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Chapter 545: Chapter 545: Accidentally Saw Something
It was nothing, but when a four-year-old said as such, it did seem abnormal.
Gu Hongwei furrowed his brows, just about to explain, when Huo Wa’s mom spat on the ground in disdain, scornfully remarking, "Such bad luck, his father’s death anniversary just passed and he’s already sleeping with a woman. You have no shame, your aunt was right, you’ve put your studies to waste."
After saying this, she picked up her child and walked away.
Guo Jinnian was livid and wanted to give chase to argue with Huo Wa’s mom, but Gu Hongwei stopped her.
"Enough. Come and help me start the fire so we can cook. After we eat, we need to meet someone to buy tickets to Kyoto."
Guo Jinnian frowned, "She was so rude. Why do you let it pass? She’s just taking advantage of the fact that there’s no one left in your family."
Such incidents were too common in the countryside. Although the saying goes; better a distant relative than a bad neighbor, but most of the time, it was the neighbors who bullied them. It seems that Hongwei’s father has passed away, he’s not in contact with his aunt, and since there’s no one left at home to provide support, that woman is purposely picking on them.
However, Hongwei didn’t want to bother about it, "Anyway, we won’t be returning here. Let them misunderstand however they want to!"
Seeing Hongwei’s indifferent posture, Guo Jinnian suddenly felt guilty and awkwardly apologized, "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for things to turn out this way."
After all, she wasn’t a native of Li City. She could leave without worrying about what people were saying behind her back. But this was Hongwei’s hometown, the place where he grew up.
Most people have some emotional attachment to their hometown.
Hongwei remained silent, went inside the kitchen, washed some rice and dropped it into the pot. When he saw Guo Jinnian following him, he said, "If you feel remorse, then contribute by starting the fire."
Seeing that Gu Hongwei showed no intention of being angry with her, Guo Jinnian felt even guiltier. She immediately started the fire and did whatever Hongwei asked her to do.
They worked together seamlessly and soon cooked a pot of rice porridge. Hongwei produced some pickles to accompany the porridge. Guo Jinnian, fearing that Hongwei might be trying to poison her, only had the porridge and didn’t touch the pickles.
When the two of them finished washing the dishes after breakfast, the village head arrived at a leisurely pace. Spotting Guo Jinnian, he was taken aback, "When did this young lady arrive?"
The village head had heard that Huo Wa’s mom was spreading rumors, but he thought she was being naive, believing the child’s gibberish. He hadn’t expected there to be a young girl at Gu Hongwei’s house, but he trusted Hongwei’s character and didn’t think he would do something outrageous.
The last time she had visited, Guo Jinnian had stayed at the village head’s house. Therefore, she was polite to the village head. "Sir, I arrived here last night."
He nodded approvingly and turned to Gu Hongwei, "Huo Wa’s mom has misunderstood. I’m worried she might tarnish your reputation by spreading rumors in the village. How about you come with me and clear things up?"
Gu Hongwei shook his head, "No need, village head. I will be going to Kyoto soon. I don’t know when I’ll be back. Let them say what they want! If I tried to explain, I doubt anyone would believe me."
The village head understood, he sighed and said, "Hongwei! You’ve had a tough time. I’ve paid back the money you owed the villagers, you don’t owe the village anything anymore. From now on, follow your heart."
When Gu Hongwei came back this time and returned the loans and interest he had taken during his student days and the condolence money received during his father’s funeral, the village head finally understood.
There’s nothing left for Gu Hongwei to linger for in the village. The village produced two university graduates only to end up with these upsetting events, making them both unwilling to return. The village head was helpless but also understanding.
It’s all due to the bad Feng Shui in the village. They couldn’t keep them here.
Gu Hongwei nodded, "Village head, you’re a good man. Thank you for taking care of our family all these years."
The village head waved his comments away, "Don’t say that. If I were really capable, I wouldn’t have let your aunt treat you like this."
Hongwei replied, "This isn’t your fault."
The village head sighed, bade farewell to Gu Hongwei and walked out of the courtyard.
Guo Jinnian commented, "Your village head is a nice guy."
Gu Hongwei didn’t respond, he walked into the house to pack. In a soft voice, he said, "Let’s go! We’re going to Hu Da Jie’s friend’s place first."
Guo Jinnian was feeling guilty, so she didn’t want to ruffle Gu Hongwei’s feathers. She obediently followed Gu Hongwei and mounted their ox-cart, heading towards Hu Da Jie’s friend’s place.
They stayed the night at Hu Da Jie’s friend’s place. The next day, they brought a few people and took the train to Kyoto. They were lucky this time and secured some sleeper tickets.
Two of the beds were in one compartment. Guo Jinnian thought that Gu Hongwei wouldn’t share a compartment with her this time, but surprisingly he came walking in. After the events of the past few days without a proper bed, Guo Jinnian fell asleep shortly after getting into her bunk.
By the time she woke up, they were in Kyoto. After everyone disembarked, they headed straight to Tong Yao’s house. Since Tong Yao was informed earlier that they were arriving that day, she had the nanny prepare a feast.
Gu Hongwei and Guo Jinnian had both noticeably lost weight within a few days of their departure. Knowing they had a rough time, Tong Yao prepared all their favorite dishes. Since there were many people, and they were not familiar with the group Hu Da Jie brought with her, everyone chatted about trivial matters instead of discussing any serious topics.
After the meal, Hu Da Jie took her four young workers back to the suburbs first. Tong Yao began a conversation with Gu Hongwei and Guo Jinnian and told them about what had happened at the Breeding Farm.
Upon hearing the story, Gu Hongwei was visibly worried, but Guo Jinnian was raging, "Yaoyao, if I’d known, I would have gone with you. Those four wouldn’t stand a chance against me, I’d have had them picking up their teeth."
Seeing the enthusiastic Guo Jinnian and the worried Gu Hongwei, Tong Yao couldn’t help but chuckle. As she moved her gaze between the two, she asked, "Did anything interesting happen over the past few days?"
"Nothing."
Gu Hongwei and Guo Jinnian answered in unison.
Tong Yao was initially just guessing, but this confirmed her suspicions. Since it was getting late and they were still tired from their journey, she suggested they spend the night at her place.
While Gu Hongwei was taking a shower, Tong Yao asked Guo Jinnian out of curiosity, "Jinnian, what did you do in these past few days to make Hongwei so upset?"
Whenever Gu Hongwei heard Guo Jinnian speak, his brow would twitch; he probably hadn’t noticed it himself.
Guo Jinnian coughed uncomfortably, and seeing that Guo Hongwei was still showering and showed no signs of coming out anytime soon, she leaned towards Tong Yao and whispered, "Actually, it’s nothing. He’s just overthinking it. When I arrived at his place, I decided to tease him, so I climbed over the wall to get in. Turns out, he was taking a shower in the courtyard. I accidentally saw something that I shouldn’t, and he’s been like this since then..."
