“Huh, husband, where are you going?” Fang Wanrong had just returned with their youngest son when she saw Sheng Xinhao hurriedly heading out and couldn’t help but ask.
Sheng Zeyu also called out to his father.
Sheng Xinhao glanced at them and said casually, “It’s nothing. I have something to take care of. I’ll be going now.”
Fang Wanrong knew Sheng Xinhao’s current position and didn’t dare press further. She could only watch as his figure quickly disappeared from sight.
Of course, in the days to come, whenever Fang Wanrong recalled this moment, she would be filled with regret.
Had she known that Sheng Xinhao was going to transfer property and money to that brat Sheng Zexi today, she would have used every trick in the book to keep him at home.
Over at Grandpa and Grandma Sang’s place, after hanging up the phone, the old couple was still in a daze.
Especially Grandma Sang, who sighed, “Who would’ve thought? We were just talking about hoping for Little Xi to have a child, and now Ningning is pregnant—with twins, no less. I always said Ningning is a good girl, a lucky star.”
“That’s true.”
“And that Sheng Xinhao actually had the nerve to suggest Little Xi divorce Ningning. Hmph! Let’s not tell him about Ningning’s pregnancy. Let’s see how he feels when his son wants nothing to do with him, and his grandchildren don’t acknowledge him either.”
Grandpa Sang nodded in agreement, but his mind was elsewhere. In six months, his wife would be heading to the Northwest Military District to take care of their granddaughter-in-law.
What about him?
He didn’t want to stay alone in Beijing, stuck with work.
He needed to figure out a way to go with her.
Meanwhile, after hanging up the phone, Sheng Zexi headed back and told Gu Jianing about his grandparents’ plan—how they wanted Sheng Xinhao to transfer the old Sheng family house, the courtyard home, to him, along with half of his savings.
Gu Jianing’s eyes lit up. Grandpa and Grandma were really cunning—oops, no, wise!
They’d managed to trick Sheng Xinhao so effortlessly.
Nice, nice. Whether it was the house or the money, she was all for it.
As for Sheng Zexi mentioning that Sheng Xinhao wanted him to divorce her, she naturally paid it no mind.
After all, there was no way Sheng Zexi would divorce her.
Besides, from the moment she married Sheng Zexi, she knew his relationship with his father was strained. She never expected recognition from her so-called father-in-law.
She didn’t care about that anyway.
For two people coming together, having their family’s blessing was ideal. But if they didn’t get it, she wouldn’t force it.
….
After hanging up the phone call with Gu Jianing, the Gu family returned home.
They quickly noticed something was off with Gu Yunzhou—his expression wasn’t quite right.
Once they got home, Old Man Gu asked, “Third Son, did Ningning say something?”
As soon as the question was asked, everyone else turned to look at Gu Yunzhou. Clearly, they had all picked up on it too.
Gu Yunzhou was startled. “Dad, how did you know?”
Yao Chunhua gave her youngest son a sidelong glance. “We gave birth to you. The moment you lift your tail, we know what kind of fart you’re about to let out.”
Gu Yunzhou: “…” Could’ve phrased that less vividly.
“Ningning did mention some things, but let’s wait until noon when Eldest Brother gets back from the factory before discussing it.”
“Fine.”
Soon, noon arrived. After the family finished lunch, the doors were shut, and everyone gathered together. Gu Yunzhou relayed what Gu Jianing had said—that Wen Zhuqing harbored ill intentions toward Old Man Gu and Eldest Sister-in-law Yang Manman.
“Ningning said he might take action within the next three days, so we need to keep a close eye on Wen Zhuqing.”
“That Wen Zhuqing again!” The moment Yao Chunhua heard the name, her temper flared. She still remembered vividly how her daughter had once chased after Wen Zhuqing and even jumped into a river for him.
She loathed Wen Zhuqing.
Thankfully, after waking up from the river incident, Ningning came to her senses, married Sheng Zexi, and moved with him to the Northwest. Now, she was even pregnant.
“Wasn’t it Wen Zhuqing who caused trouble with the pigpen last time? Now he’s back at it—has he set his sights on our Gu family?”
Old Man Gu’s expression darkened. “Seems like assigning him to manure duty last time was too lenient.”
Previously, though there was no concrete evidence linking Wen Zhuqing to the pigpen incident, everyone knew he was behind it.
So, Old Man Gu, using his authority as village chief, had assigned Wen Zhuqing to manure-collecting duty.
“Now, we need to figure out why Wen Zhuqing is targeting Dad and Manman specifically, and not someone else,” Gu Yunting said with a frown.
Not a single member of the Gu family doubted Gu Jianing’s words.
Even though Gu Jianing was now in the Northwest, if she said something, they believed it without question.
There was a reason for this.
Back when Gu Jianing was just over a year old, nearing two—around the end of 1958—she had once suffered a high fever that lasted two days and two nights.
During the fever, little Jianing woke up in a daze, clutching her parents’ hands. Though her speech was still halting at the time, what she said shocked Old Man Gu and Yao Chunhua to the core…
Every single one of them was terrifying—they were life-and-death matters.
At the time, they thought little Gu Jianing was just delirious from the fever, spouting nonsense.
But she insisted they had to go, or she would throw a fit and cry uncontrollably.
Old Man Gu and Yao Chunhua doted on Jianing the most, and since they also had some savings back then, they humored her.
Little Jianing was satisfied when she saw the cellar fully stocked with food.
Later, she fell asleep, her fever broke, and by the time she recovered, she had no memory of the incident.
But the way things unfolded afterward left everyone stunned.
Those three years—none of the Gu family ever wanted to look back on them.
Thankfully, thanks to that cellar packed with food, the Gu family survived.
While many other families lost members during that time, the Gus came through intact.
Though little Jianing didn’t remember, the rest of the family never forgot.
It was her words that had saved them all.
Later, as Jianing grew up, something similar happened again—this time, her warning saved Old Man Gu and Gu Yunting from near-certain death.
That was why the Gu family spoiled Jianing so much.
And why they believed her words without question.
Even now, with her thousands of miles away in the Northwest Military District, if Jianing said something, they trusted it.
So, the family began analyzing why Wen Zhuqing would target Old Man Gu and Yang Manman.
Gu Yunzhou, always the sharpest thinker, spoke up first.
“Attacking Dad makes sense—he’s the head of the family, and his position as village chief restricts Wen Zhuqing’s actions. If Dad weren’t the chief, Wen Zhuqing wouldn’t have to worry about him.”
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