Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng

Chapter 214 An Autumn Evening

When Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng took Zhiyuan away from Gujia Village back to the capital, rumors about Chen Xia were already rampant in the village. However, Gu Juncheng was unaware of this change, as they were already on the train to the capital.

Gu Youlian did not travel north with the Du family because she had some matters to attend to.

After returning to the capital, Lin Qingping quickly threw herself into her busy life.

Wu Tianjiao's dessert shop in the mall needs to be prepared, and as students gradually return to school, Lin Qingping's own shop also needs to be prepared after a summer break.

Immediately afterward, Gu Juncheng returned to school, and then Zhiyuan officially enrolled in primary school. It was at this time that Gu Youlian returned to the capital. Moreover, it wasn't just her and Xiaomai who came back. Of course, Du Gen was with them, but besides Du Gen, there was also a distant relative of Du Gen's family, a girl who looked to be around twenty years old, named Lifen.

“My mother-in-law insisted that I bring her along, saying that she saw we were all doing well and that the young lady also wanted to come to the capital to make a living, even if it was just to work as a nanny in our house to broaden her horizons,” Gu Youlian complained. “I come from a poor peasant family, why would I need a nanny? It’s just me and Xiaomai, we don’t need a nanny at all. Du Gen couldn’t persuade his mother, so he had no choice but to bring her along.”

Lin Qingping saw that Lifen was very clever, with a pair of bright and lively eyes, and a sweet tongue. She called Lin Qingping "sister" very enthusiastically. However, there was one thing about her: her eyes were too active, always looking around with desire and ambition.

Having ambition is not necessarily a bad thing; it depends on who has that ambition.

Having been reborn, Lin Qingping believed in first impressions. This girl didn't catch her eye, but since she was a relative of Du Gen's family, she couldn't say anything and could only observe her slowly.

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and Lifen showed no abnormalities. She was very diligent and truly worked as a nanny for Gu Youlian's family. She bought groceries, cooked, picked up the children, and even delivered meals to Gu Youlian and her colleagues at the shop. She was a great help, and Gu Youlian gradually stopped saying anything.

Gu Juncheng has been extremely busy this month and hasn't come back even once. Lin Qingping and the others even spent the National Day holiday alone.

On the Saturday after National Day, the capital was already shrouded in a light autumnal atmosphere.

The weather was fine, and as evening fell, the sunset painted the street where Lin Qingping stood in a golden hue, with the shadows of the trees swaying gently, creating a beautiful scene.

Lifen had just returned from delivering food to the store and was now riding her bicycle home.

The bicycle belongs to Gu Youlian.

After Gu Youlian came to the capital, she bought a bicycle to make it easier for her to go to and from the shop, and since she had some spare money, she rarely rode it. After Lifen came, Gu Youlian generously let her learn to ride the bicycle, and she learned in a week. So she often rode it to buy groceries and deliver meals.

She didn't dare ride her horse in the middle of the road yet, so she rode close to the sidewalk, and then turned a corner to reach the street where her home was.

However, as soon as she turned the corner, the sunlight was so strong that it shone directly into her eyes, and she couldn't see anything at all. The car also tipped to one side.

She closed her eyes and thought to herself, "Oh no, I'm going to fall now..."

However, the scenario she had imagined—falling to the ground with her bicycle—did not occur. It was as if a force was steadily supporting her bicycle.

She quickly opened her eyes and saw a dress in olive green.

"Are you alright?" the man asked in a deep voice.

She saw it clearly.

The man who rescued her was a soldier, dressed in a crisp military uniform, who looked exceptionally upright.

The sunlight shone on his handsome face, making his deep-set eyes and brows even more striking.

Her face flushed, and she quickly said, "It's nothing, it's nothing."

Then, with a push of his feet, he rode home quickly.

Gu Juncheng didn't take it seriously. On his way home, he saw a bicycle fall over beside him, so he just helped it up and then went home.

Lin Qingping wasn't home, and Zhiyuan should be at his older sister's house playing with Xiaomai. He went into the kitchen by himself and started making noodles—what Lin Qingping called pig feed.

Just as the food was cooked, there was a knock at the door; Zhiyuan was back.

He didn't come alone; a girl named Lifen was following behind him.

When Lifen entered the room and saw Gu Juncheng sitting at the table eating plain noodles, she was taken aback and put down the large sack she was carrying.

"Uncle Gu!" Zhiyuan hadn't seen Gu Juncheng in a long time, and he called out happily. He also told Lifen, "This is my Uncle Gu."

Lifen blushed and nodded, "I bought a few watermelons, and my sister-in-law asked me to bring some over."

Gu Juncheng didn't know her at all, nor did he know who she was referring to as her sister-in-law. However, he was usually taciturn and aloof. After saying "thank you," he didn't say anything more.

Lifen left in a hurry, but after stepping outside, she pressed down on her wildly beating heart.

“Uncle Gu, you don’t know her, do you? She’s a relative of Xiaomai’s family,” Zhiyuan introduced him.

"Hmm." Gu Juncheng was clearly not interested in this topic, and only asked him, "How's it going now that you're in first grade?"

Zhiyuan sighed, "How long has it been since we last saw each other? Can we not start talking about such unpleasant topics as soon as we meet?"

Gu Juncheng couldn't help but chuckle, "What's there to be unhappy about?"

"Hey, let me ask you, how much do you earn each month? Are you happy?" Zhiyuan snorted.

"You little rascal!" Gu Juncheng tapped him on the head. "Since I'm free, I'll check your homework."

Zhiyuan: ? ? ? Is there no justice in this world?

"Aren't you going to pick up my mom?" He assigned the task to his Uncle Gu.

"Stop nagging! Homework!"

Zhiyuan's mission failed, and he dared not disobey Uncle Gu's orders. He dejectedly took out his schoolbag, ready to write on the spot!

I haven't written a single word of my homework!

Gu Juncheng watched him write, but before he had written more than a few words, there was another knock on the door.

"I'll go open it!" Zhiyuan threw down his pen and ran off, making Gu Juncheng laugh and shake his head.

The person standing outside the door was still Lifen.

Lifen was holding a bowl of rice topped with vegetables, and it was full of meat.

"Hey, Aunt Lifen, who is this food for?" Zhiyuan had already eaten.

Lifen glanced inside and caught a glimpse of Gu Juncheng's profile as he looked down at a book, his figure handsome and dashing.

Her face flushed slightly as she handed the food to Zhiyuan. "This is for your Uncle Gu. It's leftovers from the food delivery to the shop anyway. Didn't your Uncle Gu eat?"

"Oh," Zhiyuan responded, not seeing anything wrong with it; it was indeed what they had left over from earlier.

"I'm leaving," Lifen said, but her eyes remained fixed on a certain profile inside until Zhiyuan closed the door.

Gu Juncheng had already eaten noodles and wasn't hungry, so he left the bowl of rice uneaten.

That evening, Gu Juncheng went to pick up Lin Qingping. When they arrived home, Lin Qingping immediately noticed the bowl of rice.

"Whose food is this? Why is there so much left over?" Lin Qingping couldn't help but ask. There's no refrigerator yet, and in this weather, it'll spoil by tomorrow.