Acting Cute
Before heading back after staying with Zhan Aiping for two or three days, Xie Wan advised her, “Before deciding to get married, you should think it over carefully.”
Xie Wan chuckled, “You’re one to talk.”
“But… you’re right.” She nodded. “I do need to reconsider.”
Xie Wan had always wanted to find a man who was thoughtful and considerate toward her. However, after observing how Gu Sheng and Zhan Aiping interacted as a couple over the past few days, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
Zhang Shuyang’s attentiveness toward her felt more like a perfunctory attempt to please her rather than genuine care.
Deep down, she had always noticed this, but she had convinced herself that all men were the same. Finding someone who was at least willing to go through the motions and coax her was already good enough. People had to be content, after all. Men and women—weren’t they all just getting by in life?
Zhang Shuyang might not be ideal, but she hadn’t seen anything better. Even Qin Lu’s marriage, which she once envied, turned out to be a facade.
Zhan Aiping smiled. “I wish you happiness and hope you find the right person.”
After Xie Wan left, life in their household returned to normal. The sheets that had been put away for guests were finally back in use. Overcome with excitement, Zhan Aiping couldn’t help but pounce on Gu Sheng at night, rubbing against him affectionately.
“Fifth Brother, let’s have another baby who can actually sing in tune!” She was so happy that she even started calling him by his childhood nickname.
Their daughter could dance, their son could draw… It felt like the artistic genes in her family had finally been awakened.
Gu Sheng lay on the bed, letting her press against his chest. His eyes were filled with amusement. “Do you think just because you want a child with good singing genes, you can make one happen?”
“Ever since you found out our daughter can dance, you’ve been waking up in the middle of the night giggling.”
He wrapped his arms around his wife. He had given her some face these past few days, pretending not to notice how ridiculously happy she was. But she couldn’t even sleep properly, waking up at night to laugh to herself like a fool.
Zhan Aiping said, “Let’s find a dance teacher for our daughter in the future.”
She wanted to nurture their daughter’s talent but wasn’t in a hurry to push Little Tangyuan into rigorous training. The child was still too young, and her bones hadn’t fully developed yet. Aiping didn’t want difficult dance moves to harm her daughter’s body. More than having a talented daughter, she wanted a healthy and happy one.
“We’ll take our time and make sure to find a good teacher,” Gu Sheng reassured her. “It’s about to be ‘75. In another two or three years, society will start changing, and the economy will develop. By then, we’ll have more choices for a proper instructor.”
Zhan Aiping cupped Gu Sheng’s face, admiring his handsome features. Suddenly, she really appreciated his genes.
Perhaps their genes should mix a little more.
“Fifth Brother, let’s have two more kids.”
Gu Sheng flipped her over, pinning her beneath him. With a husky voice, he murmured against her ear, “Wife, stop tempting me. If you keep talking like that, I won’t hold back.”
“Saying things like that so casually—don’t you know men shouldn’t be provoked?”
He made sure to take precautions. “Let’s not rush into having another baby. First, let’s focus on ‘practicing’ the process.”
Meanwhile, Regiment Commander Luo had been waiting to hear the couple argue. But after days of eavesdropping, he hadn’t heard a single fight.
Instead, the couple only grew more affectionate. Even if he were blind, he would still be able to see the deep love in their eyes.
One would be watering the yard, the other washing clothes, yet they had to steal glances at each other several times.
“Their kids are already a few years old, so why are they still acting like newlyweds?”
Commander Luo grumbled to himself. Compared to going home, he would rather stay at work and put in extra hours. But no matter how much he worked, he still had to return home in the end.
Director Li, carrying her child, walked past the two neighbouring households. As she passed by, she nodded approvingly, “You become who you surround yourself with. Both families are peaceful and stable.”
Previously, Director Li had worried that Commander Luo and Zhang Lirong would argue, but their marriage had only grown more harmonious over time.
As long as there was no drama, it was all good.
After Little Tangyuan had shown off her dance moves in front of her parents, she became even more obsessed with dancing. Like all children, she had a little bit of vanity—every time her mother praised her, she felt encouraged and happily danced even more.
Zhan Aiping wasn’t an art connoisseur, but she was delighted whenever her daughter danced, even if it was just a few random steps. She had no grand expectations for Little Tangyuan to become a famous dancer.
As long as her daughter could participate in a school or kindergarten performance and fulfil the childhood dream that Aiping once had, that was enough.
“Our little Tangyuan looks so beautiful when she dances!”
Every time she watched her daughter dance, she was filled with joy. She braided her hair beautifully and even used a sewing machine to make new dresses for her.
Dressed like a little lady, Little Tangyuan wore an adorable dress, shiny little leather shoes, white socks, and a bunny-shaped headband, with pretty hair clips and ribbons.
After finishing a short dance, her fair cheeks flushed pink. She leaped into her mother’s arms and sweetly whined, “Mommy… I need delicious food to have the energy to dance.”
Zhan Aiping could never resist her daughter’s soft cuddles and sweet voice. Hugging her little “padded jacket,” she said happily, “Alright, we’ll wait for Daddy to come home and cook something delicious for you and your brother.”
Having secured her mother’s approval, Little Tangyuan skipped over to her older brother and playfully chirped, “Brother, you’re lucky to have me! You should thank me!”
“No thanks,” he responded coolly.
“Brother, you’re so mean!”
Guobaorou sighed. “…Don’t be so clingy.”
Little Tangyuan puffed up proudly. “I *want* to be clingy.”
Her self-proclaimed intelligent and proud older brother, Comrade Guobaorou, couldn’t stand how she used her sweetness to win people over.
On the surface, Little Tangyuan seemed more delicate and fond of being pampered. She adored cuddling her pretty dolls and, as a result, attracted many little boys who liked her.
But—
Although she looked delicate, she was still surprisingly strong.
No one could take her toys away, and she could even protect her older brother!
Guobaorou thought to himself, My little sister is both silly and adorable!
Meanwhile, their mother, Zhan Aiping, was just as naive and easy to fool—falling for the act of a seemingly fragile daughter who, in reality, was anything but.
—This mother-daughter duo was truly a headache!
When Gu Sheng came home, Guobaorou followed behind him, his little face serious and deep in thought. In this household, he believed that only the men of the Gu family could resist Little Tangyuan’s powerful charm offensive.
With a solemn expression, Guobaorou declared, “Dad, your wife has been completely manipulated by your silly daughter.”
“You need to do something about this.”
Gu Sheng picked up his son and looked at his face, which bore a striking resemblance to Zhan Aiping’s. Seeing his son’s expression of deep concern, he couldn’t help but recall how carefree and clueless Aiping had been in her younger days. Now, looking at his son’s furrowed brows, full of worldly worries, he couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“Frowning too much will turn you into a little old man.”
“Dad…” In little Guobaorou’s heart, his father was the strongest and most capable person in the world.
“You can’t give up resisting.”
Gu Sheng weighed him in his arms. “What resistance? What nonsense are you talking about, silly son?”
Guobaorou looked troubled. He buried his head against Gu Sheng’s chest and mumbled, “Dad, I don’t want to dance.”
He had secretly tried it, only to realize his limbs were uncoordinated—he was simply not suited for dancing.
It was enough to make his hair fall out from stress.
“Who told you to dance? Your mom didn’t force you.” Gu Sheng had noticed that his eldest son was extremely competitive. The moment he realized their mother liked watching Little Tangyuan dance, he became jealous. He wanted attention too. He wanted to outshine his little sister in everything.
“Honey, come comfort your son.”
Zhan Aiping took their son into her arms. He might be young, but he was already stubborn and awkward.
“Everyone has their own strengths,” she said, hugging him and offering words of comfort.
She understood her son’s frustration well—after all, she had been just as competitive when she was younger, always trying to outdo Gu Sheng.
Guobaorou muttered under his breath, “But she doesn’t even act spoiled around me.”
He was the older brother! He was supposed to be the elder!
Not only was he jealous of his little sister, but he was also jealous of his mom.
Zhan Aiping sighed. What a sulky little child. “Yuan Yuan, come cheer up your brother!”
Little Tangyuan was a carefree little sunshine, unbothered by much of anything. Lately, she had mastered the art of acting cute.
“Brother, I’ll dance for you!” she said happily.
Guobaorou turned his head away. “I don’t want to watch!”
“…But if you insist, I guess I’ll look.”
Zhan Aiping let the siblings work things out on their own. She watched them with a warm smile.
Her eldest son was indeed smart, but he also needed praise and affection.
Aside from Xie Wan, Gu Sheng and Zhan Aiping had hosted many other guests in the past few days. Some of Gu Sheng’s comrades from his regiment had come over for a meal. That was when Zhan Aiping met Lin Yong, the regiment’s new staff officer. He had a round face and a friendly demeanour.
But the first thing he said was, “Sister-in-law, can you introduce me to someone?”
Zhan Aiping: “…”
“…Why don’t you ask Director Li or Doctor Sun to set you up?”
Lin Yong sighed, “They’ve already tried. None of them worked out.”
That meant he was a tough case.
Zhan Aiping smoothly rejected him, “If even they couldn’t help, I don’t think I’d be able to either.”
She had no interest in becoming a matchmaker.
A few days after returning home, Xie Wan called her.
“I thought it over, and I ended things with Mr. Zhang… The moment I brought it up, he completely changed his face and started pestering me.”
“The more he clings, the more I realize how unfamiliar he is to me. Turns out, all the sweet things he used to say were lies.”
“He used to say such beautiful words—things like how meeting me was the greatest fortune of his life, how he’d do anything for me, how I shouldn’t worry about anything because he’d take care of it all… I really thought he loved me. But in reality, he was after my dad.”
“He was in love with my father’s position—our family.”
“He even said he fell for me at first sight… God, I only just found out that he had accidentally seen my family background file first. ‘That’s’ when he decided he was in love with me.”
…
Zhan Aiping simply said, “It’s good that you’ve seen him clearly now.”
“I don’t even know how to go about finding a partner anymore.” Xie Wan sounded lost. “The sons of my parents’ colleagues have the right family background, but there’s no chemistry. Those who come from good families won’t put in as much effort as Zhang Shuyang did, flattering and doting on me just to get in my good graces.”
At that moment, she envied Zhan Aiping immensely. Aiping had found someone she’d known since childhood—someone who came from a good family, had a good job, and genuinely cherished her.
“If only I had reserved a childhood husband for myself in advance.”
Finding a partner now was too difficult. She wasn’t exceptionally capable herself, and her family’s status was neither too high nor too low.
Zhan Aiping laughed. “What childhood husband? Don’t be ridiculous. My family couldn’t afford to ‘raise’ Gu Lao Wu.”
“…What about his younger brother?” Xie Wan suddenly thought of someone. “Has Gu Xiangyi found a partner yet?”
Xiangyi?
Zhan Aiping suddenly realized that Xiangyi had been very quiet lately. She hadn’t come around calling “sister-in-law” as much as she used to.
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