Chapter 375: The Real Destination

“I’ve eaten,” Gu Nuan Nuan replied. “I had something at the shop in town. Aunt Chun cooked for me, and Uncle Tao drove me to the entrance of our residential complex.”

The Aunt Chun and Uncle Tao she mentioned were the son and daughter-in-law of Grandpa Tao, the old man who used to be the gatekeeper at her Uncle Zhang Wei Qiang’s company. Seeing that they were good people, and believing in the principle of promoting the worthy regardless of personal ties, Zhang Wei Qiang eventually put one in charge of the family’s company-owned bun shop in town and the other in charge of the local car fleet. Grandpa Tao no longer worked as a gatekeeper; his son—the man Gu Nuan Nuan called Uncle Tao—had since bought land, built a house, and settled his family in town. Grandpa Tao lived with his son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter-in-law. Now, even his great-grandson was old enough to run around.

Every time Gu Nuan Nuan returned from the Medicine Garden, if she passed through town at night, she would walk directly back to the city. But if it was daytime, to avoid drawing attention by walking too fast in a crowded place, she would usually stop at the family’s company-owned bun shop for a bite to eat, after which Uncle Tao would drive her home.

In truth, Gu Nuan Nuan preferred returning at night, because it was no exaggeration to say that she could walk faster than a car.

“Why didn’t you ask your Uncle Tao to come in and sit for a while?” Wen Xiu said, pulling Gu Nuan Nuan into the house. “A few days ago, your uncle got some nice tea and was planning to give some to your Grandpa Tao. Silly me, I forgot to mention it when I sent you the message. It would’ve been perfect to have him come in and take some fresh fruit back for Grandpa Tao.”

“On the way here, Uncle Tao mentioned he was in a hurry to see Uncle. You can just call Uncle now and have him tell Uncle Tao to stop by the house again before he heads back, right?”

“You’re right. I should make that call right away.” Wen Xiu nodded. Once inside, she immediately called Zhang Wei Qiang. After hanging up, she turned back to Gu Nuan Nuan. “After getting the message, why did it take you two or three days to come back? I thought you’d return right away, like usual.”

“That was the original plan,” Gu Nuan Nuan explained. “But this time, after attending Cousin Laidi’s wedding, I’m planning to travel for a while. I probably won’t be going back to the Medicine Garden for a long time, so I stayed a bit longer to prepare some extra Hundred Herbs Rejuvenating Ointment.” ‘It was already the end of the month, so Zhang Laidi’s wedding was only about half a month away. This was a good chance to spend more time with her family. She’d been so busy these past few years that the time she spent with them had dwindled. If she didn’t stay home for a bit longer, she worried her four-year-old little brother, Song Heng, might forget what she looked like.’

“Oh, I see.” Wen Xiu nodded. “Have you decided where you want to go?”

“I’ve spent too long in the remote mountains and forests, so I want to visit somewhere more crowded. I’ll probably head to Ju State first. There’s a lot of jade there, and I need it for so many things. It’s a good chance to see if I can buy some on the cheap.”

On her way back, Gu Nuan Nuan had already decided on her first destination. Of course, her reasons for going to Ju State weren’t limited to what she told her grandmother. There was another important reason: Ju State was a border region right next to Nan’an Country. In reality, Nan’an Country was the true treasure trove of jade, its lands dotted with all kinds of jade and gemstone mines. Many people knew that a large portion of the raw jade in Ju State was privately sourced from Nan’an.

Why privately? Because the Alliance and Nan’an Country had not yet established diplomatic relations.

Not only had they failed to establish diplomatic relations, but the two nations were currently in a period of mutual hostility. In the near future, a war of considerable scale would even break out between them. As such, normal commercial trade was out of the question.

And yet, private trade between the people of the Alliance and Nan’an Country had been frequent since ancient times. For a significant portion of the population on both sides, these trade relationships could be traced back for generations. It was how they supported their families, so these ties couldn’t simply be severed. Thus, even with the two nations at odds and official channels closed, illicit trade among the people never truly stopped. Of course, this was largely because officials on both sides tended to turn a blind eye.

Gu Nuan Nuan’s true destination was not Ju State, but Nan’an Country.

But she couldn’t possibly tell her family she was going there. ‘For one, given the current political climate, she couldn’t enter the country through any official channels. Secondly, even if she could, her family would never agree. It was a place constantly plagued by internal strife, with a fierce populace where even children might carry guns and people would draw blades at the slightest disagreement. Even knowing she had skills of her own, they wouldn’t dare let her take such a risk.’

Therefore, from the very beginning, Gu Nuan Nuan had never intended to enter Nan’an Country through normal means. To her family, she simply played it safe by saying she was going to Ju State.

“Ju State?” Hearing Gu Nuan Nuan’s intended destination, Wen Xiu’s brow furrowed with worry. “That place is a mess. Can’t you pick somewhere else? Our family buys jade from Ju State, too. If you need some, just tell your uncle. You can have as much as you want, so why bother making the trip yourself?”

“Grandma, haven’t you heard?” Gu Nuan Nuan said jokingly. “Out in the world, people with real insight know not to provoke children and women who travel alone.”

“Is that really a thing? How is that possible?” Wen Xiu looked at Gu Nuan Nuan, skeptical.

Gu Nuan Nuan grinned smugly. “That’s because you don’t get it, Grandma. The women and children who dare to wander the world alone are usually the ones hiding their true strength—the kind you don’t dare to provoke.”

“You’re just finding a roundabout way to praise yourself, aren’t you?” Wen Xiu laughed, amused.

“Hehe.” Gu Nuan Nuan’s grin widened. Worried her grandmother would dwell on the issue, she changed the subject, asking with genuine curiosity, “It wasn’t that long ago that I was last home. How come I didn’t hear anything about Cousin Laidi dating or going on blind dates back then? How did she set a wedding date so quickly?”

“It was quite a coincidence, actually. Her future husband came to our house with his elders, happened to see your Cousin Laidi, and fell for her at first sight. His family was the one who approached us about a marriage alliance. We thought the young man seemed like a good person, and when we asked your Cousin Laidi, she was willing too. So, after they met a few times, the marriage was set.” Speaking of her granddaughter’s marriage, Wen Xiu couldn’t help but smile, clearly very satisfied with the groom’s family.

“Oh? Which family is this future cousin-in-law from? Do I know them?” ‘For him to visit their home with his elders, his family must be quite close to theirs. Who could it be?’ Gu Nuan Nuan thought for a long while but couldn’t recall any unmarried young men around Cousin Laidi’s age among the families they regularly associated with.