Chapter 13

Lin Xi’s smile widened.

“Aw! Little Xingxing is so cute, Auntie loves you the most. Come, Auntie will give you some candy.”

The little girl walked over almost without thinking, opened her mouth, and bit into the candy. Then Lin Xi reached out and touched her cheek—so soft!

Gu Yang froze for a moment. By the time he reacted, his little sister’s face had already been touched.

The bad woman really didn’t hit anyone this time…

The little girl looked at Lin Xi’s hand, then at her brother. Suddenly, she reached into her mouth, pulled the candy out, and held it toward Lin Xi.

“Auntie, eat the candy.”

Lin Xi looked at the candy in that tiny hand, still glistening with a clear layer of saliva, and at the streak of transparent liquid hanging from the little one’s chin…

Although it was hard to refuse such sincere kindness, she knew that as an adult—especially toward such a tiny little sprout of a child—one shouldn’t take what they like away from them.

“Auntie’s teeth hurt, so I can’t eat candy right now. Can you help Auntie eat it instead, and then tell me if it’s sweet?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Hearing that Auntie’s teeth hurt and that she was being asked to help, the little girl put the candy back in her mouth, then mumbled through it,

“Sweet.”

“Auntie knows now. This candy is very sweet—thank you, Xingxing.”

From the way the little one wouldn’t even look at her at first, to now daring to be so close and meet her gaze—this was good progress.

Tian Yufen came back from outside, and as soon as she stepped in, she saw the two little ones by Lin Xi’s bed.

“What are you two doing in here? Yangyang, take your sister out to play. Grandma needs to apply medicine to Auntie.”

Although Lin Xi’s room was the largest in the house, the bed inside was also large, so the space to move around was limited. Two kids playing here wasn’t ideal, so she shooed them out.

“Your great-grandfather is old and hasn’t gone out in a long time. When I visited, he asked about you and gave me a bottle of medicinal wine, saying that if you apply it for a few days, you’ll be fine. Turn to the side and lift your shirt, I’ll put it on for you.”

Over the next two days, Lin Xi only left the bed to use the toilet; otherwise, she stayed propped up against pillows.

Tian Yufen had wanted her to lie down and rest, but Lin Xi couldn’t stand being idle. She found something to cushion her waist and sat up in bed making hairbands and hair clips.

Tian Yufen also didn’t go to the fields much those two days. She stayed home during the day, helping tie small rubber bands, and in the evening she would sit in Lin Xi’s room doing the same after dinner. The two kids didn’t make a fuss—they played quietly in the yard during the day and in the evening would sit on Lin Xi’s bed watching them work.

The only downside was that the kerosene lamp’s light was poor. After dark, they couldn’t work for long before their eyes felt sore. Otherwise, given the “stay-up-all-night” habits of young people decades later, Lin Xi could have made a whole pile.

She’d been curious and asked why the two little ones, who were technically her nieces and nephews, called Tian Yufen “Grandma.”

Tian Yufen explained that their father was an orphan rescued by Gu Qingyan. He hadn’t even known his own name before—just a nickname—and Gu Qingyan had given him his current name.

So, he was both son-in-law and adopted son, and naturally, the children called her Grandma.

Lin Xi also learned another piece of news: in about a week, her “cheap” husband would be coming back. Tian Yufen had brought back this information along with the medicinal wine—there had been a letter from Gu Qingyan, with some money inside.

Since Tian Yufen couldn’t read, letters in the past were always read by the village chief, but this time she’d brought it back for Lin Xi to read herself.

Thinking about the neat, free-flowing handwriting in that letter, Lin Xi couldn’t help imagining the writer’s appearance.

In the original host’s memories, there were vague images of the man’s looks. But perhaps because the original host had been too deeply affected by the fact that he’d run away on their wedding night, the memories of him were blurry and incomplete.

All she knew was that he was quite tall and had the sun-darkened complexion of someone who trained year-round.

Originally, there had been a photo of him in the room, but he’d taken it away that night.

This never-before-met husband carried a sort of hazy charm in Lin Xi’s mind—she felt both a little anticipation and a little worry.

In both her lives, she’d never dated anyone, though she had dreamed of a handsome, responsible husband. But she’d had no social life outside work, and the men she’d met through blind dates had all been… well… “forced enthusiasm” types.

If she and this husband got along, she wouldn’t mind giving it a try. But the grudge between him and the original host ran deep, so who knew how badly he thought of her?

Thinking about it dampened her mood. She figured she’d just see how things went—if they could get along, fine; if not, she’d leave.

After four or five days, she’d finished making most of the items she’d planned. Once she sold them in town, she could make a decent profit. With the hundred-plus yuan she had on hand and her decades-ahead knowledge, making money in this golden era would be child’s play.

She’d already decided: everything else was secondary—first, she had to make money. Only with financial freedom could she start talking about life goals!

After these days of rest, her waist no longer hurt much. She was still applying the medicinal wine four times a day, always with Tian Yufen’s help.

It had to be said—the medicinal wine really worked. Once applied, it warmed her inside and out.

That day, only she and Xingxing were home. Tian Yufen had taken Gu Yang to the fields. After several days together, the two little ones were no longer reflexively afraid of her.

Lin Xi sat on the bed crocheting small yarn flowers, while Xingxing sat beside her, eyes sparkling as she looked over the pile of finished blossoms—picking up one to examine, then another. She looked so well-behaved and cute, utterly lovable.

“Auntie, are you home?”

Hearing someone calling from outside the yard, Lin Xi told Xingxing to stay put, then went out to look. She saw a man standing outside the yard wall, wearing a floral shirt, hair slicked back, and—despite the cloudy day—sporting a pair of sunglasses.

This was Gou Dong, who used to be the village’s little hooligan. After getting punished by the authorities several times, his parents had scraped together money to have relatives take him away to “see the world.”

After being gone for over a year, he’d returned just yesterday. From a distance, he’d caught a glimpse of Lin Xi, and once home, he immediately started asking about her.

When he learned that Lin Xi was Gu Laoda’s wife, he felt it was a shame—Gu Laoda was gone for years at a time, and having such a pretty wife was just a waste!

Back in the day, Gu Laoda had beaten him up more than once. Gou Dong dared to provoke anyone in the village—except the Gu family. After enough beatings, even he learned fear.

Still, that glimpse of her yesterday had been impossible to forget. The Gu family’s young wife was stunning—not just for this poor rural place, but even in the city he’d never seen such a fresh, lovely girl.

So… today, while Tian Yufen was out with the kids, he’d spruced himself up and come calling, just to get a chance to talk to Lin Xi.