Chapter 422: Warmth

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation       Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

After much contemplation, Gu Zi came to a conclusion. If fate had destined her to become a daughter to Mother Lin, then repaying her kindness was not something she could refuse.

Moreover, Gu Zi was well aware that Mother Lin was not trying to make things difficult for her. The reality was that Aunt Yang was a very important friend to Mother Lin. At Mother Lin’s age, having such a close friend was not an easy feat.

Finally, Gu Zi nodded in agreement, saying, “Tell Aunt Yang that our shop will open on New Year’s Day. In the meantime, she can learn some service etiquette from my sister-in-law. If she urgently needs money, she can work as a cleaner at the pig farm. They are currently looking for temporary cleaners.”

As winter was approaching, the workload at the pig farm would increase. Su Shen had mentioned to Gu Zi that they could hire some temporary cleaners and pay them daily. Their neighbor, Aunt Zhang, had already agreed to start work the next day.

Upon hearing Gu Zi’s words, Mother Lin was on the verge of tears. She didn’t want to burden her daughter, but she couldn’t bear to see Aunt Yang suffering from hunger and cold in the old house.

Aunt Yang was a proud woman. When Mother Lin tried to give her some quilts, clothes, and pork, she refused. After much thought, Mother Lin decided that finding her a job was the best solution.

In the past, Mother Lin wouldn’t have been able to help, but now that Gu Zi was back and Su Shen was their son-in-law, it was as simple as asking for a favor. The fact that she could help her old friend brought her great comfort.

Mother Lin, with tears turning into laughter, held her daughter’s hand and said, “That’s good. I’ll tell Aunt Yang when I get back. Thank you, my daughter.”

Gu Zi, patting Mother Lin’s back to comfort her, laughed and said, “Mother, you’re being too formal with me.”

Mother Lin and Li Hua stayed at the Su’s until three in the afternoon before leaving. Not long after they left, Su Bing and Su Li returned, each carrying a full basket of dry branches, the kind that burned particularly well. Gu Zi helped them unload their baskets, placing the firewood in the kitchen.

The brothers had also brought back a variety of wild fruits, red, purple, and yellow, their colors enticingly vibrant. Gu Zi tasted a few of the purple fruits; they had a faint, refreshing fragrance and were sweet and delicious. After finishing a few, she picked up a few more to eat.

Seeing that his mother enjoyed the fruit, Su Bing picked out all the purple ones and placed them in front of her, saying, “These are mountain berries. You can eat them directly or use them to make wine. Today, we saw several other grandmothers picking these berries to make wine when we get back.”

Gu Zi was taken aback, but at the same time, she felt the warmth of Su Bing’s care. His style was more akin to Su Shen, expressing love through actions. He might seem cold on the outside, but in reality, he was quite warm.

Gu Zi mused, “So this is what Shan Nian Zi fruit tastes like. You should pick more of these in the future, and I can use them to make wine.”

In her previous life, Gu Zi had heard of this wild fruit but had never tasted it. Now, she finally had the chance. Keeping some wild fruit wine at home was a good idea. When winter came, the wine could serve as a source of warmth.

While Gu Zi was conversing with Su Bing, Lele somehow managed to turn out her bunny cotton shoes. She put the shoes on her hands, pressed the soles against her small face, and opened her eyes wide. The sight was simply too adorable!

Gu Zi picked her up from the ground, not taking away her bunny cotton shoes, and let her play.

Seeing his sister with the cotton shoes, Su Li couldn’t help but fetch his own dog-head cotton shoes. However, he wasn’t as silly as his sister to wear them on his hands. Of course, cotton shoes were meant to be worn on the feet.

He put them on and walked around the living room. To the expressionless Su Bing across him, he asked, “Brother, when can we start wearing cotton shoes? I can’t wait anymore!”

Su Bing replied coldly, “You can wear them whenever you want.”

On the first day of winter, Su Li returned home from school and finally got to wear the long-awaited dog-head cotton shoes. Gu Zi, leaning against the door and watching the drizzling winter rain outside, said, “It seems this winter will be very cold.”

Su Li, wearing his dog-head cotton shoes, hopped back and asked curiously,

“Mom, how do you know?”

Gu Zi, looking outside, said, “We have a saying, ‘If there is no rain on the first day of winter, the winter will be warm. If there is rain on the first day of winter, the winter will be cold.’

“In other words, if it’s a sunny day on the first day of winter, the entire winter will have less rain and the weather will be dry. This winter will be relatively warm. If it rains, the winter will be particularly cold. And it’s been raining all

day today..”