Gu Nuan didn't know what to say about that. Of course, if Wa Zicong wanted to completely forget the debt of favors he owed the Gu Family, the Gu family would certainly not agree.
"Just wait!" Gu's mother and daughter shared the same stubborn temperament, "I want to see when he gets struck by lightning!"
Gu's father was startled by her words and muttered, "You don't need to curse him. Besides, our daughter will definitely marry someone better than him."
"Do I even need to say it?" Standing with her hands on her hips, Gu's mother confidently told her daughter, "You should find someone wealthier than him."
Wa Zicong could hardly be considered wealthy—he was at best a pretty boy who had snagged a wealthy patron, Gu Nuan thought. In fact, she was somewhat curious about what kind of wealthy young lady Wa Zicong had lured. Vaguely, it seemed there was something she didn't know?
The whole family exhaled in unison. Gu's father collapsed into the sofa, scratching his head, and called out, "Dinner! Dinner—"
Looking up at the clock, by this curse, it was already seven o'clock in the evening.
Gu Nuan joined her mother in the kitchen to prepare dinner. Due to the rush, they simply made two or three easy home-cooked dishes. While the family was eating dinner, the doorbell rang.
"Who could that be?" Gu's mother wondered.
Gu's father did not look up, "It must be one of your chatty coworkers who likes to drop by."
Gu's mother had worked at an electric power plant and had retired early—most of her friends were from the plant. After retirement, the loneliness at home was inevitable, so she often visited neighbors.
Visiting after dinner to chat was a common occurrence. The most update n0vels are published on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁
But Gu's mother remembered that her group of friends were usually too busy with family in the evenings to visit. Rather, it was Gu's father's friends who loved to play mahjong at night. Of course, Gu's father never gathered his friends for mahjong at home.
The two of them thought it through but finally turned their gaze toward their daughter.
Gu Nuan said, "I only told my family."
Gu Nuan had some friends in her hometown but they were just acquaintances with whom she barely kept in touch; naturally, she wouldn't have specifically notified them of her brief return.
Unable to guess who it might be, Gu's mother told her daughter to stay seated while she went to answer the door, fearing her often-absent daughter might not recognize the visitor and inadvertently be rude. Moreover, her daughter's hearing problem was always something to be careful about.
Gu Nuan stood up and began clearing the dining table.
Gu's father, in his slippers, walked into the hallway leading to the front door to take a look.
Hearing Gu's mother exclaim in surprise, "Why are you here? Third Aunt!"
This Third Aunt was a cousin of Gu's father, surnamed Qiu.
Qiu Third Aunt entered the Gu's living room, looked around, and asked, "Have you considered moving to a new house?"
Both Gu's father and mother were speechless; all their savings had gone into their daughter's dowry.
At that moment, Qiu Third Aunt saw Gu Nuan, her lips slightly curved, and said, "Gu Nuan is home. Are you planning to get married? Did your parents put the money for a new house into buying a house for you?"
Gu's mother abruptly tugged at Gu's father's sleeve.
Gu's father gave Gu's mother a helpless look.
He couldn't figure out why Qiu Third Aunt had come.
Qiu Third Aunt probably visited their home less than once a year. Since Qiu Third Aunt didn't live nearby and was wealthy, as the saying goes, rich relatives do not like to associate with poor ones and only poor relatives like to cling to the legs of rich ones. Therefore, Qiu Third Aunt generally did not think of visiting the Gu's.
"Take a seat, Third Aunt," Gu Nuan replied calmly to Qiu Third Aunt's clearly barbed remark, assuming that Qiu Third Aunt believed she couldn't hear.
It wasn't uncommon to have one or two such characters among relatives; it wasn't unique to their family.
Qiu Third Aunt really sat down, sinking into the sofa like a dead fish, exhaling a long breath.
Caught by surprise at her unprecedented expression, Gu's mother stepped forward and asked, "What happened?"
Pointing to her legs, Qiu Third Aunt said, "Do you know how far I walked this afternoon?"
Of course, Gu's mother couldn't answer. Although Qiu Third Aunt was wealthy and preferred taking taxis over driving, she never needed to walk.
Why had Qiu Third Aunt suddenly walked on her own?
Looking at her intently, as if drilling into Gu's mother's face, Qiu Third Aunt asked, "Didn't the two of you buy a house in the city?"
"Um—" said Gu's mother, "you know we did."
"The house you bought three years ago has appreciated, I heard it's now worth more than double. I remember you bought it for around one million. Now, that house is said to have risen to three or four million. You two really know how to invest, I had no clue before."
Gu's parents were stunned as if struck by lightning.
They had been so preoccupied with digesting Wa Zicong's betrayal that they had forgotten about that property. It seemed they hadn't actually lost money!
Looking up with a smile, Qiu Third Aunt watched them and said, "Since you are so good at buying houses, why don't you give me some advice? I was wondering if I should sell mine?"