Chapter 50: Someone’s Chaotic Operations

Gu Yannan pulled the siblings eavesdropping by the door aside and said, “Move, Grandfather has left!”

Gu Yanting asked nervously, “Second Brother, did Mom and Elder Brother argue again?”

Gu Yannan didn’t respond. He simply turned the doorknob and walked out, quickly returning to the dining table and picking up his chopsticks.

Seeing that his mother and elder brother were ignoring each other, he tried to ease the tension between them.

Gu Yannan picked up a piece of braised pork and said, “Elder Brother, would you like some more? There’s braised pork tonight—your favorite.”

Gu Yan’an’s handsome face remained calm, though a hint of melancholy lingered between his brows. “No, you have more. Yanbei loves braised pork the most. Nowadays, I only like beef.”

Gu Yanbei walked over with a cheeky grin. “Elder Brother, how did you know I love braised pork? Mom said I’ve been working hard, so she specially made it for me today.”

Without even lifting his eyes, Gu Yan’an replied in a cool, distant tone, “Then have more.”

Gu Wenlin helped Gu Guozhong into the car, got scolded a few times, and returned with a dark expression.

Back home, Gu Wenlin didn’t even have time to eat. He sat right beside Gu Yan’an.

“Yan’an, how’s your leg? Let Dad see the wound!”

Gu Yan’an smiled faintly. “Dad, it’s just a small scar—nothing worth looking at. My leg has almost fully recovered.”

“Regardless, you should rest properly after surgery. They say it takes a hundred days for bones and tendons to heal, and you’ve had surgery.”

“Dad, it’s fine. The surgery was performed by my girlfriend—she’s very skilled.”

Gu Wenlin grinned. “Really? Good for you, finding a doctor as your girlfriend. How old is she?”

Noticing everyone perking up with keen interest, Gu Yan’an chuckled softly. “She just turned twenty. She’s an orthopedic doctor at First People’s Hospital.”

“She’s only three years older than Tingting, and Tingting is still in school? And she’s already a full-fledged doctor?”

“Dad, you know primary school is five years, middle and high school are two years each, and medical school is five years, including her one-year hospital internship.

Momo started first grade at six, began her internship at nineteen, and became a full doctor at twenty.”

Gu Wenlin thought Yan’an certainly had good taste. He clapped his hands happily, his eyes brimming with joy.

“Wow, Yan’an’s girlfriend is a college graduate! Impressive, impressive! But her name is Momo—which ‘mo’ is it? The ‘mo’ for ‘stranger,’ or the ‘mo’ for ‘tacit understanding’?”

Before Gu Yan’an could answer, Gu Yanbei chimed in, “Elder Brother, it’s not the ‘mo’ for ‘indifferent,’ is it? Or the ‘mo’ for ‘ink’?”

Gu Yan’an shot Gu Yanbei a sharp glare. “Did you waste your education? How dreadful to be so uncultured! My Momo’s ‘mo’ is the one from ‘mutual support in hardship’—like the gentle rain at summer’s end, understand?”

Gu Yannan chuckled. It was the first time he’d seen his elder brother argue so heatedly with his own brother over a woman.

Gu Yan’an couldn’t be bothered with his little brother, who loved pretending to be well-behaved and clever. He took a jar of Beef Sauce from a bag and handed it to Gu Wenlin.

“Dad, this Beef Sauce was made by my girlfriend. Take it to eat with your rice!”

Gu Wenlin cheerfully took the jar of Beef Sauce back to the dining table, gently unscrewed the lid, and took a whiff.

“So fragrant! The beef chunks inside are huge and plentiful. Hui Juan, would you like a spoonful?”

Pan Huijuan turned her head away, silently eating the rice in her own bowl.

Gu Yanting wanted some but felt embarrassed. In the end, she still handed her bowl over. “Dad, give me a little. I want to taste what this beef sauce is like.”

Gu Wenlin scooped a spoonful for each of the children, then half a spoonful for himself, and a full spoonful for Pan Huijuan.

“Try it, everyone try it! Yan’an carried this all the way back from Haishi with great effort.”

Gu Yanbei mixed the rice and beef sauce with his chopsticks and quickly took a big mouthful.

“Dad, this beef sauce is really delicious and goes perfectly with rice. Give me another spoonful! I can eat another bowl of rice. When Grandfather came, I was so scared I couldn’t even eat properly.”

“Third Brother, there isn’t much left in the jar. It seems Elder Brother hasn’t had any yet?”

Gu Yan’an glanced at Gu Yanting, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. “Little Sister, don’t worry about me. If you all like it, go ahead and eat. I kept a jar for myself.”

“Elder Brother, did your partner only give you two small jars of beef sauce?”

Gu Yan’an raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Want some? Sure, Grandfather has a whole big jar over there.”

How would he dare to snatch food from Grandfather? That would be like an old man hanging himself—asking for trouble.

Gu Yanbei sighed. “If only Elder Brother had married Elder Sister-in-law earlier…”

Pan Huijuan frowned. A single jar of beef sauce had won him over—Yanbei, that little traitor.

To show his stance and support for his elder brother, Gu Yannan smiled and said to Gu Yan’an, “Elder Brother, the partner you’ve chosen must naturally be outstanding. Keep it up! I wish you success in winning her heart soon.”

The autumn air grew cooler, and the evening breeze was exceptionally gentle, like a pair of soft hands lightly brushing against his face.

Gu Yan’an smiled and took a handful of beef jerky from his bag, placing it gently on the table in front of Gu Yannan.

“Thank you, and I wish you success in finding a girl you like soon too.”

Gu Yannan picked up a piece of beef jerky, chewed it carefully, and gave a thumbs-up. “Elder Brother, this beef jerky tastes great.”

Gu Yanbei grew envious, and so did Gu Yanting. They subconsciously swallowed their saliva, gazing eagerly at Gu Yanbei. “Elder Brother…”

Gu Yan’an turned his face away. Calling him “Elder Brother” was useless—these two little ingrates hadn’t truly stood up to speak for his partner.

Gu Wenlin set down his bowl and chopsticks and sat back down beside Gu Yan’an. “Yan’an, I forgot to ask you, what’s your partner’s surname?”

“Dad, Momo’s surname is Lan, as in ‘blue’—the blue that surpasses indigo.”

Gu Yanbei pouted. “Isn’t it just the ‘blue’ of the sky, the ‘blue’ of the color?”

Elder Brother was so stingy, only giving Second Brother beef jerky and not sharing even a little with him and Little Sister. How petty.

“That’s a good surname—Lan Mo. It’s a nice name too. They say women are made of water, gentle as water. A girl’s name with the water radical means she must be beautiful and have a gentle nature.”

Gu Yan’an stood up excitedly, grabbing Gu Wenlin’s hand. “Dad, you’re absolutely right!”

Then he took another handful of beef jerky from his bag and stuffed it into Gu Wenlin’s hand. “Here, have some beef jerky. This was also specially given to me by my partner for the journey. I couldn’t bear to eat it the whole way.”

Gu Yanbei seemed to have finally grasped the secret to getting meat. Smiling, he walked up to Gu Yan’an and said, “Elder Brother, your future wife must be drop-dead gorgeous, as beautiful as a flower!”

“Wow, you finally know how to use idioms correctly. Alright then, I’ll give you two pieces of beef jerky too.”

“Elder Brother, why only two pieces? You gave Second Brother and Dad a whole handful.”

“You only used two idioms. Yanbei and Dad gave us their sincere blessings.”

Now everyone finally understood—Gu Yan’an had been putting on a show on purpose, just to get them to praise and acknowledge his girlfriend.

Gu Yan’an’s little act was quite something. Gu Wenlin and Gu Yannan couldn’t hold back their laughter, nearly doubling over with amusement.

“Alright, Yan’an, just take out all the snacks you brought back from Haishi. Stop teasing them.

Oh, and Yanting, remember this! Your elder brother now has a girlfriend, so don’t bring up Bai Wei anymore.”

Gu Yan’an raised an eyebrow and asked, “Dad, what about Bai Wei? Did Mom call me back just to try and set me up with her?”

Pan Huijuan finally lost her patience and said, “What’s wrong with Bai Wei? You grew up together, childhood sweethearts. She has a good temperament, she’s pretty, and she has a stable job. Most importantly, we know her background well.”

“Childhood sweethearts? Grew up together? There are plenty of female comrades in the compound who grew up with me. Does that mean every one of them is my childhood sweetheart?

If that’s the case, Bai Wei also played in the mud with Yandong and Yanbei. Does that make her their childhood sweetheart too?

I have no problem with Mom liking Bai Wei, but you can’t force me to like her. If I liked her, I would’ve fallen for her back in my teenage years when emotions start stirring. Unfortunately, my youth came a bit late—I’ve only ever had feelings for Momo.”

Gu Yan’an once again forced his family to endure a mouthful of “dog food.” Gu Yannan burst out laughing.

“Elder Brother, Yanbei once said that marrying a woman three years older is like holding a gold brick. He mentioned before that he wanted to marry Bai Wei.”

Gu Yanbei retorted, “Second Brother, I was just joking. I prefer cuter female comrades. Sister Weiwei is too gentle.”

Gu Yannan said to Pan Huijuan, “Mom, see? None of us three brothers like Bai Wei, so please don’t drag her into our lives.”

Pan Huijuan said irritably, “Fine, if you don’t like her, you don’t like her. But Yandong likes her a lot. Don’t come crying with regrets later.”

Gu Yan’an sneered, “Whoever regrets it is a turtle’s egg. I certainly won’t regret it.”

The corner of Gu Yannan’s mouth lifted slightly into a strange smile, and he declared firmly, “Only a turtle’s egg would regret it!”

Gu Yanbei looked at Gu Yan’an, then at Gu Yannan, and awkwardly laughed, “Anyone who likes her is a turtle’s egg!”

Gu Wenlin laughed heartily—all his good sons.

Gu Yanting thought to herself, what’s so bad about Sister Weiwei? Why don’t my brothers like her?

Seeing Gu Yanting hanging her head in silence, Gu Yan’an wondered if the little girl had some grievances.

“Tingting, if you like Bai Wei, you can hang out with her. I won’t interfere, but please, don’t bring her around me. I have a girlfriend now, and I need to avoid any misunderstandings.”

Gu Yanting immediately stood up, raised her hand, and said, “Got it, Elder Brother! I swear I’m not a turtle’s egg either!”

Gu Yanting’s words made everyone burst into laughter, unable to stop—this bastard’s rhythm was getting more and more off track!