CHAPTER 241: CHAPTER 227 I AM ONE

Mu Shuoqian had one hand on the doorknob, his face blank, wondering what the rush was all about this morning.

Gu Qili felt a sense of imbalance in her heart.

She came downstairs wearing a red tracksuit, and Mu Shuoqian was busy in the kitchen, the range hood was on so it was very loud and he didn’t hear her footsteps.

Gu Qili curiously leaned on the door to peek inside, just in time to see him throwing instant noodles into the boiling water.

She knew Mu Shuoqian couldn’t cook, having never seen him in the kitchen before, but instant noodles don’t require any culinary skills; even a child who can reach the stove can cook them.

Despite it being just a simple bowl of instant noodles, Gu Qili still gazed dreamily at his tall figure, remembering a wise man once said, "A man doing housework is the most handsome."

Mu Shuoqian cooked two bowls of noodles, and only turned off the range hood when the steam had mostly cleared, turning around to see Gu Qili standing at the door.

His ears turned unnaturally red, as it was his first time cooking for someone else.

"I went out to buy breakfast by car, but there’s only one small store nearby, and further away requires going into the city, I was afraid of traffic jams so I bought two packs of instant noodles." He explained as he placed the cooked noodles on the table, "Let’s make do with this for now, and we’ll eat what you want to eat when we get back to the city."

Gu Qili had already sat down, she stirred the noodles with her chopsticks to cool them down a bit; they were a bit too soft, and with not enough water, there was almost no soup, but Gu Qili started eating greedily without waiting for it to cool.

She was always a foodie, but at this moment, no delicacy could compare to the bowl of instant noodles he had cooked, beating all other delicacies she had ever tasted.

Mu Shuoqian saw her wolfing down the food, thinking she was very hungry, and kindly pushed some of his noodles into her bowl.

"I’m full," Gu Qili didn’t use a napkin but wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, patted her belly, "It was delicious."

Mu Shuoqian smiled and slowly started eating.

After eating, Gu Qili went around the garden, walking and marveling silently at how well the garden was maintained, showing no signs of decay.

As she walked, she suddenly saw a familiar figure busy in the field.

The moment she saw the person, Gu Qili felt as if time had rewinded, and her eyes unavoidably reddened: "Uncle Fan."

Fan Bin, hearing this, straightened up in shock, and on recognizing her, excitedly dropped his hoe and ran over: "Miss."

"Uncle Fan, it really is you. How, how are you still here?" Gu Qili was both shocked and delighted to see an old acquaintance.

After the Gu Family vineyard was acquired, those who had vowed loyalty to Gu Dezhong disappeared overnight, leaving such a large vineyard unattended, and that was when Gu Qili truly understood the saying: When a tree falls, the monkeys scatter.

She thought that after so many years, this vineyard would have become desolate, but just last night, she discovered it was still thriving.

All because of Fan Bin, the old man who had been with Gu Dezhong for decades, from the first grapevine planted, he had been here, and even after Gu Dezhong was gone, he was still here.

Gu Qili was moved and grateful, with too many bittersweet emotions to speak coherently.

"Miss, miss, ah, it’s so good, this old body of mine has finally waited for your return." Fan Bin’s hands trembled with excitement, his eyes brimming with tears, "I thought our Gu Family vineyard, the vineyard your father and I labored over our whole lives, was just going to be handed over to another like that."

"Not at all, Uncle Fan, I will do my utmost to protect it. By the way, Uncle Fan, have you been staying here all this time?"

Fan Bin nodded: "After the vineyard was acquired, someone gave me some money to take care of these grapevines. Even if no one paid me, I would have found a way to keep these trees alive. Since then, I have been living here, day and night, hoping for your arrival."

"Uncle Fan, do you know who initially bought our vineyard?"

Just as Fan Bin was about to speak, Gu Qili heard the approaching footsteps from behind. It was Mu Shuoqian who had found the place.

"Mr. Mu." From afar, Fan Bin respectfully greeted Mu Shuoqian.

Gu Qili, somewhat puzzled, asked, "Uncle Fan, do you know Mu Shuoqian?"

"Yes, I know him. Mr. Mu, he’s the one who recently bought this estate," said Fan Bin. As he finished, Mu Shuoqian had already walked over and naturally placed a hand on Gu Qili’s shoulder.

Seeing his natural gesture, Fan Bin was momentarily stunned, but he quickly recovered, his face brimming with a joyful smile: "Miss, you and Mr. Mu..."

"Yes, we got married," Gu Qili admitted frankly. After last night, she had suddenly become much more resolute. In the past, she never dared to mention their marriage. She thought it was probably because she was still very traditional at heart, believing that a woman truly belongs to a man only when she gives herself completely to him.

"Congratulations, congratulations!" Tears of joy fell from Fan Bin’s eyes once again. It seemed he was reminded of the long past, he wiped his face with the back of his hand, somewhat choked up, "If your father were still here, if he saw how happy you are, he would definitely be very pleased."

Speaking of Gu Dezhong, Gu Qili couldn’t help but feel sentimental. However, seeing the estate in front of her was like seeing Gu Dezhong’s hopes, and if he were in heaven, he would surely rest peacefully.

Fan Bin then took Gu Qili to see the wine cellar and the wine-making line. Because it hadn’t produced wine in many years, the equipment had all broken down, and hundreds of oak barrels emitted a smell of rotting wood.

"Miss, reviving this place is going to be difficult," Fan Bin said, standing beside her, looking around at the wine cellar covered in cobwebs.

Yes, it would be difficult. She had known it would be hard. Except for that vineyard, there was nothing left here. To restore it to its original vitality and vigor would definitely be a tough and lengthy process.

But Gu Qili would not back down. From the moment she chose this path, she knew that thorns would be everywhere, and she was already armed with large axes, ready to brave the thorns and forge ahead.

"Mu Shuoqian, thank you," she suddenly turned her head and looked at him earnestly. "Thank you for helping me redeem the vineyard. Without you, I might have spent half my life unable to fulfill this wish."

He embraced her into his arms and softly patted her back. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "If you need my help, I’m always willing."

Gu Qili swayed her head from side to side within his embrace, smiling, "No need, you’ve already done enough. Let me complete the rest myself."

"Miss, you really have grown up." Fan Bin, watching the couple’s affection, kept remarking emotionally, "I still remember how wilful you were as a child; your father couldn’t control you at all. Take the piano in the living room, for instance, you played it for just three and a half days then left it there to feed the spiders. Later, there was the cello, the guzheng, even the erhu; you clamored to learn every one of them, but none lasted more than three days."

Only then did Gu Qili realize that Fan Bin was still there. She immediately lifted her head from Mu Shuoqian’s embrace, slightly embarrassed, rubbing her nose: "Uncle Fan, don’t reveal my shortcomings anymore; somebody might take the chance to tease me."

"Alright, alright, I won’t mention it. Besides, Mr. Mu doesn’t seem like that kind of person." Seeing their love, how couldn’t he understand?

After coming back inside, as soon as they entered the house, Mu Shuoqian’s phone rang. It was the text message tone.

Seeing he didn’t react, Gu Qili reminded him, "You have a message."

He hummed an acknowledgment but didn’t rush to check it, not until Gu Qili went to the restroom. He then took out his phone. The number wasn’t saved with a name; after a glance, he deleted the message.

"Happy Birthday, I must be the first, right? Oh oh, I almost forgot, we have a twelve-hour time difference, it’s still midnight there. According to the time, I am the first, Happy Birthday!"