Chapter 23

After Gu Xiangqian finished his shower, he came out with a faint mist of water clinging to his body, droplets rolling off the tips of his hair. In this era, the communal showers and toilets in the tenement buildings were shared, and his alluring appearance as he walked through the halls had likely been seen by countless people.

Su Ye felt like she had been taken advantage of. She ladled a bowl of duck soup for Gu Xiangqian and reminded him,

“Next time, dry your hair before coming out. It’s still chilly, and you might catch a cold.”

Gu Xiangqian responded with a hum, a warmth flashing in his dark eyes. Since his mother’s death, no one had ever reminded him about these small details. Although Su Ye could be willful in other ways, he could still tolerate it.

The old duck blood soup had a slightly sweet, rich flavor, having been simmered for a long time. The duck meat was tender and soft, the skin so delicate it would break apart with a single bite.

Gu Xiangqian ate contentedly, finishing two large bowls of the soup.

Su Ye quickly finished her meal as well. She reached over and touched Gu Xiangqian’s thick, damp hair, which was soft and didn’t prick at all.

His back had a strong, straight line, and his shoulder muscles were evenly shaped and graceful, not like the terrifying, bulky muscles some men had. His firm muscles seemed to contain incredible strength.

Su Ye thought to herself that she’d accept being trapped in this “pit” of hers—how could she resist having such a vibrant, attractive man by her side? Moreover, Gu Xiangqian’s face and body were perfectly aligned with Su Ye’s tastes.

Su Ye’s eyes heated up as she looked at him and kissed his cold, expressionless face.

Gu Xiangqian still hadn’t finished his last spoonful of soup when Su Ye’s touch made him feel like he was on fire—what was this about?

“Sit still and don’t move. It’s still early,” Gu Xiangqian said as he carefully pulled Su Ye off him and adjusted her sitting position.

Su Ye laughed lightly, “It’s early, so that’s even better.”

(The content here is automatically censored.)

It was already late at night. Gu Xiangqian glanced at the clock. In order to avoid affecting his rest for tomorrow, he furrowed his brow and said, “Again? It’s getting late.”

Su Ye’s mind was buzzing with excitement, fireworks bursting in her head. Weakly, she raised her thumb and said, “Come on, more! Let’s go for it!”

While she could still enjoy it, she wanted to take advantage of the moment—what if she couldn’t have it later?

Su Ye bit down on Gu Xiangqian’s neck, “Brother, you’re so strong. Let’s go again.”

Could Gu Xiangqian resist? He let out a muffled groan—any man would struggle to hold back…

—

The next day, Su Ye’s legs were trembling uncontrollably as she went to school. She sat in the office, her face pale, resting for a long time before she could get back to normal.

She slowly bit into the meat-filled buns that Gu Xiangqian had made for her, and in another lunchbox was the old duck soup noodles he had personally prepared.

She didn’t know where this man had gotten the meat-filled buns from. The food rationing book didn’t have any meat left, but somehow, Gu Xiangqian had made her favorite meat buns. Thinking that Gu Xiangqian might have traded his salary with his comrades for the buns, Su Ye felt a hint of sweetness in her bite.

During the break, He Meimei came to find Su Ye and handed her a large ten-yuan bill. “Su Ye, I want to buy a watch.”

Although He Meimei worked long hours, she was very frugal and rarely bought luxury items.

When she heard that Su Ye had managed to get ten-yuan watches, she trusted her enough to try purchasing one.

Su Ye took the money, opened her notebook, and wrote down He Meimei’s name. He Meimei smiled and said, “This is to support your business, after all.”

Teacher He, who was also in the room, picked up on the conversation and jokingly said, “Meimei, you don’t know this, but we don’t even have to worry about selling watches. There’s a long line of people waiting for them.”

He gestured and added, “I won’t hide it from you, there are at least 50 or 60 people ahead of you.”

He Meimei was left speechless with surprise.

What did it mean to have fifty or sixty people waiting? Ten yuan a watch, that’s five to six hundred yuan! She had thought that Su Ye was just tinkering with some refurbished watches, but it turned out they were so popular. He Meimei couldn’t believe it.

She didn’t expect Su Ye to pull off such a big deal.

Su Ye smiled and handed He Meimei a cup of tea. “Don’t worry, don’t listen to Teacher He’s nonsense. Of course, we’ll take care of our own first. If the watches are ready, I’ll be the first to give one to you.”

By the weekend, the students had worked together to track down the classmates who had dropped out of school. One by one, the students returned to school, full of enthusiasm. Secretly, they gathered after school, putting in serious effort as they worked together.

Before long, Su Ye received a batch of refurbished watches.

Su Ye followed the list and delivered each watch to its buyer, along with a beautifully written little note attached to each one.

Money flowed into Su Ye’s hands like water: one-yuan red bills, ^[1]Baotashan refers to a mountain in China, and Baotashan notes were a form of local or specific banknotes issued in certain regions. These notes were often used in the past before the adoption of the … Continue readingBaotashan notes, three-yuan note, large ten-yuan bills, red five-yuan bills, and various small change… Teacher He, the bookkeeper, was counting the money with increasing excitement.

By the end, Teacher He was so flustered that his eyes were turning red, his breathing disordered. “No, no, something’s wrong. Let’s count it again.”

As a Chinese teacher, Teacher He’s skills in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division were limited to the occasional purchases and sales of goods. He didn’t have the abilities of an accountant. Afraid of making mistakes in counting the money, Teacher He held a stack of bills and counted them over and over.

The whole office watched him. If it weren’t for the sincere, goofy look on Teacher He’s face, everyone would probably think he was doing it on purpose.

Counting the money repeatedly—was he trying to show off his wealth?

This scene deeply pierced the hearts of all the poor people present.

Zhou Yi shook his head and took the money. He said calmly, “Let me do it.”

Zhou Yi counted the money quickly, and soon confirmed the total. He reported the amount, “1,032 yuan.”

Teacher He adjusted his glasses and took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead. It seemed as though he was explaining to himself when he said, “Look, with so much money, how could I not be a little more careful and count a few times?”

He paused for a moment, then added, “Old Zhou, are you sure it’s correct? Count it again and double-check?”

To be honest, Teacher He had never counted such a large sum of money in all his years.

Zhou Yi gave Teacher He a look that seemed almost dismissive, then said calmly, “There’s no mistake. Don’t believe me? You count it yourself.”

Hearing this, Teacher He quickly waved his hand. “No, no, Old Zhou, I trust you.”

Su Ye couldn’t help but shake her head and laugh. When she first met Teacher He, he had such a stern and upright face. Turns out, behind the scenes, he was quite the joker.

The other teachers who witnessed this scene were deeply shocked. They gasped inwardly—selling refurbished watches was really this profitable?

Fang Zhou looked at his wrist in disbelief. Such a small thing could make so much money?

He Meimei, seeing so much money, wasn’t as surprised as she had been at first. Teacher He had mentioned before that fifty to sixty customers were waiting to buy watches.

Others started to realize, one by one, “A thousand yuan is just about the price of a hundred-yuan watch.”

“All the teachers in the No. 1 middle school office pretty much have one of these watches. Won’t the demand be even greater outside?”

Su Ye and the others had been tinkering with these watches for nearly half a month—could they not sell watches for just a hundred yuan? Not to mention, there were already more than a dozen teachers in the No. 1 middle school who had bought refurbished watches. And what about the teachers’ family members, friends, and relatives?

With family, friends, and relatives spreading the word, this could quickly radiate out in all directions. It probably wouldn’t be long before everyone in the city knew that students from the No. 1 middle school had put together cheap refurbished watches.

He Meimei took out the small note from her drawer. It had been carefully copied by many of the teachers. Those with the best handwriting were the ones Teacher He had recruited to write the notes.

The note was filled with dense, careful writing, sincerely and modestly worded. It explained the origin of the watches and promised a one-month satisfaction guarantee, with free repairs. The note was written so cautiously that it completely dispelled any doubts from the buyers.

These refurbished watches weren’t just cheap and practical—they also carried such significance. Who could resist buying one?

Even He Meimei herself was confident enough to recommend them to her friends. If each person wasn’t limited to buying just one, she would definitely have bought more just for the price. People’s hearts were completely won over, and with that, the refurbished watches definitely wouldn’t have trouble selling!

Soon, the office was filled with compliments and praises from the teachers.

Liu Qiu was so shocked by the scene that she couldn’t even speak. 1,032 yuan—what kind of concept is that? That’s the equivalent of two years’ worth of a teacher’s salary! And Su Ye and her students had earned it in just under a month…

Last month, Liu Qiu had joked with Gao Anna about Su Ye’s pitiful salary, and now, less than a month had passed, and Su Ye had turned around and earned over a thousand yuan with her students. Liu Qiu’s face burned with a mixture of envy and jealousy.

Su Ye was the calmest person, she didn’t even care about the money.

If it weren’t for her intentionally lowering the price, she probably could have earned even more!

Su Ye had secretly conducted a small market survey. She had Yang Xue’s father gather data on the workers at the oil factory, to find out how many of them were interested in buying a watch (by registering their intent to buy). There were more than two hundred people who wanted to buy one, and over a hundred who had owned a watch before. This indicated that watches were highly sought after during this era.

Watches were not just a status symbol, they also had practical uses. No matter how expensive they were, people would go so far as to ^[2]“Tighten their belts” is an idiomatic expression that means to reduce spending or live more frugally, especially when money is tight. The phrase comes from the idea of tightening a belt … Continue readingtighten their belts, scrimp and save for an entire year just to buy a watch. And what about cheap second-hand watches?

It took about two or three hours to refurbish a watch, and each student could make one a day. They were full of energy, and with ten students working hard, it wouldn’t take a week to generate this kind of income. In the short term, their “repair team” was poised to reach a peak in earnings.

From the 1,000 yuan profit, Su Ye deducted the students’ tuition and book fees, then handed the remaining money to Zhou Yi.

She told Zhou Yi, “When you have time, make a budget. Calculate the expenses, income, costs, and profits from the watches. Keep the necessary expenses, and put the rest in the bank.”

Su Ye had inquired about the interest rates at the banks in the 1960s. The interest for savings accounts was roughly around 2%, which wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. People in this era didn’t have much concept of savings, and only state-owned factories or enterprises would deposit large sums of money in the bank, since ordinary people didn’t have much extra money.

But now that they had money, things were different. A 2% interest rate wasn’t small, and even a small sum could add up over time.

Su Ye continued, “I’ll go to the accounting office to pay the students’ tuition. Later, I’ll draw up a set of rules and list the details of the income and expenses every month.”

Without even blinking, she filled out a tuition payment form, tore off her copy, and handed the rest to Zhou Yi.

As their income slowly increased, it became inappropriate for the young students to handle large sums of money. Su Ye handed the money to Teacher He and Zhou Yi, and planned to make the financial details public and prepare for third-party supervision.

Teacher He, curious, asked, “Aren’t you going to manage the money? I remember you did really well in math.”

Her recruitment exam had gotten a perfect score, and even Zhou Yi said she was highly skilled.

Su Ye smiled and patted Teacher He on the shoulder. “You all are enough. I’ll leave it to you. I’ll be going now.”

—

Su Ye went to the accounting office and happily paid the tuition for the ten third-year students. She handed out the payment receipts to the students one by one, and only then did they truly believe they could continue their studies.

Qian Xiaohe carefully tucked the receipt into her pocket and gratefully said to Su Ye, “Thank you, Teacher Su.”

Ma Jianguo lowered his head, clenched his fists, and said, “Thank you, Teacher Su.”

The others felt their eyes welling up with tears. Looking at the tuition receipts, they couldn’t help but feel a lump in their throats, unable to believe that this day had finally come.

Su Ye smiled faintly and told the students, “This is a collective effort. You must study hard and not disappoint everyone’s investment in you.”

“Thank you, class monitor!” they all said in unison.

Yang Xue had stayed up so much her eyes were bloodshot, and her thumbs were covered in calluses from working. She felt warm inside when she heard this. “Don’t thank me. It’s Teacher Su who’s worked the hardest.”

During the day, Teacher Su guided them, and after school, she would check the quality of the watches. Her face had become pale from lack of sleep, and she looked thinner.

If only Su Ye knew what Yang Xue was thinking—if she did, she’d probably blush.

But this wasn’t just from guiding them. During this time, Su Ye had stayed up late every night, eating large portions of meat at every meal, to the point that she was suffering from indigestion, and her feet felt like they were floating when she walked.

If women in their thirties were compared to wolves or tigers, then men in their twenties were like perpetual motion machines. Su Ye was no match for Gu Xiangqian for now, so she had to raise the white flag and take a break for a few days.

Friday, after school.

After a practical lesson, Su Ye took half an hour to explain the principles of a radio. The classroom was packed to the brim—not only was the classroom full, but the hallway was also crowded.

The students who came to listen weren’t just third-year students, there were also second-year and first-year students, and even high school students. Hundreds of pairs of black, grape-like eyes were fixed on her, not missing a single moment, listening intently. Every note on the blackboard was copied down word for word in their notebooks.

After the class ended, Su Ye announced that school was over.

She walked out of the school and was about to take the bus home when she spotted a figure in pine green at the school gate.

Gu Xiangqian rang the bike bell, raised an eyebrow at her, and waved from a distance.

The teachers in the same office saw this scene and asked, “Teacher Su, is that your husband over there? He’s here to pick you up!”

One of the female colleagues leaned closer to Su Ye and, looking at the man, said, “Teacher Su’s husband is really handsome!”

That build, those legs—there was no other man on the entire street who looked as good as he did. Although they had heard that Su Ye was married, this was the first time they’d seen her husband!

Her husband just stood there, not doing anything, but the gazes of the people around couldn’t help but fall on him. With his appearance, his demeanor, it was clear he was no ordinary man.

The female colleagues commented, “Teacher Su, you should let him pick you up more often. It would be so impressive! A guy this handsome really lifts the spirits.”

Su Ye, basking in the attention of both teachers and students, steeled herself and sat on the back of Gu Xiangqian’s bicycle.

“How did you find the time to come?” Su Ye asked curiously.

Gu Xiangqian calmly replied, “There was no training this afternoon. I borrowed Maogang’s bike to come pick you up. Are you sitting tight?”

He reminded her, “Hold on to me.”

Only then did Su Ye place her hand on his waist, just catching a small part of his shirt.

Gu Xiangqian couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. His wife was fiery in bed, passionate enough to burn someone up, yet when she was dressed, she was so aloof. The bicycle went down a slope, and with two quick pedal strokes, the bike sped up as though flying.

Su Ye, feeling nervous, clung to him tightly.

A barely noticeable smile curved at the corner of Gu Xiangqian’s mouth.

The golden sunlight bathed them both, and the couple’s conversation about what to have for dinner was drowned out by the sound of the wind.

“Su Ye, what do you want to eat? Want to go to the state-run restaurant? I still have some food and meat coupons.”

Su Ye scoffed, “I’m not going anywhere, you devil! Gu Xiangqian, you don’t have any meat coupons anymore. You think you can even dream of going to a state-run restaurant? You should just go home and eat your buckwheat steamed buns!”

“I… have… some…” His quiet mutter was completely drowned out by the wind.

—

Military District Compound.

Soon, Su Ye’s involvement in refurbishing watches at school spread to the compound.

It all started when Liu Qiu bought a refurbished watch.

Gao Anna saw that Liu Qiu had bought a new watch and casually asked, “You’ve got a new watch, huh? How much was it? What brand? Let me take a look.”

Gao Anna guessed that Liu Qiu must have mentioned an engagement, and the watch was likely a gift from her fiancé. Otherwise, considering Liu Qiu’s not-so-wealthy family background and the fact that she had just graduated, how could she afford a new watch?

Gao Anna felt a tinge of envy, she still couldn’t afford to buy a watch.

Liu Qiu had overcome her psychological barrier and, for the sake of a watch, finally relented to Su Ye. Although Su Ye had said that the performance of each watch was similar, Liu Qiu still chose a Meihua-brand watch for herself. At this moment, she couldn’t stop admiring it. Though the watch wasn’t as new as when she first bought it, it didn’t look old either.

She extended her wrist toward Gao Anna to show it clearly.

“This is a Meihua-brand.”

Gao Anna glanced at it and confirmed it was indeed a Meihua-brand. Meihua was an imported brand, a Swiss-made luxury watch, and the cheapest ones cost over a hundred yuan. Liu Qiu had managed to find a generous man?

Li Hongli leaned in for a closer look and immediately saw that Liu Qiu’s watch was second-hand.

“Cousin, take a good look. This watch isn’t new! Maybe someone gave you their old watch?”

Liu Qiu hesitated for a moment, but remembering Su Ye’s passionate explanation about the significance of refurbished watches, she straightened her back and said, “It wasn’t a gift from anyone. I bought it myself.”

“It’s true that it’s not new, not from a department store, but it’s more meaningful.”

Liu Qiu took out the small note that came with the watch and, almost proudly, said, “This watch was made by a student from our school. Buying one means helping a child who can’t afford school to return to education.”

“Sure, the high-end watches in department stores are new, but none of them have the meaning my watch has. Plus, it only cost me ten yuan.”

“Ten yuan?” Gao Anna’s eyes widened in disbelief. A ten-yuan watch—was it blown in by the wind? So cheap?

She and her cousin both took the small note and read it. When they saw that it was signed by “Green Factory” and “Su Ye, Teacher at No. 1 Middle School,” they were instantly stunned.

“Why is it again this Su Ye? Is this her doing?” Gao Anna asked in confusion.

“She could do something like this?” Li Hongli said disdainfully.

Liu Qiu nodded. Lately, everyone in the office had been praising Teacher Su to the skies. She had no pressure in praising Su Ye herself, and she casually picked a few compliments that she’d heard so many times her ears were getting sore.

“Yes, it really is Teacher Su from our school.”

“She teaches science and is very interested in mechanical parts. She’s always tinkering with this stuff. Little by little, she taught her students how to repair watches, repair radios… She has a lot of students who dropped out in her grade, and that’s when the idea of refurbishing watches came to her.”

“She managed to bring back all the students who had dropped out of the ninth grade just with this little watch. I saw with my own eyes how much money she made—”

Liu Qiu held up one finger.

Although she had some psychological barriers to boasting about someone she had once looked down upon, Liu Qiu now recognized Su Ye, especially considering how much money she had made.

Who could argue with that? A thousand yuan, right there on the table, made the poor feel deeply shocked.

“One hundred yuan?” Li Hongli asked.

Liu Qiu shook her head. “Not just that! One thousand yuan! And that was last week’s count. It won’t be the same next week.”

One thousand yuan?

The two women, who had been dismissive and scornful, were now full of shock and doubt. How could Su Ye have earned so much money? Even if they didn’t eat or drink for an entire year, they wouldn’t be able to make that much.

Liu Qiu said, “What are you looking at me like that for? We’ve known each other for so many years. Do I look like someone who would lie?”

Li Hongli suddenly became serious. “Making that much money… that’s no ordinary business activity! That’s profiteering, underhanded dealings! Su Ye, even at best, is just running a private operation. How dare she do something like this?”

Li Hongli truly hated Su Ye. Recently, Su Ye had been constantly hanging around with Gu Xiangqian, acting all clingy. When Gu Xiangqian was training, she would wait outside the training area for him and shamelessly wipe his sweat.

Li Hongli had once secretly tried to get close to Gu Xiangqian, but he acted clueless, completely oblivious to her advances. Then, he turned around and treated a rural woman, who was no match for her in any way, with such care. Su Ye was lazy, had a bad temper, and dared to undermine Gu Xiangqian’s authority in front of the soldiers. Yet Gu Xiangqian didn’t seem to mind at all?

He might as well have chosen Yao Chunyu back then! That way, Li Hongli wouldn’t be so angry. Losing to Yao Chunyu wouldn’t be embarrassing, but losing to Su Ye was truly humiliating.

Liu Qiu was startled by Li Hongli’s words and widened her eyes in surprise, as if she had heard something outrageous.

She scratched her head for a moment before asking, “What do you mean by ‘profiteering’? This shouldn’t count, right?”

If Su Ye were profiteering, then wouldn’t that mean she was selling stolen goods?

Liu Qiu thought for a moment and tried to explain. “It shouldn’t count. This isn’t something Su Ye is doing alone. Many students from the middle school department gathered together and did this voluntarily. The money doesn’t even pass through Su Ye’s hands. She’s not making any profit, so how is it profiteering?”

“The principal supports her, too,” Liu Qiu added, trying to defend her. “It’s not, not… um, buying up goods to sell at higher prices, hoarding, or speculating for profit, right?”

Li Hongli listened and slowly said, “Even if it’s not profiteering, it’s still improper. She should stop this business as soon as possible. Letting a bunch of students follow her to make money—what kind of example is that? She’s just after the money.”

Liu Qiu hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back. A business that makes money and has meaning? Only a fool would stop it.

If someone offered you a thousand yuan, would you dare say you weren’t tempted?