Chapter Fifty-Five: Returning to the Gu Family

After disembarking, Gu Zhiheng took the old man home by taxi. Having endured his grandfather’s endless tirade all the way, Gu Zhiheng now wished to say nothing at all—not a word, not even to open his mouth.

The old man was inexhaustible, doubting his abilities every step and refusing to believe even a shred of his divination. He insisted that Gu Zhiheng, young as he was, had chosen the wrong path, becoming some charlatan to swindle and deceive, which was certainly not a good thing.

“Grandfather, I beg you, please say less!” His ears felt calloused from the barrage; he no longer considered his previous idle hours to have been boring. Compared to his grandfather’s nagging, silence seemed perfectly pleasant. Jinghua, his other frequent source of annoyance, was nothing by comparison—mere child’s play.

“All right, all right, I’m tired of talking to you!” Children are always children—he truly felt his age.

At half past six, the two finally arrived at the Gu family home.

“Mom, Xiaxia, we’re back!” Gu Zhiheng shouted from the doorway, and the door creaked open.

“Brother, you’re home!” Gu Zhixia saw him and hurled herself into his arms.

Turning, she caught sight of their grandfather’s jealous expression, and with a grin and a grimace, slipped down from Gu Zhiheng’s embrace.

“Grandfather, flying must have been exhausting, come in and rest!” She nearly pushed her grandfather into a fit of jealousy. Nowadays, parents were hard to manage; even at his age, the old man still competed for affection.

“Dad, Ah Heng, how did you end up together?” Mrs. Gu looked at her father and son in surprise.

“We bumped into each other on the plane, so we came back together.” The old man eyed Gu Zhiheng with a hint of discontent and strode inside in a huff.

Mrs. Gu—Qin Anlu—watched her father with helpless resignation. Decades had passed, yet he remained the same mischievous old child, unchanged.

“Come in, your grandfather is always like that, just like a kid.” She took Gu Zhiheng’s hand and led him into the courtyard, her face aglow with happiness. Her father had returned to visit her, her son was back as well—she couldn’t have asked for more.

It was only a pity that her mother had been gone for many years. Her family had always treated her father poorly; she wondered if she could persuade him to stay this time. As for her son, she had no idea how long he would remain before leaving again.

She always felt that her life was a series of farewells to the people who mattered most.

---

“Mom, has the Gu family been peaceful while I was away?” He wasn’t sure if the eccentric relatives had caused any trouble.

“It’s been fine. Xiaxia is home for vacation, keeping me company, and Yuer has been well-behaved too.” Qin Anlu always seemed delicate and frail, soft in her manner. Perhaps it was this gentleness that made the Gu family think she was easily bullied.

“Mom, I won’t be here long this time. I’ll have to leave in a couple of days, so you must take care of yourself.” He still had piles of work to handle, and family truly had to wait until last. When things were finally resolved, when all went smoothly, he would have time to be with them every day.

Perhaps then, he would learn the ordinary affections of the world, those trivial, tender little words.

“Your father will be home later. Have something to eat with your grandfather first.” Qin Anlu reluctantly let go of Gu Zhiheng’s hand.

She had only caught a glimpse of her child at birth before he was taken away. The first few years, she wept every day until her eyes were nearly blinded by tears.

...

“Come, come, let’s have a toast as a family to celebrate Xiaxia finishing her exams!” Gu Minghui raised his glass for everyone to join in the celebration.

Seeing his long-absent father-in-law and son, he felt a surge of excitement.

“A toast, everyone, raise your glasses!”

“A toast, let’s be happy tonight!”

“…”

The family was harmonious, the atmosphere warm and close.

Gu Zhiheng was keenly aware that such moments were rare for him. In the future, his time with them would grow ever shorter, and his debts to them ever deeper.

“Boy, are you leaving again after this visit? Why did you run off to Chigang City?” The old man chatted with everyone as he drank.

Gu Zhiheng was in much better spirits now, no longer bothered by the old man's chatter. “I was there for work. If I’d known you lived in Chigang City, Grandfather, I would have come to mooch a meal from you.”

So tired—he never realized conversation could be so exhausting.

The old man’s health was good, his spirits high; it made Gu Zhiheng, a young man, seem rather lacking by comparison.

“Grandfather, it’s not good for elderly people to stay up late. Go wash up and get to bed.” Gu Zhixia caught Gu Zhiheng’s glance and pulled the old man along, acting coquettish and cute.

Dinner lasted until nine o’clock, and Gu Zhiheng spent three hours listening to his grandfather complain about the Gu family.

---

He couldn’t understand it—if his grandfather looked down on the Gu family so much, why had he married his mother off to his father?

“Mom, when you have some free time, take Yuer out for a stroll. It’s good for your health.” Gu Zhiheng was now quick to cast a divination; it cost him nothing.

So when he was with family, he would observe their situations and give timely reminders.

His divination didn’t affect himself, nor did it influence those he read for.

He owed this to the punishments the Gu family had endured, and the altered fate that followed.

“All right, I’ll go out for walks when I’m free. You don’t need to worry about me.” Qin Anlu felt a warmth in her heart. Her son and daughter had grown up; she could rest easy.

She’d once thought she wouldn’t live long, but having lasted this long, she was grateful.

Yet she regretted not being able to see her son fall in love, marry, and have children.

Xiaxia had just come of age; her life was only beginning, and Qin Anlu could hardly bear to part with her children.

Her husband had only recently escaped the Gu family’s cage, finally living as himself; she couldn’t bear to leave them either.

Yuer was still so young—what would happen if she wasn’t there?

“Mom, don’t overthink it. Just help big sister raise her child well, and everything will be fine.” Gu Zhiheng nearly sighed aloud.

His mother was still too sentimental, always overthinking, putting too much pressure on herself.

Things weren’t nearly as bad as she imagined; all her stress was self-imposed, her own fears.

Since his father took over the Gu family, everything had improved, and his mother’s health would gradually recover.

He couldn’t say these things outright, and his hints were never quite understood; he felt helpless.

His grandfather didn’t believe him, his sister was still too young, his father was busy every day, and his mother was lost in her own world.

In this family, not a single person understood him—he was truly miserable.

“Uncle, I’m sleepy, carry me~” Yuer, with her soft, childish voice, reached out to Gu Zhiheng for a hug.

Her eyes could barely stay open for sleepiness, yet she still tumbled into his arms.

She’d grown noticeably plumper in the past month, and ever more adorable.

“Good girl, uncle will carry you upstairs so you and grandma can rest early, all right?” Gu Zhiheng soothed the child with patience, showing none of the cold distance he usually maintained.