Chapter 1111: Can I Come Again?

Chapter 1111: Can I Come Again?

Su Le had originally intended to give her second brother a little dignity and was all ready to make a quick getaway. But before she could so much as take a step, Su Li caught her by the arm and refused to let her leave, insisting—rather foolishly—that they settle things once and for all.

Su Le blinked innocently at him, thinking, ‘Sorry, dear second brother.’

Ten minutes later, Su Li had suffered an impressive six straight defeats. He sat there staring at the Goboard in complete disbelief, questioning the very meaning of his existence. His eyes welled up with unshed tears as he looked at Su Le, but he couldn’t even summon the strength to cry.

In the end, he managed to choke out a single, pathetic line, “When did you learn how to play Go?”

Su Bing and Xu Sheng were too busy showering Su Le with praise to even think about mocking Su Li.

Across the room, Gu Zi, noticing Su Li’s tragic, about-to-cry-but-can’t expression, wandered over curiously. It only took a minute for her to understand what had happened: Su Le could play Go—and win.

Without a second thought, she scooped the little girl up into her arms and carried her off to a quieter corner. “Lele, you can play Go now?” she asked in amazement.

Su Le nodded earnestly. She had learned long ago by watching Grandpa Gao during their many afternoons together. But not wanting to appear boastful and make her mother worry she might become arrogant, Su Le simply said, “Grandpa Gao taught me.”

Gu Zi found this perfectly reasonable. Su Le had spent so much time at the Gao household, after all. Uncle Gao adored Go, and it made sense he would have taught her during their leisurely hours together. Still, she couldn’t help but be amazed at her daughter’s quick wit.

She tapped Su Le’s tiny nose affectionately and gushed, “My little Lele is just incredible!”

Then, raising her voice, she called out, “Su Bing, the food’s ready! Bring your brother and Xu Sheng in to eat.”

Today’s lunch was a carefully curated feast—full of the children’s favorites, and hers too: hearty tomato beef noodles paired with icy, refreshing mint mung bean soup.

The moment they sat down, even Su Li’s soul-crushing, six-round defeat was forgotten. One sip of the cold, sweet mung bean soup, and he was back to his old, cocky self. Grinning like a cat who got the cream, he nudged Xu Sheng and said smugly, “My mom’s mung bean ice is the best, right? Eat up! Once you leave my house, you won’t get anything this good again!”

Xu Sheng ignored him, wisely choosing not to argue with the most scatterbrained of the siblings. But truth be told, Su Li wasn’t wrong. Xu Sheng genuinely loved the mung bean ice. He emptied an entire bowl in no time at all.

When he finished, Xu Sheng shyly and politely asked, “Auntie, can I have another bowl of mung bean ice, please?”

“Of course you can!” Gu Zi said warmly, reaching out to take his bowl and generously filling it to the brim again.

Xu Sheng ate happily, the tip of his nose soon dusted with a little spot of red bean paste. Seeing this, Gu Zi laughed softly and gently wiped it away with a tissue.

For just a moment, Xu Sheng froze.

If only Auntie Gu Zi were my real mom… he thought wistfully. Whenever he got food on his face at home, his mother would scold him for lacking table manners. Over time, he had grown so cautious when eating, terrified of making the slightest mess.

But here, in this sunny, bustling kitchen, he felt nothing but happiness and ease. The noodles and mung bean ice were the most delicious things he had ever tasted. In the comfort of Gu Zi’s laughter and care, he completely forgot the strict rules about eating decorously. His eyes grew misty.

“Thank you, Auntie,” he said, his voice trembling slightly. “Auntie, can I come over on weekends too?”

Gu Zi smiled, her heart warming at the sight of him. “Of course you can. As long as it works for us and your family is happy to drop you off and pick you up, you’re welcome anytime! You can read extracurricular books with Su Bing and Su Li, and play together. It’s good for everyone to have a lively house.”

By now, Gu Zi knew quite a bit about the Xu family’s background—thanks to Su Bing’s thorough research. The Xu family, as it turned out, was an old political family with deep roots in the capital. Old Master Xu had two sons: Xu Fan and the three children’s biological father, Xu Ye.

Information on Xu Ye, however, was frustratingly scarce. No one knew why he had abandoned his children in the first place, or why he had later instructed Xu Fan to retrieve them from Guangcheng. And curiously, once they were found, Xu Fan hadn’t taken any further steps to reintegrate them into the main family.

Sending Xu Sheng to spend time here was likely an attempt to foster closer ties between the cousins, building relationships that would matter later.

And frankly, Gu Zi liked Xu Sheng. He was polite, hardworking, and clever—nothing like his oblivious, snobbish mother. Having him around was good for her own kids too. She welcomed him warmly.

After lunch, Su Bing insisted on helping Gu Zi wash the dishes. Gu Zi tried to refuse, but Su Bing was determined, so she finally relented and suggested they do it together.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than the other three children came scrambling to volunteer for chores too.

Su Li was first, bounding over with a broom in hand. “Mom! I’ll sweep the floor!”

Not to be outdone, Su Le trotted to Gu Zi’s side, tugging on the hem of her blouse. “Mama, Lele will wipe the tables!”

Xu Sheng desperately wanted to join in too. His eyes darted around the kitchen, looking for a job he could manage. Spotting a smear of flour on the side of the refrigerator, he pointed eagerly and said, “Auntie, I’ll clean the fridge!”

Gu Zi laughed, her heart full. She was pleased to see the kids eager to help and felt it was good for them to do age-appropriate tasks.

She agreed to all their offers but made sure to caution Xu Sheng gently, “Xu Sheng, the fridge is an electrical appliance. When it’s plugged in, don’t use a wet cloth to wipe it, okay?”

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