In the evening, Gu Guofeng, who had been on a business trip abroad, finally returned.
After all these days, it was the first time Jiang Mo saw the entire Gu family gathered together for dinner.
Gu Guofeng was in his fifties, almost sixty, but still kept in pretty good shape. According to his mother, he was quite a handsome man in his youth.
It seemed that the Gu brothers all inherited the good genes from their parents.
The atmosphere at dinner was fairly harmonious.
After a few rounds of dishes, Gu Guofeng glanced at his eldest son and said, “Lately, put your work aside for a bit and find some time to meet the daughter of the Teng family.”
“I’ve been busy with work recently, and I’m not interested in blind dates,” Gu Xun replied calmly.
“If you’re not interested in blind dates, then just date someone on your own. But no wild models, socialites, or celebrities from the entertainment industry,” Gu Guofeng said, clearly implying his disapproval of that line of work.
Gu Ye, overhearing this, couldn’t help but protest, “What’s that supposed to mean? Why the professional discrimination? I’m working in that industry!”
“Hmph, I wasn’t talking about you. You’re always covered in makeup. As for your acting—just take a look yourself—it’s an eyesore,” Gu Guofeng shot back.
“That’s the nature of the profession,” Gu Ye clutched his chest, pretending to be hurt. “I have plenty of fans who like my acting. You’re just old-fashioned, and nothing I do pleases you.”
Gu Xuan lifted his chopsticks and said, “I can vouch for that. Lots of girls in our class enjoy watching Second Brother’s dramas. They say he’s still handsome as ever.”
Gu Ye thought: Bro, the first half is fine, but the second half was totally unnecessary.
“You’re only fooling around with elementary school kids,” Su Yunjin said disdainfully.
The whole family wasn’t really supportive of Gu Ye pursuing a career in entertainment, but the kid seemed addicted and had thrown himself headfirst into it.
After criticizing Gu Ye, Su Yunjin noticed the topic was drifting and quickly steered it back.
She turned to Gu Xun and said, “Xun, just listen to your father. It’s only a meeting, not a marriage. You young people should get to know each other first.”
In wealthy families, marriages were mostly about alliances between equals, and the Gu family was no exception—they preferred to find daughters-in-law from similar social circles.
Gu Xun put down his chopsticks and said, “Finding a girlfriend is something I’ll handle myself. No need for you parents to worry.”
Su Yunjin knew well that Gu Xun had always been headstrong with his own ideas since he was young. She understood this was a losing battle.
“Exactly. Mom, it’s 2020 already. Just let my brother find someone on his own. Blind dates are so outdated,” Gu Ye chimed in.
“You talk too much,” Su Yunjin snapped at Gu Ye as she ate. “When will you ever grow up and be a little more responsible? The family doesn’t need the meager earnings you make in the entertainment industry. You’re never home and never doing anything serious.”
“When people ask me what you do, I’m embarrassed to say,” she added.
Well, it seemed the eldest son had lost his influence at the table and was redirecting his firepower toward me.
“I’m not wasting time. I’m a serious person and very busy,” Gu Ye defended himself.
“Playtime’s over. It’s time to come back to the family business,” Gu Guofeng said disdainfully, eyeing Gu Ye’s hair dyed in bright reds and greens. “With that look, you just look like a street punk.”
"This is very fashionable, you just don't know how to appreciate it," Gu Ye heard this comment, and his vision went dark.
Online reviews called him a fairy fallen to the mortal world.
Gu Xun pulled out a chair and stood up. "Fashionable, yes, but Mom and Dad, I think instead of worrying about me, you should be more concerned about Gu Ye."
"I saw the trending topic yesterday—he went into a hotel with a female celebrity and didn’t come out all night. If you want to push someone to get married, he’s more suitable than me."
"Bro!" Gu Ye saw his brother raise an eyebrow and smile mischievously; he knew right away that he was being set up.
Sure enough, Su Yunjin immediately started questioning him after hearing that.
Jiang Mo sat on a small stool, snacking on melon, eavesdropping on the Gu family gossip at the kitchen doorway.
This family all seemed healthy, full of vitality, and their voices were crystal clear.
Even this wealthy young master couldn’t avoid blind dates.
"Aunt Wang, please prepare some tea and send it to my study," Gu Xun came to the kitchen doorway and looked down to find someone in the corner, stretching their neck like a giraffe, craning straight out.
"Is the melon tasty?"
Jiang... Giraffe... Mo looked up, stood from the small stool, still holding the melon in her hand.
"Ha, honeydew melon, pretty sweet."
"I’ll brew the tea right away."
Everyone in the house who loved tea had their own preferences. Little Gu, for example, favored Longjing tea.
Drinking tea so late at night—guess they weren’t worried about losing sleep.
Carrying the tea upstairs, she pushed open the door and went in. Gu Xun was already working on his laptop.
She put the tea on the desk, ready to leave.
Gu Xun called out to her, "Did you organize the materials on my desk?"
"Yes, I thought it looked a bit messy this morning, so I tidied it up," Jiang Mo hesitated, "Is there a problem?"
Gu Xun paused, "No problem. I see the materials are categorized well, nicely done."
Jiang Mo started to leave, but at the doorframe, she leaned against it and quietly asked, "Little Gu, that night at the banquet, I drank a bit—did I cause you any trouble?"
Wang Xia said she was sent home by Little Gu.
That balloon—did she really pester Little Gu to buy it?
The room fell silent for a few moments.
"No."
Good, no trouble then. She breathed a big sigh of relief, feeling like she’d been scared half to death.
After delivering the tea, Jiang Mo closed the door behind her and walked to the staircase, just as Gu Ye was coming up.
He had his hands in his pockets, standing on the stairs. "Are you staying at my place, or going home?"
"Depends on the situation. Why?"
"…If going home is inconvenient, I can send you."
"No need. Someone’s giving me a ride," Jiang Mo leaned in, "By the way, are you really dating?"
Gu Ye snorted, "You believe that? That’s all just rumors from my haters, fake news."
"The girl in the hotel story? Purely made up."
"Oh," Jiang Mo waved her hand, "I’m off then."
Gu Ye wandered around upstairs a couple of times, then came down and happened to see Jiang Mo and Li Daming getting into a car.
Li Daming saw Gu Ye loitering about and chuckled, "This second young master, just like Gu Xun said, really looks like a street kid."
……
The feed Jiang Mo bought on Pinduoduo arrived. She messaged Liu Guochuan, and after confirming he was home, she prepared to deliver it.
Liu Guochuan knew Jiang Mo was coming, so he stayed home and didn’t go out.
“Grandpa Liu, I bought this for you. Just use it according to the instructions,” Jiang Mo said as she handed him the items.
“No rush, no rush. Here, have some water,” Liu Guochuan said, taking out a bottle of coconut water. He had heard that young people liked drinking this, so he specially had someone buy it.
“Thanks!” Jiang Mo accepted the bottled coconut water. “Do you live here with your family?”
“No, I live alone. My son and grandkids come by occasionally.”
“Since it’s your first time at my place, I’ll show you around.”
Liu Guochuan was very warm and enthusiastic, leading Jiang Mo on a tour around his home, even showing her where the safe was kept.
“Wow, your calligraphy is amazing!”
“These flowers are so well cared for. Unlike me, I can’t keep anything alive.”
“The vegetables in your garden are thriving. Eating what you grow yourself is truly healthy.”
“Your woodworking skills are impressive. If you put them online, I’m sure many people would love them.”
After the tour, Jiang Mo realized that Grandpa Liu actually knew how to enjoy life. He had a vegetable garden, kept goldfish, and even hung birdcages under the eaves.
He was skilled in many things and immediately transformed into a master of compliments.
Liu Guochuan couldn’t stop smiling.
Usually, his family looked down on the things he fiddled with at home.
They’d say the garden was unsightly—just buy whatever you want. Liu Guochuan would pick up his hoe and chase his grandkids away, saying, “You’re not old enough yet; your farming genes haven’t awakened.”
They also said his woodworking was outdated.
Only this young lady knew how to appreciate it.
“I like it. I’ll give this to you.”
“I have plenty of these at home; you can take them.”
The Liu family’s servant followed behind the two, watching the young girl cheer the old man up so much that his eyes nearly disappeared into crescent moons. He looked like he wanted to give her everything he had.
Could this girl be into pyramid schemes? He’d heard some preyed on wealthy, lonely elders.
If she kept flattering him like this, the old man might empty the entire house.
Just as Liu Guochuan was about to give her a string of agate beads, the servant cautiously said, “Master, these were bought for you by your eldest son. They’re not cheap.”
“Yeah, what’s the matter?”
“Are you really going to give them away?”
“Yes!”
If his son bought it, it had to be good. If it wasn’t, he wouldn’t be giving it away—wouldn’t want to lose face.
