Free Web NovelChapter 33: Chapter 33: Heartache
The mention of Gu Jinhua made Gu Lihui’s thoughts race. ’I’ve been in the hospital for so long. My own sister can send her son to tell Mom, but she can’t even be bothered to show her face? She didn’t even think to bring her little brother anything to eat or drink?’
’She always talks a good game, going on and on about how wonderful she is to me. But when it really matters, is this what she calls being "good"?’
’It seems you only see people’s true colors when you go through something difficult.’
Gu Lihui snorted. "What’s with my sister? She knows I’m in the hospital, so how come she hasn’t even come to see me?"
"Your sister is still at work. How could she just drop everything and come running?" Chen Suxiang remembered her grandson saying his grandfather wouldn’t let his mother miss work, and she couldn’t help but feel annoyed at how unreasonable her daughter’s father-in-law was. Thinking of her usually obedient daughter, she ultimately defended her.
"You’re defending her? Who’s more important to you, her or me?" The negative feelings Gu Lihui had been bottling up all morning finally erupted, and he roared at Chen Suxiang.
Chen Suxiang’s expression changed, and she quickly tried to soothe him. "Of course you’re more important. You just wait, I’ll go give her a piece of my mind in a bit." With that, she scrambled off in a hurry. It wasn’t until she was a good distance away that she clutched her chest and realized she was still holding the key to her eldest son’s house.
’I was about to give the key back to him just a moment ago, but then he yelled at me and I completely forgot. It’s not my fault; he looked so terrifying just now.’
She sighed.
When her eldest son lost his temper, he was just like that damn old man back home. He’d really scared her. She sighed again. ’Why does every single one of them have such a bad temper?’
Chen Suxiang stopped, realizing she had run quite a ways. Before her was a fork in the road, and she began to hesitate. ’Should I go to my son’s house and cook for him, or should I go find my eldest daughter, get some money, and buy something ready to eat?’
After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to find her eldest daughter to get some money first. Then she would go to her son’s house to get a lunchbox, a bowl, and chopsticks. ’After all,’ she reasoned, ’even if I buy food, I’ll need something to carry it in, won’t I?’
Her mind made up, Chen Suxiang composed herself and headed straight in the direction of the supply and marketing cooperative.
「Zhang Family Village.」
It wasn’t until dusk that a dejected Gu Nuan Nuan finally trudged back to her grandparents’ house. She still refused to accept reality. ’I must have used it the wrong way, or maybe I didn’t absorb enough of the dew.’
Looking at the plant in the mysterious space, which no longer held that drop of dew, she frowned. ’That change couldn’t have been for nothing,’ she thought. ’The dewdrop must have a purpose. I just used it wrong.’
She thought regretfully, ’It would be nice if this space were a little more user-friendly and came with an instruction manual.’
"Nuannuan, where did you run off to? You’ve been gone all afternoon! Your cousins went out to play, and they all said they didn’t see you." Seeing Gu Nuan Nuan return, Zhang Minzhen walked over, asking nervously. She had been terrified earlier when her nephews and nieces returned one after another, all saying they hadn’t seen her daughter anywhere in the village, and she was deeply afraid something had happened to her.
"I was over there, watching some ants move their home. I got totally engrossed." Gu Nuan Nuan pointed back in the direction she’d spent the afternoon and offered a casual excuse.
"You’re a big girl now, and you still enjoy watching things like that." Zhang Minzhen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
"But I was bored," Gu Nuan Nuan whined playfully. It hadn’t even been a full day since her rebirth, but she felt her skill at acting spoiled around her mother was getting more and more polished. She was even starting to revel in the feeling.
"As long as you’re back, that’s what matters. Nuannuan, hurry up, wash your hands, and come eat," Wen Xiu called out.
For dinner, the stone table in the courtyard had been extended. A long wooden table with a curved edge, matching the stone one in height, had been pushed up against it, joining the two perfectly.
Without a doubt, this was the handiwork of Gu Nuan Nuan’s maternal grandfather, Zhang Dazhuang.
"Grandma, where are Eldest Uncle and Aunt?" Looking around, Gu Nuan Nuan saw that her mother, grandfather, grandmother, second uncle and his wife, third uncle and his wife, and several of her cousins were all present, but her eldest uncle and his wife were nowhere to be seen.
She obediently greeted her second uncle, his wife, her third uncle, and his wife, in turn. In response, she received either a lukewarm nod or a faint, clearly half-hearted "Mm."
The atmosphere among the adults was obviously tense and unnatural. ’Don’t tell me they already know Mom is divorcing that scumbag dad?’ Gu Nuan Nuan wondered.
"They went to your eldest aunt’s family home. They won’t be back until it’s completely dark," Wen Xiu said in a gentle tone. "We’ll eat first. We’ve already set aside some food for them in the pot."
"Oh." Gu Nuan Nuan nodded and didn’t press the matter. In her past life, although she had been ten years old at this time, she was still clueless about many things. She only vaguely recalled that something had happened with her eldest aunt’s family, so her eldest uncle had gone to help, traveling back and forth more often...
When she grew up, even after many years had passed, her mother was always reluctant to discuss the topic. As a result, besides the date of her eldest uncle’s death, which was seared into her memory, all her other recollections of that time had grown hazy.
The atmosphere during dinner was somber. No one talked much, and nobody brought up the question of why Gu Nuan Nuan and her mother were still staying with the Zhang family.
Gu Nuan Nuan stole a glance around the table. Her two uncles and their wives all had sullen expressions, but it didn’t seem to be affecting their appetites. They were all engrossed in their own meals, taking large bites, their chopsticks moving fast. Her grandparents, however, looked upset and as if they could barely get their food down. As for her mother, she ate with a blank expression, but her pace was clearly much slower than usual, and her chopsticks deliberately avoided the meat dishes.
A wave of sadness washed over Gu Nuan Nuan. This habit of her mother’s during meals hadn’t just started now that she was back at her own family’s home. It was likely something she’d gotten used to over so many years with the Gu Family. Even later in life, when it was just the two of them, her mother was the same—her chopsticks would never touch the meat dishes, always saving them for her daughter to eat...
The cold undercurrent among the adults affected the children as well. With the natural sensitivity of the young, they immediately sensed something was wrong with the atmosphere at the table. So, they all obediently kept their heads down, silently shoveling food into their mouths. One by one, they quickly finished eating, left the table, and disappeared in a flash.
The whole time, not one of them even said goodbye to Gu Nuan Nuan and her mother.
As for their aunt, Zhang Minzhen, and their cousin, Gu Nuan Nuan, the children were probably cold because every time the pair came to visit, it was to freeload. They never brought any good food, fun toys, or useful gifts.
Plus, they lived far away, and Gu Lihui disapproved of Zhang Minzhen constantly returning to her family home. Because of this, the mother and daughter actually made very few visits each year. Consequently, Gu Nuan Nuan wasn’t very familiar with these cousins, and it was only natural they didn’t play together. The lack of warmth between them was perfectly normal.
Zhang Minzhen was clearly long accustomed to the coldness from her nieces and nephews.
Experiencing this for a second time, Gu Nuan Nuan was unfazed and chose to ignore it.
In a situation like this, her current self, with the soul of an adult, naturally didn’t care. More importantly, she would never again add fuel to the fire by asking her mother heart-wrenching questions like, "Do Second Uncle, Second Aunt, and our cousins not like us?"
Gu Nuan Nuan also quickly finished her meal and, following her cousins’ lead, left the table. She understood perfectly. The tense atmosphere at dinner was clearly a result of the "discussion" the family had while she was out—a discussion about her mother’s divorce and their plan to stay here temporarily.
She sighed to herself, found a corner, and picked up a random object to pretend to play with. She huddled there quietly, making sure not to cause any trouble. In her heart, she couldn’t help but ache even more for the mother she’d had in her past life.
