Chapter 131 - 130: The Huo Family’s Mute Princess

Chapter 131: Chapter 130: The Huo Family’s Mute Princess

The little princess was making a bit of a scene, and Gu Qingyin was quite eye-catching herself, so the people nearby couldn’t help but look over.

"Gugu?" a woman called out in surprise. She strode over and took the little princess’s hand. "Gugu, let go of Grandma."

Gu Qingyin was dumbfounded. ’Auntie was one thing, but now *Grandma*...’

The little princess, Gugu, shook her head, her eyes red. One hand gripped Gu Qingyin tightly while a finger on the other pointed at the grapes on the table as she let out a pitiful "Ah!"

The woman looked over, her expression going blank for a moment. What had been a full bunch of bright red grapes was now just a scattered half-bunch.

’This...’ The woman quickly composed herself, bending down to soothe the little girl with a smile. "Gugu, Auntie will have someone buy you another bunch right now. It can be delivered tomorrow, so we can eat it then, okay?"

Gugu shook her head violently, her refusal clear and strong!

’I waited a month for this bunch! I was just about to eat them! I just went to wash my hands, and when I came back, the grapes were gone!’

’I won’t accept it! Unless...’

Gugu pouted and held up two fingers. Her meaning was obvious: she wanted two bunches.

The woman looked troubled. "No, your throat..."

Gugu cried out "Ah!" in protest and clamped her hands over her ears, completely forgetting to hold on to Gu Qingyin.

’I’m not listening, not listening! Meanies!’

Gu Qingyin asked thoughtfully, "Was she born with this throat condition?"

The woman shook her head and sighed. "No, she was fine until she was three. Then one day, she just suddenly stopped speaking. We’ve taken her to hospitals at home and abroad, but all the tests come back saying there’s nothing wrong."

Gu Qingyin nodded, then glanced at the grapes on the table. "Are these hers?"

The woman looked a little awkward. "Yes. Those grapes are very sweet, and Gugu loves them, but Old Madam Huo forbids it. She’s afraid they’ll hurt her throat, so she only lets her have one bunch a month."

Everyone in the Huo family knew about this. If they saw grapes, they generally wouldn’t touch them, regardless of whose they were. It’s not like any of them were desperate for a snack.

But as luck would have it, Gu Qingyin didn’t know. And she just so happened to be the one to eat the grapes...

Gu Qingyin felt awkward as well. She gently lowered Gugu’s hands and coaxed, "From now on, I’ll make sure you get all the grapes you want. Please don’t be angry, okay?"

Gugu pouted and looked away from her.

Gu Qingyin started to break a sweat. "Then what else does Gugu want? Gran... Grandma will buy it for you!"

The woman’s eyes immediately lit up. She wished she could accept the offer on Gugu’s behalf, but she didn’t dare seem too eager for fear of putting Gu Qingyin off. Thus, she could only coax the little girl carefully, "Gugu, hurry and agree. Grandma likes you a lot."

Gugu’s attitude softened a little. There was, indeed, something else she wanted besides grapes.

Gugu opened her small, suitcase-shaped purse, took out a phone, and began to type.

Gu Qingyin waited patiently, her eyes on the little girl’s purse as she marveled to herself.

’As expected of a wealthy family’s little princess, her purse is encrusted with all kinds of gems. I’m so plain in comparison. What right do I have to be a little princess’s grandma?’

Gugu finished typing, checked it over once, and only after confirming it was correct did she turn the phone around and hold it out.

Gu Qingyin glanced at the screen, her expression surprised. "You want to see Huo Xinghai?"

Gugu blushed slightly but nodded firmly.

The woman explained with a helpless look, "Gugu saw one of the Second Young Master’s performances and fell in love with it. Ever since she found out he was her Uncle Xinghai, she’s been begging to meet him, but..."

At the time, all family gatherings were canceled, and the relationship between the branch families and the main family was extremely tense, so of course they weren’t able to see him.

It became Gugu’s obsession. She adored Uncle Xinghai, and she wanted to be just like him when she grew up: singing and dancing on a brightly lit stage.

But she couldn’t speak, so this dream was destined to go unfulfilled. She settled for the next best thing: just meeting Uncle Xinghai would be enough. That, in itself, would feel like her dream coming true.

Gu Qingyin understood. She took out her phone and called Huo Xinghai. "Didn’t you say you were coming to keep me company? How come you’re not here yet?"

Huo Xinghai was already on his way over. Hearing her, he grew a little nervous. "Is someone giving you trouble again?"

’No way. How does someone that brainless even survive in the Huo Family?’

There was a smile in Gu Qingyin’s voice. "I am. I’ve been cornered by a little princess."

Huo Xinghai raised a skeptical eyebrow. ’She doesn’t sound unhappy, though.’

"I’m almost there."

Gu Qingyin put the phone on speaker for his last sentence and held it in front of Gugu.

Gugu’s eyes instantly widened. She let out a little "Ah!" and clapped a hand over her mouth, but the joyous surprise still shone in her eyes.

Gu Qingyin hung up and patted Gugu’s head. "Let’s eat some grapes while we wait."

Both Gugu and the woman looked at her.

Gu Qingyin cleared her throat. "There aren’t many left, but it’s better than not having any at all, right?"

Gugu thought that made a lot of sense. She happily plopped down on the sofa, cradled the plate of grapes, and started eating.

’I’m going to see Uncle Xinghai soon! So exciting! These grapes are delicious! So happy!’

Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. People always say a child’s mood can change in an instant, and today she finally understood what they meant.

After laughing, she felt a little wistful. ’I wonder if Xingye and the other two were like this when they were little...’

"Matriarch, my name is Qi Yuejin," the woman introduced herself carefully. "My mother is Huo Yunli. In terms of seniority, she is the Family Head’s youngest paternal aunt."

Gu Qingyin smiled and nodded. "A pleasure."

’She didn’t know Huo Yunli well. She only remembered that when she and Huo Yunjing first got together, Huo Yunli had been vehemently against it, but no one had paid her any mind.’

’Huo Yunjing was the type who barely listened to his own parents, so why would he care what his younger sister thought?’

"Which side of the family is Gugu from?" Gu Qingyin asked, curious.

"She is the granddaughter of Huo Yunyang, the head of the second branch," Qi Yuejin explained. "Gugu is the youngest child in the Huo Family. For now, she’s the only one in her generation, and Old Madam Huo dotes on her."

The Old Madam Huo whom Qi Yuejin mentioned was from the second branch of the Huo Family—the wife of Huo Yunjing’s paternal uncle. She wasn’t his first wife, however, but his second.

This Old Madam Huo is seventy-five and still quite robust. She is the oldest and most senior member of the Huo Family.

’Gu Qingyin had never interacted with her before, but she’d heard the woman had a bad temper. Now, twenty years later, who knew if she had mellowed with age.’

"Is Gugu in school?" Gu Qingyin asked, moving past the topic of the elders.

Qi Yuejin shook her head and sighed. "Ordinarily, Gugu should be starting first grade this year. But her situation is delicate. We’re worried she’d be mocked at a regular school, but we’re also afraid she wouldn’t be able to accept going to a special school herself."

"So, Old Madam Huo hired private tutors to teach her at home." Qi Yuejin added with a smile, "Gugu is very bright. Her tutors all adore her."

Gu Qingyin studied Gugu’s neck. ’If they can’t find a medical cause,’ she thought, ’perhaps the reason is metaphysical. Nothing is visible on the surface, though. It would be best to perform a detailed examination.’

"Ah!" With a look of pure excitement, Gugu suddenly leaped off the sofa.

Gu Qingyin looked up and, sure enough, saw that Huo Xinghai had arrived.