When Gu Ze returned home, all the children were in the living room, but he didn't see Bao Ni or his wife.
"Xuanyu, hasn't your mother come back yet?"
"She's not back yet. Auntie's back, she went to the bathroom." Xuan Yu thought about how his aunt came in in a hurry and wondered what was wrong. Later he found out that she was in a rush to use the restroom.
"You're back quite early today?" As soon as Sister-in-law Gu entered the house, she saw Gu Ze standing at the door and was quite surprised.
"By the way, as soon as I entered the residential compound, I heard people whispering. It seemed like they were talking about Bonnie. Do you know what happened?" Aunt Gu changed into slippers, picked up a cloth bag, and went to the kitchen. She had gone to buy groceries, but unfortunately, she couldn't find any meat.
"It's just that Bao Ni ran into Xu Fang and Chief of Staff Guo's mother. A few of them wanted to cause trouble, but Bao Ni taught them a lesson. Thinking about it now makes me feel relieved. Now I understand Gu Ye. It's satisfying to have a real fight." Gu Ze followed his wife into the kitchen, still quite excited.
"The Guo family's wife and youngest son are just a drag on the family; they'll cause trouble for the family at any time." Shen Jiaqi knew the Guo family's mother and son well; it was truly a complicated situation.
"Oh my, where did all this meat come from? It must weigh at least ten pounds!" Aunt Gu had just taken out the groceries she bought when she saw a cloth bag on the cutting board. When she opened it, she found several pieces of meat inside.
"Xuanyu, come here for a moment."
"Mom, what's wrong?" Gu Xuanyu didn't know why his mother wanted to see him, so he quickly walked to the kitchen.
"Where did all this meat come from?" Sister-in-law Gu pointed to the meat in the cloth bag.
"Ah! This meat was traded by my aunt from a hot pot restaurant. We had mutton hot pot for lunch. We ate so much meat, it was so satisfying." Gu Xuanyu still savored the memory.
"Exchanged? What did you exchange it for?" Sister-in-law Gu was completely bewildered.
"I traded it for seafood. I brought it with me when I came." Bonnie had a bit of diarrhea, probably from eating too much meat at noon; her legs were numb from squatting.
She was in a real panic outside, thankfully those guys were too weak, otherwise she would have had to flee in panic to go to the toilet. That would have given Lin Baoni a record of running away without a fight, which would have been too disgraceful.
"Seafood? You can do that?!" Sister-in-law Gu exclaimed in disbelief; she had never done anything like that before.
"What's the big deal? I've been doing this all the time since I was a teenager. The chefs in Beijing know their stuff; they pay a good price. Things are valued for their scarcity, so it's worth it. They don't lose out." Bonnie didn't want to eat meat right now; she wanted something light.
"Sister-in-law, Gu Ye won't be back for dinner tonight. Just cook enough for you and your brother. The five of us ate too much at noon, so we need something light for dinner, otherwise we'll get stomach upset. Xuan Yi ate quite a bit at noon, so could you get him some digestive pills? I'm worried he might have indigestion tonight."
No, my stomach hurts again, so Bonnie rushed to the toilet.
As Gu Dasao and the others watched Bao Ni's hurried figure, they wanted to laugh but were afraid it would be inappropriate, and they felt quite uncomfortable holding it in.
"I'll go find some digestive medicine. You and your younger siblings should all take some," said Sister-in-law Gu to her eldest son before heading off to find the medicine.
"Dad, can I go to my uncle's house for a few days during summer vacation? I want to see the sea, see the warships, see the seaweed that my aunt grows, and see the underwater world."
"Okay, I'll find a way to send them over next summer vacation." Gu Ze also wanted the children to see a wider world and have more contact with Gu Ye and the other two, which would make them feel more at ease.
"That's great. I don't know if Han Bei can convince his parents. He wants to go and stay with his uncle for a while."
Gu Ze thought about it and decided that it was hard to say, so he decided to split it 50/50.
The Gu family was harmonious and loving, while the Gu family in Xiangdong was experiencing a raging storm.
"Gu Bei, what kind of mess have you made today?" Gu Xiangdong roared as soon as he entered the house.
Just now in the courtyard, he was pulled aside by several older women who were talking about how Gu Bei had caused trouble for Gu Ye's wife and had been punished.
"What are you yelling about? Gu Bei got kicked, he's covered in bruises, and he's screaming in pain."
Xu Fang came out of Gu Bei and his wife's room with tears in her eyes, feeling extremely distressed.
"Besides spoiling him rotten, what have you taught him? He's eighteen years old, has a child, and spends his days doing nothing, loafing around, unable to even support himself. You still feel sorry for him? Are you out of your mind?"
Gu Xiangdong thought about Xu Fangsheng's children. Gu Yu was completely foolish. For Han Weidong, who didn't like her, she had moved herself to that remote place in Yunnan Province.
Gu Xi is selfish and self-serving. For his own benefit, he disregarded the bond between mother and daughter, stabbing Xu Fang in the back and ruining her reputation. He also lost face because of her. Gu Bei is utterly hopeless.
Considering Gu Ze's shrewdness, Gu Ye's courage and resourcefulness, Gu Lan also knows how to choose what is in her best interest.
Looking at it this way, it seems that Xu Fang's bloodline is not good.
Gu Xiangdong thought for a moment and realized he had to come up with some solutions. If things continued like this, he would be destitute in his old age. He didn't have his father's rank, so he couldn't go to a retirement home and could only rely on his pension.
"Xu Fang, come in."
Gu Xiangdong called out from the bedroom, and Xu Fang quickly came into the room.
"Give me my pay stub, I'll keep it myself from now on. Also, take out whatever savings you have at home."
"What are you trying to do? Why do you suddenly want my pay stub and savings? Are you having an affair?" Xu Fang's heart sank. What should she do if that were the case?
"What do you mean by 'outside the family'? I'm just worried you'll squander all the family's money. Your family is like a bloodsucker, never satisfied. Don't think I don't know; you've given them a lot of financial support over the years."
There are three children in the family. Gu Bei is already like this, and Gu Yu and Gu Xi aren't even married yet. If you squander all the money, what am I going to give Gu Yu and Gu Xi as dowry? Also, you and Gu Bei's wife, one of you stays home to take care of the children, and the other finds temporary work.
Gu Bei too, if you want to give him money, go earn it yourself. I can't let you squander my salary and then starve myself in my old age! If he continues to be so irresponsible and refuses to find a job, then send him to the countryside.”
Gu Xiangdong regained control of the finances from Xu Fang. Fortunately, a considerable amount of it remained; it hadn't been completely ruined.
Looking back now, Gu Xiangdong wonders how he could have been so blinded by greed, blocking all his escape routes.
Thinking back to twelve-year-old Gu Ye, his madness as he held a knife and tried to kill someone, and how I pointed a gun at him with bloodshot eyes and a contemptuous look, just thinking about it now gives me goosebumps.
He has completely lost Gu Ze and Gu Ye, with no room for maneuver.
That night, Gu Xiangdong dreamed of Xu Ning. She was still so young, just like before she got married. In a ball of light, he ran towards her without thinking. But Xu Ning seemed not to see him and walked past him.
He called her name, but she didn't respond. He wanted to chase after her, but he always fell just short.
Gu Xiangdong didn't sleep well all night and woke up before dawn, feeling deeply saddened.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
