Chapter 18

As the old saying goes, even dogs despise puppies of eleven or twelve years old^[1]This phrasing uses a metaphorical approach, directly stating that dogs (symbolizing patience or tolerance) find puppies (symbolizing children) at this age annoying or hard to handle..

Lin Yao had one such brat in front of her. This mischievous child had no filter, so she put down her bowl and flicked Gu Shidong hard on the forehead.

“If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll smack your butt until it breaks.”

Gu Shidong let out a loud yelp, clutching his head as he dashed off.

Sigh, what’s wrong with the world these days? You can’t even speak the truth anymore. Say one honest thing, and your sister-in-law turns into a demon and beats you up.

He started wondering—do all beautiful women turn into tigresses after they get married?

The brat didn’t blame his sister-in-law though. He thought the fault lay entirely with his useless brother. Shaking his head and sighing dramatically, his posture made it seem like he was burdened with the weight of the world.

When Gu Chunmei returned home from work at noon, she found Gu Shidong squatting on a stone block, looking utterly dejected.

“Sister, I’ve decided I won’t get married in this lifetime,” he declared.

Gu Chunmei snorted, unimpressed. This brat threw tantrums every few days; the more attention he got, the more excited he became.

She didn’t bother with him, instead parking her bicycle in the shed. Thinking it wasn’t entirely safe, she added a sturdy iron lock to the wheels.

Recently, the area hadn’t been very peaceful. No one knew where the robber lurking around might be hiding, and it wasn’t impossible that he’d show up out of the blue.

The Gu family’s bicycle was as valuable as a Mercedes-Benz or BMW in modern times. Gu Mancang had wrapped the frame in plastic, Zhang Cuilan had sewn a seat cover from leftover fabric, and even the pedals were protected with black plastic bags, making it look colorful and comically festive. Outside, they added an extra lock to ensure that even a thief couldn’t carry it away.

Everyone was extra cautious these days—better safe than sorry.

Gu Shidong stared in disbelief. “Sister, why are you locking the bike when it’s at home?”

Gu Chunmei’s old-fashioned bicycle had a wicker basket attached to the front, swaying slightly. She untied the basket and placed it on the ground.

Gu Shidong eagerly approached, ready to rummage through it. “Second Sister, what goodies did you buy?”

She smacked his hand away. “Go away.”

Gu Shidong clutched his hand and let out a dramatic groan.

His sister wasn’t even married yet and was already a tigress!

If Gu Chunmei knew what the brat was thinking, she would’ve kicked him twice for good measure.

The basket was filled with various items: an unopened can of milk powder, two bags of freshly made sugar-coated peanuts, three rolls of wool yarn, and other sewing essentials. After sorting through the items, Gu Chunmei tossed a bag of sugar-coated peanuts to Gu Shidong.

The brat let out a delighted whoop, bouncing with excitement. “Sugar-coated peanuts!”

These were a classic treat from Wufangzhai in the county, costing one mao per bag. The peanuts were coated with a thin layer of caramelized sugar, sweet and crunchy, with a fragrant honey aroma.

“Second Sister, is this for me?”

“Unless you think I bought it for the dog.”

“Hehe, I’ll go eat it outside then.”

Head held high, the brat strutted off, claiming he’d eat it outside. In reality, he was off to show it off at the alley entrance.

*

The summer heat baked the shared courtyard in a stifling warmth.

After finishing her brunch, Lin Yao soaked some mung beans in a basin, planning to make a pot of mung bean soup later.

The large iron pot in the Gu family’s kitchen was multifunctional, suitable for stir-frying, stewing, and boiling porridge. Since it wasn’t being used at the moment, Lin Yao decided to put it to good use. She cleaned the pot, washed the dishes, and even wiped down the cupboard.

Inside the cupboard was half a pound of glutinous rice flour leftover from making zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival.

Lin Yao licked her lips, thinking that the hot weather called for something sweet. She decided to make good use of the ingredients and steam some white sugar cakes as snacks.

Smiling brightly, she rolled up her sleeves, washed her hands, and tied on an apron to get to work. Since the glutinous rice flour wasn’t enough, she secretly added some from her space supermarket. After the sugar cakes were placed in the steamer, she boiled a pot of chilled mung bean soup, sweetened with old rock sugar, and hung it in the well to cool.

Most of the neighbors in the courtyard were out working during the day, leaving only Grandpa Sun and Grandma Sun at home in the front yard.

The elderly couple loved their afternoon naps, often sleeping until three or four in the afternoon.

Gu Chunmei returned home under the scorching sun, fanning herself vigorously. Finding her own room too stuffy, she went to the east wing to cool off.

Lin Yao was tidying up inside, having not had the chance to clean that morning. The room was a mess: the floral quilt on the wooden bed was crumpled, white leather shoes were kicked haphazardly on the tiled floor, and the rattan box on the chest of drawers was in disarray.

Gu Chunmei had just washed a plate of fresh peaches with soap. Each took one, biting into the juicy fruit.

The sweet aroma wafting from the kitchen caught Gu Chunmei’s attention. She sniffed and asked, “Yao Yao, what’s steaming in the pot? It smells so good.”

Lin Yao chuckled and clapped her hands. “I just steamed some white sugar cakes. Want to try?”

Of course, she did!

Gu Chunmei nodded eagerly. She’d been standing at the supply and marketing cooperative all morning and only had two sponge cakes for lunch. The canteen at the commune was out of food, leaving her stomach growling and forcing her to snack on peaches.

Lin Yao gave her a quick “wait a moment” look and soon brought out a plate of steaming white sugar cakes.

Gu Chunmei couldn’t wait, grabbing a piece with her chopsticks. One bite was enough to amaze her.

It’s not that she hasn’t eaten white sugar cake before. The ones sold in Yunshui County’s old street were fried, costing one fen each. But they often tasted overly sweet, almost bitter, likely due to too much saccharin.

Lin Yao’s steamed sugar cakes were entirely different—snow-white and translucent like white jade, soft, sweet, and bursting with the fragrant aroma of glutinous rice. They were even more delicious than the sweet zongzi!

Gu Chunmei indulged herself, devouring several pieces in one go.

Lin Yao was worried that she might not be able to digest if she ate too much, so she stopped her from eating any more.

Gu Chunmei had also eaten enough. She held her stomach and drank a cup of mung bean soup. Her eyes sparkled as she squinted and smiled at Lin Yao.

Her expression looked as if she was about to jump on Lin Yao and take a bite out of her.

Lin Yao quickly took a few steps back, protecting her face, and warned, “Sister Chunmei, what kind of look is that?”

Gu Chunmei grinned, her teeth hidden behind her smile. “Yao Yao, my brother has great taste. You’ll have a bright future. By the way, I still smell something delicious from the yard. Oh, there’s so much white sugar cake left in the pot. Our family doesn’t have many people, so we can’t finish it. Let’s keep some here and send the rest to the police station. Let my brother and Da Tou Brother taste Yao Yao’s excellent cooking.”

Lin Yao: “………”

It wasn’t impossible.

*

At the county police station, a group of young officers in large hats were busy shuffling files and documents, running around in circles.

In front, Gu Shi’an was looking at a robbery suspect’s sketch. The suspect was missing a pinky on his right hand. He stayed silent and had Xu Xiangqian pull up the archival materials for the 1955 collapse at the Yunshui County Coal Factory.

Xu Xiangqian was puzzled. Didn’t the coal factory collapse case get closed long ago?

Back then, the coal factory had dug too deep, and the upper management had failed to implement proper safety measures. The ground cracked open, and the older folks in the county had been saying that the coal factory was bound to have an accident one day.

Several times, Xu Xiangqian had passed the factory on his way to school, peeking through its gates to glimpse the black, towering coal piles and the cracked grounds.

Later, on a stormy day, the old coal factory couldn’t hold up any longer and collapsed. The thick pillars were washed away by the rain, and the ground shifted, swallowing everything. The incident cost several lives. An elderly miner lost a leg, and a middle-aged worker was trapped at the mouth of a tunnel. He survived, but his right hand was crushed, and he reportedly lost a finger.

Xu Xiangqian widened his eyes in shock and dove into the archives, not coming out.

The police station’s archive room wasn’t cleaned often, and dust was everywhere. The files were stacked high, and everything was coated in dust.

Gu Chunmei was waiting outside the station with the white sugar cakes and nearly didn’t recognize him.

Da Tou Brother’s face was so covered in dust, even his hair had a layer of it. He looked like he had just walked through a sandstorm.

Xu Xiangqian quickly washed his face in the yard, revealing a clean, handsome face. He ran over, showing a row of white teeth. “Chunmei, what brings you here?”

Gu Chunmei shook the lunchbox in her hand. “Yao Yao steamed some white sugar cakes and sent them for you guys to try.”

Xu Xiangqian was surprised. “Yao Yao can make snacks?”

Gu Chunmei didn’t like hearing that. “Why wouldn’t she be able to make snacks? What are you talking about!”

Seeing his wife upset, Xu Xiangqian quickly changed the topic. “Anzi has been busy all morning and hasn’t eaten lunch yet. I’ll bring him some to fill his stomach.”

Gu Chunmei sighed. “My brother is just like that, busy to the point of forgetting everything. I know you’re busy, but you still can’t forget to eat.”

Xu Xiangqian immediately pledged his loyalty, promising to listen to Chunmei from now on. He then secretly grabbed her small hand.

Gu Chunmei blushed and ran off.

Da Tou Brother hummed a tune, his face glowing, and returned to the office. He placed the lunchbox on the desk and said loudly, “Old Gu, your little girl made some snacks and sent them over!”