134: He never stopped searching for a single day.

Chief Gu looked at Xiao Niannian, and the more he looked, the more he felt that Xiao Niannian resembled his wife. Their appearances weren't exactly alike, but their demeanor was very similar.

For these past twenty years, he never stopped searching for a single day.

He sent many people to search, and over the years, whenever there was news, he would find a way to inquire about it. During the one month he took off every year, he would travel all over the country to search.

His two sons also searched for their mother's whereabouts, just like him.

"Hello, Father Gu, I am Xiao Niannian, and I am twenty years old this year."

Xiao Niannian looked at Chief Gu's emotional appearance and felt that his story must be extraordinary.

Her gaze turned to Lu Jing; Lu Jing definitely knew.

Chief Gu heard this and spoke.

"Niannian, don't call me Father Gu, just call me Dad."

"Dad."

Hearing this, Xiao Niannian called out, "Dad."

Chief Gu excitedly pulled Xiao Niannian into a hug.

"Niannian, my daughter."

Xiao Niannian was suddenly embraced, feeling a little stunned. She noticed Chief Gu's body trembling and his voice wavering slightly.

Xiao Niannian's hands were originally resting against her pant legs, but she raised them, placed them on Chief Gu's back, and gently patted him.

Old Madam Gu wiped away her tears. How many years had it been? She still felt a lingering fear over how her Eldest Son had reacted when they first learned the news of the Eldest Daughter-in-law's death.

She hadn't expected that her Eldest Son would be so emotional about acknowledging a Granddaughter.

Niannian truly was a lucky star. Since she came to the Gu Family, Eldest Son also brightened up and was no longer as distant as before.

"Eldest Son, quickly let go."

Chief Gu came back to his senses and looked at Xiao Niannian somewhat nervously. He was afraid Xiao Niannian would dislike him, her newly acknowledged father.

"Eldest Son, go to the kitchen and make a couple of dishes."

Hearing Old Madam Gu's words, Chief Gu immediately agreed.

Xiao Niannian looked with some surprise at Chief Gu, who was quickly leaving.

"Clang, bang, crash, clang..."

Hearing the commotion in the kitchen, Nanny Wang grew anxious.

"What happened to Mr. Gu?"

Nanny Wang hurried to the kitchen and saw pots, bowls, and plates scattered all over the floor. She quickly went inside to help clean up.

"Nanny Wang, go pick the vegetables, and I'll finish cleaning up. I'll fry a few of my best dishes."

Chief Gu said, then called out to Lu Jing.

"Lu Jing, come in and help. I remember you know how to cook."

"Okay."

Xiao Niannian was also surprised to hear Father Gu ask Lu Jing to go inside and cook.

Does a guest who comes to visit also have to cook?

This indicated that Lu Jing's relationship with Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu was extremely close. It was possible they watched Lu Jing grow up.

Xiao Niannian watched Lu Jing and Chief Gu quickly clean up the kitchen, the two of them busy working inside.

Xiao Niannian saw Chief Gu slicing potatoes—his knife skills were quite good—while Lu Jing was washing and cutting vegetables beside him.

Nanny Wang came out holding garlic and other small dishes, overjoyed.

"Old Madam, in these past twenty years or so, this is the first time I've seen Mr. Gu so happy..."

Xiao Niannian grew even more confused hearing Nanny Wang's words.

Twenty years or so?

What happened twenty years ago?

Seeing Xiao Niannian's confusion, Old Madam Gu spoke.

"Your Mother Gu went missing twenty years ago. Since then, your Father Gu has been like a completely different person. For all these years, he and we have been searching for your Mother Gu's whereabouts, but we haven't found any clues..."

What?

Father Gu's wife went missing twenty years ago?

Seeing Grandma Gu's sorrowful appearance, Xiao Niannian knew that "missing" was a gentler term for what happened.

Mother Gu might have... otherwise, she wouldn't have failed to return after so many years.

"You also have two older brothers. They are both in the Military Unit. One is named Gu Yuan, and the other is named Gu Jin."

Gu Yuan and Gu Jin?

Xiao Niannian nodded.

She felt like she had heard those names somewhere.

But at this time, there were too many people with the same names.

Xiao Niannian helped pick vegetables. Before long, she got up and went with Nanny Wang to wash the vegetables.

"Quickly put that down. Niannian, you don't need to wash vegetables."

Old Madam Gu said with a chuckle.

"In our family, the men do all the work."

Huh?

The men do the work?

Xiao Niannian saw Old Master Gu also enter the kitchen and start talking there.

"Yes, just slice the garlic and put it here. I'll fry this dish."

Only then did Xiao Niannian look at Grandma Gu's hands. They were very well maintained, looking like the hands of someone in their thirties or forties.

Grandma Gu had held her hand earlier, and she felt how soft it was. Now, looking closely...

Grandma Gu's hands were truly not hands that did manual labor.

Even though she trained regularly, her own hands were rougher than Grandma Gu's now.

Could it be that Grandma Gu usually did embroidery?

However, at this time, although embroidery could be sold, most of it was for export. Moreover, ordinary people couldn't openly embroider these things, or they might be reported by malicious individuals and cause trouble.

But the Gu Family lived in the Compound, and Grandpa Gu was an Old Chief, so it shouldn't be an issue if Grandma Gu had this hobby.

Grandma Gu might not just have a hobby; perhaps she was an inheritor of double-sided embroidery or something similar.

"Niannian, have some fruit and candy."

Xiao Niannian looked at the four boxes of candy, pastries, and fruit piled high on the table.

"I just ate some."

She had indeed eaten walnuts and one white rabbit milk candy just now.

Grandma Gu looked at Xiao Niannian, chuckling, absolutely delighted in her heart.

The more she looked at this child, the more she liked her.

A fragrance wafted from the kitchen. Xiao Niannian could tell from the aroma that Grandpa Gu and Father Gu's cooking skills were excellent.

She had heard about Lu Jing's cooking skills before.

She certainly had good fortune for food today.

Soon, ten dishes were served.

Looking at the ten dishes, Xiao Niannian felt both surprised and touched.

There was a large pork knuckle, stewed chicken, a fish weighing about two catties, cured meat, beef, meatballs... These dishes were better than what her family ate during the New Year.

When she arrived, she had smelled the fragrance of chicken soup stewing in the kitchen, as well as the scent of cured meat and fried meatballs.

"Niannian, Kid Lu, try some. This is your own home now, no need to be polite..."

Old Master Gu cheerfully greeted Xiao Niannian and Lu Jing.

"Grandparents, please eat first."

Xiao Niannian smiled and replied upon hearing this.

Elders starting first is a tradition of the Great Xia people.

"Alright, alright, Grandpa and Grandma will eat first."

Old Master Gu picked up his chopsticks and began eating.

Xiao Niannian sat next to Grandma Gu. Grandma Gu used serving chopsticks to give Xiao Niannian a large chicken leg, while Chief Gu gave Xiao Niannian a fried meatball.

"Your Father Gu made these earlier and froze them in the refrigerator. Try them; his cooking skills are excellent."

Grandma Gu said, chuckling.

Xiao Niannian took a bite, and when she tasted the flavor, she was completely shocked.

How could this be?

How could the taste of this fried meatball be exactly the same as the one her dad made in her Original World?

"Isn't it delicious?"

Old Master Gu asked with a smile.

Xiao Niannian nodded vigorously.