Free Web NovelChapter 525: Chapter 521: Heard It All
Old Man Chen’s lips moved a few times, but ultimately he said nothing. He took the buns from Gu Jiaojiao’s hand, and his heart, which had long since grown cold, felt a glimmer of warmth.
When he returned from his military service, the authorities made arrangements for him. Due to his poor health, he was granted special permission to raise a donkey.
At first, the villagers of the Qingshan Team sympathized with him. As time went on, however, in these poor times, his raising a donkey provided him with an extra source of income, which in turn led to gossip and rumors.
Only Village Chief Xu regularly helped him; most of the other villagers were afraid of him.
Old Man Chen drove Leng Yuan and Gu Jiaojiao mostly because Leng Yuan paid him well. But Gu Jiaojiao had brought him buns, something she hadn’t needed to do.
Old Man Chen held the buns, but he couldn’t bring himself to eat them.
His wife hadn’t had meat in a long time, either. Bringing these buns home would surely make her happy.
When Gu Jiaojiao saw Old Man Chen accept the buns, a beaming smile spread across her fair, delicate face. The story about the tofu was just an excuse she had made up, all to persuade him to take them.
As Leng Yuan watched this side of Gu Jiaojiao, his heart softened.
As Leng Yuan and Gu Jiaojiao returned with the two children, carrying their things, they saw two people waiting at the front gate with a bicycle.
Leng Yuan and Gu Jiaojiao exchanged a look, then walked closer. Only then did they realize the visitors were Leng Yuan’s aunt and uncle.
The last time, Gu Jiaojiao had only caught a few glimpses of them through the window, but she had still committed their faces to memory.
Leng Yuan walked forward. Seeing the two of them, his expression turned cold.
When Leng Shuyue saw Leng Yuan, she instinctively complained.
"What took you so long!"
She had arrived at noon and had been waiting here for over four hours. Her legs were numb from the cold, and her initially good mood had vanished, replaced by simmering impatience.
Gu Jiaojiao rolled her eyes when she heard that.
’If I remember correctly, Leng Yuan and Leng Shuyue parted on bad terms at the wedding banquet. How does this person have the nerve to show up in front of us again, and with such an impatient tone?’
’Did we ask her to wait?’
Ding Jiangchuan, standing off to the side, was a clever man. Hearing Leng Shuyue’s poor tone, he quickly cleared his throat to do some damage control.
"Leng Yuan, your aunt has been waiting for more than four hours, so she’s in a bit of a bad mood. Please don’t take it to heart."
Gu Jiaojiao opened the gate and ushered the two children into the courtyard first.
’It’s better to keep the children out of adult matters.’
But Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang didn’t want to go. "Jiaojiao, we want to stay," Sweet Girl said. "We’re grown up now. We can protect you."
Xiao Yang nodded.
Sweet Girl continued, "If they dare to bully you, we can help you guys fight them."
Sweet Girl puffed out her chest, her expression serious and earnest.
Xiao Yang nodded again.
That was right.
His sister had said everything he wanted to say.
Gu Jiaojiao rubbed the two little ones’ heads. Her efforts to feed them well had clearly paid off. The children’s faces were no longer skin and bones; they had filled out with some soft flesh, and they had even grown a little taller.
She was overjoyed by their good intentions, but she’d rather they didn’t get into a fight.
"This is grown-up business; it has nothing to do with you. Hurry inside. Even if a fight does break out, your brother-in-law can take on both of them with no problem."
Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang glanced at Leng Yuan. Oh, right! They had forgotten about their brother-in-law. With him around, there was no need for them to intervene.
Reassured by this thought, the two little ones went back to their room together.
Meanwhile, the faces of Leng Shuyue and Ding Jiangchuan, who were standing nearby, darkened.
’If you’re going to whisper, couldn’t you be a little quieter? We heard every word.’
