Lin Xiaohai was delighted to see a beautiful leather strap watch on it, exclaiming, "Thank you, brother! It's so beautiful!"
Tuanzi had several toys, while Lu Feng had a fountain pen.
These gifts seemed to have been carefully chosen, and Lu Feng thanked him.
Gu Bei waved his hand, "We're family, let's not talk about those things."
Seeing that he looked tired, Lin Wanwan got up to say goodbye. Xu Zhang didn't keep them any longer and saw them to the door.
After everyone left, Gu Bei slumped onto the sofa and hummed comfortably, "What's wrong with you?"
"Mom, I'm tired," Gu Bei said, shifting his position as he lay down.
"This little sister is quite perceptive, unlike my uncle's daughter, Xu Tiantian, who is really annoying. Mom, can I disown her as my sister? She's always causing trouble for our family. She's 17 years old, not 7."
Speaking of his niece, Xu Zhang frowned. "Has she caused you trouble again?"
"Ugh, it's so annoying. I have a ton of things going on at school, and she keeps calling me all day, asking me to clean up her messes. You wouldn't believe it, she hired a bunch of people to beat up a guy's girlfriend in order to get her way, and now she's asking me for help. What can I do? I'm still at school. I told my uncle, and he probably scolded her, and now she even holds a grudge against me. She really doesn't know what's good for her."
Gu Bei sighed, "Mom, it's not that I'm cold-blooded, it's just that my uncle's family is really bad. My uncle is slightly better, but my aunt, cousins, none of them are good people. I really don't want to acknowledge them anymore. You don't know, Xu Jinbu got a girl pregnant, and the girl has come to our house. He's only 19 years old. I don't know how my uncle and aunt manage this. Every time, my uncle makes me handle it, saying it's to train me. Mom, do I even care about my reputation? This city isn't that big, but it's not that small either. There are only so many people in this circle. My uncle and aunt don't care about my reputation at all."
"Why didn't you say so sooner?" Xu Zhang and Gu Changfeng both frowned, Xu Zhang was so angry that he couldn't speak.
“When I was in school, my mother specifically told me to get along well with my uncle’s family. How could I dare to say that?”
Xu Zhang couldn't help but slap him. "Are you stupid? You didn't even tell me that they were a good family. I thought they were just feeling guilty towards me, which is why they told you to eat out more and to come to them if you needed anything. I thought they had changed their selfish nature. I really didn't expect this..."
When Gu Bei saw his mother, his hands were trembling with anger. He quickly tried to calm her down, "What exactly happened between you and your uncle? You won't tell me. Don't be angry, or you'll hurt yourself."
“What could have happened? Back then, when we were sent to the countryside to support the construction, your grandparents felt sorry for me because I was a girl and didn’t want me to go. He was the eldest brother, so naturally, our parents wanted him to go. In order to avoid going to the countryside, he secretly changed the application form to mine. It wasn’t until the day of departure that our family found out that it was me who was going to the countryside.”
Xu Zhang sighed, "Actually, I also said back then that I could go to the countryside. Back then, I was full of enthusiasm and thought that supporting construction was a great thing. But after going there, I realized that the fierce cold wind could really crack my face, and that ignorant men in the countryside would really force others to marry them. I wrote to my family, hoping that my parents could think of a way to let me go to another place. I wrote almost ten letters, but I didn't receive a single reply."
Gu Bei saw the tears in the corners of her eyes and didn't know how to comfort her.
"I was desperate back then. There was a lazy man with terrible character who kept bothering me. I went to the village chief, but he ignored me. When I was desperate, I met your father. I hated your grandparents for eighteen years. I was so angry that they didn't reply to my letters. Even if they couldn't help me, they could at least write back to comfort me. But I didn't hear anything."
"Later I found out that it was your uncle who hid all those letters I wrote pleading for help, and he hid them for ten years. Back then, your grandparents couldn't go anywhere. They tried many ways to find me when I was missing, but they couldn't. Your father originally planned to have a fake marriage with me to help me escape that place. He planned to give me my freedom after I found someone I could entrust my life to. It was because of this trip that I met your Uncle Lin and Aunt He. Later, I developed feelings for your father, and that's how you came to be."
Xu Zhang said with a sorrowful expression, "It wasn't until I lost contact for ten years, when you were already eight years old, that your uncle told your maternal grandparents about it. Your maternal grandfather was so angry that he wanted to beat him to death. He knelt at home for a day and a night, but your maternal grandfather still didn't forgive him and even kicked him out."
“I was nineteen when I finally got back in touch with my family. Your cousin was ten at the time. Your uncle somehow found out that I had gotten back in touch with my family, so he and your cousin knelt at the door of the house and begged your grandparents for forgiveness. Your grandfather was so angry that he beat him up again. But your cousin was young and caught a cold and immediately got a fever and went to the hospital. Your grandparents felt sorry for the child, but they also felt sorry for me for the suffering I had endured for more than ten years. They refused to forgive him no matter what. It wasn't until seven years ago when I took your father and you back to Beijing that your grandfather saw that I was doing well and his attitude softened a little.”
"Mom, don't think about it anymore. Let's not talk about the past anymore. I will never talk to him and Aunt again. I will only recognize Wanwan as my sister from now on."
"I'm sorry, son. I wanted to make things difficult for your grandparents, so I asked you to get along with them. I didn't expect it would hurt you. From now on, you don't need to give me face. Just do what you want. I will talk to your grandparents. Wanwan is right. It's not worth sacrificing yourself for everyone's peace. You have to put yourself first. If you're happy, then the people around you will be happy."
"Don't wrong yourself anymore, and don't bother with your uncle's family anymore."
"Okay, Mom, don't think about it anymore. It's late. You and Dad should wash up and go to bed. We can talk about it tomorrow."
Xu Zhang nodded. "Leave your maternal grandparents' side to me for now, don't worry about it."
Gu Bei nodded to indicate that he understood. "Mom, don't worry. As long as you don't blame me for not taking care of them, that's fine."
After watching his parents finish washing up and return to their room, Gu Bei sighed, leaned back on the sofa, rubbed his temples, and pondered something.
It's not that he doesn't care about family ties, it's just that his uncle's family is truly beyond saving. If his family doesn't sever ties with him, they'll suffer sooner or later.
Gu Bei was really tired. After a quick wash, he lay down on the bed and fell asleep.
When Lin Wanwan and her group returned home, Lu Feng noticed that her hands were inconvenient, so he even helped her take a bath.
"Gu Bei is a very capable person. He has ideals and ambitions, and he is also very competent."
Li Wanwan found it amusing, "Didn't you dislike him before? How come you've changed your mind so quickly?"
“We admire each other. We share the same ambitions and ideals, and the same goals. I will also apply to the same school as him, the National Defense University of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, because I want to better serve the country.”
"It seems you two have found common ground today. I'm so glad that you get along so well with my brother and me."
Lu Feng hugged her and nuzzled against her, saying, "Wanwan, you have many wonderful family members."
Sensing the envy in Lu Feng's tone, she turned and hugged him, saying, "They are my family and your family too. They love me and they love you. If you are bullied, they will stand up for you and protect you. From now on, you will have people who love you and support you."
"Thank you, Wanwan, I'm so lucky."
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