"What? You won’t give it?" Old Lady Huang knew that Gu Youyou would refuse, but she hadn’t expected the refusal to be so forthright.
Glaring at Gu Youyou with her triangular eyes, she said harshly, "That’s because I care about your grandfather. He’s the only one in our family who knows how to make these dustpans. Our dustpans have broken, and with all the farm work he has to do, he doesn’t have time to fix them. If you don’t give us one, he’ll have to repair them by the light of an oil lamp. He’s old and can’t afford to stay up late!"
Old man Gu was fond of Gu Youyou, and Old Lady Huang was well aware of this; however, Gu Youyou, intractable as she was, cared deeply for her grandfather.
Just consider when old master Gu was working in the fields, she even boiled water to make tea and personally brought it out to him!
Of the whole family working in the fields, who other than the old master could have tea provided by this stubborn girl?
Gu Youyou did indeed care for Gu Feng, the only one in the world who treated her well, but she was not willing to simply give things to Old Lady Huang.
Gu Youyou had no idea whether the Gu Family’s dustpans were really broken, but if Gu Feng needed one, she would certainly provide it.
Gu Youyou’s expression softened, and the two women from the Huang Family also began to smile.
They thought to themselves: If a cord of hemp breaks, replace it with a chain of iron—I refuse to believe I can’t hold onto you!
Wang Shun, ever so straightforward, upon hearing Old Lady Huang speak , casually took a finished dustpan and asked Gu Youyou, "Sister, why don’t... you just give one to Granny Gu?"
Gu Youyou waved her hand, "It’s yours anyway; take it if you want to."
"Eh!" he stood up, pleased, taking the dustpan to Old Lady Huang and simultaneously feeling relieved.
He was afraid of women quarreling, especially the two Huang women sitting across from him. He knew he had to build a good relationship with them!
"Hold on!" Just as Huang Xiangwen was about to take the smiling dustpan, Gu Youyou swiftly reached out and grabbed it first, saying with a smile to Old Lady Huang, "Granny, how could we let you fetch it yourself? I’ll make a trip tomorrow and bring it over to you!"
The expression on Old Lady Huang’s face stiffened as she coldly said, "If you’re unwell, just rest up at home. I can take it back myself!"
She had already made the trip over; how could she leave empty-handed?
Moreover, seeing Gu Youyou’s behavior, Old Lady Huang feared that she was up to no good!
In the past, with Gu Youyou spending all day in bed, Old Lady Huang hadn’t realized just how cunning the girl could be. Then she thought, if someone could survive ten years of illness without dying, subsisting as a mere bag of bones and still endure, how could her cunning be matched by that of ordinary people?
This girl frightened her!
Still, she was unwilling to just leave , so she reached out to take the dustpan from Gu Youyou’s hand.
With a clever turn, Gu Youyou took the dustpan straight into the house and then stood at the doorway, "Granny, let me take it. It’s been so long since I visited the Gu Family, I should go and see how they are doing!"
Gu Youyou said this meaningfully, causing the two women from the Huang Family to grow even more uneasy.
Could Gu Youyou truly be so kind-hearted?
But Gu Youyou, without any rush, gathered up the finished dustpans into the house, leaving Old Lady Huang looking worse than ever.
Huang Xiangwen whispered to Old Lady Huang, "Mother, I think this girl is up to no good. Let’s just go into her room and take it!"
Old Lady Huang narrowed her triangular eyes thoughtfully, then waved her hand dismissively, "Forget it. If she dares not to bring it tomorrow, I’ll come looking for trouble. I refuse to believe that this wretched girl can turn the world upside down!"
She glanced at Jin Zijin, who sat there quietly, and somehow felt that this hunter, who seemed so honest and simple, was even more unsettling than Gu Youyou!
The next day, Gu Youyou packed up some dry mushrooms she had picked and one dustpan and went to the Gu Family’s home!
She timed her visit perfectly, arriving just as Gu Feng and the others were returning from the fields!