Back to the 70s: My Childhood Sweetheart Spoils Me Rotten

As the Spring Festival approached, Zhuge Zhi canceled classes for Zhan Banxia and the others, letting them play. After all, the Spring Festival only comes once a year, and you can’t let people spend the New Year just being busy studying.

Moreover, it was the Spring Festival after a big movement, so the celebration should be as lively as possible. Not to mention, with quite a few people this year, proper preparation was necessary.

This meant there was a lot to prepare, with the most important task being house cleaning, which made everyone a bit conflicted. Gong Ruini thought it would be great if they could hire someone to come and clean the house.

This beautiful wish was something Gong Ruini only dared to think about. Nowadays, this wasn’t trendy, and even if someone was willing to earn this money, the gossip from the neighbors could drown a person.

Considering the elderly and the young in their family, cleaning the entire house was not easy.

Despite the reluctance, the necessary work had to be done, just as Gong Ruini and the others were mentally prepared to start working.

"You only need to clean your own rooms and remember to help clean the old man’s study. The rest of the unoccupied rooms and the yard, someone will come to clean," Cai Xingjuan was surprised that the Zhuge family offered to help clean the house.

This was really unprecedented, exciting Cai Xingjuan, "Keep all the valuables safe." With many people coming, who knows whether someone might take something, and it’s better to safeguard everything.

Oh, no way. Someone actually came to help. What a spirit of Lei Feng! Gong Ruini remarked people are still quite enthusiastic these days, "Who are they?"

"Who else but the people from the Zhuge family."

"Don’t worry, they won’t be at a loss either," Cai Xingjuan informed Gong Ruini and the others. They weren’t helping out for free; they were paid.

Bai Kaixin felt relieved, so it was those annoying people, and it seems Zhuge Zhi had to pay a substantial price.

Zhuge Hongjie was surprised to hear that it was those people from the Zhuge family coming to clean, "Grandpa Zhuge didn’t have to take care of them."

"Even if you give them something, they won’t appreciate it," Zhuge Hongjie had heard those people’s complaints more than once.

Cai Xingjuan was aware of these rumors. Initially, she also opposed bringing them in to work. It would be better for the old couple to clean slowly with Zhao Xuran; the house was big enough that they didn’t need to clean everything, just the areas they were living in.

As for the yard, it’s winter anyway, so it didn’t need to be cleaned thoroughly. However, what Zhuge Zhi said made Cai Xingjuan swallow all her dissatisfaction.

"Anyway, we give something to the clan every year. We were too embarrassed to ask for help before, but this time there’s no need to hide. We can’t give them things without expecting work in return."

Cai Xingjuan thought it made sense. Every year they gave things, and not to mention asking if they needed help, they didn’t even come for New Year’s greetings.

Since those people felt that receiving things was justified, they would stop giving them from now on.

Give the clan things every year? Zhuge Hongjie was shocked to hear this. He didn’t doubt Cai Xingjuan’s words, as they wouldn’t lie under normal circumstances. If someone did lie, it would likely be those so-called clan elders.

There seems to be a problem. Cai Xingjuan noticed Zhuge Hongjie’s strange expression. Could there be an issue?

A sudden thought flashed through her mind, "Did the clan never distribute things?" No way, Cai Xingjuan was dumbfounded. If those people even embezzled such things, they were truly wicked.

Cai Xingjuan suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. Earlier, she mentioned that the Zhuge family was ungrateful, yet now she realized they might have done something incredibly foolish.

Zhuge Hongjie forced a smile. He didn’t want Cai Xingjuan to know this news at this point. Grandpa Zhuge spent a lot of money, yet the clansmen did not benefit.

And who took those things was really simple. He originally wanted to find a chance to tell Ge Yunkui quietly, but now Cai Xingjuan was already aware.

Since some people had no concern or regard, with such a black heart, Zhuge Hongjie couldn’t hide it for them, "At least since before I can remember, I have never received anything from the clan."

"Didn’t someone in the clan struggle and tried to seek help from Grandpa Zhuge, but they were stopped by the clan elders who said they shouldn’t disturb grandpa’s important tasks?"

Ah, "No wonder it’s like this," Cai Xingjuan was furious, "Why would the old man want to give them things and money? Isn’t it because in such a big family, there would at least be someone who isn’t well off? Unexpectedly..."

No way, having been deceived before, those things would presumably be irretrievable, but they couldn’t lack this year’s things.

They couldn’t let the old man spend money and end up with everything in the greedy ones’ pockets, while the clansmen didn’t benefit at all; they couldn’t continue to be so foolish.

Getting angrier the more she thought about it, Cai Xingjuan didn’t bother to discuss with Gong Ruini and the others about where to shop for the New Year’s goods tomorrow. She was busy discussing matters with Zhuge Zhi.

Zhuge Hongjie watched Cai Xingjuan leave in a hurry, not reacting for a long time. For him, the heavier the punishment those people received, the happier he would be.

"Brother Hongjie." Gong Ruini noticed Zhuge Hongjie’s eyes were red, finding it quite scary.

Over the days they spent together, she only saw Zhuge Hongjie smiling. Although she privately criticized someone for wearing a mask, now seeing his red eyes, she thought maybe the mask was better.

"I’m fine. I was just thinking if I had known earlier, perhaps my grandmother would not have passed away so early." Zhuge Hongjie’s fists clenched tightly.

"Not only my grandmother but many in the clan wouldn’t have had accidents." But they didn’t know, otherwise, how could this happen?

Grandmother? Gong Ruini and the others knew Zhuge Hongjie’s grandmother raised him single-handedly, though she passed away a few years ago. Could there be more to the elderly woman’s passing?

"Since I know Grandpa Zhuge had given things to the clan, I don’t want them to continue living so comfortably. They should be punished." Zhuge Hongjie didn’t hide the intentional hint in his words.

As for how Gong Ruini and the others would see him afterward, he really didn’t care. He couldn’t forget many things just for their views. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"That’s a must." Poor child, wanting revenge but worrying about others’ opinions, it really made everyone curious about how he grew up.

Gong Ruwen was holding Gong Ruini’s hand tightly, feeling even more unsettled. If it weren’t for Gong Qiang taking action against his father back then, maybe their family would still be in their old home, constantly bullied by their uncle.

Probably, they might have lived like Zhuge Hongjie, timid and submissive, needing to see and feel others’ emotions.

At this moment, Gong Ruwen really wanted to thank Gong Qiang. If it weren’t for his decisive action, their days wouldn’t have been so good.