143: respectively

The meal was enjoyed by both host and guest; the table was full of dishes, six hot and two cold.

Gao Xiaofan ate heartily. No matter how delicious restaurant food was, it could never beat home-cooked meals; it was simply a different flavor.

Qiu Gu's two children were also introduced. The elder was 9 and in third grade, and the younger was 7 and just started first grade. Although they were at the age where they loved to play, they consciously returned to their rooms to start their homework right after eating.

Children from poor families always mature early, but the cost of that maturity is a beautiful childhood they can never get back.

"I'm giving my grand-nephews Red Envelopes, what's it to you?"

Gao Xiaofan pushed Qiu Gu aside, stuffed the money into the two children's hands, and said with a smile.

"500 each. Put them away properly, and don't fight over who spends it first, okay?"

The two children glanced at Qiu Gu beside them, and only accepted the money after seeing him nod.

"Thank you, Uncle Fan~" "Thank you, Uncle Fan~"

Gao Xiaofan scratched his head. Good heavens, he'd been upgraded!

Gao Xiaofan and Qiu Gu walked out the door, slowly closed it, and went to the balcony to smoke.

"Why are you spending money? You gave some to the elders and the young ones."

Qiu Gu rubbed his head, looking helpless.

Gao Xiaofan had also gone to see Qiu Gu's parents earlier. Both elders were bedridden. Only Qiu Gu's mother was occasionally clear-headed enough to respond when Qiu Gu called her name a few times.

Gao Xiaofan stood nearby, and seeing this sight, his nose stung. He still gave 500 Red Envelopes to each of them.

This was the scene he dreaded seeing the most. He couldn't cry, and his heart felt seized by something, making him extremely uncomfortable.

But this was normal. Any normal person would be at a loss when faced with such a sight.

Gao Xiaofan, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, glanced at Qiu Gu.

"What's wrong with giving Red Envelopes? Do you think I lack money? Giving Red Envelopes is a good omen."

Qiu Gu was rendered speechless by Gao Xiaofan's retort and turned to look at Zhao Yuling, who was helping his aunt clean up in the kitchen.

"What's the situation with you two? Have you made it official?"

"What situation? You are truly annoying."

Gao Xiaofan snuffed out his cigarette butt and tossed it into an ashtray made from a disposable cup.

Qiu Gu chuckled, dropped the subject, put out his cigarette, and the two returned to the living room and sat on the sofa to chat.

"I watched your live stream. Someone is stirring up trouble. How are you going to handle that?"

"Sigh, I don't have a good plan. I'll see if they quiet down later. If not, I'll just have to ban them."

Gao Xiaofan shook his head, feeling irritated thinking about that nonsense.

"Take it slow. But about this Kings Battle, can we participate?"

Qiu Gu peeled an orange and handed it to Gao Xiaofan.

Gao Xiaofan stuffed the whole thing into his mouth and mumbled indistinctly.

"I don't really want to participate. There's no benefit. I feel like they just purely want to 'touch porcelain'."

"'Touch porcelain'?

"I have a lot of fans and high traffic. In the fishing field, I should currently be the one with the most fans."

"Really? The ceiling?"

Qiu Gu looked surprised. He genuinely hadn't researched it. Usually, he just watched some fishing videos to learn and didn't check other people's fan counts on their homepages.

"Hmph, what did you think?"

After Gao Xiaofan finished eating, he found it surprisingly sweet, so he took another one and tossed it to Qiu Gu.

Just as Qiu Gu was peeling it, his aunt and Zhao Yuling finished their work and came over to join the conversation.

"Oh, child, does it hurt? Why haven't you treated your arm? It pains my heart to see it."

Qiu Gu's Aunt walked over, carefully touched Gao Xiaofan's left arm, and spoke with distress.

Gao Xiaofan smiled and shook his head, seeing the distress in the elder's eyes.

"I am treating it, Auntie. It will definitely be better within a year."

Elders are like that; they feel distressed even if a junior gets a small scratch, let alone Gao Xiaofan's left arm, which had been dangling the whole trip.

Gao Xiaofan took the orange Qiu Gu handed him and stuffed it into his mouth again.

Sweet. Extremely sweet. Sweet to the heart.

"Alright, Auntie, we need to head back now. You should also rest for a while."

"Ah, you haven't eaten dinner yet!"

The aunt anxiously clapped her hands and looked toward Qiu Gu.

"Auntie, Little Yu still has a long drive ahead. Let them go back."

Qiu Gu said with a smile, winking at Gao Xiaofan.

Gao Xiaofan saw Qiu Gu's expression and ignored him.

"That's right, Auntie. We'll come back and freeload on your cooking next time we get the chance."

The aunt covered her hands, looked left and right, saw the oranges on the coffee table, and pulled a plastic bag out from the table drawer.

She dumped all the oranges from the coffee table into the bag. Qiu Gu, who had just picked one up, had it snatched away and stuffed into the bag too.

"Xiaofan, we don't have much at home. I see you like oranges, so take these with you to eat, okay?"

Gao Xiaofan nodded, smiling as he accepted them. "Yes, yes, I'll take them."

Qiu Gu beside him looked completely bewildered.

"Xiaofan, thank you for taking care of our Qiu Gu. Otherwise, this family would be gone."

After the elder finished speaking, she wiped her eyes, her voice slightly choked.

Gao Xiaofan handed the bag to Zhao Yuling, then secretly slipped the remaining 1000 yuan from his pocket into the elder's apron pocket before waving and walking toward the door.

Qiu Gu and his aunt escorted them all the way downstairs, and only walked back up after seeing the couple's car disappear from sight.

"Hey! Where did this money in my pocket come from?"

The aunt held a stack of red banknotes and asked in surprise.

"Xiaofan slipped it to you before he left."

Qiu Gu said with a smile, supporting the elder.

"Oh dear, this..."

The elder paused, then sighed.

"Ah, your luck has finally changed."

...Gao Xiaofan stood in the room, looking around and saying.

"Make sure nothing is lost, okay?"

After leaving Qiu Gu's home, the two drove straight back to the hotel and were currently packing up.

"Nope~ just one bag~"

Zhao Yuling pouted and said unhappily.

There was nothing she could do; Gao Xiaofan kept urging her to leave right away, so of course she couldn't be happy.

"Making that face won't work, okay? I'm telling you, be sure to drive safely on the way back, and if you get tired, rest properly at the service area."

"I know!" Zhao Yuling made a face.

She was naturally happy that Gao Xiaofan was worried about her, but thinking that she didn't know when they would meet again made her feel reluctant to leave.

"Alright, be good. Maybe the next fishing spot I draw will be H City."

This time, Gao Xiaofan proactively took Zhao Yuling's small hand and walked downstairs.

"Remember, send me a message as soon as you exit the highway."

Gao Xiaofan bent down, looked at the serious-faced Zhao Yuling through the car window, and unconsciously wore a worried expression.

The drive here was truly worrying.

"Okay, I know. You should go back quickly too, and remember to eat dinner tonight!"

The car slowly drove away. Gao Xiaofan stood by the roadside, watching the taillights disappear, his heart feeling complicated.

Had they officially started dating or not?