Chapter 197: A Tragic Result

Chapter 197: Chapter 197: A Tragic Result

This was destined to be a restless night.

For the Zhang family and the Lin family; for the rescue workers and officials who had remained at the scene; for the survivors who had been rescued and temporarily housed in Changxi County; and even for the relatives who were worried sick because their loved ones hadn’t returned on time...

But none of this turmoil could disturb Gu Nuan Nuan’s sweet dreams. After returning home, eating and drinking her fill, and witnessing the Zhang family’s emotional catharsis, she finally felt a huge weight lift from her shoulders. The moment she returned to her room, she practically passed out. Gu Nuan Nuan slept exceptionally well. When she woke up, she found the room was dark, the curtains drawn, giving her the disorienting feeling of having lost all track of time.

"Cao Cao, don’t tell me we’ve been reincarnated again?" Gu Nuan Nuan worried for a moment. ’Please, no. My wonderful life was just getting on track!’

"No, Master. You just slept for a long time. Hmm, it’s already four in the afternoon," Cao Cao said with a stifled giggle.

"Ah—I slept that long? No wonder my stomach is growling."

Gu Nuan Nuan sat up, scratching her head in embarrassment. But after a moment’s thought, she felt relieved. Her nerves had been stretched taut for some time, especially the day before, when she had been too anxious to eat or sleep. Now that she finally knew her uncle had escaped disaster, it would have been strange if she *hadn’t* completely relaxed and slept around the clock.

After getting dressed, she pushed open her door. The moment Gu Nuan Nuan appeared, Zhang Su and Zhang Kai spotted her almost simultaneously. Their faces lit up, and then they both shouted, "Nuannuan’s awake!"

"You’re awake! You must be hungry, right? Go wash up and get something to eat." Lin Qin was the first to run out of the kitchen, spatula in hand. She smiled at Gu Nuan Nuan before she even spoke. "You really slept for a long time."

"I’ll say. You were sleeping so soundly, you were even smiling in your sleep! We didn’t dare disturb you. Your aunt specifically told everyone not to make any loud noises all day, afraid we’d wake you," Zhang Minzhen added, following her out. Seeing Gu Nuan Nuan looking so full of energy, she smiled too.

"Enough talk. Hurry and tell the child to go brush her teeth and wash her face so she can eat. It’d be a miracle if she wasn’t starving after sleeping for a whole day and night," said Wen Xiu, who was the last to come out, also smiling.

"Mom, where’s Grandpa?" Entering the main hall, Gu Nuan Nuan saw that her mother had already set the table with food. She walked over and took a big gulp of the white rice porridge, which was at the perfect temperature, then a bite of the crisp and refreshing cold-tossed water spinach. Her stomach instantly felt much better, and she couldn’t help but ask.

It was normal for her uncle to be out right now, but it was strange that even her grandpa was gone.

"Last night, your aunt’s family heard about the bus accident and thought your uncle was on it. They were so nervous they didn’t sleep all night. So, they rushed over today. Right now, your grandpa and uncle are at the station seeing them off." Zhang Minzhen patted her daughter’s head and sighed with a smile. "This time, your reputation as a ’little lucky star’ has even spread to your aunt’s side of the family. Your aunt’s mother kept saying today that she’s going to specially make a set of clothes for you next time she visits."

Zhang Minzhen couldn’t help but smile, thinking about the conversation she’d had with her sister-in-law that morning. Something her sister-in-law had said really struck a chord with her: "...No matter what happened in the past, from now on, if something’s bothering us or if one of us does something that makes the other unhappy, let’s not keep it bottled up. The only way to solve problems is to talk about them frankly, right? A family is bound to have its ups and downs. If we want to continue living together peacefully and harmoniously, we have to learn to be honest and patient with each other."

She knew that this time, thanks to Nuannuan, her sister-in-law had truly accepted her and her daughter from the bottom of her heart. She also hoped their close relationship would last for a long, long time. Smiling, she couldn’t resist patting her daughter again, leaning in to rub her cheek against Nuannuan’s and giving her a quick kiss. "Nuannuan, you’re truly Mommy’s sweet, caring daughter. If it weren’t for you, I really don’t know what would have become of me."

Faced with this rare display of affection from her mother, Gu Nuan Nuan swallowed the food in her mouth, ready to respond in kind, but—

"Hurry up and eat. I’ll clean up when you’re done." Clearly unaccustomed to expressing her feelings so openly to her daughter, Zhang Minzhen let go of her before Gu Nuan Nuan could react, tossing out the words before quickly making her embarrassed escape.

Gu Nuan Nuan was speechless.

’Oh well. This isn’t twenty years in the future. It’s not the era where mothers of her generation would naturally hug and kiss their precious babies, spouting ridiculously sweet nothings at a moment’s notice. People back then were still quite reserved in expressing their feelings. The way Mom acted today was already a huge win for me.’

The biggest crisis was over. Gu Nuan Nuan breathed a huge sigh of relief. When she saw Luo Hongyi’s letter sitting in Cao Cao’s Companion Space, she, for some reason, suddenly pushed it to the back of her mind.

’Forget it. There’s no point in overthinking it. What’s coming will come. I’ll just cross that bridge when I get to it. Hmph. I already lived a hard enough life for his sake in my past life. Why should I still be so hung up on him in this one? My legs are my own. This time, there’s no marriage certificate, no child to tie me down. As long as I stand my ground, what can he possibly do to me?’

At the thought of the child, a sharp pain suddenly pierced Gu Nuan Nuan’s heart. She ruthlessly shook her head, forcing herself to stop thinking about it.

Life went on, peaceful and routine. Just when Gu Nuan Nuan thought everything was in the past, one day, the town and county officials suddenly arrived at their door with gongs and drums. They presented her uncle with a silk banner, a big red flower, and a cash reward, giving him a grand commendation for his heroic and selfless act of saving others. After that, sure enough, Mr. Shao—the man her uncle had saved—came to thank them in person. He brought the little boy named Little Heng; his second son, Shao Qingyang, whom Gu Nuan Nuan had met before; and his eldest son and daughter-in-law, whom she hadn’t met and who had reportedly traveled all the way from Beijing. They arrived with a car full of gifts.

From Mr. Shao’s family, they learned that the woman named Yao Hui Zhen, who had been on the bus that fell, was conscious after being rescued. However, the first words out of her mouth were a string of slanderous accusations against Zhang Wei Qiang, earning her the contempt of everyone who already knew the truth.

Although the woman’s life was saved, her ultimate fate was quite tragic.

Her life was saved, but not only was her face disfigured by a deep scar, she also had to have a leg amputated. From then on, she could only lie in bed. In the end, even her husband—the one she had boasted was so powerful he could easily deal with Zhang Wei Qiang, but who in reality was no big shot, just a minor clerk at the Liuyun Town livestock station—used her ingratitude as an excuse to demand a divorce.

At that time, a divorce meant that Yao Hui Zhen’s family would have to take back a disabled, "useless" daughter and care for her for the rest of their lives. Naturally, they refused, and the two families immediately erupted into a huge, noisy conflict.