Chapter 38.1

After a series of small metallic clinking sounds, followed by a creak, the door was pushed open. The yard inside was clean and tidy, clearly having been carefully cleaned beforehand.

Guan Yue glanced at the house but did not proceed into the second courtyard. She gave Gu Sui a look.

Gu Sui took a few steps forward and pushed open a door on the right. A boy, about fifteen or sixteen years old, was leaning against the wall, watching them warily.

Gu Sui said: “Come out, the people who were chasing you have already left.”

The boy hesitated, staying still by the corner of the wall.

Guan Yue gave him a quick glance and said: “This is my house.”

Only then did he slowly step forward, one cautious step at a time.

When he reached the door, the light improved slightly, and his face became clearer. He had almond-shaped eyes, a straight nose, and a good-looking face.

Guan Yue glanced at his legs. “You hurt your leg when you jumped over the wall just now, didn’t you?”

Though he tried to conceal it, Guan Yue still noticed that his walk had been uneven earlier, with his foot limping.

Gu Sui asked: “What’s your name?”

“Qin Lie.”

Since he had come this far, Guan Yue invited him in. The structure of the second courtyard was simple as well. Gu Sui walked around inside. There was bedding in the bedroom and some basic kitchenware in the kitchen. He boiled a pot of water.

While Gu Sui was boiling the water, Guan Yue had already checked his leg. After falling from such a high wall, his leg had bruised, and his ankle was particularly serious, swelling already.

Guan Yue took out some silver needles from her pocket and gave him a few acupuncture treatments. It would take a little while for the swelling to subside.

Gu Sui came out holding a kettle with one hand and three cups in the other. He poured a cup for Guan Yue first, then another for Qin Lie, handing it to him.

Qin Lie held the hot water and said: “Thank you.”

Guan Yue blew on the hot water and curiously asked: “What happened to you?”

Qin Lie remained silent, not responding.

Guan Yue snorted: “No good deed goes unpunished. Can’t even ask one question?”

Qin Lie lifted his head to glance at Guan Yue, then lowered it again. “You can ask. It’s actually nothing much.”

It wasn’t an extraordinary story. Qin Lie’s ancestors had been in business, but a few years ago, during the turmoil, they were investigated. His parents had passed away years ago due to an accident, and the family had fallen apart. Now, only he and his elderly grandmother were left.

Recently, his grandmother had passed away too. With no elders left in the family and Qin Lie still in high school, his uncle had started making plans to take their old family house.

The house where Qin Lie’s family lived was very run-down and wasn’t worth much, but the location was excellent and the land spacious. It would be a great opportunity to build something new on that land.

Two years ago, Qin Lie’s uncle had reported a reactionary figure and joined the revolutionary committee. Through that, he got to know a lot of people from various backgrounds, and some of them had ways to deal with people.

Without anyone to help him and unable to resist, Qin Lie had tried to report his uncle to the authorities. However, his uncle’s son found out and had been chasing him ever since. With no way out, Qin Lie had run here.

In the end, it was quite a tragic situation.

Qin Lie’s eyes reddened, and he turned his head to wipe his eyes, afraid someone might notice.

Guan Yue glanced at Gu Sui. “What should we do about this?”

Gu Sui spoke gently to Qin Lie: “Tell me your family address and your uncle’s name, and I’ll have someone look into it. If what you’re saying is true, we won’t let you be bullied. You said you’re in the second year of high school, right? After the New Year, you’ll graduate in the summer. When that happens, you can find a job. Getting married and having kids won’t be difficult either.”

Qin Lie replied: “Thank you for helping me, but… I don’t really have anything to thank you for.”

Gu Sui smiled softly. “No need to thank us. Just think of it as us doing a good deed.”

Guan Yue added: “Your foot is hurt now, so you shouldn’t be running around. Our house is spacious, so stay here for a couple of days. Don’t feel embarrassed.”

Qin Lie said: “Thank you.”

Gu Sui and Guan Yue had only come to check on him, but they would need to return soon. Gu Sui instructed Qin Lie to stay in the east wing of the house and told him that there was rice and flour in the kitchen if he wanted to eat, and that he could help himself.

His foot was sprained, so he couldn’t walk quickly. It wasn’t difficult for him to slowly make his way to the kitchen and cook himself a meal.

Gu Sui and Guan Yue left the courtyard and locked the door from the outside.

Guan Yue asked: “How do you plan to help Qin Lie?”

Gu Sui held her hand. “I’ll have my brother handle it. He knows a lot of people, and there’s also Wang Ze, the one who picked us up today. They’ve been living in Beijing, so they understand how to deal with these things.”

Guan Yue smiled and said: “You’re something else. You took the favor, and now you’re letting your brother handle the matter.”

Gu Sui tugged at her braid. “What are you talking about?”

“Hey, don’t pull it. You’ll mess it up.” Guan Yue swatted his hand away.

“Your braid’s already like this. Whether I pull it or not, it’s messy anyway.”

Guan Yue shot him a glare. “You only know how to talk. If you’re so amazing, why don’t you braid my hair?”

When they were at Daqing Mountain, Guan Yue hardly ever tied up her hair. It was always left hanging over her shoulders. Out of all the female nurses and doctors at the sanatorium, she was the only one who didn’t braid her hair.

Gu Sui tugged her braid again. “Am I dating you, or am I raising a daughter? Hmm?”

Guan Yue’s face turned red. “Go away, I don’t want to talk to you.”

Gu Sui chuckled. “Don’t be angry. I’ll tell my mom when we get back. After dinner, we’ll move in.”

“No, let me stay by myself. You should stay home and spend time with your parents.”

“It’s fine, I’ll have plenty of time to be with them during the day.”

Their house had three bedrooms. He could let Guan Yue stay in his room, and he and his brother could squeeze into one. But knowing Guan Yue’s temperament, she probably wouldn’t be very comfortable.

The family compound’s house had thin floors, and people lived upstairs, downstairs, and all around. It was impossible to have no noise. Because of her abilities, Guan Yue’s senses were sharper than most people’s. If there were no other options, she’d manage, but there were clearly better places for her to stay. He couldn’t bear to let her settle for the family compound.

It was still early, so they weren’t in a hurry to go back. Gu Sui took her to the Department Store to have a look. The supply of goods there was better than in Qing County.

The sanatorium had given them plenty of coupons, and since they didn’t have anywhere to spend them, they had accumulated a lot. This time, they planned to spend a little more.

In Guan Yue’s eyes, everything here was retro. She was interested in the food, clothes, and daily necessities in the Department Store, but she was just browsing. She didn’t intend to buy anything.

Gu Sui asked: “Don’t you want to buy anything?”

Guan Yue shook her head. She was just looking; she didn’t need anything right now.

She had some fabric ration tickets that were about to expire, so Gu Sui bought a thick roll of fabric to bring back.

By the time it was around five o’clock, the two of them had wandered through a small alley and came out holding three fish, two pounds of meat, and some vegetables.

When they returned home, Gu Ci had just woken up and yawned. “Where did you guys get all this stuff?”

Zhang Limin had just returned as well. “Yeah, where did you get it? I rushed to the reservoir and worked for so long, and I only managed to buy one fish, and it was just over a pound.”

The three fish Gu Sui and Guan Yue brought back were all quite large, the smallest weighing three or four pounds.

Gu Sui said: “We were just lucky to find them and bought them.”

Gu Ci asked: “Did you buy them on the black market?”

Zhang Limin slapped Gu Ci on the arm. “Can you be quieter? Are you trying to make sure everyone hears you?”

Gu Ci rubbed his arm. “The door’s closed. Even if I said it, no one would hear.”

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

Zhang Limin glared at Gu Ci and whispered: “We’ll talk about this later.”

Gu Sui hurried to the kitchen to put the things they brought in.

When the door opened, it wasn’t the neighbors—it was Gu Jingde coming back.

Zhang Limin quickly pulled him inside. “Got off work on time today?” 

Gu Jingde nodded, entering while taking off the scarf around his neck.

“Dad, you’re back!”

Gu Jingde looked up and saw his two sons coming in, with a girl in tow. He immediately realized that this was Guan Yue.

Usually serious in front of his sons, Gu Jingde smiled when he saw Guan Yue. “You must be Guan Yue. You’re from the south, right? Is it cold?”

Guan Yue smiled and shook her head. “It’s not cold, thank you for your concern, Uncle.”

Gu Ci wasn’t happy again. “Why don’t you ask if your oldest son is cold? Does that mean the south I’m in isn’t actually the south?”

Gu Jingde smiled and sized up his son. “Has your life been good these past couple of years? Is your health okay?”

With his father’s tone being so gentle, Gu Ci was still a little unaccustomed to it. “Haha, I’ve been fine. I had an injury a while ago, but Guan Yue helped me get my health back in shape. I feel like I’m as healthy as I was when I was a teenager.”

“That’s great.”

Gu Jingde smiled and thanked Guan Yue, to which she replied: “Uncle, there’s no need to be polite. Gu Sui has also taken great care of me.”

Gu Jingde then turned to Gu Sui. “You’re better than your brother. You can cook, too. That’s good.”

Gu Ci shot Gu Sui a glance and grumbled: “I might not know how to cook, but I can still find a wife.”

Zhang Limin laughed at him. “Then go ahead and bring one home for me to meet.”

Gu Ci quickly changed the subject. “Ah, enough about me. Come on, look at the gifts Guan Yue brought for you. We didn’t open them at lunch, waiting for Dad to come home so we could open them together.”

One bag with meat had already been taken out earlier, while the other bag held clothes for Gu Sui’s parents, all chosen to be simple, practical, and of good quality.

The most eye-catching item in the clothes for Gu Sui’s mom was a dark red coat, a mid-length one, which Zhang Limin immediately liked. “Wow, this really brightens the complexion.”

Zhang Limin eagerly tried it on, and it fit perfectly.

Guan Yue glanced at Gu Sui. “Aunt likes it, then it’s fine. This one was picked by Gu Sui.”

Zhang Limin beamed with joy. “So this is from your teacher? Don’t let him take all the credit.”

Gu Jingde had a dark blue coat, which was also of medium length and very thick.

Gu Jingde said to Guan Yue: “We are the male side, and we haven’t even given your teacher anything decent yet, but we’ve received such a thick gift from your family. It’s really…”

Gu Ci clicked his tongue and said: “Stop being so polite. Guan Yue gave it to you, so just accept it. Didn’t our mom prepare several boxes of dowry? Just give a box to Guan Yue, and that will be considered a gift for meeting.”

“Since you say so, I already prepared it for Guan Yue. Let me tell you, if you don’t find a partner soon, I’ll just give all the stuff to Guan Yue, and then you won’t have a wife.”

Gu Ci crossed his legs and said: “If I don’t, then I don’t. Just give it to Guan Yue. I won’t be jealous.”

Zhang Limin laughed: “Even if you’re jealous, I won’t give it to you.”

The family chatted and laughed, had dinner, and Guan Yue received two thick red envelopes, along with an exquisite wooden box.

Zhang Limin said: “This is a gift from Aunt and Uncle. Accept it, don’t refuse.”

Gu Sui took the items from Guan Yue’s hands. “I’ll carry it for you; it’s too heavy.”

Guan Yue looked at Gu Sui with amusement and said: “Then you take it.”

Gu Sui planned to take Guan Yue to the courtyard to stay. Zhang Limin didn’t say much. “Are you coming over for breakfast?”

Gu Sui replied: “We won’t come in the morning, we’ll come over at noon.”

Zhang Limin said: “You young people like to sleep in, I won’t say anything, but you should still remember to have breakfast.”

Gu Sui nodded: “Mom, Dad, I’m leaving now.”

Before leaving, Gu Sui gave Gu Ci a look, and Gu Ci also stood up. “Oh, I ate too much at dinner. I’m going to take a walk.”

Zhang Limin reminded: “Wear thicker clothes when you go out.”

Gu Ci responded: “Got it!”

The three of them left the house, and when they reached outside the family compound, Gu Sui finally mentioned Qin Lie’s situation. “Help the kid out, it’s not easy for him.”

Gu Ci sneered: “Sometimes, these relatives by blood are really not as good as a random friend you meet outside.”

Gu Sui replied: “Fortunately, the kid isn’t too young. Once he’s of age, everything will be fine.”

Although Qin Lie didn’t speak much, Gu Sui had a feeling that the boy was not the type to be meek or submissive.

Gu Ci said: “I understand, I’ll go to your place tomorrow.”

Gu Sui replied: “Don’t let Mom and Dad know.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

By this time, the sky outside had darkened. Not worried about being seen, Gu Sui kept holding onto Guan Yue’s hand.