Old Madam reached out and picked Gu Yin up. She wiped her tears. “Life sure is tough.”
Gu Yin got up and stood beside Old Madam. She bit her lip tightly as her tears kept falling.
Xia Mingzhu patted Gu Yin on the shoulder. “Yin Yin, don’t cry. In the future, the Lei family will be your family. Your uncle and I will take good care of you.”
Gu Yin nodded.
Gu Mang was still kneeling. She burned two sets of incense paper and candles. When the candles were about to finish burning, she spoke. “Mom, Dad. Gu Si has something on, he will come back and visit you another time.”
With that, she got up and got rid of all the weeds around the grave, making it clean and tidy. The others bowed and put some white flowers before the grave.
It was cold outside. Lei Cong wore very thinly and he was shivering in the cold.
Xia Mingzhu noticed it and looked at Lei Xiao. Softly, she said. “When are we going in? Cong Cong’s clothes are very thin and I’m afraid that he might fall sick.”
Lei Xiao looked at Lei Cong. “Soon.”
Xia Mingzhu uttered an assent. They were at the grave for about 40 minutes then the entire family walked home.
Along the way, Old Master narrowed his eyes to look at Gu Mang who was wearing a baseball cap and using her phone as if she were replying to some messages. Softly, he said, “Gu Mang, I heard that you are a designer at Lan Ting?”
Gu Mang gave what seemed like an evil smile. She answered softly, “Mm.”
Seeing such an attitude of hers, the Old Master’s expression turned sullen. He tried to find a way to give himself an out. “Since you are good at it, you should learn well. In the future, you can get into a third tier design school. Getting a degree would look nice.”
Lei Xiao turned to Gu Mang and added, “You should do well in school. Earlier, I wanted you to live with the Lei family and take tuition classes with Yin Yin, yet you chose to waste time.”
Gu Mang didn’t reply. The other relatives joined in.
“Yeah, Gu Mang. You see, the university entrance exams are almost here. You need to make good use of your time and study hard.”
“Listen to your uncle and learn well with the help of a tutor. You can still try for a third tier university.”
“Sigh, Gu Mang. We’re all speaking for your good. Don’t ignore our advice.”
“A person should know her limits.”
When they were done talking, Lei Xiao spoke again. “From today, you shall live with the Lei family. Don’t think about the national exams, either. With those grades of yours, it’ll be a waste of time to even attend. Make good use of these few months. I will get those tutors to coach you well. At the university entrance exams, you can strive for a third tier university.”
Gu Yin smiled and spoke gently. “Sis, I can lend you my notes. A third tier is already pretty good for you.”
Xia Mingzhu smiled lightly. “Although it is nothing compared to the Capital University that Yin Yin will attend in the future, a third tier school is not an issue.”
She was not willing to let Gu Mang live with them, but it was not a good idea to get into a fight with Lei Xiao over it.
Lei Cong kicked the pebbles by the road and looked at Gu Mang who had not spoken the whole time. “Sister Gu Mang, is there any school that you wish to go to?”
“The problem now is not whether there’s a school that she wants to attend but rather if there is any school that wants to admit her.”
A few relatives agreed. Gu Mang replied to a message and put her phone into her pocket. Then she looked up and glanced at the people around her. The sharp look in her eyes made everyone go silent. There were some thin, red, veins visible in her eyes and she looked unspeakably scary.
Ever since the husband and wife of the Gu family passed on, she seemed to not hold back on her craziness. The sharp look in her eyes caused a shiver-inducing chill.
After a while, she smirked and answered Lei Cong’s question. “I’m not done choosing.”
Hearing that, Lei Xiao frowned. “You are still picking?”
Gu Yin laughed. “Sis, what’s most important is to pick something that is suitable for yourself.”
With those grades of hers, even getting into a technical school would be considered a high climb. Gu Mang said nothing.
