Gu Ye: "...Are you saying these elderly folks in their sixties and seventies from the countryside still chase celebrities?"
"Maybe! What, is there an age limit for fangirling?" Jiang Mo blinked. "You're this handsome and a top star—who knows, you might've won over some grandpas and grandmas."
Without waiting for Gu Ye's response, she headed off alone to visit other villagers' homes in the area.
While Jiang Mo gathered information, Gu Ye sat on a stone stool by the entrance, scrolling through his phone.
The village was small, so answers came quickly.
"The villagers said Grandpa might've gone for a stroll in town," Jiang Mo reported.
Gu Ye nodded. "I tried calling him again just now, but still no answer."
The two stared at each other blankly until Jiang Mo sighed. "We messed up. Should've called him yesterday like I suggested."
Gu Ye turned away sheepishly. She had reminded him yesterday, but he'd forgotten.
Now, all they could do was wait idly by the gate.
Nearly half an hour passed.
A vehicle approached in the distance. Jiang Mo squinted—her eyesight was decent—and realized it was the grandfather of that adorable pup she'd met earlier in town.
The three-wheeled motorcycle was hard to miss.
Grandpa Gu Baotian drove it at a brisk pace, the engine puttering loudly as it drew near.
So he lived in this village too? What a coincidence.
Just as Jiang Mo marveled at the serendipity, the vehicle slowed and stopped right in front of her.
Gu Ye sprang up at the sight of the newcomer. "Grandpa, where’ve you been? We’ve been waiting forever—you didn’t pick up your phone!"
"Quit your nonsense! 'Forever'?" Gu Baotian shot him a glare, voice booming. "You called barely thirty minutes ago!"
Then his gaze landed on Jiang Mo. Wasn’t this the girl who’d nearly lured his Fugui away in town earlier?
His eyes darted between the two suspiciously.
Gu Ye hurried to explain. "Grandpa, this is Jiang Mo."
Jiang Mo bowed slightly. "Hello, Grandpa Gu."
Gu Baotian gave a curt nod before sidling up to Gu Ye, eyebrows waggling. "Not bad, kid. Finally got yourself a sweet little girlfriend, huh?"
Gu Ye’s eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. Good grief, Grandpa, must you say everything out loud? He shot a panicked look at Jiang Mo.
The old man’s voice carried, and Jiang Mo heard every word. She waved her hands. "You’ve got it wrong, Grandpa Gu! I’m not his girlfriend—we were high school classmates. Now I’m just working as his family’s housekeeper."
"Oh." Gu Baotian’s smirk vanished. He clicked his tongue at Gu Ye. "Tch. What’s the point of that pretty face if you can’t even land a girlfriend?"
Gu Ye forced a laugh. "Uh, Grandpa, how about unlocking the gate so we can go inside?"
Once the gate swung open and the vehicle rolled in, Gu Baotian scooped up the puppy from the sidecar, tucking it under his arm as he marched toward the house.
A yellow mutt trotted out from its doghouse, circling Gu Baotian’s feet excitedly while the puppy whimpered.
"Grandpa, since when did you get a dog?" Gu Ye parked the car in the yard.
"Rescued this stray," Gu Baotian said, handing the pup back to the mother dog, who immediately began nursing it.
"Qingming Festival isn’t for days yet. Why’re you two back so early?"
Jiang Mo hauled groceries from the trunk toward the house. "We came ahead to help tidy up and get things ready for you."
"You two doing manual labor?" Gu Baotian scoffed. "One’s a delicate city boy, the other’s a waifish stick figure."
The insulted pair exchanged glances but wisely kept quiet.
As she carried boxes, Jiang Mo sidled up to Gu Ye and whispered, "Does… Grandpa Gu always roast people like this?"
Gu Ye patted her shoulder. "Relax. You’ll get used to it."
The Gu family’s countryside home was spacious, with multiple floors. Gu Baotian occupied the ground level for convenience, while the upper floors stayed vacant except during holidays when the house brimmed with relatives.
After hauling their luggage upstairs—Jiang Mo with just a small bag of clothes, Gu Ye with a full suitcase—they did a quick cleanup. Jiang Mo chose a modest guest room.
"I’ll take the one next to you," Gu Ye said, depositing his luggage before lingering in her doorway. "You hungry?"
Jiang Mo checked the time—past four already—and nodded.
"I saw a vegetable garden out back. Must be Grandpa’s. Go pick some fresh produce, and I’ll cook dinner once I finish here."
She turned back to unpacking, only to hear Gu Baotian’s angry shouts erupt downstairs moments later. Peering out the window, she saw the grandfather and grandson squared off in the garden.
Well, "squared off" wasn’t quite accurate—it looked more like Gu Ye getting an earful.
She rushed down.
"What happened?" Jiang Mo asked. "Did you upset Grandpa?"
Gu Ye looked wounded. "You told me to pick veggies, so I gathered some of each kind—"
"And then you uprooted my entire leek patch?" Gu Baotian brandished a fistful of leeks like a whip. "Ever heard of cutting leeks? Not annihilating them!"
Jiang Mo eyed the ravaged leeks in Gu Baotian’s hand and the pile in the basket.
If not for the old man’s presence, she’d have given Gu Ye a slow clap.
Gu Ye, you absolute legend.
She forced a chuckle. "Grandpa, don’t be mad. He’s just… not used to farm work. How about we ban him from the garden from now on?"
"Lucky I caught him early, or he’d have wiped out my entire crop!" Gu Baotian shooed them. "Out! I’ll handle the harvesting."
Exiled from the garden, Gu Ye slunk away while Jiang Mo stayed behind, deftly helping pluck vegetables with practiced precision.
Gu Baotian opened his mouth to criticize, then shut it when he saw her efficiency.
"I spent summers with my grandpa in the countryside, so I know my way around chores," Jiang Mo said sweetly, noticing his gaze. "Your garden’s amazing, Grandpa Gu—so many varieties! Nothing beats homegrown produce."
"No wonder you’re sharper than that blockhead grandson of mine."
What elder wouldn’t adore a sweet-talking, hardworking youngster?
Jiang Mo grinned. "I’ll cook dinner later. Any dietary restrictions? I’ll make your favorites."
Gu Baotian raised an eyebrow. "You can cook?"
Most young people these days couldn’t boil water.
"Yep! Learned from a master chef—"
Meanwhile, Gu Ye—now washed up and playing with the puppy—watched the gardening duo with a pang of loneliness.
Somehow, those two looked like blood relatives bonding over crops, leaving him feeling like the odd one out.
