Chapter 576: Return To Hometown (2)
When she first entered the black market, she was in disguise, and her disguise changed every time she came. Over time, she became closer to these few old men and slowly became more open, although she still had her reservations.
Hearing what the two old men said, Gu Qingyao smiled blissfully. "No need. I already have in-laws. After this year... I should be getting married!"
The old men were stunned!
Married?
"Girl, you already have a partner?"
"Mhmm!" Gu Qingyao nodded.
Old Master Yang jumped immediately. "Which bastard stole you away? Tell me, who is he?"
Gu Qingyao's lips twitched.
In an instant, Old Master Yang, Old Master Sun, Old Master Zhou and the other old men had an extremely negative impression about Mo Beihan whom they had not even met.
This young lady was not from the capital, and her partner was definitely not from the capital. If she gets married and has kids and starts a family, wouldn't she not have time to come to the capital to play?
So they would not be able to eat all these delicacies ever again in their lifetime?
No no!
This must not happen!
Gu Qingyao said, "He's from my hometown. We grew up together! We got engaged a long time ago!"
Old Master Sun puffed angrily. "He got engaged to you when you are still underage. He definitely isn't a good person!"
Old Master Zhou hurriedly added on, "That's right, that's right. He grew up with you. He must have persuaded you to be his wife after seeing that you are pretty and cook well. Girl! You must not be cheated! There's plenty of great youth now. I will introduce them to you!"
Old Master Yang echoed after his friends, "Yes, yes, yes! We know a lot of people. We can introduce them to you."
While the old man who just came was very reluctant to let Gu Qingyao leave after just meeting her, the way that the other old men tried to retain her made him remark indifferently, "The people you know are all toilet cleaners."
Old Master Yang glared angrily. "Rubbish. I clearly know many street sweepers too."
Gu Qingyao: "..."
Everyone: "..."
Gu Qingyao shook her head and ignored the stir by the old men. It looked like they were still very close.
She continued to take out some fine grains from her basket and gave them to these elderlies to hide.
The old men's argument intensified and Gu Qingyao cut in, "Grandpas, argue later. The food is getting cold!"
Upon hearing that, they immediately stopped, sat down at the table obediently and picked their chopsticks up to begin eating.
It was highly probable that they would not be able to eat such tasty food in the future, so they must eat more now!
Gu Qingyao found it rather funny how they were eating while bantering. It was also through this did she find out about the grudge among these people.
The newly arrived old man was born to the once-famous Meng family. He was very studious and was a scholarly talent.
However, his family only prospered when he was very young. After his family's downfall, his life was incomparable to the other three old men.
The four of them knew one another since young, and their families were quite close. They could be considered as brothers from the same time period.
Once they reached the age of marriage, all of them fancied the same person, Grandma Meng, who was renowned in the city back then.
Originally, these four brothers pursued Grandma Meng. The young Grandma Meng was the dream lover of many young men, including Old Master Yang, Old Master Sun and Old Master Zhou.
In the end, out of all people, Grandma Meng took a liking to Old Master Meng whose family had fallen, and this frustrated the other three old men!
Chapter 577: Return To Hometown (3)
Who was Grandma Meng?
The daughter of a highly distinguished family!
No matter what, she had to marry someone with a compatible family background to hers!
However, Grandma Meng ultimately chose Old Man Meng and married him without hesitation. She even declared that she fancied his talent.
Old Master Meng was indeed talented!
These people could not be compared to him.
Afterward, Grandma Meng really married Grandpa Meng, and they lived happily and harmoniously, much to the anger of those who were waiting to marry Grandma Meng once she regretted her choice.
From then on, Grandpa Meng's public image as a nerd who only knew how to read and paint was completely destroyed. Instead, he became a cunning big fox who specialised in seducing young ladies.
Since then, Old Master Yang, Old Master Zhou and Old Master Sun bore a grudge toward Old Master Meng, and they had been arguing for their entire life.
Old Master Meng was also a glutton. After learning that Old Master Yang and the rest encountered a great person here, he immediately came over to get a free meal.
Thus, this led to the scene which Gu Qingyao saw when she just came.
Looking at these old men, Gu Qingyao found it a little funny how they were still like kids even though they were so old already.
Once they had eaten their fill, Old Master Yang looked at Gu Qingyao with a grin first. "Girl! Stay in the capital for a few more days, won't you? I will give you more good items. You have so many social connections, so prepare some things for me too."
Old Master Yang and the other two immediately looked toward Old Master Meng. "Him too. Don't stand on ceremony with him. He has plenty of treasures. He is a treasure himself. Girl, let me tell you! Bring him along, and that will be a countless number of treasures."
Old Master Meng nodded immediately. "Yes, yes, yes. I have a lot of treasures. I am a treasure from head to toe. Girl! If you bring me away, I will paint treasures for you every day!"
What is most valuable about him was his paintings! He can paint daily!
He could paint how many you want!
Gu Qingyao: "..."
Old Master Yang took out many items, especially this time. Old Master Meng was fully prepared as well: This time, there were all sorts of famous paintings, porcelain from the Qing dynasty, calligraphy brushes, Blue and White Porcelain of Yuan dynasty and even famous paintings from the Song dynasty.
There was even a gold phoebe decoration. Looking at all these times, Gu Qingyao was simply speechless toward the old men's actions.
It was as if these antiques did not need to be bought with money?
With a gulp, Gu Qingyao accepted all the items.
Old Master Zhou said with a beam, "This is to thank you for taking us during this period of time. We didn't know you're leaving, thus we did not prepare enough this time. Girl, next time when you come, do prepare more things for the new year for us. Bring some tools that are convenient for storing items for yourself as well. We will prepare more good items for you as your wedding present."
Gu Qingyao's heart was warm. "Grandpas, you all don't need to stand on ceremony with me."
Old Master Meng smiled in reply. "We are not, we are not. Anyway, we own plenty of these!"
Gu Qingyao: "..."
Really want to hit you!
What Old Master Meng gifted the most was ancient paintings.
He was the best at painting and naturally loved collecting ancient paintings, so the items he owned were mostly paintings!
Gu Qingyao grinned as she accepted these items and made a mental note to bring more items for these old men the next time.
Gu Qingyao was ecstatic to bring so many treasures back home as Old Master Meng was indeed a master of calligraphy and painting. She took a look at his paintings and realized that his works were indeed relatively valuable!
Chapter 578: Return To Hometown (4)
Especially in ten years' time, his paintings would have the highest price in an auction among the painters of this generation.
This was a moving treasure trove that she met!
In the remaining time, Gu Qingyao prepared the items attentively. She made a trip to Old Master Yang's every two days and always returned with a pile of treasures.
She stayed in the capital for another ten days before finally packing her luggage and taking the train back home.
Mo Beihan had already been wistful while waiting in the provincial capital. His little wife! She's finally coming back!
He couldn't wait anymore!
Gu Qingyao sent a telegram in advance, so Mo Beihan knew when she would arrive. She especially calculated the time to arrive when he was on his break time.
When she arrived, Mo Beihan happened to be on his break.
He had already been waiting at the train station since early. When Mo Beihan saw Gu Qingyao with a little luggage from afar, he wished dearly that he could go toward her and embrace her.
What a pity!
This was a conservative era! He could not do this.
Seeing Gu Qingyao, Mo Beihan stood in front of her excitedly. "Yao Yao..."
Gu Qingyao smiled. "Let's go home! We will be returning to our hometown in a few days!"
Returning to their hometown was great!
Once they return to their hometown, it would be the new year which meant that she would be 18 years old. She can marry at 18!
When the couple reached home, Mo Beihan immediately hugged Gu Qingyao and twirled in circles. "You're finally back. I couldn't wait anymore!
"Let me hug you quickly. A good hug!"
Mo Beihan truly missed her immensely as she had left for so long. Now that she was back, he was naturally extremely delighted!
"All right, all right. Don't mess around anymore. Put me down quickly."
She just had a long train ride, and now that she was being twirled in circles by him, she was giddy!
Mo Beihan put her down quickly. His heart ached dearly at the sight of her exhausted face.
"You must be tired from traveling to and fro! Hurry, wash up and take a nap first."
Without saying anything, Mo Beihan immediately urged Gu Qingyao to wash up before pulling her to the bedroom for her to have a good sleep.
Gu Qingyao was indeed tired from the long train ride. Being embraced in Mo Beihan's arms, she fell asleep in no time.
When she woke up, a whole afternoon had already passed, and the sky had darkened!
"It's so late already?"
Gu Qingyao looked up and mumbled dazedly.
Beside her, Mo Beihan propped his head on a hand and chuckled. "So be it if it is late. If you have not slept enough, you can sleep a while more!"
Having his wife sleeping beside him was the best feeling!
Gu Qingyao looked at him. "I'm hungry!"
Mo Beihan replied immediately, "You can sleep awhile more then. I'll cook for you."
Gu Qingyao pulled him and said, "It's not like I don't have food with me."
She hurriedly got out of bed and went to the living room with Mo Beihan to eat. There were many cooked foods in her interspace that she could eat directly when she was tired and did not wish to cook.
Gu Qingyao only stayed in the provincial capital for a day before heading straight back to her hometown in the Qing River Brigade. However, Mo Beihan did not follow Gu Qingyao as he needed to return home next spring to prepare for the wedding. He needed to take a leave, so he might as well have stayed to work during this period.
Talking about the wedding, Mo Beihan was actually a little torn about it.
He wished to give his Yao Yao the best and wanted to organise a grand wedding. That meant that it would be best to marry her after he returns to the Mo family.
However, he could not wait to marry her.
A struggle!
Chapter 579: Return To Hometown (5)
Gu Qingyao did not have the same struggles as him. She had always thought that Mo Beihan had waited for her for such a long time and definitely could not wait to marry her, so Gu Qingyao had always believed that her wedding would be in the coming spring.
The hometown was still the same as before. However, this time that she was back, Gu Qingyao realized that her grandparents were very emotional, so she immediately asked her father about it.
Gu Yunshen was still as refined as she remembered. Even after laboring in the countryside for so many years, which left a trace of the vicissitude of life, this instead made his distinguished and scholarly aura more attractive!
"There's good news from your Eldest Uncle. Your eldest brother accomplished something great recently and seemed to have gained credit for it. This is a great thing and has a large impact. It will definitely be beneficial to your eldest brother in the future."
It was vague but Gu Qingyao understood.
No wonder she received news back in the capital that her eldest brother had sent a letter to inform the cancellation of the wedding as he was on an assignment and had to postpone the wedding!
It was indeed a major assignment, otherwise, Eldest Brother would not initiate to postpone the wedding
The times were tough, and everyone was trying their best to survive. Eldest Brother's family went to the northeast, and if they wanted to come back to a place that they were familiar with, they had to grab onto any chance, no matter how small, and work hard. Moreover, it was evident that the chance that Eldest Brother got was not an ordinary one.
Gu Qingyao was delighted to hear that!
That was great!
Gu Yunshen was rather joyous that his precious daughter was back and laughed every day. His emotions were fully expressed through the smile on his face. There was no need for words.
However, all of this disappeared when Mo Beihan came back for the new year!
Seeing the passion in the brat's eyes as he looked at his daughter, Gu Yunshen suddenly thought of how his daughter would be 18 after the new year and the brat before him would marry his daughter.
Gu Yunshen was in a bad mood immediately!
He raised his daughter with much difficulty and felt that she had not even grown up and was still a kid!
But she could already marry now?
Furious, Gu Yunshen wanted to throw Mo Beihan out.
Mo Beihan was confused. The new year was coming so he was considered half a son-in-law already, right!
What was wrong with giving some gifts when he came back from another city?
Why was his father-in-law unhappy?
Gu Fangting was watching by the door and laughed when she saw the look of confusion on Mo Beihan's face!
Gu Yunshuang came over and hit her head. "What are you laughing at?"
Gu Fangting looked up and grinned at her mother. "Mother, I saw Young Uncle chasing future brother-in-law out as though he was an enemy!"
Gu Yunshuang was taken aback!
Gu Fangting laughed even harder. "I heard Young Uncle mumbling just now. He said something about his daughter growing up? This young brat is snatching away?"
Gu Yunshuang: "..."
Yao Yao would be 18 after the new year and would be able to marry then!
Looking at Mo Beihan, he probably could not wait any longer!
Gu Fangting chuckled deviously. "Mother, when Elder Sister marries next year, will Young Uncle beat brother-in-law up?"
Gu Yunshuang: "..."
Patting her head again, she said, "Go and study. What do you know at such a young age?"
Gu Fangting lifted her chin. "Why wouldn't I know? I know a lot!"
"Who taught you these?"
"Brother Jiang Xun!"
Gu Yunshuang's brows arched up. "According to seniority, Jiang Xun should call you Aunt!"
Gu Fangting laughed. "When Grandma Jiang was here, she said that there was no need for Brother Jiang Xun and me to be so clear about seniority and that many times, seniority in the family is according to the male side. Brother Jiang Xun is one generation younger than me because of his aunt.
"According to his father and grandfather's seniority in the family, he can be said to be in the same generation as me!"
Chapter 580: The Past Incident, Yao Yao's Mother (1)
Gu Yunshuang laughed. "He still has to address you as aunt because he calls your cousin 'Aunt'!"
Gu Fangting pondered for a moment and her eyes curved into a crescent. "You're right, Mother. I will make Brother Jiang Xun call me Aunt next time then. Hehe!"
Gu Yunshuang rubbed her small head before going back to work.
Mo Beihan and Gu Yunshen were still in a confrontation. Gu Yunshuang merely smiled while shaking her head and did her own work instead of interfering.
At this time, Gu Qingyao did not know what was happening at home as she was at the cowshed talking to her teacher, Zhou Bingsheng!
Zhou BIngsheng was a master painter and had accepted Gu Qingyao as his student a long time ago. Gu Qingyao had already been learning from him for over ten years.
She took a long trip this time whereby she went to Nancheng first and then to the capital. As a result, she had not been interacting with Zhou Bingsheng for quite a while, and this made him very anxious. He found such an ingenious pupil in this countryside after much difficulty, and her learning must not be delayed because of all these matters.
He immediately pulled Gu Qingyao and made her paint. Additionally, he even asked her to let him see the paintings she had done when she was not in the hometown to check if she had been lazy.
Helpless, Gu Qingyao could only show him some paintings she did during the trip before going to the table nearby to do two paintings quickly.
When Zhou Bingsheng saw the paintings she showed, a look of satisfaction plastered on his face. This little girl had been very ingenious since young, and her learning was even faster when she grew up. Looking at these works, Zhou Bingsheng increasingly felt that Gu Qingyao had progressed rapidly over the last two years.
When he put down the painting in his hand and looked up, he realized that Ke Min and the rest surrounded Gu Qingyao and were exclaiming!
"Zhou, Zhou! Look here quickly! Your little disciple is seriously amazing!"
"Oh god! She can accomplish this much at such a young age. This girl's future is unfathomable!"
...
Zhou Bingsheng came to take a look at the two paintings that his disciple just did and was taken aback immediately!
After the last stroke, Gu Qingyao placed the brush down. She was actually a little helpless as she looked at the work before her.
In reality, these works were only eighty percent of her standard.
She was renowned in the painting world and was considered a professional master in the previous lifetime. However, she was only 17 now and naturally could not be too outstanding.
Zhou Bingsheng was, after all, her teacher and knew her skill level. If she suddenly improved too rapidly, he would probably find it strange.
Thus, in the two years that she was reborn, she had always been very cautious. While she only executed eighty percent of her standard from the past lifetime, it was already exceptional for her current 17-year-old self.
Zhou Bingsheng guffawed. "HAHAHAHA! Not bad, not bad. Looks like you did not forget about practicing even when you're out on a trip. Good! Such perseverance is needed for painting."
Gu Qingyao stayed at the cowshed for an entire day and only returned home in the evening when the sun was about to set.
At home, Mo Beihan cast a wrongful look at her, much to Gu Qingyao's confusion!
"What's the matter?"
Mo Beihan did not say anything and merely looked at her plaintively.
Father-in-law bullied me, but I don't dare to say it!
Gu Qingyao could not understand what was wrong with this fellow. Look at his resentful expression...
"All right, all right! Don't be sad. Were you bullied? I will go and settle scores with him in the future to help you vent your anger, alright?"
Mo Beihan's eyes lit up. This is great!
But he dared not tell her who bullied him. What to do?
He should take the opportunity to get some welfare then!