Brother Gu won't be back until after get off work in the evening. Gu Ye and Grandpa Gu are talking in the study, while Bao Ni and Sister-in-law Gu continue their casual conversation.
"Sister-in-law, Grandpa and the others have gone to the retirement home, so this little building will be taken back. What will happen to our belongings? And what about Gu Feng and his wife? Will they also go to the retirement home?"
“Originally, the authorities did not intend to take back this small building. It was Grandpa who voluntarily handed it over. He and Grandma are going to the retirement home. Gu Feng and his wife have already applied for a family compound. As for your belongings, if you and Gu Ye have anything useful in your room, send it to us. If you don’t need it, you can leave it at my house or at Grandma’s old house.”
Bao Ni had heard Gu Ye say that her mother-in-law's family used to be "red capitalists" who donated all their assets to help fight the war of resistance against Japan. Her mother-in-law was an only child and a progressive young woman herself. She donated all of the Xu family's property, leaving only a small courtyard house that her mother-in-law loved most, which was personally approved by the leaders.
The mother-in-law left each child a property, all of which were courtyard houses, not large in size, but relatively intact.
Gu Ze arranged for all these houses to be rented to relevant departments, collecting rent annually—this was done legitimately. This ensures that the houses won't deteriorate too quickly due to human activity, and that they won't fall into the hands of unsavory characters.
As for other assets, the mother-in-law didn't leave much behind.
There were only some items with sentimental value, and a few small old objects. Bonnie wasn't sure of the specifics; her older brother, Gu Ze, was handling all of this. Gu Ye knew about it, but Gu Lan didn't.
"Grandma's old house is uninhabited now, but not just anyone can go in there. You can leave your unused things there temporarily; you'll come back eventually."
Sister-in-law Gu didn't actually know what her mother-in-law had left behind. Gu Ze hadn't told her the whole story, and she wasn't too concerned, since it involved the three siblings.
"We'll ask Gu Ye then. I don't know what he needs."
That was the room Gu Ye had lived in for many years, and many things inside held sentimental value. Bonnie wasn't sure; she'd let Gu Ye decide for himself.
What Bonnie was really thinking was that her grandparents had gone to the retirement home, where most of the residents were important retired cadres, and outsiders couldn't easily go in. It seemed Grandma was going to be sad, not being able to see her beloved grandson and great-grandson often. Bonnie felt a little smug; how nice, that biased old lady.
Bonnie noticed this when she came back last time: apart from Gu's eldest brother, who was genuinely devoted to Gu Ye, everyone else in the Gu family had their own agendas.
Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu each had their own considerations and their own preferred and cherished people. Grandpa Gu managed the overall situation of the Gu family and valued and cared about every member of the Gu family. Grandma Gu, on the other hand, was extremely biased.
Bao Nini didn't care. She wasn't familiar with the Gu family, so their attitude didn't matter, as long as Gu Ye could accept it. Relationships between people depend on fate; some people are just biased, biased without reason, and that's unchangeable.
I chatted with Sister-in-law Gu for a while and learned from her that Gu Feng's wife is pregnant again. Their daughter is about the same age as Xuan Yu. Sister-in-law Gu's family has had two boys in a row, so Gu Feng's wife is probably getting anxious.
Bao Ni and Gu Ye don't discriminate against girls; they believe that girls and sons are the same. However, some people don't think so. They believe that having a son makes them stand tall at home and speak with confidence, so they desperately want to have a son.
Bonnie disagreed, but she wouldn't interfere. Everyone has their own choices, and everyone should just live their own lives without meddling in other people's affairs.
After playing for a while, Liu Jiu got a little sleepy and ran over to her mother, saying, "Mommy, I want to sleep."
"We're tired, right? Let Mom take you back to your room for a nap. You can play with your brothers again when you wake up."
"Hmm, sleepy."
Bonnie picked up Liu Jiu, and the little girl leaned listlessly on her shoulder, clearly very sleepy.
"Sister-in-law, I'm going to take Liu Jiu to sleep now."
“Go ahead, you must be tired after being on the road for several days. I’m going to take Xuanyi back for a nap too, he takes a nap every afternoon.”
Sister-in-law Gu carried Gu Xuanyi, followed by Gu Xuanyu carrying a bag containing conch shells and seashells given to him by his second aunt. He wanted to take them home, otherwise his uncle would come over in the evening and start crying and demanding them back, which was too annoying.
Meanwhile, in the study, Gu Ye's conversation with his grandfather was not very pleasant.
"Grandpa, do you know Gu Feng is planning this? Has he agreed to transfer out of Beijing?"
Gu Ye's tone wasn't good. His grandfather had just told him that he wanted to transfer Gu Feng out of Beijing, preferably to their island. There were too many Gu family members in Beijing; it would be best to disperse them.
Actually, the most eye-catching one is Brother Gu. His position is quite sensitive, and he wields a lot of power. Many people want to replace him, but none of them have succeeded.
Gu Ye also hoped that the Gu family members would go out and not all gather in Kyoto, but he did not want Gu Feng to go to their island.
"Gu Feng is also a graduate of a proper military academy, so why wouldn't he want to go? There are more opportunities to make contributions and achieve success in the lower ranks. In Kyoto, there isn't much room for advancement for someone of his rank."
Grandpa Gu knew that Gu Feng didn't have Gu Ye's abilities, but they were both his own grandsons. Moreover, his second son had died young, and his second daughter-in-law had remarried, leaving behind only two children. Like Grandma Gu, he unconsciously took extra care of the two siblings.
If Gu Ye knew his grandfather's true feelings, he would definitely retort: His mother also died young, so having a father is no different from not having one. It would be better if he didn't have one at all, at least he could be known as the child of a martyr.
Gu Ye was merely expressing his opinion; whether or not to go to the island was Gu Feng's choice, and it had little to do with him. Even if they did go, he wouldn't mind; they would live their own lives and wouldn't have much interaction anyway.
In the evening, Brother Gu returned, and his father's family of five also arrived, along with Uncle Gu's third son and Aunt Gu's family. Grandpa Gu wanted everyone to get together and reconnect.
When Gu's father saw Gu Ye and his family of three, he didn't say anything. He glanced at Liu Jiu but didn't greet her. Gu Ye and Bao Ni ignored them completely.
Xu Fang was also at Grandma Gu's house this morning. She's a little intimidated by Bao Ni now and doesn't dare to cause trouble anymore.
Gu Xiaogu wanted to say something, but before she could speak, her uncle pulled her back and made her swallow her words.
Now that Grandpa Gu has completely retired, his influence has diminished considerably, especially at this sensitive time. Gu Ze has become the most influential figure in the Gu family, and everyone else is much more careful with their words, not daring to offend him easily.
Now, not only has the situation in the capital changed, but the situation in the Gu family is also changing.
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