Chapter 295 - 293: Encountering Princess Syndrome

Chapter 295: Chapter 293: Encountering Princess Syndrome

The next day, at the appointed time, Gu Nuan Nuan went with Zhang Dazhuang to meet Lin Qiao and her father. Before they even reached the station, they spotted the pair waiting from a distance. It was obvious they had been there for quite some time. When he saw them approaching, the expression on Lin Qiao’s father’s face was more than just pleasant surprise.

Gu Nuan Nuan wasn’t needed for the follow-up tasks, like writing the IOU and handing over the money. However, when Zhang Dazhuang suggested taking a look at Lin Qiao’s house’s bamboo grove, she tagged along for a thorough tour. In the end, as expected, they stayed for lunch at the Lin Family’s warm invitation, not heading home until the afternoon.

"That bamboo grove is quite nice. It’s a bit small, but it’s the perfect size for the two of them to manage. It makes me want to plant some bamboo and raise chickens, ducks, and geese on that mountain we leased," Zhang Dazhuang said with a laugh on the way home. "You know, with a mind like yours, every idea you come up with is a winner. It’s a real shame you’re not working at the company. The planning department would be a great fit for you."

"The mountain we leased is huge, so it’s definitely suitable for planting bamboo and raising bamboo-forest chickens. We could let them be completely free-range, which would be great. But forget about working at a company. I know my limits. I’m fine with just coming up with ideas, but I’d get impatient if I had to actually write them into a formal proposal or bring them to life," Gu Nuan Nuan said, shaking her head. "Besides, there are plenty of people much more capable than I am. What I do is nothing special."

’Planning isn’t my strong suit, and it’s certainly not my passion. For the past few years, I’ve been able to offer some ideas by leveraging the advantage of my rebirth, but as for the future... I’d better not.’

"Oh, you. When all is said and done, you’re just lazy, aren’t you? But I don’t entirely blame you. Everyone has different interests, and there’s no use, or need, to force you to do something you genuinely have no passion for. I’ll always support you in doing what you love." In the end, Zhang Dazhuang still found it a bit of a shame, but he was unwilling to push Gu Nuan Nuan.

Gu Nuan Nuan laughed. "Grandpa, long live understanding!"

"Heh heh." Zhang Dazhuang chuckled again. "Just do what you love. There’s no end to making money, anyway. Besides, you’ve already done more than enough for all of us."

Inside the space, Cao Cao was burying its head in a textbook. It had just stood up for a good stretch when it overheard the conversation between the grandfather and granddaughter and had a sudden epiphany. ’That’s right! Master is lazy after all! That’s why she’s goading me into gnawing on these difficult books! She has an ulterior motive so she can better enslave me in the future! AHHHH! Why is my life so miserable?! Where’s the good master I was promised??’

SOB SOB... The future free laborer pouted, on the verge of tears again. But then it thought about its energy—crying consumed Plant Essence. ’Even if my energy is pretty abundant right now, I should still save what I can, right?’ In the end, Cao Cao just couldn’t bear the waste. It put on a show of wiping its eyes, which hadn’t produced a single tear. Halfway through the motion, it remembered its master wasn’t even there to see it. ’Who am I putting this act on for?’ So, it lowered its hand, hung its head sullenly, and went back to fiercely battling the textbook.

SOB—

’This is so unfair. I suddenly feel like I want a new master, you know?’

Time is a merciless thing, often slipping away without a trace. In the blink of an eye, spring was gone. Summer waved its farewell, and autumn turned away without a second glance. Now, even winter was drawing to a close, with a new spring about to rear its head.

Tomorrow was the official start of winter break. Although it wasn’t long—only a dozen days or so—even that was enough to make everyone ecstatic. In their dorm room, Lin Qiao meticulously folded her bedding, wrapped it in a thin sheet, tied it securely with a nylon rope, and placed it in her cabinet. She even rolled up her straw mat, put it away, and locked the cabinet, leaving nothing but the bare wooden bed frame. After finishing with her own bunk, she did the same for Gu Nuan Nuan’s, locking up her bedding and mat as well. Finally, she gathered the backpack and a small duffel bag she was taking home and asked Gu Nuan Nuan, "Nuannuan, ready to go?"

"Lin Qiao, wait. Since you helped Gu Nuan Nuan, help me out, too. I can’t fold my quilt and mattress pad small enough to cram them into the cabinet," Weng Liwen, their roommate, commanded rudely when she saw Lin Qiao and Gu Nuan Nuan about to leave.

"Sorry, Li Wen, but we have to catch the bus. The later ones will be incredibly crowded. Besides, our homes are far from here. It gets dark early in the winter, and my neighborhood doesn’t have streetlights, so it’s too dangerous to walk home in the dark. It’s actually really simple, there’s no real trick to it. You just need a little patience... oh, and a rope to tie it all up."

Weng Liwen’s arrogant, demanding tone made Lin Qiao frown. She knew Weng Liwen’s father was some kind of bureau director, so Weng Liwen felt she had the highest status in the dorm. Unfortunately for her, the other girls didn’t really buy into her act, so she didn’t dare to go too far. However, she had never shown any courtesy to Lin Qiao, who, despite becoming more cheerful and friendly, was still obviously from a "poor" family.

She scoffed inwardly, glancing at the mountain of unpacked things piled on Weng Liwen’s bunk. ’If I actually go over there to help her with the bedding,’ she thought, ’I’ll be expected to "conveniently" help her pack everything else, too. Once that starts, when will it end? If I’m not careful, I’ll be stuck dealing with her all next semester... And for what? By what right?’

"Lin Qiao, if you can help Gu Nuan Nuan, why can’t you help me? You just said it’s getting dark and it’s dangerous to walk at night! My home isn’t close, either. If you don’t help, how long do you think it’ll take me to pack? I’ll have to walk in the dark, too! If something actually happens to me, could you live with yourself?" Hearing Lin Qiao’s refusal, Weng Liwen was about to fly off the handle, and her tone turned nasty.

"Let’s go," Gu Nuan Nuan said, giving Weng Liwen a cold look as she hurried Lin Qiao along. ’What kind of twisted logic is that?’ she thought. ’Just because her home is far away and she hasn’t packed, everyone else is obligated to help her? And if she gets into trouble walking home at night, it’s their fault? Heh, people with this kind of princess syndrome really do have a different thought process. Isn’t her dad just some director at the Environmental Bureau? Does she really think everyone with a less impressive family background is supposed to be her slave? A person like that isn’t worth wasting breath or time on.’

"Okay." Lin Qiao nodded, shot Weng Liwen an amused look, and didn’t bother to engage with her further. She shouldered her backpack, grabbed her duffel bag, and walked out of the dorm with Gu Nuan Nuan.

"Hey! Hey, Lin Qiao, you’re really leaving? Don’t you have any sense of classmate camaraderie?" Weng Liwen was furious. "The more time you waste being angry, the longer it will take you to finish packing," Li Mingyue, who had just finished packing herself, finally chimed in, unable to watch any longer. "By the time it’s completely dark, you’ll probably have to spend the night. You’ll be the only person left in this whole dorm, maybe even on this entire floor. Let’s see how scared you are then."