Chapter 20

Lin Yao was a woman of action. When she said she would wait for the right moment, she certainly would.

These days, the common people had few entertainment options, and the large courtyard didn’t have electricity. By 8 or 9 p.m., everyone was done with their day, washed up, and ready for bed.

Lin Yao had developed the good habit of going to bed early and waking up late. As soon as her biological rings, she didn’t need anyone to remind her. She would obediently lie in bed, ready to meet sleep.

Gu Shi’an, on the other hand, had been working late ever since joining the police station. It was common for him to stay at the office until 11 or 12 p.m.

To make sure she didn’t miss her opportunity, Lin Yao took out the alarm clock Gu Shi’an had used, the “Golden Rooster” brand, and set it to 11 p.m. Then, she went to bed with a clear conscience.

She wasn’t being lazy; she was just preparing herself to be energized for when Gu Shi’an showed up.

At 11 p.m., the old alarm clock on the dresser began to buzz and ring loudly.

Lin Yao, wide awake, climbed out from under the mosquito net, stretched, and shut off the alarm with a snap.

The courtyard was peaceful at midnight. The heat of the day had dissipated, and the bamboo forest outside swayed gently in the breeze. The sound of rustling bamboo leaves mingled with the chirping of insects in the grass and the cicadas in the trees.

Inside her room, Lin Yao sprayed some floral water and burned mugwort, which immediately chased away the mosquitoes.

Sitting by the window, she propped her chin up and waited for a while.

Gu Shi’an hadn’t returned yet. With nothing to do, Lin Yao took out her knitting needles and began knitting a pair of woolen gloves.

It was already mid-August, and time was flying by. Before long, it would be autumn, and after autumn, winter would arrive.

The winters in Yunshui County were incredibly cold, especially in the past two years. Last year, it hadn’t even reached December before there were two heavy snowfalls. The cold was so intense that water froze instantly. Many people in the county developed frostbite, with their hands and feet turning as red as radishes. Even using ointment didn’t help much.

Zhang Cuilan had suffered from frostbitten hands for years. In the courtyard, there was no running water. They had to heat water for cooking and washing by burning coal. Unlike the countryside, where people could gather firewood, they had to rely on coal in the city. During the winter, coal was scarce, and the family was only allocated a small amount each month, which wasn’t enough for a five-person household.

Zhang Cuilan had been washing dishes with cold water for years, so it was no surprise her hands were frostbitten.

To prepare for the cold months, Lin Yao discussed with Gu Chunmei, and the two of them bought some wool at a discounted price from the supply and marketing cooperative.

Gu Chunmei, who was busy with work, wasn’t good at knitting, so Lin Yao took on the task by herself. She planned to knit a pair of gloves for Aunt Cuilan and Uncle Mancang. The elderly couple used to wear the factory-issued work gloves, which weren’t warm enough. In autumn, they were bearable, but in winter, a short walk outdoors left their hands frozen.

Lin Yao also planned to knit gloves for Gu Shi’an and his siblings.

For herself, Lin Yao prepared a full set of winter clothing, including down jackets, sweaters, and woolen pants. She had as much as she needed, but she couldn’t wear them openly. Instead, she would tear them apart and mix the wool from Gu Chunmei to make a “grandmother sweater,” which was in fashion.

The candlelight in the room flickered as Gu Shi’an, looking tired, entered the house. He was about to wash his face when he noticed the light from the eastern wing and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

The window of the room was open, and the moonlight spilled in. Lin Yao, wearing a flowery nightdress, was knitting seriously. She looked up, her face as fresh and bright as a peach blossom.

Why was she still awake so late?

Gu Shi’an hesitated for a moment, unsure whether he should knock on the door and ask her to go to bed.

But then he thought that Lin Yao was a determined young woman. She might be busy with something else, and if he interrupted her, it might upset her.

At that moment, Gu Shidong, came out to relieve himself in the middle of the night. Seeing the scene, he grinned and teased, “So, my older brother also gets troubled by love, huh? Dating isn’t as simple as it seems.”

He quickly ran to the eastern wing and knocked on the door. “Sister-in-law, my brother is back. Aren’t you going to make him some late-night food?”

Lin Yao snapped out of her daze. She looked up and realized it was already 11:30 p.m. In her focus on knitting, she had nearly forgotten about Gu Shi’an.

She quickly put down her knitting needles, smiled, and poked her head out of the window. “You’re back! You haven’t eaten yet, right? Are you hungry? Let me make you a bowl of noodles.”

She quickly tied on an apron and headed to the kitchen.

Gu Shi’an smiled at her concern.

Gu Shidong, seeing his brother smile like that, clicked his tongue and returned to his room.

*

In the small kitchen of the Gu family, they didn’t have much rice or flour left. Fortunately, they still had some homemade dried noodles. Lin Yao went to the vegetable garden to pick some fresh green onions, handing them to Gu Shi’an and asking him to wash them while she prepared the rest.

She wasn’t going to let Gu Shi’an sit idly by and wait for his meal. After all, she wasn’t his servant.

Lin Yao playfully teased him while she took charge, picking vegetables, washing pots, and preparing the seasonings, leaving the more mundane tasks to Gu Shi’an.

Once everything was ready, Lin Yao kicked him out of the kitchen and quickly prepared a bowl of braised meat noodles for him.

The braised pork was made from the pig offal Zhang Cuilan had brought home. Zhang Cuilan had originally planned to hang the offal in the well to send to her parents’ house the next day.

When Lin Yao saw this, she suggested washing the pig offal clean and making braised pig intestines with soup to send to her grandmother.

Zhang Cuilan was surprised. “Pig offal is hard to handle, Yao Yao, you know how to braise pig intestines?”

Lin Yao nodded. She had learned to make braised pig intestines when she was young. Her grandfather loved it, and although Lin Yao didn’t particularly enjoy it, she learned from him. Her grandfather often said, “A person with many skills isn’t a burden.”

Perhaps it was fate, but after Lin Yao transmigrated into the 1950s, this skill came in handy. However, the smell of pig intestines was overwhelming, and she didn’t want to deal with it.

Gu Shidong jumped in, eager to help his sister-in-law. Actually, the greedy boy just wanted to taste the delicious braised intestines she made.

Recently, the food at the commune canteen wasn’t bad, but the steamed buns and cornmeal buns were so small that there was never enough. If you didn’t get there early, you’d end up with nothing.

The neighbors had complained many times, but Director Ge had no solution. There had been floods in the north, and many areas had poor harvests. The food from their region was sent to the north to help with the famine. The county officials were very worried, with the higher-ups urging them to tighten things for now and only address other issues later.

With the canteen meals insufficient, the commune members had to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy snacks. Those who didn’t have money would steam wild vegetable cornbread at home and eat it with water to fill their stomachs.

Lin Yao couldn’t help but notice, and though she wasn’t in a hurry, she couldn’t ignore it. After all, during the three years of famine in China, countless people had starved to death.

Lin Yao felt like a grain of sand caught in the flow of destiny in this era. She thought about bringing up the idea of storing grain at her old home with Aunt Cuilan when the time was right.

The courtyard where they lived housed five families, all of whom saw each other constantly. Storing grain there would be as impossible as a dream. Not to mention, in the front yard, Wang Shengcai’s family and Zheng Dacheng’s family kept a close watch on everything. They were like cunning cats, ready to pounce on any chance to cause trouble.

The old Gu family had a yard in their hometown in the countryside, which was located in a remote area. The original owner had been there once with Aunt Cuilan when she was a child, so she carefully asked Gu Chunmei about it.

The house was old, built with mud walls and thatched roofs. It was surrounded by bamboo groves, with a mountain ravine to the south. The nearest neighbors were over five hundred meters away, and behind it was a deep forest, perfect for hiding grain.

Lin Yao was delighted to hear this. Though the old house couldn’t be lived in, it would be an ideal place to store food.

Lin Yao prepared the noodles herself, thick and thin, with a chewy texture. They soaked up the braised sauce, taking on a shiny, golden-brown color. A large bowl was quickly consumed by Gu Shi’an, who barely looked up as he ate.

Not long after, the bowl was empty except for the broth.

Lin Yao smiled and watched him eat. When Gu Shi’an noticed she was staring at him, his face turned red. “Are you full?”

Gu Shi’an nodded.

“Good,” she said, clearing her throat, preparing to talk to him about something serious.

But Gu Shi’an interrupted her first. “Yao Yao, I have something for you.”

With that, he turned and went to the back room.

Lin Yao widened her eyes in surprise. What could it be?

Gu Shidong had just finished relieving himself and was now lying in bed with his ears perked up. After a few minutes, he fell asleep.

Gu Shi’an returned with a small sandalwood box from his suitcase. Inside was a thick velvet pouch. He handed it to Lin Yao.

“Open it and see.”

Lin Yao, puzzled, took it from him. Inside the velvet pouch was a savings book with a deposit slip, several bundles of tied-up currency, and some receipts.

She was surprised when she saw the savings book. There was over a thousand yuan in it, and the date on the slip was from 1958, with the account holder listed as Gu Shi’an. In those days, banks still handled deposits by hand, and it seemed this was his military allowance and wages accumulated over ten years.

But why give her the savings book instead of giving it to Aunt Cuilan?

Gu Shi’an seemed to understand her confusion. He smiled softly. “Yao Yao, a man’s private savings should be given to his wife. So, Yao Yao, are you willing to be my real wife?”