The silence inside was deafening.
I guess they didn't know how to react.
Jiang Yuan was the one who reacted first. A smile flashed across her eyes as she said, "Alright, let's go in!"
He then led the people into the house.
The three-story building has a large living room inside, with the sofa in the middle packed full of people.
The person sitting in the single seat right in the middle is Gu Yong.
His hair was a mix of black and white, he was burly, had a serious expression, and his eyes were slightly narrowed, but when he opened them, his gaze was sharp.
Having fought on the battlefield for many years, his aura carried the chilling presence of someone who had seen blood and gunfire.
Gu Zhiyuan's physique is probably derived from Gu Yong's, and his facial features are also similar to his, making him a combination of the best features of both Gu Yong and Jiang Yuan.
Beside him sat two middle-aged men in military uniforms. They were probably overweight due to middle age and not very tall. Their features clearly indicated they were Gu Yong's offspring, but the sight of these two men was unpleasant, making him look like two short, stout men sitting next to him.
On the other side were Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu, both very old, one with gray hair and the other with a hunched back.
Further to both sides, there were several women of varying ages.
The oldest one should be Fang Dani, wearing a navy blue Lenin cadre women's uniform, with hair styled like Liu Hulan, and a plump figure. Even though she is a bit old, she still retains some charm.
The two younger women are likely the wives of Gu Dajun and Gu Daikui.
There were also several children, some of whom were not quite adults, standing behind the sofa, glaring at Gu Zhiyuan and Gu Zhixing with deep hostility.
It's obvious at a glance that they've been brainwashed by their parents and have deep resentment towards Gu Zhiyuan and Gu Zhixing.
I suspect those two kids rushed out of the house on purpose.
Did Jiang Yuan not feel anything from this show of force?
Xu Ningyan couldn't help but look at Jiang Yuan.
Whether Jiang Yuan noticed or not is unknown, but her glance made Gu Yong, who had been squinting, open his eyes wide and casually scan Xu Ningyan up and down.
With just one glance, Xu Ningyan felt a chill run down her spine, and her hair seemed to stand on end.
Gu Zhiyuan quickly noticed and immediately stepped forward to block Xu Ningyan's path.
Jiang Yuan patted Xu Ningyan's hand reassuringly, then winked at Gu Zhiyuan, signaling him to introduce her.
Gu Zhiyuan then turned around and took Xu Ningyan's hand: "Father, this is Xu Ningyan, my girlfriend!"
He then introduced Xu Ningyan: "That's my father, and over there are my grandfather and grandmother! My two half-brothers and their families!"
And then that was it.
Xu Ningyan turned to look at him, her eyes asking, "That's all?"
Gu Zhiyuan nodded in confirmation. That's all.
Xu Ningyan took a deep breath, gave a forced smile, and nodded to Gu Yong: "Hello, Commander Gu! Hello, Grandpa Gu! Hello, Grandma Gu! Hello, everyone!"
Then he smiled, shut up, and stood aside.
The other members of the Gu family, who were originally waiting for Xu Ningyan to call for help, waited and waited, only to see Xu Ningyan stand aside without saying a word after she finished calling for help.
It took the Gu family a while to realize, "Is that all?"
Gu Dajun's face darkened, and he gave his wife a meaningful look.
Gu Dajun's wife, Qiao Aiyuan, curled her lip, raised an eyebrow, and said sarcastically, "Oh, so you look down on us? You don't even want to greet us?"
Gu Yong was also somewhat displeased, glancing at Gu Zhiyuan: "What's the meaning of your girlfriend's behavior? What about your brother and sister-in-law? Why didn't you say hello?"
Gu Zhiyuan didn't even flinch. "Didn't I say everyone was nice?"
The Gu family was furious. What did that mean? So many people, and three words were all it took?
Grandma Gu held back for a while, but seeing her two beloved grandsons' aggrieved expressions, she couldn't bear it any longer. She slapped her thigh and said, "Whose upbringing is this? Did she have parents but no manners? How can she be so ill-mannered when she comes to our house? She can't even greet people properly? Dayong, you really need to ask her parents. A daughter like that can't possibly marry into our family—"
Gu Daikui's wife, Zhang Yanan, immediately fanned the flames: "That's right! Although our Daikui and the third and fourth sons don't have the same mother, they still share the same father! If they look down on us like this, after they marry into the family, I'm afraid we and the eldest brother's family won't even have a place in the Gu family anymore—"
Gu Yong couldn't stand these words. He frowned and was about to speak.
Xu Ningyan laughed: "Grandma Gu probably doesn't know that my biological father was a martyr. He sacrificed his life before I was even born. And my biological mother remarried after giving birth to me, so I really did have parents to give birth to me, but no parents to raise me! Since Grandma wants Commander Gu to ask my parents, well, I have no problem with that, and my father probably won't have any objections either. It just depends on whether Commander Gu agrees or not."
"You—" Old Mrs. Gu almost fainted when she heard this. What did she mean? Your father has been dead for many years. Are you telling your son to go down and ask him?
Is she cursing her own son to die?
Just as he was about to curse, Gu Yong knew the gravity of the situation. Putting aside the fact that his own mother's words were inappropriate, he also became more tolerant upon hearing that Xu Ningyan was the child of a martyr. As a descendant of a soldier, he naturally had to be more forgiving.
Moreover, if these words get out and people hear them, and say that they are disrespectful to the martyrs, that would be another problem.
So he quickly stopped him: "Third brother, why didn't you mention that Comrade Xu is the child of a martyr? Which corps is he from?"
Gu Zhiyuan knew exactly what Gu Yong was thinking, and said, "Xu Jiefang, the company commander from the Northwest Army Corps who sacrificed his life in Operation XX eighteen years ago, the one who was posthumously awarded a first-class merit!"
Gu Yong's heart skipped a beat. He knew about Operation XX. Of those who participated in the operation, only two or three returned alive. He never expected that Xu Ningyan was actually a descendant of the meritorious person who was posthumously awarded a first-class merit.
He immediately thought more highly of Xu Ningyan, and no longer cared about Xu Ningyan's slight disrespect earlier.
His attitude became much more amiable, and he nodded, "Since you are the descendant of a meritorious official, please sit down, please sit down!"
Turning my head, I saw that all the sofas around me were full of people, and there were no seats left at all.
Upon closer inspection, even Jiang Yuan was standing. Her face darkened immediately, and she scolded, "Don't you all have any manners? The elders aren't sitting, the guests aren't sitting, but you're all sitting so comfortably!"
Hearing Gu Yong's reprimand, the two Gu brothers, along with their wives and Fang Dani, stood up sheepishly.
Fang Dani glanced at Gu Yong, tucked her hair behind her ear, and said softly, "I'll go to the kitchen and see if all the dishes are ready."
Gu Yong snorted, which was taken as tacit agreement.
Fang Dani glanced at Jiang Yuan again and said softly, "Jiang Yuan, I'll go to the kitchen to keep an eye on things. You sit with the children and chat with them—"
She acted every inch the lady of the house.
Jiang Yuan, still oblivious, nodded and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Sister Fang."
Just as Fang Dani was about to enter the kitchen, Xu Ningyan innocently asked, "Aunt Jiang, who is this lady? Is she your family's housekeeper?"
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