Chapter 388: Chapter 388: Mr. Fu Gets Married
Han Jingshen didn’t get home until very late. His grandfather had been waiting for him in the living room. After they had a late-night snack, the two of them went to the study to talk.
He recounted the day’s events in the interrogation room to his grandfather in full detail. After hearing the story, Old Sir Han was silent for a moment.
"Jingshen, what you did was absolutely right, but it was also far too risky. You’re heading to the front lines tomorrow. The fighting is intense and you are needed there. Don’t involve yourself in this affair any further."
"Grandpa, you’re the one who dragged Jiaojiao into this. Are you just going to wash your hands of it now?" Han Jingshen asked, his voice tinged with emotion.
"To be precise, it was Professor Xia who pulled Jiaojiao into this. But Jiaojiao saved the lives of three generations of our family. How could I possibly not care about her!"
What Mr. Han left unsaid was that someone who acted so emotionally, like his grandson, was not fit to handle important matters. Moreover, he would only end up implicating Jiaojiao.
"Jingshen, you’re a good boy with excellent judgment. Jiaojiao is truly outstanding, but it’s just not in the cards for us. She was already married when we met her."
Han Jingshen’s entire body trembled upon hearing his grandfather’s words. He took two deep breaths, and then, with his face flushed and neck tense, he asked...
"Grandpa... I was so sure I’d hidden it well. How did you know?"
’I can tell Su Shuochi doesn’t like me; he must have sensed something too. But I’ve been so restrained.’
"You’re my grandson. You think I don’t know you? Growing up, have you ever been this concerned about anyone or anything?"
"Then... will she...?"
"Don’t you worry. Jiaojiao has a very straightforward, carefree personality. She thinks of you all as juniors. Romance would never even cross her mind."
"Grandpa, can I just wait until this is over...?"
"Absolutely not. Handling this sort of thing isn’t your strong suit. What’s more, you’re letting your personal feelings get involved. That makes you an easy target for the enemy to exploit!"
After his conversation with his grandfather, Han Jingshen went to the Mu residence. He consulted with Mu Ziquan for a long time before leaving for the front lines that very night.
Meanwhile, Bao Zhaoyang had finally managed to calm his mother down. But when he turned his head, the young woman was gone.
He had already scared off the crowd of onlookers, leaving only a few scattered pedestrians on the main road.
He tried to ask them for information, but the pedestrians scurried away as soon as he approached. Even the few he managed to stop all claimed they didn’t know any young woman.
Granny Bo also asked a few of her old friends, but all they knew was that a young woman had saved her.
They had no idea which family she belonged to.
Granny Bo couldn’t bring herself to blame her son for failing to find their benefactor. She could only blame herself for not asking the young woman’s name in time.
She decided that from now on, every morning and evening, she would stroll up and down that main road, waiting...
Gu Jiaojiao, of course, knew nothing about any of this. She was fast asleep.
Since it was Saturday, Su Shuochi hadn’t dragged her out of bed at the crack of dawn.
She slept until she woke naturally. By the time she did, the sun was already high in the sky. When she got out of bed, Su Shuochi was already gone.
She took her time washing up. When she came downstairs, she saw Fu Guoguo quietly and diligently cleaning the house.
Hearing footsteps, Fu Guoguo looked up. Her eyes brightened when she saw Gu Jiaojiao was awake, and she immediately stopped what she was doing.
"You’re awake, Sister-in-law! Su made some shredded chicken congee, and it’s keeping warm in the pot. I’ll go get you a bowl."
Gu Jiaojiao smiled. "Guoguo, why didn’t you wake me? You’ve been here all by yourself."
"Su said it’s Saturday, so I shouldn’t wake you. You must be hungry, Sister-in-law. Come have some congee. There are steamed dumplings and fried dough sticks, too."
"Sounds great. Guoguo, have you eaten yet?"
"I ate at home this morning. My older brother bought lots of rice and high-grade flour, and he filled the refrigerator with meat. He even followed your example and planted all kinds of vegetables in our yard."
Fu Guoguo’s eyes filled with a smile as she spoke of her older brother. It was clear she was very happy with her life now.
While sipping the delicious chicken congee, Gu Jiaojiao asked Fu Guoguo a few questions about school.
Since they weren’t in the same class, they didn’t run into each other at school very often.
Fu Guoguo answered every one of Gu Jiaojiao’s questions without hesitation. She had expected Jiaojiao to ask about her father’s wedding, which was happening today.
But Gu Jiaojiao finished her breakfast without ever bringing it up. Finally, Fu Guoguo couldn’t hold back any longer and said it herself, "Sister-in-law, my dad is getting married today."
Gu Jiaojiao had been so busy she’d completely forgotten about it. She asked casually, "Your dad’s getting married today, and neither you nor your brother are going?"
"My oldest brother says he’s too busy, and my second brother is in the military and couldn’t get leave. What if I go home by myself and get bullied!"
"Bullied at home? Isn’t your father just marrying your stepmom today? Who would be bullying you?"
A painful memory crossed Fu Guoguo’s face. "Sister-in-law, I’m so happy with my life right now. I never want to go back to that house again.
My second aunt, my fourth uncle, and my cousins always bully me. Before, when my dad hadn’t found a new wife, he was still always busy with work.
He has a huge factory to run. I can’t bear to see how exhausted he is, so I never dared to tell him."
"You have an aunt named Fu Mingyue, don’t you? That woman is just awful," Gu Jiaojiao said, her tone uncharacteristically harsh.
"That’s my second aunt. She can never stand the sight of my brother and me. Whenever she’s around, she’s always saying passive-aggressive things to us. I can’t stand her either."
"When they say things like that, why don’t you talk back? Well, never mind. It’s all in the past. From now on, if anyone bullies you, you tell me."
Gu Jiaojiao was only half-joking. She often treated Fu Guoguo like a child who needed comforting, but if anyone actually tried anything, she would absolutely help her fight back.
Fu Guoguo’s eyes welled up with tears of gratitude at Gu Jiaojiao’s words, but she was too shy to say anything.
’Her older brother used to be a good-for-nothing who hung around with riffraff, which was why her second aunt and fourth uncle were always sneering at him.
By extension, they would aim their passive-aggressive insults at her too, saying that a ’thing born but not raised’ would naturally turn out shiftless. How could she possibly retort to that?
Her grandfather would turn a blind eye, refusing to help them. Her father was busy with work and always came home exhausted.
It wasn’t until her third year of high school that her older brother finally reined himself in a little and stopped hanging out with those rich wastrels.
Even though her brother had changed his ways, no one in the Fu family would help him find a proper job.
Her second aunt and fourth uncle certainly didn’t start treating the siblings any better because of it. Their passive-aggressive taunts continued just as before.
Only later did she realize that her second aunt and fourth uncle simply couldn’t stand the sight of her and her brother. There was no reason for it.’
Lost in her memories of the past, Fu Guoguo found her face streaked with tears.
"What are you crying for? Come on, let’s go out to the yard to pull some weeds and pick vegetables. It’s almost time for lunch. Don’t cry, and I’ll teach you how to cook later," Gu Jiaojiao said, a bit awkwardly. She couldn’t stand seeing young girls cry and wasn’t very good at comforting them.
"Okay! My older brother says Su is a great cook. Is it true he learned from you, Sister-in-law?"
Fu Guoguo’s attention was indeed diverted. She had eaten Su Shuochi’s cooking twice before, and it was truly delicious.
She was very interested in cooking but had never dared to ask Su if she could learn. Now that she had the chance to learn from his wife, how could she not be delighted?
And so, the two of them went happily out to the vegetable patch in the yard to weed and pick produce.
Meanwhile, the Fu family home was filled to the brim with guests. Although it was Mr. Fu’s second marriage, the pageantry was considerable.
