Chapter 351 - 349: Worried

Chapter 351: Chapter 349: Worried

Gu Nuan Nuan nodded.

As she walked, she suddenly noticed that Zhang Damei, up ahead, was going the wrong way. Why was he heading straight for her grandparents’ old house?

Cao Cao noticed too. "Oh no, this is bad. Master, your grand-uncle isn’t going to check if you’re back home, is he?"

"That’s a real possibility."

Gu Nuan Nuan didn’t dare to keep strolling leisurely behind Zhang Damei. She quickly picked up her pace and overtook him. Fortunately, the Invisibility Talisman was still working. As long as she was careful not to make too much noise, she could pass right in front of Zhang Damei without him noticing.

She scaled the wall ahead of him, snuck into the house like a thief, and crept into her room. Gu Nuan Nuan peeled off the Invisibility Talisman and, without wasting a second, quickly changed into her pajamas and messed up the blankets on her bed. Just as she finished, she heard noises outside. First, there was a knock, followed by questions and answers, and then the sound of her grandpa opening the main gate and talking with her grand-uncle as they walked...

Gu Nuan Nuan thought for a moment, then switched on the light. She slipped a long down jacket on over her pajamas, then took out a pen and paper and quickly scribbled a few words. She had just finished writing and tucked the note away when she heard her grandma’s footsteps approaching from outside.

Just before her grandma could knock, Gu Nuan Nuan opened the door and grinned. "Grandma, I heard Grand-uncle’s voice. Is he here?"

"You and those ears of yours. I knew we couldn’t hide it from you. Anyway, he said you just ran off to Xu Banxian’s village? You silly girl, we were scared half to death after your grand-uncle told us." Wen Xiu wasn’t surprised to see Gu Nuan Nuan open the door first. She poked her forehead, a little angry, and scolded her in a low voice, "We clearly saw you come back earlier, but you didn’t say a thing. When did you run out again? And you were so quiet when you returned. Are you trying to worry us to death? It’s dark out, and it’s so far. You just up and went all by yourself?"

"So Grand-uncle already told you about Third Aunt-in-law?" Gu Nuan Nuan saw Wen Xiu’s anger and stuck out her tongue playfully. "Grandma, I didn’t mean to keep it from you. It’s just that this is a huge deal, and I was afraid I misheard or misunderstood what she said. I wanted to confirm things first and tell you once I knew the real story."

Wen Xiu put on a stern face. "Is that what I’m angry about?"

"Grandma—"

Gu Nuan Nuan drew out her voice, grabbing her grandma’s arm and shaking it coaxingly. "I know you and Grandpa were worried about me. But you know what I’m capable of. I wouldn’t get into trouble even if I were walking alone on the mountain at night. A short distance like this is even less of a problem."

"Hmph—" Wen Xiu poked Gu Nuan Nuan’s forehead again. "Of course your grandpa and I know what you’re capable of. But wild boars on the mountain are one thing; do you think that silver-tongued Xu Banxian is so easy to deal with? What does a child like you know about real danger? Even your Third Aunt-in-law... Ptooey! Does she even deserve to be called your aunt?"

Wen Xiu didn’t even finish her sentence before spitting forcefully to the side. She turned back to continue lecturing Gu Nuan Nuan. "Do you understand what’s dangerous? Sometimes, people are far more terrifying than beasts. A beast will just charge at you if it wants to harm you. But some black-hearted, rotten-gutted people who want to hurt you will do it with a smile plastered on their face, acting all righteous and moral as if they have your best interests at heart. Even a grown woman like Guo Xiuying was tricked... and not just her, who knows how many others there are. That shows just how persuasive that man is. And you dared to go there all by yourself? What if he’d fooled you with just a few words?"

The more she spoke, the more frightened she became. She couldn’t help but give Gu Nuan Nuan a few light smacks, which seemed to calm her nerves a little. "If you ever do this again, see if I don’t give you a real spanking!"

Gu Nuan Nuan: "..."

Cao Cao was doubled over with laughter in mid-air. Gu Nuan Nuan wanted to laugh too, but she couldn’t. She had to settle for shooting it a subtle side-eye. Cao Cao knew when to back off and turned away, continuing, ’HA HA HA...’

Gu Nuan Nuan was so exasperated she had to laugh. Cao Cao had indeed turned away, but its laughter was crystal clear in her sea of consciousness, making it impossible for her to hold back her own laugh. Finally, she let it out.

"You think this is funny?" Wen Xiu’s eyes widened, looking even more annoyed.

"Grandma~"

Gu Nuan Nuan snuggled up against her, shaking her arm even more vigorously. She no longer tried to hide her smile, which grew wider and wider. "Please don’t be mad at me, okay? I know you’re just worried, but being smart really has nothing to do with age. Look at me, I’m so clever and quick-witted. How could I possibly fall for that Xu Banxian’s tricks? He can’t fool me. Hmph, it’s more likely I’d fool him."

"Pfft... You shameless girl! Who goes around praising themselves for being clever and quick-witted?" Caught off guard by Gu Nuan Nuan’s words, Wen Xiu let out a snort of laughter and scolded her with a smile.

"Isn’t that what you guys always say when you’re bragging about me to other people? I actually thought I was being modest by not listing everything." Seeing she had made her grandma laugh, Gu Nuan Nuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. ’Crisis averted.’ She leaned in closer, grinning cheekily.

"I’m not talking to you anymore. I was just worried for nothing. You’ve got a silver tongue yourself; I can’t win an argument against you." Wen Xiu laughed again, unable to keep a straight face any longer. She gave her a little push. "It’s fine now. I just came to see if you were home. Since you’re back, go on and get some more sleep."

As she was about to leave, she paused and then earnestly added, "You still need to be more careful in the future. You’re smart, but you’re still young. Sometimes, being smart isn’t enough. You still lack real-world experience. And from now on, don’t be afraid of wrongly accusing someone. If anything comes up, talk to us adults about it first. We’re a family. What can’t we discuss together? Even if you did make a mistake, who would blame you? Hmph, with all the things she’s done in the past, she deserves to be ’wrongly accused.’ Besides, what she said was fishy to begin with, so you didn’t wrong her at all."

"Hehe, I know, Grandma. I won’t do it again. From now on, if anything happens, I’ll definitely ask for your advice first." Gu Nuan Nuan nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking at rice. Wen Xiu was very pleased with her earnest apology. She patted her head and sighed wistfully, "You’ve gotten taller. In a couple more years, Grandma won’t even be able to reach your head if I want to pat it."

With that, she waved her hand again. "It’s very late. Hurry back to bed and get some sleep. Your parents and your eldest uncle and aunt will be here tomorrow morning."

"When did you notify them? In that case, I should just give you these things directly. You can have Eldest Uncle find someone to send them for testing." As she spoke, Gu Nuan Nuan placed the marked porcelain vials containing the three blood samples, the small bag with her third uncle’s and Zhang Tianci’s hair, and the note she had just written with the names corresponding to the labels, all into a paper bag and handed it to her grandma. "I’ve written down whose is whose on everything."

"Mm, alright. We weren’t going to notify them so soon, but then we thought it was better to tell them early. So, your grandpa and I found someone to open the village committee office so we could make a phone call." While speaking, Wen Xiu took the paper bag Gu Nuan Nuan handed her and urged her to go back to sleep one more time before turning to leave.