Marrying My Bestie's Ferocious Brother - He Calls Me His Baby!-Chapter 51: Trading Cigarettes for Prunes? The Entire Military District Exploded!
Gu Yanshen’s face was so dark it could drip ink.
Gu Lan, however, seemed oblivious. She crossed her arms over her chest, lifted her chin, and looked at her big brother challengingly, like a victor.
"What, Mr. Gu, do you have an issue with our mom’s orders?"
"Not convinced?"
"You could call Mom right now and ask if that’s what she meant."
Gu Yanshen squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.
"Gu Lan, enough is enough."
"But I won’t stop!"
Not only did Gu Lan not relent, she even stepped forward, more arrogant than before.
First, she extended a finger and poked at the plate of unevenly chopped apple pieces on the bedside table.
"Look at this, what kind of stuff are you giving Wanwan to eat?"
"Even a dog could chew them more neatly!"
"My precious Wanwan’s mouth is meant for this?"
Then, her gaze landed on Gu Yanshen’s hand, wrapped simply in gauze.
She grabbed his wrist unceremoniously, turning it around to inspect it.
"Wow, a hero saving a beauty, smashing walls?"
"Wrapped like that, looks just like a zongzi, so ugly."
"You can’t even take care of yourself, how are you going to take care of my Wanwan?"
"Do you want my future little nephew to be anxious with a careless dad like you before he’s even born?"
Lin Wan Yi lay on the bed, watching the two siblings locked in a standoff, wanting to laugh but not daring to.
It was the first time she’d seen someone dare to point at Gu Yanshen’s nose and scold him.
The veins on Gu Yanshen’s forehead were throbbing, clearly on the verge of an outburst.
He glared at Gu Lan, a look that would make any officer’s legs go weak.
But Gu Lan fearlessly glared back, even made a face at him.
"What are you looking at! If you’re not convinced, hold it in!"
"Right now, immediately, at once!"
She commanded with a single finger.
"Go! Bring a basin of hot water for our family’s great hero to wash her face! The water temperature must be just right, not too hot nor too cold!"
"Also, find a nurse! See if you can get the softest bedding and pillow!"
"I’m telling you, Gu Yanshen, if Wanwan feels even the slightest discomfort, I’ll send a telegraph to Mom, and have her come supervise you personally!"
Gu Yanshen stood in silence, his tall frame like a volcano about to erupt.
Lin Wan Yi was frightened he might lash out in anger, so she quickly tugged on Gu Lan’s sleeve, her voice soft.
"Lanlan, stop it, he’s doing well already, see he even peeled me an apple."
Gu Lan’s expression instantly changed, her voice tender as water when she turned around, with a hint of disappointment.
"My dear Wanwan, you’re just too soft-hearted!"
"To deal with men like this, you’ve got to hold a feather as an arrow, and knock him down hard!"
"Otherwise, he won’t know how precious his wife is!"
Just as she finished, Gu Yanshen suddenly turned around, grabbed the enamel basin on the table without saying a word, and strode out.
He really went to get the water.
Gu Lan winked triumphantly at Lin Wan Yi, as if saying, "See, got it done."
"See, he only responds to this trick!"
Lin Wan Yi shook her head helplessly, yet her heart was wrapped in warmth.
She watched Gu Lan, like a proud little peacock, rummaging through two large suitcases.
"Lanlan, Mom is too exaggerated, bringing so much stuff." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"This is not exaggerated at all!"
Gu Lan responded without turning her head as she organized the items.
"Mom said this is just the advance party!"
"She’s already gathering all kinds of supplements in Beijing, bird’s nest, donkey-hide gelatin, whatever she could get, all packed up and sent over in a couple of days."
"She said the first grandchild of the Gu Family must receive the highest level of treatment!"
Lin Wan Yi’s face turned red listening to this.
"We don’t even know if it’s a boy or a girl yet."
"Boy or girl, it’s all our family’s precious darling!"
Gu Lan placed a jar of premium malted milk on the bedside.
"Here, have some of this first to fill your stomach and warm it up."
Just as she was about to fetch a spoon, a strange smell suddenly emanated from Lin Wan Yi.
Lin Wan Yi covered her mouth, her face turning pale in an instant.
A strong wave of nausea surged from her stomach to her throat, completely uncontrollable.
"Ugh—"
She turned her head to the side, retching violently into the trash bin by the bed.
"Wanwan!"
Gu Lan was startled, quickly dropping everything and rushing over, patting her back gently.
"What’s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
Lin Wan Yi weakly waved her hand, and after retching, the wave of nausea slightly subsided.
But in her mouth arose an unspeakable bitterness and blandness, making her frown uncomfortably.
At this moment, her mind had only one thought.
An overwhelmingly strong thought.
"I want... something sour."
Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of weak longing.
"Sour?"
Gu Lan paused for a moment.
Just then, Gu Yanshen returned with a basin of warm water at just the right temperature.
As soon as he walked in, he saw Lin Wanyi leaning pale against the bedhead, with Gu Lan looking anxious.
His heart sank, and the basin in his hand shook violently, spilling a few drops of hot water.
"What’s wrong with her?"
The man’s voice carried a slight tremor he himself didn’t notice.
Gu Lan turned around, seeing him, immediately found a rock to lean on and an outlet to vent.
"You still know to come back!"
"First question of the ’qualified daddy’ exam starts now!"
She stood with her hands on her hips, like a stern examiner, with an unprecedented serious expression.
"Your wife, the great contributor of the Gu Family, desperately wants to eat something sour now!"
"I don’t care what method you use, I’ll give you half an hour!"
"If you can’t get my dear Wanwan something sour within half an hour, you’ll fail this test!"
"The consequence... is that I’ll call mom immediately to report your incompetence!"
In the hospital, and at night, where can you find something sour?
Gu Yanshen looked at Lin Wanyi’s bloodless little face and the trace of expectation mingled with unspoken longing in her eyes.
At the end of the corridor, the on-duty nurse Zhang Hong was being scolded by the head nurse, her head buzzing.
Suddenly, she heard a burst of urgent and firm footsteps, and when she looked up, she was so startled that she shuddered.
It’s Mr. Gu!
The living Yama who punched a hole in the wall that afternoon!
Gu Yanshen, looking stern and exuding an aura that warned people to keep away, was heading straight for the hospital’s small cafeteria.
Zhang Hong’s heart leaped to her throat.
The cafeteria chief Old Wang was notoriously stingy throughout the hospital, famously difficult to deal with, not giving an inch.
With Mr. Gu going in so aggressively, was he going there to fight?
She couldn’t contain her curiosity and quietly followed, hiding behind the half-open cafeteria door, peeking out with half her head.
Then, she witnessed a scene she would never forget in her lifetime.
In the small cafeteria, Old Wang was leaning back in a chair picking his teeth. When he saw Gu Yanshen come in, he didn’t even bother to lift an eyelid.
"Mr. Gu, the cafeteria’s closed, talk about it tomorrow if you have something to say."
Zhang Hong held her breath nervously.
She saw that the man who struck fear throughout the entire military district surprisingly did not lose his temper.
He silently walked up to Old Wang.
Only then did Old Wang reluctantly lift an eyelid, lazily asking.
"What do you want?"
Gu Yanshen raised his hand, pointing to a glass jar on a corner cabinet.
Inside the jar, some green sour plums soaked, making one’s mouth water just looking at them.
"That, sell it to me," Gu Yanshen’s voice was low and deep.
"Not for sale," Old Wang rejected without a thought, "It’s not for sale, keeping it for my wife as a treat."
Gu Yanshen said nothing, just stared at him.
The air in the cafeteria seemed to freeze.
Zhang Hong could even feel the terrifying pressure from outside the door.
Just when she thought Mr. Gu was going to flip the table, he moved.
He took something from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it forward.
It was a neatly wrapped package of "Da Qianmen" cigarettes.
Old Wang’s eyes suddenly lit up, even the tooth-picking stopped.
But he remained obstinate.
"Mr. Gu, what are you doing? I said it’s not for sale..."
Gu Yanshen, expressionless, took out a second pack of "Da Qianmen" from another pocket, placing it next to the first pack.
Two packs!
Zhang Hong gasped.
Those were Da Qianmen! Hard currency that ordinary people couldn’t get even one pack of in a month!
Old Wang’s breathing turned heavy.
His eyes locked onto those two packs of cigarettes like a wolf eyeing meat.
The composure and reluctance on his face instantly crumbled, replaced by a fawning smile.
"Oh my, Mr. Gu, what are you doing, you’re too kind!"
"It’s just a few sour plums! If the sister-in-law wants some, she must have them!"
He jumped off the chair quickly, grabbed a clean paper bag, and scooped a big bag of sour plums with a spoon, offering them with both hands.
"Is it enough? If not, I’ll pack more for you!"
Gu Yanshen didn’t even glance at him, grabbed the bag of sour plums, and turned to leave.
From start to finish, aside from those first few words, he didn’t say another word.
Cool like a deity.
Zhang Hong stood dumbfounded behind the door, watching Mr. Gu’s silhouette disappear down the corridor, with only one thought in her mind.
My god!
He exchanged two packs of cigarettes just for a bag of sour plums!
