Chapter 26

Lin Yao was held down and kissed. Her lips were lush and inviting, her eyes misty and reddened as if she had been deeply wronged.

Indeed, she felt wronged. The man had returned and immediately hugged her, and without any warning, started kissing her…

Thus, Lin Yao, puffing up with indignation, complained, “You jerk, who told you to hug me!”

Gu Shi’an chuckled softly, clearly in a good mood, and said, “Next time, I’ll make sure to inform Yaoyao in advance.”

Lin Yao: “…”

Hmph, who needs a next time? Shameless!

The heat was intense outside, the ground in the communal yard was scalding, enveloping everything in a layer of heat.

Lin Yao had just finished preparing some food. She ate the remaining half of a steamed bun from breakfast with the braised pork, brewed a pot of green bean soup with rock candy, and chilled it in the well. When her family came home, they could enjoy a refreshing, sweet bowl of soup.

*

Lin Yao had only been busy for a short while before her face became flushed from the heat. She ate a peach she had just washed, while gazing at the glaring sun outside, and sighed. The sunlight was so harsh. She had heard that the drought in the North was severe, and the quality of food in the communal canteen was deteriorating. Previously, they had meat and steamed buns. Now, they only had pickled vegetables, buckwheat buns, and sweet potato cakes. Even the porridge had changed from wheat to wild vegetable mush, with no sign of meat.

The communal members grumbled, but there was no point in complaining, life had to go on.

Though Lin Yao had rice, flour, and meat stored, she couldn’t just take them out for herself.

Eventually, when the sun climbed to the roof and the gong signaling the end of the workday rang out from the steel plant, Uncle Mancang returned home first. He remembered his wife’s instructions to buy tiles from Wang Shixiang. Gu Shi’an happened to be home too, so the father and son decided to go together.

Lin Yao, naturally, couldn’t sit idle. She drew water and left it in the yard, waiting for Aunt Cuilan and Sister Chunmei to come back and wash their faces and hands.

Aunt Cuilan and her daughter hadn’t returned yet, but Dongzi, the little rascal, was already back home.

As soon as the brat arrived, he started causing trouble. He grabbed a pair of iron scissors, usually used by Zhang Cuilan for shoe soles and fabric, and began attacking the cactus on the windowsill of the south room. Lin Yao hurried over, “Dongzi, what are you doing?”

The cactus was a gift from Brother Da Tou to Gu Chunmei. Sister Chunmei treasured it greatly, keeping it on the windowsill, watering it every few days, and it had grown quite beautifully.

The cactus had even started blooming, with delicate yellow flowers. Cactus flowers have a very short bloom time, lasting only a day or two.

Gu Shidong, fuming with anger, declared, “I’m going to kill this cactus!”

Lin Yao was puzzled: “Kill a cactus? It’s not an animal.”

But what was important was not letting the little rascal get away with his mischief.

Next to the cactus, Aunt Cuilan had dried several strings of hot peppers. Lin Yao grabbed Dongzi by the collar, pulled him aside, and shoved him into the side room. She decided to let him stay there quietly for a while and would later bring him some snacks.

Hearing that there would be snacks, Dongzi was finally pleased.

The little rascal ate the egg cake with delight, his face beaming with joy. “Sister-in-law, this egg cake is really delicious. If I could eat it every day, I’d be willing to do anything.”

Lin Yao glanced at him, “Dream on. If you end up like Lin Daguo and get beaten every day, would you still be willing?”

Gu Shidong: “… Forget it, then.”

Gu Shidong would rather munch on steamed buns than end up like Lin Daguo, that old fool.

The little rascal continued to chomp on the egg cake, even eating the crumbs that fell into his palm.

Lin Yao watched with a hint of sadness. She patted the little guy’s head and, unusually, gave him another egg cake, making Gu Shidong so happy he could hardly speak.

Lin Yao wandered around the house for a while, then feeling sleepy, yawned and went to catch up on some rest.

Since she had already eaten lunch and there was nothing urgent to do at home, a nap was just fine.

In the middle of the day, Zhang Cuilan and Gu Chunmei returned, dripping with sweat. Gu Shi’an and his father also came back with the tiles.

Uncle Mancang set up a ladder by the kitchen door. Gu Shi’an climbed up quickly and efficiently. The Gu family’s kitchen had been built by themselves, using cheap broken bricks from the brick factory, mixed with yellow clay, and supported by wooden beams, topped with red tiles. For that era, it was quite a good house.

Even so, the kitchen roof needed repairs every few months. The tiles were uneven, but Gu Shi’an worked with ease, replacing the tiles on the roof in no time.

Gu Shi’an was now only wearing a somewhat worn white tank top and home pants, showing off his strong arms and the muscle lines around his waist. A man working seriously had a unique charm. Somehow, Lin Yao’s mind drifted to some inappropriate thoughts from the previous night. She quickly turned her head away and went to the yard to help Aunt Cuilan with pasting matchboxes.

There were many women in the neighborhood without work, so Director Ge found a job for them pasting matchboxes. They were paid one dime for every thirty matchboxes completed.

Since Lin Yao was free at home, she could paste fifty to sixty matchboxes a day, earning twenty cents a day, which added up to five or six yuan a month. It wasn’t a lot of money, but she wasn’t short on cash. It was just a way to pass the time and earn some pocket money.

Pasting matchboxes wasn’t a long-term solution, so Lin Yao had been quietly keeping an eye on job openings at various factories. She wanted to find a position to earn her own living.

She wasn’t about to rely on Gu Shi’an to support her. Depending on someone, especially a man, was not an option.

Though Lin Yao trusted Gu Shi’an’s sincerity, she was afraid that staying home all day eating and sleeping would make her disconnected from society and turn her into an unkempt, sloppy woman.

Gu Shi’an finished repairing the roof and soon had a thin layer of sweat on his back. The heat outside was intense, so he went to take a cold shower.

After lunch, the family members resumed their usual activities, with those who needed to work going back to their jobs, and those who needed rest taking a nap.

Gu Shi’an was planning to return to the Public Security Bureau soon. The suspect in the robbery case had been apprehended.

The suspect, Wang Guifa, had been a coal miner at the county coal mine. In 1955, the mine collapsed due to a flood, killing several people. Wang Guifa was lucky enough to have escaped before the collapse, though he lost a finger in the process.

Later, as the coal mine moved to the outskirts, Wang Guifa, being older and unable to work hard, was given a lighter job at the power plant, where he earned only sixteen yuan a month.

In those times, money was valuable, and sixteen yuan was enough for Wang Guifa, a single old man, to live on. However, he had a gambling addiction. After work, he would find friends to gamble, losing small amounts until he was completely broke.

When he ran out of money, his addiction drove him to consider robbery to fund his gambling.

The power plant was near the county cinema, and people who went to the movies generally had money. Wang Guifa would often loiter outside the cinema, looking for targets. Over time, he noticed a female vendor at the cinema who carried a handbag and wore expensive shoes, and her partner was a cadre from the county committee.

Seeing such a ‘fat sheep,’ Wang Guifa’s eyes glinted with a predatory excitement…

He never expected that the plump little woman would escape his grasp.

After failing to rob the cinema, Wang Guifa fled in the pouring rain.

He continued to go to work during the day and hide in the old coal mine buildings at night, planning to lay low until the situation calmed down.

However, he didn’t anticipate that Gu Shi’an would catch him, not only arresting him but also uncovering two old cases from before the liberation, resulting in multiple charges.

Wang Guifa would spend the rest of his life in prison.

Wang Guifa’s case still had some unresolved issues, and then the Lin family trio caused another commotion.

Lin Yao washed her face and hands, then started her skincare routine, applying snow cream to her neck and a thin layer to her hands, spreading it evenly and leaving a subtle fragrance.

Satisfied, she smiled, opened the wardrobe, and organized her clothes. Gu Shi’an entered the room, his body still emitting steam from his shower. He quickly dressed in his clothes, fastening the buttons meticulously, and transformed back into the stern and unyielding Deputy Director Gu.

As Gu Shi’an finished buttoning his shirt, his long hands reached out to pat Lin Yao on the head.

“Yaoyao, I’m heading out.”

His touch felt as gentle as petting a kitten.

Lin Yao, annoyed, swatted at him, “Hurry up and go!”

Just before leaving, Gu Shi’an added that they should go get their marriage certificate tomorrow since they had some free time.