Chapter 284 - 259: Low-key
Chapter 284: Chapter 259: Low-key
On New Year’s Eve, a bitter north wind howled outside, cold enough to make one want to curl into a ball, but there was no snow.
As the clock struck midnight, Hao Hao immediately pulled Xiao Man to her feet. The siblings ran out into the courtyard to the sound of the chimes, ready to set off fireworks. The weather was clear. Looking up, there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. The brilliant stars twinkled, and the Milky Way was clearly visible, seeming to hang right overhead. Xiao Man couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. ’To think of the Beijing of the future,’ she thought, ’plagued by sandstorms and smog, with such severe air pollution. How could you ever see such a magnificent, star-filled sky there?’
Suddenly, a streak of white light shot across the Milky Way. Xiao Man quickly shouted to Hao Hao, "It’s a shooting star! Quick, make a wish!"
Just as she was sincerely clasping her hands, closing her eyes, and murmuring her wish, Hao Hao ran over and bumped into her. He asked with a laugh, "Sis, the shooting star is already gone. What did you wish for?"
"You can’t say a wish out loud, or it won’t come true! Next time you see one, you can make a wish. They say that if you wish on a shooting star, your wish will almost always be granted!"
Xiao Man said this with a completely straight face, forgetting at that moment that her brother was known as a child genius, with a mind that didn’t work like a normal person’s. The more serious she acted, the more delighted he became. In a teasing tone, he deliberately shouted, "Really?"
"Of course!"
"Pfft-hahaha... Sis, you’re so naive! That’s just something people say to trick little girls. That shooting star is actually just..."
"Tang Haohao! Shut your mouth! I don’t care if you’re a walking encyclopedia, I don’t need it right now!" Xiao Man realized what was happening and became furious with embarrassment.
"Alright, I won’t say it! You can continue, continue with your fantasy dream... Open sesame! Open up! Hahaha..."
Waving a string of firecrackers, Hao Hao backed away, laughing, looking like he was begging for a beating. Xiao Man balled her fists and was about to chase him when someone pulled her back. She turned to see Gu Shaojun. Behind him were Grandpa Tang, Grandpa, Tang Qingshan, and Tang Qingyun. The group had been inside drinking tea and chatting. Hearing the siblings laughing and shouting while setting off fireworks in the courtyard, they all came out to watch the fun. Grandma Tang and Grandma, afraid the wind was too strong, stood behind the large glass window, watching with smiles on their faces.
Gu Shaojun placed the winter hat Grandma Tang had given him onto Xiao Man’s head and carefully tied the straps. Tang Qingshan watched with a smile, then patted Gu Shaojun on the back and said:
"The situation at the front line is grim right now. You must be overwhelmed, running back and forth between the front and the rear. Do you still have time to practice your martial arts? How is your Gu Family’s ’Wind Blade’ coming along?"
Gu Shaojun smiled and replied, "I practice every day. It’s actually more convenient at the front line, especially amidst the towering mountains. The air is fresh and filled with Spiritual Energy, which is more suitable for cultivation... My ’Wind Blade’ has advanced by leaps and bounds recently, and my power has increased four to fivefold. Would you like to inspect my progress and offer some guidance, Mr. Tang?"
"Increased four to fivefold? That’s impressive! Doesn’t that mean your progress is even greater than your father’s?"
Tang Qingshan glanced around the courtyard and shook his head. "Let’s save the demonstration for another day. There are a few Golden Osmanthus Trees in this yard you could practice on, but if you end up destroying them, I won’t be able to handle your Grandma Tang’s fiery temper!"
Gu Shaojun looked at the osmanthus trees over ten meters away, which were more than ten centimeters in diameter, and smiled without a word.
Grandpa Tang walked over, a look of excitement on his face. "Shaojun, can your ’Wind Blade’ really destroy those osmanthus trees?"
Gu Shaojun said, "I’ve tested it on pine and maple trees. From ten meters away, a single ’Wind Blade’ can simultaneously slice through five or six trees that are ten centimeters in diameter."
Grandpa Tang praised him, "Excellent! What great talent! The young are truly formidable, to progress so quickly!"
Gu Shaojun glanced at Xiao Man, who smiled back at him. He then told Grandpa Tang and Tang Qingshan the truth. "It’s because Xiao Man gave me a Cultivation Technique. I’ve now reached the Second Layer, which in turn boosted the power of my ’Wind Blade’."
Grandpa Tang smiled and nodded, reaching out to pat his granddaughter’s head. Tang Qingshan, however, simply raised an eyebrow. Saying the wind was too strong and it was time to go inside, he called back Tang Qingyun and his son Tang Haohao, who were still running around the yard setting off firecrackers. Then, he put an arm around Xiao Man and led her into the house.
A little past one in the morning, Tang Qingyun had to return to his restaurant. It wasn’t that he couldn’t stay at the Tang Mansion, but he was worried about Wu Xiaowen and their daughter.
Hao Hao had always lived on the second floor, in a bedroom near his grandparents. The third floor used to be occupied only by Tang Qingyun, Wu Xiaowen, and Tang Yaxuan. Now that they were gone, it was empty. Xiao Man had originally arranged with her grandmother to let Gu Shaojun stay in the large study on her floor, but Tang Qingshan went ahead and assigned him to Tang Qingyun’s study on the third floor instead.
Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man walked into the room. Tang Qingshan had already made the bed. He told Gu Shaojun to rest well, then pulled Xiao Man out of the room, closing the door behind them.
Down on the second floor, Tang Qingshan walked Xiao Man back to her room. The father and daughter sat on the sofa and talked for half an hour. The topic, naturally, was the childhood engagement between the Gu and Tang Families. They had briefly discussed it before, and he supported Xiao Man’s decision to wait until she was eighteen to formally announce the engagement. But tonight, Tang Qingshan felt it was necessary to talk with Xiao Man again.
"Manman, you already know about what was between me and your aunt from the Gu family, Shaoshan and Shaojin’s mother, right? We were childhood sweethearts. I treated her exceptionally well. How well, you ask? I would have given her anything, including my life. She was in mortal danger three times. I was the first to find her each time and did everything in my power to save her. I succeeded twice. The third time, regretfully, I was only able to save her son. She didn’t marry me, and I have no regrets. Perhaps I had just gotten used to doting on her like that. However, now that it’s your turn to fulfill this engagement, I do not want—I absolutely forbid—that kind of situation from happening to you. If Gu Shaojun marries you just for the benefits you can provide him, that would be a true tragedy. Manman, do you understand what I mean?"