Chapter 884: Too Much Enthusiasm Is Not a Good Thing

Wang An's words left Gu Xiaolong completely bewildered.

Mainly, a child of ten-plus years had truly never encountered such a thing.

Noticing the situation, Gu Xiaiaoshuang's mother immediately walked over and said

"Xiaolong, how can you take other people's money? Give it back quickly."

It must be said that while this woman couldn't make decisions regarding her daughter's marriage, she was quite clear-headed when it came to money.

It was only then that Wang An noticed the appearance of Gu Xiaoshuang's mother.

He had to admit that although this woman in her thirties looked like she was in her forties due to the hardships of life, her features were indeed very delicate. Especially those peach-blossom eyes; no matter who she looked at, it seemed as if she were gazing at them with deep affection.

No wonder Gu Xiaoshuang grew up so beautiful; it was because her mother was beautiful.

Wang An discovered that if the mother is very pretty, as long as the father isn't exceptionally ugly, the child's looks generally won't be bad. This should be a matter of genetic inheritance.

Wang An said with a smile

"This is a game the two of us are playing. I give him money, and he runs errands for me. Auntie, don't get mixed up in this, alright?"

As he spoke, Wang An forcibly stuffed that 1 mao into Gu Xiaolong's clothing pocket.

He called it a pocket, but to Wang An, it looked more like a patched-up hole with loose threads.

On the other side, Yu Xiangnan and Wu Dong had taken turns lecturing Gu Xiaoshuang's stepfather. Now, the stepfather was trying to persuade the two of them to stay for a meal.

Gu Xiaoshuang's stepfather was tugging and pleading with them, appearing truly sincere.

Northeasterners were like this; regardless of whether their lives were good or bad, they could not let their "face" suffer. As long as guests came to the house, they would exhaust every effort to arrange a meal.

It was as if not providing this meal to the guests would be like slapping their own face.

This behavior was genuinely hospitable and thorough, but if the family's conditions were poor, it was actually just "dying for face while suffering in life." In local dialect, it would be called "a skinny donkey straining to pull a stubborn load—forcing it."

Of course, this mainly referred to very important guests; old neighbors and acquaintances weren't included.

If one treated old neighbors as important guests, that wouldn't be about saving face; that would be called "acting the fool."

But for the principal of the County First Middle School to personally come to the house to deliver a notice—how much "face" was that? Therefore, the behavior of Gu Xiaoshuang's stepfather was understandable.

However, looking at the conditions of Gu Xiaoshuang's home, both Yu Xiangnan and Wu Dong felt truly embarrassed to stay for the meal.

To put it bluntly, arranging this meal would truly leave Gu Xiaoshuang's family starving for several days, and their economic condition wouldn't recover for a long time.

This was a fact.

Thus, after some back-and-forth, Yu Xiangnan and Wu Dong both looked toward Wang An with pleading eyes, meaning for Wang An to persuade the stepfather.

Unfortunately, since this was a local custom, Wang An couldn't simply refuse. After thinking for a moment, Wang An said to the stepfather

"Uncle, it's a great thing that Xiaoshuang got into the County First Middle School. In the old days, this would be like officially becoming a scholar, so we really should celebrate. How about this, Uncle: the meal can be at your house, but we'll arrange the food. Consider it our gift for the occasion."

After Wang An finished, Gu Xiaoshuang's stepfather said, his face flushing and neck straining

"That absolutely won't do! How can the guests prepare the food? Aren't you slapping my face? No matter how you slice it, that's not how things are done! Get inside, have some water first, and I'll have her mother whip up a few dishes."

The stepfather's words were not wrong; the idea of guests preparing the food was indeed a bit awkward to discuss.

Mainly, it carried a slight hint of looking down on the host.

Wang An thought for a moment and exchanged glances with Yu Xiangnan and Wu Dong. All three wore bitter smiles, their expressions full of helplessness.

As his gaze swept across, Wang An suddenly noticed Wu Dong's uniform. Consequently, Wang An continued to argue with the father

"Uncle, you're overthinking it. I didn't mean it that way. The main thing is that these two are cadres from above; they strictly adhere to the principle of not taking a single needle or thread from the masses. While we understand your kindness, if you arrange the food, wouldn't that be letting the Principal and Minister Wu commit a mistake?"

It must be said that Wang An's brain was absolutely different from that of a normal person; his reaction speed was incredibly fast.

He had instantaneously elevated the matter to a higher level—a classic case of "raising the stakes," turning a small matter into a major political issue.

As soon as Wang An finished speaking, not only was Gu Xiaoshuang's stepfather stunned, but even Yu Xiangnan and Wu Dong were completely bewildered.

The stepfather was stunned because he was intimidated by Wang An's words.

Yu Xiangnan and Wu Dong were bewildered because while such a rhetoric did exist, how many years ago was that from? It had long since vanished, hadn't it?

Fortunately, Yu Xiangnan and Wu Dong's reaction speeds weren't slow either. Wu Dong immediately echoed Wang An

"That's right, Uncle. Look at our attire. If we were to eat and drink for free at your house, we would actually face disciplinary action."

Who knows who in DJ County would actually dare to punish these two over a single meal.

Principal Yu nodded in agreement

"Indeed. As a principal, I cannot do such a thing."

The performance of the three of them was actually quite convincing, leaving Gu Xiaoshuang's stepfather momentarily speechless.

After a moment of stalemate, Yu Xiangnan checked his watch and concluded

"Let's leave it at that. It's still early; we'll have a chance to eat together next time. We'll head back to work now, and you all should get back to your business."

After Yu Xiangnan spoke, everyone exchanged a few more useless pleasantries, and the three of them left on the sidecar motorcycle.

It must be said that being too concerned with "face" isn't necessarily a good thing; it can truly make people feel conflicted.

On the road, Yu Xiangnan muttered to himself with some worry

"I wonder how long our visit will actually be effective. Sigh! It's truly too difficult for the children of ordinary people to make something of themselves!"

Neither Wang An nor Wu Dong dared to pick up the conversation, responding only with simple acknowledgments.

Mainly, Wu Dong was not an ordinary person at all and couldn't empathize with such things.

And while Wang An was an ordinary person, he was not only wealthy but also a reincarnator; he had already walked the path of upward mobility.

However, Wang An knew that Yu Xiangnan's words were not wrong at all, because as time passed, it would only become increasingly difficult for the children of ordinary people to rise above their station!

(End of Chapter)