Chapter 331 - 329: Forgot Something Important

Chapter 331: Chapter 329: Forgot Something Important

Gu Nuan Nuan looked at Cao Cao’s utterly bewildered face and knew there was no point in continuing the conversation. Smiling, she tried to convince herself as well. "Forget it. A lifetime passes quickly anyway. I only agreed to stay with him in this life to make it up to Haoyang and Shengnan. Now that I don’t hate him anymore, I just hope we can get along pleasantly from now on."

Gu Nuan Nuan tried to brainwash herself. ’That’s right. Even if there’s no love left between Luo Hongyi and me, he’s still a top-tier choice for a husband. He’s talented and handsome, not to mention he’s already achieved a high position at such a young age. Most importantly, his feelings for me are true, and his willpower is strong enough to resist any outside temptations.’

’A man like that is hard to find these days, especially for a purist like me. As long as I don’t ask for more, just making do with him isn’t too difficult to bear.’

Cao Cao scratched its little head in distress. "Master, do you really think you have no feelings for Luo Hongyi anymore?"

"Of course. Let’s not talk about it. Being trapped in that dreamscape for decades has left me so emotionally exhausted I feel like I can’t take it anymore. I need to get some real sleep to feel better."

Stretching, Gu Nuan Nuan saw that it was still dark outside and glanced at the time—it wasn’t even four o’clock yet. Feeling as though the greatest burden had been lifted from her mind, she was suddenly overwhelmed by drowsiness. She couldn’t help but yawn, and the moment her head hit the pillow, she was fast asleep. This left Cao Cao alone, its little face scrunched up in thought, racking its brains but unable to figure it out: ’How did things turn out this way?’ ℯℯ𝘭.

Waking up from a wonderful sleep, Gu Nuan Nuan couldn’t help but find it amusing to see Cao Cao still puzzling over the matter. She tossed it directly back into her space. "Feelings are complicated. Someone who hasn’t truly experienced them can think about it forever and still not understand. Instead of wasting your free time here, you’d be better off reading a few more books, or working on your Cultivation."

Inside the space, Cao Cao scratched its head again and muttered to itself, ’I really don’t get it. But why do I feel like I’m starting to pity Luo Hongyi?’ It shook its head, deciding not to think about it anymore. It picked up a book and sat down to read, but suddenly, with a YELP, it threw the book down and shot out of the space as if its butt was on fire. "Master, Master, we almost forgot something really important!"

"What important thing?" Gu Nuan Nuan, who was brushing her teeth, paused. She thought for a moment but couldn’t recall any major upcoming events, so she asked doubtfully.

"It’s your cousin from your third aunt’s side, Zhang Laodi!" Cao Cao reminded her, flying two circles around Gu Nuan Nuan.

"Oh, that’s right... How could I have almost forgotten about her?"

Startled, Gu Nuan Nuan clamped down on her toothbrush and reached out to pinch Cao Cao’s little cheek. "I owe you one. It’s a good thing you reminded me. Otherwise, I would have completely forgotten that it happens this year, during this winter break. Ah, I forgot to ask about it during the New Year, too. I wonder how far things have progressed by now. No, I can’t delay any longer. I’ll tell Grandpa and Grandma in a bit. It would be best if they could come with me; otherwise, there are many things I can’t handle myself. Hmm, the Lantern Festival is coming up soon anyway, so we can just say we’re going back to Zhang Family Village early for the holiday."

"Hehe, reminding Master is what Cao Cao is here for!" Being praised, Cao Cao was ecstatic. Gu Nuan Nuan couldn’t resist reaching out to gently squeeze it a few more times. "Good Cao Cao."

After washing up, Gu Nuan Nuan went straight to Zhang Dazhuang and Wen Xiu’s villa.

Her winter break wasn’t over yet, but her eldest maternal uncle and aunt, as well as her own parents, had already gone back to work. So, she was usually home alone. Whenever she was hungry but didn’t feel like cooking, she would go directly to her grandpa and grandma’s place. Of course, if she didn’t go on her own, no one would come to rush her.

This was because Zhang Dazhuang and Wen Xiu knew she was busy. Since she was required to live in the dorms at school, Gu Nuan Nuan had no time to devote to her training or her research on medicinal herbs. Therefore, she could only work on those things on weekends or during her summer and winter breaks at home.

Both training and researching herbs required a great deal of energy, and when she got busy, she often couldn’t stick to a normal schedule. So as not to disturb her, the family even scheduled their regular get-togethers for Friday evenings when she came home. Moreover, most of the family knew that even if Gu Nuan Nuan didn’t leave her room for more than ten days, she wouldn’t starve, so no one ever urged her to show up on time for meals.

So, when Wen Xiu, who was wearing an apron and tending to her small vegetable patch in the yard, saw Gu Nuan Nuan appear, she immediately straightened up and asked with a smile, "You’re up early today. What do you want to eat?"

"Anything’s fine. Everything you cook is delicious, Grandma," Gu Nuan Nuan replied with a smile, flattering her grandmother in the process.

"You’re getting to be such a sweet-talker." Wen Xiu’s face bloomed into a wide smile. Then, remembering something, she asked casually, "How are your supplies holding up? Do you need Grandma to restock you?"

"Yes, please. I’ve used up a lot during the break, so there’s not much left."

Gu Nuan Nuan nodded. The only people in the family who knew the secret of the storage bag were the original few. Song Yong, Zhang Su, Zhang Kai, and Luo Xiaohu still didn’t know. To prevent any slips of the tongue, they never mentioned the two words ’storage bag’ in their daily conversations. They would skip over it whenever possible or use vague terms like ’in there’ or ’the bag’ when they couldn’t.

"Alright, I’ll make you breakfast first. As for the other things... can you come back for lunch? If not, I’ll bring it over to you when it’s ready," Wen Xiu said, wiping her hands on her apron.

"No need to bring it over. I’ll grab it when I come for lunch." Gu Nuan Nuan looked around. "Where’s Grandpa?"

"He went out for a stroll after breakfast. Said he’d just be walking around nearby. You go on inside and watch some TV. Grandma will be quick," Wen Xiu said with a warm smile, bending over to pick a few scallions before straightening up again.

"I think I’ll go look for Grandpa." Gu Nuan Nuan turned to leave, but after taking two steps, she turned back to ask Wen Xiu, "By the way, Grandma, what do you think about the three of us going back to Zhang Family Village a few days early? The Lantern Festival is coming up soon anyway."

"Oh? Why are you suddenly so willing to go back this year?" Wen Xiu asked, surprised.

"A few days ago in Beijing, didn’t I give Grandpa a few jars of medicine and tell him to give one to the old master of the Mu Family? I’m out of stock now. Some of the medicinal herbs needed to refine that medicine have to be freshly picked from the mountains and preserved in a Jade Box while they’re still fresh. So, I want to go into the mountains for a few days to gather all the herbs I need. That way, when people find out how effective the medicine is and start asking for it, we won’t be caught empty-handed if someone we can’t refuse comes asking."