Zhou Jihuai helped her cross the threshold at the doorway before heading alone to the kitchen.
Seeing him enter, Shu Cheng’an immediately vented with a grim expression: “It wasn’t until six months ago when I transferred out of the military that I heard from my parents that my aunt’s daughter Wen Nuan never visits her grandmother voluntarily.”
“Brother Huai, have you ever seen a granddaughter like her? The two families don’t live far apart. Even if she’s busy with school normally, with all those days during winter and summer breaks, she can’t find even one day to visit?”
“Besides, she’s terrible at studying—perennially ranked last in her class. What could she possibly be busy with? After school, she’d rather wander aimlessly on the streets with classmates than visit her own grandmother!”
“I really don’t know how my aunt and uncle, both being professors, ended up with a daughter like her.”
He had thought that after being transferred to the Special Forces Army, Wen Nuan, as the only remaining junior in the family, would become more sensible and visit the elderly regularly. Unexpectedly, she hadn’t changed at all.
The little familial affection he had left for Wen Nuan rapidly dwindled to single digits after learning this.
Zhou Jihuai wasn’t particularly interested in other families’ affairs. The surname “Wen” lingered in his mind for only a second—just long enough to remind him of that contradictory little girl who also bore the same surname.
The thought flashed through his mind before being dismissed.
“Elderly people value family harmony. You should at least put on a show in front of your grandmother to avoid upsetting her.”
Shu Cheng’an placed the shrimp on the cutting board and picked up a bunch of celery to remove the wilted leaves.
He understood Zhou Jihuai’s point perfectly well, but he was still angry. In fact, he had rushed into the kitchen earlier precisely because he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from cursing the ungrateful wretch again.
“That little girl treats my grandmother like this, yet my grandmother still thinks about her all the time, always telling me to deliver any good things we have to her.”
“It’s so annoying!”
After getting off at the bus terminal, Wen Zhile transferred to another bus route and arrived at a two-story hotel across from Jingzhou University, planning to stay there temporarily.
She remembered this hotel—it used to be a state-owned factory guesthouse before being converted into a hotel that accepted public patrons. The building’s exterior looked neither new nor old, just like all the other structures on this street.
It was mid-June—not during any holiday season, nor was it the beginning or end of the semester at the university across the street, so the hotel wasn’t particularly busy.
The front desk staff watched the entrance listlessly, frowning as a sallow-skinned, thin girl walked in, scrutinizing her from head to toe.
“Hello, I’d like to book a room for one week. Thank you.” Wen Zhile approached the front desk.
Her voice was gentle and soft.
The Wen family had instilled good manners. In her previous life, although the entire family doted on their daughter—to the point where outsiders might have considered her somewhat spoiled—they never relaxed their standards regarding her social etiquette education.
In this life, she had grown up wild for sixteen years in the Dai Family, constantly subjected to physical “education” through beatings and scoldings, which had subtly influenced her behavior and demeanor.
The habit of gripping hard objects to create pain in her palms whenever she felt nervous or emotionally unsettled was a subconscious behavior developed in this lifetime.
But aside from that, thanks to Wen Zhile’s conscious efforts to change herself, the twenty years of education from her previous life ultimately prevailed.
The staff member, who appeared to be in his mid-to-late twenties, glanced behind her—no one else was there.
Unlike a few years ago when guesthouses required introductory letters, nowadays anyone with money could check in.
“Let me see your ID. What’s your name? How old are you?”
Wen Zhile produced her identification card: “Dai Zhi, sixteen.”
Fang Xiuxiu paused her hand while filling out the form, then continued writing.
“Seven days total thirty-five yuan. I’ll take you to your room.” She picked up a key and walked out from behind the service counter.
Wen Zhile was led to room 202 on the second floor. Fang Xiuxiu opened the door and handed her the key: “If you need anything, come downstairs to find me. If I’m not there, look for other staff members.”
She acknowledged, watching as Fang Xiuxiu turned to leave, then prepared to close the door.
Just as the door was about to shut completely, it was suddenly blocked.