“Huh?”
Zhu Niao didn’t remember having any grievances that needed airing.
“It’s about that video. My brother really went a bit too far. The impact of posting such a video for young people is immeasurable,” the Store Manager Lady said, wagging a finger.
“Uh, is that so?” Zhu Niao scratched her head. “Seems like it, probably is, right?”
“Don’t worry, Little Bird. Just speak up if you have any grievances. We’ll advocate for you,” the Store Manager Lady said, gently placing a hand on Zhu Niao’s shoulder.
Zhu Niao then looked behind her at Gou Yu, who had just entered.
She watched as his expression shifted from one of carefree nonchalance to one of complete remorse and bitterness.
Little Bird frowned, seeming to recall something.
Then, everything clicked into place in her mind.
She understood. She understood it all now!
This whole family was just messing around, being absurd. She’d almost taken it seriously.
Even the Store Manager Lady was in on it. She had originally thought the Store Manager Lady, as the only normal person in Gou Yu’s family, served as the anchor point for distinguishing between serious matters and absurd events in the Gou household. But now, it seemed even the Store Manager Lady had joined in the fun.
Truly, staying untainted by the mud is too difficult for a normal person.
Faced with such a treacherous environment, even the Store Manager Lady couldn’t help but fall.
What was that saying? ‘Lie with pigs and you’ll… eat’ or something? Anyway, it’s all the same.
She would never forget the great contribution the Store Manager Lady made in this struggle.
Then, she cast a gaze of respect and tragic solemnity toward the girl with reddish-brown long hair.
For a moment, it left the other girl feeling a bit flustered.
“Let’s eat first. You must be hungry after your journey,” Gou Yu’s father said, appearing before the group.
He also shot Gou Yu a glare.
Seriously, what earth-shattering crime had Gou Yu committed? And why did it seem to involve her?
Wasn’t it just that one time he transformed into a ‘Fierce Tiger King’ and crawled on the ground, then filmed a video?
Wait, had Gou Yu done something else behind her back, something that wronged her? His family knew about it, but she didn’t?
So, Zhu Niao walked right up to Gou Yu, who looked dazed and confused, like an exiled prisoner.
She stood on her tiptoes, grabbed Gou Yu’s ear, and pulled hard enough to make him bend down slightly to a height where he could hear her whisper.
“Did you do something behind my back?” she asked bluntly.
“What could I possibly do behind your back?” Gou Yu answered just as frankly. “Damn, you count every single jelly cup you buy on sale. I stole two in the middle of the night, and you counted them out the next day and beat me up for it.”
“I’m not talking about food,” Zhu Niao recalled. “Did you hang my worn clothes on Xianyu to sell as ‘used by a female college student, 99% new’? How much did you sell them for? Why didn’t you split it with me?”
“What? If I could really get my hands on your clothes, why wouldn’t I use them myself?”
Zhu Niao shot him a suspicious look.
Gou Yu also realized he might have misspoken in the heat of the moment.
If Zhu Niao really got the idea that he had improper thoughts about her worn white stockings, he might never get to touch Zhu Niao’s white stockings again.
“And just how were you planning to ‘use’ my clothes?” Zhu Niao’s eyes filled with disgust.
“I meant wear. Actually, I’m a cross-dresser.”
The disgust in Zhu Niao’s eyes lessened slightly. “Then why haven’t I ever seen you wear women’s clothes?”
“Uh, because my psychological gender is female, so my cross-dressing involves wearing men’s clothes,” Gou Yu’s mind raced.
“So, you’re saying you like men?”
“Unfortunately, I’m also homosexual, so I still like women,” Gou Yu gave Zhu Niao a peace sign, completing the perfect logical loop.
Zhu Niao was momentarily speechless.
“Alright, alright, save the whispers for later. The food will get cold if we don’t eat,” the noblewoman came over, smiling, and pulled Zhu Niao away. “This brat who doesn’t know how to take care of people probably let you go hungry on the way.”
That was true. Zhu Niao had indeed come here hungry.
Originally, she had planned to dip a little into their shared, seemingly infinite funds to buy each of them a bottle of water and a sausage.
But Gou Yu seemed to have forgotten about that arrangement. When Zhu Niao picked up a seven-yuan drink, he let out a cry.
“Little Bird, are you crazy? This stuff sells for three yuan outside!”
“Then why didn’t you think to buy one outside earlier?”
“Why buy a three-yuan bottle outside when I can buy a one-yuan bottle of mineral water? And why buy a one-yuan bottle of mineral water when I can just wait until we get home and steal some from my sister’s fridge?”
Zhu Niao was pleased that Gou Yu remembered the money-saving mantra she had emphasized from the start.
But sometimes, you really don’t need to save money.
Though, to be honest, Gou Yu hadn’t spent money in a while.
He was always stingy, but lately, he’d become noticeably more miserly. She didn’t know what was going on.
Was this guy quietly amassing a fortune?
Or was he plotting some earth-shattering scheme?
Zhu Niao couldn’t figure it out. All she knew was that Gou Yu’s mother had sensed her vulnerability and served her a bowl of soup.
“Alright, now we need to initiate a family decision to discuss the matter of Gou Yu filming and uploading that video to the internet,” Gou Yu’s father said, then immediately went back to eating, like an NPC who had finished delivering their lines.
“I believe the impact of this incident is particularly severe, affecting our Little Zhu Niao’s reputation,” Gou Yu’s mother offered her opinion from the side.
Zhu Niao stared, dumbfounded, sipping her soup.
This family’s absurdity has a second phase?
“Agreed, agreed. It’s one thing for my brother to embarrass himself normally, or act like a dog at home. But crawling around at school and embarrassing Little Bird is too much,” the Store Manager Lady also raised her hand.
“I plead guilty. I admit to all charges,” Gou Yu hung his head, accepting everything.
Zhu Niao became even more certain this was all an act.
“Little Bird, I think severe punishment is needed. What do you think?” The Store Manager Lady winked at Zhu Niao.
Zhu Niao understood.
It was time for her to integrate into this environment as well.
“I agree. Such a vile act must be severely punished.”
Zhu Niao also stated her position with a grin.
“Ah, what a disgrace. It’s reached such a serious level that small compensations and punishments are useless. There’s only one thing left—to pledge himself in marriage.”
“Mhmm, agreed,” the Store Manager Lady nodded with a smile.
“Mhmm, agreed,” Zhu Niao, not really listening, also nodded.
Wait.
“Then let’s pick a date for the engagement, dear,” an old almanac suddenly appeared in Gou Yu’s mother’s hands.
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