Chapter 54 – Sibling Affection

But thinking about it again, he figured it wasn’t worth it. His teacher’s ruler was so thick—it hurt like crazy when it hit your palm. His sister’s palms were so soft and tender, how could she take that kind of punishment? Gu Qingbai couldn’t help but sigh.

“Zhu Zhu’er, brother is teaching you how to read and write. Didn’t you say you loved writing the most? You mustn’t let your mind wander!”

Gu Yuzhu: “…” Fine. She was currently illiterate. And if you’re illiterate, you had to study hard.

Seeing that she was behaving now, Gu Qingbai was immediately satisfied.

Yan Fengru had been terribly busy these past few days with the house construction, but as a careful mother, no matter how busy she got, she never forgot about her two precious children. Yan Fengjiao had originally suggested that since her sister was so busy, her nephew should stay away to avoid being a burden. But Yan Fengru figured that since the two children were fraternal twins and had been together even before birth, they shouldn’t be separated unless absolutely necessary.

In truth, Yan Fengru had her own reasons for this decision. Children raised together from a young age would grow up to be closer.

Yan Fengru herself had three younger brothers and a younger sister. Though it had been tough, she had sold herself into servitude to raise them. But now that they were grown, they were a tight-knit support system for one another. To be honest, back when their parents passed away, she was already a young woman. If she’d wanted to, she could have married—her situation wasn’t so bad that she couldn’t have. Once married, she wouldn’t have needed to bother with her siblings and could’ve left them to fend for themselves. But Yan Fengru didn’t do that.

Because they were her family—her flesh and blood.

They were the most important people in the world to her besides her parents.

And now, it had been proven that all her sacrifices had been worth it. Relationships between people were built on mutual affection.

To put it bluntly, if she hadn’t sacrificed so much all those years, her bond with her siblings—and their bond with her—probably wouldn’t be as close as it was now.

Her own children didn’t have to endure the suffering she and her siblings did. But if they didn’t grow up together, how much real sibling affection would remain in the future?

That was something Yan Fengru, who deeply valued family ties, did not want to see happen.

So unless it was absolutely necessary, she preferred for the two children to stay together. Even if they bickered like two little imps, it was far better than being separated. Many people had come to help with the house construction, and there were countless tasks to manage.

Normally, one would either pay extra for labor or provide two good meals. Yan Fengru wasn’t short on money, but her son was studying now, and expenses were rising. So rather than increase costs further, she decided to cook more delicious food to reward the relatives and neighbors who came to help.

With two pregnant women in the house, all the cooking duties still fell on Yan Fengru herself. Fortunately, Yan Xinghe and the Ying brothers had brought plenty of game from the mountains. Yan Fengru had already prepared mushroom-stewed chicken, braised wild boar, braised pig offal, preserved vegetables with pork belly, spicy stir-fried rabbit…

As soon as she was done in the kitchen, she rushed to prepare a special meal for the two children.

Just as she reached the doorway, she saw Gu Dapeng standing to one side, a large figure blocking the path, staring at her silently. In the past, seeing him like that would’ve made Yan Fengru furious.

A big man like that, yet completely useless. But after some time apart and now separated households, Yan Fengru suddenly found herself less angry. This was just who Gu Dapeng was.

In the past, when there were no children, she could tolerate him and thought he was decent enough. But now that they had kids, their actions and values no longer aligned. With that thought, she felt a sudden sense of clarity—even Gu Dapeng seemed a little more bearable now.

Still, while her anger had faded, some resentment remained. She had planned to walk past him without a word, but he reached out and grabbed her.

“Feng’er…”

“You—what’s with all the grabbing? Can’t you see I’m holding something? This is food for Zhu Zhu’er and Bai er. Be careful not to spill it!”

Rebuked, Gu Dapeng instinctively let go, looking a bit embarrassed—but his eyes brightened. After not seeing each other for some time, Yan Fengru noticed that Gu Dapeng looked visibly older. He was nearly forty now and clearly no longer had the energy he once did.

Adding to that was the stress of his lovely wife and young children leaving him, plus the never-ending troubles from his eldest daughter. The frustration and longing had visibly aged him.

On the other hand, Yan Fengru’s life was smooth now. She could live as she pleased, no longer having to deal with those infuriating stepchildren, nor her overly honest yet selfish husband. With a supportive family and siblings, she appeared even younger.

What’s more, they were soon to have their own home. No more relying on her maiden family. Her son was now in school, and the future looked bright…

Yan Fengru felt more content than she had in decades.

To Gu Dapeng, it felt like the gap between him and his once-loving wife had only widened. The change left him, a simple man, floundering.

It was like two people had started on the same starting line—yet after some time apart, you realized you had fallen behind in misery, while the other person had risen to a completely different level.

It was a bitter pill to swallow.

“How… how are the kids doing?”

Yan Fengru found the question odd. Though she was in a good mood, seeing Gu Dapeng like that made her hold her tongue.

“They’re inside. Bai er learned a lot this time and is teaching his sister.”

At that, Gu Dapeng’s face visibly relaxed. But then Yan Fengru continued, “Do you want to see them?”

His eyes lit up immediately. At that moment, Yan Fengru’s feelings grew a little complicated.

But thinking too much was pointless. She couldn’t be bothered to imagine all the what-ifs. Her relationship with Gu Dapeng hadn’t been based on mutual affection—at least not on her part. After gaining more insight while living in the city, to be honest, if not for her age and society’s expectations for women…

She never would have married someone like Gu Dapeng.

No good looks, average abilities, and baggage from a son and daughter. But Yan Fengru wasn’t about to completely deny her past. In a calm voice, she said, “Go ahead, they’re inside. Go see them.”

After all, he was their biological father. And for giving her those two treasures, she did feel a bit of gratitude. Besides, it wasn’t as if she held no grudge toward his elder children, or no emotion toward Gu Dapeng at all. She wanted him to see.

That without him, she and her children were doing better than ever. Meanwhile, Gu Dapeng, without her and the kids, had only that pair of stepchildren left—who weren’t even loyal to him. His future was obvious.

Let him stew in regret. Just thinking about it made Yan Fengru feel very satisfied.

Gu Dapeng, visibly flustered, said, “L-Let me help you carry that.”

With that, he used his height advantage—and Yan Fengru intentionally made no move to stop him—and took the tray from her hands.

Gu Yuzhu was busy copying characters she already knew by heart. She had to pretend she was still a beginner and not overly talented, which was mentally exhausting.

At that moment, she heard the door open—and her entire body perked up instinctively!