Chapter 310 - 308: The Unspeakable Truth

Chapter 310: Chapter 308: The Unspeakable Truth

’She knew that wealth was a powerful temptation. When greed took hold, people lost all reason.’

’But why didn’t they stop and think? Their original master had managed to thrive even in such turbulent times. If that family could survive a life-or-death crisis and eventually follow the clues to find their own child, how could they possibly be a family without means? How could they be soft-hearted and easily deceived by such a crude lie?’

’They had betrayed the trust placed in them during a crisis, abused the "young master," and even swapped him with their own child. It was no wonder they ended up with such a fate. They brought it on themselves, and though their actions dragged down their innocent descendants, that was all karma from their ancestors’ own doing. What did it have to do with her?’

’Gu Nuan Nuan felt that after living a whole lifetime, her heart had hardened considerably. She was no longer the type to hand out kindness indiscriminately. If she could save a stranger without much effort, she would, like with that bus that fell off the cliff. But she wouldn’t—and didn’t need to—go out of her way to act like a savior, rushing to help anyone she knew was in trouble. Wouldn’t she just exhaust herself and expose her secret in the process?’

’So, it was enough for her to confirm that the Lin Qiao family, who were close to her own, would not only be fine but would also eventually reunite with their true ancestors and reap the benefits.’

’Things had changed a bit in this life. If the Lin Family here stopped courting disaster and admitted their mistake when the people came looking, maybe their final fate wouldn’t be as tragic as in her last life. Who knew?’

’Anyway, she’d just watch. No matter what, she had no intention of sticking her nose in it for now.’

After chugging the orange juice in her glass, Gu Nuan Nuan heard Lin Qiao ask, "Nuannuan, my mom and I both feel like something isn’t right about this whole story, but we can’t quite put our finger on it. Can you tell what it is?"

’What wasn’t right? Heh, of course, nothing about it was right.’

Gu Nuan Nuan shook her head. She couldn’t just come out and say the truth, or she wouldn’t be able to explain how she knew. So, she took a roundabout approach. "Let me ask you, are your grandparents usually stingy or generous?"

"Stingy, of course. I remember when I was little, whenever they had good food, they’d always give it to their own grandson and granddaughter first. Then, their maternal grandson and granddaughter would get a little. By the time it got to me, there was nothing left. I used to get so upset about it, heh. But now that I know the truth, I don’t care anymore," Lin Qiao said, tilting her head in thought.

"Then have you ever seen them give food to others when they didn’t even have enough to eat themselves?"

"How could that be possible?" Lin Qiao exclaimed.

"There you go. You probably feel like something’s off because, subconsciously, you’ve already decided that it’s impossible they would have been so kind-hearted back then as to adopt your father, a ’destitute’ baby with nothing to his name," Gu Nuan Nuan said meaningfully. Unfortunately, Lin Qiao, not knowing the truth, couldn’t possibly grasp the deeper meaning hidden in her words.

Blinking, Lin Qiao had a sudden realization. "You’re right! I knew something felt off! Could it be that because they had just lost a child back then, their hearts were much, much softer than they are now?"

"Maybe. But I’m a bigger believer in ’a leopard can’t change its spots,’" Gu Nuan Nuan said with a mysterious smile. "Perhaps your father had some value you don’t know about?"

"That makes sense." Lin Qiao bit her cup, thinking for a long time, a suspicious look on her face. "I also think it’s impossible that my dad was only in a ragged sack, without even a single proper piece of clothing. Nuannuan, do you think maybe my dad was originally the child of a rich family who got lost by accident? And maybe he actually had clothes and a big, shiny gold locket or something, but they didn’t want to give it to him, so they just said he had nothing?"

As she spoke, a fantasy even played out on Lin Qiao’s face. "Oh, if that’s really the case, do you think my dad’s real family will come looking for him in the future..." She couldn’t help but laugh before she even finished her sentence, shouting at Gu Nuan Nuan, "Don’t you laugh! I’m just daydreaming, I’m not being serious."

"I’m not laughing. It might even be true," Gu Nuan Nuan said, first nodding with great seriousness before secretly laughing. She had to admit, Lin Qiao had quite the imagination.

Lin Qiao’s face instantly turned bright red with embarrassment. She jumped down from her hanging chair, pounced onto Gu Nuan Nuan’s, and started tickling her. "I told you not to laugh, and you’re still laughing?"

"HAHAHA, I’ll stop laughing, really... I swear on your life..."

Lin Qiao’s tickling skills were far too superb. Gu Nuan Nuan couldn’t stop laughing and had nowhere to hide, so she could only beg for mercy. But her begging only made things worse. It made Lin Qiao laugh with indignation, and her hands tickled her even more relentlessly. "Hmph, forget it! Swear on my life? I don’t need your guarantees anymore. Go ahead and laugh. You can even laugh a few more times."

"I was wrong~~ Spare me, Qiaoqiao! I’m sincerely admitting my mistake this time..." Gu Nuan Nuan could only beg for mercy repeatedly, but it clearly had no effect on Lin Qiao, who was now having too much fun. "Hmph~ Too late, too late..."

The playful chaos didn’t stop until the phone suddenly rang. Hearing the extension in the room ring, the two girls, their hair now a bit disheveled, froze. "Who could it be?" Gu Nuan Nuan ran over and picked up the phone while Lin Qiao perked up her ears and leaned in to listen. On the other end, Wen Xiu’s confused voice came through: "It’s almost twelve, why are you two still at home?"

"Grandma, we were just about to leave. We’ll be there soon." Gu Nuan Nuan looked up at the small alarm clock on the side and saw the hands pointing to 11:52. Lin Qiao was also looking at it, and after seeing the time, she made a series of faces at Gu Nuan Nuan—sticking out her tongue, baring her teeth, and winking.

Gu Nuan Nuan hung up the phone and couldn’t help but laugh as she scolded, "Stop fooling around. Your hair is a mess. Hurry up and comb it again so we can go."

With that, she pulled Lin Qiao directly into the en-suite bathroom, found an unused comb, and gave it to her. She herself quickly re-tied her hair in front of the mirror. Then, they both quickly washed their faces. Gu Nuan Nuan picked up an exquisite, flower-carved Jade Box from the counter and opened it, revealing the homemade, light-green green grass ointment inside, which carried the fresh scent of herbs. She used a small jade spoon from inside to scoop out a little and dab it on the back of her hand first. Then she passed the Jade Box to Lin Qiao while rubbing the ointment on her own face and neck, saying, "Try it. I just made this batch."

"Ooh, this one seems to smell better and feel more moisturizing than the last one," Lin Qiao said, taking it and sniffing it first. After she followed suit, scooping out a little of the green grass ointment and applying it, she cried out in pleasant surprise, "It feels even better on my face, too! Nuannuan, you’re a genius! Ever since I started using this green grass ointment you make, my mom says she feels her skin has gotten much better and even fairer. Other people have been complimenting her on how much prettier she looks. Anyway, she’s completely sold on your green grass ointment now and refuses to touch any of those other vanishing creams, oils, or moisturizers... I can’t believe you’ve already made an even better version in such a short time."