Tong Yao almost laughed out of breath, "You’re not that old, only two years apart! How could this be considered a case of ’an old cow eating tender grass’? I think you and Hongwei would make quite a pair, with one being calm and the other active. It’s just that Hongwei’s motives are usually hard to figure out. It seems that he’s never been in a relationship, and right now, his focus might be entirely on his work!"
Guo Jinnian pouted, "No matter how hard he’s working, he can’t just ignore his lifelong affairs, can he? After all, being in a relationship and striving in his career don’t necessarily conflict."
Tong Yao shook her head slightly, "It’s not like that. For Gu Hongwei, he is now alone, free to strive. If he has to undertake a relationship, when making many decisions, he may have to think much more and may be bound by it."
Guo Jinnian muttered, "I’m not that kind of small-minded woman. I can fully support his career."
Tong Yao initially thought that Guo Jinnian merely had a crush on Gu Hongwei. After hearing this, she couldn’t help but become serious and cautioned, "Jinnian, Hongwei has gone through hardships. Success means so much to him that he might not consider marriage until he has achieved it. If you really fall for him and decide to stand by him, you might endure a lot of pain in the future. Moreover, by the end of it all, you might end up with nothing in the end. You have to think it over carefully."
In their past life, Gu Hongwei remained single even into his forties. Tong Yao was worried that Gu Hongwei may end up the same way in this life. If that were the case, wouldn’t Guo Jinnian be pitiful?
A woman’s best years might all be spent on a man, but in the end, they may not grow old together.
Guo Jinnian pondered for a moment before sighing, "Yaoyao, to be honest, I previously intended to remain single for the rest of my life, without much thought of getting married."
She then awkwardly admitted, "Actually, I’ve only just confirmed that I like Gu Hongwei. I don’t really harbor the idea of growing old together with him. I just think he’s a nice person. As for the future, we’ll let destiny decide! Who knows, maybe I might fall out of love with him and move on to somebody else on the way. I’m still waiting for Uncle Tong to introduce me to somebody else indeed."
Tong Yao chuckled, "As long as you’re open-minded about it, I can rest assured. Compelling yourself in a relationship is not a good idea. Don’t let it bring you down, I can’t bear to see you heartbroken, suffering from insomnia, loss of appetite or resorting to alcohol."
Guo Jinnian smirked and pulled a funny face, "I’m not that emotional. Love is just the seasoning of life for me. I can live an exciting life even without it."
She suddenly straightened up, looking serious, "Yaoyao, you absolutely have to keep this a secret from me. I don’t want Gu Hongwei to know any of this or else he would definitely look down upon me in his heart, making it awkward for us to stay around each other."
At the bottom of her heart, Guo Jinnian was slightly proud. She believed it would be a total embarrassment if Gu Hongwei found out about her feelings.
Tong Yaohui must have had a private chat with Gu Hongwei before and, accordingly, Gu Hongwei must have rejected her. She couldn’t afford to reveal her feelings again, it would be too humiliating.
Tong Yao nodded, "Don’t worry, I won’t say it out."
Excited like a child, Guo Jinnian extended her pinkie, "Let’s make a pinkie promise."
Tong Yao stretched out her pinkie finger and hooked hers, "Feeling better now?"
Guo Jinnian chuckled repeatedly, "Certainly."
She then dove into the blankets, "Yaoyao, your sofa is really warm. I’ll sleep here. If you feel tired, you can go sleep in your room. Don’t worry about me."
The sofa was indeed quite warm, and Tong Yao wasn’t worried that Guo Jinnian would catch a cold. After watching TV for a while, Tong Yao went back to her room to sleep. Guo Jinnian, on the other hand, was full of energy. She got addicted to a popular drama series on TV and didn’t fall asleep until the early morning. Her eyes were puffy when she woke up.
While having breakfast, she complained about how inconsiderate the TV show was. She was enjoying the series so much when it abruptly ended.
"Yaoyao, I’m coming over again to finish the drama tonight. I’ll be renting your sofa for these few days, it will be less boring for you."
Guo Miaomiao cautiously asked, "Sister, can I also come and watch the show tonight?"
She also liked watching TV, but her family didn’t have one. The village had a TV shop, but her parents didn’t allow her to go watch there at night. Thus, she could only occasionally hear about the plot from others.
Guo Jinnian teased her, "I can’t decide that. You have to ask Yaoyao. She’s your boss now, we are living in her house."
Guo Miaomiao looked at Tong Yao eagerly, "Sister Yaoyao, can I come watch TV tonight?"
Tong Yao glared at Guo Jinnian accusingly, "Your third sister is messing with you. Feel free to come over anytime."
Guo Miaomiao’s face lit up with delight, "Thank you, Sister Yaoyao."
Sister Zheng served everyone a bowl of porridge. Seeing Miaomiao’s cuteness, she chuckled, "Jinnian, your little sister is really cute. She looks a lot like you when she smiles."
Guo Jinnian said, "Among my siblings, only she and I have similar faces. We look like our mother, while my other sister and brother look like our father."
Upon hearing this, Gu Hongwei glanced over at Guo Miaomiao. When she smiled, she did look quite similar to Guo Jinnian.
Miaomiao’s appetite was impressive. She had six buns, two bowls of porridge, and two boiled eggs for breakfast, even more than what Gu Hongwei had.
Usually, Miaomiao did many farm chores back home. Her stomach lacked nourishment, causing her to eat a lot, especially these meat buns, which she virtually couldn’t get at home. Even during the lunar New Year, her parents would not let her eat as freely as this.
Her parents played favorites quite harshly. The only ones who could freely eat meat at home were her father and brother. Even her mother didn’t have this privilege, so Guo Miaomiao always had to watch and salivate.
Now that she could eat as much as she wanted, she felt greatly fortunate. She was determined to work hard in the future to repay Sister Yaoyao and her third sister for their kindness. They were much better to her than her parents were.
For the first time, Guo Miaomiao was experiencing the warmth of kinship. She wouldn’t get hit for eating an extra bun anymore, nor did she need to worry that her father would beat her should he lose money gambling.
After breakfast, Tong Yao, Guo Jinnian took Guo Miaomiao out shopping for clothes. They went to a local market in Kyoto which sold reasonably priced clothes. As Miaomiao had just arrived in Kyoto, and was about to start working, she didn’t need any expensive clothing. Some affordable clothes would be sufficient.
The three of them strolled around the market, buying two sets of clothes for Guo Miaomiao.
This was Guo Miaomiao’s first time shopping for clothes and she was so excited that her hands were shaking. She was very cautious about entering the shops and touching the clothes for fear she might make them dirty.
When they left the shop, she clutched her new clothes, her eyes sparkling brightly like stars. She did not dare to step away from Tong Yao and Guo Jinnian, as if someone might snatch her clothes away.
Tong Yao knew that Guo Miaomiao wouldn’t have had many opportunities to even visit the town where she was staying, not to mention a big city like Kyoto. It’s normal for her to feel nervous and anxious, and all she could do was to let her acclimate herself gradually.