Chapter 24

Although Lin Yao had suggested that Gu Shi’an move back to the room, she hadn’t meant for him to share her bed.

Lin Yao had only intended to let him stay in the room, but not in the same bed.

— Guests should sleep on the floor!

Gu Shi’an, however, didn’t have that awareness. Luckily, the wooden bed in the east wing room was large enough. Lin Yao moved her small pillow and blanket to the far side, glanced at the green military blanket Gu Shi’an had brought, and, remembering his shameless face, clenched her fist and angrily threw his bedding to the edge of the bed.

One side of the bed was for her, and the other side was for him—each should keep to their own side.

Outside, fine rain continued to fall. Though it wasn’t heavy, small puddles formed on the ground. The carved windows of the east wing room were closed.

The rainy weather made things damp, and with everyone in the Gu household resting, the next-door Uncle and Aunt Dafu’s house was also dark. Only Lin Yao’s room was lit up, attracting mosquitoes that buzz around.

Gu Shi’an had lit some mugwort to drive away mosquitoes. Lin Yao yawned, her delicate eyebrows raised, and she wondered why the mugwort was so strong today.

Lin Yao was very particular about her hygiene, taking a bath every day in the summer, regardless of the weather.

Gu Chunmei had laughed at her before, saying, “Taking a bath in the summer is one thing, but do you do it every day in the winter too?”

Lin Yao had replied, “I do. If I can’t bathe at home, I’ll go to a public bathhouse. At most, I bathe every two or three days.”

Gu Shi’an had taken off his rain boots and was heating water in the kitchen, carrying bucket after bucket to the bathing shed. After wiping his face with a damp towel, his face appeared chiseled against the night’s darkness.

Lin Yao sat inside, examining her yarns. She had a basket with several balls of yarn in various colors—light gray, olive green, off-white, and bright red. Some were defective yarns from the supply and marketing cooperative, while others were from old sweaters she had unraveled. She was contemplating knitting a couple of stylish sweaters with these colorful yarns.

The chunky sweaters that young women were wearing on the streets these days looked stylish with a belt and paired with army green pants. With a big braid, they looked quite impressive.

Since the Lushan Conference, the political climate has shifted, and the future is uncertain.

In October, Chunmei was getting married. Lin Yao thought it would be nice to knit a sweater and pants set for her as part of her dowry.

While she was lost in thought, Gu Shi’an called out, “Yaoyao, it’s time for your bath.”

Lin Yao, feeling sticky, quickly gathered her yarn into a ball and tossed it into the basket, taking her face-washing basin and hurrying to the bathing shed.

The bathing shed was pitch black without a candle. Lin Yao felt uneasy and called Gu Shi’an to bring a candle.

Gu Shi’an, carrying an oil lamp, lit up the dark shed with a soft, yellow light and a faint scent of mugwort.

It seemed someone had already prepared the shed to ward off mosquitoes.

Lin Yao, pleased, glanced at the setup and then shooed Gu Shi’an away.

Half an hour later, Lin Yao emerged from the bath, refreshed, with her long black hair still damp and smelling of flowers. She wore a white floral nightgown that revealed her smooth, snow-like skin. The fabric of the nightgown was very soft, and she had several similar ones.

Wearing slippers, which were less comfortable than modern ones, Lin Yao walked lightly back to the east wing room.

At that time, slippers were not as comfortable as those in the future. County girls wore clunky plastic sandals bought from the supply and marketing cooperative, which made a loud clacking sound when walked in.

Gu Chunmei had recently received a batch of soft slippers from the cooperative, which were very comfortable.

Lin Yao had snatched a pair, cut the straps to use as slippers, and carried her face-washing basin up the steps.

Gu Shi’an was reading military books at the table. When he looked up, his gaze fell on the delicate, white ankles of the young girl. His eyes darkened, but his expression remained calm.

Lin Yao sat on the edge of the bed, carefully drying her hair with a clean towel. She was very close to Gu Shi’an, and his presence was overwhelming. The scent of soap was strong around him. He waited in silence until Lin Yao finished drying her hair and snuggled into the bed, saying softly, “Gu Shi’an, I’m tired. Please blow out the candle.”

Gu Shi’an complied, blowing out the candle at the head of the bed.

Having spent the day in a frenzy, Lin Yao felt comfortable after her bath and was exhausted. She initially wrapped herself tightly in the quilt but soon became restless and tossed and turned. The rustling of the quilt and fabric was particularly noticeable in the dark.

Lin Yao twisted and turned, inadvertently ending up in Gu Shi’an’s arms. The young girl’s soft body and nightgown outlined her figure. Gu Shi’an sighed, wrapping his arm around her to add a thin blanket since it was a rainy night and she might catch a cold.

As he reached over, a flash of lightning outside illuminated the room, startling Lin Yao. She opened her eyes to see Gu Shi’an’s arm around her waist.

Lin Yao sat up, clutching the quilt, and glared at him with her soft, surprised eyes. “What are you doing, you idiot!”

Gu Shi’an was silent.

As he tried to explain, Lin Yao, in her agitation, tried to scratch him. Unfortunately, she tripped over the quilt and ended up back in Gu Shi’an’s embrace.

Lin Yao was shocked!

The man’s strong, upright profile was right in front of her, and his warm, pleasant breath enveloped her. Lin Yao tried to free herself but found herself tightly held. She was embarrassed as his deep, narrow black eyes stared at her, making her face flush red. Deciding to act boldly, she leaned in and kissed his thin lips.

Gu Shi’an responded with a low laugh, deepening the kiss.

Hmph, since she would eventually be with Gu Shi’an anyway, she might as well take the initiative.

Outside, the rain poured heavily, creating a seemingly endless curtain of droplets. That night, Lin Yao felt like a small boat being tossed around in a storm.

*

The next morning, the sky was gray. The violent storm had turned into a light drizzle, forming a transparent curtain of rain.

The old Gu family kitchen was leaking again. Zhang Cuilan placed clay pots to catch the rainwater and complained to Gu Mancang, “We just repaired the roof, and it’s leaking again after only a few days. The tiles are not as good as they used to be. Everything is expensive now—flour, rice, and prices keep rising, but wages don’t increase. I’ve counted, we need to replace five or six tiles. Each tile costs one dime. Here’s a dime. Don’t forget to buy ten tiles from the shop after work. Chunmei has brought breakfast back, and it’s warming in the pot. Anzi, this child went to the Public Security Bureau before dawn. His face has scratches, looking like a kitten was clawing at him…”

Gu Mancang, used to being quiet, listened to his wife as usual. After breakfast and porridge, he responded in his usual gruff manner and headed out with an umbrella to the steel factory.

Zhang Cuilan was busy feeding the pigs at the pig farm, and before she left, she called her daughter to wake up.

It was almost 7:30 AM. If she didn’t get up soon, she’d be late for work.

As for Gu Shidong and Yaoyao—those two kids were impossible to wake, so she decided to leave them be.

Gu Chunmei yawned as she got out of bed, splashed her face with cool water, and thought about how she had been so engrossed in the novel Yaoyao had given her that she had stayed up until eleven or twelve last night reading under the covers with a flashlight. She hadn’t heard whether it was raining or windy, as she had slept soundly.

Gu Chunmei glanced over at the eastern wing of the house and saw that Yaoyao was still asleep.

She wondered when her elder brother would finally make a move and win Yaoyao’s heart.

Gu Chunmei grumbled as she grabbed some flatbread and headed to the supply and marketing cooperative.

Lin Yao didn’t get up until after the sun was high in the sky. When she woke up, her whole body ached and she was covered in sticky sweat from the heat. The sheets beneath her were clean and smooth, and it seemed someone had changed them, as the bedding and sheets were different from yesterday’s pattern.

She stared blankly for a while, then remembered what had happened last night and couldn’t help but cover her face. She had tried to take the initiative but ended up being dominated by Gu Shi’an…

Lin Yao shook her head, her stomach growling. Deciding not to dwell on it, she tried to get out of bed to have breakfast. Her legs wobbled, and she almost fell.

She made her way down the stairs like a wobbly crab. Fortunately, Dongzi, that little rascal, was still asleep. While Lin Yao was washing her face, she noticed her floral nightgown and small clothes hanging on the clothesline. Her face flushed red, and she quickly moved the clothes to a less visible corner.

Gu Shi’an, that guy, had washed her clothes but left them in such a conspicuous place—what was he thinking?

Lin Yao rolled her eyes. When he came back tonight, she was definitely going to make him kneel on a washboard!

Or if not that, he could sleep on a hard floor for half a month.

In any case, that man couldn’t be comfortable.

*

This morning, the commune canteen served steamed cornmeal buns with pickled radish slices and wild vegetable porridge. The portions weren’t large, but the taste was quite good.

Lin Yao washed her hands, broke off half a bun, and paired it with a piece of pickled radish. The tangy and spicy flavor was delicious.

However, she didn’t like spicy food. After eating half a bun and still feeling hungry, she added a small piece of bread and finished her breakfast with the wild vegetable porridge.

Around ten o’clock, Gu Shidong, the little rascal, finally emerged from his room, rubbing his eyes. He immediately started shouting, claiming that his elder brother hadn’t slept in the room last night, and the blanket from the small bed was missing. He joked that his elder brother had been abducted by aliens!

That little brat had been listening to stories about outer space at school—aliens, spaceships, and all. Lately, he had been fantasizing about encountering aliens.

Lin Yao was speechless and didn’t want to engage with the little troublemaker.

By noon, the rain outside had stopped. The water tank at the Gu family’s home was nearly empty, so Lin Yao sent Gu Shidong to fetch water.

Currently, water was free, but next year, when the big compound installed running water, they would have to pay for it.

Gu Shidong then realized that his brother’s blanket was in the eastern wing of the house, so it seemed his brother had slept in his sister-in-law’s room last night.

The little rascal grinned widely. Lin Yao, sweeping the room, was irritated and scolded him, “Stop laughing and go fetch the water!”

Gu Shidong quickly ran off, not daring to disobey his sister-in-law’s orders. He knew he’d be in trouble when his elder brother came back if he didn’t.

Just as the little rascal left, he came running back with a clatter, carrying a water bucket. “Sister-in-law, Lin Daguo, that troublemaker, is here!”

Lin Yao: ???