CHAPTER 404: CHAPTER 404 HEARTBREAK

Tang Chuxia didn’t talk about how frustrated she was.

Why was someone flirting in broad daylight?

She felt regretful too.

But due to fatigue, she yawned and actually fell asleep to the sound of a young man’s screams.

When Tang Chuxia woke up from her sleep, she saw Gu Nanzhi sitting by her bed with a face full of melancholy and the dim light made her exclaim, "Ghost!"

"Xiaxia, it’s me!"

It was only when Gu Nanzhi spoke that Tang Chuxia’s soul came back; she was truly almost scared to death.

Now, seeing Gu Nanzhi about to cry, she swallowed her complaints and tentatively asked, "What happened?"

Tang Chuxia looked around and didn’t see Beihuai or anyone else, only Gu Nanzhi was here.

Gu Nanzhi started complaining to Tang Chuxia.

"You have no idea, today my dad saw your little cousin and I together, can you believe your little cousin was so nervous he directly called my dad ’dad,’ and my dad scolded me when he got home!"

Tang Chuxia knew about this; she was there watching the drama unfold.

But she dared not say it outright.

"How did he scold you?"

Tang Chuxia adjusted her hair and turned on the light to avoid scaring herself again.

Gu Nanzhi then went on to explain how Father Gu lectured her, but that wasn’t the most important part. The key moment was when, as Father Gu was scolding Gu Nanzhi for being so public about her relationship, Beihuai showed up.

"You have no idea, after my brother found out I was dating your little cousin, he just left!"

Tang Chuxia: ...

"Your brother went to find my little cousin?"

Tang Chuxia wasn’t sure, but Gu Nanzhi nodded her head with a flushed face.

That confirmed it; even if Beihuai didn’t get along with Gu Nanzhi, they were still siblings, so of course, he’d be concerned about his future brother-in-law.

Chances are, Zheng Duoqing was in for a rough time.

Gu Nanzhi, clutching Tang Chuxia, urged her to go save someone at the Zheng Family.

"Do you think my brother might beat up your little cousin?" Gu Nanzhi was really anxious, wishing she could sprout wings and fly there right now.

Tang Chuxia replied, "Thinking about it now is useless!"

Gu Nanzhi was about to cry.

Tang Chuxia was still thinking about Beihuai saying he would keep her up tonight, and now he had gone to sort someone out. What if she took this opportunity to run away?

Although she craved intimacy, she preferred when it happened naturally rather than being forewarned, which would definitely make her anxious.

To avoid falling into that strange feeling, Tang Chuxia decided to take Gu Nanzhi out with her, but just as they reached the doorstep, they saw her aunt and Madam Tang coming over together.

The moment her aunt entered and saw Tang Chuxia and Gu Nanzhi, her eyes immediately fixed on Gu Nanzhi.

In the past, her aunt barely interacted with children and didn’t pay much attention, but today her eyes were particularly bright.

Madam Tang nudged her sister-in-law, "Sister, tone it down, you’ll scare the kids!"

Her aunt chuckled and retorted, "What’s wrong? I just really like this kid. She’s so clever and likable, especially that face, it’s so cheerful!"

Tang Chuxia almost laughed out loud; Gu Nanzhi’s chubby cheeks made her quite popular with older people, but she herself didn’t like it!

She always felt too plump, having her cheeks pinched since she was young, and even now that she was grown up, she couldn’t escape this look.

Gu Nanzhi knew the person in front of her was Zheng Duoqing’s mother, and she didn’t dare show any displeasure, obediently greeting her with a "hello, auntie."

Madam Tang saw Tang Chuxia and Gu Nanzhi preparing to leave and curiously asked.

Upon knowing they were going to find Gu Beihuai, Madam Tang didn’t think much of it. It was reasonable for Tang Chuxia to look for her partner and for Gu Nanzhi, as the younger sister-in-law, to accompany her.

"Be careful, it’s chaotic out there!"

Madam Tang cautioned them, then didn’t ask any more questions.

Tang Chuxia took Gu Nanzhi and left, but they hadn’t walked more than a few steps when licorice caught up from behind.

"Sister Xiaxia, my cousin came to pick me up, I’m going back first!"

Licorice cheerfully pointed to a thin and dark man standing at the entrance to the alley, and Tang Chuxia glanced at him, seeing a simple and honest face.

Before New Year, because of Zheng Duoqing’s peanut purchasing, people in Licorice’s village all got to know Tang Chuxia. Now, that thin and dark man rubbed his hands, looking somewhat nervous as he approached to greet Tang Chuxia.

Tang Chuxia looked up at the sky, "It’s already afternoon, can you guys make it back in time?"

Licorice assured her, "We can make it, my cousin came to the city to buy things, and he drove the donkey cart here!"

Tang Chuxia also saw the donkey cart behind the thin man, noticed Licorice had already put her bundle on the cart, and stood beside Tang Chuxia, talking.

Tang Chuxia looked at the sky again, worried about their journey back, and asked them to wait a moment. She ran home to grab a flashlight for Licorice and cautioned the thin man, "I am entrusting Licorice to you, take good care of her, and bring her back safe and sound!"

The thin man hadn’t expected Tang Chuxia to care so much about Licorice, and he stuttered his certainty that he would protect her.

Licorice’s eyes turned red.

She knew Tang Chuxia was a good person but to instruct her family like this at this moment meant she was worried that Licorice might be exploited by her unreliable family again.

After watching Licorice leave in the donkey cart, Gu Nanzhi was no longer in a hurry, but rather reflected with Tang Chuxia.

"I heard that there are sick people in many villages outside the city, I wonder if Licorice will be affected when she gets back!"

Tang Chuxia didn’t know either, but she knew all she could do was pray. Besides, she had prepared a lot of medicine for Licorice, including plenty of medicine pills.

The two quickly moved on from this topic and took the tram to the Zheng Family’s place, but they couldn’t find Gu Beihuai or Zheng Duoqing.

"Cousin, you won’t find them, they’ve gone drinking!"

Zheng Daqing, carrying a backpack, came back and told Tang Chuxia directly.

It turned out Zheng Daqing had seen Zheng Duoqing and Gu Beihuai on his way back from school, the two of them were in a small tavern drinking.

Tang Chuxia and Gu Nanzhi both breathed a sigh of relief, worried that the two might have gotten into a fight.

Zheng Daqing hung his head, and Tang Chuxia curiously asked, "What’s up with you? Did you flunk an exam or did you get dumped?"

Zheng Daqing immediately sprang up, "Cousin, what are you talking about? How could I have gotten dumped?"

If he wasn’t dumped and still hung his head, then he definitely must have flunked!

"Oh, it’s just an exam, failing it isn’t a big deal!"

Tang Chuxia had just finished speaking when Zheng Daqing gestured frantically, "No, it’s not that, I just found out today how poor some people’s families can be!"

Zheng Daqing saw that Tang Chuxia didn’t understand and began to tell them about what he encountered that day.

However, after he finished, Tang Chuxia and Gu Nanzhi didn’t feel sad but instead felt angry.

"All you saw was the poverty?"

Tang Chuxia stared at Zheng Daqing.

Zheng Daqing nodded, acknowledging indeed, he saw the dismal poverty.

Gu Nanzhi then commented, "Didn’t you see the darkness behind it?"