“Gu Haoran, Gu Jingze, you’re already ten years old. I don’t want to repeat myself. I’ve already taught you everything you should know. I’ll say this one last time—if you can accept Uncle Xiao and Little Bean Sprout, then we’re still a family. If not, then go back to your Gu family. I don’t owe you anything. And let me make this clear today—if you’re leaving, leave now. Once you step out of this house, whether you get lost or kidnapped outside, I will never go looking for you again.”
Xu Huaying turned her back, wiping away her tears, her eyes filled with disappointment.
“Mom, I’m not leaving. I don’t want to leave you.”
Gu Qingling clung to Xu Huaying’s leg, crying uncontrollably.
Gu Dahu and Gu Erhu stepped forward, bent their knees, and knelt in front of her.
“Sorry, Mom! We won’t leave. We accept Uncle Xiao and Little Bean Sprout!”
The two exchanged a glance and made a solemn promise.
A wise man doesn’t suffer immediate losses—while their mother was still angry, they would compromise for now.
Xu Huaying helped them up and nodded. “Good. I believe you’ll keep your word. If you cause any more trouble in the future, I won’t give you another chance—I’ll throw you out of the house.”
Gu Dahu snorted inwardly. Accepting didn’t mean approving. Sooner or later, they would expose the true nature of that freeloader.
“Alright, Erhu, disinfect your brother’s face and apply the medicine. Lingling, come here, I’ll treat your wounds.”
Both children’s faces were swollen—there was no way Xu Huaying could ignore it. She hadn’t said anything earlier because she wanted the pain to teach them a lesson.
How could she not understand her children’s personalities? They wouldn’t give in so easily.
Still, meals had to be eaten one bite at a time, and roads walked step by step. She believed that with Brother Dong’s charm, it wouldn’t take long for the children to change their impression of him.
No one had rested well that night. After applying the medicine, Xu Huaying told the children to return to their rooms to catch up on sleep.
“You don’t need to go to school today. I’ll call your teacher and ask for a day off.”
Gu Qingling was so happy she nearly forgot what happened the night before. “Then I’ll go upstairs to sleep now, Mom!”
Gu Dahu and Gu Erhu greeted her briefly and followed her upstairs.
“Aunt Xu, I’ll go sleep too!”
Xiao Nanchu wasn’t sleepy at all, but she didn’t want to stay and be a third wheel.
“Little Bean Sprout, wait a moment. Auntie will take you upstairs.”
Xiao Nanchu quickly ran upstairs. “No, no need. I can go by myself.”
Right now, she wanted to keep as low a profile as possible. Anything she could do herself, she would never trouble others with.
Living under someone else’s roof meant lowering your head.
After all, her father was living off someone else.
As for her—the burden—she had to read the room carefully.
“Huaying, let her go on her own. I have something to say to you.”
Xiao Nanchu: “…”
If things kept developing like this, she seriously suspected her father might one day become a stepfather instead.
When Xiao Nanchu woke up, it was already close to noon. Her stomach growled loudly with hunger.
She opened the door, and the aroma of meat filled the air. She couldn’t help but sniff deeply.
“Little Bean Sprout, you’re awake! Come down and eat!”
Xu Huaying waved a spatula at her from downstairs.
“There’s also soup—your dad is cooking it. Come, Auntie will take you to wash your hands.”
Just as Xiao Nanchu was about to respond, the doors of the other three rooms opened one after another. Gu Dahu stood at his doorway, glancing at her coldly before extending his hand to Gu Qingling.
“Lingling, come on. Big Brother will take you downstairs to eat.”
Gu Erhu made a face at Xiao Nanchu, and together they led Gu Qingling downstairs, one on each side.
As the three siblings passed by her, they acted as if they didn’t see her at all, completely ignoring her.
“Childish.”
Xiao Nanchu sighed inwardly.
Lunch was truly lavish.
Since being reborn in this era, this was the first time Xiao Nanchu had eaten white rice.
And on the table, there was both fish and meat.
Compared to the past six years of her life, this meal completely changed her view on her father living off someone else.
If she could eat like this every day, without being beaten or abused, she could overcome any difficulty.
“Little Bean Sprout, once your dad and I register our marriage, we’ll transfer your household registration here. You’re already at the age to go to school. Then your sister Lingling can take you with her.”
Xiao Nanchu nodded stiffly.
Oh heavens… why does she have to go to school again?
In her previous life, she went through nine years of compulsory education, three years of high school, and four years of university. If she could skip class, she wouldn’t stay in school even for a minute.
She had thought that in this life, since primary school required fees, she could use the excuse of being poor to avoid going.
Who would’ve thought it was all waiting for her here?
She was truly speechless.
“Aunt Xu, my health isn’t good. I get sick frequently. Going to school would just delay things and waste money.”
Xiao Nanchu tried to hint tactfully. Raising children in this era wasn’t easy—she hoped Xu Huaying wouldn’t waste money on her.
“Dad, we just came to Aunt Xu’s house. Having food and shelter is already good enough. I don’t want to cause trouble by going to school. Please persuade Aunt Xu—I won’t go to school.”
Xiao Huai Dong looked at his daughter with amusement.
She spoke so much in one breath without even panting, and there was color in her face now—much more lively than before in the village.
It seemed that leaving the village and getting away from those parasites was the best decision he had ever made.
“Little Bean Sprout, you still need to go to school. As for your illness, don’t worry. Dad will take you to the county hospital to see the best doctor.”
Help!
At a time like this, why is no one stepping in to stop her from going to school?
Xiao Nanchu felt like crying but had no tears.
Two days later, Xu Huaying specifically took a day off.
After the Gu siblings left for school, Xiao Huai Dong rode a bicycle, taking Xu Huaying and Xiao Nanchu with him. Carrying their household registration booklets, they headed toward the county marriage registration office.
Meanwhile, not long after arriving at school, Gu Dahu used stomach pain as an excuse and left with his backpack.
He immediately ran to the fertilizer factory residential compound across the street from the small Western house to find his grandparents.
“Grandpa, Grandma, something bad happened! My mom went to the Civil Affairs Bureau with that freeloader pretty boy to register their marriage. You have to think of a way to stop them!”
Gu Dahu rushed up to the third floor in one breath. When he entered, Gu Weiguo and Niu Erya were still eating breakfast. He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
“What? It’s only been a few days and they’re already so eager to register? Dahu, tell Grandma—did that pretty boy feed your mom some kind of love potion?”
Gu Dahu nodded frantically, looking aggrieved. “Grandma, what should we do now? If they get the marriage certificate, it won’t be easy to drive him away! The three of us don’t want a stepfather! Grandpa, Grandma, think of something!”
Niu Erya and Gu Weiguo exchanged a glance.
“Dahu, this matter is really not easy to handle. Your grandpa and I don’t want to be the bad guys and ruin your mother’s remarriage. If others find out, they’ll think we’re the ones stirring up trouble behind the scenes!”