Chapter 10

Gu Qingsong saw Gu Qinghan following Wen Nuan into the supply and marketing cooperative without looking back at him…

Gu Qingsong turned around and went back to Lin Meizhi.

Originally feeling dejected, he perked up considerably upon learning that Gu Qinghan had returned home. He confidently said to Lin Meizhi, “Meizhi, don’t worry. My brother is back from the army, and I will definitely find a way to gather the wedding gifts. You shouldn’t be in a cold war with your parents either; they’re just looking out for you.”

Lin Meizhi bit her lip, her tone a bit helpless. “Qingsong, I actually don’t want you to feel so much pressure. After all, I’m going to marry you, and if your family is completely turned upside down, our lives won’t be easy either. But my parents…” she said, her voice choking with a hint of grievance.

Gu Qingsong couldn’t bear to see his beloved woman sad. Ignoring that they were still outside, he pulled her into his arms and softly comforted her, “It’s okay. Your parents are just worried that you’ll suffer if you marry into our family. Didn’t you say? The wedding gifts will return half to you as a dowry; that’s not too unreasonable.”

Gu Qingsong thought for a moment and added, “Besides, when my brother gave my sister-in-law’s family over a hundred yuan as a wedding gift, they didn’t bring back a single cent in dowry, just two worn-out washbasins!”

Hearing Gu Qingsong’s words, Lin Meizhi felt much better. She smiled and said, “You can’t say that about your sister-in-law. We’ll all be living under the same roof in the future, and as long as we live well, that’s all that matters.”

Gu Qingsong kissed Lin Meizhi on the forehead and smiled, “Meizhi, it’s really wonderful to meet you.”

Hearing Lin Meizhi’s words, Gu Qingsong felt a warm glow in his heart, once again reflecting on how he had found such a rare and good woman.

Back then, when “Wen Nuan” didn’t want to go to the countryside and schemed to marry Gu Qinghan, he strongly opposed that marriage.

It had been proven that “Wen Nuan” was indeed not suitable to be brought home as a wife; not only was she lazy and demanding, but her temper was also fierce and unruly.

Fortunately, his brother was in the army, so he didn’t have to face her every day; otherwise, marrying such a wife would have been quite unbearable.

However, just thinking about Lin Meizhi marrying into his family in the future made him a bit worried—he feared that Wen Nuan might target her.

Gu Qingsong did not know what he was thinking, but he assured Lin Meizhi, “Meizhi, I promise you that once you marry into my family, I will never let you suffer even the slightest grievance!”

Lin Meizhi nodded absentmindedly and sighed, “Let’s talk about that later. You should hurry up and figure out a way to gather the bride price. If you can’t get it sorted out before the new year, I’m afraid my parents will really get angry.”

“Understood, I will make sure it’s handled as soon as possible!”

—o—o—o—

On the other side, Gu Qinghan searched around for a while before finally finding Wen Nuan. She was in line at the place where they sold pork, holding her seven-month-old child. Since she didn’t have a carrier, it was a bit difficult to manage the baby.

Gu Qinghan walked over, intending to hold the child, but the little one seemed to hold a grudge against him for the shots she had received earlier.

As soon as he approached, the child buried her head into Wen Nuan’s neck, refusing to let Gu Qinghan hold her.

Seeing Gu Qinghan arrive so quickly, Wen Nuan instinctively asked, “Did you finish talking so soon?”

Wen Nuan had a hunch that Gu Qingsong was in such a hurry to find Gu Qinghan because of the bride price.

Moreover, Gu Qingsong had just been pulling Lin Meizhi back and forth, which might mean they had quarreled over the same issue.

Was it possible that Gu Qinghan had immediately agreed to help Gu Qingsong gather the gifts?

It wasn’t out of the question, after all; Gu Qinghan was a good person, a truly good person. The original text stated that he sent his monthly allowance back home, always putting others before himself even in the army.

If Gu Qingsong asked, he probably wouldn’t refuse.

Gu Qinghan turned his head to glance at her, noting her calm expression, and replied, “No, we’ll talk about it when we get back.”

“Oh.” Wen Nuan didn’t have much to say, so she replied, “Then there’s no need to rush.”

The two fell silent again. Gu Qinghan tried several times to help hold the child, but the little one wouldn’t let him.

The child was already over twenty catty, and after holding her for a while, it was inevitable that her arms would start to ache.

Wen Nuan even regretted letting Gu Qinghan hold her for the shots earlier, and now the child only wanted her.

Gu Qinghan looked at the long line, noticing that Wen Nuan seemed a bit tired as well. After considering it for a moment, he suggested, “Why don’t you take the child home first? I can wait in line.”

Wen Nuan was indeed feeling a bit worn out, and when she checked the baby’s diaper, she found it completely soaked. It would be better to head back and change it.

“Then I’ll take the child home first and change his diaper,” Wen Nuan said, glancing at the lengthy line. It was indeed quite long.

Seeing Wen Nuan about to turn and leave, Gu Qinghan thought for a moment and raised his voice to ask, “Is there anything you want to eat?”

Upon hearing the man’s voice, Wen Nuan instinctively turned back, pondering for a few seconds before smiling, “How about you buy some candy later?”

The candy would be useful in the future, so it was better to get it now.

Gu Qinghan met her bright, watery eyes and nodded absentmindedly, “Alright.”

—o—o—o—

On the other side, Gu Qingsong had been waiting by the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative. When he noticed Wen Nuan coming out, he felt a bit curious.

However, seeing Wen Nuan holding the child as she walked toward the family compound, he thought it was even better.

 After all, he did not want Wen Nuan to get involved in the matter of the bride price.

Women were always prone to jealousy. If Wen Nuan were to envy Meizhi and prevent Gu Qingsong from helping him, it would be disastrous!

Having worked the night shift, Gu Qingsong waited for quite a while but still didn’t see Gu Qinghan come out of the supply and marketing cooperative. He ended up dozing off under a tree by the roadside. When he woke up, there were hardly any people left at the cooperative.

Gu Qingsong hurried home, but once he got there, Gu Qinghan was busy cooking and had no time to pay him any attention.

Finally, when Wen Nuan took the child for a nap, he seized the opportunity to discuss the bride price with Gu Qinghan.

“Brother, I’ve already told you about my situation with Meizhi in the letter. Their family is now asking for two hundred yuan in bride price, and I still need one hundred more. Do you think you could help me out?”

Gu Qingsong held a deep respect for his older brother and admired him for being smart and capable. In the past, whenever he was uncertain about something, Gu Qinghan always offered him advice and guidance.

It could be said that Gu Qinghan was always willing to help with family matters.

This time, having returned from the army, he felt confident that his older brother would be able to resolve the situation, allowing him to bring Meizhi home sooner.

Gu Qinghan was squatting by the communal well in the family compound, focused on scrubbing the diapers that had been changed off the child that morning. He listened to Gu Qingsong’s words without responding.

Noticing Gu Qinghan’s silence, Gu Qingsong grew a bit anxious and patiently explained, “Although 200 yuan is quite a lot, Meizhi said that when we get married, her family will return half of it to us as a dowry.”

Gu Qinghan stopped his movements, slightly turning his head to look over. “If that’s the case, why not just give a hundred yuan as the betrothal gift?”

Gu Qingsong let out a soft click of his tongue and replied in a deep voice, “Brother, didn’t you give sister-in-law more than a hundred yuan? The Lin family said that Meizhi’s betrothal gift can’t be less than sister-in-law’s; otherwise, when she marries over…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Gu Qinghan shot him a cold glance, fixing him with a steady gaze. He suddenly sneered, “Then why should she be entitled to a betrothal gift that’s so much higher than your sister-in-law’s?”

With that, he returned to scrubbing the clothes in the enamel basin.

Gu Qingsong’s expression froze for a moment, and it took him a while to realize that Gu Qinghan was refusing to help him.

Moreover, it seemed like he was a bit angry.

Gu Qingsong suddenly felt his face flush with anxiety. He quickly added, “Brother, let’s consider that hundred yuan as a loan from you. Once I marry Meizhi, I’ll pay you back right away.”

Gu Qinghan paused in his washing, then turned to look at him. “This isn’t about the money.”

He stood up, holding the enamel basin, and warned, “You go tell the Lin family that at most, it’s 120 yuan, and it can’t be more than that.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingsong nearly turned pale and felt as if he might faint right there!

Gu Qinghan’s words were clearly meant to protect Wen Nuan, as the betrothal gift he had given her back then was exactly 120 yuan.

Now, he was being warned that the betrothal gift for Lin Meizhi couldn’t be higher than Wen Nuan’s.

But who was Wen Nuan, and who was his Meizhi?

Wen Nuan was nothing but a lazy woman who, out of a desire to avoid going to the countryside, had schemed against his brother’s marriage.

On the other hand, Meizhi was a rare gem, a good woman who was hard to find even with a lantern; she was beautiful, kind-hearted, and hardworking. He had put in a great deal of effort to win her over. How could Wen Nuan even compare to Meizhi?

No wonder his mother often said that his brother had been blinded by love!

He hadn’t realized it before, but now he could finally see that the woman must have cast some sort of spell over his brother!

—o—o—o—

In the room, Wen Nuan had not been able to sleep well because the child occasionally woke up after receiving vaccinations. She had heard the entire conversation between the two brothers.

She had expected Gu Qinghan to unhesitatingly help Gu Qingsong with the betrothal gift, but she didn’t think he would be so “clear-headed.”

More surprisingly, he had even considered her in this matter.

Although it was Gu Qingsong’s choice to decide how much betrothal gift to give, relying on Gu Qinghan to make up the difference while arguing it was to elevate Lin Meizhi’s status upon marriage made her question their respect for her.

For some reason, when she heard Gu Qinghan refuse Gu Qingsong, she felt a twinge of happiness in her heart.

It seemed that following Gu Qinghan as a military wife in the future would not be be bad as staying here.

Wen Nuan shifted slightly. She embraced her daughter and fell into a contented sleep.

—o—o—o—

Meanwhile, Gu Qingsong couldn’t catch up on his sleep throughout the day because of Gu Qinghan’s rejection.

When night fell and he was getting ready for his night shift, he still felt a bit annoyed.

Especially when he saw Wen Nuan’s cheerful demeanor, it only fueled his irritation; it was incredibly vexing.

Wen Nuan pretended not to notice anything and sat at the dining table, feeding the little one a lot of dumplings.

—o—o—o—

By evening, she had coaxed the child to sleep early.

As Gu Qinghan continued washing clothes in the courtyard, she perked up her ears to listen to the sounds outside.

When Gu Qinghan brought the enamel basin back to their room, Wen Nuan called out to him.

“I want to discuss something with you.”

Gu Qinghan paused in his steps. The dim light cast a warm glow on his strong, handsome profile, softening the usual seriousness he carried.

“You can say it.”

Wen Nuan propped herself up on the bed and looked at him earnestly. “Our daughter and I want to follow you. I want to become a military wife.”

A moment of silence filled the room…

Wen Nuan even held her breath, waiting for Gu Qinghan’s response.

After a while, the man suddenly lifted his head to glance at her, then looked past her—he looked at their chubby little daughter, his gaze softening a bit.

“Alright.”