aircannonsinc Chapter 993 Accepting Xu Damao's Gift
Chapter 993 Accepting Xu Damao's Gift
Gu Nan raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion, his eyes and brows conveying a sense of bewilderment. He spoke slowly, "Oh? What did you do wrong? I didn't know about this."
Xu Damao's heart skipped a beat, realizing something was wrong—this guy was feigning ignorance, deliberately trying to manipulate him. His smile widened, the wrinkles around his eyes crinkling like pleated buns, and he quickly bowed, explaining, "Deputy Factory Director Gu, it's about that movie screening at the factory last time! Who would have thought that those shady characters were the ones asking me to screen movies? It's all my fault for being blind; I agreed without checking their background, almost causing the factory a huge problem. Don't worry, I'll definitely be more careful in the future, ask more questions, and there definitely won't be a next time!"
Gu Nan looked at him quietly, her tone as calm as the still well water at the courtyard gate: "Alright, I know about that. You were used, so it's not your fault. Go back, I don't blame you."
Xu Damao dared not leave just like that. He pushed the net bag in his hand forward again, his arm almost straight, ignoring the pain in his palm from the knot of the net bag: "Deputy Factory Director Gu, you see, the commotion last time was so loud, with gunshots and fighting, it must have frightened the child. I didn't know what to buy, so I just picked out some milk candy, honey cakes, and two packs of steamed rice cakes at the supply and marketing cooperative. Please accept them, as a small token of my appreciation, to sweeten the child's mouth and calm his nerves."
Gu Nan knew exactly what Xu Damao was like—if he didn't accept the gift, Xu would linger at the door until dark, and those gossipy women like Jia Zhangshi might see him and spread rumors. He nodded lightly: "Leave the gift."
Xu Damao felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He quickly stuffed the net into Gu Nan's hands, and said a few polite words with a forced smile, such as "Please rest well" and "If there's anything to do at home, just let me know." Then, bowing and looking back several times, he retreated. When he reached the middle of the courtyard, he deliberately puffed out his chest and slowed his pace—many families in the courtyard were peeking through their door cracks. He had made an appearance in front of Deputy Factory Director Gu; who would dare to look down on him afterward? Only after he passed through the moon gate of the middle courtyard did he let out a long sigh of relief. A thin layer of sweat had seeped out of his back, and he finally felt relieved—it seemed that he had passed this hurdle.
Xu Damao didn't know that Gu Nan accepted the gifts not because he cared about the sweets and cakes. He wanted Xu Damao to feel that he had accepted his goodwill and to align himself with him. Given Xu Damao's scheming and calculating nature, he might very well cause trouble for Deputy Factory Director Li—even if it didn't work out, as long as it created some discord between Xu Damao and Deputy Factory Director Li, it wouldn't be a wasted effort for him.
Gu Nan carried the net bag into the house. Ran Qiuye was breastfeeding her child by the kang (a heated brick bed). Seeing the heavy net bag in his hand, she laughed and joked, "Did Xu Damao send this? Why did he give so much stuff?"
Gu Nan put the net bag on the table, untied the knot, and the candy wrappers inside shimmered under the light: "It's all because of that movie screening incident last time. He felt guilty and wanted to make amends. If he hadn't been greedy for that little bit of benefit, he wouldn't have attracted so much trouble."
Ran Qiuye put the child down, leaned closer to look, and asked with a hint of doubt in her eyes, "You're not usually the type to accept things from others, so why did you accept it this time? Is there something you're planning?"
Gu Nan reached out, picked up a piece of milk candy, unwrapped it, and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling, "What could I possibly be planning? I'm just worried that if he keeps dawdling at the door, he'll attract a bunch of onlookers, which will be really annoying."
Ran Qiuye noticed the faint smile on his lips and knew there was something going on. But Gu Nan didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't ask any more questions. She just smiled and moved the rice cake closer to the child, saying, "Let the child smell the fragrance. You can eat it when he grows teeth."
The room was warmly lit, filled with the sweet scent of milk candy, giving it a more homely feel than usual. Looking at his wife and children's smiling faces, Gu Nan's scheming thoughts lessened—no matter what, protecting this family's safety was worth it.
On the other side, Jia Zhangshi saw everything clearly from the courtyard. When she saw Xu Damao humming a little tune and walking out, her anger flared up instantly. She stood at the door and cursed, "That Xu Damao, he's a real piece of work! So what if he became a deputy factory director? What's he so arrogant about? If it weren't for him, would my butt have been kicked so hard by those people?"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She stomped her foot and chased after him. In a few steps, she rushed in front of Xu Damao and spread her arms to block his way.
Xu Damao was happily thinking about Gu Nan accepting the gift when he was suddenly stopped. Startled, he instinctively wanted to throw a punch, but when he saw it was Jia Zhangshi, he withdrew his fist and said irritably, "Aunt Jia, what are you doing? You scared me! Can you make some noise next time you walk down the hallway?"
After saying that, he tried to walk around her, but Jia Zhangshi was like a plaster, she moved to the side and wouldn't let him pass.
Xu Damao was in a good mood today and didn't take it too seriously. He forced a smile and said, "Aunt Jia, what's the matter that you're stopping me? I have things to do here."
Hearing Xu Damao's footsteps coming out of Gu Nan's house, Jia Zhangshi jumped up from her doorstep, put her hands on her hips like a ruffled hen, and glared at him, saying, "Xu Damao! You just left like that? Don't you have anything to say to me? My butt still hurts so much I can't sit up! If you hadn't let those armed guys into the yard, would I have gotten hit like that for no reason?"
Xu Damao knew perfectly well that the old lady wasn't there to demand an explanation; she clearly saw him giving Gu Nan a gift and wanted to extort some favors. He immediately pretended to be ignorant, forcing a smile: "Oh dear, Aunt Jia, I thought it was something serious. You're talking about that night? Then you've really come to the wrong person. If you ask me, you should go find Gu Nan. Those people are obviously after him; they're all enemies he's made outside. It has nothing to do with me."
Jia Zhangshi glared at him fiercely, her lips curling so much they could hang an oil bottle on them, her voice shrill like a cat being strangled: "I'd be crazy to go looking for him! It's obvious you, Xu Damao, let them in, why would I go looking for Gu Nan?" She knew perfectly well—Gu Nan was now the deputy director of the factory, a rising star, with a very high status, not someone she could mess with. Besides, Gu Nan was always arrogant and didn't take her seriously at all; if she went to him, she'd only be asking for trouble, and might even get a scolding.
Seeing that she wasn't falling for his tricks, Xu Damao's patience wore thin. The smile on his face vanished instantly, and his tone hardened: "What does your misfortune and injury have to do with me? I think you're just bored and deliberately looking for trouble!"