Chapter 29: On New Year’s Eve, He Was Kicked Out?

Although the room wasn’t divided into two separate spaces yet, it was almost like that.

Two beds were placed side by side, with a curtain hanging on a rail in between — the kind used in county hospitals at that time to separate beds.

She had deliberately bought a nostalgic-style curtain that looked like a simple bedsheet hanging there.

Rustic, yes — rustic was fitting for the aesthetic of this era.

She had also prepared the bed for Gu Yuelin.

Just like her own, it had a latex mattress inside, but the outer covers were all old-fashioned and threadbare, matching the nostalgic style — blankets and quilt included.

She had already thought about what to say if Gu Yuelin asked: she’d say it was a foam mattress.

Before entering the bedroom, Feng Mian took off her shoes and placed them neatly on the shoe rack by the door.

She changed into soft cotton slippers before stepping onto the wooden floor of the bedroom.

How nice — this clean floor gave a bit of a countryside guesthouse vibe.

Feng Mian lay on the soft bed, hugging a hot water bag, and started scrolling on her phone.

On New Year’s Eve, there were still live streams selling goods — poor corporate slaves having such a hard time.

Seeing the strings of messages scrolling below, Feng Mian felt tempted to type a few encouraging words.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t send any messages at all.

She had tried long ago; she could buy things normally, but couldn’t interact with the people on the platform. Sometimes when she didn’t understand a product and wanted to ask customer service, she couldn’t.

It seemed the underworld and the living world hadn’t fully connected yet.

She was gradually getting used to going to bed early, dozing off a little after ten.

After a while, a knock on the door woke her up.

She checked the time — eleven o’clock. She had only just fallen asleep.

Who could it be so late at night?

Feng Mian put on a jacket, wore her shoes, took a flashlight, and slowly walked to the door.

“Who is it?”

Gu Yuelin’s voice came from outside, tired and a little trembling.

“It’s me.”

Hearing this, Feng Mian hurriedly put away the flashlight, removed the wood blocking the top of the door, and unlatched the bolt.

Gu Yuelin stood at the door in a worn thin shirt, shivering with cold.

“Come in quickly.”

She grabbed his hand, feeling how cold it was.

At this moment, he looked like a poor, pitiful big dog.

Feng Mian felt a little angry, guessing he had been bullied again by his stepmother.

She didn’t ask what happened but quickly took the hot water bag from her bed and pressed it into his arms, then went to the kitchen to light the brazier and boil some water.

After a while, Gu Yuelin started to recover.

“Why don’t you ask me what happened? Why don’t you ask why I came to see you so late?”

Feng Mian smiled faintly. “You must be having a miserable New Year. What’s there to ask?”

Gu Yuelin was stunned, then nodded.

He smiled, holding her hot water bag, sitting in front of the brazier, watching her place melon seeds on it.

“I was a little sad, but seeing you made me not feel sad anymore.”

“Why were you sad? Could it be that you still have illusions about that family — your stepmother?”

He shook his head and said, “This is the last New Year I’ll spend at that home. I wanted to be happy after all — it’s where I grew up. My dad is weak, but before my mom died, she told him things he’s never forgotten. No matter how that woman makes trouble, he insisted on letting me study. Since I’m leaving, I naturally want to leave a good impression.”

“Then she caused trouble again today?”

Gu Yuelin smiled bitterly and nodded. “She heard somewhere that I have two friends in the city with proper jobs, and insisted I introduce my second younger sister to them. That sister’s personality is about the same as hers — if I introduce her to my friends, wouldn’t I be ruining them?”

Feng Mian was speechless. That stepmother was really something — always trying to squeeze every bit of value from her stepson.

Squeezing him was one thing, but she was even targeting his friends.

This was seriously bad luck for eight generations straight.

“I refused, and then she started cursing at the sky and the earth. I didn’t want to listen, so I came out.”

Feng Mian could almost imagine how terrible those curses must have been.

“Tell me, how did your dad end up choosing her?”

Talking about this made Gu Yuelin even more frustrated.

“At that time, the matchmaker introduced three women, but it was me who picked her.”

“Huh?” Feng Mian was stunned for a while.

Putting aside how controversial that statement was, she asked, “What do you mean you picked her?”

“At that time, my grandfather’s family hadn’t gotten into trouble yet and was supporting us quite a bit. Our family was considered well-off in Gujia Village. After my mom died, about a year later, my grandma started arranging for my dad to remarry. There were quite a few women willing to be my stepmother. Back then I was still young, but Liang Shi looked somewhat like my mom and was a bit manipulative, always pestering me in various ways. When my dad asked who I wanted as my stepmother, I said Liang Shi.”

Feng Mian didn’t know what to say for a moment.

She just quietly handed him a warm roasted orange.

“Eat it while it’s hot.”

Gu Yuelin nodded and ate the orange in a few bites.

Feng Mian felt a bit sorry for him. She guessed Gu Yuelin hadn’t eaten dinner or hadn’t eaten well.

This Liang Shi was really over the line — with only a few days left, she didn’t even bother to pretend to be a little decent.

Since she didn’t feel like cooking anymore, Feng Mian boiled a few eggs for him.

Gu Yuelin’s mood was complicated. He said, “Feng Mian, thank you. If I get the chance, I will definitely repay you.”

Feng Mian smiled, “Eat quickly. Eating at this hour isn’t very good for your stomach.”

“Mm.”

“Don’t do this again. No matter how upset you are, don’t let yourself go hungry.”

He felt Feng Mian cared about him so much, it was hard not to be drawn to her.

And this was just the beginning — their marriage of convenience hadn’t even officially started, yet she was already this kind.

If they stayed together later, how could he bear to leave?

At 11:15, a loud burst of firecrackers outside.

“The New Year has passed.” Feng Mian smiled and stood up, walking toward the window.

Far away, the light from firecrackers was flashing, and someone was even setting off fireworks.

Being able to afford fireworks meant they were quite wealthy for this era.

Gu Yuelin took the last sip of hot water and said to Feng Mian, “I have to go back now.”

“Will you even be able to get back inside at this hour?”

Gu Yuelin stiffened.

Feng Mian said, “I’ve already made your bed. You should sleep first and leave when dawn comes.”

“That’s not proper…”

“It’s not about proper or not. After all, it’s a cooperation relationship.”

The light in Gu Yuelin’s eyes dimmed a little.

Feng Mian made a show of rummaging in the big cabinet and then ordered a pair of cotton slippers, as if she had planned it all along, pulling a pair out of the cabinet.

In today’s terms, these shoes were so rustic they were falling apart — folks called them ‘chicken-hugging shoes’ in the countryside.

Yeah, in this era, these shoes were quite fashionable.

After washing his feet, Gu Yuelin put on the slippers but still looked puzzled.

“Where did you get these shoes?”

Feng Mian said, “If you can get a business ticket, of course I can get clothes and shoes.”

Gu Yuelin didn’t ask further after hearing that.

One clause in their contract was not to pry into each other’s privacy.

Feng Mian also got him a hot water bag exactly like hers.

Looking at that hot water bag for a long time, Gu Yuelin had no idea where such a thing was