Chapter Thirty-Four: Bringing Up the Engagement

After Gu Xiu-jin finished speaking, Li Zhao immediately stepped forward and produced a set of his own bowl and chopsticks from behind, leaving Xie Qingtang utterly stunned—were they here just to mooch a meal?

“Coming to mooch a meal and even bringing your own utensils, that’s quite meticulous, President Gu,” Zhou Jin-fan was also astonished by the scene, instinctively giving Gu Xiu-jin a thumbs-up.

But the next moment, when he caught Gu Xiu-jin’s cold, indifferent gaze, Zhou Jin-fan shrank his neck in fear and quickly reverted to being a timid turtle.

“I’ll go bring out the soup I’ve been stewing,” Xie Qingtang said nothing more; after all, she had prepared just enough food for tonight. She went into the kitchen, and at that moment, Zhao Xianglan entered as well.

Zhao Xianglan carefully glanced outside at Gu Xiu-jin, then said to Xie Qingtang, “Miss, is that President Gu the man you were betrothed to as a child?”

“Aunt Lan, he’s just a patient of mine and someone who helps me. There’s nothing else between us,” Xie Qingtang replied, her expression calm.

Zhao Xianglan chuckled softly, ladling the soup as she spoke, “Alright, I understand. But seeing President Gu’s poor health, it’d be hard for him and you to spend your lives together anyway, so perhaps it’s best to let it go. The old master wanted someone who could take care of you.”

With that, she carried the soup out. Xie Qingtang hesitated for a moment, then smiled helplessly and followed her out.

After a sip of soup, Gu Xiu-jin’s eyes brightened instantly. He turned to Xie Qingtang and said, “Delicious. I didn’t expect your cooking to be so good.”

“Of course. Back when I lived in the mountains with my master, there wasn’t much to eat—just plain porridge and wild vegetables. Now with so many ingredients available, I naturally make something tastier,” Xie Qingtang replied indifferently.

But as soon as she finished speaking, her grandfather’s brows furrowed. He asked, “Tang-tang, was the place Shao Si-ming sent you to so harsh? How terrible. It’s my fault for misjudging people and letting you suffer so much.”

After rescuing her grandfather from the nursing home, Xie Qingtang had intentionally concealed the poverty she endured in the village all those years. Unexpectedly, Gu Xiu-jin’s question triggered her to speak without thinking, making her grandfather worry.

She hurriedly said, “Grandpa, don’t blame yourself. It’s all in the past. If I hadn’t been sent there by Shao Si-ming, how could I have learned so much about medicine and saved you from danger?”

“True, but the thought of you being so young and sent to such a place, bearing all those hardships alone—the pain in my heart is indescribable,” her grandfather said, gently placing his hand on her head, full of emotion.

Xie Qingtang smiled, her face radiant as sunlight, as if past hardships had left no mark upon her. She shook her head, “Grandpa, I’m truly fine. Misfortune often turns to fortune; I suppose this was a blessing in disguise.”

“You always know how to comfort me. Alright, let’s eat,” her grandfather said with a smile, and everyone began their meal.

After dinner, Xie Qingtang escorted her grandfather back to his room, checked his pulse, and saw that the lingering poison had not caused too much harm. She breathed a sigh of relief, crediting the days she had used ginseng to strengthen his health.

“Tang-tang, are you close with Gu Xiu-jin? Does he already know?” her grandfather began, and Xie Qingtang nodded, “Grandpa, Gu Xiu-jin knows about the engagement, but neither of us intends to honor it. Please don’t worry about it.”

“How can that be? That engagement was arranged between his grandfather and me when you were children, carried on to you both. If you married Gu Xiu-jin, Shao Si-ming wouldn’t dare touch you, and I could rest easier even if I pass away,” her grandfather said anxiously, grasping her hand and urging her.

Such is the heart of elders everywhere. Xie Qingtang patted his hand gently and replied, “Grandpa, rest assured. I’m no longer the Xie Qingtang I once was. Shao Si-ming won’t find it so easy to harm me, and I’ve returned this time to teach him a lesson.”

“Silly child, you don’t know how dangerous Shao Si-ming is. Though I’ve held onto my shares all these years, he’s controlled the Xie Group for so long—his influence is not to be underestimated,” her grandfather cautioned, still hoping Xie Qingtang and Gu Xiu-jin would be together.

After the incident at the nursing home, Xie Qingtang understood there was still a significant gap between her strength and Shao Si-ming’s. Yet, she had prepared herself mentally when she descended the mountain. She patted her grandfather’s hand, smiling, “Grandpa, I know what I’m doing. Please rest well.”

Strangely, after she patted him, a wave of drowsiness washed over her grandfather, and he nodded gently before falling asleep.

Having soothed her grandfather, Xie Qingtang stepped out of the room and noticed Gu Xiu-jin hadn’t left. He sat in his wheelchair, gazing up at the starry sky.

“Seems President Gu has business with me after all—not just here for dinner,” Xie Qingtang said with a smile, her gaze subtly drifting to his lower body.

Gu Xiu-jin’s face flushed inexplicably at her look. He unconsciously folded his hands over his lap and said seriously, “I do have something to ask you. You said that to cure my illness, I need the Seven Treasures Vitality Soup.”

“That’s right. It requires the Seven Treasures Vitality Soup, and the seven ingredients are extremely rare. Even the medicinal primer must be a thousand-year-old Taisui, a treasure of heaven and earth. Does President Gu wish to try gathering this ancient prescription?” Xie Qingtang calmly withdrew her gaze, her tone showing a hint of surprise.

When she mentioned the Seven Treasures Vitality Soup, Xie Qingtang knew it would be nearly impossible for Gu Xiu-jin to obtain all seven ingredients, let alone the primer.

When he left that day, Gu Xiu-jin hadn’t asked what the seven ingredients were, so Xie Qingtang assumed he had given up.