Chapter 434: Chapter 434: What Persuades a Person Is Never Reason
「The next morning.」
Gu Jiaojiao was woken by a ringing phone. She opened her eyes in a daze. Su Shuochi, who had been beside her, was already up.
She glanced at the time—it was already nine o’clock. ’It’s Sunday, and my husband is there to answer the phone,’ she thought, wanting to close her eyes and go back to sleep for a little longer.
They had been too rowdy last night. In her sleepy haze, she heard footsteps.
"Whose call was that?" she asked lazily, her voice still hoarse with sleep.
Su Shuochi bent down and whispered in her ear, "It was Second Brother. He said the person in charge of that big restaurant called him to schedule the contract signing for today. He asked if you wanted to go along."
"Hm?"
Seeing her confused expression, Su Shuochi couldn’t help but chuckle. "Did you forget? Why don’t you sleep a little longer? You can get up for breakfast when you’re hungry."
Gu Jiaojiao nodded dazedly. "Okay."
She lay in bed, trying to close her eyes and sleep, but her mind kept replaying what he had just said.
In an instant, she was wide awake. It was about her second brother taking over that big restaurant he had been wanting for so long.
This was a huge deal for Second Brother Gu. Gu Jiaojiao immediately threw back the covers, got up, and started getting dressed.
All she could think about now was helping her second brother sign for the restaurant, get it renovated, and open for business as soon as possible.
"Honey, why are you up already?" Su Shuochi asked in surprise. He had been drawing blueprints in his study and came out immediately when he heard the noise.
"I’m hungry," Gu Jiaojiao said, a rare instance of her acting cute.
"There’s shredded chicken congee in the pot. I’ll go get you a bowl. Come downstairs for breakfast after you’ve washed up."
When Gu Jiaojiao went downstairs, she saw two bowls of congee, a plate of soup dumplings, and a plate of mung bean cakes on the table.
"Su Shuochi, you haven’t eaten breakfast yet either?"
"I was waiting to eat with you. I’m staying home with you today, after all," the man said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"You can eat first next time. It’s easy to get hungry if you’re up for a long time without eating breakfast."
The couple had just finished breakfast when Second Brother Gu started knocking at their courtyard gate.
The three of them went to sign the contract together. Afterward, they called Geng Haoyi and asked him to find some renovation workers.
"While this is being renovated, we’ll go get a sign custom-made," Gu Jiaojiao arranged methodically.
"We’re just changing owners, do we really need to change the sign?" Second Brother Gu was stunned.
"Of course we have to change the sign! This is my second brother’s first business venture. We need to think carefully about the restaurant’s name."
"Jiaojiao, let’s let Grandpa and Dad think of the name. Second Brother can find someone to make it. We should head home and have a meal."
"Jiaojiao, Su... Brother-in-law, why don’t you two come home to eat? Mom has definitely cooked already," Second Brother Gu invited warmly.
"Alright. We did agree before to go home for dinner every weekend, but we’ve been so busy lately."
"Jiaojiao, are we really going to your parents’ place to eat?" Su Shuochi looked at his wife with puppy-dog eyes. ’I’d much rather cook for you,’ he thought.
"It’s already lunchtime. I know you finally have a day off and want to make something delicious for me, but we have plenty of time for that in the future."
Gu Jiaojiao wanted to go home to be with her grandpa and parents, and she also couldn’t bear to see her man work hard cooking a meal.
Her mom was now a full-time homemaker, and she got a great sense of accomplishment when they came home to eat.
Especially when everyone praised her mom’s cooking, you could tell Mrs. Gu was over the moon.
People like to hear nice things, but no one praises another person for no reason.
Someone who speaks kindly to you might be trying to get on your good side, or they might want something from you.
Sometimes they want to put you on the spot, and other times they have ulterior motives.
Gu Jiaojiao had always been rational. When someone praised her, she had to figure out their motive.
She would never just enjoy the pleasant words; otherwise, she could easily be ruined by excessive praise.
For example, in a marriage, a wife constantly praises her husband for being diligent and a good cook.
What’s the result? The husband is always doing housework and cooking, while the wife leisurely watches shows and scrolls through her phone.
Just think, if it’s like this between a husband and wife, what more can you expect from others!
Her dad’s praises had made her mom perfectly willing to cook at home, while her dad just read the newspaper all day...
"Jiaojiao, get in the car! Let’s go home and eat," Second Brother Gu urged her excitedly.
Su Shuochi’s car had just pulled up to the Gu Family’s courtyard gate when Gu Jiaojiao saw Auntie Gu shoving another woman through the car window.
’That Auntie Gu of mine is so unpopular. She can get into a fight with anyone.’
’But if she doesn’t even love herself, how can anyone else help her?’
Respecting others’ destinies was one of Gu Jiaojiao’s life principles.
She didn’t plan on getting involved, but driven by curiosity, she rolled down the window.
She heard Auntie Gu’s loud voice, "Get lost! Stop blabbering at my doorstep."
"I’m just telling the plain truth! Your older sister-in-law looks younger than you. Everyone, come and judge for yourselves if what I’m saying is..."
"Get lost!" The woman was cut off by an exasperated and furious Auntie Gu before she could finish.
In truth, Auntie Gu could also see that her older sister-in-law looked much younger than she did. How could she possibly be expected to accept that!
She had lived a privileged life in the Imperial City, while her sister-in-law had spent years feeding pigs on a farm. And yet, she herself now looked even rougher!
"Even if I get lost, it won’t change the fact that you look much older than your sister-in-law. Why do you have to be so fierce? I just wanted you to help us ask how she takes care of her skin."
Hearing this, Gu Jiaojiao realized the woman was also someone who cared about her appearance.
She happened to be planning to make skincare products, so she poked her head out the car window. "Ma’am, if you want to know, wouldn’t it be better to go inside and ask the person herself?"
"Young lady, you don’t understand. I’m not familiar with the Gu family’s older sister-in-law," the woman said sheepishly.
"Strangers the first time, friends the second. How will you get to know her if you don’t go in?" Gu Jiaojiao coaxed.
"Really? But Second Sister-in-law Gu said her older sister-in-law..."
"Get lost! Stop blabbering at my doorstep." Second Sister-in-law Gu grew even more frantic. She didn’t have the gall to speak ill of the woman in front of her own daughter.
"I’m standing at Grandpa Gu’s gate now. Why don’t you come and bite me?" the woman said, quickly taking a few steps to the Gu Family’s courtyard gate.
Gu Jiaojiao was speechless.
’You can do that?’
But seeing Auntie Gu’s expression, like she was ready to eat someone, Gu Jiaojiao found the woman rather endearing.
If Auntie Gu weren’t so snobbish, perhaps the relationship between the sisters-in-law wouldn’t be so strained.
It wasn’t that Auntie Gu had no way to get on Mrs. Gu’s good side; it was that she couldn’t bring herself to swallow her pride. It had to be said that an Auntie Gu like this was quite pathetic.
But Gu Jiaojiao wouldn’t try to persuade her. What convinces a person is never reason, but a brick wall.
"Young lady, are you Grandpa Gu’s granddaughter? We heard the Gu family’s granddaughter was as beautiful as a celestial fairy. Seeing you today, it’s clear the rumors are true."
"Haha, thank you for the compliment, ma’am. Let my second brother take you inside," Gu Jiaojiao said with a smile.
If a woman possesses only beauty, she might encounter some pleasant little surprises, but she will never reap any great rewards.
But if she has both beauty and talent, then she’s holding a royal flush.
