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Gu Ningning was so excited she could die. In her eyes, Su Niannian was an exceptionally good person.
If Su Niannian really did this for her second sister-in-law, Gu Ningning would probably be overjoyed.
“Even so, you mustn’t go out and talk about it… As long as they aren’t married yet, this matter can’t be disclosed to others,” said Mother Gu, her eyes filled with happiness, but she still insisted that this matter could not be shared so early.
“I know, I know!” Gu Ningning was so happy that she felt like she could fly.
Mother Gu had always thought that Gu Nan would be held back by this family, but now it seemed that Gu Nan was truly lucky to have found such a wonderful wife.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but think of her eldest son.
“Zhendong is really unlucky.”
A year ago, Gu Zhendong had fallen from a mountain and broke his leg. At first, his eldest daughter-in-law took great care of him.
But as soon as the doctors made it clear that his legs would be permanently disabled, his eldest daughter-in-law took the money and the child, and just went back to her parents’ home.
Although they hadn’t officially divorced, her intentions were already very clear.
Zhendong’s spirit and mood grew increasingly sink as his eldest daughter-in-law’s departure made him even more despondent.
People strive for better lives, but when disaster strikes, they flee to save themselves. Gu Zhi didn’t blame her eldest daughter-in-law; she simply felt… that her son was a bit pitiful.
Gu Ningning saw her mother’s expression shift from joy to worry and gave her a hug.
“Mother, Big Sister-in-law leaving was her choice. We just need to live our lives well as a family,” Gu Ningning said.
This reasoning, Su Niannian had also shared with her—don’t let the actions or opinions of others make things difficult for yourself.
“Mm, you both understand so well. Our family will get better,” Gu Zhi said, patting Gu Ningning on the head. There were tears in her eyes, but she still looked forward with hope.
Outside, the two of them had already finished their hug, and the cabinet Gu Nan had been making for Su Niannian was almost complete.
The cabinet was one-meter-wide and one and a half meters tall, simply pieced together with a few wooden boards. It was very basic.
The upper part was divided into two sections with partitions, while the bottom had three drawers.
Gu Nan even thoughtfully added two small doors at the top, which could be locked with a padlock to secure the cabinet.
Once Gu Nan finished this cabinet, he could start on the one for Song Zhaodi.
That one would be even simpler, with no need for drawers.
It was the same size, but inside, three partitions were added to divide the cabinet into four sections.
By evening, both cabinets were completed.
Gu Nan called for Li Ergou, asking him to bring the donkey cart over.
This way, they could transport the two cabinets back to the Educated Youth station.
“Su Niannian, you made the right choice asking Brother Nan to make the cabinets. The carpenters in our village can’t compare to Gu Nan’s skills!”
Li Ergou was also a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected that Su Niannian knew that Gu Nan could make cabinets.
Gu Nan was also quite unusual, as he actually offered to help Su Niannian with the cabinets.
If you knew him, you’d understand—Gu Nan wasn’t fond of interacting with others.
Especially not with young girls.
In the past, there had been some educated youth who tried to get close to Gu Nan, but they were all frightened away by his indifferent attitude.
Of course, it could also be because his family situation wasn’t very good, and that might be the real reason.
In any case, Gu Nan always had a “stay away from me” demeanor.
This time, though, it was quite unusual. He had actually helped Su Niannian make a cabinet.
“Mm, it was done quickly and well,” Su Niannian also thought the same.
In Su Niannian’s eyes, Gu Nan was almost like a perfect, all-around person, as if he could solve any problem.
The only regret was that Gu Nan had given up on returning to the military in order to take care of her.
Many times, Gu Nan would sit alone on the sofa, forlorn, his hand gently stroking the military medals he had once earned.
At that moment, once the Gu family had shed the stigma of their difficult situation, Su Niannian would encourage Gu Nan to pursue what he truly wanted.
Thinking of this, Su Niannian looked at Gu Nan again, her eyes filled with anticipation.
The man in military uniform, the one brimming with charisma—he would definitely be even more handsome, more charming, right?
Gu Nan looked up and met Su Niannian’s gaze, but in her eyes, he once again saw the shadow of another person.
A pang of pain tightened in his heart.
Gu Nan turned his head away.
Gu Nan and Li Ergou placed the two finished cabinets onto the donkey cart.
The board at the back of the cart wasn’t as large as the cabinets, so part of the cabinets stuck out.
The two of them secured it with hemp ropes. Although it was tied, they still needed to support it a little to prevent it from tipping over.
After the cart was packed, Gu Zhi still wanted to invite Su Niannian to stay for dinner.
“Aunt, I’ll come by tomorrow to make medicine for you. Let’s have dinner tomorrow instead.”
Su Niannian was currently working with Song Zhaodi to prepare meals, so it wasn’t ideal to be gone too often.
So, Su Niannian planned to stop by the educated youth station before dinner.
Upon hearing this, Gu Zhi didn’t insist on keeping her any longer.
He quickly entered the kitchen and packed a full lunchbox of braised pig offal for Su Niannian.
“Aunt, keep this and eat it later.”
“It’s getting hot, so it can’t be kept for too long. If it goes bad, it’ll be a waste.”
Although pig offal is cheap, Su Niannian cooks it so well. In these times, being able to have a full meal is not easy, and wasting food is simply not an option.
Usually, the food made is eaten up before it has a chance to spoil.
But this time, Su Niannian made more than enough. Even if it were to spoil, Gu Zhi would never have the heart to throw it away.
“Alright.” Su Niannian didn’t hesitate and took the aluminum lunchbox that Gu Zhi handed her.
This dish was something she could make anytime without much hassle, so there was no need to be overly polite.
The lunchbox was full, and it weighed more than two pounds.
After bidding farewell, Su Niannian left the Gu family courtyard.
At this moment, Li Ergou was sitting in front of the donkey cart, holding a whip, while Gu Nan stood at the back of the cart, holding the cabinets in place.
“Do you want to sit up front?” Gu Nan asked Su Niannian.
Su Niannian shook her head.
Since the cart didn’t have much space, if she sat up front, wouldn’t she have to sit next to Li Ergou?
“I’ll help you push the cart from the back.”
Su Niannian carefully placed the lunchbox in a stable position before walking to Gu Nan’s side, helping him steady the cabinets.
“Alright, let’s go!” Li Ergou called out, urging the donkey cart forward.
Su Niannian walked alongside Gu Nan, but something felt off about him since the afternoon.
“You still going to the back mountain tonight?” Su Niannian lowered her voice and asked Gu Nan.
“You’re not allowed to go,” Gu Nan didn’t directly answer Su Niannian but told her plainly that he didn’t want her going to the back mountain tonight.
“Oh…” Su Niannian dragged out her response.
Not going? That’s a lie!
Li Ergou kept looking back at them during the journey, feeling like something was off. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a certain closeness between his brother and Su Niannian. It wasn’t just the physical proximity—there was something in their relationship that seemed different.
Li Ergou couldn’t shake the feeling that their relationship seemed unusually close.
Su Niannian… Could she possibly have feelings for Gu Nan?
He shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought from his mind.
But even if she did like him, what would that change? Gu Nan was the type of person who kept people at a distance. Nothing would come of it, he was sure.