Chapter 14

Su Ye stared at the spotless floor, almost unable to find a place to step.

After washing up, Su Ye sat at the table. She looked at the steaming wheat milk essence in front of her, her eyes lighting up.

Wheat milk essence was an expensive nutritional product at the time, priced at six yuan a can in the supply and marketing cooperative, but it was often out of stock, making it hard for city residents to find.

It sold for 20 yuan a can on the black market, almost equivalent to Su Ye’s monthly salary. She had wanted to buy a can of wheat milk essence but was put off by the high price.

“How do you have wheat milk essence?”

Gu Xiangqian answered, “It’s from the army. Drink it.”

This was probably given to him by the army for his recovery. How could Su Ye dare to take food away from an injured man?

At this time, it was difficult to get any nutritional supplements. Even He Meimei’s several-month-old son had to reluctantly drink algae powder. If Gu Xiangqian’s friends or family knew about this, they would probably want to tear her apart.

However, Gu Xiangqian’s expression as he invited her was so sincere, and the wheat milk essence in front of her was releasing a faint scent of wheat, mixed with a subtle milky flavor, silently tempting Su Ye and making it impossible for her to look away.

Su Ye turned her gaze away.

After finishing the wheat milk essence, Gu Xiangqian saw her face filled with a restrained desire and couldn’t help but laugh softly.

“Drink it. Afterward, we’ll buy some things for the New Year.”

Since the host was being so polite, Su Ye didn’t want to be shy. She decisively picked up the cup and began to drink.

The freshly prepared wheat milk essence was at the perfect temperature, and its sweet fragrance gripped Su Ye’s taste buds. It had a flavor that mixed wheat, cream, and chocolate. It was even more delicious than plain milk, sweet and slightly chocolatey with each sip.

Su Ye hadn’t had anything delicious in a long time, and her taste buds had grown dull. Before she even realized it, she had finished the entire cup of wheat milk essence.

When Su Ye looked at Gu Xiangqian again, he seemed much more pleasing to the eye.

“Have you bought anything for the New Year? What else do we need?” Su Ye asked.

Although she had criticized Gu Xiangqian’s poverty the night before, he really wasn’t poor. He had all the basic items for a 1960s wedding—the four big pieces: a bed, a thermos, enamel plates, and a table and cabinets. Su Ye couldn’t think of anything else that Gu Xiangqian might still need.

The material conditions in the 1960s were quite limited, and weddings were very simple. Just having the four big items was enough to last a lifetime. Compared to Su Ye’s generation, where marriage required a house, car, and money, marriages in that era were much simpler.

Gu Xiangqian simply replied, “We’re missing some things.”

Su Ye had already declined Gu Xiangqian’s offer to buy things the day before, but now that he brought it up again, Su Ye thought about it for a moment. Buying things was such a good opportunity—how many relationships had been cooled down by disputes over money?

After breakfast, Su Ye eagerly went with Gu Xiangqian to the department store.

Although the department store still existed decades later, located in the old city center, Su Ye, who was born after the millennium, had never been to one. In her impression, it represented backwardness, crowding, and old-fashionedness.

After having survived through decades of storms, it was the busiest place in the city, where the most fashionable and trendy products could be found. The “Department Store” sign at the entrance was polished to a shine, looking high-end and classy. Without a bit of money, one really didn’t dare to step inside.

With the New Year approaching, the atmosphere of the holiday filled the air. Street vendors selling New Year’s paintings and couplets, women dancing the ^[1]yangge dance (秧歌, yānggē) is a traditional Chinese folk dance that is commonly performed during festivals and celebrations, particularly during the Chinese New Year. It originated in northern … Continue readingyangge dance in the streets, and crowds at the city god temple were everywhere. In front of the grocery and oil stores, and the supply and marketing cooperative, there were crowds of people.

Su Ye was jostled so much that she almost fell, and the crowd pushed her right into Gu Xiangqian’s chest. Remembering his injury, Su Ye quickly stepped back and asked, “I didn’t do it on purpose. Does it hurt?”

Gu Xiangqian didn’t say anything. He took her hand and moved ahead, cutting through the crowd, and entered the department store. His back was straight and elegant. He was dressed in thick cotton clothes, but he didn’t look bulky. His long legs made him appear taller than the crowd.

That figure deeply struck Su Ye’s heart, and she stared at it, her eyes filled with emotion.

If it weren’t for Su Ye’s principles and the fact that she didn’t like to take other people’s men, she would have already claimed him for herself.

Upon entering the department store, Su Ye headed straight for the “luxury goods” section, while Gu Xiangqian was planning to go to the fabric and clothing section.

Seeing Su Ye walk in the opposite direction, Gu Xiangqian was stunned for a moment before turning around to follow her.

Su Ye’s eyes were fixed on the watches displayed in the glass counter. Her intense gaze made it impossible for anyone to ignore her.

She hadn’t expected to find so many classic models here. Shanghai, Tianjin, and Meihua brand watches were the most popular at the time. The Meihua brand was imported and quite expensive, so let’s not even talk about that for now.

Su Ye lingered on the most exquisite women’s watch for a long time. Its price was exorbitant—138 yuan. Su Ye would have to go without food and drink for half a year to afford this watch. She turned to Gu Xiangqian and asked, “I want this watch.”

Su Ye stared at him intently, but Gu Xiangqian didn’t say a word, and the air grew awkward. After a long pause, he moved his lips and finally spoke, “It’s not good. Don’t buy it.”

“No, I only like this one,” Su Ye insisted.

Just as Su Ye was about to argue, Gu Xiangqian pulled out his leather wallet and counted out fourteen “big black tens.”

The “big black ten” was a banknote issued in 1955, a highly sought-after collectible for RMB enthusiasts. Back then, due to the country’s underdeveloped conditions, the printing of RMB had to rely on the Soviet Union. After the Soviet Union turned its back in 1964, this type of currency was no longer in circulation. The “big black ten” gradually gave way to the “big unity” banknotes.

Under Su Ye’s stunned gaze, Gu Xiangqian handed the money to the sales clerk.

Su Ye quickly grabbed the money and hugged it to her chest. “I don’t want it anymore. Now it seems so ugly. Why don’t you just give me the money?”

The thick stack of bills still carried a faint warmth, hot to the touch, as if every yuan was soaked in his sweat and blood. Gu Xiangqian’s money wasn’t easily earned, he had exchanged his life for it. Su Ye didn’t really want the watch.

Gu Xiangqian said, “You’re a teacher now. You need to be on time. Having a watch would be more convenient.” He then picked out a delicate ladies’ watch and had the sales clerk wrap it up.

“The army blows a horn every day. Just wake up with it,” Su Ye said honestly.

The sales clerk, who had been somewhat impatient, was now amused by the couple’s exchange. It was obvious they were newlyweds. Only newlywed girls would act so confidently and carefree.

“Comrade, buy it. Your husband cares about you so much. Don’t disappoint his kindness.”

Gu Xiangqian patted Su Ye on the head, said nothing, and led her away from the watch counter.

Su Ye turned her head away, her face a mixture of green and red, filled with conflicting emotions. Was Gu Xiangqian doing it on purpose, or was it accidental? Didn’t he know you shouldn’t casually pat a girl on the head?

Gu Xiangqian had Su Ye a tailored Zhongshan suit, spending three yuan and eight ration coupons for fabric.

After finishing the shopping, Gu Xiangqian bought some winter items—clam oil, snowflake cream, and a chemical soap dish—and returned to the military district. Although he didn’t spend much, Su Ye could see his personality in the details. He wasn’t stingy and had a bit of a bourgeois air.

What soldier would think to buy clam oil, snowflake cream, or go out of his way to buy a useless plastic soap dish? The so-called “chemical soap dish” was a plastic soap holder. Anything made of plastic was called “chemical” at the time, as the chemical production level in the 1960s was extremely backward, and plastic products were not cheap.

Nowadays, a plastic soap dish could be found for a couple of yuan online, but back then, it would be sold for five yuan at the department store.

When they arrived back at the military district, Gu Xiangqian took out the soap dish, placed a bar of soap on it, and handed the clam oil snowflake cream to Su Ye.

Su Ye was stunned. “For me?”

Su Ye thought that Gu Xiangqian had bought the clam oil snowflake cream to prevent cracking in the winter for himself.

Gu Xiangqian nodded. “For you.”

“What about the soap dish?”

“Yes.”

After returning to the army, Gu Xiangqian noticed that Su Ye had carved a soap dish out of wood to hold the soap. The unpainted wood was prone to dampness, and after just a few days, he saw that she had replaced it with another one. In the public bathhouse, others used soap beans, and soap was just left bare on the stone slabs. Only Su Ye kept her soap in a wooden box.

That simple “yes” left Su Ye frozen for a moment. She quickly turned her head and rubbed her nose.

Gu Xiangqian gave Su Ye a salary, gave her milk-flavored powder, bought her a watch, but she felt nothing. Yet, the simple soap dish made her tear up.

Gu Xiangqian was confused by Su Ye’s reaction. He turned his head and avoided looking at her, focusing instead on the cured meat drying by the window.

He sliced a bit of the cured meat and stir-fried it with cabbage.

—

Friday.

Su Ye spent the entire morning at the recycling station, spending five yuan on an old radio, several parts, and a broken watch.

At two o’clock in the afternoon, Su Ye arrived at the school on time. To her surprise, there were several students there. She counted and found that thirteen students showed up. Were they really this eager to learn?

Su Ye asked them if they wanted to learn how to repair radios or watches. The students’ eyes lit up, and each one was eager to learn.

In fact, Su Ye, being a non-local, didn’t understand that at this time, watch repairers and repairmen held a very high social status. Watches and radios were quite expensive, and repairmen were seen as particularly valuable. It was common for people to take their broken radios and watches to be repaired.

But after the 21st century, who would bother repairing a broken watch or radio? It was easier to just replace them with new ones.

Su Ye started by dismantling the watch, letting the students take turns using a magnifying glass to carefully disassemble each part. All the parts were laid out on the podium, and she named each one for them. Su Ye had once participated in robot competitions in college and had studied traditional mechanics for a while. She had no idea how many watches she had taken apart by now.

She spent the entire afternoon explaining the internal mechanisms of the watch. The students listened carefully, taking notes. During the break, Yang Xue was in charge of collecting homework. She straightened her back and told her classmates, “Next Friday, I’ll definitely bring xxx to school. Teacher Su rarely teaches us how to repair watches.”

“Fixing a watch costs several yuan!”

Su Ye couldn’t help but marvel at Yang Xue’s money-mindedness, but suddenly she had an idea.

After school, Su Ye caught up with Yang Xue and asked, “How many students in our class come from families with financial difficulties?”