A Stunning Beauty Arrives at the 1970s Courtyard
A Stunning Beauty Arrives at the 1970s Courtyard – Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 

By mid-August, the weather grew even hotter. With still half a month left before starting work at the Housing Administration, Gu Cheng’an took every chance to get out and about.

Catching a moment when the old man wasn’t watching, he and a bunch of buddies set out on their “28” bicycles. Only Wu Da went back home to grab food coupons, so the rest waited for him at the compound gate.

Before long, a few loud calls rang out from a distance.

He Songping recognized the familiar voice—it was his little sister.

He Songling came trotting up behind Xin Mengqi and Sun Ruoyi.

“Gu Cheng’an, where are you guys going to have fun? Take us along!” Xin Mengqi liked Gu Cheng’an and always clung to him. Everyone in the compound knew it and had long since stopped finding it odd.

“No time. If you want to play, go by yourselves.” Gu Cheng’an had one long leg propped on the ground, looking impatiently in the direction of Wu’s house.

“Gu Cheng’an, how can you be like this?” Xin Mengqi’s face flushed red, though she quickly forced her expression back under control. “We all grew up together in the same compound—don’t you have any sense of camaraderie?”

“Go ask someone else for camaraderie. Don’t bother me.” Her shrill voice was giving Gu Cheng’an a headache.

“Wu Da! Pedal faster—what, didn’t you eat?” When Wu finally came into view, he called to his friends, “Let’s go!”

“Hey! Take us along!” Xin Mengqi jogged a few steps, trying to hop onto the back of his bike, but Gu Cheng’an showed no mercy—he pushed off with force and was gone in an instant.

“My 28 doesn’t carry passengers—find someone else.” His deep voice was carried away by the wind, scattering like loose grains of sand.

Hu Libin, grinning, pedaled his bike closer. “Mengqi-meizi, An-ge treasures that ‘28’ of his—never lets anyone ride it. Why don’t you hop on mine~”

“In your dreams!” Xin Mengqi glared at him like he was something filthy, clearly disgusted.

“Fine, then I’m off.” Hu Libin quickly lost interest.

Xin Mengqi watched the group ride away in a cloud of dust and stomped her foot in frustration.

She refused to believe it—two lifetimes and she still couldn’t win him over?

The group pedaled around the city and eventually had dinner at a state-run restaurant. Generous as always, Gu Cheng’an ordered dishes worth eight yuan in one go. Hu Libin ate until his belly was round, then brought up his favorite pastime. “An-ge, when are we going shooting again?”

Gu Cheng’an’s fingers itched. “In a few days. My grandpa’s been watching me like a hawk lately.”

“Alright then. Hey, An-ge, wait—your grandpa isn’t trying to keep you at home so you can… uh… cultivate some feelings with that little daughter-in… cough, cough… with that young lady, is he?”

Gu Cheng’an couldn’t be bothered with the two chatterboxes. He turned to leave, but their voices still chirped behind him.

“Your fiancée traveled all the way here—she’s definitely planning to reel you in!”

“Why don’t you just give in already~”

“No way! An-ge, you’ve gotta resist the sugar-coated bullets! Hold your ground against the female comrade’s pursuit!”

“Don’t surrender!”

Gu Cheng’an shot them a glance over his shoulder. “Can’t spit out ivory from a dog’s mouth, huh? Looking for a beating?”

“Don’t, don’t, don’t! We’re going!” The group scattered like startled birds.

These days, Gu Cheng’an was keeping a lower profile—after dinner, he headed straight home.

In the Gu family kitchen, Aunt Wu moved quickly, washing up the dishes. Tonight’s menu had been Su Yin’s suggestion: tender braised soybeans with pig’s trotters that melted at the touch, stir-fried celery with shredded pork, bitter melon with scrambled eggs, and a tangy sauerkraut vermicelli soup—perfect for clearing heat in the summer.

After the meal, Qian Jingfang had praised Aunt Wu yet again, saying she was thoughtful and her cooking was top-notch.

Aunt Wu felt deeply satisfied. Especially in the past few days—seeing the old master eating better than usual—her joy only grew. She was good at cooking, but she didn’t have the knack for pairing dishes as cleverly as the younger generation. With Su Yin as her “strategist,” the meals had become more refined in just a few days.

At the moment, Su Yin was busy working on a dessert.

Watching the quiet, hardworking girl who never took credit, Aunt Wu grew fonder and decided to give her a bit of advice.

“Yin-yin, come here. You haven’t had it easy, so let me tell you something from the heart.”

Aunt Wu could easily see the girl’s difficulties—pitiful background, striking looks, and all alone. If she could marry Gu Cheng’an, things would be fine. But if not… her place in this household could become uncertain.

And if Cheng’an married someone else one day, would the new wife tolerate Su Yin’s presence?

“You really should make some plans early. You’re not that young anymore—my daughter’s eighteen and already betrothed. If you and Cheng’an have feelings for each other, talk to the old master, see if you can settle it sooner. If not, maybe he can arrange a proper job for you.”

She worried the girl didn’t understand how serious it was—without marriage or an official job, there’d be no way to transfer her household registration to the city. And without that, she’d never be able to truly settle down here.

Su Yin understood Aunt Wu’s kindness, but it wasn’t easy to explain her plans for the college entrance exam. She simply thanked her and said she’d think about it.

As evening came, Aunt Wu brought a bowl of sweet treat to Gu Cheng’an’s room. It was chilled tomato slices with sugar—ice blocks from the supply soldier, red tomatoes dotted with grains of white sugar, the long mixing turning them into sweet, tangy syrup. Served cold, it was almost better than watermelon.

Aunt Wu had been singing Su Yin’s praises non-stop lately. “Cheng’an, have more. Yin-yin made this—it’s so refreshing.”

The compliment Gu Cheng’an was about to give stuck in his throat as the sweetness filled his mouth. So this is a sugar-coated bullet? Her way of winning me over?

Too bad. No matter how sweet, he wasn’t going to bow to those feudal arrangements.

Still scheming to break off his engagement, Gu Cheng’an hadn’t even caught his breath when the old master gave him a mission: go to Second Uncle’s house and let them know the Su family’s granddaughter had arrived.

Gu Cheng’an smirked. “Grandpa, should I tell Second Uncle or Second Aunt?”

The old man’s face stiffened. “Just go!”

Getting to his feet, Cheng’an headed upstairs—but not without one last jab. “Grandpa, if all else fails, you could just apologize to Grandma and ask her to come back…”

Knowing his grandfather was about to blow his top, Gu Cheng’an took the stairs two at a time and was gone.

“You come back here!” The old master almost laughed in anger. “No respect at all!”

Who did this temper remind him of? Oh right—himself.

“Aunt Wu, why doesn’t Grandma Wang live here?”

Su Yin had been curious these past few days. From what she’d heard, Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu had a good relationship—so why didn’t she live at home?

While they were watering vegetables in the courtyard, Su Yin finally asked.

“The old master quarreled with his wife and drove her away,” Aunt Wu said, her impression of Su Yin growing better by the day.

“Huh? Drove her away? That bad?”

“It wasn’t really a big deal. Your Grandma Wang thought it was too hot and wanted cold boiled water and popsicles. The old master refused—worried she’d get sick. But the thing is, he’s always so loud and forceful, like he’s scolding someone, and she couldn’t take it. Said he was too controlling. He told her, ‘I’m your husband, of course I’m going to manage you.’ So they argued—dragging out old grievances from decades ago—and in the end, she moved to your Second Uncle Cheng’an’s place.”

Su Yin was stunned. “Grandpa Gu can get chased out like that?”

From what she’d seen, no one dared provoke him—except Gu Cheng’an, who at least knew when to quit.

“The old master can’t win against your Grandma Wang. Now, he can only send Cheng’an over to see if she’ll come back.”

Su Yin’s curiosity grew. She couldn’t imagine what kind of fiery personality Grandma Wang must have to keep Grandpa Gu so well in check.

Gu Cheng’an went to Second Uncle’s place.

In the end, Grandma only sent back a fine piece of fabric for the Su family girl—without a single word for the old master.

It wasn’t exactly a win or a loss, but Cheng’an would have to report it carefully.

The old man was waiting at home for news. Seeing his grandson return, he asked in a rush, “So, you went to your Second Uncle’s?”

“Yeah, I went.” Gu Cheng’an strode over to the sofa and sat down right across from Su Yin. Tilting his head toward the old man, he said, “Grandma told me—”

“What did she say?” The words slipped out before Old Master Gu could stop himself, and he instantly regretted sounding so eager.

“She said to bring back a piece of fabric for the Su girl to make clothes with. Here, I brought it back.”

“That’s it?” Old Master Gu’s face showed a faint trace of impatience. “Didn’t she mention anyone else?”

“She did.” Gu Cheng’an crossed one leg over the other, but quickly put it down again under his grandfather’s stare. Leaning back into the sofa, he drawled, “She said she feels sorry for her good grandson, asked if I’d gone hungry and lost weight, and was worried you were giving me a hard time…”

“Utter nonsense!” Old Master Gu snorted. Not a single word out of this brat’s mouth was ever reliable—always joking around without a proper bone in his body. And yet, every time they talked, his mood improved in spite of himself. What could he do? The boy was impossible to stay mad at.

Shooting his grandson one last glare, Old Master Gu headed to the kitchen to find Wu Xiufen. A former leader couldn’t lose his dignity—but a wife was not to be lost either—so he could only send Wu Xiufen, his wife’s cousin’s daughter, to handle it.

Su Yin sat quietly on the side, listening to the banter between grandfather and grandson. Her brows softened, a smile ghosting on her lips, which she tried to hide.

Catching that faint curve of her mouth, Gu Cheng’an’s deep gaze fixed on her, intense and impossible to ignore. The weight of his stare finally jolted her from her thoughts, and she looked up sharply—only to meet his eyes. Her brows arched in a smile, her bright, clear eyes like a night sky sprinkled with stars, long lashes trembling as a flush crept up her cheeks.

Her face burned. Being caught enjoying the scene felt like being caught red-handed, and she wished she could find a hole to crawl into. She pressed her lips down quickly, lowering her gaze in embarrassment.

Gu Cheng’an withdrew his gaze, his long fingers tightening around the enamel mug. He downed half a cup of cool boiled water, Adam’s apple bobbing as he forced down the stifling summer heat.

Miwa[Translator]

𐙚˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 Hello! I'm Miwa, a passionate translator bringing captivating Chinese web novels to English readers. Dive into immersive stories with me! Feel free to reach out on Discord: miwaaa_397. ✨❀

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