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Just now, over by the sorghum field, Su Niannian had taken two bites of the cake.
Now that she had relaxed, she really was a bit hungry.
She took the bowl and started eating.
Gu Zhi liked Su Niannian like this—she didn’t treat herself as an outsider at all.
It gave a sense of closeness.
Gu Zhi liked it this way.
If everything were done with affectation and pretense, speaking in a showy manner, it wouldn’t feel right.
The three of them finished lunch together.
Gu Ningning went to her eldest brother Gu Zhendong’s room to collect the dishes he had used.
But for some reason, today, Gu Zhendong hadn’t touched the food that was sent to him.
“Eldest Brother, what’s wrong? Why haven’t you eaten?”
Gu Ningning felt that her eldest brother didn’t seem quite right today—he looked visibly upset.
So she sat down on the edge of his kang bed.
“I just feel… restless today. Like something is about to happen,” Gu Zhendong said, though he hadn’t intended to speak at first.
But today, he truly felt an overwhelming sense of agitation.
As if something big was about to take place.
It felt like something was stuck in his chest.
Extremely uncomfortable.
There was even a sensation of being unable to catch his breath.
That feeling left him flustered and uneasy.
“But even if you’re feeling unsettled, you still have to eat,” she said.
“Mother says that only when you’re full will you have the strength—and only with strength can you solve problems,” Gu Ningning said to her elder brother with a serious expression.
When she spoke, she looked just like a little grown-up.
Gu Ningning picked out a few pieces of meat, placed them in a bowl, and handed it to Gu Zhendong.
Gu Zhendong hesitated for a moment, but still took the bowl.
Yet, for some reason, he just didn’t feel like eating.
Seeing this, Gu Ningning didn’t know what else to do.
So she went out to call her mother to come take a look.
In the kitchen outside, Su Niannian was wiping the table while Gu Zhi was washing the dishes.
“How have you been feeling lately, Auntie?” Su Niannian asked with a smile.
In truth, Su Niannian knew perfectly well how Gu Zhi”s health was.
She really was getting better with each passing day.
“Mm, I feel much better now. I’m not coughing anymore, no more phlegm either, and even the tightness in my chest is completely gone.”
“Gotta hand it to you, Niannian—your medical skills are truly something!” Gu Zhi said, giving Su Niannian a big thumbs-up as she spoke.
Su Niannian simply smiled. It was true—Gu Zhi’s condition had significantly improved.
Still, just to be safe, it would be best to go to a major hospital in the city for a full checkup after some time.
As for the spiritual spring water, Su Niannian would add a little to the kitchen’s water jar every time she visited.
She couldn’t add too much at once—otherwise, the effects would be too intense.
Su Niannian could see that Gu Ningning’s condition had already improved greatly.
As long as she ate more nutritious food on a regular basis, her height and weight would gradually catch up.
Now, looking at Gu Ningning’s complexion and energy, everything had clearly improved.
There was no longer any need to prepare special food just for her.
It was at this moment that Gu Ningning came running out from Gu Zhendong’s room.
“Mother, Big Brother can’t eat. He didn’t touch a single bite of the lunch we brought in,” Gu Ningning said as she trotted up to her mother.
Just then, a woman walked into the Gu family’s courtyard.
Gu Ningning had just finished speaking when she caught sight of the visitor and froze for a moment.
After a brief hesitation, she still opened her mouth and called out, “Sister-in-law.”
Gu Zhi and Su Niannian also turned to look toward the entrance.
There, standing at the gate, was a woman around thirty years old. She was still quite decent-looking, though perhaps due to years of working in the fields, her skin had become a bit darkened.
She wore a faded red floral blouse with gray trousers.
Her outfit looked noticeably different from what the village women usually wore—more like someone from the county town.
“Hm.” The woman responded to Gu Ningning perfunctorily, clearly not in the mood for conversation.
“What are you doing here?” Gu Zhi frowned upon seeing her, her tone no longer as warm and gentle as usual.
“Heh, I’m here to handle the paperwork with Gu Zhendong.” The woman spoke with an air of arrogance.
Gu Ningning suddenly seemed to understand why her big brother had felt uneasy, unable to eat.
So that’s what it was.
He had sensed it coming.
His sister-in-law was clearly here to finalize the divorce.
From just those couple of brief exchanges, Su Niannian also understood—this was Gu Nan’s sister-in-law.
The very woman who had left Gu Zhendong after learning he was paralyzed from the waist down.
“What about Yangyang then?” Gu Zhi asked with a furrowed brow.
“Of course he’s coming with me. What, do you expect him to stay here with your Gu family and starve to death?” the sister-in-law snapped impatiently, her tone full of disdain—
As if to say, How dare you even ask me that, old woman?
“Yangyang is our Gu family’s grandson. How could he possibly go with you, an outsider?” Gu Zhi’s tone became stern, no longer hiding her displeasure.
This eldest daughter-in-law was truly the type to abandon everything when disaster struck. After all the years they spent together, how had they not noticed this?
She couldn’t help but feel regret—perhaps it was her own aging eyes that had failed her.
“Ha, do you really want to hear what you’re saying?” The sister-in-law’s mocking laughter filled the air, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Gu Zhendong is now a cripple, and you’re sick with a lung condition. Your second son barely speaks and no one even pays attention to him. Your little daughter is also frail by nature. How will Yangyang survive in your family, let alone get a proper meal?”
Gu’s eldest daughter-in-law sneered as she spoke, her words dripping with sarcasm.
“Be honest and just get the divorce. Yangyang will have a better life with me.”
Her eyes shifted from Gu Zhi to the side, where she noticed a girl standing at the kitchen door.
The girl appeared to be about eighteen or nineteen, with a decent appearance.
Gu’s eldest daughter-in-law racked her brain, but couldn’t recall any of the Gu family relatives who looked like her.
“Who’s this girl?” she asked, pointing at Su Niannian.
“What’s that got to do with you?” Gu Zhi, irritated by her eldest daughter-in-law’s words, didn’t want to waste any more time arguing with her.
“Wait here, don’t go into the house,” she added, wiping her hands dry. Without another word, she headed toward Gu Zhendong’s room.
She needed to go in and talk to her son about the fact that his wife had come back to divorce him.
Although they had all known for a while that the day of divorce would eventually come, seeing it happen in reality still felt… unsettling.
Sometimes, when things haven’t happened yet, there’s always a small hope lingering—what if she changes her mind and comes back, decides to live with my son again?
“Zhendong.” Gu Zhi entered her son’s room, only to find him staring blankly out of the window.
From this angle, Gu Zhendong could see everything that had just happened outside in the yard.
“Mother,” Gu Zhendong continued to stare out the window, but he called out to Gu Zhi.
“Mother knows you’re feeling upset, but Fengxia has come back. She said she wants to go with you to get the divorce certificate. What do you think about this…?”
Gu Zhi spoke carefully, her gaze fixed on her eldest son, worried he might not take the news well.