Chapter 220: Questioning

Chapter 220: Chapter 220: Questioning

"Tell me, what’s your motive for worming your way into our family?" After two days, Gu Nuan Nuan finally found a chance to corner Luo Xiaohu alone, glaring at him.

"Motive? I... Does wanting to find a place to work so I can get enough to eat count as a motive?" Luo Xiaohu first looked at her with bewildered eyes, then took a step back and asked in a low, slightly sheepish voice.

’The boss really wasn’t wrong. His girl came to question me. But the boss also said that even if she acts like she hates my guts, she doesn’t actually hate *me*. She’s just like Aunt Zhen—they’re both the softest-hearted people around. It’s only because the boss offended her that she has a bit of a grudge against everyone from Baoping Village.’

’I really wonder what on earth the boss did to make her hold a grudge against our entire Baoping Village and everyone from it?’

Luo Xiaohu grumbled to himself, then suddenly recalled the boss’s specific instructions. If she or anyone else were to ask him anything, he was to answer everything else truthfully. He absolutely had to be honest. The only exception was the ’mission’ he’d been given. That was something he could never, ever admit to, even if they saw through him or guessed the truth.

He had mulled over the boss’s words again and again, and finally came to a conclusion: from now on, when speaking to her, he could be reserved, but he absolutely could not lie.

"Hmph."

Gu Nuan Nuan eyed Luo Xiaohu suspiciously, only half-believing his answer. She’d remembered him the day he arrived. Wasn’t this Luo Xiaohu the same young buddy Luo Hongyi had once told her about—the one who died an early death at just eighteen after getting into a brawl? In her past life, she had gone along to pay respects at his grave many times, and on each occasion, she’d mourned his tragic background and his death at such a tender age... Consequently, now that she was faced with the living, breathing person in this life, she found she couldn’t take her anger toward Luo Hongyi out on him, no matter how furious she was. She certainly couldn’t bring herself to tell her family to kick him out.

’If I really acted so rashly without thinking, then he might end up just like in my past life—falling in with a bad crowd at a young age just for a bite to eat...’

It took a great deal of effort for Gu Nuan Nuan to convince herself that she was doing this to avoid getting entangled in his karma; she couldn’t bear the thought of snuffing out the glimmer of hope that had somehow appeared in his fate this lifetime. She glared at him. Of course, there was another reason her animosity wasn’t so intense: while this Luo Xiaohu came from the same place as Luo Hongyi, they weren’t biological brothers or even cousins. Despite sharing a surname, they weren’t related at all. Still, the man was deeply connected to Luo Hongyi. She continued to glare at him fiercely, her expression unforgiving. "Let me ask you again. Do you know Luo Hongyi?"

"I do, of course I do! He’s my big brother. Sis—" Luo Xiaohu almost blurted out "Sis-in-law," the title he’d repeated in his mind countless times. Luckily, he slammed on the brakes just in time and flashed an ingratiating smile. "How... how do you know my big brother?"

He was genuinely curious about this. He had already asked twice in his letters, but the boss had refused to tell him, ignoring his question both times. Unfortunately, he was destined to get no answer from Gu Nuan Nuan either. She ignored his question, just as the boss had, and simply snorted. "Does your big brother know you’re here?"

Gu Nuan Nuan drew out her words, her eyes narrowing dangerously at Luo Xiaohu. Too bad for her, she had no idea that her unfriendly act held no threat for him. He was already biased in her favor. In fact, because she was not only the woman his boss had claimed but also the daughter of the very kind Aunt Zhen, Luo Xiaohu felt a sense of warmth even when faced with her cold expression. So, the moment she finished speaking, he simply shook his head and admitted frankly, "I haven’t told him yet."

"And you plan on telling him?" Gu Nuan Nuan had barely finished her question when she saw Luo Xiaohu nodding eagerly. Then, in a tone that suggested it was the most natural thing in the world, he said, "My big brother specifically wrote back and told me to. He said I have to write to him often to update him on how I’m doing. He even sent me money just so I could buy envelopes, stamps, paper, and a pen to keep on me."

"..." Gu Nuan Nuan rubbed her forehead. Luo Xiaohu had nodded so quickly, completely without thinking. And yet, she could sense he hadn’t been lying before, which left her at a loss for words. It seemed his appearance here in this lifetime really was a coincidence. In her past life, her family never opened a meat bun shop, so he never would have done what he did because of her mother’s kind, offhand reminder, and thus would never have had the chance to be taken in by them.

She had already guessed that Luo Hongyi was also reborn, so she wasn’t at all suspicious of the specific instructions he had given Luo Xiaohu. She just figured he was trying to prevent the tragedy of his past life from repeating itself.

’Forget it. It’s fine for him to stay with our family. In another two or three years, once Luo Xiaohu turns eighteen, Luo Hongyi will surely find a way to get him a job allocation. Gu Nuan Nuan had no doubt about this. In her past life, a Luo Hongyi who hadn’t been reborn and had no connections still managed to get a slot for him. This life, it would surely be even easier.’

So in the end, after staring at him blankly for a long moment, she fixed her gaze on Luo Xiaohu. "You can write to your big brother in the future, but you are absolutely forbidden from mentioning anyone in my family by name. Got it?"

"Got it." Luo Xiaohu nodded obediently. ’That’s an easy enough request,’ he thought.

"Just as long as you remember." Gu Nuan Nuan couldn’t be bothered to say more. She turned to leave, but stopped halfway and looked back to add a warning. "Since you’re staying with our family, don’t run around outside with the wrong crowd when you have free time. Especially those thugs who do nothing but pick fights—stay far away from them. If you’re really that bored, read a book. By the way, can you read? Did you go to school? What grade did you reach?"

’Reading more helps cultivate one’s character. In the future, no matter which work unit he joins, he’ll probably have to go to night school anyway. Since he’s going to have to study and learn eventually, he might as well start picking up his textbooks now.’

Influenced by her past life, Gu Nuan Nuan failed to realize that she still saw Luo Xiaohu as the boy forever frozen at the age of seventeen. In that moment, she completely forgot that she was actually several years younger than him, and how bizarre it was for her to be lecturing him like an elder.

But as for Luo Xiaohu, his devotion to Luo Hongyi could only be described with a term from a later era: he was a total "stan." By extension, he naturally treated the "sis-in-law" designated by his boss with the same reverence. So when Gu Nuan Nuan spoke to him with the natural tone of an elder, he didn’t find it strange in the slightest. On the contrary, he answered with immense gratitude, "I’ve never been to school, but I know how to read. Big Brother was the one who taught me."