nycdaug Chapter 118 My good son, he's completely sold me out!
Chapter 118 My good son, he's completely sold me out!
Gu Jun had telegraphed his family beforehand that he would be back in the next couple of days, so Wang Xiuwen was looking out the door again. She was a little annoyed. "Tell me, Da Jun is coming back, but he won't even say when. He's just leaving me here waiting. Otherwise, we could have gone to the train station to pick them up."
As they were talking, they vaguely saw two figures in the distance. One of them was tall and upright, and walked with a spirit that was different from the villagers. Who else could it be but his second son?
She was about to shout when she saw her son's petite figure nestled against her, and she swallowed her loud voice, suddenly finding herself unable to speak.
Gu Yuanyuan looked over with her rice bowl in hand, thinking to herself that her mother was just like Lord Ye who loved dragons but was terrified of them. Usually, five out of ten sentences she would talk about her second son's wife, and so on. She called her Xiaoyun so affectionately, but who knew that she would be so cowardly when she was actually in front of her.
Gu Yuanyuan waved to the two people outside and called out loudly, "Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law!"
Gu Jun had already reached the front door. He nodded and said simply, "Little sister."
Gu Yuanyuan glanced at Gu Jun's cold and stern face. He was a man of few words. She wondered how her second sister-in-law got along with people.
Wang Xiuwen finally composed herself, nervously rubbing her hands together and revealing eight teeth, "Dajun is back, this must be Shuyun?"
Gu Yuanyuan rolled her eyes. Isn't that obvious? If her second brother hadn't been remarried and brought another woman home, wouldn't that be considered a matter of conduct?
Shu Yun greeted her with a smile: "Mom, little sister."
"Hey, hey, hello, hello." Wang Xiuwen quickly replied. Her nervous appearance made her look more like a new bride than Shu Yun, which amused Gu Yuanyuan. She nudged her mother with her hand and teased, "Weren't you calling people so affectionately before? Why aren't you doing it anymore?"
"What nonsense is this child spouting!" Wang Xiuwen was embarrassed after her secret was exposed. To ease the awkwardness, she slapped Gu Yuanyuan hard on the back, making her cough up the food she had just eaten. But she was instead blamed, "This child has no table manners. No one is taking it from you."
Gu Yuanyuan: ...
She coughed so hard that rice sprayed out of her nostrils. That old lady has a really strong grip!
Shu Yun chuckled softly, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "Mom, just call me Yunyun. It makes us seem more intimate."
Wang Xiuwen was delighted and readily agreed, "Yunyun, have you had dinner yet?"
Shu Yun shook her head, "Not yet, I came straight here as soon as I got off the train."
Wang Xiuwen scolded Gu Jun, "This kid, can't he take a rest? He's been running around for so many days, he must be exhausted."
Wang Xiuwen's eyes were only on the beautifully smiling Shu Yun. She enthusiastically took Gu Jun's luggage and said, "Go inside quickly."
Then, she called out into the house, "Old man, prepare two more sets of bowls and chopsticks, Dajun is back."
Shu Yun was practically ushered into the main room. Several dishes were laid out on the square wooden table. The Gu family hadn't divided their property, and the whole family ate together. Following Gu Jun's introduction, Shu Yun greeted everyone one by one. Besides Wang Xiuwen and Gu Yuanyuan, whom she already knew, Gu Jun's father, Gu Minsheng, had a fair complexion and a refined appearance. He smiled slightly at Shu Yun's greeting.
Sitting on the other side was a couple, Gu Jun's older brother Gu Feng. He was tall and his features were very similar to Gu Jun's, but he was more rugged. He called out to his sister-in-law and then patted Gu Jun's shoulder very hard, "You're back."
Gu Jun hugged Gu Feng. "Thanks to you, big brother, for taking care of our parents at home. You've worked so hard."
The woman sitting next to Gu Feng, Li Xueying, had an oval face and a fit figure. She wasn't exactly fat or muscular, but rather possessed a primal, voluptuous beauty that exuded the strength and beauty of women. Shu Yun could tell at a glance that she was skilled in farming. She smiled and greeted the two of them, "Hello, sister-in-law."
Their attitude wasn't exactly warm, but they were very polite. After introducing themselves, Gu Jun and Shu Yun sat down at the table and ate the hot rice they hadn't had in days. Shu Yun didn't have a good appetite, but to avoid upsetting the Gu family, she forced herself to eat quite a bit. It was Gu Jun who noticed and took all the food over, which he then ate.
Wang Xiuwen saw this and was about to speak when Gu Jun spoke first, "Xiaoyun, didn't you bring back a lot of gifts? Everyone's here, so take them out."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuwen glared at Gu Jun and said, "You just sent us a package, why are you buying things again? Do you think money is nothing and just squander it?"
Shu Yun unpacked a large bag and said with a smile, "Mom, I bought you another set of winter clothes this time. It's a new style that just came out in our city. I heard that old ladies in the city love to wear this style, so I thought I'd buy one for you to try too. It's almost Chinese New Year, so we can all wear new clothes and have a festive time."
If it was the new daughter-in-law, the old lady didn't object. When she received the clothes, upon hearing that they were the kind of clothes that old ladies in the city would love to wear, she held them in her hands and touched them several times, asking, "Does this suit me?"
The mother who could give birth to such a handsome young man as Gu Jun must be quite good-looking. She has good facial features, and even with the marks of time, you can still see the youthful beauty she had when she was young. However, the wind and sun in the fields have made her skin a bit darker and rougher, but it doesn't affect the fact that Wang Xiuwen is a dignified old lady. Shu Yun gave her a thumbs up, "Mom will definitely look good in this."
Wang Xiuwen fell for it; her eyes were practically squinting with laughter, and her mouth was wide open. Gu Yuanyuan felt like she could see the old lady's teeth. Was it really necessary?
As it turns out, it was indeed true!
Because Gu Yuanyuan quickly received her gift and was overjoyed with it, her smile was just like her mother's; they truly were mother and daughter.
Shu Yun's gifts were thoughtful of everyone, and Li Xueying, who was not particularly warm towards her before, smiled much more.
After everything was finished, Gu Jun took Shu Yun back to his room.
A few days ago, after learning that Gu Jun was coming back, Wang Xiuwen took advantage of her free time to clean the house thoroughly. The heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) was warm and cozy, keeping out the howling north wind.
Gu Jun squeezed her shoulder, "Are you tired?"
Shu Yun yawned. "How can I not be tired?"
Gu Jun patted the kang (heated brick bed), "Then lie down and I'll rub your back."
Shu Yun had never experienced a heated kang bed before, so she found it very novel. She took off her shoes and climbed on it, lying down while Gu Jun massaged her waist and legs. She asked Gu Jun, "Hey, do you think your mother's attitude towards me is a little strange?"
Gu Jun: "What's wrong?"
Shu Yun placed her cold hands on the warm kang (heated brick bed). "Are you a little reserved with me?" Shouldn't she be the one feeling reserved?
"When I unfolded the new clothes I bought and pressed them against her body, I felt that her body stiffened a bit, maybe she was resisting my touch?"
Gu Jun chuckled, "She is a little reserved, but not much. Don't worry, I can tell that my mom genuinely likes you. The moment you arrived, all she could see was you. She'll probably feel much better after a while as she gets to know you better."
"Really?" Shu Yun asked doubtfully.
Gu Jun nodded, "Of course, my mom definitely cares about you. Just now, she secretly pulled me aside, pinched the flesh on my arm and twisted it, asking me why I stole your food!"
Shu Yun chuckled. "Really?"
Shu Yun pulled her clothes up to show her, "My mom has a strong grip; she can squeeze me painfully even through my clothes."
Shu Yun took a look. Gu Jun's skin was thick and rough, so there was no red mark. However, Shu Yun still rubbed it symbolically. Then she heard Gu Jun continue, "My mother just asked me privately why your face was so pale and whether you were not feeling well. It's clear that she has been concerned about you."
Wang Xiuwen: ...What a good son of mine, he's completely sold me out.