Chapter 13

The news that Gu Shi’an was sleeping in the side room greatly pleased Lin Yao.

Gu Shi’an had returned in a rush, and there weren’t enough wash basins or towels in the house. Lin Yao generously offered her unused small basin and towel for him to use.

Gu Shi’an looked down at the white basin with little blue flowers and the brand-new pink towel on top. His eyebrows twitched, and after standing there for a long time, he silently went to wash up.

Lin Yao didn’t see this. She was happily in the side room, burning mugwort to repel mosquitoes.

The recent thunderstorms had brought increased humidity, and with it, more mosquitoes. A few times, Lin Yao had seen a gecko waiting on the wall in her room. The gecko wasn’t a problem, but the buzzing big-winged mosquitoes circling her mosquito net were. They disrupted her sleep and were always trying to find a way inside.

Lin Yao, always on guard, burned mugwort daily and secretly took out a bottle of floral water from her space supermarket, adding a few drops to the washbasin and sprinkling it around the room, ensuring a good night’s sleep.

Earlier, Gu Chunmei hadn’t secured the mosquito net properly, letting mosquitoes inside. She got bitten all over, leaving big itchy welts. Lin Yao gave her two drops of floral water to wash with, along with some leftover ointment and balm from Dongzi. Finally, the itching stopped.

Since then, Gu Chunmei had been obsessed with Lin Yao’s “mosquito-repellent water.” Every night at bedtime, she would come over to beg for some to sprinkle around her room, even subtly asking where it came from.

Lin Yao was at a loss for words. She couldn’t exactly say that it wasn’t “mosquito-repellent water” but floral water from her space supermarket, a must-have for summer in the 21st century.

Joking aside, if she really told the truth, she’d be in big trouble.

In the end, she could only make an excuse, saying that she used honeysuckle and mint she had picked, along with alcohol, to extract the juice, just something she tinkered with at home out of boredom.

Gu Chunmei tilted her head and thought for a moment. Yunshui County was abundant in honeysuckle, mint, and hawthorn. Every summer, farmers would carry poles on their shoulders and sell flowers on the streets—things like hydrangeas, orchids, gardenias, and jasmines. Some farmers also sold honeysuckle, mushrooms, dried hawthorn, and wood ear mushrooms they had picked and dried themselves from the mountains.

Right now, the most commonly sold flower is jasmine, a big bunch for just one penny. Lin Yao, often idle at home, frequently bought baskets of flowers, plants, or honeysuckle to bring back. Whether she used them to make tea or arranged them in vases, the whole room was filled with fragrance.

Gu Chunmei was delighted and immediately insisted that Lin Yao make two bottles of honeysuckle juice for her to keep.

Lin Yao thought she was being foolish; wasn’t this like shooting herself in the foot?

But she had no choice. She dried the honeysuckle and mint leaves, and while the family was at work during the day, she busied herself with extracting the juice, getting herself covered in dust and sweat. In the end, she actually managed to make some.

Lin Yao poured the extracted flower juice into several small white porcelain bottles, each about the size of her palm, and sealed them with wooden stoppers. Each member of the Gu family received one bottle.

The family treated the bottles like treasures, keeping them carefully in their cabinets and only taking them out on rare occasions. Only Dongzi, the mischievous one, would show off his bottle everywhere. At night, he would sprinkle a few drops on the mosquito net, then hold up a kerosene lamp to watch the mosquitoes twitch and kick on the ground. Standing on a stool with his arms akimbo, he would laugh gleefully, as if he had avenged a great wrong.

Gu Shidong lived alone in a small side room, always enjoying his freedom.

But now his brother was sharing the room with him, and the brat was grumbling and complaining.

However, there was no room for complaints. Comrade Zhang Cuilan had spoken—if he didn’t want to share a room with his brother, he could roll out and sleep on the floor outside.

Gu Shidong’s room was only about eight or nine square meters. Upon entering, there was a large wood wardrobe, a wooden bed, a carved writing desk on the left, and a chair. The desk was cluttered with books, pencils, notebooks, and an enamel mug for drinking water.

When Gu Shi’an walked in, he noticed that apart from the cluttered desk, the rest of the room was relatively clean. He raised an eyebrow—had the brat changed his ways?

In the past, the kid’s room was so filthy you couldn’t even set foot in it. Even cats and dogs would avoid it.

Gu Shidong, hugging his pillow, came in and saw his brother standing there. He knew immediately what he was thinking and jumped up in anger. “Brother, what’s that expression? Sister-in-law said, ‘If you don’t see someone for three days, you should look at them with new eyes.’ Even the Second Sister, who isn’t the brightest, can embroider a handkerchief with ducks for her husband. Why can’t I start liking cleanliness?”

In the yard, Gu Chunmei, who was brushing her teeth, shouted, “Gu Shidong, stop talking nonsense! Those are mandarin ducks, mandarin ducks!”

But she had indeed embroidered them as ducks.

Lin Yao was right—whether they were ducks or mandarin ducks, as long as Da Tou Brother liked them, it didn’t matter.

A hint of a smile flickered in Gu Shi’an’s dark eyes. “You got it wrong.”

Gu Shidong asked, “What did I get wrong?”

“The saying you just mentioned.”

Confused, Gu Shidong scratched his head. “What’s a saying?”

In the yard, Gu Chunmei rolled her eyes and couldn’t help but retort, “Idiot, ‘If you don’t see someone for three days, you should look at them with new eyes’ is a saying. What did you just say?”

Gu Shidong shrank his neck and stayed silent.

What had he said just now? Something like, ‘If you don’t see someone for three days, you should look at them with closed eyes’?

He was doomed—his big brother had him in his sights!

The brat quickly crawled into the mosquito net, pretending to be a quail.

Sure enough, just before bed, Gu Shi’an said calmly, “Tomorrow morning, I’ll check your homework.”

Gu Shidong: “…”

*

A light rain fell throughout the night, finally stopping in the early hours.

The next morning, it was another blazing hot day.

The leaves of the roses in the yard were already curled up from the sun. Taking advantage of the good weather, Zhang Cuilan brought out the bedding from the house and hung it on the bamboo poles to dry.

Lin Yao also ran back and forth, helping out. After all, with the recent rainy days, her room had become unbearably damp. While it wasn’t wet, the moisture was everywhere.

Zhang Cuilan made sure to hang Lin Yao’s bedding first. How could she not help out?

In the past, when it came to hanging the bedding, Zhang Cuilan would call her daughter to help, and Gu Chunmei would end up in a flurry, trying to get everything done. But now, with Lin Yao’s help, things were much easier.

Once the bedding was hung, Zhang Cuilan grabbed a bamboo stick and enthusiastically began beating the dust out of it.

“Oh, Cuilan, drying the bedding, I see. My husband went out for a walk, and you know Jiaxin is due soon. I went to our hometown relatives to exchange for half a basket of eggs to keep for the baby’s month.”

Zhang Cuilan was busy when Aunt Dafu from next door, with a cheerful expression, carried half a basket of eggs back to the courtyard.

Aunt Dafu and her husband had two daughters. The older daughter had gone to the military with her husband, and the younger daughter, Jiaxin, had married within the county. Now, she was over eight months pregnant and was about to give birth. They still hadn’t gathered enough red sugar, eggs, or noodles for the month.

Even though Uncle Dafu was a workshop director and could get half a pound more meat coupons and three ounces more oil coupons than regular workers each month, there were no extra coupons for red sugar or eggs.

Aunt Dafu was in a hurry, with sores almost breaking out on her lips. She had made a trip to her hometown and only managed to gather these things with a yard of cloth coupons and a few industrial coupons.

Zhang Cuilan put down her bamboo stick and sighed, “It’s the same for everyone now. There’s nothing outside that doesn’t need coupons. Back in our day, let alone eggs and red sugar, even getting a bowl of refined grain was a luxury.”

“That’s true. What did we have back then? But look at us now. We ordinary folks get to eat in the canteen every day, thanks to the government.”

As the two old friends chatted, Lin Yao, carrying a quilt, poked her head out and asked, “Auntie, is it okay to dry the quilt here?”

“It’s fine, Yaoyao. Just walk slowly. The quilt is heavy, don’t tire yourself out.”

“Alright.”

Lin Yao responded crisply, then smiled and greeted Aunt Dafu, “Hello, Auntie.”

Aunt Dafu was momentarily stunned and quickly responded with an “Oh.”

After Lin Yao walked away, she retracted her stretched neck, marveling to herself. Had the Gu family’s daughter-in-law changed her ways?

On the day of the wedding, she had been timid and reluctant to meet people. Although she was beautiful, she had such a petty air about her that she was hardly presentable.

At that time, there was gossip in the courtyard, saying that the Gu family wouldn’t have peaceful days ahead.

But now, looking at how they’re living, it seems like after that child’s head injury healed, she became a different person. She’s diligent, sweet-mouthed when meeting people, and just looks at how she’s grown—this girl from the countryside has skin as white and tender as a fresh egg, with a face like a delicate flower and eyes that sparkle like water. When she smiles at you, oh my, she’s so charming that it makes your heart melt.

Before the communal canteen opened, this girl even dried some mushrooms and wood ear fungus. She shared a portion with our family, and the mushroom soup we made with it was delicious.

Anyway, Aunt Dafu really liked Lin Yao and constantly praised her in front of Zhang Cuilan.

Zhang Cuilan’s face lit up with pride and contentment. “My Yaoyao is just like Chunmei, so considerate. But look at those two clumsy oafs at home, all thumbs—they take after their father!”

Gu Shi’an, who had just returned from the canteen with food: “…”

As Lin Yao finished setting up the bedding and walked over, perhaps because she slept well last night, she was in a good mood and unusually took the initiative to talk to Gu Shi’an.

“Back from getting food? What’s on the menu at the canteen today?”

She hadn’t even finished her breakfast yet, and now she was eagerly peering at the lunchbox in Gu Shi’an’s hands. She was wearing a pink dress, her long black hair braided into a plait, and her fair, delicate face glowed with health. When she smiled, dimples appeared on her cheeks, and a light peach blossom fragrance lingered around her.

Gu Shi’an’s handsome face remained expressionless, but his ears seemed to flush slightly.

Lin Yao, however, didn’t have time to notice her husband’s expression—she was too hungry and just wanted to eat!

The food at the canteen today was nothing special—millet porridge, some pickled vegetables, and mixed-grain cakes made with lard. The meals weren’t exactly sumptuous, but in these times, being able to eat one’s fill was already something to be grateful for. Workers didn’t have the luxury to be picky!

There were also a few oily duck eggs on the Gu family’s table.

The duck eggs were pickled by the Gu family themselves. Gu Mancang, who toiled in the workshop every day doing dirty and tiring work, needed good food to keep up his strength.

Lin Yao held the steaming millet porridge, sipping it slowly, while she thought about the sweltering heat. She planned to soak some mung beans later and cook a pot of mung bean soup. Once it was chilled and sweetened with plenty of sugar, it would be the perfect refreshing treat for summer.

As Lin Yao was lost in her thoughts, she suddenly heard Zhang Cuilan shouting from the room next door.

“What the hell? You brat, you’ve been demobilized and returned home!”