Chapter 168: Sprouting

Not only was Gu Mu excited, Gu Fu also hoped for good news.

If there was news, that would be... too great.

Zhao Liuniang and Huang Xiulan whispered. "Sister-in-law, is there news about that matter?"

"Should be."

So fast?

Zhao Liuniang muttered to herself.

The little sister-in-law had good luck.

Sighing for a moment, she didn't take it to heart and walked toward the kitchen.

Gu Xing'er thought Gu Old Lady was calling her to eat something good, so she happily went to Gu Er Uncle's house. Gu Fu and Gu Mu, concerned about this matter, followed.

Gu Old Lady was curled up on the kang mending clothes, the lattice window wide open. Hearing footsteps, she put the half-mended old clothes into the sewing basket and looked up at the people coming.

"You're all here."

Gu Xing'er sat on the edge of the kang without ceremony, swept her eyes, didn't find any snacks or fruits, and her face instantly pulled down.

"Grandma, you didn't call me to have a treat." Her voice was full of disappointment.

She touched her stomach and said aggrievedly: "Grandma, do you have any more mung bean cakes? I'm hungry, I haven't eaten all afternoon, and I was scolded for drinking cold boiled water."

In front of her father and mother, she took the opportunity to apply eye drops.

Gu Old Lady knew her granddaughter's temperament well; believing half of it was already quite good.

She said: "The mung bean cakes were eaten long ago; I only have two pieces of rock sugar left here."

Gu Old Lady had high seniority and many siblings, and there was no lack of successful ones. When the younger generation came to see her, they would bring some snacks and sugar, so she always had sugar here, which was also the reason why Gu Xing'er had been closer to her since she was a child.

Gu Xing'er reached out: "Give me one, I'm dizzy with hunger."

After all, she was the granddaughter she had pampered since she was a child, and Gu Old Lady couldn't bear to refuse her. She took a piece of rock sugar from the small kang cabinet and handed it over: "Eat it, you really are a greedy girl; all my good things are being begged away by you."

Gu Xing'er stuffed the sugar into her mouth, sucking fiercely, letting the sweetness spread in her mouth.

She said with a grin: "Grandma is good to me. When I marry into the city, I'll send Grandma meat and sugar!"

Gu Old Lady only believed half of these words too.

"Alright, Grandma will wait."

She understood in her heart that among these younger generations, she could only eat the meat and sugar sent by Chenghuai; the other grandchildren were not unfilial, but they were all powerless.

"Grandma, what's the matter with calling me here?" Gu Xing'er's cheeks were propped up by the sugar cube.

Gu Old Lady said: "Your father asked me to find someone to arrange a marriage for you, and I just happened to hear of a suitable one, so I called you over to talk about it."

Gu Xing'er wasn't coy and asked straight away: "Is the man from the city? I want to marry someone from the city; if he's not from the city, I won't marry!"

After being released, it wasn't that she hadn't looked for male educated youth, especially that Song Qian with an extraordinary bearing, but the other party didn't give her a chance at all.

What was even more hateful was that the female educated youth who caused her to be arrested had actually entrusted someone to stuff a newspaper into her hands... She saw that article.

Gu Xing'er realized that there was no hope of scheming against Song Qian, and although she hated it to the point of vomiting blood, she could only give up. (Song Qian: Thank you.)

Hearing her granddaughter's words, Gu Old Lady wasn't surprised.

"Could I not know you?" She smiled and poked Gu Xing'er's forehead. "Rest assured, he is from the city."

Gu Fu and Gu Mu were surprised, suspicious, and unbelievable.

Was there really someone from the city who looked favorably upon their lazy and poorly behaved daughter?

Was the other party blind or mute? They certainly wouldn't be some young talent; they didn't believe it.

Gu Xing'er became interested. "Grandma, what are the conditions?"

"That young man's parents are both alive, there are four brothers in the family, he is the third, he is a temporary worker at the match factory, his appearance is upright, he is twenty-five this year, he is honest and diligent, doesn't talk much, graduated from junior high school..." Gu Old Lady briefly introduced the situation of that family.

Gu Xing'er curled her lips. "A temporary worker."

"So what if he's a temporary worker? He'll be able to become a regular sooner or later!" Gu Old Lady rolled her eyes at her. "You don't even have a temporary job!"

The old lady had a temper; even if it was the granddaughter she pampered the most, if she dared not give her face, she would scold her accordingly.

Gu Xing'er was used to her grandma's way of speaking, her expression didn't change, and she found another flaw. "I'm only seventeen at most, and he's already twenty-five; he's too old..."

She seemed dissatisfied in her words.

Gu Old Lady heard the disgust, her face sank, she put the enamel mug on the kang cabinet, and her expression was expressionless:

"Just say it! What kind of family do you want to marry into?"

Gu Xing'er didn't seem to understand the look, broke her fingers and listed the requirements. "He must be a regular worker, his appearance must be delicate, he can't be too short, at least over 1.7 meters, his parents must both be workers, able to subsidize grandchildren, it's best if there aren't too many brothers in the family..."

Hearing these requirements, Gu Fu and Gu Mu's mouths twitched.

This person with high ambitions wanted to marry the factory director's son.

Gu Old Lady also had a ghostly expression, looking at Gu Xing'er in an indescribable way. "Do you think such a family would look favorably upon you?"

"Why wouldn't they!" Gu Xing'er floated with confidence, raising her chin. "I'm young and good-looking, and I'm a junior high school student, and my third brother is a powerful military officer; having me as a daughter-in-law is a blessing for his family."

Gu Fu frowned, unhappy that she was pulling the third son's name to laugh.

"Your third brother said he won't manage you anymore."

Gu Mu also said: "Your third brother is your third brother; no matter how successful he is, it has nothing to do with you, stop pulling him in."

Gu Xing'er was dissatisfied. "Why does it have nothing to do with me? I'm his own sister, the only one."

"Does Chenghuai acknowledge you?" Gu Mu retorted, her voice tense. "You treated your third sister-in-law like that, and before you even wanted to hit Yubao and Hengbao, why don't you think about how you are as an aunt? It would be strange if your third brother paid any attention to you!"

"Zhaozhao, Zhaozhao, Zhaozhao, Zhaozhao, Zhaozhao, Zhaozhao, Mother, I'm the one you gave birth to! Why are you so close to an outsider who married in? Who in the village has a mother-in-law like you, without any dignity at all, it's simply shameful." Gu Xing'er felt her mother was useless; clearly she was the mother-in-law, naturally standing in a high position, yet she was being handled by the daughter-in-law; it was simply infuriating!

She acted shamelessly, saying: "Regardless of whether my third brother acknowledges me or not, I am still his younger sister; even if you break the bones, the tendons remain connected."

"Mother keeps mentioning those old sesame and rotten grains, two stinky cubs are fine, I was even kicked by the Lin family, I was in pain at the time, and you and Father didn't help me vent my anger, I don't blame you, why do you still remember this!"

Talking and talking, the topic didn't know where it went.

In short.

Gu Xing'er was full of dissatisfaction with her father and mother.

"I just remember, I just remember, I'll remember for a lifetime." Gu Mu couldn't forget the ugly face of Gu Xing'er wanting to fiercely smash her grandchildren. If the twins' uncle hadn't appeared, Yubao and Hengbao didn't know how badly they would have been hurt.

Gu Xing'er's eyes showed hatred, and she wanted to speak...

Gu Old Lady patted the edge of the kang. "Alright, it's annoying to be noisy! What exactly are you here for?"

She felt a headache and said to Gu Xing'er: "Xing'er, if you don't want to see that young man, I'll decline him tomorrow. As for your marriage, let your father and mother find a matchmaker themselves!"

She wasn't willing either.

Once these words came out, Gu Xing'er immediately became sensible. "I'll see, I'll see, I'm willing to see!"

Her father and mother didn't know anyone in the city.

"Really?" Gu Old Lady looked at her granddaughter whose attitude changed in seconds. She couldn't fall out with her old friend of decades because of Gu Xing'er's affairs.

"Really!" Gu Xing'er was full of sincerity. "I will definitely perform well."

Gu Old Lady saw she wasn't fooling around and nodded: "That's fine, see him then."

The matter was temporarily settled.

On the way home, Gu Mu was lost and confused.

... I really hope Gu Xing'er likes him and marries out quickly!

The family argued every day because of her, and the children didn't want to stay at home; it was really worrying.

"Old man, do you think Xing'er can like that young man?"

Gu Fu looked at his old wife strangely, walked home with his hands behind his back, and said: "You should worry about whether others can like her."

Gu Mu: "..." Suddenly enlightened! Suddenly not panicked.

She put her hands together and shook them slightly.

#Bodhisattva bless, grant that debt-collecting ghost in our family a good marriage#

Gu Fu caught a glimpse of the old woman's movements, vigilantly looked around, and only felt relieved when he saw no one.

"We're outside, don't do this, be careful of being seen."

Gu Mu hurriedly retracted her hands and patted her forehead. "Look at me, I was angered into confusion!"

"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings, don't worry too much." Gu Fu was open-minded and even had the heart to comfort his wife. "Since Grandma is managing this matter, she will manage it thoroughly. Xing'er looks down on us for being incapable and didn't think about letting us intervene in her marriage. Just wait, you let the eldest and second daughters-in-law endure it, she won't stay at home for long."

"How do you know?" Gu Mu asked.

Gu Fu smiled and didn't speak.

How did he know?

The little daughter was pampered, looked down on country people, used to go to school, lived at school, didn't stay at home for long, and now, she had no school to attend, it would be strange if she could be peaceful.

The old couple returned home.

Huang Xiulan and Zhao Liuniang had cooked the meal, but the whole family didn't eat, waiting for the two biggest people in the house.

"Why didn't you eat first, aren't you hungry?" Gu Mu said.

Tie Dan covered his rumbling stomach: "Hungry! Hungry to death, Grandpa, Grandma, why did you only come back now, I'm almost starving to death."

"Next time this happens, you eat first, just leave some for your grandpa and me." Gu Mu felt sorry for her grandson who had been busy all afternoon without food.

"That won't do." Bangbang (Xingye) shook his head. "Grandpa and Grandma are also hungry, we'll wait for Grandpa and Grandma to come back and eat together."

Gu Mu's heart, which had been hurt by Gu Xing'er, softened.

Gu Fu looked at a plate of oily things on the table and said: "What's this?"

"Third Aunt asked Yubao and Hengbao to send it over." Gu Lan explained. "Said it's eggplant and egg pancakes."

"Is this fried? Looks like there's a lot of oil." Gu Mu was used to Lin Zhao's cooking; the third daughter-in-law had always been willing to use ingredients, and the food she made was also delicious.

She distributed the food to the family.

The whole family ate heartily.

Tie Dan, also known as little Gu Zhixing, evaluated while eating: "Delicious! Crispy on the outside, soft and fragrant on the inside, Third Aunt really knows how to eat, everything she makes is fragrant."

Thinking of his younger brother who ran to the third branch to eat and drink, he drooled with envy.

"It is fragrant." Gu Fu nodded.

After one bite, he felt full of energy.

Gu Mu smiled. "With so much oil and eggs, how can it not be fragrant! But Third daughter-in-law's craftsmanship is indeed good!"

The rest of the Gu family ate deliciously; since the third branch moved back, the food in the old house had plummeted.

Today, they finally had a good meal.

They ate deliciously, while the eldest granddaughter of Gu Er Uncle's family lay on the bed crying—

Crying that her grandma was biased, finding a city object for Gu Xing'er, but never thinking about finding one for her! She was also a biological granddaughter; grandma always said she loved her the most, but it wasn't true, she liked Gu Xing'er the most!

After crying, she hated Gu Xing'er in her heart, feeling that it was Gu Xing'er's fault that Gu Old Lady didn't think of her.

That night.

The moonlight was like water.

Lin Zhao took advantage of getting up at night to run over and check the situation of the magical grass seeds.

In the porcelain basin, a thin green sprout broke through the soil, swaying gently like a willow branch by the river, emitting a faint light.

This is?

She was incredibly excited.

She stretched out her fair, white fingers to touch the green sprout, the touch was delicate and cool—it really existed!

It succeeded.

Lin Zhao rushed into the room with light footsteps. "I'm going to the foot of the mountain."

"Something up?" Gu Chenghuai, who was leaning on the head of the bed reading, put down his book, stretched his long legs casually, and looked up at her.

"My mysterious grass seeds have sprouted, I want to send them to Fourth Brother so he can start researching." Lin Zhao smiled, her face full of joy.

Iron-Bone Knotweed grew fast; the moment it sprouted, many fibrous roots grew in the soil, and they would continue to grow, so using one from above wouldn't matter.

Gu Chenghuai got out of bed neatly. "I'll go with you."

"Alright." Lin Zhao curved her brows.

The couple carried the porcelain basin to the foot of the mountain.

Meng Jiusi saw the small sprout in the basin and was full of astonishment.

"??"

"It grew out so fast!? Zhaozhao, how did you do it?" He asked in surprise.

Could Lin Zhao say she used black technology? Definitely not, she could only play dumb. "I don't know, maybe because I sprayed farm fertilizer—boy's urine?"

Meng Jiusi couldn't laugh or cry.

"No matter what it is, it's a good thing that it grew out, right? Fourth Brother, can you try it now?" Lin Zhao fiddled with the beautiful green sprout and asked casually.

"Hmm, I'll try." Meng Jiusi actually had no bottom in his heart.

The Iron-Bone Knotweed his sister mentioned was something he had never heard of; this was completely unfamiliar to him, and he had to repeatedly test the medicinal effect.

Zhaozhao was playing a big game, and he would definitely cooperate actively.

Lin Zhao thought of the prescription she had drawn, took out a stack of yellowed paper, and stuffed it into Meng Jiusi's hands.

"Treasures I picked up, Fourth Brother, make the best use of them." She made up a reason casually, too lazy to even think of a reason.

Meng Jiusi wasn't the type to probe deeply; he only knew his sister was good to him, so no matter what she did, he could turn a blind eye and a deaf ear...

"Alright."

After finishing the business, Lin Zhao and her husband left.

The two held hands, walking on the uneven dirt road.

In the end, Lin Zhao couldn't hold back first. "Aren't you going to ask me?"

Gu Chenghuai said meaningfully: "Ask what?"

His warm, calloused hand brushed over Lin Zhao's soft fingertips; his expression was slightly restrained, his tone casual yet solemn.

"I said, as long as you don't do anything harmful to the country, no matter what secrets you have, I can act as if I don't know."

Without waiting for Lin Zhao to answer, the clear male voice sounded again. "Not to mention that what you are doing is a good thing for the country and the people, so why should I ask? There's nothing to ask."

"The Comrade Lin Zhao I know, although a bit delicate, is also hateful of evil and full of justice."

His words made Lin Zhao feel a bit embarrassed.

"I'm not as good as you say." Lin Zhao's mouth couldn't help but rise.

She raised her chin. "But you're right, I am that kind of person."

Gu Chenghuai laughed out loud.

He was an outstanding soldier, firm, decisive, and had keen insight.

Lin Zhao had secrets, and he had sensed it long ago.

If he couldn't even see this, he would have failed the military's training for many years.

It was just.

He knew Zhaozhao was harmless, so he never thought about making it clear. ===== CHAPTER 169 =====