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Although Gu Ningning was still young and didn’t understand some things, it was definitely not wrong for her to bring Sister Niannian back home for her brother.
Gu Ningning smiled happily, and what she said was indeed true.
Su Niannian could only glare at Gu Nan, then got on her bicycle.
She pedaled a few times, overtook Gu Nan, and rode ahead.
Little did she know, behind her, Gu Nan’s smile was so wide it almost reached his ears.
He was enjoying the current life far too much.
If only he could quickly shake off his bad reputation and marry this little miss as soon as possible, that would be even better.
However, after learning about Su Niannian’s background, Gu Nan thought that perhaps, compared to a happy and fulfilling family, reputation really wasn’t that important.
Maybe he should just disregard everything and marry Su Niannian without any hesitation.
Should he just ignore everything and marry Su Niannian right away?
Su Niannian must also be yearning for a family.
Whenever he thought back to that night on the mountain, when Su Niannian shared the sorrow she felt when her mother passed away and her father remarried, Gu Nan couldn’t help but feel a deep urge to marry her.
Su Niannian must also be longing for a family.
Whenever he thought back to that night on the mountain, when Su Niannian had opened up about the sadness she felt after her mother’s death and her father’s remarriage, Gu Nan was moved and began to think about marrying her.
Fortunately, there weren’t many people on the road, as the villagers were still out in the fields earning work points.
When Gu Nan appeared at the doorstep pushing a bicycle, his mother was completely stunned.
Such a rare sight—was there a big sale on bicycles today?
Why had Gu Nan brought one back as well?
Moreover, it was brand new, exactly the same as Su Niannian’s.
“You… where did you get that bicycle from?” Mother Gu was honestly at a loss—it felt like some strange wind had blown through today.
“Bought it in the county,” Gu Nan replied, parking the bicycle before lifting Gu Ningning down from the back seat.
“Yep! Big Brother bought a bicycle too, and it’s exactly the same as Sister Niannian’s!” Gu Ningning beamed with joy.
“Now our family has two bikes all of a sudden!” she added, eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Our family…” Gu Zhi murmured. Though she genuinely hoped Su Niannian would one day become her daughter-in-law—she truly would treat the girl well—she couldn’t help but worry.
Given their current situation, would Su Niannian really be willing to marry into their family?
Although Su Niannian wasn’t yet old enough to officially file a marriage report, that sort of thing didn’t matter much in the countryside. As long as the wedding banquet was held, plenty of couples waited until they reached the legal age before registering the marriage.
Seeing that Su Niannian didn’t object to what Gu Ningning said, a look of quiet relief appeared on Gu Zhi’s face.
“Hurry, I boiled some red date water and added sugar. It’s sweet—have some to quench your thirst,” Gu Zhi said as she poured out three bowls of red date water.
“Where’s Big Brother?” Gu Ningning asked, picking up a bowl, ready to bring it to her eldest brother.
“I already brought a bowl in for Zhendong,” Gu Zhi replied. “You all go ahead and drink.”
Just then, Su Niannian came out of the kitchen with another empty bowl and filled it with the red date water.
“Let’s all drink together.”
Seeing this, Gu Zhi smiled warmly, accepting the bowl Su Niannian handed her, her heart full of contentment.
“Alright, the whole family, let’s drink together.”
Su Niannian handed a bowl to Gu Nan as well.
Out of habit, Gu Nan was about to say he didn’t want any.
But the moment he met Su Niannian’s gaze, he paused, then took the bowl and drank a sip.
“It’s really sweet.”
Gu Ningning giggled and chimed in, “Yeah! It tastes so good!”
In truth, life was just like this—when a family was together, as long as they loved one another, even a bowl of sweet jujube water or plain vegetable soup would taste sweet.
Gu Zhendong sat on the heated brick bed in his room, watching the scene unfold in the courtyard through the window. He lifted his bowl and took a sip of the jujube sugar water.
If only I hadn’t gotten hurt, if only my leg was still good… my wife wouldn’t have left me.
And our child… they’d still be here with me.
If only I’d been just a little more careful back, then… If only my leg had stayed healthy, she wouldn’t have taken the child and walked away.
Gu Zhendong’s expression shifted slightly, his gaze dimmed as he looked up at the wooden beams overhead.
He felt like his whole life was over—completely and utterly finished.
Meanwhile, after finishing the sweet jujube water, Gu Zhi brought out a few small handwoven bamboo baskets and handed them to Su Niannian.
“Take a few of these little baskets with you when you leave tonight. They’re useful for holding small things—very convenient.”
Su Niannian looked at the finely woven baskets and thanked her sincerely.
Gu Ningning picked up one of them and playfully waved it in front of Gu Nan’s face.
“Second Brother, this is from Sister Niannian,” Gu Ningning said sweetly.
Originally, Gu Nan had no real interest in the new towel. But the moment he heard it was from Su Niannian, he immediately grinned and took it with both hands, delighted.
His happiness lasted barely two seconds before Gu Ningning added cheerfully,
“Sister Niannian brought four towels. One for each of us.”
So, the joy of feeling special barely lasted three seconds before it vanished.
It wasn’t a unique gesture of affection.
Still, even if it wasn’t a one-of-a-kind gift, it showed that Su Niannian genuinely cared for his family. That, in itself, made his heart warm.
It didn’t matter that the gift wasn’t just for him alone.
Suddenly struck by a thought, Gu Nan walked over to where Su Niannian was helping Gu Zhi with the bamboo baskets. Without hesitation, he gently took hold of Su Niannian’s wrist.
“I have something to talk to her about,” Gu Nan said plainly, then tugged her along toward his room.
Gu Ningning covered her mouth and giggled, while Gu Zhi’s eyes gleamed with a mix of amusement and relief, as if watching her silly son finally grow up.
Gu Zhi knew her son well—he would never cross any boundaries before marrying Su Niannian—so she had no worries at all.
Sitting back down on her little wooden stool, Gu Mu continued weaving bamboo baskets.
Gu Ningning, meanwhile, took out the sweets Su Niannian had bought and headed into her eldest brother’s room to chat and keep him company, hoping to lift his spirits with a few kind words and sugary treats.
“Oh my, look at you,” Su Niannian said playfully, blinking at Gu Nan as she stepped into his room. “You’ve got guts now, huh? Boldly dragging me into your room like this?”
“Mhm. Got something serious to say.”
Still holding her wrist, Gu Nan gave a gentle tug, pulling Su Niannian closer to him.
Caught off guard, Su Niannian lost her balance—and with a soft yelp, she stumbled forward, landing right in Gu Nan’s arms.
Gu Nan smoothly extended his other hand, wrapping it around Su Niannian’s waist, holding her in place.
“You…” Su Niannian thought to herself that Gu Nan, this man, was being a bit more forward today.
However, she hadn’t forgotten the earlier moment when he’d carried Gu Ningning off the back of his bicycle at the village entrance.
With a frown, Su Niannian raised her hand, intending to push him away.
But Gu Nan’s grip on her hand remained firm, not budging at all.
“Don’t push me away, I want to ask you something,” Gu Nan’s eyes were as deep as ink, filled with seriousness.
The distance between them was so close that Su Niannian could clearly feel Gu Nan’s breath on her skin.
Placing her palm gently against his chest, she could feel the strong, steady beat of his heart.
This made it impossible for Su Niannian to push him away any further.
The man she loved was looking at her with such deep, sincere emotion.
Gu Nan’s voice, deep and magnetic, lingered in Su Niannian’s ears.
“Does what you said to me before still count?”