Chapter 16 Reunion

Even Captain Song’s expression changed upon hearing this, especially after tying it together with Su Niannian’s incident. Gu Shutong’s character was plain for everyone to see.
No wonder…

Ma Hongmei rushed to gather the villagers. In the presence of Captain Song and the Party Secretary, the Gu brothers divided their family, severing their relationship. Even the previously restored courtyard was divided in two, with a wall hastily built down the middle. Captain Song supervised the repairs. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gu Zhiye return from the health center and rushed over to ask, “What are your plans for your courtyard?”

“Keep it empty.”

“Empty?!” It seemed the rift between the two brothers was deep — there was no way to reconcile them. Captain Song forced a bitter smile. A moment later, Gu Zhiye carefully inquired about what had happened to Su Niannian in Lotus Village after he left. The more he heard, the colder his expression grew. He turned to go confront his older brother, but was told the couple had gone back to their respective homes. Captain Song sighed, stating he felt sorry for Su Niannian and hoped Gu Zhiye could console her.

After addressing everything in Lotus Village, Gu Zhiye rushed toward Xiangyang Village — but he was a step too late.
Su Niannian was no longer there. Even Wang Guifen didn’t know her whereabouts. The only person in the know was Su Jianshan, whose lips remained tightly sealed. Gu Zhiye placed the sweets — White Rabbit candy, candied hawthorn, fruit leather — he had bought from the store on Su’s table. Su Jianshan swallowed hard as he gazed at them.
He forced a gentle smile. “Big Brother, I bought these White Rabbit candies from the co-op. Niannian isn’t home — I thought I’d leave them for you. I just wanted to know… How’s Niannian’s mood? Is she adapting well in the Northwest?”

“That… of course she’s happy! She’s got a new job…” Su Jianshan blurted, then immediately covered his own mouth. Gu Zhiye fell into deep thought. The introduction letter Captain Song provided was for Ning County in the Northwest — which meant Su Niannian couldn’t be somewhere else. There were only a few workplaces there. So he decided he would search them carefully. Firming his resolve, Gu Zhiye turned to leave.

He had just stepped outside the Su family’s gate when he noticed someone following him. Thinking it might be Su Jianshan relenting, he turned — instead, it was Su Zhaodi.
She was a far cry from her previously glamorous appearance. Now dressed in plain, coarse cotton, her eyes glimmered with a mixture of resentment and pleading.
“Comrade Gu, I know where Niannian is. If you take me with you, I’m willing to go and help you find her…”

Gu Zhiye kept his distance, and with his peripheral view, he noticed a silhouette dart past in the courtyard. His expression grew heavy.
He turned away and said, “No, thank you.”
He kept walking, but Su Zhaodi’s voice, full of agony, called after him: “She’s not really in love with you! The day you came to propose, she was already thinking of running away! Niannian is involved with someone in the imperial capital — you’re just a stepping stone for her! All of you have been deceived…”

The words fell, heavy with resentment.
The next moment, a sharp pain came from her scalp — and before she could make out Gu Zhiye’s reaction, Wang Guifen darted forward, grabbed her, and began slapping her across the face.
The kind demeanor was gone; now, rage filled her expression. “Can’t you let your sister be? Always spreading rumors? Su Zhaodi, do you remember — when Niannian first went down to the countryside, she gave you many of her pretty dresses. And now, after we married a soldier, we can hold our heads high when we go out. Who would look down upon us?
Yet you’re the one causing trouble.
So, Jianshan, tell Aunt Hua from the neighboring village we agree to her marriage proposal. We’ll send Zhaodi off — even if it’s to the countryside — just to keep the peace.”

Su Zhaodi was in disbelief. “Grandma! Grandma! I’m your granddaughter…”
“You? What kind of granddaughter are you? Get out…”
Su Zhaodi was pregnant — there was no way to break it with folk methods. Now, it seemed there was only the path of sending her far away.
And with that, Su Zhaodi’s world fell completely to pieces.

Meanwhile, Su Niannian remained oblivous to the chaos Gu Zhiye was causing. At that moment, she was wrestling with her training.
Artists normally didn’t need heavy physical training, but during the selection process, the army trained everyone as soldiers. Some male soldiers performed fine, but for a delicate young woman raised sheltered at home, this was pure suffering — especially during the forced 10km march with heavy packs every few days — blisters filled her feet, causing piercing pain that kept her up all night.

One moment of collapse, then healing — this kind of pain was nothing less than a broken limb. So, while many doubted whether she’d make it, Su Niannian kept going.
She slowly, painstakingly pressed forward — much like a snail — until, against all odds, she finished the training.
She won the recognition of Instructor Wu, who recommended her and a few others for the preliminary selection for the army’s art troupe. All the soldiers who made it through were talented; each had their own unique abilities.

The greatest weakness for Su Niannian was her weak physical condition. After a half-month of devil-like training, her splits, high kicks, backbends — everything flowed gracefully in a smooth, purposeful manner — much to the astonishment of the evaluation committee.
When it was her turn to perform, her pure demeanor and the performance of her own original dance captured everyone’s attention.

Su Niannian successfully scored “Grade-A-Excellent” in the art troupe’s assessment. During training, Liu Tao, who was close friends with her, also received “Grade-A-Excellent” for her unique acrobatics performance, and they both became members of Team 2. The art troupe was divided into different categories — comic dialogue, dance, creative writing, and more. The dancers were split into three teams. Team 1 was already preselected — the elite performers who would appear at major army shows. Team 2 was for promising new talent, and Team 3 was made up of ordinary dancers.

Liu Tao came from a family where both parents were workers, and her greatest wish was to become a performing soldier. She was well prepared and knew everything there was to know about the neighboring military base and the art troupe. After resting for two days, Liu Tao came to the guesthouse in high spirits to bring Su Niannian to tour the art troupe, all while enthusiastically explaining: “Don’t think our art troupe is small — we have the best facilities. Look over there — we have a new gym, a basketball court… You can come and work out, do stretches, or go for a run in the morning.”

The day before, Su Niannian had found time to call back home and learned from Su Jianshan that Gu Zhiye was looking for her. This left her somewhat unsettled and distracted. Liu Tao noticed her expression, tugged her arm, and said warmly, “Niannian, I know this art troupe well, but there’s something I need to warn you about. We should keep our distance from the soldiers in the neighboring base — especially the commander of their Second Battalion. What’s his name again? Yesterday, I went with a senior sister to deliver something, and he not only turned it down but made the person cry… He’s a real devil. A delicate little girl like you probably wouldn’t survive even a single punch from him. Oh, I remember now — his name is Gu Zhiye——!”

As soon as those words fell, a man’s gaze fell directly on them from the entrance of the troupe’s department. Just that single look was enough to make Liu Tao break out in a cold sweat — she nearly fell down on the spot!
Heavens!! Why was this devil here at their art troupe?!