Chapter 41

Zhou Xiaoxue didn’t hide her decision to apply for a job from her parents.

Coming from a well-off family, Zhou Xiaoxue had parents who were relatively open-minded. The family was well-connected and had no lack of material wealth. When their daughter expressed her desire to forge her own path without relying on the family’s influence, her parents supported her, believing that she should go out and explore the world.

They thought that after facing some hardships and tiring herself out, she would naturally want to come back home.

However, the Zhou parents didn’t expect their daughter to be so stubborn. Once she said she would rely on her own efforts, she meant it. She carried her bag every day to the county’s workers’ center, diligently studying and taking notes. Father Zhou, observing this, felt a surge of pride and praised her determination, saying she had the same drive he had when he was young.

Father Zhou came from a poor rural background. As a teenager, he worked at the docks, carrying sacks to save enough money to attend school and learn to read and write. It was this literacy that eventually enabled him to achieve his current status.

Zhou Xiaoxue’s mother came from a family of martyrs. Zhou Xiaoxue had three uncles. The first two died as martyrs, and the third was a deputy brigade commander in the Northern Military District. Besides Zhou Xiaoxue, the family had two sons.

Zhou Xiaoxue shared all this with Lin Yao, speaking as freely as if she were pouring beans from a bamboo tube.

Lin Yao had never encountered such a straightforward, innocent, and naturally friendly girl before.

She found herself quite fond of Zhou Xiaoxue. Zhou Xiaoxue had the typical looks of a northern girl, with thick black pigtails and a round, blessed-looking face. She wore a floral shirt, military-green pants, and a pair of pristine white Warrior brand sneakers. A small grass-green shoulder bag completed her outfit, making it clear that she came from a well-to-do family.

In those days, a pair of white Warrior sneakers cost three yuan, equivalent to ten days of work points for a rural commune member. Most ordinary families could barely afford enough food, let alone such expensive shoes.

Gu Shidong, that mischievous boy, dreamt of having a pair of white sneakers like that. Zhang Cuilan wasn’t unwilling to buy her son a pair, but the rascal was always climbing trees and playing in rivers. A new pair of shoes would be worn out in five or six days, as if he were eating them. No matter how much money the Gu family had, it wouldn’t be enough to keep buying him shoes.

Lin Yao did have white sneakers in her space, but they weren’t the Warrior brand.

Seeing how spirited Zhou Xiaoxue looked in her outfit, Lin Yao thought she might buy Dongzi a pair when she next visited the supply and marketing cooperative.

As Lin Yao and Zhou Xiaoxue chatted and laughed along the way, they soon arrived at the entrance of the textile factory.

When Zhou Xiaoxue learned that the beautiful Lin Yao was already married, she almost wanted to beat her chest in regret.

Oh no, she hoped Lin Yao didn’t end up like her sister-in-law—a beautiful flower stuck in a pile of cow dung.

Yes, in Zhou Xiaoxue’s mind, her older brother was like a heap of smelly cow dung. He was extremely fortunate to have married such a stunning sister-in-law, surely the result of accumulated virtue from a past life.

It was now past eleven, nearing noon, and the streets of Yunshui County were bright and bustling. Many street vendors were selling snacks.

There was an old saying in Yunshui County: “July brings pears and dates, August brings hawthorn, and September brings chestnuts with smiles.”

As the autumn winds began to blow, it was the time of year when the fragrance of chestnuts filled the air. On the streets, old men were calling out, selling candied hawthorns.

Children passing by were clamoring for sugar-roasted chestnuts and candied hawthorns.

Parents who doted on their children would take out twenty cents and buy both treats for them. Those who were short on cash, however, would drag their unruly kids home with a mix of scolding and spanking.

The little girl in the family loved hot sugar-roasted chestnuts, so Deputy Director Gu lined up with other parents to buy some. After getting the chestnuts, he also bought three skewers of candied hawthorns.

As soon as Lin Yao stepped out of the textile factory, she was enticed by the sweet smell of freshly roasted chestnuts from the street vendors.

Zhou Xiaoxue, standing nearby, also had a longing expression on her face.

The man selling the chestnuts wielded a large spatula, stirring the chestnuts in an iron wok with a loud clattering sound, packing them up one after another.

Lin Yao rummaged through her small purse, glancing around to make sure that Gu Shi’an wasn’t nearby. Confident, she boldly took out a one-yuan note and was just about to shout, “Give me six bags of sugar-roasted chestnuts!”

But then she heard the ringing of a bicycle bell behind her. Gu Shi’an approached, pushing his bike, with two bags of sugar-roasted chestnuts hanging from the handlebars. He frowned and called out, “Yao Yao?”

Lin Yao quickly stuffed the money back into her purse, turned around, and gave him a sheepish smile, her guilty expression unmistakable.

Gu Shi’an smiled and hooked his lips up in amusement. Lin Yao and Dongzi often hid at home together, secretly eating sweets.

Too much sugar was bad for their teeth.

The two of them had been caught red-handed by Gu Shi’an before.

Now, Lin Yao, who was trying to sneak some snacks, was taken home by Deputy Director Gu, while poor Zhou Xiaoxue was also caught by her older brother, who seemed to have a knack for catching her at the worst moments.

Zhou Xiaoxue’s older brother was in his early thirties, quite good-looking, though Zhou Xiaoxue always thought of him as a pile of smelly cow dung.

Each girl was then taken home by their respective parents.

Lin Yao, sulking, nibbled on her sweet sugar-roasted chestnuts. The golden-yellow, plump chestnut meat melted on her tongue, releasing a burst of sweetness—each bite was a delight.

Before long, she was happily nodding her head, her mood completely uplifted.

The young couple returned home together, where the Gu family was busy with a thorough house cleaning. Usually, everyone in the family was either at work or school, and the housework wasn’t done so meticulously.

But today, with everyone home, Zhang Cuilan mobilized the whole family to clean every nook and cranny, sweeping away cobwebs and dust from the corners of the walls.

The weather had turned cold in recent days, with a drizzling autumn rain and cold winds blowing at night.

In the courtyard, people had started using thin blankets at night. The Gu family took advantage of the good weather to air out their long sleeves, pants, cotton jackets, and quilts.

Lin Yao also helped with the chores when she got home.

The family gathered around to ask her how the exam went.

Lin Yao lifted her chin proudly, indicating that everything was under control.

Zhang Cuilan beamed with joy and secretly went back to her room, where she clasped her hands together and offered a prayer to the gods, thanking both Guanyin and the Buddha.

Gu Mancang overheard and joked, “You’re already praying? It’s not too late to wait until Yaoyao passes before you start.”

Zhang Cuilan shot him a look and said, “You fool! Don’t you know the saying, ‘Sharpening your spear at the last minute, even if it’s not sharp, it will still be polished’?”

She believed that her previous prayers had brought Yao Yao good luck.

Everyone in the family was busy. Naturally, Gu Shi’an couldn’t escape his share of the work. Being tall, Gu Chunmei handed her brother a headscarf, telling him to cover his face and clean the dust from the corners of the side room.

Deputy Director Gu diligently swept the walls while Lin Yao took the opportunity to tease him.

That evening, after Lin Yao finished her bath, she lay on the bed, her white legs swinging as she read a Soviet novel.

While she still could, Lin Yao planned to finish all the Soviet novels at home. Once she was done, she intended to secretly burn them in an iron basin.

If she didn’t, they might be confiscated and sent to a labor camp for re-education.

Gu Shi’an sat at the desk, going through case files, occasionally jotting down notes. He seemed quite focused.

Lately, this guy seemed a bit off. Once a workaholic who spent most of his time at the Public Security Bureau, he now brought his work home to burn the midnight oil.

Lin Yao had suggested he sleep in the small side room with Dongzi.

But the stubborn man refused to go.

Gu Shi’an worked on his case until ten o’clock that night. When he returned after his bath, he entered the room with a cool, refreshing scent.

By then, Lin Yao was already sound asleep, her peaceful expression resembling that of a defenseless little rabbit. Her floral nightgown revealed her slender, snow-white waist, a far cry from her feisty daytime self.

Gu Shi’an leaned down and gently nibbled on her small, white ear. In her sleep, Lin Yao let out a soft hum.

But when the rogue man captured her tender lips, Lin Yao suddenly woke up in shock.

That night, the wooden bed in the east wing creaked and groaned well into the night.

The next day, Lin Yao walked with her hand on her back, leaning against the wall, which startled Gu Shidong.

“Oh my god, what happened to Sister-in-law? She’s walking while holding her back. Could it be a slipped disc?”

In the neighboring courtyard, Hutou’s grandmother had a slipped disc, and whenever it flared up, she’d lie in bed, groaning in pain.

Gu Shidong rushed inside, shouting to his mother that Sister-in-law’s back hurt and that she should quickly get some medicine!

His loud announcement caused an uproar in the Gu household.

When Zhang Cuilan quietly approached her daughter-in-law to inquire, she discovered it was all just a misunderstanding.

It was all Dongzi’s fault, that little rascal.

When Dongzi started to open his mouth to shout again in the courtyard, Zhang Cuilan took out a handkerchief, pulled out five cents, and stuffed it into her son’s hand, telling the mischievous boy to go buy some candy from the street.

“Eat the candy and keep that mouth of yours shut!”

Gu Shidong didn’t understand his mother’s intention. He thought she was rewarding him for being kind to his sister-in-law.

The little brat was like he’d been injected with adrenaline, constantly hovering around his sister-in-law. After hanging around her for a while, he made a big discovery.

He figured out who had been stalking his sister-in-law!

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Ayalee: Hi everyone! I’ve decided to take down all chapters of TSBIT50C, including both the free and locked ones, for major editing. The chapters will be removed on December 5, 2024, but don’t worry—they’ll be back by January 1, 2025. I apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience. 🙏 I hope to see you all again when the story returns! 💕