"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Realizing she had bumped into someone, Zhao Hongmei immediately apologized.
"It's alright!" a gentle, clear male voice responded, "Xiao Tian, hello!"
Just as Zhao Hongmei was about to continue apologizing for her clumsiness, she heard the other person call out Xiao Tian's name.
She looked towards the source of the voice.
A handsome and dashing man in his twenties was not looking at her, the one who caused the accident, but at Su Xiao Tian.
It was clear he knew Su Xiao Tian.
"Brother Gu, it's been a while since I last saw you. Are you out shopping today as well?"
Su Xiao Tian was clearly surprised to see Gu Chengxuan at this location.
Most of the shops on this street were women's clothing or boutique stores.
Few men would come here to browse.
Even if they did, it was usually to accompany their girlfriends or wives.
It was indeed rare to see a man like Gu Chengxuan on this street alone.
"I'm planning to open a shop, so I came to take a look. Xiao Tian, are you not busy today?" Gu Chengxuan said with a smile, "My sister-in-law has been mentioning recently that you're a very busy person, and she can't get a hold of you!"
"How is Sister Tong Lan? And has the little one grown a lot more?"
"Of course, I don't know what that brat eats, but he's growing so fast, like he grows taller with every gust of wind!" Gu Chengxuan's face was full of smiles when he mentioned his nephew, showing how much he truly liked him. Su Dan Novel Network
"Brother Gu, please tell Sister Tong Lan that I'll visit her next time I have a day off," Su Xiao Tian said with a smile. "I'm out shopping with some classmates today, and I just happened to bump into Brother Gu."
Su Xiao Tian couldn't help but recall that her first meeting with Gu Chengxuan was also due to an unexpected encounter.
Fate was truly wondrous.
"Mr. Gu, I apologize. It was my recklessness just now. I didn't bump into you, did I?" Zhao Hongmei said gracefully.
"It's nothing. A young girl like you, how could you injure a grown man like me?" Gu Chengxuan said dismissively.
"Brother Gu, this is my classmate, Zhao Hongmei. This is Li Jianhong, my second brother's girlfriend. And this is Qian Xiaobei. This is Gu Chengxuan!"
Su Xiao Tian remembered that Gu Chengxuan and Su Xiao Cao also met by chance, and later Gu Chengxuan had feelings for Sister Cao, but Sister Cao's heart was already taken, and they ultimately had no fate.
Today, Hongmei bumping into Brother Gu, perhaps this was their destined encounter.
She had heard from Cui Tong Lan that Gu Chengxuan had no intention of finding a partner recently and was still single.
She also said that his family was very worried about Gu Chengxuan and was urging him to find a partner.
"Hello, everyone!" Gu Chengxuan, unaware of Su Xiao Tian's little thoughts, simply smiled and greeted them.
They all greeted each other.
"Brother Gu, would you like to join us for shopping?" Su Xiao Tian suddenly asked.
Gu Chengxuan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and shook his head, "Perhaps not. What would I, a grown man, be doing tagging along with a group of girls like you!"
Mainly, besides Su Xiao Tian, he wasn't familiar with the others, and it would be somewhat awkward to join them.
Su Xiao Tian felt regretful that Gu Chengxuan declined, but it seemed like the normal reaction.
After Gu Chengxuan left, Zhao Hongmei said, "Xiao Tian, I've noticed that everyone around you is quite outstanding. This Mr. Gu is also a man of distinguished appearance!"
Zhao Hongmei watched his receding back, and a faint sparkle appeared in her eyes.
"Not bad, right? Brother Gu is a good person. Do you want to consider getting to know him?" Su Xiao Tian teased, "We're running out of single girls in our dorm. Hongmei, you need to hurry!"
"Aren't Chu Yue, Xiao Fang, and Yan An still single? Why should I be in a hurry?" Zhao Hongmei said, but Su Xiao Tian keenly noticed her blushing.
Well, she could tell that this little girl was somewhat interested in Gu Chengxuan.
This was good. When it came to matters of the heart, one of them always had to make the first move.
She would talk to Sister Tong Lan about this later, perhaps it could lead to a match.
Zhao Hongmei was indeed a bit distracted for the rest of their outing.
The next morning, Hu Xiaolian arrived at the Su residence.
Su Xiao Tian had just finished breakfast and was about to continue working on the proposal she hadn't completed yesterday.
When Hu Xiaolian arrived, she brought her two daughters.
Her eldest daughter, formerly named Xiang Wenjin, had now changed her name to Hu Wenjin. She was six years old and old enough to start school.
Her younger daughter, originally named Xiang Wenjun, now followed her mother's surname and was called Hu Wenjun. She was less than four years old and should be ready for kindergarten.
Regarding whether her two daughters should change their surnames, Hu Xiaolian had gone through a fierce internal struggle before finally making the decision.
Children who followed their mother's surname might be pointed at and looked down upon.
But she deeply resented Xiang Ying and truly did not want her two daughters to have such a father.
In the end, she decided to let her two daughters take her surname.
After all, even she, as his wife, was not acknowledged by the Xiang family, let alone her two daughters, whom they considered "money-losing goods."
The two little girls were very pretty and well-behaved.
They held Hu Xiaolian's hands on either side, standing quietly.
"Sister Hu, the two girls look even prettier than before."
Looking at the neatly dressed and presentable little girls, Su Xiao Tian praised them sincerely.
They were certainly different from the ragged appearance she saw when they first met.
Hu Xiaolian genuinely doted on her two children. Although life was not easy, she still dressed her children in new clothes and new shoes.
"Wenjin, Wenjun, say hello to Sister Xiao Tian!"
Hu Xiaolian had initially intended for the children to call Su Xiao Tian "Auntie," but Su Xiao Tian was too young.
Su Xiao Tian chuckled.
"Sister Hu, our generation..."
Hu Xiaolian's face showed a hint of embarrassment.
"I'm not much older than you, and you're only about ten years older than the children. It's really awkward to decide on the address."
"Let's just call each other this way from now on!" Su Xiao Tian thought about it and agreed.
She couldn't bring herself to call Hu Xiaolian "Auntie."
If the two children called her "Auntie," she probably wouldn't dare to accept it.
The two children obediently greeted her.
At this moment, Grandma Su also came out of the house.
Seeing the two little girls with her, she felt an overwhelming fondness and quickly invited the children inside.
However, the two children only looked towards their mother.
"Sister Hu, let the children go inside first. Have you had breakfast?"
"Yes, we have. Xiao Tian, we'll go in first. When we come back, I still need to boil sugar water..."
Hu Xiaolian did not want to delay her day's business.
Although she didn't earn much in a day, these few dollars were enough for the mother and daughters' daily expenses, and they could even save a little.
As Xiao Tian had said, the children were growing up and should be going to school, which would also incur considerable expenses.
Grandma Su had already heard from Su Xiao Tian that she would be taking someone to the school to look at a stall today.
It was quite a distance from their home to the school, and they had to change buses. It would be inconvenient to bring the children.
"Why don't the two children stay with us for now?" Grandma Su offered.
Grandma Su knew about Hu Xiaolian's situation and sympathized with the unfortunate woman.