Daiying understood her meaning and immediately smiled and said, "Grandpa Song is highly respected, so we'll leave the names of these children to you."
"Madam Gu, you're too kind." The Song family has had few offspring since the patriarch's generation. Now that he sees Shen Wuqiu being so prolific, the patriarch is extremely satisfied. He doesn't care whether Shen Wuqiu is pregnant out of wedlock or not. He treats Gu Junshan and Daiying as in-laws and is very polite to them.
Grandpa Song paused for a moment, then looked at Gu Junshan. "The auspicious homonym name that Qiuqiu chose is quite good. I'll make the decision. With four children, neither the Shen nor Gu families will be at a disadvantage. The children will be named Shen Ji, Gu Xiang, Gu Ru, and Shen Yi. What do you think?"
The Spirit Cat Clan was originally enlightened by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Their names were meaningless to them. It was only later, when they wandered among humans, that they were given the surname Gu according to human rules.
Therefore, not to mention the surname, even the given name is irrelevant.
Gu Junshan had no objections whatsoever. "I think it's perfect."
Thus, they had a very pleasant conversation.
Grandpa Song was very satisfied, and then asked Shen Wuqiu, "Qiuqiu, you don't have any objections either, right?"
"Ji Xiang Ru Yi" was originally her expectation for her child, and since the name was chosen according to her own wishes, Shen Wuqiu naturally had no objection. "Yes, no objection."
The old man made the final decision, and that's how the names of the family's four sons were decided.
As they were talking, Gu Lingyu, who had been ordered to wash the fruit, came out with a fruit platter. Knowing that the old man inside was her partner's oldest living relative, she respectfully presented the fruit to him and called out in a clear voice, "Grandpa, have some fruit."
The old man then noticed her. After looking her over for a while, he still felt that the girl in front of him looked unfamiliar. Just as he was about to ask who she was, Zhao Jiujiu hurriedly stepped forward and said, "This is the daughter of the Gu family. Her name is Lingyu."
The old man pondered for a moment, and according to seniority, he truly deserved to be called "grandfather," so he chuckled and agreed, "Yes."
Gu Lingyu immediately offered him a piece of cantaloupe, saying, "Grandpa, try this. It's so sweet."
Older people like her warm and lively personality, and they accepted the food with a smile, then invited the others to eat as well.
Gu Lingyu then obediently forked a piece for everyone.
Seeing her enthusiasm, the old man's goodwill towards her increased rapidly. He said to Gu Junshan, "Your daughter really knows how to please people. I wonder how old she is and if she is engaged. Otherwise, we can arrange another marriage between our families. My two good-for-nothing grandsons still haven't found partners."
"..."
Chapter 80 Mind's Eye
The old man's few words instantly quieted the lively atmosphere. Shen Wuqiu realized what was happening and immediately sensed something was wrong.
However, she only had time to see the smile on the cat's face vanish instantly, and to hear it say, "What does that have to do with me?"
"..."
That look, that tone, that posture—in an instant, she transformed from a passionate girl into a haughty, aloof beauty.
It caught the old man completely off guard.
This made the already quiet air feel almost solid.
The old man stared at her for several seconds, smacked his lips a few times, looked at Zhao Jiujiu, then at Shen Wuqiu, and finally looked at Gu Junshan, "What did your daughter just say?"
"..." Gu Junshan was unsure whether he had genuinely misheard or was pretending not to. Just as he was pondering what to say to ease the tension, Daiying quickly smiled and smoothed things over, "Grandpa, please don't mind her. She's just a child who doesn't think before she speaks. Please don't take it to heart."
As soon as she finished speaking, Su Yunzhi hurriedly interjected, "Lingyu is still young and hasn't grasped these things yet."
Now that the relationship between the two families is becoming more and more harmonious, Su Yunzhi is increasingly unwilling to let the beautiful girl go to waste and is even thinking of bringing her together with her son. Naturally, she does not want Old Master Song to set his sights on her.
Zhao Jiujiu also spoke up for her, saying, "Dad, this is the first time you've met her. She's enthusiastic, but she's also quick to anger. If she doesn't like what you hear, she won't hold back at all."
Old Master Song glanced at this one and that one with a sullen face, secretly thinking to himself—look, he hadn't even said anything yet, and these women were already eager to speak well of him; it's clear this young girl is truly likable. These days, it's rare to see such an innocent and naive girl…
Thinking about it, the old man suddenly smiled and beckoned to Gu Lingyu, "Girl, come here and tell me, how old are you this year?"
Gu Lingyu stood there looking at him, "I'm afraid you'll be scared to death if I tell you."
"Hahaha..." The old man was amused by her bulging round eyes. "Then tell me, let's see if I'll be scared to death."
Gu Lingyu pursed her lips, about to speak.
Unable to bear it any longer, Shen Wuqiu scolded from the side, "Lingyu, how dare you speak to your grandfather like that?"
Gu Lingyu pouted, "Who told Grandpa to have designs on me?"
The old man was completely unaware of the turmoil behind her words and found her even more innocent and adorable. He waved to Shen Wuqiu, signaling her not to say anything more, and then looked at Gu Lingyu, saying, "What, still don't want to get married?"
Gu Lingyu caught a glimpse of Shen Wuqiu staring at her nervously out of the corner of her eye, so she lowered her face and said, "Grandpa, don't be fooled by my appearance. Actually, I'm not a good person at all. I'm greedy, petty, and have a bad temper..."
The old man listened attentively, "Anything else?"
Meow!
As a model cat, I really have to endure too much adulation. It's so disheartening.
After thinking it over, Gu Lingyu felt that she didn't have many bad habits, but in order to prevent her grandfather from stealing her away, she had to bite the bullet and belittle herself: "I like to cause trouble, I'm particularly good at making people angry, and I'm disobedient... In short, I have many, many faults."
The old man nodded and said, "There are indeed quite a few, but being able to recognize these shortcomings is a great advantage, and these shortcomings are insignificant."
Gu Lingyu stared at him with wide eyes, feeling a little annoyed.
The old man was overjoyed by her expression and said to Gu Junshan, "Your daughter is truly a treasure."
Gu Junshan smiled awkwardly but politely. Anyway, having such a simple-minded daughter, his skin had long since thickened.
Gu Lingyu licked her lips: "My heart is as firm as a rock. No matter what Grandpa says, I will not become your granddaughter-in-law."
The old man asked her, "A heart as firm as a rock? What, little girl, do you have someone you like?"
Gu Lingyu glanced at Shen Wuqiu secretly, but didn't say anything.
It was accepted by default.
The old man was a little disappointed, but he found a way to save face, saying, "Alright, I won't tease you anymore."
Gu Lingyu felt as if she had been granted a pardon and warmly handed him a piece of cantaloupe, saying, "Grandpa, have some cantaloupe."
The change of heart happened so quickly.
The old man looked at her with a complicated expression, "You're really that unwilling to be my granddaughter-in-law?"
Gu Lingyu blurted out, "Anyway, calling me Grandpa or Grandfather is the same, you won't lose out."
"..."
In terms of address alone, there is actually no difference between maternal grandfather and paternal grandfather. According to their local custom, both maternal grandfather and paternal grandfather can be referred to as paternal grandfather.
However, the old man felt that something was off about what he was saying. Ming Shen thought about it for a while but couldn't figure it out, so he gave up and stopped worrying about it. He then turned to talk to Shen Wuqiu about the child.
"By the way, I just came in and saw the children crying. I didn't see you hire a nanny to help take care of them. Qiuqiu, four children is a lot. Can you manage to take care of them? Should we hire two nannies?"
Before Shen Wuqiu could even reply, Zhao Jiujiu chimed in, “I’ve already discussed this with Qiuqiu. But I’m fine now, and the Gu family is fine too, so we’ll all help take care of the child. Besides, Qiuqiu will be going back to her village after she’s discharged from the hospital. If we hire a few nannies, the neighbors will inevitably gossip.”
If it weren't for the fact that the child wasn't an ordinary person, Zhao Jiujiu would have already arranged for a nanny.
She answered on behalf of Shen Wuqiu because she was afraid that Shen Wuqiu was too young to know how to respond.
The old man nodded. "That's true. It's a pity that my old bones are no longer useful, otherwise I could have done some work."
Shen Wuqiu hurriedly asked, "What are you saying, Grandpa?"
The old man sighed, then asked about his eldest son's condition. He was relieved to learn that the child was alright in the incubator.
When they arrived, it was already close to lunchtime, but with such a large family, ordering food at the hospital was really inconvenient.
So, after exchanging greetings, Gu Junshan and his wife insisted on hosting a dinner at a restaurant near the hospital, while Gu Lingyu and Zhao Jiujiu stayed at the hospital to take care of things.
As soon as the old man and the others left, the room, which had been packed with people, immediately became quiet.
Zhao Jiujiu poked Gu Lingyu's temple and scolded, "What, you look down on my son that much? Look at how quickly your face changed when Qiuqiu's maternal grandfather told you about this?"
Gu Lingyu said ingratiatingly, "It's not that I look down on my cousins, I'm just being loyal to my sister."
Zhao Jiujiu snorted at her: "Then tell me, what do you think of my two sons? If you weren't with Qiuqiu, would you even want them?"
Gu Lingyu: "Auntie, aren't you making things difficult for me?"
Zhao Jiujiu: "Well, I'm just putting you in a difficult position."
Gu Lingyu quickly ran to Shen Wuqiu's side, took her hand, and said, "Qiuqiu, look, Auntie is bullying me."
Shen Wuqiu didn't protect her at all. "Then why don't you just answer your aunt's questions honestly?"
Gu Lingyu looked aggrieved and, taking advantage of Zhao Jiujiu's unpreparedness, gave her a big kiss on the cheek. When Zhao Jiujiu looked over, she deliberately stuck out her tongue triumphantly, "Anyway, I'm my sister's person now. No matter how good my aunt's son is, I definitely won't look down on him."
Zhao Jiujiu deliberately snorted coldly, "In broad daylight, acting all lovey-dovey, it's inappropriate."
Gu Lingyu, as if deliberately trying to annoy her, gave Shen Wuqiu another kiss on the cheek.
Zhao Jiujiu had no choice but to say to Shen Wuqiu, "It's an eyesore. If you don't keep a close eye on her, I think you'll be led astray by her."
Shen Wuqiu chuckled and said, "If Auntie finds it too offensive, then don't look..."
The lazy interjection draws out the tone, and at the end it lifts a little, making it both languid and charming.
Zhao Jiujiu didn't expect her to respond like that, and glared at her.
Shen Wuqiu reached out and put her arm around Gu Lingyu's waist, then lowered her head and licked Gu Lingyu's lips. Then, under Zhao Jiujiu's dumbfounded gaze, she smiled and said, "My cat, even if it's my aunt, can't steal my cat away."
"..." So, her niece was retaliating against the harmless jokes she had just made with a certain cat?
Damn it!
How did this seemingly reserved person become so petty?
Chapter 81 Big Mao
A week later, Da Mao was finally able to leave the incubator.
Having spent a whole week alone in the incubator, Da Mao naturally stole the spotlight from her younger sisters as soon as she came out. Whether it was her mother, Shen Wuqiu, or the grandmothers like Zhao Jiujiu, they all paid more attention to this delicate little girl, and they all swarmed around her.
The two rivals, Er Mao and San Mao, got upset. After waking up and finding no one to hold them, they started a competition of howling.
Kids grow so fast; now when they cry, they're starting to wave their little hands.
The two of them started wailing. Da Mao, who was in Shen Wuqiu's arms, was startled. His mouth twitched, but he didn't cry. He looked like he was about to cry but didn't.
Who could stand looking like this?
Shen Wuqiu immediately began to gently comfort her, "Baby, don't cry, Mommy's here..."
Da Mao didn't cry, but his little nose twitched.