Chapter 52: Second Part

Chapter 52: Second Part

The Gu family gathered together for breakfast. Gu Cheng's grandfather had risen early, already eating a bowl of porridge before heading out for a stroll with a few elderly men. The rest of the family gathered around the table.

Outside, bird calls could be heard, along with the sound of attendants clearing snow.

In the center of the table were two large plates, filled with steamed corn and steamed buns of coarse grain. There was also rice porridge and noodles, accompanied by several dishes of pickles, fried soybeans, peanuts, pork skin jelly, and a bowl of ginger-garlic dipping sauce.

Qin Yao poured herself a bowl of millet porridge and placed a few pieces of pickles on the side. She blew on it gently before taking a small sip.

Gu Cheng sat next to her, picking up a hot steamed bun of coarse grain. He broke it open and filled it with pickles.

Gu Miaomiao, sitting across from the couple, was still visibly angry, her little eyebrows raised high like two caterpillars, glaring angrily at her little uncle, daring not to voice her anger.

Gu Cheng, feeling cheerful from the previous night's pleasure, could not suppress his smile. He stood up and served Qin Yao a bowl of noodles with sauce, placing it beside her.

Noticing the amusement in his eyes, Qin huffed inwardly and pushed the half bowl of leftover millet porridge toward him.

Gu Cheng naturally took the leftover porridge from his wife and ate it with the bun in his hand.

Liu Shuqin, the grandmother, noticed this but remained silent.

He An, equally cheerful as Gu Cheng, had her daughter Miaomiao sleep in the couple's bedroom with her the previous night. Miaomiao, still resentful, clung to her mother's side, chattering away about playing snowball fights with Aunt Qin and fishing by the sea, and complaining about her little uncle's unfair treatment...

He An listened quietly as her daughter spoke, feeling her attachment and affection. Eventually, her daughter grew sleepy from talking and fell asleep beside her. He An kissed her cheek and fell asleep with a sweet smile.

The guest room hadn't been prepared in vain, as it was used by her husband, Gu Xing, without any waste.

"Miaomiao, eat this," He An said gently, picking a piece of pork skin jelly for her child.

Her husband, Gu Xing, sat next to her, eating his noodles with a frustrated expression.

After sleeping in the guest room all night, he couldn't say he was in a good mood, and now, seeing his wife's bright smile, he felt an even greater sense of frustration.

After so many years of marriage, Gu Xing often found it difficult to understand his wife He An's moods. Sometimes, he could clearly sense changes in her mood, but when he asked her what was wrong, she wouldn't say.

No wonder his comrades always said that women can get angry for no apparent reason.

Qin Yao took a large steamed bun, broke it into two halves, kept one half for herself, and gave the other half to Gu Cheng. She couldn't finish a whole bun by herself.

Gu Cheng accepted the bun from her. The corner of his right eye lifted upward, like a spring breeze brushing over peach blossoms, and the beauty mark under his eye resembled the morning dew on the petals.

Rather showy.

Liu Shuqin picked up her bowl of porridge and looked at Qin Yao. Noticing her mother-in-law's gaze, Qin Yao instinctively touched the scarf around her neck.

Liu Shuqin smiled with her lips pressed together, her mood greatly improved.

Gu Miaomiao took a steamed bun, broke it in half, gave one half to her mother He An, and bit into the other half.

Gu Xing: ‘...’

There was an undercurrent of tension at the breakfast table, and he felt like the only one left out, completely unaware of the situation.

No one even offered him half a bun.

After breakfast, brothers Gu Cheng and Gu Xing had to go out for a bit. Gu Cheng put on his hat, wrapped himself in his coat, and gave his wife Qin Yao a regretful look. He was supposed to go out with her today, but something came up.

Qin Yao waved her hand, thinking that she didn’t want to see him at that moment either.

After the two brothers left, Qin Yao, her sister-in-law He An, and Gu Miaomiao gathered around a low tea table to play a game of Chinese checkers.

Their mother-in-law Liu Shuqin was brewing tea nearby and poured a bowl for each of them. After a while, she left to attend to some errands.

Enjoying the fragrant aroma of the tea, Qin Yao took a deep breath, feeling content as she looked at the checkerboard. Playing Chinese checkers with two other people was much more fun than reading alone.

He An smiled. “I won first.”

Soon after, Qin Yao finished placing all her checkers.

Gu Miaomiao sighed in frustration, “Can’t you let me win just this once?”

He An shook her head and said firmly, “We need to follow the rules. Don’t always try to take shortcuts.”

Qin Yao said, “Let’s give her a two-step head start. Otherwise, Miaomiao won’t enjoy the game as much.”

Gu Miaomiao nodded. “That’s right, that’s right.”

Thus, the three of them played another round, and history repeated itself with the result the same as last time.

Little Gu Miaomiao cupped her face and sighed.

Just then, a woman visited the Gu family, carrying New Year's gifts. She was Zhao Qingya, a friend of Da Ge He An’s.

Zhao Qingya had a very close relationship with her husband, Ren He. She was a teacher on winter break and accompanied him on a business trip. The couple left their child with the grandparents and had a comfortable, enjoyable trip, all while managing some work. They took quite a few photos.

"He's always on business trips, but he never forgets to bring me gifts. When I have time, I join him on these trips. He says it's a sweet torment to have me along. Isn’t that funny? With me along, it becomes a torment."

……

"He An, how many trips have you taken with your husband? Next year is our wedding anniversary, and my husband insists on having a grand celebration. We have three options. The third one sounds the most interesting to me..."

He An said coolly, "I think the third option is good. It sounds fun, but I don’t like traveling far; it’s too tiring."

"You should try it. Going on business trips with your husband can be quite fun. After so many years of marriage, every time I think of the places we’ve been together, I feel a sweetness that’s hard to describe."

"And when we’re old, if our grandchildren ask about these photos, we can tell them every little detail."

"What did your husband bring back from his last business trip?"

……

After chatting for a while and leaving a few photos, Zhao Qingya left with a smile.

He An held the photos of the scenery, her expression showing clear gloom and frustration.

Qin Yao and Gu Miaomiao continued playing checkers nearby.

Gu Miaomiao whispered, "I don’t like Aunt Zhao. Every time she comes, Mom feels upset."

Qin Yao noticed it too.

After sending Gu Miaomiao out to play with the other kids in the courtyard, Qin Yao went upstairs to talk to her sister-in-law, He An. She asked, "Sister, do you really need to keep in touch with this Zhao woman?"

He An was surprised by her question and shook her head.

"Even Miaomiao noticed that you always feel uncomfortable after talking to her. Why keep a friend who makes you feel uncomfortable? It’s better to distance yourself from her sooner."

He An smiled and said, "We've been friends for many years."

He An knew she found it uncomfortable to chat and interact with her. Although Zhao Qingya was beautiful, had made a good marriage, and lived a smooth life, He An felt inferior in comparison.

He An was quite envious of their relationship as a couple. In the past, they didn’t talk about such things, but in the last two years, that had changed. Zhao Qingya always mentioned how she got along with her husband, which filled He An with a deep sense of admiration and envy.

Every time Zhao Qingya brought up Gu Xing, He An felt a sharp pain in her heart, but she thought she was being too sensitive.

She couldn’t bear to cut off her friendship with Zhao Qingya. Deep down, she enjoyed hearing these stories about loving couples.

Qin Yao sighed, "Sister-in-law, you’re really torn."

He An was bewildered. "What do you mean by that?"

Qin Yao leaned in and whispered, "Yesterday, you told my mother-in-law that you were worried I might get lonely studying alone, so you asked Gu Cheng to keep me company. Sister-in-law, …you really wanted Big Brother to spend more time with you, didn’t you?"

"Don't say such things." He An, with a shallow, perfunctory smile on her face—as dignified and aloof as Chen Baozhen—tightened her left fist and then relaxed it. Her right hand casually waved off the comment. "We've been an old married couple for many years now. There’s no point in talking about who keeps company with whom. It’s meaningless."

"It’s newlyweds like you who need to spend more time together."

"Last night, I let him sleep in the guest room while I slept with our daughter. I felt extremely comfortable. After being married for so long, it’s easy for couples to become mutually tired of each other. You don't understand this yet, sister-in-law. When he’s not around, I actually feel more relaxed."

Qin Yao squinted. Her usually quiet sister-in-law had just been chattering away with explanations, as if afraid Qin Yao would misunderstand her feelings toward her husband, Gu Xing.

It felt like self-deception, just like her best friend, Chen Baozhen.

Qin Yao couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh. She imagined how wonderful it would be if Chen Baozhen and her sister-in-law were together. However, her sister-in-law was even more conflicted than Baozhen.

"What are you laughing about?" He An asked seriously. "This is my genuine experience over the years."

Qin Yao smiled. "Sister-in-law, if you want something, you need to say it. How would others know what you want if you don’t say it?"

He An insisted, "I don't have anything special I want. My life is good, and I already have everything I need."

"Is that so?" Qin Yao crossed her arms. "I don't believe it."

This response really riled He An. She grabbed Qin Yao’s arm and detailed how good her life was—her in-laws treated her well, her husband respected her, and her daughter was very obedient in front of her.

"Now you should believe me, I have everything I need."

Qin Yao said resolutely, "I don’t believe you."

Big sister-in-law exclaimed in exasperation, "!"

This younger sister-in-law is so annoying.

Qin Yao whispered to her, "Sister-in-law, don't you want big brother to spend more time with you? Help you cook, mend clothes, go out for fun, and take photos?"

"Cook and mend clothes—that’s ridiculous," He An waved her hand.

Qin Yao smiled, "Ask big brother to make red date cake for you."

He An sneered, "He wouldn’t do it, and even if I made it, he wouldn’t eat it."

"So, sister-in-law, you made it, but he didn’t eat it?"

He An snorted, "All the men in the Gu family act like that. You’ll see, younger sister-in-law."

Qin Yao said, "Even if he doesn’t eat it, you can still ask him to make it for you."

He An asked, "Why would I ask him to make something for me?"

"Just tell him you want to eat it and that you want him to make it. Is there anything wrong with asking your husband to make something for you?"

He An said, "We’re an old married couple now."

"Sister-in-law, don’t think of it that way. Pretend you’re still dating big brother. If he doesn’t make it for you, then don’t marry him."

He An: "Tsk."

"Just give it a shot."