Chapter 48

Lin Yao grumbled internally but didn’t voice her complaints in front of him. Feeling completely drained, she turned over and wrapped herself in the blanket to go back to sleep.

—She had to go to work the next day and didn’t want to be late and give Zhou Xiaoxue something to laugh about.

Zhou Xiaoxue, though appearing carefree, was quite perceptive and a master of playing dumb. True to her father’s reputation as a cunning deputy factory director, she had inherited his traits.

Zhou Xiaoxue’s lively personality and her new, intriguing topics sometimes left Lin Yao at a loss.

The couple had spent the whole night in chaos. With the bed a mess, it was up to Deputy Director Gu to clean everything up. He tidied up, soaked the dirty sheets in a tub, gave them a quick rinse in the bathhouse, and returned feeling refreshed, only to find the clock pointing to 3:30 AM. He then cuddled up with Lin Yao and fell asleep.

At 5:30 the next morning, the streets of Yunshui County were fragrant with osmanthus. In the quiet morning light of the courtyard, Gu Shidong, still half-asleep, was dragged out of bed by his elder brother to go run laps around the alley.

He had to run on such a joyous day?

The little rascal was confused, mixing up the days and thinking his second sister was getting married today.

After running a couple of laps, Gu Shidong, panting heavily and looking like a little dog out of breath, realized his mistake when he saw the firecracker remnants at the entrance of the courtyard—his sister had gotten married the day before.

Exhausted after his run, Gu Shidong was gasping for air, while his elder brother, unaffected, continued his chores as if nothing had happened.

The autumn morning was already chilly. Zhang Cuilan, having tidied herself, brushed off the dust and went outside. Gu Shidong, who had just finished his run, was panting heavily, still wearing only a thin outfit. The cold wind blew, but the little rascal didn’t seem to mind getting sick.

Zhang Cuilan gave him a swat with a broom, and Gu Shidong, clutching his backside, ran away.

“You little rascal, at least you’re quick.”

Zhang Cuilan tossed the broom aside, and Gu Shi’an, grinning, went back inside, locked the door, wiped his sweat with a towel, and changed his clothes.

By seven in the morning, the courtyard was bustling with activity. People were getting up, emptying spittoons, and the clinking and clanging of water being fetched broke the autumn tranquility.

With his daughter married off, Gu Mancang felt a weight lifted from his heart. He had slept soundly after drinking a lot and was snoring loudly throughout the night. This morning, he was surprisingly late to rise.

Lin Yao, feeling soft and relaxed, woke up with the sun already high. Not finding her watch under the pillow, she realized it must have been placed elsewhere the previous night. She quickly got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and checked the clock on the table. Fortunately, it was just past seven.

With the textile factory’s shift starting at 8:30, she still had time to have breakfast.

Lin Yao wasn’t in a hurry, so she leisurely went to change into her work clothes and fix her hair. Gu Shi’an brought over a basin of warm water, added a bit of cold to adjust the temperature, squeezed some toothpaste onto a brush, and handed it to her.

Despite his attentive care, Lin Yao wasn’t appreciative. She gave him a dramatic eye roll and told Deputy Director Gu to move aside so she could brush her teeth.

“…….”

This morning’s breakfast at the Gu household consisted of millet cakes and watery rice porridge. The porridge was so thin it could be used as a mirror.

Zhang Cuilan had also prepared a pot of sweet potatoes and pickled cucumbers, and the family managed to have a hearty meal.

Happy events bring joy, Gu Mancang and his wife, looking forward to their daughter’s return in three days, couldn’t hide their smiles. They whispered to each other in the room.

“Oh dear, I’m completely at ease with our daughter at the Xu family.”

Gu Mancang washed his face, smiling as he put on his work shoes.

“Don’t worry, I’m at ease too. It’s good that she got married close to home.”

Zhang Cuilan took a packet of brown sugar out of the cupboard. Weighing it in her hand, she estimated it to be about half a pound. In these times, brown sugar was a rare commodity, and many new mothers in confinement could hardly get any.

In a few days, Yao Yao would be having her period, and since the child was prone to cold, it would be just right for her to drink some brown sugar water.

Zhang Cuilan placed the brown sugar back into the cupboard and then pulled out two red silk handkerchiefs from the very back. One of them contained two old gold bars, a pair of jade bangles, and the other had two gold bracelets inlaid with red rubies and a white jade ring. The gold bracelets were intricately engraved, though the rubies had dimmed somewhat over time.

If Lin Yao saw these old items, she would be astonished to learn that the family also had such treasures!

In truth, these gold bars and bracelets were not inherited from the Gu family’s ancestors.

The Gu family had been poor peasants for five generations. Grandpa Gu had once been so poor that he worked as a shepherd for a landlord. These old items were unearthed by Grandpa Gu during a wartime trench. At that time, warlords were profiting greatly from the chaos, and it was not uncommon for ordinary soldiers to find valuable items on the battlefield. Grandpa Gu risked his life to bring these treasures back, intending them as a safety net for his descendants.

When Grandma Gu passed away, she handed these items over to her son and daughter-in-law.

Gu Mancang and his wife were well aware of the principle of keeping their wealth hidden. Over the years, they had stored their gold and silver in a secret place, rarely taking them out.

Zhang Cuilan initially intended to pass these down to her children.

However, the external situation had suddenly changed. Due to class-based political issues, more and more people were being sent to labor camps. For instance, the former director of the steel factory was dismissed because of his daughter-in-law’s class background, and it was rumored that the family was being sent to Gansu…

Keeping these items was like holding a hot potato. After some discussion, the old couple decided to find an opportunity to take them to the countryside, and hid them in a hole dug in the mountain behind their old house.

In the blink of an eye, three days had passed, and it was time for Gu Chunmei’s return visit.

During the day, everyone was at work. These days, people generally didn’t take time off unless absolutely necessary. Thus, the return visit could only be in the afternoon.

Zhang Cuilan got home early, busily preparing fruits, snacks, and tea. Just as she finished boiling the water, Gu Shi’an also rode back on his bicycle.

Lin Yao hopped off her bike and took a bamboo basket from the handlebars. Inside was half a basket of eggs.

“Yao Yao, where did these eggs come from?”

Aunt Dafu, who was visiting the Gu family, curiously peered at the half basket of eggs.

Lin Yao smiled and sipped from her enamel cup, reciting the explanation she had prepared, “I got them from a colleague.”

She wasn’t making this up. Zhou Xiaoxue’s mother was the director of the supply and marketing cooperative in the south of the city, the largest in Yunshui County. Other cooperatives had only one procurement clerk, but the south city supply and marketing cooperative had five!

This showed the strength of the south city supply and marketing cooperative, which had just received a batch of eggs the day before.

Aunt Dafu knew this, as Yunshui County was small and the leaders of the county’s major factories and veteran workers were well-informed.

Aunt Dafu nodded, “Oh, so it was Deputy Director Zhou’s daughter who helped. It’s good to have connections.”

Each month, only a limited quantity of eggs was distributed, and once they were gone, there were none left. To get eggs, one either had to know a procurement clerk, ask someone, or try their luck on the black market.

The eggs Lin Yao brought were larger than usual.

Seeing this, Zhang Cuilan was extremely pleased.

When the daughter and son-in-law came home, there was only a small portion of wild boar sausage left from earlier. While it was fine for the family, it was not enough to serve guests.

Now, with Yao Yao bringing back half a basket of eggs—fifteen or sixteen in total—Zhang Cuilan was thrilled.

She cracked four or five eggs, made a dish of scrambled eggs, added some beans cooked at home, and served a portion of spicy cabbage from the canteen, along with a bowl of shepherd’s purse egg soup. A hearty meal was soon ready.

Gu Mancang brought out the treasured West Phoenix wine, placing it on the table to entertain his son-in-law.

Gu Shidong hadn’t had eggs for a long time and was drooling over the scrambled eggs on the table, constantly peering at the door.

When would his sister and brother-in-law arrive?

The scrambled eggs were getting cold!

The impatient little boy bounced around until Gu Chunmei and Xu Xiangqian finally arrived with their gifts.

The young couple arrived with large and small bundles. Their net bags were bulging with canned meat, fruit cans, a box of malted milk, and a small packet of pork belly.

These items were high-end goods from the cooperative, especially the fruit and meat cans, which were not affordable for most people.

The people in the large courtyard knew that the Xu family had some wealth, but they were surprised at how generous they were. While it was common for daughters returning home after three days to bring a couple of packs of snacks, the Xu family was much more extravagant.

Grandma Sun muttered that when her own daughter had returned home, she had only brought half a pound of cornmeal. Having a daughter was a loss, she said if she had known, she would have had more sons.

Grandpa Sun glared at her, “Why bring up such old, trivial matters?”

“Why can’t I say it? How can a worthless girl be as valuable as a son?”

“Worth less? You’ve lived a lifetime and still can’t produce one. If it’s not in your fate, don’t complain.”

The old couple exchanged their usual bickering.

Zheng Haozi peeked from the doorway, his eyes shining like a wolf spotting meat when he saw the various packages in Xu Xiangqian’s hands, especially the canned meat.

The Gu family had canned meat!

He needed to find an opportunity to steal some.

Xu Xiangqian, the newlywed son-in-law, received a warm welcome from his mother-in-law.

At the dinner table, Zhang Cuilan continually served dishes to Xu Xiangqian, “Xiangqian, eat more. Look at how thin you are. Eat more to build up your strength.”

Xu Xiangqian flashed a big, white grin, stuffing his mouth with food while throwing a smug look at Gu Shi’an.

See, see? My status is quite high now!

Gu Shi’an pretended not to notice, focusing entirely on serving dishes and soup to Lin Yao.

Gu Chunmei looked at Xu Xiangqian, who was acting somewhat foolishly, and sighed in exasperation while covering her face.

Lin Yao was giving her a mischievous smile.

After dinner, with the table covered in various dishes and soups, Gu Shi’an naturally rolled up his sleeves to clear the table, transforming into the ideal, attentive husband of the Gu family.

When Lin Yao called for a foot wash, Gu Shi’an immediately went to fetch the water.

Da Tou Brother laughed so hard he was clutching his stomach. The famously stern Deputy Director Gu was not only washing dishes but also fetching foot water for his wife. It seemed that Old Gu’s status in the family wasn’t very high after all.