Chapter 265 - 263: New Friend

Chapter 265: Chapter 263: New Friend

Just as Gu Nuannuan was pondering this, Cao Cao unexpectedly popped out from the space, covering its face as it complained to her, "Shy, timid... Oh my god, oh my god, Master, how on earth did you manage to leave such a god-awful impression on your new classmates?"

’Who knew that just not wanting to talk much would be misinterpreted like this?’ Gu Nuannuan replied to it in her mind, feeling a bit resigned. ’But I don’t plan on changing much in the future, either. As long as I’m comfortable and at ease, that’s all that matters. Other people’s opinions? Who cares about that? Is it really necessary to change yourself just for what others think?’

At first, Cao Cao was speechless.

Then, it looked at Gu Nuannuan with a look of pure admiration. "Master, you’re right. Cao Cao supports you."

"Heh..." Gu Nuannuan chuckled softly.

Lin Qiao shifted the heavy bag of apples to her other hand, then glanced at the jug of oil Gu Nuannuan was holding. Even though Gu Nuannuan seemed to be carrying it effortlessly, not even needing to switch hands, Lin Qiao’s gaze traveled up to her friend’s slender, seemingly fragile frame, and she immediately felt a pang of guilt. "Nuannuan, let’s switch. That oil is too heavy for you. Come on, let’s trade. You take the apples?"

’Apples are definitely lighter than oil, right?’ Lin Qiao thought, reaching for the oil jug in Gu Nuannuan’s hand.

"I’m fine." Gu Nuannuan deftly sidestepped her, effortlessly lifting the oil jug and giving it a little shake. "See? I can handle it. I’m not tired at all."

"Wow, you’re strong," Lin Qiao said in amazement. Seeing that they were almost there, she didn’t insist any further.

Gu Nuannuan nodded and said casually, "I was born with super strength."

"Haha," Lin Qiao laughed.

Gu Nuannuan didn’t explain further, her attention focused on her surroundings. She saw they had now entered Yingkou Village. It was on the urban-rural fringe, quite different from a true countryside village.

Though it was called a village and the houses were all owner-built, every single one was made of concrete, without exception. Most of the buildings weren’t tall, generally under three stories, and many weren’t even completely finished. However, because all the houses were constructed on officially allocated plots of the same size, their dimensions were uniform, creating an impression of neat, orderly rows. Also, since the allocated land didn’t include space for courtyards, very few families had room to build one.

In reality, places like this were the precursors to the "urban villages" that would later become common in many cities, famous for producing the *chai’erdai*—the second generation of families who became rich from demolition and relocation compensation.

For now, however, the village was still inhabited by its original residents. The population was homogenous; since everyone was from the same village, they mostly knew one another. There were no illegal structures, nor was there a transient population of motley tenants, which would have brought all sorts of complicated characters in and out of the area.

Seeing that Gu Nuannuan seemed interested in her village, Lin Qiao was delighted and spent the rest of the walk pointing things out. She also shared quite a few bits of village gossip, which Gu Nuannuan listened to with relish.

"My house is just up ahead," Lin Qiao said, pointing. She let out a breath and shifted the bag of apples to her other hand again.

"Oh." Gu Nuannuan gave a slight nod.

"Lunch probably won’t be ready until almost twelve, and it’ll just be something simple. After we drop our things off, we’ll go dig for bamboo shoots. Then, you can take a nap in the room I share with my little sister. In the afternoon, we’ll go watch the God-Welcoming Procession. The banquet should start around four-thirty, and after we eat, I’ll walk you to the bus station," Lin Qiao explained, laying out her plan as they walked.

"I don’t need a nap," Gu Nuannuan said, immediately refusing. She was picky about where she slept and wasn’t used to napping in other people’s beds.

"Then we can play Chinese Checkers or a game of cards." Lin Qiao was suddenly glad she had a backup plan; yesterday, she’d run over to her cousin’s house to borrow his Chinese Checkers set and a deck of cards, just in case.

"Okay."

"Nuannuan... I’m sorry. There’s actually something I’ve been hiding from you." Just as they were about to reach the entrance to Lin Qiao’s house, she suddenly stopped and lowered her head in embarrassment.

"What is it?" Gu Nuannuan raised an eyebrow.

"Well, um, actually... some of our teachers from class might be coming today, too..." Lin Qiao’s head drooped even lower.