Chapter 454: The Undercurrent
Tang Chuxia was hardly the one who understood her grandmother the best. It was clear it was because her grandmother was the most willing to be a carefree woman.
By the time Gu Beihuai came to pick up Tang Chuxia, it was already evening. They stayed at the Zheng Family for dinner before leaving.
On the way home, neither of them spoke about anything serious. They chatted about whatever came to mind, especially regarding Elder Yan—Gu Beihuai had a bellyful of complaints to air.
Gu Beihuai had long known that Tang Chuxia had dealings with Elder Yan and his ilk, but since they hadn’t visited together before, he hadn’t intervened. But now, Elder Yan actually wanted to split him and Tang Chuxia apart? How could Gu Beihuai tolerate that?
"I’m telling you, Old Man Yan is a bastard. Don’t you ever listen to him!" Gu Beihuai was very unhappy.
If he didn’t have to address him as ’Uncle Grandfather,’ Gu Beihuai would have gone to his grandmother to take care of Elder Yan.
Tang Chuxia suddenly remembered something, "We’ve been married for quite a while now, shouldn’t we pay a visit to your grandfather and grandmother?"
The two elderly folks lived in Tang City, the Gu Family’s ancestral home. They preferred the atmosphere there and had never moved to live with Father Gu and Mrs. Gu.
Now that Tang Chuxia brought it up, Gu Beihuai thought for a moment, "We should make a trip there. Grandfather and grandmother must be looking forward to seeing you!"
Gu Beihuai knew that his grandfather had always been fond of Tang Chuxia. With their family of soldiers, it was ironic how Gu Beihuai was once subdued and disciplined by a young girl. He would often run to his grandfather to complain and seek solace as a child.
Now that he had grown up and married the once bully of a girl, it was time to turn the tables and sing his victory. He wanted to show off to his grandfather.
Tang Chuxia said, "Then let’s pack up and visit grandfather!"
As they spoke, the two walked near their home and happened to see Qin Zhan and licorice walking together, chatting and laughing, with licorice’s schoolbag in Qin Zhan’s hands.
Tang Chuxia looked around and, seeing no one else, asked Gu Beihuai in confusion, "Do you know what’s going on?"
Gu Beihuai shook his head.
He had no idea.
Hadn’t licorice just vetted a potential match not long ago? Although the guy hadn’t really sparked her interest, she hadn’t cut off contact either. So why was she walking with Qin Zhan?
"Could it be a coincidental meetup?" Tang Chuxia couldn’t detect any romantic vibes between the two and suggested they go over to check. They followed behind Qin Zhan and licorice, overhearing their conversation about licorice’s school matters.
Indeed, nothing romantic.
But...
"I feel like there’s something going on between them!"
Tang Chuxia was quite certain of her speculation.
Gu Beihuai wasn’t a woman and perhaps didn’t observe relationships as finely as Tang Chuxia did.
"What could possibly be going on between them? If Qin Zhan liked licorice, he would have said so by now, he wouldn’t have kept it a secret!"
Despite saying that, Tang Chuxia still felt something was off.
"Forget it, if there’s something between them, let it be. It’s better than other people messing around together. Speaking of which, I haven’t seen Zhizhi all day today. What is she busy with?"
After returning home, Tang Chuxia didn’t find Gu Nanzhi, so she asked Gu Beihuai.
Gu Beihuai responded, "I couldn’t care less about what she’s busy with. If she’s not at school, she’s probably messing around with your little cousin!"
Tang Chuxia nodded in agreement, seeing the possibility, and suddenly felt bored.
Just as Tang Chuxia was considering whether to freshen up and go to sleep, the phone in the study rang. She went to answer it and heard the voice of her third sister-in-law, which made her somewhat happy.
"Third sister-in-law, how come you thought to call me?"
Third sister-in-law laughed, "If I don’t call you, you never think to get in touch with me!" After a quick pleasantry, she went straight to the point, "Xiaxia, I’m calling you because there’s something important. Your Third Brother told me to tell you not to go out alone recently. Make sure you’re always with Gu Beihuai!"
Tang Chuxia was curious about what had happened. Third sister-in-law sighed, "I don’t know either. He’s been giving out very little information. You know how busy he has been recently, tracking down the origins of that little thing. He hasn’t had time to contact me!"
Tang Chuxia guessed there must have been some incident, but it wasn’t appropriate to ask over the phone.
"Okay, I got it. I’ll definitely be with Gu Beihuai every day!"
Third sister-in-law then mentioned that she had prepared some things for the family and would send them over in a few days. She asked Tang Chuxia to inform Father Tang and Madam Tang before hanging up.
Sitting beside her, Gu Beihuai tilted his head, watching Tang Chuxia furrow her brows in thought.
"Are you very worried about your Third Brother?"
Gu Beihuai pulled Tang Chuxia closer and played with her fingers as he asked.
Tang Chuxia shook her head, "I have confidence in Third Brother. He would never let himself fall into danger. But I’m curious about what those people really want to do! And where is Tang Wanqiu, exactly?"
This brought a significant amount of confusion to Gu Beihuai.
"Tang Wanqiu must have been switched at a young age. As for when, I’m not sure. Childhood Tang Wanqiu and the present Tang Wanqiu are quite inconsistent. And Wen Wenqing, he seems to be using Tang Wanqiu more than anything!"
It wasn’t that Tang Chuxia wanted to keep talking about Tang Wanqiu, but she guessed that Gu Beihuai must know more. Previously, she hadn’t wanted to ask, only wishing to fulfill the original host’s last wishes, and to see what the outcome would be, so she never fully immersed herself in this world.
Now, she wanted to unravel all the mysteries.
Maybe it was just sheer boredom!
With her second and third brothers having stable love lives, only her younger brother was left. Unfortunately, a love life for him didn’t seem possible anytime soon, and there were also some issues with Father Tang and Madam Tang’s romantic life.
Tang Chuxia had a premonition that she might not be just a passerby in this book world as she had thought.
Since the future was uncertain, she decided to fully integrate and understand all the underlying threads. There could be unexpected gains.
Today’s call from the third sister-in-law reminded Tang Chuxia that there were still some threads connected to Tang Wanqiu from her Third Brother’s side.
And what about Wen Wenqing, this crucial character?
She hadn’t paid much attention to him recently.
"Tang Wanqiu is Tang Wanqiu; there was no switch!" Gu Beihuai gave Tang Chuxia an unexpected answer.
"At most, she was just too hasty in carrying out her mission!"
Gu Beihuai hugged Tang Chuxia, "Her problems are complex, and Wen Wenqing’s identity is also questionable. The involved matters are too troublesome. You don’t need to understand too much. Just know that they don’t have much to do with you!"
Tang Chuxia slapped her thigh, "If Tang Wanqiu has been captured, then what about that job she was doing in my place?"
Gu Beihuai...
He had not expected Tang Chuxia to make such a leap, bringing the conversation to a place he hadn’t anticipated.
And the worst part was, this was an area where he had no knowledge.
"What job?"
Tang Chuxia stood up to run out and consult with Madam Tang, but just as she was leaving, she saw Father Tang cursing as he walked in from outside.
"You’re just in time; help me check out what’s going on with that madman at the door!" Father Tang was furious, pointing at the door as he instructed Tang Chuxia.