From the showroom, Gu Xiaoxi retrieved a brand-new, thick cotton quilt and a vibrant floral fabric cover. She also exchanged a worn straw mat for a pristine new one, carrying them over to her grandparents’ clean-up area.
Grandmother Gu’s eyes lit up when she saw the high-quality blanket. “Xiaoxi, you really are dutiful!”
Gu Xiaoxi smiled sweetly. “Grandma, this is a brand-new eight-pound cotton quilt. I used my own savings and coupons for it. It’s worth fifty yuan. Consider this my family’s fifty-yuan contribution.”
Grandmother Gu hesitated, tempted by the cash, but Aunt Yilan remarked, “Fifty yuan couldn’t buy such a thick, high-quality quilt nowadays! Xiaoxi is so thoughtful.”
Grandfather Gu agreed, accepting the blanket as their full fifty-yuan payment.
With everyone helping, the burned room was quickly cleared, swept, and lined with clean paper.
Returning home late that evening, Jiang Xiuqing touched her daughter’s hair gently. “Xiaoxi, why were you so generous to your grandmother today?”
Gu Xiaoxi replied softly, “If Grandma didn’t have a clean room or bedding, she would have insisted on moving into our house for weeks, demanding you wait on her hand and foot. Losing a blanket is a small price to pay for our peace of mind.”
Jiang Xiuqing smiled warmly at her daughter’s wisdom. “My little girl has really grown up.”
Later that night, as her parents discussed the upcoming engagement, Gu Xiaoxi quietly went to bed, feeling a profound sense of relief.