Chapter 40

Deputy Director Gu didn’t normally show affection, but when he did, it surprised everyone.

Today, it was a love sweater, tomorrow a love lunch, and the day after, a batch of love snacks made by his daughter-in-law.

The unmarried young men in the police station were practically vomiting from all the “dog food.”

Eventually, Lin Yao, who was busy preparing for her job exam, couldn’t take it anymore and kicked Gu Shi’an out of their bed for a few days, forcing him to sleep on the floor.

Only then did he settle down.

Despite this, Gu Shi’an’s mood remained unusually good during this time.

At the police station, he didn’t carry on his usual serious work routine. When the junior officers made mistakes, they waited anxiously for a scolding.

But Deputy Director Gu had a warm expression, just telling them to be more careful next time.

Even when Gu Shidong was being lazy during his morning exercises, his older brother’s punishment with the willow branch was gentler than usual.

One morning, his brother even personally put a piece of fried egg on his plate.

This moved Gu Shidong to tears.

The others secretly celebrated in their hearts. It seemed that the old saying was right: “A virtuous wife brings harmony to the family.”

With a loving wife and children around a warm stove, it was a beautiful thought.

A group of young men, full of energy, were eager to get married. Some went on blind dates, others chased after girls, and the police station became a hotbed for budding romances, bringing several couples together.

Lin Yao, however, was oblivious to the happenings at the police station. She was fully focused on studying and preparing for her job exam.

In those days, when a rural girl married into the city, she would also move to the city, receiving a government-issued grain book. This allowed her to buy rationed grain. Although having a grain book was helpful, it was meaningless without a job. Without a job, there would be no urban household registration, and any children born would follow the mother’s rural registration.

This is one of the reasons why city people are reluctant to marry rural girls.

Lin Yao doesn’t care about the city hukou, but that doesn’t mean her children won’t care about it.

Alright, even though she doesn’t have children now, what if she has them someday?

In the future, parents will do whatever it takes to ensure their children don’t fall behind from the starting line, working hard from middle age into their old age. Lin Yao doesn’t want to struggle her whole life. If she can work for a few days and secure a steady job for life, it won’t be a loss.

Gu Mancang and his wife were pleased and happy to know that their daughter-in-law was preparing for the exam.

The couple didn’t mind Lin Yao lounging around at home, enjoying her time. After all, she was just a young girl, and it wasn’t bad for her to be pampered at home. In today’s world, women can stand on equal footing with men.

Zhang Cuilan was a self-reliant woman, and Gu Mancang embodied the spirit of hard work. Since Lin Yao wanted to be independent, her parents naturally supported her.

The couple gathered some study materials for her, and Gu Shi’an went to the county library to find several books on the textile factory, such as History of Textile Factory Development, Profiles of Advanced Individuals in Textile Factories, and Logistics Department Rules and Regulations.

Gu Chunmei also brought home a stack of materials. There was a thick pile on the desk, and Lin Yao picked up the book, feeling like it was the end of her college semester exams, where she crammed at the library. She recited the material aloud in the room, occasionally getting sleepy and unconsciously falling asleep on the desk.

When she woke up, the room was in disarray with books scattered everywhere. She was sprawled across Gu Shi’an’s lap, one foot resting on his slim, strong waist.

Lin Yao’s face flushed. Last night, she was tossed and turned by him. Her body felt weak, and she bit her lip, trying to stay silent. The more she did that, the more he…

Lin Yao angrily pulled on Gu Shi’an’s handsome face. He opened his eyes, and his sharp, dark eyes swept over her.

Lin Yao immediately lay back under the covers and pretended to sleep. To make it convincing, she even mimicked the sound of light snoring.

“The little pig is snoring.”

A magnetic, deep voice whispered in her ear. Lin Yao furiously leaped out of bed and pounced on him.

“Pah, you’re the pig!”

Gu Shi’an laughed and pulled the young girl into his arms, kissing her.

After the playful moments, Gu Shidong, called out for breakfast. Lin Yao quickly jumped out of bed and ran away.

Gu Shi’an straightened his clothes, smiling faintly, and went out the door with a confident stride.

The textile factory exam was scheduled for the end of the month, which happened to fall on a Saturday. Early in the morning, Gu Shi’an got up and dragged his yawning Gu Shidong, outside for a jog.

Gu Shidong thought he could skip running today because of his sister-in-law’s exam. But his older brother wouldn’t let him off easily, even in the chilly autumn.

The end of September brought cooler weather. While it wasn’t too noticeable during the day, it was chilly in the morning. Without long sleeves and pants, running several laps in the cold would surely lead to a cold.

Zhang Cuilan woke up early, went to the state-owned restaurant, and bought two steaming bowls of sweet tofu pudding, along with a bag of fried dough sticks. The sweet tofu pudding was five cents a bowl, and the fried dough sticks were seven cents each—money that she usually wouldn’t spend on breakfast.

If it weren’t for her daughter-in-law, no one would have been able to get a cent from her!

The sweet tofu pudding had a natural bean fragrance and was refreshing. Lin Yao drank a large bowl in one go, ate three fried dough sticks, and patted her belly, feeling full.

Zhang Cuilan saw her small appetite and offered her another fried dough stick.

“Yao Yao, how can you only eat this little? You’ll need energy for the exam, which will take most of the day. You won’t have the strength if you don’t eat enough.”

Gu Shidong grumbled as he ate, “Exactly, sister-in-law, with all the disasters going on, many people from the north are fleeing to the south. If you don’t eat now, what if there’s nothing to eat later?”

The brat may have spoken roughly, but he made sense. Lin Yao obediently ate two more fried dough sticks.

The food at the canteen had been getting worse, with watery porridge almost every day. If this continued, someone would surely develop health problems from hunger.

Gu Shi’an had a big appetite, thanks to his military background. He was used to eating two or three bowls at a time.

The commune canteen served rough, dry, wild vegetable buns that only Gu Shi’an could stomach. He would finish a bun in a few bites, then devour the rest in less than a minute.

After breakfast, Gu Shi’an rode his bike to take Lin Yao to the textile factory.

The Gu family watched them leave from the doorway, even though their bike was already far down the street. The textile factory was about half an hour away, and the exam wouldn’t start until 9 a.m. at the earliest. Gu Shi’an was cycling leisurely.

Lin Yao sat on the back seat, her small hands wrapped around his waist. She chatted with him as they rode through the streets.

To outsiders, it was obvious that they were a sweet, loving couple.

Watching from around the corner, Lin Hongna’s blood boiled. Her pupils contracted, and her teeth ground in anger.

Ever since she heard about the Gu family’s situation, her jealousy and resentment had kept her up at night.

Lin Hongna really didn’t like Gu Shi’an, but the position of wife of the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau was like a huge temptation that made her feel suffocated.

If Lin Yao hadn’t married him, wouldn’t she be the one sitting in the back seat of his bike now?

The deputy director of the Public Security Bureau earns over a hundred yuan a month, and since Gu Shi’an had joined the force, he’d solved several cases. The county committee rewarded him with bonuses, and all that money went to Lin Yao.

No wonder Lin Yao looked so healthy and radiant, like a beautiful peony flower tempting everyone’s admiration.

But no, how could a mere deputy director of the Public Security Bureau compare to the wealthy wives people would envy in the future?

Lin Hongna recalled how Lin Yao lived in unimaginable luxury in her past life, and her resolve hardened.

As the old saying goes, “Only by enduring the hardest hardships can one become truly successful.”

She had been reborn once, so enduring a bit more hardship wasn’t a big deal.

However, if she didn’t live well, Lin Yao wouldn’t be able to live a good life either.

If she had known things would turn out this way, she would rather have ruined the engagement with the Gu family rather than send Lin Yao to marry into the Gu family.

To Lin Hongna, the Gu family was like a cesspit, but to Lin Yao, it was a lucky nest.

Lin Hongna had investigated thoroughly. After Lin Yao married into the Gu family, she was pampered every day, not having to wake up early for work, wash clothes, or carry urine buckets. Even her small clothes were washed by Gu Shi’an.

As for her, she spent her days tightening screws at the factory and had to return to her old home on weekends to avoid trouble, constantly working around the stove like an old cow.

Heaven was unfair, so she would create fairness for herself!

Lin Hongna raised her eyes and glanced at the departing Lin Yao, her eyes filled with deep hatred.

Half an hour later, Gu Shi’an and his wife arrived at the textile factory gate.

By this time, quite a few people had already gathered at the factory entrance, most of them young and beautiful girls.

This was the first time the textile factory had opened its recruitment to the outside, and it was the first time since the founding of the country.

The textile factory was only hiring three people, but there were over thirty applicants, including four or five young men who had graduated from junior high school.

Some of them even seemed to have attended high school?

In those days, being able to attend high school was a rare achievement, a sign of someone exceptional.

Others were nervous, sweat dripping from their foreheads, but Lin Yao was completely at ease. Compared to her college entrance exam in her previous life, this was nothing. She even turned around to smile and greet Deputy Director Gu, who was waiting outside.

Gu Shi’an felt reassured. As they entered the examination hall, a young girl almost tripped and fell.

Lin Yao quickly helped her up, and the girl blushed and thanked her.

When the exam papers were distributed, Lin Yao quickly glanced through them. A smile appeared on her face. It seemed that cramming had its merits; all the key points she had reviewed were covered in the exam, almost word-for-word.

The two-and-a-half-hour exam passed quickly.

When the bell signaling the end of the exam rang, the candidates either looked disheartened or pleased as they exited one by one.

Lin Yao, carrying her small bag, walked briskly at the front. She really disliked the smell in the exam hall. The man in front of her seemed to have gone days without bathing, and the unpleasant stench of sweat wafted toward her, giving her a headache. Thankfully, she had chosen a seat near the window, so there was a little ventilation.

The young girl she had helped earlier was smiling widely, clearly happy with her performance.

She came over to thank Lin Yao again. Her name was Zhou Xiaoxue. Both her parents were government officials—her father was the deputy director of the textile factory, and her mother was the head of the supply and marketing cooperative. Her family had arranged a job for her, but the determined young girl refused and decided to apply for this job on her own.