Chapter 221: Breakdown

Chapter 221: Chapter 221: Breakdown

"...Alright then, I’ll get you the textbooks from first to third grade, and a few notebooks too. You can start with the first-grade material. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me, or Zhang Su and Zhang Kai. I’ll let them know." After glaring at him for a moment, Gu Nuan Nuan added a wary warning, "When you have free time, read more and practice your writing. Don’t go out and get into fights."

"I know, my big brother said the same thing. I like reading; I don’t like getting into fights at all," Luo Xiaohu replied cheerfully.

"It’s good you don’t like to fight."

Just hearing Luo Hongyi’s name made Gu Nuan Nuan feel sick. Then she thought about the next three years. Given his shameless nature, he would definitely find an excuse to come take a look, even if she told Luo Xiaohu never to mention her family’s name. With Luo Xiaohu here, he wouldn’t even need to search for a pretext. It was a given that he would seize the opportunity to latch onto her family and ingratiate himself with them. The thought made Gu Nuan Nuan feel even more repulsed.

With a dark expression, she shot Luo Xiaohu one last fierce glare, turned around, and this time, truly left.

Behind her, Luo Xiaohu watched her leave with a grateful expression, vowing to himself to study hard and not get into fights from now on. ’Big Bro said so, didn’t he? Even if you like to fight, don’t brawl in the streets with those punks who don’t even know any proper moves. Not only is it disgraceful and makes people look down on you, but you could also get thrown in jail.’

’Getting thrown in jail means getting a criminal record. Then, no matter where I go in the future, people will look down on me. Even when it comes to getting married, my partner’s family would disapprove of me because of it.’

Luo Xiaohu hadn’t actually thought as far ahead as marriage, but the thought that the Zhang family might not let him stay if he got a criminal record filled him with a sudden panic.

It was true he was here because of his big brother, but after actually spending time with the Zhang Family, he had grown attached to the warmth they showed him and couldn’t bear to let it go.

He wanted to stay here, for a long, long time. ’So, just like Big Bro said, I have to become a useful person. That means I need to take this chance to read as much as I can. I was even thinking that once I settled in, I’d try to scrounge up some old textbooks to read. I never expected my sister-in-law to be so thoughtful—she had the same idea as Big Bro! And she even told me I could ask her anything I don’t understand...’

’Big Bro was so right. My sister-in-law looks fierce, but she’s actually just like Aunt Zhen—a truly good person. Yeah, in fact, everyone in the Zhang family is wonderful,’ Luo Xiaohu thought, filled with gratitude. Then, before bed, he gleefully wrote a letter to the faraway Luo Hongyi, telling him everything that had happened over the past few days.

Upon receiving the letter, Luo Hongyi unfolded it and read it all in one go. He let out a sigh of relief, a complex smile appearing on his face. In the few months since he was reborn, although he had been at school, his heart had long since flown to Gu Nuan Nuan’s side.

If his rationality hadn’t been holding him back, he might have already rushed to her side. But he knew he still needed to map out his future, seizing every opportunity step by step. Only by reaching a higher station in this life than he had in his last—and doing it in even less time—would he have the right to win Nuannuan back again.

’Nuannuan, wait for me. Believe me, it won’t be long. We’ll see each other again very soon—’

Luo Hongyi carefully folded the letter, murmuring the words in his heart.

In Liuyun Town, inside Zhang’s Buns Kitchen, Gu Nuan Nuan suddenly sneezed while doing her homework after lunch. Zhang Minzhen, who was washing the dishes, looked up and asked with concern, "What’s wrong? Are you catching a cold?"

Zhang Su and Zhang Kai, who were also doing their homework at the table, looked up in unison, equally worried. "Did you catch a chill, Nuannuan?"

"No, I’m fine. My nose just tickled a bit. Someone must be talking about me, I guess?" Gu Nuan Nuan shook her head. For the her she was now, getting sick was difficult even if she tried. Hearing this, Zhang Minzhen gave a knowing smile but still reminded her, "It’s getting cold, you still need to keep warm." Then she turned to her two nephews. "And you two as well. Don’t think you can wear less just because you’re healthy. If you catch a cold in this weather, you’ll be sorry."

"Okay, we know," Gu Nuan Nuan, Zhang Su, and Zhang Kai all replied with a dry chuckle.

"Mom, I think I’ll make a trip to Grandpa’s house now. Today’s Friday, the time I’m supposed to see him. It gets dark early these days, so I should take the meat buns over to him now." After finishing her homework, Gu Nuan Nuan packed away her books and notebooks. She checked the time—it was only twelve-thirty. After a quick calculation, she realized she still had enough time to get to her grandfather’s house, so she said this to Zhang Minzhen.

"Go on. Take the bicycle key and get the bike. I’ll bring the meat buns out to you once they’re packed." Zhang Minzhen glanced at the wall clock and stopped what she was doing. She handed Nuannuan the key, then went to pack the buns.

「Gu Family.」

Even before she got close, Gu Nuan Nuan could hear a commotion from the Gu family’s courtyard. She listened intently and realized there were quite a few people talking. The loudest of them all was her grandmother, Chen Suxiang. Her smug, resonant voice reached her ears: "...My dear in-laws, what kind of daughter did you raise? All I did this morning was think, ’The weather’s nice, and the house hasn’t been cleaned in ages,’ so I told her to help tidy up. What, am I, the mother-in-law, not allowed to order my own daughter-in-law around anymore? She does a tiny bit of work, can’t take it, and just throws a fit and runs back to her parents? You tell me, where in the world does that make sense? What daughter-in-law doesn’t have to do the laundry, cooking, and cleaning for her husband’s family? My previous eldest daughter-in-law always did a fine job, but your daughter had to come and steal her man, and ruin my son’s life in the process! And now I just ask her to do a little work, and what? She’s suddenly too precious for it?

Oh, good heavens, strike this unfilial, shameless, lazy woman with lightning! What kind of wife is she? Usually, she won’t lift a finger unless you push her, and even after several pushes, she only reluctantly moves a step or two. And in the end, she has the gall to run back to her parents and play the victim, claiming her mother-in-law abused her..."

"Y-you, you’re lying! Mom, little brother, you have to believe me, don’t listen to her nonsense! It’s her! She forces me to get up at three o’clock every morning to start cleaning the house, cooking, and feeding the chickens, ducks, and pigs... If I’m even a little late one day, she storms right into our room and drags me straight out from under the covers!"

Thinking of the living hell she had endured at the Gu family home these past few months, Tao Jianren broke down and sobbed. The memory of being dragged from under her covers by that shameless old hag... and how, afraid of waking her own son, the old woman would drag her downstairs before cursing her for being shameless while throwing her clothes at her and telling her to get dressed... The thought made her tremble all over.

But the old hag was much stronger than her; she couldn’t fight back at all. She had tried telling Gu Lihui about it, but that ugly monster didn’t believe a word she said. The more she talked about it, the more he would look at her like she was crazy and say she was hysterical. He’d say their bedroom door was always locked from the inside at night, so how could his mom possibly get in if she didn’t open it herself—