Chapter 37: Sister-in-law’s Secret Lover

The first person to arrive that afternoon was the woman who had spoken earlier that morning. Her husband had been injured a few years ago and couldn’t do heavy labor anymore. His parents were also in poor health, and they had two children, making their life extremely difficult.

She had spent the entire afternoon considering her options and finally decided to sell cold skin noodles. She couldn’t afford a three-wheeled cart, but they had a handcart at home. She could build a platform on it, though it would be slower than a three-wheeled cart. She could just sell less; at least it would be an extra income for the family.

Gu’s mother understood her situation and was more than willing to help. The woman’s name was Liu Ju, and according to family hierarchy, Jiang Yiyi called her “sister-in-law.”

“Sister-in-law Liu,” Gu’s mother said, “if you’ve made up your mind, I’ll assign you a spot. You can only sell there; you’re not allowed to sell anywhere else. That’s the rule; everyone who sells my cold skin noodles has to follow it.”

“Okay,” Liu Ju replied readily. She just wanted to earn some money to make life easier for her family; she wasn’t aiming to get rich. Besides, they were all from the same village, and Jiang Yiyi wouldn’t assign her a bad spot.

Several more women came later, but none were as decisive as Liu Ju. They all hinted at their inability to afford a three-wheeled cart, asking Jiang Yiyi to help them find a solution.

“You know I bought a three-wheeled cart when I first started selling cold skin noodles,” Jiang Yiyi said. “I can’t think of a solution. You should go home and think about it. Come find me if you come up with an idea.”

After sending these women away, it wasn’t even mid-afternoon when Jiang Yiyi and her mother-in-law said goodbye and headed back to her parents’ home.

It was still quite hot in the summer afternoon. Fewer people were working in the fields. Jiang Yiyi’s father and mother weren’t working either; they were chatting at home.

Because of their daughter’s success, the villagers were now very eager to please them, something the parents weren’t used to.

Seeing the gate open, Jiang Yiyi’s father instinctively looked out. Seeing a soldier enter, he was momentarily stunned. He had only seen Gu Yunze once, on his daughter’s wedding day, and his appearance was already hazy in his memory. When he saw his daughter behind the soldier, he realized who it was and quickly stood up to greet them, followed by Gu’s mother.

“Dad, Mom,” Gu Yunze called.

Jiang Yiyi’s parents responded, “It’s so hot, why did you come over? Come inside quickly.”

Inside the house, Gu’s mother was about to pour water for Gu Yunze, but Jiang Yiyi stopped her. “Mom, he’s not a stranger. Let him pour his own water if he wants some.”

Gu’s mother glared at her daughter reproachfully. A son-in-law visiting was a guest; how could he pour his own water?

Gu Yunze poured himself a glass of water and drank half a porcelain mug without hesitation.

Jiang Yiyi’s parents watched, their hearts filled with joy.

Their son-in-law didn’t treat himself as an outsider, showing that he cherished Yiyi. How could they not be happy?

The elderly couple already liked Gu Yunze very much; now they liked him even more. They kept them for dinner before letting them leave. As they reached the edge of the village, they ran into Gu Yunchi.

“Why are you back so late?” Jiang Yiyi asked. She had instructed Gu Yunchi to return by 6:30 at the latest. The wheat was already tall, and it was unsafe to return too late.

“Sister Zhang Mei didn’t come today. I sold out at the textile factory and then went elsewhere, so I came back late.”

Jiang Yiyi felt something was wrong. She knew how much Zhang Mei wanted to earn money. If she could move a little, she wouldn’t miss selling cold skin noodles. If something had happened at home, she should have said something. Not coming without a word wasn’t Zhang Mei’s style.

In the courtyard, Gu Yunyang, Gu Yuncan, Tiantian, and Yueyue were playing “eagle catches chicks.” Seeing them enter together, Tiantian and Yueyue let go of each other’s hands and ran towards them on their short legs. However, they didn’t run to Gu Yunchi; they ran to Gu Yunze, tilting their heads up. “Uncle, have you changed your mind yet?”

The whole family looked at Gu Yunze. Jiang Yiyi suppressed a smile and also looked at him.

Gu Yunze remained calm. “Uncle is too busy; I haven’t had time to tell Aunt yet.”

“Are you busy now?”

“Busy. Uncle has to put away his bicycle.”

“Then you have to tell Aunt as soon as you’re not busy.”

“Okay.”

Gu Yunchi playfully nudged Jiang Yiyi’s arm, whispering, “Sister-in-law, what does my brother need to change his mind about?”

Jiang Yiyi glared at her.

Gu Yunchi stifled her laughter, put away her bicycle, and went to the kitchen; she hadn’t had dinner yet.

The children continued to play until the two little ones were tired. Gu Yunchi bathed them and took them to bed.

The rest of them also took baths and went to their rooms.

Gu Yunze was the last to bathe. When he finished and returned, he found his door locked. The lights in other rooms were still on. He didn’t force it, turning instead to Gu Yunyang’s room.

Inside, Jiang Yiyi held her breath, listening. When she heard the footsteps go away, she breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes, falling fast asleep.

Gu Yunyang was working on math problems, given to him by Gu Yuncan. He had developed a habit of doing ten problems before bed every night.

Hearing the footsteps, he looked back. Seeing Gu Yunze, he subconsciously looked towards his room and saw that the light was off, his brow furrowed.

“Don’t you know how to do it?” Gu Yunze asked.

Gu Yunyang shook his head, his lips pursed tightly.

“What’s wrong?” Gu Yunze sat down beside him.

Gu Yunyang didn’t know whether he should say it or not.

Before, he hadn’t planned to say anything. He thought his sister-in-law had broken up with the other man, but today she wouldn’t let his older brother enter the room.

Seeing that he had something to say, Gu Yunze patted Gu Yunyang’s head. His younger brother was still small when he joined the army; in the blink of an eye, he had grown so much. “Say whatever you want to say.”

Gu Yunyang finally spoke. “S-sister-in-law had someone else before…”

His younger brother was only eight years old; he couldn’t possibly know about such things. He must have heard it from others. “Don’t listen to the villagers’ gossip.”

“I’m not gossiping! I saw it with my own eyes!”

Gu Yunze looked at him.

“Sister-in-law only gave Mom ten yuan from the money you sent back before. She kept the rest. She also picked the vegetables from our garden and sold them in the county but never brought any money back. I was so angry. Once, I secretly followed her to the county, wanting to get the money back after she finished selling, but I found out she rented a house there and was keeping a secret lover, a student from the county’s No. 1 Middle School…”

“But…”

He changed his tone abruptly. “Later, Sister-in-law suddenly changed her mind. She must have broken up with that man. She started selling cold skin noodles, supporting Sister, helping her divorce Qin Gang, taking Mom to the county hospital, buying us delicious food, clothes, and shoes.”

“Do Mom and Sister know?”

Gu Yunyang shook his head.

Gu Yunze patted his head again. “You did well keeping it a secret from them. Don’t mention it to anyone else.”

Gu Yunyang nodded.

“Do your homework.”

Gu Yunze left the room, standing in the courtyard, his eyes dark.

…

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Yiyi felt someone on top of her. She opened her eyes and saw Gu Yunze. She asked in surprise, “How did you get in?”

Gu Yunze looked at her, his deep eyes shining in the darkness. Jiang Yiyi instinctively felt danger and tried to push him away, but it was too late.