Shaolian!"
Gu Shaojun gave a weary smile. "They aren’t like this every time I visit, are they?"
"Who has that kind of time? People in the countryside have their own sense of courtesy. They give you a big welcome the first time you visit. By the second time, nobody will care to look at you anymore."
"That’s a courtesy I can barely handle!"
"Where are we off to now?" Gu Shaojun asked softly.
"We’re going to Mo Shuixia’s house. She’s a student at the commune’s middle school and just came home for the day. She plays basketball and sprained her ankle. She came by for some medicinal wine from my grandpa, but he wasn’t here, so he’s asked me to take it to her now."
"Alright."