Chapter 24

Actually, Lin Yao did tell Gu Shi’an to move back into the room, but she didn’t invite him to sleep on the bed.

Lin Yao considered Gu Shi’an as someone merely staying over for a short time, so she gave him half of the room.

— Someone who’s just staying over should know their place and sleep on the floor!

Gu Shi’an wasn’t that self-aware. Fortunately, the wooden bed in the East Wing room was large enough. She moved her small pillow and towel quilt to the far side, then glanced at the green army blanket Gu Shi’an had brought. Thinking about his shameless handsome face, she clenched her fist and angrily pounded it down. She grumbled as she tossed his bedding to the edge of the bed.

One half of the bed for each person—no one should disturb the other.

Outside, fine drizzle was falling. Although the rain wasn’t heavy, small rain pits splashed up on the ground. The carved windows of the East Wing room had already been shut.

It was damp because of the rain, and since the Gu family had all gone to sleep, the house of Uncle Dafu and Aunt Dafu next door was also pitch black. The only light in the whole courtyard came from Lin Yao’s room. If she wasn’t careful, mosquitoes would soon be flying all over the place.

Gu Shi’an lit mugwort to drive away the mosquitoes. Lin Yao yawned, raising her delicate brows, wondering why the mugwort smelled so strong today!

Lin Yao was quite delicate. In the summer, she had to bathe every day, even when it rained.

Gu Chunmei teased her, “There’s no harm in bathing in the summer, but you bathe every day even in the cold winter.”

Lin Yao hummed back at her. She bathed in winter too. If there was no hot water at home, she would go to the public bathhouse. She didn’t mind bathing every two or three days.

Gu Shi’an took the rain boots outside and boiled hot water in the kitchen, carrying bucket after bucket to the bathing shed. After wiping his face with a damp towel, his face appeared chiseled in the dim night light.

Lin Yao sat inside the room, working with some yarn. A few balls of yarn were in a basket, with various colors—light gray, olive green, off-white, and bright red. Some of the yarn was defective stock from the supply and marketing cooperative, while others were from old sweaters she had unraveled. She was thinking of knitting a couple of stylish sweaters with the different yarns.

The thick sweaters that young women were wearing on the street these days were popular, especially when paired with a belt and army-green pants. With a big braid swaying, they looked so chic.

After the Lushan Conference, the political trend had changed, and no one knew what the future held.

In October, Gu Chunmei would be getting married. Knitting her a sweater and pants would be like adding to her dowry.

While lost in thought, Gu Shi’an called out, “Yao Yao, the bath is ready.”

“Has the water cooled?” Lin Yao was sticky from the heat. She hurriedly gathered the yarn into balls, tossed them into the basket, and grabbed the washbasin before heading to the bath shed.

The bath shed was dark, with no candles. Lin Yao was a bit nervous and called for Gu Shi’an to bring a candle.

Gu Shi’an entered with an oil lamp, and the dark shed was immediately illuminated by the soft yellow candlelight, carrying the faint fragrance of mugwort.

It seemed someone had already done the work of driving away mosquitoes.

Lin Yao smiled and glanced at him, then shooed him away.

Half an hour later, Lin Yao finished her bath, feeling refreshed. Her long, dark hair was damp with a floral scent. She wore a white floral nightgown, and her skin, exposed in the night’s darkness, looked as white as snow. The soft fabric of the nightgown made it comfortable, and she had several nightgowns in the same style.

Her fair feet slipped into slippers as she lightly made her way back to the East Wing.

At that time, slippers weren’t as comfortable as they are today. The girls in the county wore stiff, clunky sandals from the supply and marketing cooperative. They were made of plastic and made loud clacking sounds when walking.

Recently, Gu Chunmei had brought back some soft sandals from the cooperative. They were very comfortable.

Lin Yao had snatched a pair and cut the straps to turn them into slippers. She was holding the washbasin and hurrying up the steps.

Gu Shi’an was reading a military book at the table. When his gaze lifted, it landed on her slender, pale ankles. His eyes darkened slightly, but his expression remained calm.

Lin Yao sat on the edge of the bed and began drying her hair with a clean towel. She was sitting very close to Gu Shi’an—no more than a shoulder’s width apart. The soap’s floral fragrance surrounded him, and he remained silent, waiting for Lin Yao to finish drying her hair. When she finally crawled into bed, she softly said, “Gu Shi’an, I’m tired. Blow out the candle.”

Gu Shi’an responded, and the candle at the head of the bed was blown out.

Lin Yao had been busy all day, and after her bath, she felt completely relaxed and sleepy. At first, she wrapped herself up like a little cocoon. But as sleepiness crept in, her usual dominant nature took over. She became restless, rolling around in bed, and the rustling sound of the sheets and fabric was very noticeable in the quiet night.

Lin Yao twisted and turned, not realizing how she ended up in Gu Shi’an’s arms.

The young girl was soft and delicate, her nightgown hugging her body. Gu Shi’an sighed lightly and reached out to add a thin blanket over her. It was a rainy night, and it was easy to catch a cold.

Just as he stretched his hand out, a flash of lightning struck, startling Lin Yao. When she opened her eyes, she found his big hand around her waist.

Lin Yao sat up with the towel wrapped around her and glared at him with soft eyes. “What are you doing?!”

Gu Shi’an: “…”

He tried to explain, but Lin Yao didn’t care. She lunged at him, wanting to scratch him.

However, her blanket got caught, and she fell right back into Gu Shi’an’s arms.

Lin Yao: “!!!”

His strong, sharp features were right in front of her, and his warm, pleasant breath surrounded her. Lin Yao struggled to free herself, but he held her tightly. He wouldn’t let go. His dark eyes locked onto hers, and she felt her face heat up. In a bold move, she kissed his thin lips.

Gu Shi’an chuckled softly and deepened the kiss.

Well, she was going to be eaten by him anyway, so it might as well be her taking the initiative.

The rain outside poured relentlessly, as if there was no end to it. That night, Lin Yao felt as if she were a small boat tossed in the storm…

*

The next morning, the sky was overcast, and the storm that had raged all night had turned into light rain, forming a transparent curtain of rain between heaven and earth.

The Gu family’s kitchen leaked again. Zhang Cuilan set out some jars to catch the rainwater, grumbling to Gu Mancang, “We just fixed the roof, and it’s already leaking again. The tiles are not as good as before, and everything outside is getting expensive—no matter what, the price of noodles and rice keeps rising, but the wages don’t increase. Sigh. I counted; we need to replace five or six tiles. A tile costs a dime, so I’ll give you a dollar. Don’t forget to go buy some tiles from Wang Shijiang after work. Chunmei has already brought back breakfast. It’s warming on the stove. The eldest went to the public security bureau before dawn. I don’t know how, but his face got scratched up, like a little kitten’s claws swiped across it…”

Gu Mancang, used to staying quiet, just listened as usual. After breakfast, he replied with a muffled voice, grabbed an umbrella, and headed off to the steel factory.

Zhang Cuilan was also busy feeding the pigs at the pig farm. Before leaving, she called her daughter to get up.

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

As for the two children, the youngest son and Yao Yao—they could not be woken up, so she didn’t bother.

Gu Chunmei yawned as she got out of bed, splashed her face with cold water. She had been so absorbed in the novel that Yao Yao gave her last night that she had stayed up until 11 or 12, reading with a flashlight in bed. She didn’t know if it was raining or windy because she hadn’t heard anything and had slept deeply.

Gu Chunmei glanced over at the east wing; Yao Yao wasn’t up yet.

Sigh, she wondered when her eldest brother would finally gather the courage to confess and win Yao Yao’s heart.

Gu Chunmei mumbled to herself as she grabbed a cake and headed to the supply and marketing cooperative.

Lin Yao didn’t get up until late in the morning, when the sun was already high. She felt sore all over and sticky with sweat. The sweat had soaked her, and the sheets beneath her were perfectly clean and smooth, without a single crease. Gu Shi’an was already gone, and the neatly folded quilt at the side of the bed had been arranged by someone else, with new sheets that weren’t the ones from last night.

She sat there for a moment, recalling last night’s events, and her face flushed as she covered it with her hands. She had tried to take the initiative, but in the end, Gu Shi’an had taken control.

Lin Yao shook her head, her stomach growling. She quickly decided not to dwell on it and got up to have breakfast. But when she tried to stand, her legs wobbled, and she nearly fell.

She carefully made her way down the stairs like a crab, relieved that little Dongzi hadn’t woken up yet. While washing her face, she saw her flower-print nightgown and underwear hanging on the clothesline. Her face turned red, and she quickly moved them to a corner where no one could see.

Gu Shi’an had washed them and hung them in such a conspicuous spot. What was he thinking?

Lin Yao rolled her eyes. When he came back that evening, she would make him kneel on the washboard! Or better yet, she could make him sleep on the floor for half a month. Either way, he wouldn’t have an easy time.

*

This morning, the canteen served cornmeal buns with pickled radish and chili sauce, along with wild vegetable porridge. The portions weren’t large, but the flavors were quite good.

Lin Yao washed her hands, broke off half a bun, and added a piece of pickled radish. It was tangy and spicy, and the more she chewed, the better it tasted.

She didn’t like spicy food, though, so after finishing half a bun, she felt unsatisfied. She grabbed a small piece of bread and finished it with the porridge.

At around 10, Gu Shidong finally came out of the room, rubbing his eyes. He immediately started shouting that his older brother hadn’t slept in the room last night, and the blanket was gone, probably taken by aliens!

That little brat had been listening to stories about outer space and aliens at school and had been imagining all sorts of things.

Lin Yao was speechless and didn’t want to entertain the boy.

By noon, the rain outside had stopped, and the water in the family’s water tank was running low. Lin Yao sent Gu Shidong to fetch some more water.

Right now, water was free, but next year when they installed running water in the courtyard, they’d have to pay water bills.

Gu Shidong finally realized that his older brother’s blanket was in the east wing, so it seemed like Gu Shi’an had spent the night in his wife’s room.

That brat grinned widely. Lin Yao, sweeping the room, was so angry she almost exploded. “Stop grinning and go get the water!”

Gu Shidong quickly ran off. He wasn’t about to disobey his sister-in-law. Otherwise, he’d be in trouble when his older brother came back.

As soon as the boy ran out, he came rushing back with the water bucket, shouting, “Sister-in-law, Lin Daguo that bastard is here!”

Lin Yao: ???