Chapter 132: Chapter 122: The Audacious Girl

On Sunday morning, Gu Shaojun received a call from Zheng Shaolian.

Zheng Shaolian no longer went to the post office; he now knew to run over to the military district to borrow Yang’s phone.

"Shaolian, how was the drive yesterday? Did you run into any trouble? Did you get Xiao Man home safely?"

"What trouble could there be? Bro, you know my driving skills! It didn’t even take three hours to get there. The road conditions were pretty good, no particularly strange or dangerous spots. If it weren’t for the old lady next door not being able to handle the bumps, I could’ve gone even faster! Hey, Bro, you knew that girl’s name is Xiao Man? She’s a little swindler. I got tricked by her!"

Gu Shaojun was amused. "Don’t go giving people random nicknames. She doesn’t like it. Did you remember the route, and the village?"

"Why would I need to remember it? The village is right next to the highway. Xiao Man’s home environment is pretty nice. It’s on slightly higher ground. If they knocked down the front wall, the view would be wide open. The courtyard is spacious and clean, and there’s a garden for flowers and vegetables. And those greens were to die for... There’s a big pear tree, so there will be pears to eat next July. They’re also raising two little black pigs for the New Year’s slaughter next year..."

Gu Shaojun was taken aback. ’How did this kid suddenly become such a chatterbox?’ he thought. ’And this year’s Spring Festival hasn’t even passed, yet he’s already thinking about something as far off as next year. Just how much free time do you have?’

"Stick to the important points. Are her elderly family members in good health? Xiao Man is an orphan..."

"Right, right, right! This is also what I wanted to discuss with you, Big Brother. Xiao Man is an orphan, found and raised by them. This is great!"

Gu Shaojun was speechless. ’Zheng Shaolian, you’re asking for a beating.’

"Bro? Bro, are you listening?" Zheng Shaolian continued excitedly, "I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to bring Xiao Man back to Beijing. Shao Jin would definitely be happy to have a little sister! And even if he isn’t, I can support her myself!"

Gu Shaojun frowned. "This isn’t for you to worry about. Tell me, how old are the two of them?"

"Oh, I didn’t see them. Xiao Man wouldn’t say where her grandparents went. I secretly asked the old lady next door, and she said Xiao Man’s grandma has been blind for many years. A few days ago, her grandpa took her to the provincial city to get her eyes treated, but she doesn’t know which hospital."

"Are you sure they came to the provincial city?"

"Positive. Why don’t you go check?"

"I understand. Is Xiao Man home alone? Her house... is it safe?"

"It’s safe. It has walls on all four sides, built from thick stone. If they were any higher, it could be a fortress. She has a well in her yard, and villagers come to draw water during the day. At night, two or three little girls her age stay with her. While we were there, an elder from her clan came to check on things. He said he was the village’s Party Secretary, and he sure looked the part!"

"Mm, that’s good."

"From now on, I’m going to her house every Sunday, okay? If I drive fast, I can get there in two hours!"

"Perform well, step up your training, meet every standard required, and become a qualified soldier. Then we can consider it!"

"Bro!"

"I’m serious, and it’s not up for discussion! And it won’t be every Sunday. Once a month! If you make any mistakes, the privilege is revoked immediately!"

"Bro... All right! But can you make it twice?"

"No!"

"Fine! Once it is. I’ll work hard to earn it!"

Gu Shaojun hung up the phone, the corners of his lips turning up slightly. ’If I can coax him into sticking with it for a year, I should be able to whip him into better shape,’ he thought. ’Getting rid of those bad habits, one by one!’

’Xiao Man starts middle school next year. Hmm, I’ll have to pick a good one for her. Maybe she could come to the provincial city? Only the provincial city has schools where you can go straight from middle school to high school on one campus. It would also be easier for me to arrange things and look after her.’

Gu Shaojun picked up his hat and put it on. He would deal with the matters at hand first, and then in the afternoon, he’d go looking. Xiao Man’s grandparents, in the provincial city, which hospital... Her grandpa’s surname is Mo, and he’s with an elderly blind woman. ’Shouldn’t be hard to find!’

The elderly couple had raised Xiao Man, and raised her so well at that. It was clear they truly doted on her. Xiao Man must be heartbroken that she was too young to accompany them to the provincial city. Gu Shaojun subconsciously touched the Jade Token on his chest, thinking of her red, rabbit-like eyes and her words, "I feel like you’re a big brother to me." A wave of tenderness washed over him. ’Since I’m your big brother, leave the difficult things to me!’

However, Gu Shaojun didn’t get to see Xiao Man’s Grandpa and Grandma. It wasn’t that he couldn’t find them; he was told that they had already left the provincial city that very morning and returned to the countryside!

He obtained Grandma’s examination results: she was in good health, and her eyes were showing signs of recovering sight on their own. The doctor recommended against surgery for now. If her vision was still blurry and unclear in three months, she could return to the provincial hospital for an operation that was guaranteed to restore her sight.

When Gu Shaojun learned the elderly couple hadn’t taken any medicine home with them, he asked the doctor: if any medication was needed, he could just write a prescription, and Gu Shaojun would buy it and mail it to them.

The doctor laughed and said it wasn’t necessary. After repeated questioning, the old woman finally admitted that she had a young granddaughter who was studying traditional Chinese medicine. Because the girl often went with her grandfather to gather Chinese herbs, she had secretly been giving her grandmother concoctions she brewed herself, telling only her grandma about it—not even her grandpa knew! As it turned out, after drinking them for a while, the old woman’s eye condition of over a decade had gradually improved. A physical examination revealed no signs of organ damage, which meant the little girl’s herbal brews were actually quite reliable! Therefore, she could continue taking them!

Gu Shaojun was quite surprised. ’That girl, hasn’t she even finished elementary school yet? And she’s studying traditional Chinese medicine? Can she even understand it? She gathers herbs with her grandpa, and her grandma has been blind for over a decade. Even her grandpa wouldn’t dare give his wife medicine casually, yet she did! Isn’t she a bit too daring?’

’Then again, she dared to plot against me during our very first meeting. She really is audacious.’

He thought of how the little girl had forcefully hugged his neck, her hands incredibly tense yet moving with great speed to tie the cord, letting go the instant she was done. Her little face had been as red as the morning clouds... ’She was still scared, wasn’t she?’

’At the time, I was furious. But for some unknown reason, I found myself worried she would be upset and cry, so I forced myself to suppress my anger and didn’t say a single harsh word to her!’

’Why? Why did a little girl feel so familiar from the moment we met? The name Mo Xiaoman rolled off my tongue as if I’d said it a thousand times, without a hint of awkwardness! The "first-meeting gift" was forced on me, but I really don’t dislike it. Wearing this Jade Token, I even feel a sense of... comfort?’

’This is truly a strange encounter!’

Three days after Xiao Man returned home from Wancheng, her Grandpa and Grandma came back as well. Xiao Man was overjoyed. She hugged her Grandma, peppering her with questions, then gently lifted her Grandma’s eyelids to examine her eyes and even checked her pulse. Seeing her so serious, with the air of a real doctor, her Grandpa was both amused and exasperated. He asked her what kind of herbs she had been putting in the brews she gave her Grandma every day.

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