Chapter 13
Gu Xi returned home carrying the package.
It was the hottest time of the year, the dog days of summer. As I walked, I was drenched in sweat, my back was soaked, and I was also feeling dizzy, my heart was pounding, and my ears were ringing.
She put her things down, leaned against the wall for a while to catch her breath, until her vision cleared and her heart stopped pounding so hard, then went to the kitchen to get some water.
As she was drinking water, she looked up and saw Gu Yuanhui coming from the stairwell.
Upon seeing her, Gu Yuanhui darted back like a mouse seeing a cat, disappearing at the stairwell.
Gu Xi ignored him, finished filling her water bottle, went to the bathroom to wash her face, changed into clean and refreshing clothes, and carried her package back to her room.
She opened the package and took out a letter inside.
There were several sheets of paper covered with dense writing, but the handwriting wasn't very neat; it was crooked and messy.
In the countryside, there are no conditions for practicing calligraphy, so being able to write clearly is already considered good. When Gu Xi saw the words above, a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.
She slowly read the letter. It was written by her two younger sisters together, but their handwriting was different.
Decades later, seeing their letters again, a strange feeling welled up in my heart, a bittersweet feeling. I wonder how they were doing after she died in her previous life.
Did they eventually escape that village and break free from their fate?
After reading the letter, she continued to rummage through the contents of the package.
This was the largest package she had received in recent years. It didn't contain anything of value; it was mostly local specialties from the countryside, as well as dried fruits, sweet potatoes, bamboo shoots, pickled vegetables, melon strips, and dried wild vegetables that she had dried herself. If these things were preserved well, they would come in handy in winter when vegetables were scarce, enriching her meals.
In addition, there were two sets of clothes and cloth shoes made by my second sister.
One set was made for her, and the other set was made for Feng Min, to thank Feng Min for asking the brigade leader's husband to take care of her and her sister back then.
They sent a lot of things this time, hoping she could deliver some to Feng Min.
Gu Xi packed everything away and decided to send it all to the Shen family tomorrow.
In the past, her younger sisters would send her some local specialties from the countryside, most of which would stay at the Gu family home and be used to make a dish for them.
At these times, Gu Yuanhui would eat while complaining that it was food from the countryside. He would be sarcastic, saying that the food had a muddy taste and that his family wasn't short of money to buy vegetables. He didn't care about the things sent from there, so as to avoid being taken advantage of by poor relatives who might try to freeload off his family.
Others also advised her to cut ties with the Xu family, as they would never associate with those country folk who sold their daughters.
Back then, in order to keep Gu Yuanxiang in the Gu family, Gu Maowen and his wife discussed it with the Xu family and gave them a sum of money, in exchange for the Xu family promising not to bother them again.
Gu Yuanhui felt that the Xu family was selling their daughter, and he was disgusted by the greedy faces of the Xu couple. He also felt that Gu Xi, who was raised by that couple, must not be a good person.
Looking back on these events now, Gu Xi is able to remain calm.
If you don't like it, then don't eat it. She won't be so naive as to think they're family anymore and that you shouldn't be so petty.
As a person, you still have to be calculating.
Reflecting on the excitement at the Gu family these past two days, she decided to continue to hold a grudge. Even if she wanted to treat the Gu family as strangers, in the eyes of the world, she was still the Gu family's daughter, and blood ties could not be severed.
Since that's the case, let's deal with it using our own methods for now, as long as they can handle it.
**
As the sun sets, people gradually head home after get off work.
Gu Yuanzheng was the first to get home.
After a day of this, the cuts on his lips and the bruises on his chin became more and more obvious, clearly indicating that he had been beaten.
On this day, everyone who saw Gu Yuanzheng would ask about the injury on his face.
The Gu family members all value their reputation, so Gu Yuanzheng was too embarrassed to tell people that he had been beaten by his younger sister. He could only vaguely say that he had accidentally bumped into her. As for whether people believed him or not, there was nothing he could do.
After Gu Yuanxiang finished cooking, Gu Maowen and his wife still hadn't returned.
At this time of day, everyone would have already returned home and was preparing to eat.
Gu Yuanxiang asked Gu Yuanzheng, who was helping to set the table, "Second brother, why haven't Mom and Dad come back yet?"
"He might have gone to the hospital," Gu Yuanzheng guessed.
Gu Yuanxiang was a little worried, "Is Dad's back alright?" Then she said guiltily, "If he hadn't been helping me move the wardrobe, Dad wouldn't have hurt his back."
Gu Yuanzheng remained silent.
He understood what Gu Yuanxiang meant and complained indirectly that if Gu Xi hadn't gone crazy and smashed their room, their father wouldn't have hurt his back while helping to move the wardrobe. The culprit was Gu Xi.
In the past, he would have been angry about what Gu Xi did. Although the Gu family did not have a tradition of hitting children, and he did not have the habit of hitting his sister, he would still have scolded her until she bowed her head and admitted her mistake, and never dared to do it again.
He was more used to ignoring his younger sister, who had returned halfway through her journey, as long as she didn't make any mistakes.
However, after Gu Xi's antics over the past few days, and hearing her talk about her experiences in the countryside this morning, he suddenly felt somewhat lost.
Did they do something wrong?
Although Gu Yuanxiang is the younger sister she has known for fifteen years, Gu Xi is also... a younger sister.
Unfortunately, even if you discover you're wrong, it's too late.
Gu Xi was too resolute. She didn't hesitate at all when she hit them, as if they were no longer her family and she had completely let go.
Not everything in this world can be fixed. Just like a broken mirror cannot be put back together; even if it is glued back together, there will still be cracks.
Just as Gu Yuanzheng was feeling conflicted, he saw Gu Xi come downstairs.
She walked to the dining table, took a bowl of rice, served herself, and then sat down to eat.
“Xixi,” Gu Yuanxiang said, “Mom and Dad haven’t come back yet.”
The Gu family has many rules. Generally, unless it's really late, they wait for their parents to come home before eating together.
It's not too late now; they can wait a little longer.
While eating, Gu Xi said, "I'm hungry. You can wait if you want, but I won't."
"This...this isn't a good idea, is it?" Gu Yuanxiang didn't dare to provoke her and stammered, "Mom probably took Dad to the hospital to check his back injury. We don't know how Dad is feeling. We should wait for them..."
Gu Xi frowned, looked up at her, and said calmly, "I have a stomach problem, and my stomach hurts if I don't eat on time."
"ah?"
Not only were Gu Yuanzheng and the other man stunned, but even Gu Yuanhui, who was hiding at the bottom of the stairs and dared not come over, was also surprised.
Stomach problems?
Gu Yuanzheng asked, "How did you get a stomach problem? Is it serious?"
"It's alright, I won't die." Gu Xi said nonchalantly, as long as she wouldn't die, it wasn't a big deal. "As long as I eat on time, there's nothing to worry about. Back in the countryside, food was scarce, and being a girl, I couldn't eat my fill and was always hungry. Naturally, that led to stomach problems."
She spoke lightly, but Gu Yuanzheng couldn't really dismiss it as insignificant.
Suddenly, he remembered several times in the past when there were family matters and meals were late, Gu Xi's face was very pale, and she would press her stomach from time to time.
Because she didn't mention it, and they didn't really care about it, they just ignored it.
Now, no one spoke.
Gu Yuanzheng sat there blankly, feeling a little uneasy.
Gu Xi ignored them, threw down her bowl and chopsticks after finishing her meal, and went straight back to her room.
Not long after, Gu Maowen and his wife finally returned.
The two had just returned from the hospital, carrying the medication prescribed by the doctor.
Gu Maowen's face was even more pale than when he left home in the morning, and he hunched over slightly as soon as he entered the house.
Jiang Huijun nagged, "Your back is so badly injured, and you're still pushing yourself. Rest at home tomorrow and don't go out."
Gu Maowen agreed, not daring to joke about his own health.
He spent the whole day in meetings, sitting stiffly the whole time, not daring to get distracted, which made things even worse. His back almost gave out, and he was a little scared.
He felt he was still young and could continue to work hard, but he didn't want to develop back pain and have to retire early.
Because his back was hurting terribly, Gu Maowen was in a bad mood. When he learned that Gu Xi had finished eating long ago and hadn't waited for them to eat together, he felt that she had no manners and naturally got angry again.
Jiang Huijun advised, "Be careful, don't fall down in anger like you did today and suffer the consequences yourself."
Gu Maowen: "..." He was even angrier.
Looking at his angry father and his somewhat displeased mother who was trying to persuade him, Gu Yuanzheng said, "Gu Xi has a stomach problem. She needs to eat on time, otherwise her stomach will hurt."
The couple were both taken aback.
Gu Maowen quickly dismissed the question with a nonchalant expression: "She's just a young woman, not one of those leaders who serve the country and its people. What important national affairs could possibly require her to work day and night to the point of developing stomach problems?"
Gu Yuanzheng felt uncomfortable hearing this and said, "I heard it was caused by hunger in the countryside before."
After hearing this, the couple fell silent.
**
It got dark very quickly.
Gu Xi was feeling unwell and was about to go to bed when she heard a knock on the door. When she opened it, she found it was Jiang Huijun.
Jiang Huijun forced a smile, holding a cup of malted milk powder, and said in a warm tone, "Xixi, I made you a cup of malted milk powder. We women haven't talked in a long time, I want to talk to you for a while."
Gu Xi said, "There's nothing to say, I'm going to sleep."
Just as she was about to close the door, Jiang Huijun reached out and placed her hand on the door panel, "Xixi!"
Gu Xi pulled her hand away, determined to close the door.
Jiang Huijun panicked and did something she would never have done before: she forced her way in, saying, "I heard from Yuanzheng that you have a stomach problem. Is it serious? Why didn't you tell us before?"
There was a hint of resentment in her tone; how would they know if she didn't tell them?
This child has always been like this, too quiet and reserved, and doesn't know how to please people, so it's no wonder they ignore her.
Gu Xi nodded, "Indeed, I was foolish before and never thought to tell you, so I'm telling you now."
Jiang Huijun opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.
If it were Gu Yuanxiang, she would thoughtfully express that she didn't want them to worry, and then she would act coquettishly towards them, making them happy and at ease.
The contrast between the two daughters is too stark.
The one who knows how to be charming and flattering will always be favored, while the one who remains silent and patient will be ignored.
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