Chapter 662 - 570: An Uninvited Guest
Chapter 662: Chapter 570: An Uninvited Guest
Time always flies when you’re happy, and with joyous events at home, it seemed to pass especially quickly. Ever since the arrival of the two little babies, everyone in the Tang family felt this way, and Xiao Man was no exception. In the blink of an eye, the Lunar New Year had passed, and it was almost time for school to start again.
Following Grandma’s advice, Xiao Man didn’t return to the South for the Spring Festival this year. Zheng Shaolian, however, did. He brought a large group of people with him, and they had a wild time eating, drinking, and having fun. He also claimed a plot of land at the highest point of the Mao’er Mountain herb plantation by the reservoir to build a mountain villa, saying he’d come and stay whenever he had free time. Down the mountain, Grandpa and Mo Jiabao had repaired the simple farm road. Young Master Zheng then threw down a sum of money to upgrade that road to national highway standards. He also pitched in on the fundraising efforts to help rebuild the Great River’s wooden pavilion bridge.
This was the same rickety wooden bridge Xiao Man had fallen from all those years ago. The Tang family had originally offered to fund a new concrete bridge, but some of the village elders objected. They argued that the bridge had originally been a magnificent wooden pavilion bridge, a legacy from their ancestors. It had weathered many storms over the years and been damaged by floods, and they hoped a future generation would be capable enough to restore it to its former glory; they didn’t want to see it replaced by concrete. After a village committee meeting and gathering feedback from the villagers, the decision was made to crowdfund the project so that every family could contribute. The plan was to gather enough high-quality timber and complete all the preparations before hiring artisans to build a sturdier, more beautiful wooden pavilion bridge. They would even preserve the windmills and watermills on both banks to maintain the original style. Dad Tang had registered with Secretary Mo long ago to contribute, but for some reason—and no one knew quite what Zheng Shaolian had done—construction on the bridge was starting this year.
Xiao Man was thrilled to hear the news. She secretly swapped all the things Zheng Shaolian had brought back from Gongdao Village—the wine, large yellow pears, various dried meats and fish, preserved vegetables, and sauces that Grandpa and Grandma had specially set aside for him—with even better versions from her ’space’. Zheng Shaolian was very possessive when it came to food. After a hint from Xiao Man, he opened the packages and discovered that everything from Grandpa and Grandma was indeed "premium quality." He couldn’t bear to share, so apart from setting aside a portion for the elders of the Tang, Gu, and Zheng families as a sign of filial piety, he kept the rest for himself.
She learned from the Gu family that several skirmishes, both large and small, had broken out again on the southern front around the New Year. It was impossible for Gu Shaojun to come home; he barely even had time to call. Xiao Man had received one call before the holidays and tentatively suggested visiting him, but Gu Shaojun refused. He was far too busy, and on top of that, there was the weather. The North was dry and cold, but the South had a damp cold that seeped into your bones, something that even a Spell couldn’t fully protect against. He didn’t want her to endure such hardship. He simply told her to be patient and wait, promising they would reconsider when the weather warmed up. He assured her that he would definitely be back in Beijing by July.
At first, Xiao Man didn’t understand. ’How can he be so certain he’ll be back in July?’ she wondered. Then it dawned on her—she would be turning seventeen this July. That man was obsessed with holding an engagement ceremony. In his words, "Once we have the engagement ceremony, the wedding won’t feel so far away!" Xiao Man couldn’t help but smile, a rosy blush spreading across her pretty face.
The day before school started, the Gu Mansion hosted a family banquet. It was partly to welcome distinguished guests and partly as a farewell for their granddaughter-in-law, Wu Xiangyun, who was about to return to the North for her studies, and their grandson, Gu Shaozheng, who was heading to the South. Mrs. Gu called Xiao Man, asking her to come over early. She explained that the guests of honor were an uncle and aunt from the Zhou family, along with a younger female cousin, and that the couple was eager to meet her.
Mrs. Gu also mentioned that two days ago, Gu Shaozheng had suddenly brought a girl home, claiming she was just a friend and refusing to explain further. She hoped Xiao Man could try to get something out of him, as he was usually willing to confide in her. Having the girl stay at the house under such unclear circumstances had apparently displeased Grandpa Gu. Mr. Gu had confronted his son about it, but Shaozheng just called the adults "old fogeys," which led to a shouting match between father and son. If Granny Gu hadn’t intervened, Shaozheng would have ended up getting a whipping.
Xiao Man was left speechless. She remembered a story from her past life: Gu Shaozheng’s first wife was someone he had married purely out of defiance toward his family. They had a daughter together but then essentially lived separate lives. ’It couldn’t be this girl, could it?’
Since the two babies were still nursing, Mrs. Ai had mostly stopped attending banquets recently. Grandma Tang wanted to wait and go with Grandpa Tang, so when she heard Mrs. Gu had specifically called for Xiao Man, she told her to go on ahead.
Upon arriving at the Gu Mansion, Xiao Man first paid her respects to Grandpa and Granny Gu, and then to her uncle and aunt from the Zhou family. Mrs. Gu was the eldest of the Zhou siblings, with three younger brothers and one younger sister. Xiao Man had met two of her other maternal uncles and their wives before; this time it was Second Uncle Zhou and his wife. They were being transferred to a new post in Jincheng City and had decided to visit Beijing first to see their eldest sister and other relatives.
Gu Shaojun had told Xiao Man fascinating stories about his maternal family, so she was quite curious about them. The Zhou family had resided for generations in the Ancient Imperial Capital in the South; they were a renowned aristocratic family whose power and influence were surely not to be underestimated. In her past life, however, the Zhou family had suffered a swift and silent downfall because of a corruption scandal.
Second Uncle Zhou and Second Aunt chatted amiably with Xiao Man for a short time. They didn’t keep her long, letting her go after giving her two large red envelopes.
Walking along the covered veranda, she came face-to-face with Gu Shaozheng. He was accompanied by a stylish, curvy beauty. Despite the cold, the woman was wearing only a form-fitting, bright red woolen dress, with a fluffy, snow-white shawl draped around her shoulders. Even with the indoor heating, it was still chilly outside, and since they appeared to be coming from the front of the mansion, Xiao Man figured the girl must have an unusually robust constitution.
When Xiao Man noticed Gu Shaozheng glancing at the red envelopes in her hand, she immediately stuffed them into her coat pocket. Gu Shaozheng scoffed, then grinned as he reached into his breast pocket. "I’ve got plenty of these," he said. "If you want them, you can have all of mine!"
Xiao Man shook her head. "Why would I take red envelopes from you for no reason? No, thank you!"
The stylish beauty eyed Xiao Man with amusement. "Is this your cousin?" she asked Gu Shaozheng.
"Didn’t you just meet my cousin?" he retorted. "This is my sister-in-law!"
The stylish beauty looked utterly incredulous but said nothing more. Her eyes widened as she blatantly sized Xiao Man up from head to toe.
Any interest or goodwill Xiao Man might have had for the girl vanished. She returned the question. "I don’t believe I’ve seen you before," she said. "Are you a classmate of Shaozheng’s? Or a friend?"
Gu Shaozheng answered, "Neither. Don’t worry about her. I bumped into her a couple of times before, and next thing I know, she’s telling Old Man Jun we’re best friends. I don’t even know what Old Man Jun is doing here today, but this one is so shameless she just tagged along. Just now, she was pestering Granny Gu for some fresh flower petals to steep in water, so Granny told me to take her to the greenhouse to get some. Oh, right: she’s Jun Ran’s cousin. Her name is Huang... what was it again?"
The stylish beauty glared at Gu Shaozheng indignantly. "What are you playing at? Did you suddenly get amnesia? You don’t remember my name?!"
Then she turned to Xiao Man, her cheeks puffed out in a huff. "My name is Huang Minyan."
Xiao Man gave a polite nod. "I’m Tang Manman."
Being accused of having "amnesia" gave Gu Shaozheng the creeps. He glared back at Huang Minyan. "Are you going or not? If not, say the word, because I’m going to go find my mom!"
Huang Minyan lowered her head. When she looked up again, all traces of resentment had vanished from her face. She even had a slight smile. Her eyes were clear and her demeanor was suddenly composed and proper. In a soft, docile voice, she said, "If you have business with Auntie, we can go see her first. The greenhouse can wait."
Gu Shaozheng: "..."
’This woman is definitely not right in the head. I need to stay far, far away from her in the future!’