Chapter 35: Recognition of Kin?

The atmosphere at the banquet was exceptionally lively.

Ji Wenzhong and the matriarch of the Ji family were continuously addressing each other as “sister” and “sweetheart.”

Su Nianmei felt somewhat out of place, caught in between them.

Gu Xiaobao, however, adapted quickly to his role, calling out “uncle” and “grandma” enthusiastically.

It was unclear who had taught Gu Xiaobao. Still, during a particularly joyful moment while eating, he insisted on standing up to toast his “grandma” and “uncle.”

The matriarch, with a chicken drumstick still in her left hand that she was feeding to Gu Xiaobao, had yet to set it down when her beloved grandson wobbled the cup of wine he was offering. She hurriedly lowered her head to take a small sip.

Was this wine?

This was not wine! This was the exquisite nectar offered by her beloved grandson!

Her hands shook even more, and her free right hand trembled as it pressed against the arm of the person next to her, trying to steady herself.

She had to maintain a good image in front of her grandson.

Ji Yun, with several grease stains on her clothes for no apparent reason, had a gloomy look in her eyes, though her face retained a smile.

She glared at Su Nianmei, feeling an unexpressed resentment bubbling within her.

If only she had been the one to follow Gu Xichao back then, Gu Xiaobao would be hers now, and today’s grand and glorious occasion would be hers as well.

Her gaze fell, her fingertips turning pale from how tightly she was pinching them.

When she raised her gaze again, her jealousy transformed into hatred, only growing stronger.

The child was endearing, and the banquet was bustling with energy.

Su Nianmei’s eyes flickered, and she caught sight of Huo Chengchuan raising his cup toward her, revealing a row of white teeth as he smiled.

Huo Chengchuan felt from the first moment he met Su Nianmei that his little sister-in-law was no ordinary person. Her demeanor was calm and unassuming, but he hadn’t expected her to be so fierce today; her character seemed to be stubborn. Whoever provoked her would be sure to get bitten.

Su Nianmei smiled back at Huo Chengchuan.

Her smile was pure—without a hint of hidden motives.

Being treated like one of their own made Huo Chengchuan’s heart flutter, and he suddenly felt a bit envious of Gu Xichao.

The matriarch of the Ji family was feeling sleepy in the afternoon and, unable to wait for the banquet to conclude, announced that she needed to go back and rest.

Before leaving, she repeatedly urged Su Nianmei and Gu Xiaobao to come back and visit often.

Finally, once the banquet came to an end, Ji Wenzhong kept Su Nianmei and Gu Xiaobao back.

Ji Yun waited eagerly for the show to unfold.

Earlier, she had observed her little uncle closely at the banquet.

Aside from the initial moment he saw Su Nianmei, where his expression had shown joy, he maintained a rather bland demeanor throughout the rest of the event, appearing lively but with an underlying detachment.

Obviously, he was only pretending to like Su Nianmei to please the matriarch.

She was determined to see Su Nianmei face some humiliation today!

Ji Wenzhong stood in his study, feeling nervous and excited.

He felt even more excited than he had when he had completed his first business deal.

However, the more excited Ji Wenzhong became, the more rigid his expression became.

The door to the study was not closed tightly, leaving a small gap.

Ji Yun leaned against the door, watching the stiff expression on Ji Wenzhong’s face, her heart bursting with delight.

She thought to herself that her little uncle was definitely not a fool; he was quite clear about right and wrong, as well as relationships of affection and distance.

Su Nianmei stood in the middle of the room.

Ji Yun could only hear muffled sounds from her distance, something about “daughter” and “Ji family”…

Ji Yun shook her head, trying to cast aside the thoughts swirling in her mind.

The more she looked, the more she noticed how dark and gloomy her little uncle’s face had become. His expression was nearly as black as a frying pan.

All Ji Yun could see was Su Nianmei’s back as she took a few steps back, looking tense and constrained.

Ji Wenzhong stepped forward again, handing something to Su Nianmei.

In her mind, Ji Yun imagined a grand scene where her little uncle was sending Su Nianmei away from the Ji family.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, and when Ji Yun turned to look, she saw Gu Xiaobao approaching.

Ji Yun immediately stood up and pretended as if nothing was happening as she left.

After a while, Ji Wenzhong walked to the door to see off the mother and son.

Gu Xiaobao obediently waved at Ji Wenzhong, saying, “Goodbye, Uncle!”

Ji Wenzhong’s face was serious as he waved back.

He then turned and went home.

When he glanced back, he noticed his little niece Ji Yun and greeted her.

Suddenly, taken by surprise, Ji Yun felt an overwhelming sense of pride.

Look at that! Su Nianmei had managed to make her little uncle so angry!

Just moments earlier, when he had sent them off, she had stolen a glance at his face, which was stiff as a board!

—o—o—o—

Gu Xichao was in the prime of his youth.

When the little girl slowly traced the outline of his brows and eyes with her hands, murmuring, “I missed you.”

Gu Xichao felt a rush of flusters, blood surging to his face. He cast a glance at her but couldn’t bear to look directly into her sparkling eyes, saying, “You… how have you been lately?”

Su Nianmei smiled and replied, “How have I been? Studying, of course!”

Gu Xichao remained silent.

Su Nianmei continued, “I’m quite clever. I scored… this week I got second place in the exam.” She felt a bit shy about admitting her second place and brushed it off by saying: “Anyway, I did pretty well.”

Then, she looked at him, blinking her eyes.

Gu Xichao lowered his head and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Su Nianmei blinked again, hinting, “I did pretty well.”

Gu Xichao replied, “Mm.”

Su Nianmei tugged at his collar, messing it up before smoothing it out again, saying sweetly, “I did well; you should praise me.”

Gu Xichao looked down into her eyes, which were shaped like peach blossoms—bright and expressive.

He kissed her eyes and complimented her, “Good girl, you’re amazing!”

The little girl wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs clinging to his waist, trembling slightly.

Gu Xichao frowned.

Su Nianmei twisted her body a bit.

With a hoarse voice and a hint of desire in his eyes, Gu Xichao said, “Be good, don’t move.”

Su Nianmei sensed something and froze completely in his embrace—her cheeks turning red.

Gu Xichao excused himself to go to the restroom.

When Gu Xichao returned, he found Su Nianmei lying on the bed, her head tucked into the pillow, shaking slightly.

He thought he had inadvertently upset the little girl, so he sat down beside her and tugged at her hand.

As he got closer, he realized she was trying to stifle her laughter.

Su Nianmei suddenly flipped over and grabbed Gu Xichao’s hand, bringing it to her nose to sniff.

There was no unpleasant smell.

Gu Xichao raised an eyebrow and asked: “What are you laughing about?”

Su Nianmei just smiled—she was laughing at his flustered state, and it was all because of her.

But feeling shy, she kept her thoughts to herself, instead tracing the lines of his hand with her fingers.

His palm was broad and slightly rough, warm against her skin, giving her a sense of security.

After a moment, Su Nianmei said, “Let me tell you something funny.”

Gu Xichao gently tucked her hair, which had fallen across her forehead, behind her ear and replied, “Mm.”

Su Nianmei pouted and said: “You’re so serious that I can’t help but think what I’m about to say is not funny.”

Before Gu Xichao could respond, she continued, “The Ji family matriarch thinks I resemble her daughter a lot and wants to recognize me as her goddaughter. And Ji Wenzhong, the Ji family’s little uncle, also finds it amusing and wants me to be his sister.”

Gu Xichao embraced her and asked, “So, did you agree?”

Su Nianmei wrapped her arms around his waist and said, “I’m not stupid. If I agreed, wouldn’t Ji Yuan become my little nephew?”

The little girl still wanted to wrap her legs around him, but Gu Xichao gently pushed her legs down, guiding them back to their original position.

Su Nianmei released her hold, lying back on the bed with her hand resting on Gu Xichao’s arm. “But this works too. If Ji Yun ever annoys me, I’ll just go to Grandma Ji and then…”

Gu Xichao pinched the tip of her nose and said, “Then you’ll go and be her little aunt and take it out on her.”

Su Nianmei nodded eagerly. “Of course! I’ll make her point me where to strike! And she won’t be allowed to resist at all.”

Gu Xichao smiled as he looked at Su Nianmei. Her eyes sparkled with life, the dark pupils seeming to be covered by a layer of mist, making it easy to get lost in their depths.

He felt a surge of frustration, wanting something he couldn’t quite grasp.

He embraced her, then turned off the light and went to sleep.

—o—o—o—

Su Nianmei’s days were exciting, balancing school with picking up and dropping off Gu Xiaobao.

Gao Qiusheng always finds her daily, making her… recite lessons.

The school had nearly turned into a disaster zone for her. The school had given her special privileges; her classes weren’t held in a regular classroom but in the teacher’s office, where teachers took turns giving her extra lessons from morning until night.

Her small white bag was stuffed with a dozen worksheets every day.

The completed and unfinished ones were neatly stacked, waiting for her to attend to them.

At the end of the month, Su Nianmei received a call from her hometown: the original owner’s grandmother had passed away.

The grandmother held a certain weight in the original owner’s heart; she was the only person in the entire Su family who had treated Su Nianmei well.

The Su family’s relationships were simple and complex across three generations.

The Su family’s bias was a hereditary trait. Among the siblings of Su Nianmei’s father, he was the youngest, with an older brother and sister. Su Nianmei’s grandmother favoured her youngest son, holding the family’s financial power tightly.

Even after her husband passed away, she refused to divide the family assets, spending all the money on her youngest son’s household.

This favoritism also extended to Su Nianmei, earning her a bit more kindness from her grandmother.

Su Nianmei was the eldest child in her family, with a younger brother and sister. Both Father Su and Mother Su were biased, treating their eldest daughter like a blood bag and constantly draining her resources.

Su Nianmei was expected to handle household chores from the time she could walk. When it came time for school, Father Su and Mother Su concocted various excuses to keep her from attending while sending her younger siblings to school instead.

Now, her older brother was in high school. When the eldest daughter reached a marriageable age, the Su family, eager to rid themselves of the burden, casually married her off to a man from the Gu family without bothering to inquire about his background, shoving her off without a second thought.

Now that it was time for a funeral, they were urgently calling her to come home, which struck her as quite ironic.

The Su family treated her like grass, while the Ji family regarded her as a treasure.

Ha!

With the Su family pressing her urgently, Su Nianmei had no choice but to take four days off and return to her hometown with Gu Xiaobao.

Even before leaving, she already felt a shiver run down her spine as if preparing for a storm of blood and rain.