“What are you doing here?” 

Perhaps because she was so worried, Xu Xiaoyun directly said her thoughts. 

Zhang Xiaoli couldn’t help but frown when she saw her attitude. Could it be that these two families are about to become in-laws? Otherwise, why would Xu Xiaoyun speak like this? 

But thinking that they were the ones who rejected the proposal, she felt she had no position to say anything about it Thinking of this, her tone became gentler. “We are here to visit Aunt Zhao. She didn’t fall seriously, right?” 

Xu Xiaoyun regretted it as soon as she said those words. She couldn’t help but glance at the Gu family next to her and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that they didn’t look disgusted. 

It would be bad if she annoyed them. Of course, the most important thing was Zhao Xiuli’s attitude. 

Although the Gu family were surprised by Xu Xiaoyun’s reaction, they thought Xu Xiaoyun’s reaction was understandable when they thought of Tang Momo’s rejection. 

Zhao Xiuli, who was on the hospital bed, was now awake. Xu Xiaoyun’s words just now made her frown, but she didn’t say anything. She just said warmly to Zhang Xiaoli next to her, “It’s not very serious. I guess my leg is broken.” 

Zhao Xiuli’s tone was quite calm. At the moment she fell, she thought she would not survive. The biggest regret in her heart was that she did not see Chengze get married and have children. Fortunately, it was okay now. She still had the chance to wait for Chengze to get married and have children. She hoped he would figure out this matter soon. 

“It’s good that it’s not serious. We heard the news when we returned to Qingshui Brigade early this morning. Aunt Zhao, you should take good care of yourself. We’ll come to visit you again in a few days.” 

While Zhang Xiaoli was speaking, she couldn’t help but glance at Xu Xiaoyun next to her. 

“I’m fine. You don’t need to delay your work for me. I’ll probably be going home to rest soon anyway.”  

Everything in the hospital costs money, so it’s better for her to go home as soon as possible. 

“Then take a good rest, Grandma Zhao, and we will go back first.” 

Tang Momo put the malted milk they just bought from the supply and marketing cooperative next to her bed. 

“Thank you for coming all this way.” 

Zhao Xiuli looked at Tang Momo with a kind expression. 

Xu Xiaoyun noticed this look and couldn’t help but clench her fists. She was the one who saved her life, yet she treated Tang Momo much better. 

When Tang Momo was about to leave, she looked specifically at Xu Xiaoyun and saw her eyes was full of resentment and anger. Tang Momo felt a bit confused. Had she made a mistake? 

After Tang Momo and her mother left, the Gu family finally had the time to ask Zhao Xiuli what had happened. 

Zhao Xiuli leaned back on the pillow behind her and said in a tired tone, “You can’t resist age. I slipped on some moss and fell. Luckily, this girl was with me today; otherwise, by the time you found me, I would have probably been eaten by wild animals.” 

Although Zhao Xiuli’s tone was calm, she felt very frightened inside. If she had fallen just a little bit, she probably wouldn’t have been able to wake up. 

Gu Dahai looked at Zhao Xiuli with disapproval. “Mother, what are you talking about? You shouldn’t go up the mountain anymore. If you really want to go, let Hairong accompany you.” 

“Dahai is right. Mother, if you want to go in the future, just ask me or Xiao Hui to accompany you.” 

Zhou Hairong was also somewhat frightened, worried that Gu Chengze would blame them for not taking good care of Zhao Xiuli.  

“Exactly. Luckily, Xiaoyun was with you today; otherwise, what would we have done?”  

Xu Xiaohui originally wanted to asked how they should explain to Gu Chengze, but then he realized that this was not the right time and quickly changed his mind. 

Zhao Xiuli thought about the regret she felt just before she lost consciousness and gently nodded. “Yes, I won’t go anymore.” 

She still wanted to see Chengze get married and have children with her own eyes. 

“Should we tell Chengze about what happened today?” Gu Dahai cautiously glanced at the person on the hospital bed. 

“Why tell him? I’m fine. He’s so busy every day. How can we let him be distracted?” 

Zhao Xiuli rejected it without a second thought. 

“Okay, okay, you don’t need to be upset. We won’t tell him then. You should lie down and rest. I’ll go see what the doctor says.” 

Gu Dahai thought if she could still yell at them angrily, then everything should be fine. 

When everyone in the Gu family calmed down, Xu Xiaoyun had a chance to speak. Her eyes were a little red, and her tone was full of self-blame. “Grandma Zhao, fortunately, you are okay; otherwise, I don’t know what to do. If I had reacted faster at that moment; I could have pulled you back and prevented you from falling.” ” 

“Good child, how can I blame you? It’s not your fault.” 

Zhao Xiuli reached out and patted the back of Xu Xiaoyun’s hand. 

Zhao Xiuli could probably guess Xu Xiaoyun’s motive for approaching her, but it was a pity now that she couldn’t make the decision for Chengze. It seemed that she was destined to be disappointed. 

“I’m just relieved there’s nothing wrong with you; otherwise, Brother Gu would definitely blame me when he finds out.” 

Since Zhao Xiuli didn’t mention Gu Chengze, Xu Xiaoyun had to bring him up herself.  

“How could that happen? Don’t think too much. I’ll be fine now. There are people taking care of me here, so I won’t delay your work.” 

After Zhao Xiuli finished speaking, she patted the back of Xu Xiaoyun’s hand again with a gentle tone. 

Xu Xiaoyun didn’t expect that she would drive her away directly. She still wanted to stay and take care of her. But with Zhao Xiuli saying this, it would be inappropriate for her to stay. 

Xu Xiaoyun comforted herself; reminding herself not to rush; there would be plenty of time in the future. 

Thinking like this, she responded obediently and then said warmly. “Then Grandma Zhao, take a good rest; I’ll go back first.” 

Originally, the Gu family planned to listen to Zhao Xiuli and not tell Gu Chengze about this matter. However, when they went to the hospital and saw the medical expenses, the two sisters-in-law exchanged glances and understood each other’s thoughts: they had to inform Gu Chengze, or they would be left wondering who would take care of the medical costs. 

Just one day after Gu Chengze sent his letter, he received a telegram from home. After reading the content clearly, he couldn’t help but frown. The first thought that flashed through his mind was the same as Tang Momo. Could Xu Xiaoyun have done this? 

Because there were only a few words in the telegram, he decided to call back and ask about it. 

Even though Gu Dahai mentioned in the call that this matter had nothing to do with Xu Xiaoyun and that she even contributed positively, Gu Chengze couldn’t bring himself to trust Xu Xiaoyun, especially after that previous letter. 

Since he was away, he could only advise them to keep their distance from Xu Xiaoyun and avoid any interaction with her.  

Although Gu Dahai didn’t know what Gu Chengze meant by saying those words, he still nodded in agreement. “Yes, okay, I understand.” 

When Gu Dahai returned to share what Gu Chengze had said, everyone looked confused, including Zhao Xiuli. 

“Is he worried that Grandma might think that the girl from the Xu family is decent and then push him to marry her? After all, he seems to still have feelings for that girl from the Tang family,” Zhou Hairong speculated quietly.  

“That shouldn’t be it. If Chengze doesn’t want something, who can force him? Anyway, let’s just listen to him and keep our distance from that girl from the Xu family in the future.”  

In fact, Zhao Xiuli had doubts before. She went up the mountain every day, so why did something happen to her on the day she was with Xu Xiaoyun? 

At that time, the thought crossed Zhao Xiuli’s mind, but she soon dismissed it, wondering if she was becoming too suspicious. Looking back now, perhaps her intuition was right.  

After Zhang Xiaoli and Tang Momo left the hospital, she said warmly, “It looks like a good thing between the two families is coming soon. I don’t think we should go anymore; it might be a bit embarrassing, after all. What do you think?” 

Tang Momo didn’t tell Zhang Xiaoli that Gu Chengze wrote to her, so when she heard this, she could only nod her head. 

Now that it was confirmed that Zhao Xiuli was fine, she really didn’t need to go. 

Seeing her nodding, Zhang Xiaoli couldn’t help but sigh. To be honest, she felt it was a pity that Momo rejected Gu Chengze. 

After the two returned home, Tang Jianan spoke first. “Is Big Brother Chengze’s grandma okay?” 

The twins also looked at the two of them nervously. Last time, when Gu Chengze helped them move, they had a very good impression of him. So now, they also cared about Zhao Xiuli’s health. 

“It’s nothing serious. Don’t worry. You must be tired after a long day; go to bed early.” 

After making the trip back and forth, everyone was quite tired. 

Tang Momo returned to the room. At this time, she was not sleepy at all. She was hesitating whether to tell Gu Chengze about this matter. Her intuition told her it had something to do with Xu Xiaoyun. 

Unfortunately, if she decided to inform Gu Chengze, how should she bring it up? Tang Momo felt a bit of a headache. 

Because of worrying about this issue, she didn’t sleep well all night. As soon as she got up, Zhang Xiaoli noticed the obvious dark circles under her eyes and couldn’t help but be a little surprised. “Did you sleep well last night?”  

Tang Momo yawned, “I didn’t sleep that much.” 

“Is there something wrong?” 

After walking so much yesterday, shouldn’t she have fallen asleep right away? 

“With the promotional materials needed in the factory; I don’t know where to start,” Tang Momo casually made an excuse. 

Hearing that it was about work, Zhang Xiaoli realized that she couldn’t help much, so she could only say gently, “Don’t push yourself so hard. If you don’t understand something, ask other people.” 

“Yes, Mother, you don’t need to worry about me.”  

Tang Momo flashed a smile at Zhang Xiaoli. 

When she returned to the factory, Tang Momo realized that everyone was unusually excited today. She was a little confused until she overheard someone nearby say that the union had organized an event for the employees with a neighboring factory. 

Tang Momo quickly understood that this was probably similar to what later generations would call a social event. No wonder everyone was so excited. 

Back in the office, everyone was indeed discussing the event. When they saw her coming, they smiled and said, “Xiao Tang, you can take advantage of the event to find a partner.” 

Tang Momo smiled and then said softly, “I’m still young, so I’m not in a hurry about this matter.” 

“What do you mean not in a hurry? You’re young now and have options. In a couple of years, it’ll be others choosing you,” one person said with an experienced tone.  

Tang Momo knew they meant well, and she smiled without arguing further.  

Fortunately, this topic was quickly shifted to other things, which made Tang Momo breathe a sigh of relief. 

During lunch with Wang Qian and the others, when the event came up, they were equally excited. “I heard last year’s event led to a lot of good things; this year, we can join in on the fun too.” 

Whether or not they found a partner didn’t matter; the key was to join the fun.  

Seeing that Tang Momo didn’t speak, Wang Qian was a little curious. “Momo, aren’t you looking forward to it at all?” 

“It’s okay; there are too many people. I actually don’t want to join the crowd.”  

Tang Momo thought it would be better to stay home and sleep in.  

“Don’t say that; we’re not looking for partners; we’re just having fun. I have a headache every day at work, and it’s hard to relax. Don’t say no to going; I heard there will be a dance, too.” 

Hu Jie joined in to persuade her; it was hard to have a relaxing day, so how could she be absent? 

“Let’s see when the time comes.” 

Tang Momo replied absentmindedly. 

She wanted to remind Gu Chengze, but she didn’t know where to start. What if the Gu family regarded Xu Xiaoyun as their savior? If she spoke out of turn, people would think she was sowing discord. 

Just when Tang Momo was feeling troubled, she unexpectedly received another letter from Gu Chengze. It was then that she remembered she hadn’t replied to the letter he sent last time. 

Holding the envelope, Tang Momo lowered her head and looked at the familiar handwriting on it. Gu Chengze had beautiful handwriting. She reached out to touch the writing on the envelope before slowly opening it. 

Initially, she thought this letter would mention their last topic, but thankfully, this time it didn’t. Instead, it mainly warned her to be cautious of Xu Xiaoyun, saying that Xu Xiaoyun had sent him a strange letter, talking about what would happen in the future and her request to marry him. He felt that Xu Xiaoyun wasn’t acting like herself anymore and warned her to be careful. She even started calling Xu Xiaoyun a lunatic. 

Tang Momo stared at the content of the letter, with only one thought in her mind. Has Xu Xiaoyun gone mad? What kind of things is she saying? Isn’t she afraid of being taken away for experimentation? 

***

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