Chapter 38

Military District Compound.

Gu Xiangqian underwent an examination at the military hospital and was prescribed a week’s worth of medication. Among a group of sickly patients with pale, thin faces, he alone looked healthy with a rosy complexion and full of energy.

As per routine, the military doctor was supposed to prescribe a nutritional plan for the patients. However, due to the ongoing food shortage, patients had trouble finding good supplements to boost their physical strength. The hospital could only offer some soybeans, fish bone powder, and sugar to provide nutritional support.

When it was Gu Xiangqian’s turn, the doctor hesitated for a moment as he noticed that Gu Xiangqian looked much better than most of the patients and didn’t appear sick at all.

But, of course, one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. The doctor quickly wrote up the nutritional prescription, handed it to Gu Xiangqian, and instructed, “Comrade Gu, your recovery is going well. Be sure to take the medicine on time and avoid strenuous activities. At home, try to find a way to supplement your nutrition.”

Noticing that Gu Xiangqian was listed as married on his medical records, the doctor added, “And during this time, be sure to avoid intimacy.”

After picking up his medication from the pharmacy, Gu Xiangqian turned around and gave his nutritional prescription to a young soldier.

Recently, there had been a constant supply of pork belly, eggs, bones, and milk powder at home. Gu Xiangqian had gained a few pounds, and didn’t need the prescription at all.

The young soldier, surprised to receive a prescription from his superior, was momentarily stunned, his heart warmed, and he happily ran to the pharmacy to pick up his nutritional powder.

“Th-thank you, Comrade Gu!”

Yao Chunyu witnessed this scene, feeling a wave of warmth in her heart. Gu Xiangqian had always been such a helpful comrade, kind-hearted, and of strong character.

She took three food coupons out of her pocket.

Upon returning, Yao Chunyu had heard that Gu Xiangqian had donated all the goods from his home, and she deeply admired his decisiveness and foresight.

Coming from a bourgeois family, Yao Chunyu followed Gu’s example and persuaded her parents to donate everything they could to the state. Of course, valuable items such as calligraphy, paintings, gold, silver, porcelain, and antiques were secretly moved by Yao Chunyu, and the worthless items were exchanged for grain.

In the past, the troublesome items from the Yao family’s labor reformation were turned into actual grain. With three years of hardship already underway, only one-third of it had passed, and there were still two tough years to endure. Grain was the most important thing.

Having exchanged the family assets, Yao Chunyu had accumulated enough grain for her entire family for several years. With her worries eased, she had been in good spirits recently, her complexion rosy and her heart content.

She handed the food coupons to Gu Xiangqian. “Xiangqian, wait a moment, this is for you.”

Gu Xiangqian looked at the thirty pounds of food coupons with a furrowed brow, not quite understanding what this meant.

Yao Chunyu smiled and said, “Last year, when I was deported from the Soviet Union, it was you who had your Soviet classmates take me in. These food coupons are my way of thanking you, don’t be polite, you need to replenish your nutrition while you’re recovering.”

Su Ye was very lazy and gluttonous, and her behavior had made the whole compound aware of it in her previous life. The last time Yao Chunyu visited the Gu family, she had seen with her own eyes how Su Ye would waste a pound of meat and half a pound of rice just to cook one meal. Since Gu Xiangqian had donated his family’s wealth, how could he afford her extravagance?

Gu Xiangqian politely and distantly replied, “Comrade Yao, I appreciate your kindness, but there’s no need for the food coupons. At that time, it was Commander Yao who asked for my help, and he has already thanked me.”

—

Meanwhile, Su Ye had just bid farewell to He Meimei and was heading back home.

When she reached near the military hospital, she suddenly saw Gu Xiangqian and Yao Chunyu standing together, looking like a perfect couple, chatting happily. Yao Chunyu handed him something.

Upon seeing this, Su Ye felt as if a green glow was radiating from her head.

Although in the book, Gu Xiangqian and Yao Chunyu were meant to be together, and the plot made him blind and amnesiac to bring them together, Su Ye hadn’t cared about Gu Xiangqian before. Now that she had decided to stay, whatever she wanted, she would make sure it was hers.

She smiled and walked up to him, wrapping her arm around his, and addressed Yao Chunyu, “Comrade Yao, our family isn’t lacking in food right now, we can still afford to eat, so there’s no need for your assistance.”

Her head rested affectionately against Gu Xiangqian’s chest as she lovingly asked him, “Right, Xiangqian?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Su Ye glanced at the food coupons. Thirty pounds of food coupons… Wow, as expected of a heroine from a bourgeois family, her first move was handing out dozens of pounds of food coupons. How much homework would she have to grade to earn that much food?

Suddenly, Su Ye’s bold action made Gu Xiangqian stiffen. After a moment, his hand landed on her dark head, adjusting her posture to stand up straight. He frowned, feeling awkward, and wondered if others would laugh at the situation.

He briefly replied, “Yes.”

“Comrade Yao, it’s getting late, we should head home.”

Yao Chunyu was momentarily stunned, her face suddenly turned pale. She looked at the couple walking away with a complicated expression.

Gu Xiangqian must not like someone like Su Ye. Otherwise, how could their relationship have been so disastrous in their previous life, turning into the laughingstock of the entire compound? Yao Chunyu didn’t want to wait for another ten years, an unsuitable marriage should end sooner rather than later.

Su Ye and Gu Xiangqian seemed to be entirely different kinds of people.

Once they reached the building, Su Ye shrugged off Gu Xiangqian’s hand and quickly ran up the stairs.

Gu Xiangqian shook his head at the sight. He thought of Su Ye pouting earlier and couldn’t help but smile.

After returning home, Su Ye sat on the bed, hands on her hips, and looked at Gu Xiangqian. “I’m giving you a chance to explain.”

Gu Xiangqian didn’t speak but silently filled a basin with water. He poured some hot water from the thermos, squatted in front of Su Ye, and started removing her shoes and socks to massage her feet. Su Ye had stood for several lessons that day, and her feet had become stiff. After a while of his massage, she sighed in relief, her anger easing without her even realizing it.

Then she thought to herself, Gu Xiangqian wasn’t the type of man to ^[1]“Put a green hat on someone” is a Chinese idiom that refers to a man being cheated on by his partner, especially when the woman is having an affair. The phrase suggests that the man is … Continue readingput a green hat on someone.

Gu Xiangqian dried her feet with a towel, then went to the cupboard to get some food coupons. He went to the canteen to buy a pound of pork ribs and two taels of tofu.

After bringing the food back, he washed the rice and vegetables, then started cooking the tofu stew. The pork ribs were expertly cut into small, even pieces, and sautéed with a circle of onions, ginger, and garlic over low heat. Finally, he added a starch-based sauce to thicken it.

On this hot day, he was wearing a pine green uniform, his buttons meticulously fastened to the last one. Sweat dripped from his sharp, thick eyebrows, and his tall figure was a striking sight.

Su Ye watched with pleasure, fully aware of how strong and fit the body wrapped in that thin fabric was. Unfortunately, for now, she could only look, but couldn’t touch.

Gu Xiangqian had been so awkward lately. Talking about getting to know each other better—wasn’t that just a way to start a romance? Although Su Ye wasn’t good at romance, she was willing to make an effort if it meant getting some meat.

With danger coming from both sides, she knew the fresh meat had to be eaten before she could feel secure.

Su Ye leaned in and kissed Gu Xiangqian. “Is it hot? I see you’ve sweated a lot.”

Gu Xiangqian felt something soft and warm press against his back. The man’s body was completely different from a woman’s, when he was back-to-back with his comrades, he never had any distracting thoughts, just the feeling of hitting a wall. But when Su Ye pressed against him, she felt soft, like a sponge. A faint redness spread to his ears.

“It’s cramped here, you can just take the dishes outside,” he said.

Su Ye smiled and replied, “Okay!”

She shook her head in disagreement. “It’s fine to wear a vest at home, but what if you get heatstroke? How about I help you take your clothes off?”

Gu Xiangqian, who could endure standing at attention in the scorching sun, surely wasn’t bothered by such mild heat. He noticed the spark in Su Ye’s eyes, and a sharp pain shot through his temple. He suppressed the complex emotions rising in him.

—

The next day.

After breakfast, Su Ye went outside and was blocked by Yang Xue’s father at the gate of the military district.

He was holding a bunch of watches, looking troubled and unhappy. He clapped his hands and sighed. “Teacher Su, you’re finally out!”

“Look at this!” he exclaimed. “These are the watches my colleague brought to my house last night for an exchange. They say the quality is poor, and they broke after only a few days.”

Although ten yuan wasn’t much, it was still a significant amount for workers whose monthly wages were only around twenty or thirty yuan.

Especially given the current economic difficulties, Yang Xue’s father had been yelled at by his colleagues the previous night, making the poor man unable to sleep well. Early this morning, he hurried to the military district gate to wait for Su Ye.

Su Ye first reassured Yang Xue’s father and took the watches, inspecting each one. She pondered for a moment, saying, “I don’t have the right tools with me right now, but I’ll check them at school later.”

Before this, Su Ye had never seen so many returned watches at once. The refurbished watches were usually of good quality, and the office at the high school rarely received returned watches. These days, students mainly worked on repairing radios and watches, offering “trade-in” services, and refurbished watches were becoming even rarer.

Logically, there shouldn’t have been so many defective watches. Could it be that she had overlooked something when checking the refurbished watches in bulk?

Su Ye took the watches and, extending her hand, asked, “Where are the receipts for these watches?”

Yang Xue’s father froze for a moment, then slapped his thigh. “They were so worked up yesterday that I forgot to ask for the receipts.”

This was also the first time that defective watches had appeared in the Changyou factory. Yang Xue’s father was coming to Su Ye for “after-sales service” regarding the watches for the first time.

Su Ye said seriously, “Uncle Yang, I can’t accept these watches right now. You’ll need to bring them for me to check.”

Teacher He had mentioned a long time ago that many people were involved in refurbishing watches in the market. Without a receipt, how could anyone know if these watches came from their factory?

Fortunately, Su Ye had been well-prepared. She had registered each watch with the owner’s details, including which watch was sold to whom, the serial number, and the brand. Everything was clearly recorded, so she wouldn’t risk being taken advantage of later.

Yang Xue’s father was not an ignorant person, just rather honest. He had been scolded so harshly the night before that, in his panic, he had taken back all the watches.

Hearing Su Ye’s words, he realized his mistake. He slapped his forehead and said, “I was too rushed and confused. I’ll take the watches back and ask them for the receipts.”

After saying that, Yang Xue’s father gathered the watches and bid farewell to Su Ye.

—

No. 1 Middle school.

Su Ye arrived at the office and, on a whim, asked Zhou Yi to show her the accounts.

Zhou Yi handed over the account book for April. Su Ye glanced through the densely packed numbers, and satisfied, she closed the book.

Teacher He leaned over to look as well. “I want to see too.”

Last month, there had been over 800 yuan in income, and this month, the new business of “trade-in” and “radio repair” had increased the revenue. Plus, a new group of high school students had joined the team, so the accounts for this month were surely looking great.

Even Teacher He, who had a positive outlook, was stunned by the figures in the account book. He was so shocked he couldn’t speak. “How could there be so much?”

He had been used to seeing Zhou Yi count the money every day, going to the bank to deposit a few hundred yuan at a time, but he hadn’t realized that Zhou Yi was going to the bank every day?

Why was Su Ye so calm when looking at the accounts, while Teacher He was stunned, rubbing his eyes and checking again? The numbers were still the same.

“3,142.80 yuan…”

The cost for repairing a radio ranged from 5 to 20 yuan, and exchanging an old watch for a new one cost 10 yuan, which meant they repaired seven or eight radios and watches each day. If you turned this into stacks of 10 yuan bills, it would probably be enough to cover the teacher’s entire desk.

Su Ye rolled up the test papers and tapped Teacher He on the head. “Calm down, don’t make such a fuss. This afternoon, the teachers will hold a meeting to discuss how to use this money.”

Su Ye had received government funding, easing the financial pressure. Right now, depositing the money in the bank for interest wouldn’t be very effective.

Knowledge is the true priceless wealth. She planned to take out part of the money to purchase books to cultivate the students’ interests and broaden their horizons.

Books are the medium through which knowledge is passed on.