She glanced at Gu Junshan and Dai Ying first, then looked at her father, "Dad..."
Gu Junshan and Dai Ying had been observing her, intentionally or unintentionally, ever since she appeared, and the more they observed her, the more satisfied they became.
After all, she was a favored daughter of heaven who could give birth to four cubs for their spirit cat clan at once; they couldn't be dissatisfied.
As for their daughter following behind her, the couple simply ignored her.
Seeing the increasingly intense gazes from the couple, Mr. Shen gave Shen Wuqiu a cold look and snapped, "Didn't you say you were dizzy? What are you doing down here? Go back to bed and lie down."
"It's much better now," Shen Wuqiu said softly, then turned to look at Gu Junshan and his wife, greeting them with a smile, "Uncle and Aunt."
"Hey, hey, hey..." Gu Junshan and Dai Ying were flattered that she would greet them first, and nodded in response several times.
Afraid that she hadn't been enthusiastic enough, Daiying stood up and went over to take her hand, saying, "Wuqiu, thank you for your hard work."
Their enthusiasm flattered Shen Wuqiu, and Daiying's overly familiar warmth even made her feel a little overwhelmed. She forced a smile and said, "It's alright..."
This scene greatly displeased Mr. Shen. He picked up his teacup and slammed it heavily on the coffee table. He was extremely disappointed in his daughter for "turning her back on her own," but he didn't want outsiders to see them fighting. So he held his breath and sneered, "What, you know her?"
Sure enough, being sarcastic and unsettling is contagious.
"..." Shen Wuqiu was stunned for a moment. She thought that her father already knew that these two people were Gu Lingyu's parents, but judging from this situation, they were not at all.
However, the middle-aged couple in front of her didn't seem to care much about their runaway daughter. She had been downstairs for so long, but they hadn't given her a second glance.
Shen Wuqiu's gaze swept over each of the three faces, finally settling on Gu Lingyu. Suddenly, she became uncertain. "These two are your father and mother, right?"
Gu Lingyu glanced cautiously at her parents, nodded, and then quietly pulled Shen Wuqiu behind her before shamelessly greeting Gu Junshan and Daiying: "Father, Mother, you've arrived."
To be honest, she was a little afraid of her parents at that moment; they were being too enthusiastic towards her older sister.
Logically speaking, this shouldn't be the case...
As the saying goes, something unusual must be going on, and I couldn't help but feel that her parents were hiding something behind their smiles.
She could never take on her parents' combined attack by herself, but she was still quite fast.
Upon hearing Gu Lingyu call him "father" and "mother," Mr. Shen abruptly sat up from the sofa, his expression incredulous and tinged with anger. "These are your parents?"
Gu Lingyu nodded.
Mr. Shen stared at her with wide eyes, then looked at Gu Junshan and Dai Ying, finally fixing his gaze on Shen Wuqiu. "Is the child her brother's?"
One has to admire the old man's imagination.
After a brief silence, Gu Lingyu couldn't wait to assert her dominance, "No way..."
Shen Wuqiu nodded decisively, "Yes." She then pinched Gu Lingyu's waist to shut her up.
Rather than telling the elderly father the truth—that the child was transformed from a fruit—it's better to find a plausible explanation that he can accept.
His suspicions were confirmed, and Mr. Shen was furious, mainly because he was angry at his son's lack of self-respect. "You unlucky child! The other person turned their back on him after he was done with his pants, and you, on the other hand, brought his sister back and treated her to good food and drink..."
Shen Wuqiu's mind raced as he pondered how to smooth things over, when Daiying spoke up: "Mr. Shen, it's not what you think. My child is not an irresponsible person. If she dares to do anything irresponsible, I, as her mother, will skin her alive."
"It sounds better when you talk than when you sing."
The initial shock and anger have likely subsided, and we've now entered a period of emotional calm. Perhaps it's because we now know the child has a father, and premarital pregnancy is much easier to accept than illegitimate birth. The father's emotions are no longer as turbulent as before.
Although his tone was still unpleasant, he seemed much more agreeable now. "If he were truly responsible, why doesn't someone else come?"
“Mr. Shen, it’s not that he doesn’t want to come, but that he can’t come.”
Daiying raised her hand to wipe her eyes, and tears welled up instantly. "Two months ago, she was in a car accident and died. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let Wuqiu come back alone."
"..." This self-directed and self-acted performance not only amazed Shen Wuqiu and Gu Lingyu, but also stunned Gu Junshan.
Father Shen was no match for him.
Besides, respect for the dead is paramount.
Now that the person is dead, even if the person is unwilling to take responsibility, even if they were a heartless bastard who would never acknowledge their wrongdoing, he wouldn't be able to hold it against them.
Mr. Shen instantly lost his composure and his voice faltered. Thinking back to his earlier rude behavior, his feelings became even more complicated. "So that's how it is..."
When Gu Junshan saw that Shen's father was looking at him, he quickly suppressed his surprise and tried his best to portray the image of a grieving father who had lost his beloved son.
Seeing this, Mr. Shen felt even more heartbroken. "Mr. Gu, Mrs. Gu, please don't be too sad..."
“It’s all fate.” Daiying looked up at a 45-degree angle and deliberately sniffed. “Wuqiu was such a good girl. It’s a pity that my son died so young. Now Wuqiu is the one who has to suffer.”
"..." What else could Mr. Shen say? The other person had already said it all. And when he thought about how his daughter didn't want to talk about her husband that morning, his heart ached even more. "You child, so much has happened, why haven't you told us a word?"
"..." Shen Wuqiu was still immersed in Dai Ying's acting skills, which were comparable to an Oscar. She almost really believed that she had a short-lived boyfriend.
Dai Ying glanced at her and then proceeded to play her part as well, "Mr. Chen, don't you know your own daughter? Wu Qiu is such a strong-willed child, she can endure hardship and bear it all. I don't know how she's managed to get through these past few days?"
“No wonder this child has been so absent-minded these days…” Mr. Shen was completely immersed in the scene, overwhelmed with mixed feelings. “I guess it’s all fate…”
The tense atmosphere just moments ago quickly returned to harmony, and Mr. Shen even had Su Yunzhi serve them tea again.
Things were developing too fast, and Shen Wuqiu was completely at a loss for how to react. After a long while, she asked Gu Lingyu, who was also stunned, in a low voice, "Do you really have a brother?"
Gu Lingyu mechanically tilted her head, looked at her, and nodded. "I have three older brothers."
"Do you have an older brother who died in a car accident?"
Gu Lingyu shook her head. "No."
"..." Unbelievable! Is there any mother in the world who would curse her own son like this?
Seeing her look over, Daiying, who had already broken character, gave her an elegant smile and said, "Wuqiu, come and sit down."
Shen Wuqiu forced a smile, "Auntie, you two chat, I'm going upstairs to lie down for a while."
Daiying didn't insist, saying, "Pregnant women need to rest more."
Shen Wuqiu then turned around, took Gu Lingyu's hand, and the two of them stiffly moved upstairs.
Don't you think your mother is a little scary?
"Yes, all the people in the tribe are afraid of Mother."
"...You're scared too, aren't you?"
"...I will definitely not let Mother bully you."
I don't believe you for a second; you yourself look like a mouse seeing a cat.
Shen Wuqiu inwardly scoffed, but seeing that the little girl walked with her arms and legs moving in unison, she decided not to laugh at her.
In the hall, Daiying watched the two of them walk hand in hand, feeling quite gratified. It seemed that this good-for-nothing little brat had finally managed to do something – choosing a decent partner.
Once the two figures disappeared around the corner, Daiying turned her gaze to Mr. Shen and said, "Mr. Shen, let's discuss the child in Wuqiu's belly."
"..." Looking at her face, which showed no trace of sadness, Mr. Shen was at a loss for words, unsure whether to praise her for being strong or to call her cold-blooded.
“I know that the child’s father is gone. The child in Wuqiu’s belly will be born without a father, which is indeed very difficult. But this is my only son. Now that I have something to hold on to, Mr. Shen will not stop Qiuqiu from giving birth, will he?”
Mr. Shen is the kind of person who responds better to gentle persuasion than force.
Seeing the woman's tearful state again, how could he bear to refuse? "That also depends on Qiuqiu..."
Having secured the relationship with Mr. Shen, Daiying had no worries about anything else. "Of course, we will also consult Qiuqiu's opinion."
Once everything was out in the open, Mr. Shen actually had some expectations for his child. Most of the people in the village who were about his age had become grandfathers, but although he had been called Grandpa Le his whole life, he had never been a proper grandfather.
But the thought of the number made him worry again, "It's just that Qiuqiu is carrying quadruplets, I'm afraid her body won't be able to handle it..."
"Mr. Shen, you can rest assured that we will give Wuqiu the best care. If you are not at ease, we can sign a contract."
Now that things had come to this point, Mr. Shen felt a little more relaxed. "That's good."
Everything was settled, and Daiying was very satisfied. "A good man like Mr. Shen will surely live to be a hundred years old."
"..."
A note from the author:
Tomorrow's update will probably be after 11 PM, you know what I mean.
Qixi Festival is coming soon, so here's a little surprise for everyone: two lucky winners will receive 520 JJB, and the rest will receive 20 JJB.
Don't ask, the answer is that Meimei's family owns a mine.
Finally, love you all, muah!
Chapter 27 Ultimate Move
With Daiying's help, Shen Wuqiu finally managed to fabricate a convincing backstory for the baby in her womb.
There was just one thing she couldn't understand:
"Didn't you say that the Pregnancy Fruit is a sacred object of your tribe? I ate four of them at once, so why isn't your mother angry at all? She seems... well, quite happy?"
The way she smiled at me didn't seem fake at all; it must have meant she was happy.
However, when she thought about the other person's superb acting skills, she wasn't so sure anymore.
Ever since Gu Lingyu met her father and mother, her mind has been in a daze. Although her mother was always unpredictable, she never expected her to be so gentle and warm towards her sister who had eaten four pregnancy fruits in one go, and even to the point of cursing one of her brothers to death in order to protect her.
You should know that in order to give birth to more pure-blooded offspring for her clan, her mother domineeringly refused to allow other clan members to have children, and even refused to give her newly married third brother the opportunity.
She always felt that her mother was preparing a big surprise.
As for what this ultimate move is, she has no idea.
Of course, I can't tell my older sister this. She's so delicate; she'd definitely be terrified.
As Gu Lingyu thought about it, she clenched her little fists and assured her again, "Don't worry, I will never let my mother hurt you."
"..." Shen Wuqiu deeply felt that she really had difficulty communicating with the person in front of her, but when she saw the other's little face, which was so tense that it was almost puffed up, she found it inexplicably funny and couldn't help but reach out and pinch it, teasingly saying, "Little Lingyu, you wouldn't happen to be a child that your mother picked up, would you?"
"Mianmian, you have to call me Mianmian." Gu Lingyu emphasized the issue of how she addressed her for the nth time, then frowned and continued, "When I was little, I also had my doubts. Mother was very gentle with my brothers, but she was very strict and harsh with me. Sometimes I wondered if I was Father's child with another man... Why does Sister think that too?"
"Pfft..." Shen Wuqiu couldn't help but laugh.
Gu Lingyu wore a bitter expression. "What are you laughing at, sister?"
Shen Wuqiu coughed lightly, composed himself, and said, "I wasn't laughing at anything. No wonder you're so afraid of your mother. But if your mother has been this strict with you since you were little, then it's clear you're her biological daughter."
What kind of logic is this?
Gu Lingyu didn't understand.