Chapter 357: Chapter 357: Committing Suicide by Biting Poison
Han Jingyi arrived with a few people from a special department and gravely questioned Gu Jiaojiao about the situation.
Gu Jiaojiao gave a rough account of the details and also handed over the gun she had picked up. The men looked at her several times in disbelief.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Gu. We’ll be taking the men back with us now. If we find any clues, we’ll call you."
"Mm, no need to call me specifically. You can just inform Mr. Han or Old Mu directly."
"Alright then, we’ll be on our way." The leader saluted Gu Jiaojiao, then left with his team, taking the car and the kidnappers with them.
During this time, Su Shuochi had remained in the kitchen cooking and hadn’t come out, but he had clearly overheard the conversation between Gu Jiaojiao and the men.
After they left, Gu Jiaojiao went upstairs to take a shower and then soaked in the Spiritual Spring for a while inside her space.
She felt refreshed and revitalized when she came back downstairs. As it happened, Grandpa Gu and Mr. Gu had just arrived. "Grandpa, Dad, we were just waiting for you to eat."
"Jiaojiao, if you were hungry, you should have eaten first. You don’t have to wait for us, really," Grandpa Gu said with a hearty laugh.
"Grandpa, Dad, Jiaojiao, come sit down. It’s time to eat." Su Shuochi appeared holding a dish, an apron still tied around his waist.
"Shuo Ci, you’ve made so many dishes. You’ve worked hard. Your grandpa and I aren’t strangers; you didn’t need to go to all this trouble," Mr. Gu said, grinning from ear to ear.
As always, Su Shuochi served Gu Jiaojiao soup and placed food on her plate, while also encouraging Grandpa Gu and Mr. Gu to eat more.
Gu Jiaojiao ate with great cheer, seemingly unaffected by the kidnapping. The four of them enjoyed a pleasant meal together.
"Grandpa, Dad, you must remember to take the Health Pills on time every day. They’re mainly for treating your underlying health issues. Take them for one full course, and then we’ll see the effects."
Gu Jiaojiao urged them again and again, still worried. She had poured her heart into making these Health Pills, using many precious medicinal herbs and spiritual spring water.
"Alright, alright, Grandpa will definitely take them on time," Old Sir Gu said, his face wreathed in smiles.
To be able to treat his old ailments and restore his health—to Old Sir Gu, this was the best thing in the world, something that no amount of wealth or power could buy.
He had truly been reluctant to take them before, feeling it was too much of a waste. But since his granddaughter said she would make more for him after he finished them, he would take them on schedule from now on.
The Gu father and son chatted with Gu Jiaojiao for a long time before reluctantly driving home.
Meanwhile, Su Shuochi stayed home to study the state-of-the-art nano-instrument from the future, which Gu Jiaojiao kept in her space.
Gu Jiaojiao sat beside him, explaining how this technology could be applied to treat patients with brain diseases.
She only got up to leave when someone sent by Old Mu came knocking at the door. "Su Shuochi, take your time studying it. You can even take it apart to have a look."
"Okay, honey. Have them drive you right into the courtyard later. Don’t walk back alone, no matter what."
Su Shuochi was extremely worried about Gu Jiaojiao going out. He wished he could stick to her side, but he also knew he couldn’t be with her every single day.
After watching longingly as Gu Jiaojiao got in the car and left, he turned and went back inside to continue studying the new medical instrument.
「At the Gu Residence.」
When Mr. Gu got home, he asked his wife and son, "Yue Hua, Jinghua, have you taken the Health Pills Jiaojiao gave us?"
"Dad, I’ve been taking them on schedule. I’m fine now, even healthier than before my injury."
Eldest Brother Gu said happily. He was truly grateful to his biological sister. Without Jiaojiao, he would have been long dead.
"I’m also taking them on schedule. The pills Jiaojiao gave us this time are countless times better than the last batch. I’ve only been taking them for a few days, and all my chronic ailments are gone."
"It’s good that you two are so obedient. Jiaojiao gave Dad and me a talking-to today. I thought these pills were only for life-threatening emergencies."
"So I couldn’t bear to take them. I took two today and my whole body feels great. My old back pain has eased up a lot," Mr. Gu said sheepishly.
"Cheng Zhou, your back was acting up and you still couldn’t bear to take the pills Jiaojiao gave you?"
Mrs. Gu asked in disbelief. Mr. Gu’s back injury was something he got while protecting her from a disaster, and it had always been a source of heartache for her.
Mr. Gu usually endured his back pain in silence, but in his excitement, he had forgotten.
He quickly tried to backtrack, "Heh heh, my back doesn’t usually hurt. I just meant that the pills Jiaojiao made are incredibly effective."
Mrs. Gu only cried harder at her husband’s explanation. She had always been very beautiful.
Although she had endured the hardships of the early years, her improved living conditions over the past few months had helped her recover a great deal.
The face masks and, more recently, the Health Pills from Gu Jiaojiao had made her radiant.
She was getting on in years, after all. Fine lines and wrinkles were beginning to appear at the corners of her eyes, revealing the traces of time.
Even so, she still looked much prettier and younger than other women her age.
This was the main reason Auntie Gu was so jealous of her, always making snide remarks about her being some kind of enchantress whenever she saw her.
When a woman like her cried, it might not have been as pitifully beautiful as a young girl’s tears.
But her tears seemed to fall directly into Gu Chengzhou’s heart, still making him ache with worry and panic.
He fumbled to wipe her tears away, wishing he could make her stop crying that very instant.
Eldest Brother Gu watched from the side, filled with envy. His parents’ relationship was wonderful, as was the one between his biological sister and his brother-in-law.
Unfortunately, the relationship between his adoptive sister and Song Zijin was terrible; the two were like sworn enemies.
’If only Yueyue and her husband Song Zijin could be like my parents, then I could finally rest easy!’
Gu Jiaojiao had no idea her brother was thinking about Sheng Yueyue again. Thankfully, she hadn’t placed much hope in Eldest Brother Gu to begin with.
By now, she had arrived at the Mu Family’s estate. Old Mu and his grandson, Mu Ziquan, were already waiting for her by the main gate.
"Jiaojiao’s here! Have some fruit before you give Ziquan his acupuncture," Old Mu greeted her warmly.
"Alright. Thank you, Mu. It would be rude to refuse." Gu Jiaojiao smiled sweetly.
"Jiaojiao, were you targeted by those kidnappers today because you’ve been treating Ziquan?"
"Most likely. They probably wouldn’t have noticed if I was just treating Mu Ziquan’s illness. It must have been when I was dispelling the Poisonous Gu. The mother Gu on the other end must have been affected."
"Unfortunately, the four of them committed suicide by biting down on poison hidden in their teeth as soon as they woke up. We’ve lost all leads."
"Is that so? What a shame!" Gu Jiaojiao exclaimed in surprise.
Mu Ziquan remained silent, just watching her quietly. He never would have imagined that this delicate-looking woman was actually so formidable.
’One sweep of her long leg, and a man much stockier than her went flying!’
’Good heavens, that strength... It’s a good thing she wasn’t wearing high heels, or those thugs might have died on the spot.’
He had taken over as the Mu Family Head several years ago. Although he and his grandfather were the only two masters, the Mu Family had a considerable number of Hidden Guards.
Mu Ziquan was furious when he heard the report from the men he had sent to protect Gu Jiaojiao.
He blamed the two for not rushing out to protect her immediately. It was also the first time he had ever severely punished a Hidden Guard.
