Chapter 83

The next day.

Su Ye slept until late afternoon. She saw Gu Xiangqian in a good mood, reading by the bed, his face glowing with renewed energy, as if he had taken some kind of magical elixir, suddenly looking years younger. Su Ye couldn’t help but want to kick him a few times.

When Gu Xiangqian noticed she was awake, he casually poured a glass of milk and handed it to her, “You’re awake? Drink the milk, then go brush your teeth and wash your face.”

After finishing the milk, Su Ye suppressed the hunger in her stomach and noticed the leftovers on the table, suddenly remembering that she had invited everyone over for dinner the night before.

She rubbed her temples in frustration.

Gu Xiangqian smiled and explained, “Professor Zhou and the others have already been here. I told them you caught a cold and needed to rest. Also, for the wedding banquet, there’s a lot to prepare. I think it would be better to hold it in a week.”

“I also called the newspaper this morning to let them know you’re sick and rescheduled.”

Professor Zhou, the director, and the others didn’t suspect anything. Yesterday, Su Ye had come back drenched in sweat, her face showing clear signs of exhaustion, and they had all asked with concern if she had suffered from heatstroke.

As for the wedding banquet, it indeed needed careful preparation. Not only did she need to buy many things, but she also had to inform family and friends in advance, and a week was a tight schedule. He Meimei even personally delivered Su Ye’s high school diploma.

Su Ye’s headache worsened, “You should have woken me up.”

Gu Xiangqian took something out of the drawer and handed it to her. When Su Ye opened it, she saw her high school diploma.

He then pulled out a bouquet of flowers from somewhere and handed it to Su Ye, saying, “Su Ye, congratulations on your graduation.”

Su Ye looked at the diploma in her hand. The writing on it was neat and elegant, and she recognized it as the principal’s handwriting. With this diploma, Su Ye was finally no longer considered “illiterate.” She put the diploma away and teased, “It wasn’t easy. From now on, I’m officially a high school graduate.”

She couldn’t help but think back to when she first arrived here and nearly got assigned to sweep the streets because of her elementary school education. Just recalling that made her sigh.

Gu Xiangqian said to Su Ye, “You should get ready and have something to eat. We’ll head to the department store to buy some things now.”

He took several colorful coupons from the drawer and stuffed them into his leather wallet. After changing out of his pine green outfit, he put on a shirt, meticulously combed his hair into a slick back, and stood with his long legs spread apart, looking like the cool and aloof male lead from a restricted film from Hong Kong.

At this point, Su Ye felt too embarrassed to say that she didn’t need anything. There were still quite a few things needed to organize a proper wedding banquet.

Su Ye quickly ate a little bit of food to settle her stomach, and then Gu Xiangqian rode his bicycle, carrying her to the department store.

Gu Xiangqian had prepared about ten fabric coupons, and when he took them out, they formed a thick stack, quite substantial. Over the past few years, he had made a lot of clothes, and the army would issue clothes to the soldiers every year. He hadn’t needed to spend much on the fabric coupons, so all the extra ones were saved up and would be used for Su Ye.

He had a set of autumn and winter clothes and two sets of summer clothes made for her. The summer outfits were long dresses that had a youthful vibe, fitting for a student, while for the autumn and winter wear, he originally planned on making a set of Zhongshan suits, but since Su Ye already had one, he decided against it.

Gu Xiangqian communicated with the tailor for quite a while and had a winter vest suit dress made for Su Ye. He explained, “Your legs look great and are perfect for skirts. Many women abroad wear them like this. In formal occasions, it’s also quite appropriate.”

Su Ye was quite surprised by Gu Xiangqian’s request. It turned out that this serious and aloof man had some taste after all.

She looked down at the fabric Gu Xiangqian chose—black, white, and gray—nothing too flashy like bright reds or purples. These colors were indeed fail-safe. The 1960s weren’t yet at the point where women were prohibited from wearing skirts.

The young couple ordered three outfits in one go. The tailor had never encountered such a generous customer before. The processing fee for a summer outfit was 3 yuan, and a winter outfit was 5 yuan. Including the fabric coupons, it wasn’t cheap, and to accumulate that many coupons, it would take at least a whole year.

The tailor enthusiastically asked, “Are you two planning to get married?”

Gu Xiangqian smiled and replied, “Yes, she’s about to go to university, so I’m making a few outfits for her before school starts.”

“Already a college student,” the tailor said with even more politeness to Su Ye, smiling, “It’s impressive. You should work hard and study diligently, like the leaders say, contribute to building socialism!”

Su Ye nodded, smiling, “Yes, we should work hard to build socialism.”

Afterwards, Gu Xiangqian went to a high-end store and bought Su Ye a pair of leather shoes. These popular items were quite expensive, costing about 40 yuan for one pair. After Su Ye tried on the shoes that fit her, Gu Xiangqian paid the sales clerk without a blink of his eye, counting the money.

After buying the shoes, he took them from the clerk, casually touched Su Ye’s face, and asked, “Are your feet sore? Can you still walk?”

This kind of handsome, wealthy, and considerate man was so rare these days that he was like a national treasure, causing the sales clerk to look at Su Ye with envy.

Tsk, tsk, tsk, this was enough to make single, unmarried girls feel jealous.

Su Ye shot him a look. “If I can’t walk, would you carry me?”

The man seemed to have not expected his wife to tease him like this. He touched his nose and coughed lightly. “You stay here. I’ll go buy something.”

Gu Xiangqian bought a bowl of iced drink and handed it to Su Ye, while he took the receipts and money to shop for other items.

Su Ye slowly drank the iced red bean soup, enjoying the refreshing chill. The fatigue she had been feeling eased significantly. When Gu Xiangqian was being considerate, he really could take care of someone thoroughly.

The sales clerk, watching the sweet newlywed couple, seemed like they had already been fed enough without needing lunch. She sighed with envy, “Your husband is really good to you! Which unit does he work for?”

Nearby, there were several units like the Mining Bureau, Electric Power Bureau, Railway Bureau, Water Conservancy Bureau, textile factories, oil factories… but none of them seemed to have such an outstanding young man. A good man like this, the female colleagues at his unit must be fighting for his attention.

Su Ye modestly replied, “He’s just a soldier.”

At this time, the public had a very high regard for soldiers. As soon as the sales clerk heard that he was a soldier, she immediately became respectful, and the look in her eyes toward Su Ye was full of admiration. It was the afternoon, and the sales clerk kindly asked, “Your husband might be a while before he returns. Would you like to go to the lounge and rest for a bit?”

After chatting with the sales clerk for a while, Su Ye began to feel sleepy, as she hadn’t slept much the night before. She agreed and went to the lounge to close her eyes for a moment.

In a daze, Su Ye seemed to have had a dream. The afternoon sun was dazzlingly bright, and she seemed to remember Gu Xiangqian smiling and leaning down to kiss her. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back in the 202X year, an era of rapid technological development.

Su Ye was awoken by a series of incessant phone calls. A young female voice came from her phone:

“Su Bo, thank heavens you finally answered the phone. Last night you told me your idea about using graphene to prepare semiconductor materials. That’s a nice idea! Could you organize the materials and send them to my email?”

She realized she was lying in her own two-meter-wide bed, with a soft Simmons mattress beneath her and a warm, soft silk quilt covering her. It was nothing like the hard wooden board in the family compound, nor did it have the tacky red double happiness symbols.

Su Ye hung up the phone, and when she looked again, the calendar on her phone was stopped right on the night she had left.

She… had she returned?

Su Ye’s mind was in a haze, her heart pounding wildly. She grabbed her phone and furiously ordered delivery from several high-end restaurants she’d normally never dare to try.

Half an hour later, dishes from a Michelin three-star restaurant arrived: Australian lobster, ice cream cake, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall from a private chef, Suzhou specialties like braised lion’s head and crab roe soup dumplings… Couriers delivered them one after another, filling up the entire table.

Had she really returned?

Su Ye sat in a daze for a long moment before accepting the reality. She didn’t know whether to feel happy or disappointed. She took a luxurious bath and opened her wardrobe, which was packed with clothes, no longer having to live frugally as she did in the 1960s.

Then, Su Ye indulged in the long-lost pleasure of good food. The lobster meat was tender and springy, the crab roe soup dumplings were hot and flavorful, and the cake was rich and sweet. The satisfaction brought by the meal was so overwhelming that she nearly cried.

After finishing her lavish breakfast, she blinked sleepily. As she opened her eyes again, the sunlight was so bright and glaring that she instinctively shielded her face with her hand.

She was now holding an unfinished bowl of red bean soup, standing in that simple, old-fashioned department store.

It felt like the extravagant feast just now was nothing but a fleeting dream. Yet as Su Ye touched her full stomach and tasted the lingering sweetness of ice cream on her lips, it seemed to assure her it wasn’t a dream.

【Was it exciting? Thrilling? Congrats to Teacher Su for enjoying a grand feast!】

【I’m shocked! I always thought Teacher Su was just a rough-around-the-edges person, but she’s actually a pretty girl!】

【To the person above, you better send a few rewards of pork belly to win her favor while you still can.】

【Am I the only one who heard her being called Su Bo? That’s god-tier level—kneeling before the expert.】

Su Ye heard the delighted voice of the sales clerk, “See? Here she is! She’s not a child. How could a grown adult go missing? She probably just went to the restroom.”

Gu Xiangqian strode toward Su Ye quickly, his voice calm as he asked, “Where did you go just now? Weren’t you feeling unwell?”

His tone sounded steady, but Su Ye could see a rare hint of anxiety flickering in his eyes.

Su Ye couldn’t explain the magical experience she’d just had, so she changed the subject and asked, “I just wandered around a bit. What did you buy? Let me see.”

Fortunately, there were no surveillance cameras these days, and Su Ye quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Xiangqian held Su Ye’s hand as they left the department store. The items he had bought were neatly arranged on the bicycle. Su Ye glanced over and was surprised by the haul:

A radio, a pair of double-happiness kettles, a receipt for a vanity table, white sugar, milk powder, malted milk, imported fruit candies, and toffee…

Gu Xiangqian said, “I should’ve bought a sewing machine, but since you don’t know how to use one, I didn’t.”

At that time, well-off families typically included a sewing machine in the bride’s dowry. The groom’s family would provide a watch, a radio, and a bicycle—known as the “three spins and one sound.” Having these four items was considered prestigious.

Since Su Ye wouldn’t use a sewing machine, the watch and radio were already taken care of. Considering that Su Ye would start school in September, Gu Xiangqian planned to buy her a bicycle once they got to Beijing.

In this era, almost every woman could sew well, and skilled girls even made their own clothes. But Su Ye, who was born in an era of peace and abundance, had probably never even thought about sewing clothes. Most of her outfits were likely discarded long before they wore out.

Su Ye nodded with a bright smile and said, “Not buying one was the right choice. It’d be a waste of money. My sewing skills aren’t even as good as yours!”

Her gaze shifted to the bag of wedding candies on the bike—a hard, weighty sack filled with imported, sought-after treats. These candies were high-end goods that didn’t require ration coupons but came at a steep price.

The heavy bag of candies probably weighed five or six pounds, which must have cost a small fortune. Su Ye glanced at Gu Xiangqian again. “Why’d you buy so much candy? It’s a bit extravagant.”

With a faint smile, Gu Xiangqian replied, “It’s not a waste. Anything we don’t eat, you can keep for yourself.”

Su Ye noticed that Gu Xiangqian’s words were growing sweeter, as if he’d been eating honey.

【A woman who just spent lavishly on delivery half an hour ago is now distressed over a bag of wedding candies worth a few dozen bucks. Tsk, tsk.】

【Flipping this cold, cold bowl of dog food!】

【Sob, sob, I can’t stop picturing Teacher Su’s old appearance. Teacher Su, you heartbreaker!】

Because Gu Xiangqian had bought so much, the two of them had no choice but to walk back to the family compound, pushing the bicycle laden with their purchases. The items on the bike, such as the brand-new radio, the heavy bag of imported hard candies, the pair of elegant double-happiness kettles, along with high-end leather shoes and a handbag, made it obvious that they were wedding supplies.

On the way home, Su Ye garnered countless envious glances.

Previously, people in the compound thought that Gu Xiangqian, with his high salary and frugal habits, must have saved up quite a bit, not to mention some family wealth. They believed that marrying him would surely lead to a comfortable life. To them, Su Ye had practically landed in a bed of blessings.

Shoes that others would scrimp and save for an entire month to buy, carefully stored away and rarely worn, Su Ye wore to work every day. The premium hard candies others were reluctant to buy? Gu Xiangqian had bought plenty, and Su Ye ate them whenever she wanted. When she first arrived in the compound, she was a rustic, impoverished village girl. But now? She was radiant, stylish, and full of life.

It was clear her husband doted on her. Isn’t this falling into a blessed nest?

Neighbors in the family compound couldn’t help but remark, “At first, those two seemed like such a mismatch. But now? There’s no better pair. Little Su is smart and kind-hearted. Gu Xiangqian’s mother, who’s been sharp her whole life, even had an excellent eye for picking a daughter-in-law.”

Another neighbor nodded. “Although Little Su’s family conditions weren’t great, she’s hardworking and clever. Now she’s even been admitted to a prestigious university. If Xiangqian had married one of the girls from our compound, who knows if they’d get along. I think Xiangqian just likes someone like Little Su. You can see it in his eyes—he can’t hide it. He wouldn’t even let her carry a single bag.”

Meanwhile, Yao Chunyu heard about Gu Xiangqian and Su Ye preparing for a wedding banquet, and the news hit her harder than finding out Su Ye had topped the science entrance exams.

Yao Chunyu had always believed things would play out as they had in their past lives: gradual arguments, Gu Xiangqian growing cold toward Su Ye, the two of them staying married in name only before eventually divorcing. She thought all she had to do was quietly push things along and wait for their inevitable separation.

But this Su Ye was nothing like the one she used to know! They’d all been fooled, including Gu Xiangqian.

In their past life, Su Ye didn’t have milk candies, fruit candies, radios, or watches. The single-family villa, the future title of “General’s Wife”—all of these things should have been hers…

Yao Chunyu stared at Su Ye’s sweet smile and suddenly thought of something.

—

After returning home, Su Ye quickly opened the live stream backend and browsed the comments, asking, “What exactly happened back at the department store?”

The moment she appeared, the live stream chat exploded with activity. Even those who were usually stingy, begrudging every small tip, suddenly showered her with waves of virtual gifts.

【A face fan checking in—Teacher Su is eternal! I can’t believe I misjudged her before.】

【Oh my gosh, I’ve realized Teacher Su is so humble. She never boasts—it’s so refreshing!】

【Liked and shared! This is the true goddess—beauty with brains and character.】

【Face fans, can you stop spamming? It’s so annoying. Taking my Teacher Su away—no matter what you look like, I’ll always love you!】

Su Ye frowned and used keywords to search for useful information.

【Teacher Su uses up some food every time she goes back content blocked due to sensitive information.】

【Hope Teacher Su can return to her world. Keep it up!】

A bad feeling crept over Su Ye. Alarmed, she quickly opened her backend.

What she saw left her stunned.

The warehouse that previously held over a thousand pounds of flour and rice now had only 428 pounds left. Su Ye’s heart tightened, an ache shooting through her chest. She nearly blacked out from the shock.

She had only been back for half an hour, and nearly half a ton of food was gone?

If she’d known this would happen, she wouldn’t have ordered that luxurious meal. The thought of it now made her heart bleed. The Australian lobster, ice cream cake, braised lion’s head, and crab roe soup dumplings all lost their appeal. That meal had become the most extravagant one she’d ever had in her life—each bite tasted like money slipping away.

Returning to her world might cost a mountain of food, Su Ye thought gloomily.

She turned to glance at the man busy in the kitchen. His broad back was solid and reliable, and his profile was focused on the meat in the bowl. His chopsticks stirred gently, as if treating something precious.

Su Ye stole a glance at Gu Xiangqian, sensing he might have noticed something unusual. But since her return, he hadn’t asked any questions about what happened at the department store or shown any abnormal behavior. Maybe he hadn’t figured it out yet.

She exhaled quietly, feeling a faint sense of relief.