Chapter 47

“Sigh, Xu Huai’an, something’s not right. Why have you been so clear-headed these past couple of days?” The situation was almost too good to be true.

After finishing the meal, Gu Qinghuan handed him the medicinal spring water she had prepared.

As usual, Xu Huai’an asked no questions and drank it all in one go.

“I’m not sure either.” he replied. “It seems that as long as I don’t think about the past, or those things that make me angry, my violent emotions can be controlled.”

These past two days, he had been tossed around by Gu Qinghuan’s treatment, feeling sweet one moment and melancholy the next. He didn’t have time to reminisce about the past.

Gu Qinghuan wasn’t sure if the situation had stabilized, but it was definitely better than before.

“Your legs still can’t bear strenuous exercise, but you can take care of yourself. The two kids have finally been freed. They’ve been stuck at home every day, taking care of you, unable to go anywhere.”

“Da Bao, Bei Bei, you get a day off today. If you want to go out and play, go ahead!”

The two little ones, who had been focused on their food at the table, looked up when they heard her.

“Mom, is that really okay?” The four-year-old child was at the age where they loved playing with other children. Bei Bei had been stuck at home for a while, but she had been sensible and didn’t say anything about it.

Gu Qinghuan nodded. “Of course. When you head out, let Grandma give each of you a piece of peach crisp. You can share it with your friends.”

Children could always make friends easily if they had something to offer, like food.

In the book, the two little ones had always been loners, and no one was willing to be friends with them.

Hearing this, Da Bao quickly began discussing with his sister. “Bei Bei, let’s go dig wild vegetables in the mountains. Let’s dig more this time. The wild vegetables we dug last time got us two dimes!”

Bei Bei hesitated for a moment.

She had finally gotten to wear her new clothes and had peach crisps to eat. She wanted to go into the village and show off in front of the kids who had once looked down on them.

But what her Big Brother said made sense.

Her little face was full of confusion.

Gu Qinghuan suppressed a smile. At such a young age, Da Bao was already focused on money. But cultivating a sense of earning early on wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It was important to respect the child’s development and not interfere too much.

“Da Bao, no matter where you go, remember to take care of your sister and avoid dangerous things. Don’t talk about Grandma to anyone outside. Also, keep quiet about making money! If anyone asks about the family situation, just say that I’ve been spending money recklessly and have run out, and that the family is about to run out of food.” Gu Qinghuan reminded them.

“Mom, I understand. Oh, and this is the red envelope that Grandma gave us last night.” both little ones pulled their red envelopes from their pockets and handed them to Gu Qinghuan.

Da Bao had originally planned to give it to her last night, but it had gotten too late, and both of them were tired, so they had forgotten.

This was quite a new experience for Gu Qinghuan. She took the red envelopes from the two children, checked them, and found that Grandma had given them two dimes each.

They probably didn’t have much money on them; the leftover money from the hospital had already been given to her. So, these four dimes in the red envelopes were almost all the money they had. It was quite a generous gift.

In the past couple of days, she had been taking some time to send small amounts of food to the two elderly people.

“This money, from Grandma, is for you to keep. You can either save it or spend it, it’s up to you.” Gu Qinghuan said after checking the envelopes, then returned them to the two little ones.

They looked at her with surprise.

They had heard from the children in the village that the red envelopes given during the New Year had to be handed over to the adults and weren’t for them to keep. But their mom was actually giving them so much money to keep?

Two dimes could buy a lot of things.

Zhong Zijun wiped the table with one hand and smiled as he told them: “When your mom was young, Grandma also let her keep her pocket money to manage on her own, as her allowance. It’s a family tradition, so you’ll have to learn to manage your own money, too.”

Da Bao and Bei Bei both exclaimed in admiration. Their mom must have been really happy when she was little, right?

Zhong Zijun was reminded of the past, and his eyes reddened slightly. The two children, understanding, didn’t ask any more questions.

When Xu Huai’an saw that everyone had finished eating, he主动帮忙收拾碗筷. Gu Qinghuan didn’t stop him; she didn’t hold onto the old-fashioned notion that a gentleman should avoid the kitchen.

Since he could now get up and move around, there were some things he needed to take on and slowly ease into.

When Xu Huai’an learned that she was going to work today, he hesitated several times to speak, but in the end, he didn’t say anything.

He wanted to tell her that if she didn’t want to go to work, she didn’t have to. Once his legs recovered, he could handle the work in the fields.

But when he looked at his own legs, which still couldn’t walk steadily, he could only sigh inwardly.

In these days of living together, he had also noticed that Gu Qinghuan had grown up pampered, and the work in the fields would probably be hard for her to adjust to.

Xu Huai’an, hurry and get better! Then you can provide for her and the children.

He had never wished so urgently to be a whole person.

Before she left, Xu Huai’an filled the military water bottle with water, added a few persimmons, and handed it to her. “If you get tired, take a break. It’s fine if you earn a little less. Let the kids bring you lunch at noon. Don’t run back and forth; it’s too tiring.”

His earnest reminders were like a wife sending her husband off.

Gu Qinghuan couldn’t help but chuckle. “Your soldiers must have really liked you back then, huh?”

Who tells people to be lazy? Besides, wouldn’t the two kids running back and forth also be tiring?

Xu Huai’an’s face instantly flushed red.

In the past, he had been very strict with his soldiers. They secretly called him the “Great Demon King.” To him, only strict training could give them a better chance of survival during wartime.

But then… what happened after that? He had forgotten, but he always felt that he had forgotten something important.

Seeing him embarrassed, Gu Qinghuan didn’t say anything more and turned to leave.

—

This was Gu Qinghuan’s first time working after getting married, and all eyes were on her, shifting back and forth.

Most people thought that she, once a high and mighty princess, had fallen to the ground, even worse off than an ordinary person. It was truly pitiful.

Some people wanted to see a joke, while others were secretly curious.

However, they all had it wrong. After marrying “The Madman.” Gu Qinghuan wasn’t in a miserable state at all. In fact, her life seemed to be even better than before.

Look at her little face. It had been a bit sallow before, but now it looked even fairer and more delicate.

It seemed to have become a little rounder too.

Gu Qinghuan seemed unaware of the glances and whispered gossip around her. She stood off to the side, waiting for the squad leader to assign tasks.

Her aloof demeanor was just like it had always been.

“Guifen, you really are fortunate. Both of your sons married intellectuals, and both of them are such beauties, rare to find even in the surrounding villages. Are you planning to find a cultured city girl for your third son too?” 

At that moment, Liu Guifang’s vanity was greatly satisfied. Both of her daughters-in-law really brought her pride. They were both from the city, both beautiful and educated, far better than the illiterate village girls around.

She completely forgot that she herself was illiterate.

“Our third son is a high school graduate; of course, we have to find him a cultured city girl!” Liu Guifang said with pride.

In fact, she had considered suggesting Gu Qinghuan for her third son.

But after thinking it over carefully, Xu Mingshan didn’t agree. Gu Qinghuan’s mother had been labeled as a “Stinking Intellectual.” and if anything were to happen, it could affect their third son’s future.

However, the second son didn’t have such concerns. After all, they were all crazy now. It didn’t matter how bad it was—having someone to take care of him was good enough.