Chapter 104 Reunion
Grandpa Gu quickly walked to the door, and the moment he opened it, the whole world seemed to fall silent.
Lin Fan immediately stopped the teasing remark he was about to make and became respectful: "Hello, Grandpa Gu."
After he finished speaking, he stood up straight on his own, as did Lin Feng and Lin Zhou next to him.
The three of them deeply respected Grandpa Gu, so they all behaved very respectfully in front of him.
Influenced by the three of them, Bai Jiyang also unconsciously stood up straight and looked at Grandpa Gu at the door.
Grandpa Gu was terrified when he saw the four of them.
Grandpa Gu chuckled: "No need to be so serious, come in, it's quite hot outside."
Bai Jiyang greeted him politely, "Hello, Grandpa Gu."
Then Lin Fan walked in awkwardly, with the other three following behind him.
When Lin Fan and the others entered the house and saw Bai Tang, they relaxed a little.
Bai Tang walked over and asked, "How is it? Has Captain Zhao found his family? Are his family members alright?"
Lin Fan replied to Bai Tang, "With the few of us on the case, there's definitely no problem. We've already found them, and their family is reunited and doing well."
Hearing Lin Fan say this, Bai Tang was relieved. This time, the Zhou family of four would definitely be alright.
As soon as Grandpa Gu walked in, Lin Fan immediately moved a chair in front of him.
Bai Tang smiled and said, "No need to be so serious, Grandpa is very easy to get along with."
Grandpa Gu squinted and said, "Yes, yes, the three of you are about the same age as Xiao Xu, just treat me like your grandpa."
Lin Fan spoke first, saying, "Hello, Grandpa."
Lin Feng and Lin Zhou also called out to others, and Grandpa Gu suddenly had three more grandsons, making him even happier.
Bai Tang returned to the kitchen to continue preparing food for Gu Yanxu, saying as she tidied up:
"You have three more younger brothers: Lin Fan, Lin Feng, and Lin Zhou."
Gu Yanxu said without any surprise, "I had this plan a long time ago, but the others weren't very willing. Besides, we've already considered the three of them as family."
So it doesn't matter whether we acknowledge it or not, we'll just accept it.
Bai Tang smiled as she and Gu Yanxu prepared the food for lunch.
At noon, they planned to stew a wild rabbit, serve it with stir-fried dried vegetables and sausage, braised wild boar with preserved mustard greens, and then finish with a vegetable and lean meat porridge.
Bai Tang prepared a lot of food for each dish. There are many people in her family, so she needs to prepare enough food, otherwise it would be awkward if there wasn't enough to eat.
It's mostly meat dishes, a good way to make up for not having eaten meat on the way.
Bai Tang also planned to have Bai Jiyang and Lin Zhou go to the base's canteen to buy some steamed buns.
The canteen at the base sells steamed buns made of white flour, but it's not something ordinary people can afford to eat every day.
However, Bai Tang and his group had no shortage of contribution points, so they called Bai Jiyang over:
"Xiao Yang, come here for a second."
Bai Jiyang came to the kitchen excitedly and asked, "What's wrong, sister? What do you need?"
Bai Tang said, "You and Lin Zhou take the card and go to the base's canteen to buy fifteen steamed buns to eat as your main meal."
Bai Jiyang: "Okay, I'll go right away."
Bai Tang thought for a moment and then called out to him, "Forget it, let's buy twenty. Fifteen might not be enough for you to make."
Bai Jiyang said, "I understand. I'll be back with Brother Linzhou soon."
Bai Jiyang called Lin Zhou, and the two of them drove out to buy steamed buns.
Bai Tang and the other person had almost finished preparing the food.
Bai Tang came out and asked, "Grandpa, what time do Mom and Dad usually get off work and come home?"
Grandpa Gu was talking to Lin Fan when he heard Bai Tang's question, and he replied:
"They both got off work and came back around 11 o'clock."
Bai Tang glanced at the clock on the wall; it was already past ten o'clock. She returned to the kitchen and said to Gu Yanxu:
"We can start cooking now. My parents will get home from get off work around 11 o'clock, and it's already past 10 o'clock."
Gu Yanxu started cooking, and while he was cooking the second dish, Lin Zhou and Bai Jiyang returned with steamed buns.
Bai Tang took the steamed bun and looked at it. The steamed bun was alright; at least it was a white flour steamed bun.
Bai Jiyang said to Bai Tang, "Sister, you don't know how hard it is to buy steamed buns in their cafeteria. They even have a purchase limit."
One person can only buy a maximum of ten, luckily Brother Linzhou went with me.
Bai Tang said, "Otherwise, why do you think I asked you to call someone?"
White flour steamed buns are such a good thing, they definitely need to be rationed; otherwise, how could the base afford to supply so many people?
Lin Zhou, standing nearby, also praised, "Your sister-in-law is so wise."
Bai Tang smiled but didn't say anything. It wasn't because she was wise, but simply because she had experienced it once.
Gu Yanxu quickly prepared several dishes and called out, "You guys come and get the food."
Bai Jiyang and Lin Fan came in to serve the food and get the bowls and chopsticks.
Just then, the front door opened, and Mr. and Mrs. Gu walked in.
Gu Yanxu's mother, Wen Qingqing, spoke first: "See? I told you it must be our daughter-in-law and son who came back."
Mr. Gu immediately chimed in, "My wife is right."
Lin Fan and the others immediately understood who their leader inherited his love-obsessed nature from.
Bai Tang walked over and took Gu's mother's arm, saying:
"Mom and Dad, you're back just in time. The food will be served soon."
Gu's father glanced around but didn't see Gu Yanxu, but he was too embarrassed to ask.
Then Wen Qingqing saw through her husband's thoughts and asked Bai Tang:
"Where's Xiao Xu? I haven't seen him."
At this moment, Gu Yanxu brought the last dish from the kitchen to the table.
Looking at his parents, he said, "Mom and Dad, you're back. The last dish is ready. Let's eat. We have meat today, so let's treat ourselves."
Gu's father walked over and patted Gu Yanxu on the shoulder after Gu Yanxu put the basin on the table.
"You little rascal, you still know how to come back. Do you know how worried your mom and grandpa were about you?"
Gu Yanxu said, "I'm here to pick you up. We'll all stay at the Shengshi base together."
Bai Tang, arm in arm with Gu's mother, and Lin Fan, supporting Gu's grandfather, sat the whole family at the dining table.
Bai Tang even took a few bottles of wine out of the car for them to drink.
Each person poured a glass, and Grandpa Gu raised his glass and said:
"Our family is finally reunited."
The others followed suit, raising their glasses and clinking them together.
Mr. and Mrs. Gu asked them in detail how their lives were at the Shengshi base.
The group hadn't been cared for by their elders like this in a long time, so they answered patiently one by one.
Mother Gu kept putting food on Bai Tang's plate, saying, "Tangtang, eat more."
Looking at the pile of food in her bowl, Bai Tang quickly said, "Mom, there's too much food. I'll add more after I finish this."
Gu Yanxu also said, "You don't have much food in your kitchen. What's the situation at home right now?"
Mr. Gu said, "After you told us that, we stocked up on a lot of things."
Then, during the extreme cold, I followed the crowd into the base and bought a house with a yard.
There are things at home, but we don't display them openly.
Gu Yanxu continued, "Since there's food at home, why is Grandpa so thin now?"
Grandpa Gu didn't respond, so Dad Gu continued, "That's because your grandpa said he's now obsessed with light diets and a healthy lifestyle."
No matter how much your mother and I tried to persuade him, he wouldn't listen; he wouldn't eat any meat or vegetables.
Gu Yanxu looked up at his grandfather and said:
"What are you up to now, Grandpa? Are you trying to lose weight?"
Grandpa Gu got angry: "You brat, how dare you talk to me like that?"
I'm not saying this because I feel sorry for your parents working so hard outside; I'm just eating less meat so they can eat more.
Gu Yanxu said, "Their health is much better than yours, so you don't need to skimp on their food."
If something really happens to you, we'll feel terribly guilty.
Besides, my dad said there's food at home, so you can eat whatever you want.
Bai Tang also advised him, "Yes, Grandpa, having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. You are our family's treasure. What would we do if you went hungry?"
Grandpa Gu said awkwardly, "Oh dear, you lot, don't talk about me as an old man. I'll eat, okay? I'll eat."
Bai Tang put a rabbit leg on Grandpa Gu's plate, and Gu Yanxu put a large piece of meat on his plate.
Grandpa Gu looked at the meat in front of him and no longer held back.
Picking up his chopsticks and taking a bite of meat, Gu Yanxu said, "That's more like it. This is how an old man eats; that's what my grandfather does."
Grandpa Gu was busy eating meat and didn't have time to pay attention to him, but he gave him a murderous look.
Gu Yanxu pretended not to see it and then served food to his parents and wife.
Bai Jiyang and Lin Zhou, along with the others, ate their meals obediently, afraid that they would be the next ones to be scolded.
For a moment, all that could be heard was the sound of people eating and the hum of the electric fan.
Eating indoors on extremely hot days is torture, it's unbearably hot, so they eat very quickly.
After Grandpa Gu finished eating, he burped, rubbed his belly, and said:
"I haven't had such a satisfying meat meal in a long time."
While helping Gu Yanxu and the others clear the dishes, Bai Tang said:
"Grandpa will wait for you to come and stay with us at the Shengshi base. From then on, you'll be able to eat meat every day."
We raise wild rabbits at home, and we have plenty of rabbit meat.
Grandpa Gu laughed heartily: "That's great! I'm so grateful to you all."
Lin Zhou and his friends, with their keen senses, snatched the bowl and chopsticks from Bai Tang's hands.
Lin Fan said, "Sister-in-law, you and the eldest go and talk to the three of them. We can take care of things here."
Gu Yanxu looked at Lin Fan with satisfaction: "Yes, the child has grown up and become sensible."
Lin Fan instantly bristled: "Boss, you're taking advantage of us, I'm going to get you!"
Bai Tang nodded: "Yes, you've grown up."
Then he and Gu Yanxu walked out of the restaurant, completely ignoring the furious Lin Fan.
Gu Yanxu sat on the living room sofa, talking to his father.
Bai Tang said to her mother-in-law, "Mom, Grandpa gave me the other bracelet ring, saying it's a family heirloom, and we'll each have one."
Gu's mother pointed to the bracelet on her wrist and said:
"Look, I've already put it on. Why are you keeping it away instead of wearing it? It's for protection."
Bai Tang said, "Sometimes when I'm out and about, I'm afraid I might accidentally break it, so I put it away."
Then Gu's mother pulled Bai Tang towards the bedroom, saying mysteriously as they walked:
"Come, come, I have something to tell you."
Bai Tang was curious about what she was going to say, so she obediently followed Gu's mother into the bedroom.
After closing the door, Gu's mother said to Bai Tang:
"Tangtang, let me give you a heads-up, so you won't be scared later."
Bai Tang said, "Okay."
Then, something suddenly appeared in Gu's mother's hand, and then it disappeared.
Bai Tang was stunned for a moment. Was this a space?
Seeing Bai Tang's stunned expression, Gu's mother quickly said:
"Tangtang, don't be afraid, I'm not a ghost. This is a small space, about the size of a 60-square-meter room."
I can put some long-shelf-life items in it, but unfortunately it can't keep things fresh.
I can take things out of it and put things in it; this space is our family heirloom.
Bai Tang looked at Gu's mother's bracelet and said, "Mom, you haven't told anyone about this, have you?"
Gu's mother patted Bai Tang and said, "Don't worry, besides your dad and grandpa, you are the fourth person to know. I haven't even told Xiao Xu yet."
Moreover, this bracelet is passed down only to women, and I discovered this space by chance.
Then I wanted your dad and grandpa to try another one, to see if there was any space in your bracelet, but it didn't work.
I was wondering if only women in the family could access social media.
Try it soon, that way you'll have somewhere to store your things.
Bai Tang knew her mother meant well, wanting them to have something to rely on.
She originally planned to return to the Shengshi base to talk to the three of them about the space.
However, as soon as Gu's mother met her, she talked about the space, which shows that she really cared about her.
Bai Tang decided to tell her first that she also had a space. Anyway, after the contract was signed, if Bai Tang didn't want them to see the things in her space, they wouldn't be able to see them.
It wasn't that Bai Tang didn't trust them, but rather that her space was too fantastical, even possessing a spatial spirit, so she had to be on guard.
Then Bai Tang said to Gu's mother, "Mom, I'll take you somewhere. Close your eyes and don't be afraid."
After hearing Bai Tang's words, Gu's mother felt reassured about her daughter-in-law.
She decisively closed her eyes and let Bai Tang pull her along. Bai Tang then led Gu's mother into the space.
Mu Mu quickly floated over, and before it could speak, Bai Tang shushed it.
Mu Mu immediately fell silent. Bai Tang then said, "Mom, open your eyes."
When Gu's mother opened her eyes and saw the scene before her, she could hardly believe it.
She asked with a hint of doubt, "Daughter-in-law, where is this? Why is there a river and even land with things growing on it?"
Bai Tang said, "This is my space. Since Mom told me directly that it's your space."
Then I can't keep it hidden.
Bai Tang beckoned Mu Mu over and introduced her, "Mom, this is Mu Mu, my space spirit."
Then he said to Mumu, "Mumu, this is my mother."
Mu Mu floated over: "Hello~ beautiful sister~"
Bai Tang smiled and said, "There's a generation difference, Mu Mu. She's my mother, and also Xu Ge's mother."
Mu Mu said, "I'll call all the pretty girls 'beautiful sisters'!"
Gu's mother quickly accepted what she saw and then said to Mu Mu:
"Hi Mumu~ You're so cute~"
Then Bai Tang explained the matter of the space contract to Gu's mother.
Upon hearing that it was for the safety of her daughter-in-law and son, Gu's mother immediately said:
"Daughter-in-law, let's sign the contract now."
The contract was signed quickly, and Gu's mother was still a little shocked that the Baitang Space could be used for farming and raising animals.
Bai Tang took her arm and said, "Let's go out and talk to Grandpa and the others later."
Mother Gu said with a smile, "Great! I can't wait to see the shocked looks on their faces."