Volume One, Chapter 10: The Innocent White Lotus Has Her Tricks; Su Nuan Is No Push-Over Either

Upon seeing Hanxiao Gu, the elderly lady’s slender eyes narrowed into slits, her face beaming with a warm smile.

“Ah! My dear grandson has returned!”

Recognizing her as Gu Hanxiao’s grandmother, Niannian Song quickly stepped forward with a smile. “Hello, Grandma Gu. My name is Niannian Song. I’m Uncle Su’s goddaughter.”

As she spoke, she presented the carefully chosen gifts she had brought.

“Oh, no need to be so formal just because you came,” the grandmother said kindly.

There’s an old saying: don’t strike a smiling face when you reach out your hand. Especially since Niannian had brought gifts, Grandma Gu took a liking to this seemingly ordinary but well-mannered young lady. However, when her gaze shifted from Niannian to the enchanting and charming Nuan Su standing nearby, her brows furrowed.

“Hello, Grandma Gu. I’m Nuan Su. My father asked me to bring you these gifts. I’ll be in your care for a while,” Nuan said with a bright smile, pretending not to notice the displeasure in the grandmother’s eyes as she handed over her gifts.

“No trouble at all, no trouble,” Grandma Gu replied with a smile. Yet, though she said this, she didn’t reach out to accept Nuan’s gift and instead stepped aside to let them pass.

Nuan felt awkward.

Ignoring her, Grandma Gu continued, “The journey from Zhucheng to Pengcheng isn’t far, but you must be tired from the trip. Come inside and rest first. Grandma will brew some herbal tea for you.”

“Thank you, Grandma Gu! I’m not tired. I’ll help you make the tea,” Niannian said proudly, glancing at the flustered Nuan before happily following Grandma Gu inside.

Left isolated by the two, Nuan couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment.

Seeing her gloomy expression, Hanxiao Gu’s eyebrows twitched, and he involuntarily spoke up, “Give me your luggage.”

“...”

Nuan was stunned, and Hanxiao Gu even more so.

He had intended to remind Nuan of a promise she made on the train, but faced with her downcast little face, he found himself unable to utter a harsh word. In the end, he silently took her luggage and entered the house.

“Thank you, Captain Gu.”

“Mm.”

Nuan followed closely behind, watching Hanxiao Gu’s back and sighing inwardly.

If it weren’t for certain issues, she believed that a steady, mature, and practical military officer like Hanxiao Gu would surely be the darling among women.

Ah, such a pity.

Putting aside her feelings, Nuan looked around. The Gu family’s small courtyard spanned about sixty square meters, with walls built of blue bricks, worn here and there, with wildflowers sprouting between the cracks, lending a vibrant air. On either side of the courtyard stood two large side rooms, and facing her was an independent kitchen.

Hanxiao Gu led Nuan into the left room.

It was a suite, with the outer room painted in the distinctive beige of the era. Wooden furniture was arranged neatly, while in the corner stood a half-height refrigerator and a bulky old television.

Given the Gu family’s standing, Nuan felt no surprise at such coveted items. Instead, memories of her and her mother cramped into a mere seven or eight square meters of the Su family kitchen surfaced bitterly, strengthening her resolve to prosper.

“There are two bedrooms inside. The back one is Grandma’s. You and Niannian will take the front one,” Hanxiao Gu said briefly before leaving.

Within were two wooden plank beds with brand-new bedding. Sitting on the soft little bed, Nuan’s eyes grew moist as she gazed at the furnishings.

“Mom, just wait. One day I’ll buy you a big villa to live in!”

Longing for her mother and worried about her whereabouts, Nuan’s sadness was soon interrupted by a loud, cheerful male voice from outside.

“Mom, I was the top of the entire grade in the final exam. You have to let me join the basketball team now, right?”

Nuan stepped outside and saw a boy with a baby face who resembled Hanxiao Gu somewhat, entering the courtyard arm in arm with a slender middle-aged woman.

Neither expected visitors and both were startled.

The middle-aged woman was the first to react, pointing at Nuan and accusing harshly, “Where did this fox spirit come from?!”

Although Nuan didn’t understand the entire phrase, she caught the term “fox spirit,” and frowned as she explained, “Auntie, I don’t know you. Maybe there’s been some misunderstanding?”

“Oh, a stranger too! So young and shameless, trying to be a mistress! I tell you, as long as Zhang Ping is alive, you won’t set foot in the Su family’s door!”

Zhang Ping shoved her son, Jinghuai Gu, aside and grabbed a broom from the corner to strike at Nuan.

Jinghuai stepped in to stop her. “Mom, don’t be impulsive. She said she doesn’t know you. Maybe it really is a misunderstanding!”

“What misunderstanding? It’s definitely your dad’s affair with some mistress again!”

In her anger, Zhang Ping swung the broom wildly, forcing Nuan to retreat repeatedly.

Jinghuai blocked the broom’s blow, but was hit himself, his face instantly marked with red welts as he gasped in pain.

“Oh, my dear son, why didn’t you dodge?” Zhang Ping cried out, distraught and drawing the attention of others inside the house.

“Enough noise! Second daughter-in-law, shut up!” Grandma Gu’s angry shout silenced Zhang Ping, but she remained defiant, wiping tears as she complained to Grandma Gu.

“Mom, Weimin is messing around again. His mistresses come to show off right at our doorstep!”

Grandma Gu glanced at Nuan with displeasure and said, “Stop making things up. This is Comrade Su Xunan’s daughter, Su Nuan.”

At these words, Zhang Ping, who had been sobbing to feign grievance, stopped crying, her face now awkward. Raised in a family where she was adored and holding a high position at the city newspaper, she found it impossible to humble herself to apologize to a junior.

She fell silent, and with no one else speaking, the atmosphere grew tense.

Niannian Song, sensing the moment, stepped forward and patted Nuan gently. “Auntie, this really isn’t your fault. After all, my sister’s looks tend to cause misunderstandI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.