Chapter 532: Gossip-for-Survival System (31)

The only regret was that there were too few vegetables; only the winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and cabbage stalks in the old duck soup could barely count as vegetables.

There was no helping it; in the winter in Beijing, one could hardly see any leafy vegetables, and even the chives used for making dumplings were grown in flowerpots in the main room.

Fresh vegetables were usually limited to radishes, potatoes, and Chinese cabbage.

Besides those, there were only pickled vegetables, soy-sauce-marinated vegetables, kimchi, and various dried vegetables sun-dried in the autumn.

Xie Yang had quick hands; by the time the old duck stew was nearly done, the other few dishes were also finished.

During this time, she vaguely heard the old lady talking to someone, but she didn't pay it any mind.

It wasn't until the sky turned dark that the old lady came into the kitchen and said to her, "Gu came to ask me if those people from this afternoon had come back to cause trouble, so I chatted with him for a bit. I didn't expect that he's the only one left in his family; his parents passed away over ten years ago. Sigh, he's a pitiful person too. I invited him to spend the New Year at our house, but he said he had already promised to eat New Year's Eve dinner at his aunt's house..."

Xie Yang: "..."

Who? Gu? Director Gu?

Since when did the old lady get so familiar with him?

She then saw the old lady take a lunch box to the storage room to fill it with frozen dumplings, then take a basket and fill it with two large Pomelo and a bag of mixed roasted snacks like melon seeds, peanuts, walnuts, and hazelnuts.

"Grandma, what are you doing?"

"Oh, Gu is currently being held up by Auntie Niu, and I see he won't be able to get away for a while, so I'm getting him some things to eat during the New Year's vigil tonight. He hasn't cooked at home for a long time, so he probably hasn't prepared any food."

"..."

"It's thanks to his help this afternoon; otherwise, who knows what that group of people would have done to our family." Grandma Xie muttered on and on about Gu Yu'an's good qualities while packing the items.

Xie Yang nodded: "Grandma, should I portion out the old duck and put it in a clay pot for him to take away?"

"That works, the two of us can't finish the whole thing."

Xie Yang took out a clean small clay pot, packed half the old duck and half the side dishes into it, and then poured in half a pot of soup.

She also took another lunch box and packed a few Four-Joy Meatballs and a quarter of a white-cut chicken, separating them in the middle with a piece of steamed Chinese sausage.

She also took a glass jar, washed and dried after finishing the pomelo jam, and filled it with a jar of steaming red bean paste with osmanthus rice balls.

Seeing that all the gifts were prepared, Grandma Xie lifted the door curtain and beckoned: "Gu! Gu!"

Gu Yu'an took the opportunity to bid farewell to Auntie Niu, then walked up the steps with his long legs in a few strides: "What is it, Auntie?"

"Take these to eat."

Looking at the one, two, three, four, five, six items being shoved toward him, Gu Yu'an: "..."

Should he accept or not?

By rights, he shouldn't accept a single needle or thread from the common people.

But he hoped that his relationship with her and her family wouldn't be that of ordinary commoners, but rather...

Under the 60-watt incandescent light in the main room, he raised his eyes and saw her gentle smile, which held a hint of playfulness.

Gu Yu'an felt settled in his heart and said with a smile: "Thank you, Auntie. I moved here in such a rush that I really haven't prepared any New Year's goods at home, and I was just worrying about how to satisfy my hunger these next two days. Auntie, these have arrived right at the heart of my needs, so I will be thick-skinned and accept them. Let me wish you an early Happy New Year, and I will come to pay you a formal New Year's call during the first lunar month."

Grandma Xie was so coaxed by his words that she beamed: "That would be lovely! I welcome you whenever you come. Next time you come, you must stay for a simple meal before leaving."

Gu Yu'an readily replied, "I will."

Xie Yang: "..."

She didn't see any declining, refusing, awkwardness, or embarrassment—only a thick-skinned Director Gu.

Gu Yu'an returned home and unpacked several parcels he hadn't had time to open; inside were New Year's goods sent to him by comrades from all over the country. The quantity wasn't large, but the sentiment was what mattered.

He divided them into two portions: one to take to his aunt's later, and one to put into the basket Grandma Xie had packed with the pomelo and roasted snacks, covering it with a cloth just as it had been.

He went to Hao Dayuan again, but this time he didn't linger. He knocked on the Xie Family's door, and after Xie Yang opened it, he handed over the basket and said in a low voice: "Thank you and Auntie for preparing the New Year's gifts for me; they made me feel warmth. These were sent by my comrades; I am borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha, and I hope you and Auntie like them."

After saying this, without waiting for Xie Yang to react, he waved his hand, turned, and merged into the cold, snowy night.

Xie Yang looked down at the basket; under the clean blue cloth, there were milk cakes, red dates, and canned meat from the Northwest, as well as dried squid, dried mangoes, and coconut candy from the tropical islands.

She couldn't help but smile.

【Host, oh Host! Your heartbeat is so fast, so fast it's as if it's saying love...】

Xie Yang rubbed her forehead: You should eat less gossip and learn how to sing without going off-key!

【...】

Gu Dagu only saw her nephew arrive late, carrying a parcel and holding a black clay pot, after she had already placed all the dishes on the table.

"Didn't you say you got off work early today and would be here sooner?"

"Something came up at the last minute."

Gu Yu'an said, handing the parcel to his aunt, saying it was New Year's goods sent by his comrades, and then placed the clay pot on the table.

"What is this?" The eldest cousin Cheng Qisheng curiously lifted the lid of the clay pot, smelled the intoxicating aroma, and looked closely: "Yo! Ham and old duck soup? Ham is a precious item; the Supply and Marketing Cooperative sells it by the ounce! Where did this come from?"

Gu Yu'an smiled and didn't speak.

"Could it be a gift from the cousin's partner?" the second cousin Cheng Qihua asked with a grin.

The eldest cousin-in-law Yang Tao's expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant; she had long wanted to introduce her own niece to Gu Yu'an.

But her mother-in-law, after meeting her niece once, said they weren't a good match.

What "not a good match"—wasn't it just that she looked down on her family being from the countryside and her niece having little education?

But in this day and age, when choosing a wife, one chooses virtue. Her niece was at least hardworking and capable, handling everything inside and outside the house; the little nephews and nieces at home were all raised by her niece. She felt that introducing such a capable girl to her husband's family was doing them a favor, yet she was still looked down upon?

She nudged her husband with her elbow, signaling him to probe Gu Yu'an; didn't he say a few days ago he wasn't in a hurry to find a partner? It couldn't have been settled so quickly. Even if he had the intention to find someone, he should introduce her niece first.

Cheng Qisheng shook his head at her, signaling her not to bring up her niece's affairs at this time.

His cousin had always been a man with his own ideas; hadn't he seen that all the partners his mother had introduced to him before were rejected? He hadn't even gone to meet a single one. Could he possibly take a fancy to his wife's illiterate country niece?

Gu Dagu didn't notice the silent exchange between her eldest son and daughter-in-law. She was busy distributing bowls, chopsticks, and plates to everyone, worrying to herself: "If your cousin had a partner, I wouldn't have to worry. He doesn't look bad, so why is it so hard to find a partner?"

"I think the cousin has a partner; look at that smug look on his face when he smiles." Cheng Qihua pointed it out.

The younger cousin Cheng Qiwen also pursed his lips and giggled.

Gu Dagu looked her nephew up and down suspiciously: "Really?"

Gu Yu'an laughed in spite of himself: "If I had any, would I still come to Aunt's place to sponge a meal?"

"..."