Chapter 338 An Exceptional Relative Comes Knocking!
The telegram was so thin it was translucent, and it rustled as Gu Zhengfeng held it in his hand.
The atmosphere inside was colder than the sea breeze outside.
Zhang Huilan sat at the octagonal table, picking vegetables with such force that it seemed she was trying to crush the leaves.
"Coming to visit relatives? I think they're here to leech off you!"
Zhang Huilan slammed the celery in her hand into the basin, splashing a few drops of water.
"Back when you went to join the army, your family was so poor you couldn't even afford to eat. Your second aunt was so afraid we'd borrow grain that she'd lock the door in the dead of winter and unleash the dogs to bite you. Why didn't you say you were family back then?"
Gu Zhengfeng sighed, folded the telegram, and stuffed it into his pocket.
"That happened decades ago. There was nothing we could do back then; it was a year of famine..."
“So what if it’s a year of famine? Does a year of famine justify driving your own nephew to his death?” Zhang Huilan’s eyes reddened. “Now that you see Beichen has become successful, a chief of staff, and you hear I’m enjoying a life of luxury on the island, you suddenly think of us as family? Where were you before!”
Gu Zhengfeng was speechless after being rebuked, so he could only take out his pipe and smoke in silence.
He was also worried.
These relatives back home are typical examples of persistent, sycophantic pests.
Once it's stuck on, you can't peel it off.
This time, not only did my second aunt, Old Lady Gu, come, but my cousin Gu Zhenghai and his family of three also came. It was as if the whole family was moving.
"Father, Mother."
Su Yue came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of sliced fruit.
She was wearing a beige cashmere sweater, and her hair was casually tied up in a bun, making her look gentle and homely.
However, the tone of his voice revealed a nonchalant indifference.
"We're already here, how can we possibly go back now?"
Su Yue handed a piece of apple to Zhang Huilan.
"This is Hainan Island, a military compound. Everyone needs identification to enter and exit, and you need ration coupons for meals. Since we're relatives, we'll do our best to be hospitable. But if you're thinking of acting like a bully here..."
She picked up a fruit knife and, with a sharp snap, peeled off a piece of the spoiled fruit.
"That's a dream."
Seeing her daughter-in-law's calm demeanor, Zhang Huilan's anger inexplicably subsided by half.
“Yueyue is right. This is our territory.” Zhang Huilan took a bite of her apple. “If that old hag dares to put on airs with me, I’ll have the guards throw her out!”
...
Three days later.
Qiongzhou Island Wharf.
A passenger ship sounded its horn and slowly approached the shore.
The crowd surged down.
Walking at the front was an old woman with bound feet, wearing a gray cotton-padded coat and a black headscarf.
He was leaning on a cane and carrying a blue cloth bundle on his back.
That's Grandma Gu.
Following behind her was a burly middle-aged man, Gu Zhenghai.
Beside him was a plump woman dressed in red and green; that was Gu Zhenghai's wife, Wang Cuihua.
He was holding the hand of a boy who looked to be about ten years old. The boy had a chubby face and a fierce look. He was holding a half-eaten sugarcane.
This is Gu Baozu, the "golden grandson" of the Gu family.
"Ouch, my back!"
As soon as Grandma Gu got off the boat, she stood on the dock and wailed.
"What a lousy place! After sitting on the boat for three days and three nights, my bones are about to fall apart! Where is Zhengfeng? Where is Beichen? Why is no one here to greet us?"
The surrounding passengers all turned to look.
Wang Cuihua spat out the sunflower seed shells in her mouth and shouted at the top of her lungs, "That's right! My nephew is a high-ranking official! Chief of Staff! Such a high-ranking official should at least be able to send a car to pick him up, right?"
At that moment, a military green truck stopped at the dock.
The orderly, Xiao Li, jumped off the vehicle, jogged over, and saluted.
"Excuse me, are you Mrs. Gu? I am Chief of Staff Gu's bodyguard, and I have been ordered to pick you up."
Wang Cuihua looked Xiao Li up and down, then glanced at the mud-splattered Jiefang truck, her face stretching longer than a donkey's.
That's it?
She pointed at the truck, "Is this for transporting pigs or people? Doesn't my nephew have a Jeep? A four-wheeled car! Why didn't they send that?"
Xiao Li remained expressionless.
"The commander's jeep is for official business. It cannot be used for personal matters. This is a transport vehicle from the logistics department; it can carry passengers."
"I won't sit!"
Gu Baozu threw down the sugarcane in his hand and lay down on the ground, rolling around in pain.
"I want to ride in a car! I want to ride in a car! I don't want to ride in this stuffy freight car!"
That voice was like a pig being slaughtered.
Grandma Gu was heartbroken and quickly went to pull her grandson away.
"Oh my dear grandson! The ground is cold! Get up quickly!"
She turned and glared at Xiao Li, her cane thumping loudly on the ground.
"What's wrong with you, young man? So clueless! Go back and change your car right now! Otherwise, I'll tell my grand-nephew to fire you!"
Xiao Li stood ramrod straight, without even raising an eyebrow.
“Grandma, this is the only vehicle. You can either get in or walk back. It’s a 20-kilometer mountain road from here to the residential compound.”
After saying that, he turned around, opened the car door, and made a "please" gesture.
When Wang Cuihua saw that the soldier was not someone to be trifled with, she dared not cause any more trouble.
They could only pull the unruly child off the ground and, cursing, climb onto the back of the truck.
...
The journey was bumpy.
By the time they arrived at the Gu family's courtyard, the group was already vomiting uncontrollably.
But as soon as she got out of the car and saw the impressive courtyard, Wang Cuihua's eyes widened instantly.
Blue bricks and red tiles, a spacious courtyard.
The yard is planted with flowers and plants, and there is also a grape trellis.
A rich aroma of meat wafted from the kitchen.
"My goodness!"
Wang Cuihua swallowed hard. "This is even more extravagant than a landlord's house! How much money did this cost?"
Grandma Gu also had a greedy look on her face.
She straightened her clothes, put on the airs of an elder, and strode towards the main room with her small feet.
"Zhengfeng! Huilan! Hurry up and come out to greet the guests!"
Gu Zhengfeng and Zhang Huilan came out of the house to greet them.
"Second Aunt," Gu Zhengfeng called out, his tone indifferent.
Grandma Gu ignored him and walked straight to the armchair in the middle of the main room, about to sit down.
That's the main seat in the house.
Normally, no one dares to sit there except for Gu Zhengfeng.
"Wait a minute."
Zhang Huilan stepped forward and blocked the chair.
She was holding a feather duster in her hand, a smile on her face, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
"Second Aunt, the chair leg is broken and hasn't been fixed yet. Please sit on this stool."
She pointed to a low stool next to her.
Grandma Gu's face stiffened.
"It's broken? It looks perfectly fine to me!"
She reached out to push Zhang Huilan, "What's wrong with you, daughter-in-law? You can't even offer your elders a seat? Don't you know any manners?"
"rule?"
Zhang Huilan remained motionless, standing there like a mountain.
“Second Aunt, we’ve been separated for thirty years. You have your own rules back home, and I have mine. In this family, I am the rule.”
"you!"
Grandma Gu trembled with anger, turning to look at Gu Zhengfeng, "Zhengfeng! Are you just going to watch your wife bully your elders like this?"
Gu Zhengfeng lowered his head and lit a cigarette. "Second Aunt, Huilan said that chair is broken, so it is broken. Please sit on the sofa; it's soft."
Grandma Gu felt a tightness in her chest and almost couldn't breathe.
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