Chapter 25: From Younger Brother to Nephew?
Guan Xiang stretched lightly and turned her head to see Gu Zhaodi already packing up her books.
"Zhao Zhao, you can pack up later. Let's go eat first." Guan Xiang said as she stood up, almost losing her balance, but luckily Yao Xin helped her up.
After Guan Xiang regained her footing, Gu Zhaodi slowly said, "I'll go back first, it'll be dark soon."
She didn't plan to eat at Danyuan Restaurant, as there was a high chance she would run into Uncle Dan. She hadn't recovered from the awkwardness of the last time and would find it difficult to face him.
Guan Xiang put his arm around the girl's shoulder and said, "Zhao Zhao, you can eat here. I'll take you back to school later."
Seeing the girl's determined look as she left, Guan Xiang secretly gave Yao Xin and Dan Si a wink.
Yao Xin quickly received Guan Xiang's signal, "Zhao Zhao, why don't you eat here? You've been teaching us all afternoon, you should treat us to a meal."
After saying that, he nudged the arm of Dan Si, who was standing to the side.
Still immersed in the afternoon's brainstorming, Dan Si lacked his usual lazy gaze and demeanor, looking quite dejected. He blankly said, "Stay here, and Guan Xiang will take you back later."
Seeing that everyone wanted to stay for dinner, Gu Zhaodi didn't insist any further, lest she disappoint them.
"All right."
As soon as the four of them went downstairs, they could faintly smell the rich aroma of soy sauce wafting from the kitchen.
Sitting in the living room, Zhou Shuxin, the mother of Dan, heard messy footsteps coming from the stairs and turned to look at the top of the stairs.
"Sisi, you're home? I thought you went out to play." Dan's mother looked at him in surprise. Usually, he was out playing at this time and rarely at home.
Upon seeing Yao Xin and Guan Xiang behind Dan Si, Dan's mother smiled and said, "What dishes would you two like to eat today? I'll have the chef make them for you."
Yao Xin and Guan Xiang have been playmates since childhood, and the three families are also old friends. Sometimes, if they play late, they will stay at each other's houses.
Yao Xin ordered food with a grin, not holding back at all, "Grandma Dan, I want to eat braised chicken legs."
The firm meat was coated in a rich sauce; he had been craving this all afternoon, it was driving him crazy with desire.
"Okay, I'll have the chef make it for you in a bit." Mother Dan smiled kindly, her eyebrows curving upwards, still revealing glimpses of her youthful charm.
There's a saying that time can't defeat beauty, and it's quite fitting to describe Danmu.
As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Zhaodi's figure appeared in Danmu's sight on the stairs.
During the last barbecue, Dan's mother and father went on a trip, and the two of them didn't see each other.
When the girl came to Danyuan this afternoon, Dan's mother was sleeping upstairs, and the two completely missed the opportunity to meet.
"Who is this?" Mother Dan looked at Guan Xiang with a questioning gaze as she saw the girl who had suddenly appeared.
Guan Xiang took Gu Zhaodi's arm and introduced her to Dan's mother with great enthusiasm: "Grandma Dan, this is my deskmate, Gu Zhaodi."
"Zhao Zhao, this is Dan Si's grandmother. Just call her Grandma Dan."
Looking at the beautiful woman on the sofa, Gu Zhaodi simply couldn't bring herself to label her as a grandmother.
With the passage of time, words like elegant and dignified are perfectly embodied in her, and one can vaguely see a hint of Uncle Dan's shadow in her.
The girl's mother accurately caught the look of surprise in her eyes. She thought she had done something inappropriate that made the girl stare at her so intently.
To everyone's surprise, the girl said in a clear voice, "This should be an auntie, she's so young and beautiful."
The girl with the curved eyebrows and eyes spoke words that successfully pleased the mother.
No matter how old a woman is, she likes to be praised for her beauty, and there is no hint of flattery in the girl's eyes, only sincerity.
Dan's mother was happy, but Dan Si's lips twitched. Was I going to be demoted again?
From younger brother to nephew?
"Little girl, you have such a sweet tongue. Call me Grandma, just like Xiangxiang and the others." Mother Dan stood up with a smile, took the girl's hand, and pulled her to sit down on the sofa.
Gu Zhaodi sat down with Dan's mother, looking bewildered, but in her heart she thought that Dan's grandmother was really kind and approachable.
“The little girl’s name is Zhao Di, right? Then I’ll call you Zhao Zhao, just like Xiang Xiang does,” said Mother Dan, patting Gu Zhao Di’s hand.
The girl nodded shyly and said with a smile, "It's fine, Grandma Dan."
Danmu smiled and said several times, "Good, good, good."
"Grandma Dan, now that you have Zhaozhao, you don't care about Xiangxiang anymore, do you?" Guan Xiang sat down next to Gu Zhaodi, pretending to be jealous.
"How could that be?" Mother Dan glared at her and said with a playful laugh.
Guan Xiang grabbed Gu Zhaodi's hand on the other side and formally introduced her to Dan's mother: "Zhaozhao came to study with us this afternoon, and she even taught Dan Si his homework all afternoon."
Dan's mother suddenly realized why Dan Si hadn't been seen all afternoon; he had been studying in his study! It really was a case of the sun rising in the west.
"Zhao Zhao, has Dan Si been studying properly?"
Dan's mother is a professor at Nan'an University, but she just can't teach her grandson how to study. She has tried to teach him before, but he just doesn't like to study.
The mere mention of this caused Dan Si's entire body to stiffen. The scene of being "tortured" by Gu Zhaodi that afternoon was still vivid in his mind, constantly replaying in his thoughts.
"Grandma, do you really not believe in your grandson's willpower and love of learning?" The person was determined to stick to his guns and, even if he was forced to study, he would still put on an act of loving learning.
As soon as she finished speaking, Danmu rolled her eyes at Dansi, her blatant "I don't believe you" look truly hurting Dansi's fragile heart.
Gu Zhaodi said with a serious expression, "Dan Si is doing well; he has a strong ability to learn and gain insights."
The girl wasn't exaggerating to save face for Dan Si; it was simply because Dan Si was very intelligent, but his attitude towards studying was rather poor.
She discovered that Dan Si had a very strong ability to understand things and an outstanding memory, as long as he was willing to learn. In the afternoon, he could still solve any problem that she had explained to him in a different way.
Upon hearing this, Dan's mother smiled broadly. Even though her family was large and prosperous and she had no worries about food and clothing, she still hoped that her grandson would be clever and quick-witted.
"Zhao Zhao, you're amazing! My grandson's studies are such a headache; even his uncle can't control him," Mother Dan said with a smile to Gu Zhao Di.
The girl's cheeks flushed pink as she shyly listened to her mother's words, who praised her as if she were a rare find, a celestial being.
Dan Si, standing to the side, just wanted to escape from here. He believed that one should not hit someone in the face or expose someone's shortcomings.
I glanced at Yao Xin sitting on the other side of the sofa, who was eating snacks like a pig.
Yao Xin: What does this have to do with me? Is it wrong to eat cookies when you're hungry?
After finishing two packs of cookies, Yao Xin was still hungry and said in a coquettish tone, "Grandma Dan, I want to eat."
No sooner had he finished speaking than his stomach started rumbling again, like a musical instrument playing in the background.
The other four people exchanged glances, their eyes filled with a lingering smile.
"Okay, Xinxin is hungry. Grandma will go and urge the kitchen to prepare dinner." Mother Dan got up and walked towards the kitchen.
Before long, the chef had prepared the meal and placed it on the table. In addition to the chicken leg that Yao Xin had specifically requested, Danmu had also added some other dishes to entertain Gu Zhaodi.
Seeing that the girl was a little reserved, Guan Xiang tried her best to liven up the atmosphere at the dinner table.
"Zhaozhao, eat this, it's so delicious." The scene of sharing snacks is recreated, this time it's food being served.
Guan Xiang picked up a crab from a distance and put it into the girl's bowl.
Gu Zhaodi stared in surprise at the crab in the bowl; she had never eaten anything with a shell before.
Lin'an City is not located by the sea, and seafood is extremely expensive, so the Gu family cannot afford to buy it.
No one at the table had eaten it, so she really didn't know how to eat it.
Seeing that the people around her were eating, she didn't want to disturb them by teaching her, but it wouldn't be good if she didn't eat either. This was Guan Xiang's kind intention.
Just as the girl was hesitating and unsure of what to do, a series of footsteps came from outside the restaurant, the clear and powerful sound reaching the ears of everyone in the restaurant.
Dan's mother looked out of the restaurant, her eyes brightening slightly. "Anwen, you're back! Have you eaten? If not, come and have some."
Dan Anwen was carrying a laptop and was about to say that she wasn't hungry when her gaze fell on the girl to her mother's left. She changed her words, "I haven't eaten yet, I'm going to wash my hands."
With that, the man put down his computer, washed his hands, and sat down opposite the girl.
While the man went to wash his hands, the two boys opposite the girl moved to the back of the table, making room for the girl on the right.
As soon as Dan Anwen sat down, he noticed the girl's evasive gaze. She looked everywhere except at him, as if she were avoiding a plague.
Gu Zhaodi was still a little flustered. The scene in the office last time became clearer and clearer as the man sat down.
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