Chapter 51: Part One

When kids get clingy, they can be a real handful. After dinner, Gu Miaomiao trailed after Qin Yao into her room. Earlier, Gu Cheng and his brother went out to visit an elder and hadn’t returned yet, nor did they eat at home.

Qin Yao dragged two stools over to the desk and coaxed the little girl to sit down. "Let’s play Go."

With that, she took an old notebook from the bookshelf, flipped to a blank page from the back, found a ruler and a ballpoint pen, and started drawing the grid.

"Auntie..." Seeing her actions, Gu Miaomiao’s hair almost stood on end, her face tense and showing great worry. "Don’t use this notebook. I’ll get my homework notebook from my room."

Qin Yao was puzzled. "Hmm?"

"This is Uncle’s notebook. He’s really strict and never lets anyone touch his things. Last time, I just opened it to look, and he scolded me."

Gu Miaomiao admired her uncle, but she had to admit that in the entire Gu family, there was nothing she feared more than this uncle who returned home once a year. When he gets angry, it’s terrifying. He was cold, cool, and fierce, with a temper even worse than hers!

No one could touch his things.

"When he gets angry, it’s terrifying," Gu Miaomiao said, a lingering fear in her heart. She wasn’t even afraid of generals, but she was scared of Uncle’s cold demeanor.

Gu Miaomiao usually acted recklessly, but she wouldn’t dare cross Uncle.

Qin Yao shook her head lightly. "It should be okay. It’s just a rough notebook."

Yesterday, when she was bored, she drew two little ducks on the back. Nothing happened. Gu Cheng said it was a middle school draft notebook he no longer needed, so she could draw whatever she wanted.

"Really?" Gu Miaomiao picked up the notebook and flipped through it. The earlier pages were filled with detailed drawings of military equipment, including planes, cannons, and tanks.

Her little face turned pale. It was this notebook! She had touched it once and got scolded, and even crying to Grandma didn’t help.

Great-grandfather and Grandfather were even more useless!

"This is it, Auntie. We’re in trouble. This is my uncle’s most cherished notebook, not just a draft notebook. He drew all these himself and never lets anyone touch it."

"I was scolded badly last time I touched it. It was really awful." Gu Miaomiao looked at Qin Yao with a pitiful expression.

In her eyes, Auntie was in big trouble.

Qin Yao looked at Gu Miaomiao, who seemed dejected as if she had done something wrong. Her expression didn’t seem fake. Was this notebook really that important? Was it something that couldn’t be touched?

She flipped to the end and saw the two little ducks drawn the previous night.

Gu Miaomiao froze—there were actually two ducks here. "This?"

Qin Yao: "I drew this yesterday."

"Aunt Yao, you’re in trouble. You should apologize to Uncle later. I'll definitely help you plead."

Qin Yao: "..." I drew these ducks right under your uncle’s nose.

"It should be fine, the drawings are already done. Let’s play Gomoku."

Qin Yao opened the notebook, chose a blank page, and continued to draw a grid of squares on it.

Gu Miaomiao sat on the high stool, staring absentmindedly at her. At that moment, she felt that although Aunt Yao had a lovely face like "Goddess Chang'e," she exuded a robust, golden aura like "Marshal Tianpeng."

She truly feared nothing.

Gu Miaomiao sat on the high stool, resting her chin on her hands on the desk, feeling uneasy and anxious. The grids Qin Yao was drawing looked crooked to her. She became somewhat anxious and after some time blurted out:

"My mom never touches Dad’s things either."

Qin Yao looked up at her.

"Aunt Yao, you need to be more careful. I don't want Uncle to be fierce to you." Gu Miaomiao awkwardly expressed her concern.

Qin Yao asked curiously, "Doesn't your mom touch your dad's things?"

Gu Miaomiao nodded. "Because Dad has a lot of important documents, and Mom says they shouldn’t be touched casually."

Qin Yao nodded as well. "But this is just a sketchbook, not anything important."

Gu Miaomiao felt worried.

The Aunt Yao in front of her was really stubborn, like a rough female electrician stubbornly climbing high-voltage lines with her thick braids, fearless of electrocution.

"Aunt Yao, my uncle gets even scarier than my dad when he’s angry."

Qin Yao laughed as she teased the little one in front of her, placing her hands by her cheeks, forming claws, and silently growling. "When I get angry, I’m even scarier. Do you know what a ‘tiger mom’ is? I'm like that!"

Gu Miaomiao felt a sense of melancholy. Seeing Qin Yao in front of her, she finally understood the helplessness teachers felt when facing naughty children.

Hmph.

"Any tiger mom turns into a little kitten in front of my uncle," Gu Miaomiao made a face, "My uncle is handsome, but he's very fierce. He never smiles, so he’s not suitable to be a husband, okay?"

Qin Yao listened to her chattering with a smile, thinking to herself that kids really hit the nail on the head.

Qin Yao accurately pointed out, "I understand. You're afraid of your uncle."

"I'm not afraid at all!" Gu Miaomiao opened her eyes wide, "In this family, I have the perks of being a kid. I'm not afraid of being naughty or causing trouble."

Qin Yao said, "Then make your uncle lose his temper for me to see."

Gu Miaomiao froze, finding it unbelievable. "Haven’t you had enough of his temper already? What are you talking about!"

Qin Yao: "..."

Gu Miaomiao saved face. "I'm not going to ask for a scolding."

Qin Yao couldn't help but laugh.

Gu Miaomiao said confidently, "Little Aunt, don't be afraid. I'll sleep with you tonight and keep you safe."

"Okay," Qin Yao propped her chin with her hand and spun the ruler in it, "As long as you can persuade your uncle."

Let's see what tricks 'Miaomiao' has up her sleeve. She had promised to do whatever he said tonight. If she slept with me, that promise could be happily broken.

"Leave it to me."

Gu Miaomiao patted her chest.

*

Gu Cheng returned with his elder brother Gu Xing, exchanged a few brief words, took off his military coat, hung it on his arm, hid his excitement, and marched upstairs.

Noticing the sofa where Qin Yao had been reading earlier, amusement flickered in Gu Cheng's eyes. She had promised to do whatever he said tonight.

"Little brother, you're back?" His sister-in-law, He An, greeted him and instructed the maid to tidy up and set up a guest room.

Gu Cheng nodded politely and inquired, "Are we expecting a guest?"

Big Sister-in-law He An felt a bit embarrassed. "Miaomiao said she wants to sleep with her aunt tonight."

So, this guest room was prepared for Gu Cheng.

"Little brother, look, would you like to sleep in the guest room, or should sister-in-law Miaomiao sleep there? The bed in the guest room isn’t very big..."

The implication in He An's words was quite clear; the bed in the guest room wasn’t very big, it was just the right size for Gu Cheng to sleep alone.

He An hadn't thought that Gu Cheng would refuse. It’s the same when I sleep with my daughter; she figured he would act like her husband, Gu Xing, lightly saying, "I'll sleep in the guest room."

Who would have thought that her brother-in-law would frown and coldly say, "I don't agree."

He could put up with it during the day, but this was his nightlife! Gu Cheng wouldn't allow his wife to sleep with someone else, not even his own little niece.

"Big sister-in-law, don't bother. Absolutely not. Let Miaomiao sleep by herself."

Gu Cheng walked towards his room with a cold expression. Big Sister-in-law He An watched him stride briskly to his room and suddenly felt a chill.

Gu Cheng pushed open the door, and two heads, one big and one small, looked over at him. Gu Cheng wore his military uniform, with a military coat draped over his arm, having returned through the snow and ice. Even after entering the house and climbing the stairs, he still carried the chill of snow and frost.

His sword-like eyebrows slanted towards his temples, and his high nose bridge accentuated a pair of intense peach blossom eyes that shone under the warm yellow light. A small beauty mark was under his right eye, which, from a distance, deepened the contour of his eyes. When the corners of his eyes tilted upwards, his gaze became as sharp as a knife.

The silent, icy wind ruffled the strands of hair by his ears. Gu Miaomiao couldn't help but shrink her neck, feeling as if the icicles hanging from the eaves had grown legs and entered the room.

She said, "Uncle, I want to sleep with Auntie tonight."

"No," Gu Cheng gave Gu Miaomiao a cold sidelong glance, then didn't look at her again, his long fingers lightly flicking the cuffs and hem of his coat.

The room was unusually quiet, as if it had frozen over, and the rustling of clothes sounded as harsh as cutting wood.

After a few seconds, Gu Miaomiao conceded. "Okay."

Qin Yao widened her eyes in disbelief. She had high hopes for this little niece, thinking she had some clever plan, but as soon as Gu Cheng gave her a cold look, she immediately surrendered.

Gu Miaomiao glanced at her, stung by her disappointed expression. Determined, Gu Miaomiao steeled herself. She furrowed her brows and pressed her lips together, seemingly making a decision.

She picked up her notebook and opened it towards Gu Cheng. "Uncle, I did something wrong today. I used your notebook to play a game of chess, and I also drew two little ducks."

Having said that, Gu Miaomiao glanced at Qin Yao, indicating, "I’m covering for you, aren’t I?"

Qin Yao: “…”

Gu Miaomiao turned to the page with the two little ducks and, with a look of heroic resignation, declared loudly, “The ducks are very cute.”

Gu Cheng didn’t even lift his eyes and coolly said, “You’re lying.”

Gu Miaomiao: “?”

“You didn’t draw them,” Gu Cheng said, crossing his arms. He was momentarily puzzled, having watched his wife draw those ducks.

Qin Yao sheepishly took the notebook from her niece’s hands and spread it out on the table. “I drew them, Miaomiao. It’s okay.”

“We didn’t finish this game of Gomoku yet,” Qin Yao said.

Gu Miaomiao was stunned. She thought to herself that this younger aunt of hers really had a strong heart, playing Gomoku at such a moment.

Qin Yao drew an “x,” and Gu Miaomiao had no choice but to add an “o.”

Gu Cheng stood behind Qin Yao, lowering his eyes to watch the two playing Gomoku. Gu Miaomiao didn’t dare to lift her head, wishing she could tuck her head into her collar.

Gu Cheng rolled up a book and tapped his niece lightly on the head, reminding her, “Sit up straight, chin up.”

Gu Miaomiao immediately sat up straight. She quickly glanced at Gu Cheng, then fixed her gaze back on the grid notebook.

Qin Yao added a few more “x”s.

Gu Cheng said, “You’ve won.”

I won?

Qin Yao was stunned. She looked around. “Did I lose?”

Gu Miaomiao was also confused. How did she win?

Gu Cheng pointed out that Qin Yao could form four “x”s in a row in two different places with another move. Gu Miaomiao had lost.

Qin Yao had a sudden realization, "There's this spot too! I didn't even see it!"

Gu Miaomiao was at a loss for words.

Seeing her looking up with a surprised expression, Gu Cheng couldn't help but laugh. His eyes were warm and gentle as he placed his hands on the woman's shoulders.

Gu Miaomiao, resting her chin in her hand, looked up just in time to see the smile on her uncle's face, reminding her of the white magnolia flowers she had seen outside the palace's crimson walls during a spring outing last March.

Even though it was a solemn, towering palace wall, the early spring remained chilly, with not a single green leaf on the treetops, yet the pure white flowers bloomed, against the red walls and green tiles.

Beautiful yet cold, symbolizing the end of winter.

Qin Yao said, "How about another round?"

Gu Miaomiao was dumbfounded. Another round?

Gu Cheng said, "Move over, I'll play with you."

The little student, Gu Miaomiao, moved aside and stood in the middle, watching the couple play five-in-a-row.

"Uncle, aren't you angry?"

Gu Cheng: "Why?"

"Last year, when I used your notebook to play, you scolded me!"

"Oh."

"Auntie drew ducks in it!"

"Hmm."

Gu Miaomiao slapped the table, "Comrade Gu, you're playing favorites!"

Gu Cheng glanced at her sideways and said calmly, "Know your place, go find your mom, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out."

Gu Miaomiao was furious!

But anger was useless. She was ushered out by Gu Cheng like a chick, standing at the door, hearing the cold sound of the lock clicking from inside.