Chapter 55: Record of Eating Melons in the Countryside

Chapter 55

"You're just like my granddaughter," an old man chuckled. "Every time she comes home for the holidays, she asks me to tell her stories about the village from the old days. She says she wants to share them with her dormmates." The grandfather's face was full of affection as he mentioned his granddaughter.

"Grandpa, why don't you tell us the same stories you tell your granddaughter?" Qiao Peipei asked sweetly. Her cute appearance and endearing smile reminded the old man of his own granddaughter, making it impossible for him to refuse.

"Alright then, I'll tell you a story," the grandfather agreed. "Those old-timers are all six feet under now, so it doesn't matter if I talk about them anymore."

"Guangxing, you're going to tell stories about Guangfa again, aren't you? Be careful, or his ghost might come looking for you tonight," another elderly man sitting nearby teased, apparently knowing what was coming.

"His bones have long since turned to ash. Let him come! He still owes me eight yuan!" the man called Guangxing replied nonchalantly, completely unfazed. He then turned to the three young people and asked, "Can you guess what he borrowed those eight yuan for?"

"Eight yuan? To buy snacks?" one of them ventured.

"It must have been for gambling!" another guessed.

The old man chuckled and waved his hand. "Neither. He told me his family had no rice to cook, so he needed to borrow ten yuan to buy some. But in reality, he used it to buy clothes for his mistress."

"What's a mistress?" the innocent Gu Zhijing asked.

"It's like a third party in a relationship," Nian Suian explained casually, not seeing any issue with Gu Zhijing knowing such things. After all, he was in high school and should be learning about ethics.

"How did you find out?" Qiao Peipei pressed the grandfather for more details.

"Ah, that scoundrel spent eight yuan on clothes, and then gambled away the remaining two in his mistress's village. He got caught and had to send word home for his family to bail him out! His wife didn't know what to do and came to me for help. That's when I found out the whole 'no rice to cook' story was a lie!"

"I remember now. Guangfa's mistress was from Shangshi Village, wasn't she? A widow with three kids whose husband drowned in a flood," another elderly person chimed in.

"That's right! But you can't blame the widow too much. Raising three kids on her own was exhausting work. She passed away before she turned fifty, never getting to enjoy any of life's pleasures."

"Her youngest daughter really made something of herself, though. She went abroad to study and even got a PhD. I doubt she'll ever come back."

"The two older ones weren't good at school, but the youngest was a top student."

"Maybe it's true what they say, that the little girl wasn't the widow's husband's child, but was conceived after he passed away." T/his chapter is updat/ed by nov(ê(l)biin.c/o/m

"Even if they gave more, it would just go to that youngest one. Better not to give at all."

One of the grandmothers turned to Gu Zhijing and asked, "Young man, is your sister good to you?"

Gu Zhijing had no choice but to answer, "Yes, my sister is very good to me. She even took me with her when she got married."

"Then you must study hard and be filial to your sister in the future."

"I will..."

At this moment, Nian Suian desperately wished she could disappear into a hole in the ground. Looking over at Qiao Peipei and Qiao Yan, she saw the siblings were doubled over with laughter. She realized that her plan to listen in on village gossip had thoroughly backfired.

Meanwhile, Gu Junxing, who was watching the livestream at home, furrowed his brow.

"What kind of program is this? Why are they talking about these things?" he asked.

"Well, it's probably for entertainment value. Look at the comments, sir. The viewers seem to really enjoy it," Butler Su replied, secretly thinking to himself that he quite enjoyed it too.

Heaven knows how much willpower it took for Gu Junxing to continue watching this program. If it weren't for Gu Zhijing and Nian Suian being there, he wouldn't have given it a second glance.

"Is my luggage packed?" Gu Junxing asked Butler Su. He was due to travel to Chunshui County in a couple of days to survey potential factory sites.

"Yes, sir, it's all ready. Mofang Village is actually under Chunshui County's jurisdiction. Were you planning to visit the young master and madam while you're there?" Butler Su inquired.

Gu Junxing glanced at the screen again, where the group's conversation had dispersed and the four young people appeared to be heading back.

"We'll see. I may not have time," he replied.

"Very well, sir," Butler Su agreed outwardly, while inwardly considering whether to have the cook prepare some good food. It wasn't far from Mofang Village, and they could bring it in thermal containers so the young master and madam could have a hot meal.

Oh, the boss said he might not go?

As if that were possible. He was only fooling himself.