Chapter 10

Lin Qingping: ???

How amusing! Don’t tell me this era already has “man-sluts” and “bro-sluts” ^[1]are slang terms combining traditional masculine terms (“man” and “brother”) with the derogatory 婊 (biǎo), often used to insult someone as being fake, promiscuous, or … Continue reading

Lin Qingping laughed, then picked up a cup, placed it in front of her, and filled it with alcohol.

When no one knew what she was about to do, she tilted her head back and drank it all in one go. Beside her, Gu Juncheng swiftly snatched the cup away from her, gently chiding her: “What are you doing?” 

Lin Qingping smiled and said: “Secretary, I’m relying on my young age, so you won’t blame me and say bad things about you, right?” The Secretary was taken aback. “What bad things?” 

“Can’t you see? Chen Xia just wants to drink, but you… do you look down on the women comrades? You didn’t even pour her a drink. Look, now even my Chengzi’s alcohol is being snatched up, what do you think, is this how you treat your guests?” 

Lin Qingping, being young, joked as she spoke, which made the Secretary burst into laughter. “That’s right, that’s right, I wasn’t attentive enough! Come on, fill it up, fill it up.” The Secretary laughed as he filled Chen Xia’s glass and then looked at Lin Qingping. 

“Then you…” Chengzi’s wife had just said not to look down on the women comrades, but now the wine cup had been taken away by Chengzi. So, should the glass be filled or not? 

Lin Qingping smiled: “I’ll drink my Chengzi’s wine!” 

“Are you kidding? You’re not allowed to drink!” Gu Juncheng covered the cup with his hand, apologizing sincerely to the Secretary, explaining that she really couldn’t drink. 

The Secretary naturally wouldn’t insist, but Chen Xia, holding the glass of wine, looked awkward, unsure whether to drink or not.

However, it wasn’t just the few of them at the table—there were several other village cadres as well. The Secretary, being quite thoughtful, called for Chen Xia to join in, and the atmosphere remained lively and cheerful.

The people dining together were all familiar faces from the village.

Either they had grown up with Gu Juncheng or had watched him grow up.

As they ate and chatted, the conversation naturally turned to reminiscing about the past. The one speaking the most animatedly was Chen Xia.

“Do you remember when we were kids and we came to the Secretary’s house to steal persimmons? Auntie caught us and was going to smack our hands!” 

“Yeah, you were the scaredy-cat, you got terrified!” A young man chimed in.

“Exactly! Brother Chengzi is the best, he said he’d take the blame for me. You guys just ran off!” Chen Xia shot a playful glare at the young man and gave Gu Juncheng a smile.

The young man laughed: “You and Chengzi were the fools. Auntie was just messing with us, she never intended to hit us!”

The remark made Gu Juncheng smile as well.

The usually quiet Gu Juncheng slowly became more talkative in the nostalgic atmosphere, but Lin Qingping found herself unable to join in.

She hadn’t been part of Gu Juncheng’s childhood or adolescence. She couldn’t contribute a word to the conversation, and in fact, she didn’t fully understand much of what they were saying.

Especially since Chen Xia kept casually mentioning how Gu Juncheng, as the older brother, always protected her when they were young… 

Although Lin Qingping told herself she had been reborn and should have a strong mindset, it wasn’t Gu Juncheng’s fault.

Still, she couldn’t shake the faint regret that tugged at her heart, a slight bitterness. 

When Chen Xia started recounting the time they wore open-crotch pants and went swimming in the river together, Lin Qingping’s cup was refilled with wine.

She kept drinking one cup after another, and Gu Juncheng was probably so engaged in their conversation that he didn’t notice her anymore.

Before long, their voices faded into the background, leaving only a hum of noise.

So good, finally, she no longer had to hear those annoying voices!

But everything in front of her started to sway. She rubbed her eyes, feeling dizzy, unable to stop herself from grabbing onto Gu Juncheng’s arm to steady herself. In the end, she just leaned against his shoulder. 

“Gu Juncheng… I want to go home…” she mumbled softly, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart. Her eyes felt teary, and her voice, as if laced with alcohol, was soft and sticky. 

Then, it seemed as though a burst of laughter rang out. An arm draped around her waist. She felt her whole body go light, and struggled to open her eyes, only seeing many blurry shadows.

They were probably all Gu Juncheng’s friends, and they seemed to be laughing. Were they laughing at her?

“Juncheng…” When drunk, it seemed she was especially vulnerable. She called his name, her voice tinged with grievance.

Why had he been so busy talking to his friends and ignoring her? His friends were even laughing at her.

Then, she felt herself lifted off the ground. Her face pressed against something solid and warm. She looked up and saw only Gu Juncheng’s eyes, as dark as the night sky, with lights dancing in them like stars in the galaxy. 

She felt dizzy, stretching her hand to reach for his eyes, her laughter silly. “Juncheng, your eyes… they have… have stars…” 

Another burst of laughter followed.

Hmph! Why were they laughing at her?

But amidst the chaotic laughter, she clearly heard Gu Juncheng’s voice, though she couldn’t make out what he was saying. 

Then, the noise seemed to fade, and she felt the cool night breeze against her skin. The cool air made her realize just how hot her face was. 

“Juncheng… am I… am I drunk?” She still had some self-awareness.

“You’re not allowed to drink, but you’re sneaking drinks. I want to see how much you can drink.”

Hmm? Was that Gu Juncheng speaking?

She lifted her head and saw him seemingly laughing.

Was he laughing at her?

“Don’t laugh at me!” she pouted, throwing a bit of a tantrum. She rested her face against his chest, not wanting to show her face. 

The distance from the Secretary’s house to the Gu Family was not far. Gu Juncheng walked quickly, and in no time, he had carried her there. She heard him mumble something to someone, saying: “She’s drunk.” before carrying her straight into their room and placing her on the bed.

But Lin Qingping felt uncomfortable. She was hot, and her body felt sticky. She sat up from the bed. “I… I need to take a bath…” She shakily got up and began to walk outside. 

Gu Juncheng supported her. “How can you walk like this…?”

“No, I need to take a bath… I don’t feel comfortable if I don’t…” She pushed him away and continued toward the bathroom. She staggered as she walked, like an S-shape. 

Eventually, Gu Juncheng had no choice but to help her to the bathroom. Once inside, she insisted on fetching the hot water herself. Gu Juncheng saw her unsteady state and grew worried, telling her to stay still. 

But what could a drunk person understand? She insisted on doing it herself. Gu Juncheng, unable to stop her, habitually gave a firm command. “Stop! Stand at attention!” 

He was used to giving orders, having shouted them during his time in the military. His loud voice felt like thunder, and the command was so forceful that even Lin Qingping, in her drunken state, froze and stood still, lowering her head.

Gu Juncheng adjusted the water to the right temperature, then called her, only to find that she had obediently stood still, her head lowered. She had been causing a ruckus a moment ago, so why had she suddenly quieted down? 

He walked over to her and said: “Alright, you can wash now.” But he noticed her shoulders trembling.

Gu Juncheng: ???

He bent down to look, and to his surprise, she was quietly shedding tears, her tears falling in soft “plop” sounds.