A carefree soldier king in the city

Chapter 498 Demeanor

"You're the one who's dead!" Gu Tingting said angrily.

"Tingting, don't be rude," Gu Changfeng scolded his daughter.

"Dad, I didn't," Gu Tingting said angrily. "He's the one who's talking nonsense here."

Grandpa Gu stroked his beard and chuckled, “Tingting, Xiao Zhao is right. Those copies of the Heart Sutra on the market are indeed used for the deceased to pass on their souls. Do you remember when your grandmother passed away, you knelt by the fire and recited those copies of the Heart Sutra? You might want to think about it carefully, and then refer to this copy of the Heart Sutra.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Tingting quickly recalled the text, then picked up the so-called authentic Heart Sutra and began to read it. After finishing, she exclaimed in surprise, "Huh, it seems to be the same! This one just has more annotations."

Grandpa Gu laughed and said, "That's it. What Xiao Zhao said is absolutely right. This is indeed a fake. The real Heart Sutra is something that money can't buy."

Hearing this, Gu Tingting pouted and said, "Fine! I guess I didn't know what I was missing. Grandpa, I'm sorry, I wanted to give you a surprise, but I didn't expect—"

Grandpa Gu patted his granddaughter's shoulder affectionately and said with a smile, "Alright, it's enough that you have this thought in your heart."

"Ha ha ha ha--"

Suddenly, a burst of laughter came from outside the hall. Not only Old Master Gu, but also Gu Tingting and the others frowned immediately upon hearing it.

Soon, an elderly man dressed in fashionable Tai Chi attire walked into the hall first, followed by a young man in his early twenties wearing a well-fitting white suit. This young man was over 1.8 meters tall and could be considered a handsome young man. Following behind the young man were two middle-aged men dressed as servants, each carrying a gift box.

"Grandpa Gu, it's been a long time."

The old man entered the door with a hearty laugh and greeted Grandpa Gu.

It was obvious that the Gu family didn't have a good impression of these uninvited guests, but since everyone was a guest, the Gu family smiled slightly and said, "Brother Xiong, what brings you here?"

"East wind, east wind." The old man surnamed Xiong replied with a smile, but his eyes fell on Gu Tingting out of the corner of his eye. It was obvious that the "east wind" he was talking about was Gu Tingting.

The three Gu brothers greeted the old man surnamed Xiong.

"Hello, Grandpa Gu!" The young man stepped forward and politely greeted Grandpa Gu. Grandpa Gu nodded slightly. Then, the young man turned to greet Gu Changfeng and his two brothers: "Hello, Uncle Gu, Second Uncle, and Third Uncle!"

The elderly man surnamed Xiong entered the Gu residence as if he were in his own home, and sat down without being invited. Old Master Gu was not angry and said to the young man, "Sit down!"

The boy thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Grandpa Gu."

As he spoke, the boy glanced around and saw an empty seat next to Gu Tingting. He quickly went over and sat down, smiling at Gu Tingting as he asked, "Tingting, how have you been lately?"

However, Gu Tingting seemed very disgusted and said irritably, "Thanks to your good fortune, everything is fine!"

The boy nodded and smiled sheepishly, "That's good, that's good."

Chao Bufan seemed to have figured something out. He sensed that this young man liked Gu Tingting, but Gu Tingting didn't seem to like him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so cold and sarcastic.

"Hehe," the old man surnamed Xiong chuckled and said, "Brother, I heard that tomorrow is your birthday. As your brother, I happen to have something to do tomorrow and I'm afraid I won't be able to come and congratulate you in time. So I came here today to wish you a happy birthday in advance!"

"Brother Xiong, you're very kind," said Old Master Gu with a smile.

"Of course, of course." The old man surnamed Xiong waved to the two servants, who quickly placed the gift boxes they were carrying on the table.

"Brother Xiong, what's going on?" Old Master Gu asked, puzzled.

The old man surnamed Xiong smiled and said, "Brother, this is just a small token of my appreciation, nothing more!"

Old Master Gu quickly said, "Brother Xiong, I'm already overjoyed that you came to wish me a happy birthday. As for the gifts, Brother Xiong, you know my temperament. You should just take them back!"

“Brother, this is a birthday gift that I specially selected for you. You must accept it! Otherwise, you'll be disrespecting me,” said the old man surnamed Xiong.

“Brother Xiong, I appreciate your kind intentions, but you know I’ve never accepted any gifts from anyone on my birthday over the years. Brother Xiong, you should take it back!” said Old Master Gu.

“Brother,” the old man surnamed Xiong said, “you know my temperament. Once I give something away, I never take it back. If you’re going to give me face, then accept it! Otherwise, I’ll leave immediately.”

The old man surnamed Xiong was clearly joking, but there was a hint of coercion in his words, as if Old Master Gu had no choice but to accept it.

Grandpa Gu shook his head and smiled, then pointed at the old man surnamed Xiong and said, "You, you, aren't you forcing me into this? Fine, fine, then I'll accept it, brother, thank you."

The old man surnamed Xiong laughed and said, "Brother, I've come here for two reasons. First, to celebrate your birthday, and second, to see my good-for-nothing grandson, Jianxin."

When the boy heard his grandfather finally mention his situation, a faint smile appeared on his face, like a shy young girl. Gu Tingting, however, let out a low snort.

"Oh?" Old Master Gu was slightly surprised and asked, "What happened to Jianxin, the virtuous grandson?"

The old man surnamed Xiong laughed and said, "Brother, you know perfectly well that my good-for-nothing grandson has always been in love with your granddaughter Tingting."

"Really?" Old Master Gu asked in surprise. "How come I didn't know?"

The old man surnamed Xiong asked, "Brother, you don't know?"

Grandpa Gu smiled slightly and said, "Brother, it's best for us elders not to interfere in the love affairs of young people. As the saying goes, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. If they don't get along, wouldn't we, as elders, ruin their lives?"

"This—" The old man surnamed Xiong was speechless after being interrupted by Old Master Gu's words.

“Grandpa Gu,” Xiong Jianxin said, mustering his courage, “I truly love Tingting. I am willing to use my whole life to protect and cherish her. Moreover, I will only love Tingting in my life. I hope Grandpa Gu will grant my wish.”

"Brother, did you hear that? My precious grandson is so single-minded, he doesn't even look at other girls!" The old man surnamed Xiong said with a smile, but in his heart he gave his precious grandson a big thumbs up, feeling that his grandson had quite the same style as him when he was young.