Mrs. Jiang looked at her crying son and gritted her teeth, "Then hurry up and chase after her, if you're any later, she'll be gone."
Lin Sanshui seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, got up, and went to catch up with her.
Gu Nian walked dejectedly, her little legs and feet moving slowly.
In a daze, she seemed to hear someone calling her from behind. Instinctively, she paused, and sure enough, it was Lin Sanshui. Her heart was moved, and she felt like crying!
"Uncle..."
Gu Nian turned back and Lin Sanshui had already walked over in a few big steps, picking up her small body and heading back.
"Girl, your aunt agreed to let you stay. You must thank her properly when we get back," Lin Sanshui said happily, then suddenly realized, "No, you shouldn't call her aunt anymore. You should call us dad and mom, understand?"
He was planning to raise her as his own daughter, so changing how she addressed them was necessary.
Gu Nian hesitated for a moment, then said, "Got it, thank you, dad."
Although she felt a bit sorry for the original mother's owner, what she needed more now was to survive, to have a place to stay.
Back at the Lin Family, Mrs. Jiang's eyes instantly welled up when she heard Gu Nian call her mom. She even forgot the concerns she had about Gu Nian's background not long ago.
Suddenly, Gu Nian felt a pain in her chest, as if a big stone was pressing down, almost making it hard for her to breathe.
Mrs. Jiang saw her holding her chest and quickly asked with concern, "Sweetie, what's wrong?"
Gu Nian tried her best to relax her eyebrows, "Mom, I'm tired. Can I take a nap?"
"Of course, you can. Go sleep in your brother's room for now, and I'll get a place ready for you soon."
Gu Nian obediently climbed onto the bed and lay down. Once Mrs. Jiang left, a pained expression appeared on her face, and soon she was drenched in sweat.
In a dream-like state, she seemed to see the original owner.
The little girl, teary-eyed, asked her to help find her brother, Gu Bei. As Gu Nian was occupying her body, she naturally had to agree.
Then, the original owner's figure drifted further and further away.
Gu Nian suddenly opened her eyes and woke up completely, feeling inexplicably lighter all over.
So, was that scene in the dream real?
She got up in a daze and went to the yard, only to find the house empty.
The chickens and ducks were out of the coop, running all around the yard, making a complete mess.
When Lin Sanshui returned with the family, carrying burlap bags, he saw Gu Nian diligently cleaning the chicken waste in the yard with a heavy shovel.
"The girl is more sensible than the boys; we have four children, but I've never seen anyone so diligent," Mrs. Jiang quickly approached, taking the shovel from her hands. "Okay, sweetie, take a break. You're not even taller than the shovel; let me handle it."
Indeed, with her little hands and feet, it was hard to hold things steady, let alone work efficiently.
But Gu Nian didn't want to be someone who eats without contributing, so she had to find ways to help in other areas. Plus, she still needed to find Gu Bei. In these times when technology and transportation were underdeveloped, both manpower and resources were essential, yet she had none.
Gu Nian set her next goal on making money.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed, and Gu Nian had settled down in Taohua Village.
It was noon, and the sun was blazing.
Little Hu found a broken basket at home and shouted, "Third Brother, Sister, hurry up, let's go catch fish..."
"Mom said we can't take Sister out to play, or she'll get sunburned," Sanhu said.