Chapter 23

Dad Cui asked Gu Qingchuan to do something quite dangerous, and it was not just to help his family get rid of the landlord’s label as soon as possible. As long as the man could achieve merit, they could remove the landlord’s label, and even joining the army in the future was also possible.

Jiang Ci squatted on the ground, thinking that the nationwide movement to remove labels had lasted for several years. Even if they couldn’t get rid of it now, they would be able to in the future; the policies were improving.

She really didn’t want Gu Qingchuan to take risks. Had she pushed him too hard? Maybe they could delay the wedding a bit?

“Brother Chuan, why don’t you not go? We can wait a few years if you feel pressured to get married now. I’m not in a hurry.”

Gu Qingchuan responded, “……” She wasn’t in a hurry? She had been flirting with him intensely during this time; then came the favorable policies, and both families agreed. All he needed to do was take a chance, and they could get married. Now, she was saying she wasn’t in a hurry? Was she trying to create a life-or-death situation?

“Little Jiang Ci, do you want to back out of the marriage?” Gu Qingchuan pulled the girl up, actively trapping her between his arms for the first time. “But you don’t have the chance to back out now. Stay home and wait for me to return.”

The man who was about to turn his life around exuded a different kind of confidence. Jiang Ci thought it was probably useless to persuade him not to go. “Alright then, you must come back in one piece.”

“Okay.” Gu Qingchuan agreed, but he hurriedly released her since they weren’t married yet. “Then… I’ll go to Jiang Dasheng’s house.”

“Mm.” Jiang Ci packed a few changes of clothes for him and asked, “When are you leaving?”

“I don’t know. I’ll wait for Uncle Cui to notify me.” Gu Qingchuan remembered he still had one thousand five hundred yuan in his pocket. “By the way, that batch of wild chickens and ducks in the valley sold over two hundred in the past two months. Make sure to take good care of the money.”

“So many?” Jiang Ci took it without counting and split it in half. “Aren’t you going south? You should take some money with you.”

“I have enough.” Gu Qingchuan returned the stack of money to her, then remembered something and explained, “After we get married, all the money I earn will go to you. I wouldn’t dare to hide any savings.”

Jiang Ci smiled, feeling excited about their future married life. In her previous life, she had poor health and spent more than half her time in the hospital. Later, when the man earned enough money, he hired a medical team to take care of her at home, and even then, she hadn’t lived more than ten years.

After Gu Qingchuan left, Jiang Ci couldn’t fall asleep. So many things were different in this life compared to her last, especially with Gu Qingchuan. She woke up early and went to the police station to testify, which prevented this man from being falsely accused of being a rogue and helped him avoid prison.

Gu Qingchuan was safe. This was the cause, and where there was a cause, there would be an effect. Mei Baoying wanted to adopt Cui Duoduo to Cui Pingzhou and have Gu Qingchuan marry her, which nearly drove Cui Duoduo to run away from home. That was why her mother, Lin Wan, suggested they get a marriage certificate with Cui Pingzhou.

Then, Gu Qingchuan waited for the label-removing movement. His sister-in-law, who had been absent in his previous life, returned, and Grandma Miao immediately went to propose, bringing cultural relics and paintings. Dad Cui asked Gu Qingchuan to handle this significant task, leading him down a path completely different from his past life.

Which was better? Which was worse? In any case, she didn’t know.

Jiang Ci took out the diary from the hidden compartment at the bottom of the wardrobe. She always felt that such a significant turning point in her and Gu Qingchuan’s lives would yield something in the diary.

Her intuition was correct; a row of printed words stood out on the diary: Gu Qingchuan traveled through several states and counties, boarded a train heading south, and under Cui Pingzhou’s deliberate arrangement, he had a “chance encounter” with Xie Third Son on the train. A woman was also traveling with them, carrying gold bars and antiques secretly kept by her lover, and by chance, she recognized Gu Qingchuan…

Jiang Ci knew that what Dad Cui and the others were planning was not going to be smooth sailing. She closed the diary, her mind already calculating.

“Mom, is it really true that the landlord’s label from next door is going to be removed?” Gu Chengrong paced anxiously around the house. Initially, the big house and the second house had drawn a clear line, and the landlord’s label had only been placed on the Miao Xiulan family. Additionally, with Dong Hua’s righteous move to report and expose Miao Xiulan’s storeroom, the big house was safe.

He had never imagined that one day, the landlord’s label could be removed, allowing Gu Qingchuan to turn his life around. He had to find a way to clear his father, Gu Zhengchu’s name. “If the events from back then are brought up again, my son won’t be able to escape. Will I have to pay for Gu Zhengchu with my life? Mom, what should we do now?”

Dong Hua had experienced many storms in her life, and at this point, wanting to reconcile with Miao Xiulan was unrealistic. “You’re panicking at every turn. Don’t go out looking like this; it’ll make it obvious that you have something to hide.”

She continued, “Although there’s this policy, it doesn’t mean everyone can have their landlord’s label removed. There are so many people; not everyone can be accommodated or meet the criteria. The local government still decides who gets their label removed. Go find Liu Shirong; he was involved in that incident back then. On the day of the raid, he pocketed half a box of yellow croaker. I didn’t mention this, but I think he knows he won’t give this opportunity to Miao Laotai’s family.”

Half a box of yellow croaker? Gu Chengrong was stunned. Yellow croaker equated to gold bars, ten taels for one! The yellow croakers that Miao Xiulan brought as dowry were all minted before the liberation. Back then, ten taels weighed about 300 grams; half a box of yellow croaker meant eight pieces, totaling over five catty of gold bars. How much was that worth!

“He’s not afraid of overreaching!” Gu Chengrong said indignantly. “That’s all from our Gu family; why should he pocket it for himself? He has to return it to us!”

Dong Hua cast a disdainful glance at her impatient eldest son. “Today, Miao Xiulan is going to Cui Pingzhou’s house to propose with a small bag. I didn’t expect she still had things that hadn’t been raided. Complaining now won’t help; you go find Liu Shirong and let him figure something out. We can’t let Gu Qingchuan’s name appear on this batch’s list for the removal of labels.”

“Right now, Gu Qingchuan is Cui Pingzhou’s son-in-law. I’m afraid Liu Shirong won’t agree,” he replied.

“What does that matter? The army doesn’t control the local government; Cui Pingzhou wouldn’t dare to intervene openly.”

When Liu Shirong was fishing in troubled waters, Dong Hua had been cautious. She only regretted that she hadn’t been bolder at the time. If she had taken advantage of the chaos and pocketed half a box of yellow croaker, she could have quietly cashed it out by now. Unfortunately, she had only hidden a small yellow croaker, weighing one tael, worth only a few hundred yuan. She felt quite unfulfilled.

Dong Hua took the one-tael yellow croaker out from a crevice under the sixth brick of the bed and handed it to her son. “Take this to Liu Shirong; he’ll know what to do.”

Gold, huh? Gu Chengrong’s eyes lit up. “Mom, you hid gold and didn’t tell me! Is there more hidden under the bed? Let’s dig it out; I have connections to exchange it for cash.”

Is there any more? If there was, she wouldn’t feel so unfulfilled. That old hag, Miao Xiulan, when she had asked her, she would rather let it be confiscated than give it to her; it was infuriating. “There’s nothing else. Mom only hid this one. You should hurry and go.”

Gu Chengrong was extremely disappointed as he took the small yellow croaker to find Liu Shirong.

After the committee was disbanded, Liu Shirong joined the city government as the secretary general and the chief secretary of the city party committee. When he returned home to the city committee’s family compound after work, his wife, Liao Yuzhu, saw him with a frown. She took off her apron and asked, “Is the new city party secretary hard to get along with?”

“It’s not that. The new leader wants to implement new policies in Qinshi, ensuring that the subordinates effectively carry out this national label removal campaign. Qinshi needs to set an example for the lower counties and cities, quickly organizing a list of eligible individuals to submit for review and discussion at the meeting.”

With the leadership taking it seriously, the people below naturally became proactive. Liu Shirong was eager to make a good impression on the new leader and was pushing hard to speed things up.

“I thought something serious happened. What’s there to worry about? Just help the leader get this done beautifully,” his wife said. “Why the long face? You scared me.”

Liu Shirong felt annoyed and didn’t want to talk to her. This wife had been chosen by the family. After so many years of marriage, she only knew how to revolve around the stove, understanding nothing. There was no point in talking to her; he feared her big mouth would spread things around. He preferred staying late at the office, where he could impress the leader.

His wife brought a small basket of fuzzy beans and sat on the sofa. “The vegetable team is working on greenhouses this year. We still have fuzzy beans in this season. I’ll cook a country chicken for you tonight. Can you help me peel the fuzzy beans?”

His wife had given birth to two daughters, both of whom were married off. She understood a man’s feudal mindset and was keen on having a son. At just over forty, she felt she could still make an effort. In a shy manner, she said, “After dinner, how about we exercise a bit? Who knows, maybe we can have a son this time.”

Liu Shirong felt goosebumps all over; he couldn’t even bring himself to touch this woman. He could only endure it and slowly started peeling the fuzzy beans.

His wife chattered on, “Old Liu, any family can have their landlord’s label removed, but not Miao Xiulan’s. It was you and Dong Hua who went to raid her house. If her family turns their fortunes around, they might retaliate against you.”

A few days after the raid, Miao Xiulan’s son, Gu Zhengchu, the factory manager, had died. Her carefully raised granddaughter, Gu Yunchuan, had married a ne’er-do-well in exchange for two hundred catty of millet. With so many new grievances and old grudges piled up, she wouldn’t let it go easily.

“Do you think I’m unaware of the complexities here?” Liu Shirong tossed the fuzzy beans into the basket and stopped peeling.

“Who told Gu Qingchuan to marry Cui Pingzhou’s daughter? Today, the invitation from Cui Pingzhou landed on the city committee secretary’s desk, asking him to spare a day on the twelfth of the first month to attend his daughter’s wedding. Cui Pingzhou’s intentions are clear; what can I do?”

Although she didn’t say it outright, it was obvious that Cui Pingzhou wanted everyone to know that Gu Qingchuan was his son-in-law. Plus, he and the new city committee secretary were old acquaintances. Who would dare to make things difficult for his son-in-law? Gu Qingchuan’s name had already been mentioned in this batch’s label removal list. Just waiting for him to review and submit it.

His wife didn’t care at all. “You handle it professionally and say his family doesn’t meet the criteria. The new leader values reputation; he won’t make it difficult for you over such trivial matters.”

Liu Shirong really didn’t want to continue the conversation.

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Ever since her husband became the chief secretary, people often came bearing gifts seeking favors, most of which Liu Shirong had turned down. His wife peeked through the peephole and ran over to her husband, saying, “It’s Gu Chengrong. You should go hide in the room; I’ll just tell him you’re not home.”

Gu Chengrong’s visit surprised him. The two shared the same character for “wrong” in their names and had once been sworn brothers. However, they hadn’t kept in touch after Liu Shirong entered the city committee.

“Open the door and let him in,” Liu Shirong said. “He might not necessarily be here to ask for a favor.”

Liu Shilong’s wife, Luo Yuzhu, opened the door. Liu Shilong smiled and said, “Little brother, what brings you to my place today? I’ll have your sister-in-law cook a few dishes, and we can have a drink together.”

“Sounds good! It’s been a long time since I had a good drink with my elder brother,” Gu Chengrong replied. He had brought two bottles of fine wine, a salted duck, a box of pastries, and two bottles of canned pear water. Luo Yuzhu smiled and thought that Gu Chengrong was quite considerate, so she hurried to prepare some snacks for them.

After three rounds of drinks, Gu Chengrong still hadn’t brought up the main topic. When it was time to leave, Liu Shilong grabbed his coat and greeted his wife, saying, “I’ll see off old Gu.”

They walked all the way down to the first floor. Gu Chengrong glanced around to ensure no one was watching before slightly opening the small yellow fish wrapped in cotton fabric from his inner pocket. “Brother, my mom asked you to take a look at this. She said you’ll know what to do when you see it.”

Liu Shilong saw the special mark on the tail of the small yellow fish and was frightened, quickly shoving it back. How could he not know? Ten years ago, he was still at the G Committee, where he received a report from Dong Hua. He immediately led a team, rushing with Dong Hua to Miaoxiu Lan’s warehouse. He had confiscated eight large yellow fish with that very same special mark.

He understood Dong Hua’s intentions: she had sent her son Gu Chengrong to remind him not to let Miaoxiu Lan’s family turn their situation around. Liu Shilong originally intended to wash his hands of the matter, but the problem lay in the fact that the half box of large yellow fish he had greedily confiscated had yet to find an opportunity to be sold.

“Go back and tell your mother that I understand,” Liu Shilong said in a not-so-pleasant tone.

After Gu Chengrong left, Liu Shilong didn’t return home. Instead, he turned and exited the residential building of the Municipal Committee, carefully avoiding acquaintances as he made his way to the tofu processing plant to see Liu Cuilian, the “Tofu Fairy.”

Liu Cuilian was in her thirties, divorced for over ten years, without children, and lived alone. Liu Shilong had always said he would divorce and marry her, even hiding all his valuable belongings at her place, which Liu Cuilian believed wholeheartedly.

“What brings you here today?” Liu Cuilian asked as the man slipped inside after she opened the door. She quickly shut it behind him.

“Where are the things I hid with you? I’ll contact someone for you. Tomorrow, you need to take leave, saying you’re going back to Zhu City to visit relatives. Hurry up and sell those things,” he instructed.

“Can the things be sold?” Liu Cuilian hurriedly pulled out the items Liu Shilong had stored with her over the years from the hidden compartment under the rice jar in the kitchen. Eight large yellow fish were weighing over ten catties and two pieces of calligraphy and paintings.

If she could sell these items, she wouldn’t need to work at the tofu factory anymore. Then, once she married Liu Shilong, she could comfortably stay at home as the wife of an official.

Liu Shilong checked the items and admired the two pieces of calligraphy and paintings before returning everything and covering it up. After moving the rice jar back, he said, “Gold always has a fixed price; others need to make a profit, too. These eight gold bars weigh over three hundred grams each. I should be able to negotiate a total price of thirty thousand yuan with that person.”

“Thirty thousand yuan?” Liu Cuilian trembled with excitement; that amount would be enough to last a lifetime. With this money, why would she need to work?

“What about these two pieces of calligraphy and paintings?” Liu Cuilian thought to herself that the paintings must not be worth as much as gold. “Are we taking these too?”

“Of course we are. I heard from Xing Third Son that if smuggled overseas and auctioned, paintings like these can fetch at least several hundred thousand. Those people are ruthless. I’ve had these two pieces but haven’t settled on a price. We can’t wait any longer. They’re worth twenty thousand each. After selling this batch, that’s a total of seventy thousand. Don’t be foolish and deposit it in a bank. Such a large sum of money will raise questions about its source.”

It was the late 1970s, and given the prices at the time, it truly was enough to last a lifetime. No one could have predicted how rapidly prices would rise in the coming decades.

“I know, I know.” Liu Cuilian felt dizzy with excitement. “So I’ll find the contact in Zhu City, as you said. After selling the items, I’ll bring the money back?”

Liu Shilong pondered for a moment. His new leadership didn’t favor him much. At over forty, it would be hard for him to get promoted. Turning these items into cash seemed less viable than heading south to do business, avoiding the risk of being held accountable for past mistakes.

“Once you sell the items, you should rent a place over there and wait for me. I’ll find a way to get more good stuff, then I’lldivorce and come to find you. We’ll keep this money and live a happy little life.”

“You’re not just playing with me, are you?” Liu Cuilian gazed at the man who suddenly changed his mind and wanted to live a good life with her in the south, feeling that the years she had waited for him had finally paid off. “But… what about your wife, two daughters, and sons-in-law?”

“A married daughter is like spilled water. Why should I still care for them? You can just have me a big, chubby boy…”

Saying this, Liu Shilong, without hesitation, took the woman into the bedroom, and he didn’t return home that night.

—o—o—o—

Today, the machinery factory was hosting an inspection team from a brother unit. The union chairman and the factory director personally accompanied the inspection team on a tour of the entire factory. The last stop brought them to the data building.

After nearly two months of hard work, the data building looked vastly different. The walls on the first and second floors were freshly painted, and a row of custom-made metal shelves had been organized by category and year, complete with indexes. Now, finding something specific in the data building was quite convenient.

The representative from the inspection team’s eyes lit up. “This data room is impressive! Our Southern Heavy Industries’ data room is a complete mess. Last time, I spent half a month trying to find a first draft of an engine blueprint from five years ago, but they couldn’t locate it.”

The speaker was Deputy Secretary Qian from Southern Heavy Industries. Factory Director Ge from Qinchuan Machinery Factory smiled and added, “It’s all thanks to the new data clerk who spent two months organizing everything on the first and second floors. If you go to the third floor, you’ll see how chaotic our data room used to be.”

“Oh? Let’s go take a look,” Deputy Secretary Qian said with interest. The group ascended to the third floor and saw two young, attractive data clerks diligently sorting through piles of materials. Even in the cold weather, the two had taken off their jackets, and sweat was glistening on their foreheads. It was evident that they hadn’t slacked off even when no one was watching.

Deputy Secretary Qian immediately felt favorable toward the two young women. Factory Director Ge said, “These two comrades, Xiao Jiang and Xiao Sun, are our data clerks.”

It was said that organizing the data room had been Jiang Ci’s initiative. Deputy Secretary Qian praised, “This young girl has great ideas.”

He turned to the people beside him and said, “You see, at first, don’t be afraid of the trouble. After this organization, it will be convenient for many years to come.”

“Yes, Deputy Secretary Qian is right,” one of the accompanying individuals smiled and said. “Why not invite Xiao Jiang and Xiao Sun to Southern Heavy Industries to exchange experiences with our data clerks? What do you think, Deputy Secretary Qian?”

“Sounds good,” Deputy Secretary Qian agreed immediately. “But I wonder if Factory Director Ge would be willing to send the inspection team to our factory for a visit?”

Of course, Factory Director Ge was willing. He had heard that Southern Heavy Industries Group had introduced a new production line, and he had wanted to visit for a long time. He readily agreed, organizing a strong team of technical experts and forming a large inspection group from Qinchuan to accompany the comrades from Southern Heavy Industries Group first to Jing City and then back.

Jiang Ci and Sun Feifei took an early train to Southern Heavy Industries, which was located in Zhu City.

Three days later, Jiang Ci and Sun Feifei were dropped off at the train station by the factory driver. Their trip was on official business, and all food, lodging, and travel expenses would be reimbursed. Jiang Ci remained relatively calm, while Sun Feifei was bursting with excitement.

“Xiao Ci, I’m so happy! I’ve never been out of Qincheng in my entire life! I’ve never even taken a train before. Zhu City is far away, right? We’ll be on the train for two days, won’t we?”

Sun Feifei dragged a large suitcase, struggling with the weight. Jiang Ci swapped her handbag for Sun Feifei’s. “Take mine. We’re only going for a week. Why are you bringing so much stuff?”

“It’s all clothes! My big coat takes up space!”

Jiang Ci laughed and poked her forehead. “I’ve told you before, it’s much warmer in the south than here. It’s twenty degrees there right now. You won’t wear all those thick clothes.”

Sun Feifei, who had never been to the South, shyly patted her floral coat. “My mom doesn’t believe me and insisted I take them.”

The two checked their tickets and entered the platform. Everyone boarded the train in an orderly fashion. Jiang Ci was bumped into by someone. The woman who bumped her was in a hurry, fearing the train was about to leave. In her rush, the large bag she was carrying slipped off her shoulder and fell to the ground, making a loud clanging sound.

Before Jiang Ci could say anything, the woman began to scold her. “Can’t you watch where you’re going? What if you break my stuff?” Luo Cuilian, flustered, hurriedly picked up her bag.

The ten-catties of large yellow fish were quite heavy, and there were also two pieces of calligraphy and paintings carefully wrapped in clothing. She had no idea if they had been damaged.

Her man had said the paintings were precious, and if they were ruined, they would lose their value. But she didn’t dare to open them up and check right now.

Luo Cuilian glared angrily at Jiang Ci. “The things in my bag are worth a lot. Can you afford to compensate me if they’re broken?”