CHAPTER 2 

Liu Maoyuan leaned halfway out of the driver’s seat to look at the grandson his old master both prized and fretted over. “I’m here to pick someone up. Want to guess who?”

The person sitting in the backseat was none other than this local tyrant’s future wife.

Liu Maoyuan had never pictured this troublemaker getting married, so the idea was oddly amusing.

He had been following the old master since the age of nineteen—more than twenty years now—and could be considered practically family to the Gus. He had watched Gu Cheng’an grow up: tall, quick-witted, and always a headache to handle.

Gu Cheng’an tilted his head, catching only a glimpse of a faded gray shirt in the backseat. Boring.

“Nothing to do with me. Not interested.” He looked up at the sun, then called to his friends, “Let’s go, don’t waste time. Uncle Liu, I’m off.”

“Hey—” Liu Maoyuan hadn’t even gotten to the punchline of his little riddle when the young rascal was already pedaling away, a pack of noisy twenty-year-olds disappearing down the asphalt road.

Sitting quietly in the back, Su Yin listened in silence. When she heard that “nothing to do with me,” she quietly exhaled. From what she’d heard, his temper wasn’t the best.

Still, watching that group ride off into the wind, she caught sight of the green army uniforms swaying in the breeze. It really was different here. In her village’s production brigade, there was only one 28-bar, and even the cadres had to take turns using it.

“Comrade Su Yin,” Liu Maoyuan said in a kindly tone, “Cheng’an doesn’t know you’re here yet. He’s… busy with important matters. Once he’s back, you’ll meet.”

“That’s fine,” Su Yin replied, actually feeling relieved.

The Red Flag sedan drove smoothly into the military compound. At the family housing gate, the sentry on duty recognized Liu Maoyuan and saluted him.

Curiosity stirring, Su Yin quietly took in her surroundings. The Third Military District’s family compound in the capital was expansive. Cars left shallow tire marks in the asphalt as they passed.

Rows of phoenix trees lined both sides of the road, their dense leaves blocking out the harsh sun, letting only dappled golden light fall through the gaps onto the blue-gray ground.

Family housing was arranged along both sides: white two-story houses interspersed with five-story red-brick buildings.

“The small buildings are for senior officers—detached homes. Those rows over there are for officers below deputy regiment rank but above deputy battalion rank. This side is quieter,” Liu Maoyuan explained.

“These buildings are beautiful,” Su Yin said, thinking of the thatched house back home, which had still been drafty when she left. A pang of homesickness hit her.

Before leaving, she had given the house key to her grandaunt for safekeeping. There was nothing valuable inside—poverty kept the thieves away—but she wanted to leave it as a keepsake, in case she ever returned.

“Yes, it wasn’t easy when the camp was first built,” Liu Maoyuan agreed, a note of nostalgia in his voice. He had joined the army at sixteen and spent his whole life in service.

As they spoke, the sedan pulled up in front of a two-story building.

“This is it. The old master’s at home.”

Su Yin followed him out of the car, bundle in her arms. The Gu family’s allocated home was tucked in the northwest corner of the officers’ housing area, a quiet spot with its own yard. Inside the yard grew a loquat tree and a small patch of vegetables.

“The old lady planted those,” Liu Maoyuan said. “Good way to pass the time.”

“It is. We grew vegetables in our private plot too—Grandpa liked it.”

Inside, Su Yin immediately felt the city’s affluence. The walls were white and spotless, the furniture gleaming. On a cabinet in the living room sat a black-and-white television—something she had never seen in person, only heard the village revolutionary committee brag about. Redwood furniture, leather sofas, high and low chests—every piece spoke of urban prosperity.

Looking around, she recalled her grandfather’s last words: an orphan couldn’t protect herself in the village. Now she could see for herself—the Gus had the means.

“Sit for a bit. The old master’s not as energetic these days; he’s taking his afternoon rest. I’ll go check on him.”

“Alright.”

—

While Su Yin waited quietly on the sofa, elsewhere her third uncle and aunt had already discovered the old house empty.

“Third Aunt, where’s that girl Su Yin gone? Ever since the old man passed, she’s been close to you. Don’t tell me you don’t know.” Su Jian’s face was dark. Who would’ve thought that quiet, well-behaved niece of theirs would vanish without a word?

His wife, Feng Chunxiu, put on a warm smile, affectionately hooking her arm through Su Yin’s great-aunt’s.

“Third Aunt, Jian She and I are only thinking for Yin Yin’s sake. The old man’s gone—how can a young girl live alone? You know how pretty she is. Plenty of loafers in the area have their eyes on her. Jian She and I are her third uncle and aunt—if we don’t look out for her, who will?”

The great-aunt waved a wrinkled hand and shook her head.
“Eh? What are you saying? I can’t hear you!”

“Where is Su Yin?!” Su Jianshe’s patience was wearing thin. He’d just settled the price with the militia company commander’s family—once he married Su Yin off, the two hundred yuan bride price would be in hand, his own son Fuguai could get himself a wife, and they could even build two new rooms.

But now? The girl was gone!

“What? I can’t hear you, my ears aren’t good…”

Pointing at her ears, the great-aunt played deaf, which made Su Jianshe and his wife curse her under their breath a few times before they left in embarrassment.

When that road was blocked, they went elsewhere to ask around. Leaving the village meant taking a donkey cart. After a round of inquiries, they chased all the way to the county train station, where they ran into a fellow villager who had seen Su Yin go inside. A bit of quick thinking, and Su Jianshe understood.

“Damn, that dead girl’s gone to Beijing!”

Feng Chunxiu licked her dry, chapped lips. They’d rushed to the county without even drinking a sip of water, and the summer heat had her sweating.
“What’s she going to Beijing for?”

“The old man had an old comrade who used to be a leader. He even arranged for his grandson to be engaged to that dead girl.” Su Jianshe spat, cursing viciously. “That sly thing thinks she can latch onto someone powerful? Doesn’t she know she’s just a country bumpkin? You think they’d want her?”

“So what now? We’ve already taken the fifty yuan, and they specifically said they wanted to marry Su Yin! That’s two hundred yuan!”

The couple worked in the fields for work points all year, both lazy and always looking to cut corners. By year’s end, they barely had enough grain to eat, with no money to spare. The thought of two hundred yuan slipping away made them unwilling to give up.

“We go back and have Fuguai write a letter. I remember which military district that old leader’s in.”

“What do we write?” Feng Chunxiu trotted after her husband in quick little steps, suddenly excited—this was the leader’s family they were talking about!

“Tell them Su Yin isn’t a pure girl anymore, that she’s been messing around with the militia company commander’s son. I don’t believe the Gu family would still want a used shoe!”

….

At the Gu family home, Old Master Gu Hongkai stepped out of his room. The seventy-year-old former commander had spent his life in the army. Though his body bore the injuries of war, he still looked hale and spirited, his eyes especially bright and sharp.

“So this is the Su family girl?”

Even his voice carried strength, making it hard to believe he was well past seventy.

“Hello, Grandpa Gu, I’m Su Yin.”

“Sit, sit.” Old Master Gu gestured for her to sit, refusing any help for himself as he took the main seat on the sofa, back still held as straight as he could manage.

“You look like your grandfather—especially the eyes.” Gu Hongkai sighed as memories stirred. “Old Comrade Su was eight years younger than me, yet he left before I did. Ah…”

“Before he passed, Grandpa still thought of you, and of the days you fought side by side.”

“Yes… back then we were young and strong, fearless, fighting battle after battle. Not like now—so many gone, so many ill.”

At this hour, the Gu household only had Old Master Gu, the housemaid, and his orderly at home.

After some small talk, Su Yin took out an old photo of her grandfather in army uniform for him to see, which brought another wave of memories to the old man.

“Grandpa Gu, this is dried radish and hawthorn jam from my home. Grandpa used to say you loved these.”

Her purse was light, and it was her first visit to the Gu household, so she couldn’t bring anything lavish. But she remembered her grandfather mentioning this and had brought it along.

Seeing the slightly curled dried radish and the bright red hawthorn jam, Old Master Gu was instantly transported back to the days of fighting in the southwest. His heart swelled.
“Good. You’ve been thoughtful. I’ve been craving this for over ten years!”

They chatted a while longer before Old Master Gu told her to stay at ease in the Gu home.
“There aren’t many people here—just your uncle and aunt, me, and your Granny Wang. Oh, and Aunt Wu.”

Wu Xiufen, the Gu family’s live-in maid, was a relative of Gu Cheng’s wife’s family. She had married a man who drank and beat her and her daughter. When she tried to run, he hunted her down relentlessly, never letting her live in peace—until Old Master Gu, gun in hand, threatened to shoot him if he dared come again.

After that, the man backed off. Wu Xiufen, divorced and struggling to raise her daughter, eventually came to work as the Gu family’s maid. Now that her daughter was married, she had been living here for nearly half her life. She poured two cups of tea before going off to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

“And then there’s my grandson, Cheng An. You can trust his character—just a bit young and not very steady yet.”

Old Master Gu glanced at Su Yin, who was sitting properly on the sofa, calm and unflustered. The more they spoke, the more he was pleased. He could tell she was a good child, especially with those clear, bright eyes.

He had dealt with countless people in his lifetime—often, one glance was enough to see someone’s true heart.

“You’re eighteen or nineteen this year?” he asked, doing the math in his head.

“Nineteen.”

“Cheng An’s twenty—you’re about the same age.” The more he thought about it, the more satisfied he felt. “Once you two marry, he should understand what responsibilities a man should bear.”

Su Yin: “!”

She had never imagined that Grandpa Gu would be so straightforward right from the start. She knew her own situation well—her family and the Gu family were worlds apart. If her grandfather hadn’t once saved Grandpa Gu’s life, there would never have been that spur-of-the-moment idea to arrange a childhood engagement.

She hadn’t expected Grandpa Gu to take his promise so seriously. Her own grandfather hadn’t wanted to cling to someone powerful, but in his final days, he could only think to seek his old comrade’s protection for his granddaughter—not to marry her off, but simply to give her a safe home.

Choosing her words carefully, Su Yin tried to explain her intentions.
“Grandpa Gu, actually, this time I came mainly because Grandpa asked me to… to visit you on his behalf, to see his old comrade…”

Hearing this, Gu Hongkai’s face lit up with relief, though he still felt regret for being unable to attend his old comrade’s funeral due to his health.

“And also… whether it’s Grandpa or me, we know there’s a huge gap between our families. That engagement set back then was just a joke. You don’t have to take it to heart…”

“Nonsense!” Gu Hongkai’s moustache bristled as his eyes widened, practically bulging out. “What joke? An engagement is an engagement! Anyone who dares to talk nonsense is going against me, Gu Hongkai!”

Su Yin: “…”

“Grandpa Gu…”

The old master’s domineering presence was on full display. Just as Su Yin was about to explain further, she suddenly heard a commotion — loud voices bustling towards the Gu household.

Two women and a man stepped into the Gu family’s living room. Following the sound, Su Yin looked over and saw the young man’s face bruised and swollen. Beside him, an older aunt was wailing, ready to lodge a complaint with the old master.

“Old Master Gu, just look at what your Gu Cheng’an has done!”

“No matter what happened, he shouldn’t have beaten our Jianguo like this!”

“Your Gu Cheng’an was far too heavy-handed!”

The old man’s brows furrowed as he listened to their chattering. With a loud smack, his palm landed on the coffee table.
“Liu Maoyuan, bring Gu Cheng’an back here!”

“Yes, sir!”