Chapter 111 Return Gift

"Mother, the guests have all left. If it weren't for Mingchuan, there would have been quite a few embarrassing incidents today!" Liu Yue came in without showing any concern for Old Master Liu's health, only praising Xu Mingchuan for properly entertaining the guests for the Liu family.

"The birthday banquet you requested has been held, now you should leave."

At this point, Old Mrs. Gu was completely disillusioned with her daughter and had lost all hope in her.

"Mother! What are you saying! Mingchuan still needs to help Father sell Rubik's Cubes! When will Father wake up?" Liu Yue seemed not to understand what Old Madam Gu meant and came to Doctor Wu to ask.

"Your father is in poor health and won't wake up for at least three to five days," Old Mrs. Gu said, not wanting to see her daughter and son-in-law at the moment, so she had to tell a lie before Doctor Wu could speak.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yue frowned and said, "So long? Then let's go back first and come back when Father wakes up. Mother, we're leaving now."

After saying that, Liu Yue left without hesitation, taking Xu Mingchuan with her.

"It was my mistake. I originally wanted to help her because I thought she was having a hard time in the Xu family, but I didn't expect it to bring such trouble," said the old lady Gu sadly.

"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. It's best for us old folks not to interfere too much. Alright, I've left the medicine. Give him another bowl when he wakes up. Don't let him get angry again," Doctor Wu sighed. Seeing that Old Master Liu was out of danger, he left as well.

Song Yushu only learned about Old Master Liu's fainting the next day, and bought some tonics to visit the Liu family again.

"It's kind of you to come and see him. I'm so sorry for what happened that day," Old Mrs. Gu said. She didn't take Liu Yue's nonsense seriously. She had heard Old Master Liu mention that the building blocks and Rubik's Cube were the idea of ​​the woman in front of her, which was why she gave her the money.

"It's alright, it's all in the past. It wasn't your intention to do it, so there's no need to worry about it anymore. How is the old man's health now?" Song Yushu knew that the old man had some health problems and was afraid that this would worsen.

"He's awake, but he's too ashamed to face you all, so he can only let this old woman like me come out to greet him. He's stubborn, and I'm afraid he'll have to figure things out before he can see you," said Old Mrs. Gu, who had been with Old Mr. Liu for many years and knew his thoughts all too well.

When Song Yushu heard that Old Master Liu was alright, she breathed a sigh of relief. There weren't many partners as kind as Old Master Liu, and he had taken good care of her and her two children when they came to the prefectural city. For that kindness, she should come and see him.

Three days later, Liu Yue came to the Liu family again to discuss cooperation with Old Master Liu.

“Your father is still not fully recovered. I’m begging you, can you let him have a few days of peace? At the last birthday banquet, if it weren’t for Doctor Wu’s timely arrival, your father might not have survived. Go back now, your father doesn’t want to see you right now.”

Grandma Gu wouldn't let her into the house, blocking her at the door, and she wasn't even allowed to see Grandpa Liu.

"Mom, I didn't expect things to escalate this badly, given Dad's temper. I brought some tonics with me, so please let me in and talk to him! I'm his own daughter, how could he really blame me?"

However, no matter what Liu Yue said, Old Madam Gu wouldn't let her in, so she had no choice but to leave.

Grandpa Liu reopened his shop ten days later. On the first day of reopening, many customers came to buy Rubik's Cubes.

Knowing that he had suffered a great loss of health, Master Liu's apprentices arranged for the guests to be well taken care of and did not dare to trouble him.

"Grandpa Liu, how are you feeling?" Zhou Chengyu had heard about Grandpa Liu's condition from Song Yushu and knew that he was coming to the shop today, so he planned to come and check on him.

"It's alright. I'm getting old, and I have some health problems. It's been a long time since we last met. It's a pleasure to have you come all this way today. Shunzi, go and buy two roasted pigeons. Let's have a meal together," Old Master Liu said, pleased to see Zhou Chengyu. He then sent his apprentice to buy food.

"Let's not drink alcohol. I brought some Dongpo pork and stewed chicken soup from my mother. Let's just eat," Zhou Chengyu said, taking out the food box. The dishes and soup inside were still warm.

"You're so thoughtful," Old Master Liu said, knowing that the soup was specially brought to nourish him, and he was touched.

"It's just a meal, nothing much," Zhou Chengyu said with a smile.

There were two other apprentices of Master Liu watching over the shop, so Master Liu simply took Zhou Chengyu to the backyard to talk.

"Look, this is something I just came up with. You young people will definitely like it," Grandpa Liu said, leading Zhou Chengyu to the place where he usually made toys and showing him his new little gadget.

Zhou Chengyu's eyes lit up. Old Master Liu really had a pair of skillful hands; he could transform a few pieces of wood.

"This ornament is for you. Put it on your desk. It's one of a kind. I only made one!" Old Master Liu couldn't help but feel proud as he watched Zhou Chengyu adore the little ornament he had made.

"The birds on these branches are so lifelike! It must have taken a lot of effort to carve these flowers. Wouldn't it be a shame to give them to me?" Zhou Chengyu could tell at a glance that Old Master Liu was very satisfied with the work and didn't want to take it away from someone else.

"I said I'd give it to you, so why are you making such a fuss? Do you think my cooking is bad?" Old Master Liu understood what he meant and immediately started glaring at him.

"How could I dare? I originally only wanted to ask you for three Rubik's Cubes, but Grandpa Liu is so generous that I'm too embarrassed to ask anymore," Zhou Chengyu said, feeling happy but also a little embarrassed that he hadn't expected to receive a gift after coming all this way.

“Three Rubik’s Cubes are nothing. You can take them with you when you get back. But I have to remind you that you’re still at the academy, so don’t let playing around interfere with your studies,” Old Master Liu said generously to Zhou Chengyu.

"Don't worry, Grandpa Liu! I'm not someone who wastes my time on frivolous pursuits!" Zhou Chengyu quickly assured him.

After Shunzi brought back the roasted pigeon, Zhou Chengyu had a meal with them in the backyard and chatted for a while before leaving.

"How is it? Has Old Master Liu recovered?" Song Yushu asked when he saw his son return.

"I feel a little weak when I speak, but if I take good care of myself, I should be fine."

"You brat, I told you to go see your Grandpa Liu, and you brought back so many trinkets!" After asking about Grandpa Liu's situation, Song Yushu noticed the intricately carved little shelf in his hand.

"Grandpa Liu gave it to me. He said that if I didn't take it, I would be disrespecting his craftsmanship. I had no choice but to explain," Zhou Chengyu quickly explained. He was not such a person who didn't know manners.

"Alright, since that's the case, let's send him some soup every day or two. It's a good time for him to recuperate now. Otherwise, it wouldn't be right to accept such a nice gift without giving anything in return."

Seeing that the flowers and birds on the shelf were exquisite, Song Yushu knew that Old Master Liu had put a lot of effort into it, and could only think of ways to repay him in other ways.