Auntie Qiu continued, "Let me tell you, although we’re relatives, we’re not the closest. I’m from the maternal side, not the in-laws. Besides, my daughter goes to school here, she’s under a lot of academic pressure, constantly has exams, and needs her sleep at night, so it’s impossible to give up her room. If the two elders are to stay here, they can only sleep in the living room by moving a bed out every night."
Auntie Gu started to have second thoughts, "Why don’t you tell this to the two elders?"
This was a classic case of one’s calculations being no match for the shamelessness of two old freeloaders.
To Auntie Qiu’s surprise, when she mentioned that they could only sleep in the living room, both elders didn’t object.
Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu were very clear-headed about their situation, they knew they had no other place to go until they found Gu Nuan to solve their problem. They had to impose on Auntie Qiu for now.
Auntie Qiu had no choice but to let the two elders move in.
Luckily, word came from the Xiao Family that Grandma Xiao said she was free tomorrow and was willing to meet with the two elders from the Gu Family. With this glimmer of hope, the ordeal didn’t seem so unbearable. The group huddled together in Auntie Qiu’s cramped rental, getting through the next couple of days.
That evening, Auntie Qiu stepped out for a while and came back clutching her daughter’s ear, scolding her all the way. "I tell you to study, but all you think about is boys. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself, Qiu Jiali!"
In front of Grandpa Gu, Grandma Gu, and Auntie Gu, Qiu Jiali had lost so much face. In a fit of anger, she shouted at her mother, "Why do you care so much about me? Why don’t you pay attention to brother, he’s out gambling!"
It was a sight to see the Qiu Family in turmoil, and the senior Gus felt it was inappropriate, retreating with Auntie Gu to bond on the balcony. Thankfully, the weather was not yet bitterly cold, so the temperature on the balcony was bearable, otherwise they would have really needed to huddle together for warmth.
By chance, Qiu Jiaxuan, who usually loitered outside, returned home, perhaps having heard that the Gu Family had arrived, adding to the commotion. Upon entering, he overheard his sister mentioning him and shot her an icy look. "Mom’s telling you to study hard, why drag me into it? I’m not the one shirking my responsibilities like you."
Enraged, Qiu Jiali confronted her older brother, "What are you saying? Aren’t you irresponsible? You take mom and dad’s money and squander it—" Follow current novels on novelꞁire.net
"Hey—" Qiu Jiaxuan suddenly pressed a finger to his sister’s agitated mouth, "You ask Mom, do I still owe her money?"
Auntie Qiu said to her daughter with a stern face, "Your brother has made some money recently and paid off his debts. So, go and study hard! If you dare to go to the hospital to see that poor boy again, I’ll break your legs!"
With tears brimming in her eyes, Qiu Jiali ran into her room, feeling wronged, and slammed the door behind her.
Qiu Jiaxuan fiddled with his bangs, saw the Gu Family members on the balcony, and called out cheerfully, "Grandpa Gu, Grandma Gu, it’s late, I brought you some night snacks from Longsheng Restaurant, the crab roe buns."
On hearing about the tasty buns, Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu, who were usually hard of hearing, perked up in an instant and turned to look.
Auntie Qiu just looked at the two elders’ eager faces and felt suffocated, thinking how these two freeloaders had come to impose on her. She turned to her son, who’d brought home the night snacks, feeling puzzled.
Logically, Qiu Jiaxuan was well aware of what sort of people these two elders were. Why was he suddenly sucking up to them?
Qiu Jiaxuan gave his perplexed mother a knowing wink, "Aren’t they Nuannuan’s elders? Mom wants to please Nuannuan, doesn’t she? Getting closer to them wouldn’t hurt."
That suggested his son was thinking ahead, keeping his options open, hoping to play both sides to his advantage.