Chapter 556 - 479: Yours and Mine
Chapter 556: Chapter 479: Yours and Mine
Xiao Man was speechless and quickly pushed him. "Fine, I won’t be so nice to him anymore. I’ll give him fruit peels instead of dried fruit... How about that?"
Gu Shaojun chuckled, then leaned down and gave her pink lips a firm peck before loosening his hold on her. "Don’t worry, I checked. No one’s around. Since you made a promise to Shaolian, go ahead and give him his share. I’m not that petty. But don’t give him any fresh peaches, bananas, or black grapes. That guy’s got the nose of a bloodhound; he loves fresh fruit, especially peaches and bananas. If he gets a taste for them, he’ll pester you relentlessly, and that’ll be a huge hassle. Besides, it’s the middle of winter. Those fruits are out of season, so it’s not appropriate to bring them out."
"I know. I stopped bringing those out a long time ago," Xiao Man said. "Now, I just put regular fruits and ingredients from outside into the space to let them enrich for a while before I take them out for everyone. As for the peaches, pears, apricots, and grapes that originally grow in there, I only bring out a small amount when they’re in season. It’s just the two of us who can eat fresh fruit anytime. I also make fresh juice for our grandparents, and Shaoying can have a little too. She’s still too young to understand. Whatever you tell her she’s eating is what she believes, so she won’t say anything she shouldn’t. I’ve made so many dried and candied fruits in there that the storeroom is nearly full. I’m so tempted to sell them for money."
Gu Shaojun: "..."
He playfully flicked her nose. "You little money-grubber! What do you need money for? My salary isn’t huge, but the family deposits money for all the kids every year. My mom has the passbook. I’ll get it for you."
"No! If I take your passbook now, what will your mom and family think of me?"
"Don’t worry about it. My parents set their sights on you as their daughter-in-law a long time ago. They can’t wait for you to come and take me in hand."
"I still don’t want it. I have my own money. The eighty thousand you left with me last time is still untouched."
"Why not? Are you still drawing a line between what’s mine and what’s yours?"
"No, I’m just saving it. I was just talking. It’s not like I’m actually short on cash. Think about it: Gu Shaozhen found a Jade Mine, so we don’t need to buy jade for our Cultivation. As for clothes and things, Zheng Shaolian sends over boxes every few months. My grandma, Mrs. Ai, and your mom are always trying to buy me clothes whenever they go shopping. Then there’s Yang Liu’er, who’s in fashion—she’s practically begging me to wear her company’s clothes for ’advertising.’ Basically, I have money I can’t even spend, so I just save it. Oh, right! I sometimes wander around Antique Street, which is really fun. Whenever I find an antique containing Spiritual Energy, I buy it and store it in my space. In thirty or fifty years, it’ll appreciate and be worth even more!"
"Our Xia Hua Country is rapidly becoming a world power and entering an age of peace and prosperity. It’s inevitable that antiques will appreciate in value. As the saying goes: gold in times of chaos, antiques in times of peace."
Gu Shaojun gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind Xiao Man’s ear and smiled. "Speaking of antiques, I had my eyes opened the other day. I finished refining the two Storage Rings the Gongsun Family gave as compensation and handed them over to our grandfathers. Have you seen them? The Gongsun Clan’s wealth is truly extraordinary. The contents of those two Storage Rings alone could rival that of a nation—there were well over ten thousand pounds each of gold and silver, not to mention countless pearls, gems, antiques, ancient texts, and paintings... Grandfather wanted me to hold on to the rings, but I refused. They were the Gongsun Clan’s compensation to the Gu family, which means they belong to the family’s communal assets. With my grandfather and father around, it’s not our generation’s place to manage such things. You understand that, right, Xiao Man?"
Xiao Man nodded. "My grandpa said one of the rings was specifically compensation for me from the Gongsun Family, since Gongsun Ruxue tried to harm me. But I didn’t take it either. My grandpa has been fascinated by legends of Storage Rings his whole life. Seeing one in person for the first time, he was beyond thrilled. So I just considered it a gift for him and let him have his fun with it. Besides, I have one of my own."
Gu Shaojun said, "They’re just Storage Rings. Once I’ve nurtured the True Fire in my Dantian a bit longer, I’ll be able to forge rings just like the Gongsun Clan’s, as long as I can find the right materials! That old fox Gongsun Li was willing to part with them, intending to use two small Magic Artifacts and an immense fortune to settle the grudge. He’s probably already found the materials to make new ones. Otherwise, how could someone who relies on a personal Storage Ring feel secure about their possessions?"
Xiao Man mulled it over and realized he was probably right. The Gongsun Clan had clearly been prepared when they offered that compensation.
Xiao Man knew she had a large chunk of Xuan Iron in her space, something she’d acquired from a scrap collector in Ping County a few years ago. It was an essential material for forging all sorts of top-grade magic tools, like Magic Swords and Storage Rings. But she wasn’t in a hurry to tell Gu Shaojun. It wouldn’t be too late to mention it when he actually needed it.
"That Gongsun Clan really is something, tossing away mountains of gold and silver just like that. I guess they’re the only ones with the wealth to pull it off."
Gu Shaojun snorted. "Gongsun Li and Gongsun Xiang are old and cunning. As if they’d ever willingly part with ninety percent of their clan’s fortune. They think they can settle this just by throwing some money around? Things aren’t that simple. Although the Gongsun Clan never explicitly said why they did it, you could piece things together from their evasive words. The attack on our family’s feng shui formation... it must be connected to the Bai Family! Just you wait. This is a complicated debt, and we’re going to settle it very, very slowly."
"Someone’s coming. A rare visitor, but one you know. Let’s go see who it is."
Xiao Man let Gu Shaojun lead her by the hand out of the room. Walking toward them along the veranda was Wei Zhenqing, his hands clasped behind his back as he glanced around. He was in casual clothes, but they couldn’t conceal his military bearing. Even though his gait was relaxed, he still walked in a perfectly straight line.
Wei Zhenqing spotted Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man, and his eyes lit up. "Little Manman, long time no see! It’s like an old hen turning into a duck—you’ve grown into a young lady in the blink of an eye!"
Xiao Man was speechless. ’This guy looks so handsome and refined, so why can’t he say something nice?’ She had been about to give him a warm greeting, but now she just felt deflated.
"Wei Zhenqing, who are you calling an old hen? And who’s the duck?"
Wei Zhenqing froze for a second, then hurriedly apologized. "Oh! I’m so sorry, Little Manman! I have a roommate from H Province, and the guy can’t say a single sentence without using some weird metaphor. I thought it was funny at first and tried copying him for a bit, and now I’m desperately trying to kick the habit..."
"Then you could have at least found a nicer metaphor to use on me."
"Right, right! Let me think... I have to find a really good one to describe our Little Manman!"
Gu Shaojun shot daggers at him with his eyes. "’Little Manman’? Is that what you should be calling her? You can call her ’Sister-in-law’!"
Wei Zhenqing: "..."
’No way,’ Wei Zhenqing thought. ’They’re not even engaged yet and he wants me to call her Sister-in-law? She’s still just a kid. I can’t bring myself to say it.’
He chuckled awkwardly. "Uh, Xiao Man? Manman?"
Gu Shaojun’s face was cold. "Tang Manman."
"Tang Manman... Miss? Ma’am? Ah, Comrade, hello!"
Gu Shaojun was speechless. ’I really want to punch him.’