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Chapter 11: The Gu Family’s Past
Lin Baoni and Gu Ye were now officially husband and wife.
Since their relationship was now legitimate, people no longer had anything to gossip about.
“It’s already late today. Tomorrow, come to the Military Unit Family Residential Compound and check out the house that was assigned to us. See what else we need to furnish.” Gu Ye said.
He wasn’t very used to interacting with female comrades, especially someone like Lin Baoni, who looked so soft and delicate.
“Comrade Gu Ye, is it convenient for outsiders to enter the Family Residential Compound? To be honest, I don’t really understand household matters. How about I bring my mother along? She’ll know what we need to get.” Baoni suggested.
She had lived two lifetimes, yet when it came to household matters—especially the kitchen—she had no clue what was necessary.
Gu Ye looked at Lin Baoni, who spoke with an innocent yet righteous expression. “It’s fine. You just need to register at the entrance. I’ll go back later and have your information recorded. Aren’t we legal now?”
Lin Baoni grinned. That was true.
After finishing their discussion, they parted ways.
Lin Baoni went home, and Gu Ye turned back toward the Military Unit.
“You got the certificate?” Xiao Chaoyang asked with a smile when Gu Ye walked in.
“Yes.” Gu Ye replied expressionlessly.
“You got the certificate, and then you just came back by yourself? You didn’t walk Comrade Lin home and stay for dinner?” Xiao Chaoyang asked in disbelief.
“What? I was supposed to walk her home and have dinner? Is that a required step?” Gu Ye asked, genuinely confused. He had grown up never escorting a female comrade home before.
“????”
A whole row of question marks seemed to run through Xiao Chaoyang’s mind.
No wonder Gu Ye had been single for over twenty years.
As a political instructor and an experienced married man, Xiao Chaoyang decided to give Gu Ye a lesson—teaching him how to please his wife and win over his father-in-law…
Listening to him, Gu Ye’s brows furrowed, his fists clenched, and the veins on his hands almost popped out.
Was it too late to regret everything now?
Xiao Chaoyang was so engrossed in his lecture that he didn’t notice Gu Ye’s face growing darker and darker.
It wasn’t until he saw Gu Ye’s increasingly grim expression that he realized he had said too much and had completely terrified him.
“Uh, well, what I said isn’t a standard answer. Every family has its own way of doing things. It depends on the people involved. Just take it as a reference—you don’t have to copy everything exactly.” he hurriedly added.
Then, without waiting for Gu Ye’s response, he turned around and ran away.
Gu Ye was left standing there, his thoughts in complete disarray. Was marriage really this complicated?
To understand why Gu Ye was the way he was, one had to look back at his family’s history.
Gu Ye’s mother, Xu Ning, came from a red capitalist family. She later joined the revolution and married Gu Ye’s father.
After the founding of the country, she transferred to the logistics department of a military hospital. When she was more than seven months pregnant, the hospital was infiltrated by spies. She was injured while trying to save people, which led to a premature and difficult birth. In the end, both she and the baby survived, but she remained bedridden from then on.
When their youngest daughter was five years old, Xu Ning’s condition worsened. Later, she witnessed her husband becoming entangled with a distant cousin who had come to help take care of their daughter. The shock and anger caused her to cough up blood, and ultimately, she passed away.
Gu Ye and his mother had both witnessed his father’s affair with the nanny who was taking care his little sister.
After his mother’s death, twelve-year-old Gu Ye grabbed a knife and tried to kill the woman.
Even when his father pointed a gun at his head, he showed no fear.
He was finally stopped by his grandfather and older brother.
From that moment on, the father and son became bitter enemies.
Gu Ye’s grandfather used his connections to have his father transferred out of the capital, taking that woman with him.
It wasn’t until two months before Gu Ye’s graduation from military academy that his father was reassigned back to the capital—bringing along that woman, their three children, and Gu Lan.
To avoid meeting his father, Gu Ye applied for a post on a remote island.
By the time his family found out, the transfer order had already been issued.
His grandfather and older brother had no choice but to accept his decision.
Gu Ye didn’t know if he would regret his choice, but a true man must take responsibility for his actions. He couldn’t let a female comrade suffer because of him.
He kept telling himself that what he was doing was right.
It had nothing to do with the fact that Lin Baoni’s warm, smiling face made him feel at ease.
News of Gu Ye’s marriage shocked the entire Gu family in the capital—everyone except his grandfather and older brother, who had been informed beforehand.
Gu Ye—the same twelve-year-old boy who had once held a knife against his father, who hadn’t even flinched when a gun was pointed at his head.
Gu Ye, the man who had always envisioned a battlefield death as his final fate—was getting married.
Grandpa Gu and Brother Gu started preparing money and ration tickets.
No matter the reason, Gu Ye had finally agreed—he was willing to get married, and that alone was something to be grateful for.
Brother Gu had deep and complicated feelings toward this younger brother, who was three years his junior.
Ever since their mother had been injured and fallen ill, her health had never been good and Gu Ye had always stayed by her side. While other boys his age were running around and playing with their friends, seven or eight-year-old Gu Ye remained at home, refusing to leave his mother’s side.
Other than attending school, he spent his time training his body or reading with their mother.
When their mother passed away, it was as if Gu Ye had fallen ill himself.
He became cold, distant, and impossible to approach.
It seemed like he no longer cared about anything.
Both he and their grandfather had tried to dissuade him from joining the military, fearing that he was too reckless.
But at fifteen, Gu Ye had passed the entrance exam to military school with the highest score, forcing them to compromise.
And now, Gu Ye was getting married.
It felt like a dream.
Brother Gu decided he had to go see for himself—otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to rest easy.
“Gu Ye is really getting married? Where is the girl from? What does she do? How did they meet?…” Sister-in-law Gu bombarded Brother Gu with a string of questions the moment he stepped through the door.
“With so many questions, which one do you expect me to answer first? Gu Ye is getting married—yes, it’s true. They’ve already gotten their marriage certificate.” Brother Gu said as he put down his briefcase, addressing the most important point. The rest was just idle curiosity.
“You still haven’t told me—what kind of person is the girl? Is she easy to get along with?” Sister-in-law Gu wasn’t satisfied with his vague answer. He was being too dismissive.
“How would I know if she’s easy to get along with? I haven’t even met her. Besides, this is Gu Ye’s marriage, he’s the one living with her. Why are you so curious about every little detail?” Brother Gu truly didn’t understand women—why was their curiosity so boundless? Always asking about things that didn’t matter.
“How could it have nothing to do with me? We are sisters-in-law by marriage, and we will have to get along in the future. Shouldn’t I inquire a little so I have an idea of what to expect?” Sister Gu felt that men saw things differently from women. It was the women who would be interacting in the future—two strangers coming together was not an easy matter.
“Oh, let’s not talk about that for now. Gu Ye is getting married. Are you going or not?” Sister Gu thought of Gu Ye’s relationship with Father Gu. Since Gu Ze had taken on the role of the eldest brother acting as the father, he had to handle everything.
“I must go. How could I not?” He wanted to witness his younger brother’s happiness, to see him tied to something, and perhaps cherish his life a little more.
“Then we should prepare more things and make it a lively event.” Sister Gu started thinking about what to buy and how much the dowry should be…
The couple, with their son only a few years old, already felt like they were about to become in-laws.
In truth, the reason Brother Gu took full responsibility for Gu Ye’s wedding was not just because of their strong brotherly bond.
There was another important reason.
Back then, when Father Gu cheated, fifteen-year-old Gu Ze had gone to their grandfather and seized all the savings from Mother Gu’s hands, leaving nothing for Father Gu.
It was essentially a clean break.
The secret assets left by Mother Gu had also been properly arranged by Gu Ze, without anyone knowing.
Naturally, Gu Ye had a share of these assets.
Previously, since Gu Ye had not been looking for a partner and had little personal expenses, the money had been kept in Gu Ze’s hands.
But now that Gu Ye was getting married, Gu Ze planned to hand over Gu Ye’s share for him to manage on his own.
stillnotlucia[Translator]
Hi~ If you want to know the schedule of updates, please visit the Novel's Fiction Page and look at the bottom part of the synopsis! Thank you so much for reading my translations! ૮꒰˵• ﻌ •˵꒱ა