Chapter 16: Heart-to-Heart Talk Between Husband and Wife

Last night, An An went to bed early, so he also woke up early the next morning. Without waiting for Li Xia to call him, he got up on his own. 

He obediently put on his clothes, ready to ride in the car to the town later. 

Despite having been here for quite some time, this was Li Xia’s first time going into town for a stroll. After all, she was a young woman in her early twenties who enjoyed dressing up, so today, she wore a dress. 

The color aligned with the muted tones of this era, and the style was relatively simple. The only eye-catching detail was the cinched waist, which accentuated Li Xia’s slender figure. 

The dress reached down to her calves, revealing a section of her fair, lotus-colored legs. She wore a pair of cloth shoes typical of this era, but their design resembled the later Mary Jane style. 

Instead of pinning up all her hair as she used to, she followed the fashion trends of this time and tied it into two braids. However, unlike others who tightly secured theirs, she intentionally loosened them, making them appear soft and slightly tousled for a more casual look. 

If she added a straw hat, she would achieve the perfect classic French countryside look. 

Seeing his mother dressed like this, An An rubbed his eyes in amazement and sighed, “Mommy, you look so beautiful today.” 

A child’s words could be sweet, but their eyes never lied. 

An An’s gaze remained glued to Li Xia, unwilling to look away. 

When the military vehicle arrived, Li Xia took An An downstairs and walked to the entrance. Gu Weicheng saw her like this and couldn’t help but freeze for a moment. 

He had always known she was beautiful, but ever since she arrived at the army base, she rarely dressed up. He hadn’t expected that when she did, she would look this stunning. 

“I figured since we’re going into town, I’d wear a dress. Is that okay?” Li Xia asked. 

She still held a sense of reverence for the army, especially in the 1970s, an era where everything was scrutinized for its social impact. She worried that dressing up too much might give the wrong impression. 

“It’s fine. You look good,” Gu Weicheng said. 

While this era did emphasize maintaining a proper image, the people who truly needed to be cautious were those under political scrutiny—capitalists, rightists, and others already marked with political stains. 

Since Gu Weicheng and Li Xia both came from politically sound backgrounds, wearing a dress was of no consequence as long as they didn’t engage in capitalist, feudal, or revisionist practices. 

…

As usual, Xiao Li was the one driving. When An An saw him again, he greeted him with a bright smile, calling out, “Uncle Li.” 

“Mommy, I want to sit in the front,” An An said. 

There were only the driver’s seat and the front passenger seat, but Li Xia had no objections. 

Gu Weicheng lifted An An in one swift motion, placed him in the front passenger seat, secured the seatbelt, and then instructed him, “Sit still and don’t move around.” 

“Daddy, I know,” An An promised. He was just curious about how Uncle Li drove and had no intention of causing trouble. 

With that, Gu Weicheng and Li Xia had to sit in the back. On the way here, Li Xia had been holding An An in the front seat, so this was her first time sitting in the back. 

The military vehicle was quite high, and she struggled to climb in. 

Gu Weicheng extended his hand. “I’ll pull you up.” 

 Li Xia didn’t act coy. After all, just yesterday, Gu Weicheng had held her hand while applying medicine—there was no reason to suddenly feel embarrassed about touching his hand now. 

She extended her hand, letting Gu Weicheng grasp it firmly. Her fingers were a bit cool, while his broad, calloused palm was burning hot. 

With a single pull, he effortlessly lifted her into the vehicle. 

The seats on both sides had cushions, and she ended up sitting right next to him. 

…

Gu Weicheng took out a passbook and a thick stack of ration coupons, handing them to Li Xia. “This is the money and coupons I’ve saved up over the years. I was worried it wouldn’t be enough, so I exchanged some more last night. Keep them.” 

Li Xia glanced at the passbook and was stunned—there was nearly six thousand yuan in it! 

Since joining the army, Gu Weicheng had barely spent money on himself. After being promoted to Regimental Commander, his monthly salary increased to more than 120 yuan. Each month, he sent Li Xia 60 yuan as an allowance, while keeping the remaining amount. 

Having served in the army for over a decade, his salary had been lower before his promotion, but after all these years of saving, he had still accumulated a significant sum. 

Li Xia understood—he was telling her that once they got to the Department Store, she should buy whatever she wanted without worrying about saving money. 

Instead of accepting the passbook, she reached into her canvas shoulder bag and pulled out a stack of bills of her own. 

The money she had retrieved from Zhou Qingshan, combined with what she got from Liu Chunhua, totaled around 2,300 yuan. However, she didn’t have many ration coupons on hand. 

Although Li Xia believed a woman should have her own private savings, this money had originally come from Gu Weicheng. Now that he had even handed over all his carefully saved deposits, it didn’t feel right for her to selfishly stash away the 2,000-plus yuan for herself. 

She could always save up for her own private money later, once she found a job and had her own income. 

“These are all the funds you’ve sent me over the years,” Li Xia explained. “Some of it was lent to Zhou Qingshan, and some was taken by my uncle and aunt, but I’ve recovered it all.” 

Gu Weicheng looked at her. This was the first time they had ever directly brought up Zhou Qingshan in conversation. 

Li Xia knew that Zhou Qingshan was like a thorn between them. 

Gu Weicheng never mentioned it, but there was no doubt he minded. 

No man would be indifferent knowing his wife had once cared for another man. 

Li Xia understood one thing very clearly—If they wanted to build a good life together, they had to face this issue head-on. Otherwise, no matter how well Gu Weicheng treated her or how loving and harmonious they appeared on the surface, it would all be an illusion.

As long as the name ‘Zhou Qingshan’ was mentioned, Gu Weicheng would inevitably start overthinking and doubting.

She didn’t want to live in such a muddled state, so she preferred to clear things up sooner rather than later.

“In the past, I was too stubborn, trapped in my own dead-end thinking. I mistakenly believed that my admiration for his so-called ‘talent’ was love. But recently, I’ve come to realize—that wasn’t love at all. It was just the fantasy of a naive girl, weaving a dream out of her own romantic ideals. Did I really like Zhou Qingshan? Or was I just infatuated with the version of him I had created in my mind? I believe it was the latter,” Li Xia reflected.

In truth, this was also her way of analyzing and reflecting on the emotions of her past self.

“I’m already married to you, and we have An An together. That means I should be looking forward, not dwelling on the past. I want to make an effort to understand you, to live with you. Feelings take time to grow.”

“Our marriage started under such absurd circumstances. My uncle and aunt set you up, and yet, you never held it against me. Instead, you were willing to take responsibility. You’ve always been a man with a strong sense of duty—I just failed to see it before. Instead, I mistook those who used me for family. Now that I’ve figured everything out, I brought An An here to find you. Thankfully, it’s not too late.”

Li Xia truly felt grateful to Gu Weicheng.

In the days since they reunited, he never treated her and An An coldly because of what happened in the past.

Gu Weicheng looked at her.

This was the first time she had opened her heart to him.

Of course, when Li Xia brought their child to join him at the army base, he had been happy.

But that didn’t mean the thorn in his heart—Zhou Qingshan—had disappeared.

He had simply chosen not to speak about it.

Now, Li Xia was bringing it up herself—she was the one trying to pull that thorn out.

It might not heal overnight, but Gu Weicheng was genuinely pleased because it meant Li Xia truly wanted to build a life with him.

She insisted on using her own savings first, but Gu Weicheng still handed over his passbook and all the ration tickets to her.

“In other families, the wife manages the money. From now on, our family’s finances will be in your hands.”

This moment is such a sweet and subtly romantic development between them!

“Alright.” 

This time, Li Xia didn’t refuse. She accepted the passbook and ration tickets without hesitation. 

…

The roads in this era weren’t smooth asphalt—they were rough and full of loose stones. 

When she sat in the front passenger seat earlier, she hadn’t really noticed. 

But now, sitting in the back, she felt every bump. 

It wasn’t exactly a comfortable ride. 

“Ah—!” 

The car suddenly hit a deep pothole, jolting violently. 

Li Xia almost lost her balance. 

Luckily, Gu Weicheng reacted quickly. 

With a firm grasp, he caught her just in time—and with the force of the movement, she tumbled straight into his chest. 

This was their first truly intimate moment. 

Her soft curves pressed against his solid chest, and for a moment, their breaths mingled in the small space between them. 

Flustered, Li Xia quickly sat upright, shifting slightly to the side to put some distance between them. 

Then she glanced up—and saw that Gu Weicheng’s ears were burning red. 

So, the usually serious and composed Commander Gu… 

Was even easier to fluster than she was.