Son, “Mom” Will Back You

"Yeah. The video chat that I initiated last time ––" Mother Gu paused for a second and busted out laughing from anger, "So you didn\'t not call me this week because you were too embarrassed to bring it up but that you were so drunk that you had blacked out?"

"…… black, blacked out?"

Gu Nian\'s heart snaked.

She remembered clearly the last time she got drunk within the past 2 years. Partly to avoid thinking about it and partly because of Luo Xiu\'s reassurance, she had naively chosen not to think back to that day and pretended that nothing had happened.

Now that she was hearing it from Gu Yuan, obviously something that she had forgotten had taken place.

Her brain was drawing blank. Shaking, she asked, "You, you, you video chatted me that night?"

"Mmhmm."

"And there was someone with me when I picked it up?"

"Yes, and you were hugging him. I thought he was someone who was trying to take advantage of you while you were drunk and was short of asking him to send me a photo with him holding up his ID card."

Gu Nian was wailing inside but she forced herself to appear calm. Her voice was, however, still a little shaky. "Was, was, was his name Luo Xiu?"

"Uh huh, that\'s what he told me."

Tears streamed down Gu Nian\'s cheeks. "Did I do anything else crazy other than hugging him?"

"……"

The other side of the phone went silence.

Gu Nian became more and more nervous.

Finally, Gu Yuan sighed and said to her, "I have told you to not look for someone too overly handsome to be your husband, but I never said to think of them as sons."

Gu Nian, "……"

Gu Nian, "? ? ? ?"

***

Taoci Temple located in the foothill in the suburban area of City K. It was a somewhat remote location but, as they were very well-known, they attracted steady traffic.

On the weekend, especially, there would be a steady stream of visitors on the little paved path leading up the mountain.

Gu Nian and Jiang Xiaoqing were part of the visitors today.

"You had been in good spirits since we have returned from the production team," said Jiang Xiaoqing. She had had arm around Gu Nian\'s and was looked at Gu Nian with her head cocked. "What happened today? Not only are you dispirited all over again, you looked like you have seen a ghost."

"……"

Gu Nian looked up expressionlessly, her dark eyes were dim.

She certainly felt like she had seen a ghost.

Looking into Jiang Xiaoqing\'s eyes for a few seconds, Gu Nian lowered her head and signed. "Mmm."

Jiang Xiaoqing smiled and pried. "You have been sighing this whole way. Tell me what is bothering me. It might make you feel better."

Gu Nian was a little skeptical about it.

Jiang Xiaoqing patted herself on her chest and reassured her. "Don\'t give me that look. I am on the pscyh committee in college and I always listened to others\' problems."

Gu Nian was hesitant. "Really?"

"Really! Just tell me!"

"……"

Two minutes later.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA––"

The thunderous laughter startled the birds in the bamboo forest on both sides of the paved path, all of them fluttering their wings. Gu Nian looked expressionlessly at the woman who was short of rolling on the ground laugh.

Jiang Xiaoqing, who was being stared at, was oblivious to that. She laughed so hard that there were tears in her eyes. "AHAHAHAHAHA, so you had your arms around Luo Xiu right in front of Aunty and had him call her Grandma? AHAHAHAHAH. Oh, I am going to die from laughing. Guru Gu Nian, I can\'t believe you did that! And, Luo Xiu being able to look at you just like normal was even more impressive!"

Gu Nian, "…………"

She mind must have been clouted by bird poop earlier to have trusted that the goofy Jiang Xiaoqing could offer her any sort of psychiatric consultation.

Gu Nian sighed and turned to walk away expressionlessly.