The first class was math.
The math teacher walked up to the podium and paused in surprise upon seeing a box of cupcakes on the desk: "Who put these here?"
All the students remained silent, looking at each other without a word...
Then, one of the students pointed at Anning: "Gu Anning was the one who put them there."
Anning swiftly stood up: "Teacher, you’ve been working so hard recently, this is just a small token of our appreciation."
The math teacher smiled and gestured for Anning to sit down, then she arranged the cupcakes and began the lesson.
For several days in a row, teachers of various subjects would find so snacks on their podiums, and each ti, it was Gu Anning who had placed them there.
The teachers were bemused, unsure of what was going on.
The horoom teacher, Teacher Li, made so inquiries with the students and found out that the snacks were all gifts given to Anning, ant as expressions of affection.
Teacher Li started to worry a bit.
It was really because Gu Anning was so good-looking. Ever since she entered First Middle School, she had stirred the hearts of many innocent young boys, and who knows how many had a secret crush on her.
If this was allowed to continue unchecked, what if Gu Anning started dating at a young age?
Principal Lan thought very highly of Anning and was considering leveraging Anning to compete with others during the senior year. If Anning lost interest in academics, Principal Lan would not forgive him.
In the end, Teacher Li had no choice but to discuss with the teachers of various classes and hold a political education class for the students, with the content focusing on not dating at an early age. After that, the managent of the students was tightened, and Anning finally got so peace.
Soon the weekend arrived.
On Friday, as soon as school was over, Anning had just gotten ho when Mrs. Gu hurried her to change clothes, and then she carried a bag and went with Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu to catch a ride back to her hotown.
Anning’s hotown was a small county town situated three to four hundred miles away from Qing City.
Because it was already late, Mr. Gu had booked high-speed train tickets.
They first went to the city located dozens of miles from the small county town, and then took a cab back ho.
The family rushed on their way, and by eight o’clock in the evening, they had already arrived in the city. Mr. Gu found a taxi, and it took just over twenty minutes by motorway to reach Grandma Gu’s house.
Grandma Gu had always lived in the old house in the county town, and both Mr. Gu and Aunt Gu had thought about bringing her to Qing City, but she was always reluctant to go.
Fortunately, Uncle Gu’s family lived not too far from her, so there was soone to take care of her.
Because they didn’t co back often and couldn’t take care of Grandma Gu, Mr. Gu often sent her money, and in many matters, he was quite accommodating towards Uncle Gu.
When they arrived, Grandma Gu had already gone to bed. Anning went over to knock on the door, and Grandma Gu ca out grumbling to open it.
"Why are you coming back at this ti?"
Upon seeing Anning and her family, Grandma Gu was still unhappy: "Why co back so late at night? It wouldn’t be late if you co back tomorrow."
Mr. Gu had a smile on his face: "We were just thinking that we hadn’t co back for quite so ti, so we wanted to stay for an extra night."
Grandma Gu frowned: "Stay for what? There’s nothing prepared for you at ho, we don’t even have enough blankets, how are you going to sleep?"
Mr. Gu was finding it hard to maintain his smile: "Mom, didn’t I call you in advance? I said we’d co back to stay, and ntioned that Anning was coming too, you..."
Grandma Gu ushered Anning’s family into the house: "Well, I can’t just buy several blankets because you’re coming back for a night or two, can I? I’ve always been like this, it’s up to you whether you co back or not."
She then cast a sidelong glance at Anning: "What’s the use if Anning cos back or not? It’s fine as long as Ankang from your eldest brother’s family is around, he’s a male. He’s essential for ancestral worship and tomb-sweeping; what use is Anning, a girl? If it were the old society, she would have to stay far away from anything to do with ancestral worship."
She started complaining as she spoke, "You too, I’ve said it before, you should have adopted a boy. Even if he’s not our own flesh and blood, once he bears the Gu surna, he’s one of our people, and soone will take care of your affairs after you’re gone. When you die, there will be soone to ’smash the earthen bowl’..."
Mrs. Gu’s face imdiately turned sour.
Mr. Gu also looked rather displeased.
Anning had been sitting quietly on the side without speaking, but at this point, she couldn’t bear to listen any longer.
She had received the mories of her original self and knew that she was never liked by Grandma Gu. The original self had always felt particularly aggrieved, feeling no less than Gu Ankang in any way, but simply because she was a girl and Gu Ankang was a boy, Grandma Gu had always favored Uncle Gu’s family and looked down on their family.
The original self could not understand why, and harbored a sense of resentnt. She studied hard, wanting to prove to the relatives that girls were no less capable than boys.
She also wanted to make a better life for Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu in the future, so that her parents could hold their heads high with pride.
Anning deeply understood the feelings of the original self. Most girls brought up in families that favored boys, if they were not twisted by such upbringing or turned into ek ’brother-pleasers,’ would have the sa aspirations.
As she watched Grandma Gu tirelessly berate them, Anning could no longer hold back, "Grandma, where am I lacking compared to Gu Ankang? Why do you look down on so much? Is it because he can ’smash the earthen bowl’? Can’t I, for my parents, ’smash the earthen bowl’? I just don’t understand, you like Gu Ankang so much, do you really expect to rely on him to take care of you in old age? Shouldn’t it be , their own daughter, rather than a nephew, to take care of my parents in their old age?"
Grandma Gu, challenged by Anning’s retort, beca infuriated. She slapped the table, "Unbelievable! At such a young age, and you dare to backtalk your elders, you..."
"What about ?"
Anning’s face remained calm, not at all intimidated by Grandma Gu, "You never cared for anyway, whether I’m good or bad doesn’t seem to make a difference to you. So I might as well talk back to you. What era are you living in, still clinging to those old traditions? Are you not tired of it, always about the ’male successors’, and talking about inheriting family businesses? Just how much ’family business’ does our old Gu family have to inherit? Is there a throne or a gold mine? Even if there were a throne, what of it? Other countries have queens."
Mrs. Gu, seeing Anning and Grandma Gu argue back and forth, felt a burst of satisfaction and exhilaration.
She spoke with a smile, "Mom, Ningning is right, n and won are equal nowadays. Even though we only have Ningning, I don’t feel we’re lacking in any way compared to others. Our Ningning is both academically excellent and sensible. I wouldn’t trade her for ten sons."
Grandma Gu looked at Mrs. Gu, then at Anning, and stood up to chase them out, "I see now. You’ve co back so late at night just to provoke . Second child, you just stand by and watch your wife and daughter talk back to your mother like this?"
Mr. Gu had long been heartbroken by Grandma Gu.
Now he gives money to Grandma Gu and visits regularly only to fulfill his duties as a son.
To say he was truly on Grandma Gu’s side, that was not the case.
"Mom, I agree with my wife and Ningning. I don’t feel that not having a son is a problem. I love my daughter."
Grandma Gu trembled with anger, "Fine, if you all want to provoke , then don’t stay in my house. Get out, all of you."
Mr. Gu looked at Grandma Gu, sadness showing in his eyes, "Mom, are you really going to kick us out in the middle of the night?"
"Get out, just get out!"
Grandma Gu turned and grabbed a broom to hit Mr. Gu, "Anyway, I don’t count on your girl. I have Ankang; I have a grandson..."
Anning pulled Mr. Gu and headed outside.
Mrs. Gu quickly followed behind.
The family braved the cold wind as they left, watching Grandma Gu lock the main gate right in front of them.
"Where do we go?"
Mrs. Gu, carrying their luggage and holding Anning’s hand, stood in the chilly night breeze.
Mr. Gu looked desolate and sowhat forlorn.
"Let’s find a place to spend the night."
Mr. Gu lowered his head, took the luggage, and led Anning and Mrs. Gu forward, "I rember there’s a hotel nearby."
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