Chapter 49

Despite being the only child in his family, Xu Xiangqian’s status at home wasn’t very high.

Father Xu wasn’t obsessed with having a son or a daughter. As long as his wife was happy and healthy, that was what mattered most.

Mother Xu, on the other hand, had a different story. Her health had been poor since her youth. She married Father Xu at twenty and only became pregnant after six years, giving birth to Xu Xiangqian at twenty-six. The difficult childbirth and severe hemorrhage nearly cost her life.

Back then, in the old society, with Japanese invaders rampaging across the land, the midwives and old doctors were powerless. Fortunately, there was a Red Cross hospital run by Hong Kong people in the county. When traditional medicine failed, they tried Western medicine.

Mother Xu was rushed to the Red Cross hospital overnight. Although her life was saved, her health was significantly compromised, and she could no longer bear children.

Father Xu didn’t mind, as they already had a “little rascal.” One son was enough.

On her deathbed, Mother Xu lamented her life’s unfulfilled wish to have a healthy daughter. Instead, she had only managed to have a “stinky boy.” It would have been perfect to have both a son and a daughter.

But since a daughter hadn’t come, she resolved to raise her son as if he were a daughter.

When Xu Xiangqian was four or five years old, his mother dressed him in little braids and flowered split pants. Despite being a boy, Xu Xiangqian was quite cute with his red lips and white teeth.

Mother Xu would take him out for walks, and people would praise the little “girl” for her beauty. When they looked closer, they’d realize it was a boy in split pants with a little “chicken”…

Oh, it turned out to be a boy and not a girl.

When Xu Xiangqian was seven or eight, he refused to let his mother dress him as a girl anymore. Mother Xu sighed, seeing her dream of raising a daughter come to an end.

But that was fine. There was still the possibility of a granddaughter.

Thus, Mother Xu began pressuring her son to get married, continuing until Gu Chunmei came into the family.

Now, Xu Xiangqian’s family status has dropped to the bottom. In the Xu household, Gu Chunmei has the highest authority.

Even the family’s tabby cat had a higher status than him!

Seeing his good friend in the same predicament, Xu Xiangqian felt a sense of balance in his heart.

Well, Old Gu was the same at home.

A true man must be able to bend and stretch!

Xu Xiangqian spent the entire evening smiling, unable to stop.

Gu Chunmei was puzzled and couldn’t help but pinch him, whispering, “What are you smiling about? The tea kettle in the room isn’t cleaned yet. Get it done and then wash up!”

Xu Xiangqian touched his pinched waist, feeling quite aggrieved, and reluctantly went to do the chores.

At ten o’clock in the evening, the young couple rode their bicycle back to Guihua Alley. Although it was just a short distance, Gu Mancang insisted on seeing them to their door.

Let him see them off, the old man just wanted to take a walk.

Zhang Cuilan waved her hand as Gu Mancang, with a grin on his face, carried a large bamboo basket in one hand and his daughter in the other, lumbered out the door.

After a busy day, Lin Yao faintly smelled of cooking oil. She disliked the sticky feeling, so she took her bath bundle to the bathhouse. After bathing and changing into a shoulder-baring nightgown she made herself, her long hair loosely tied up, her eyes sparkling like clear water against her snow-like skin.

It was only about ten-thirty, and Yunshui County’s night was pitch black, with no visibility.

Other young women might have been scared to venture out.

But Lin Yao wasn’t afraid. The bathhouse had no windows and was filled with steamy, oppressive air. After drying her hair in the eastern wing, she yawned and climbed back into bed, falling asleep.

When she woke up again, it was the middle of the night. Gu Shi’an had his large hands tightly around her, sleeping soundly. His usually stern face looked softer in the candlelight.

He looked like a big, sleeping dog, seemingly easy to push around.

Lin Yao’s mischievous mind was tempted to tease Gu Shi’an, with a naughty thought of making him cry.

However, based on past experience, waking him up could result in her own tears.

Lin Yao reluctantly put her hand down and lay back down, soon rolling into Gu Shi’an’s embrace and falling asleep.

In the quiet night, Gu Shi’an’s sharp black eyes opened. His little girl was sleeping peacefully in his arms, occasionally murmuring in her sleep.

He gently brushed her hair from her face, his gaze tender and affectionate, as if he couldn’t look enough.

*

After Gu Chunmei’s return visit, the Gu household resumed its usual quiet life, except for Gu Shidong, who sometimes acted up, prompting Zhang Cuilan to chase him around the yard with a broom.

Lin Yao’s life remained quite comfortable.

Occasionally, when there were no other arrangements, Gu Shi’an would ask Gu Shidong to polish the bicycle to a shine and take Lin Yao to work.

Lin Yao, feeling that Gu Shidong worked hard, gave him extra pocket money.

Gu Shidong was delighted, eagerly polishing the bicycle every morning.

In October, riding the bicycle felt cooler. After finishing work early, Lin Yao and her husband would walk part of the way and ride the rest, treating it as a leisurely stroll.

Last weekend, something happened at Zheng Dacheng’s house. The entire family of four drank water from the well, and they all came down with severe diarrhea, which lasted most of the night. In the end, they couldn’t hold on and had to be taken to the clinic for IV treatment.

The neighbors in the courtyard were abuzz with gossip.

“What’s going on with the Zheng family? The whole family got diarrhea. Have they been cursed or something?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Be careful or you might end up with a worse problem.”

“Get lost. Don’t wish me ill!”

“Honestly, everyone drinks water from the well. Why is it only the Zheng family that’s having issues?”

“Maybe they ate something unsanitary. Zheng Dacheng is a chef in the factory, so it’s easy for him to bring home some good stuff.”

The chatter among the neighbors ranged from talk of curses to bad food, and everyone had their own theories. The commotion made people hesitant to drink well water, and some even spread rumors that the courtyard had bad feng shui and anyone living there would be unlucky.

Aunt Dafu and others were quite upset. Even Li Gouya, who usually kept to herself, joined the others in condemning the gossipers.

“This is ridiculous. If we don’t stick together, others will think we’re easy to push around!”

Director Ge took the matter seriously and held a community meeting. In front of all the members, he drank a large bowl of water from the well.

By the afternoon, Director Ge’s voice was strong, and he was walking with his usual vigor, showing no signs of illness.

The rumors quickly fizzled out, and the gossip about the courtyard’s bad feng shui ceased. When people brought it up again, it was dismissed as a case of bad luck and stomach trouble for the Zheng family.

Liu Laidi’s visit to the clinic proved to be of little use. She was severely dehydrated from the diarrhea, and when street workers visited, she looked pale and weak, barely able to hold her head up.

Zheng Dacheng wasn’t in any better shape. He was bedridden, while Zheng Xue and Zheng Haozi, being younger, recovered faster after receiving some IV treatment.

When staff asked Liu Laidi what had happened, she had no explanation.

She had originally planned to put some croton seeds in the tea at the Gu’s house to cause trouble for their guests. However, she ended up causing a problem for herself.

Somehow, the croton seeds she hid in her belt ended up in her own water bucket.

Could it be that when she locked the kids in the courtyard, the seeds fell into the water bucket then?

After all, the Zheng family didn’t have a kitchen. They used a table under the window as a chopping board, with a coal stove and a large water tank nearby. The water bucket was placed in the eaves near the corner.

So, Liu Laidi’s speculation wasn’t without merit.

Liu Laidi knew she couldn’t let anyone find out about the croton seeds. With the current crackdown, she might lose her job as a purchasing agent.

Losing her job wouldn’t be the end of the world, but if this incident reached the steel mill’s leadership, she might also lose her husband’s position as a cook in the factory’s canteen.

The Zheng family had enjoyed a comfortable life these past years thanks to Zheng Dacheng’s work in the canteen.

For example, Liu Laidi’s two younger sisters were also married to workers in the county.

While things might look good on the surface, the reality was harsh.

Liu Laidi’s elder sister’s husband worked as a smelter, earning thirty-seven yuan and eighty cents a month. It sounded impressive, but with eight mouths to feed, they were often left struggling, and sometimes the money wasn’t enough.

Liu Laidi’s younger sister had an even harder life. Her husband was a temporary worker earning about twenty yuan a month, and with a bedridden mother-in-law and an unmarried younger sister, their medical expenses were a large burden. The family of four lived squeezed into a small room, barely making ends meet.

Liu Laidi was determined not to live such a life. If Zheng Dacheng fell from his position, the Zheng family’s main support would be gone. Then, with expenses for food and schooling, she couldn’t maintain her current comfortable life.

When Liu Laidi faced the street workers’ probing gazes, her face turned various shades of red, blue, and white, and she broke out in a sweat. She could only awkwardly mumble that her family had simply drunk too much water, which caused their diarrhea.

Li Gouya sneered, “What a joke. Liu Laidi thinks we’re fools. Drinking too much water causing diarrhea? Why not say they ate too much poop instead? She must have done something wicked and is now facing retribution.”

Li Gouya’s words hit the mark, and Lin Yao couldn’t help but smile.

No wonder Lin Yao had sensed something was off with Liu Laidi on the day of Gu Chunmei’s wedding, though she couldn’t pinpoint what.

Now the truth was clear: Liu Laidi’s scheme was exposed!

Lin Yao’s expression turned cold. If the croton seeds had accidentally fallen into the Gu’s water bucket instead of Zheng’s, it wouldn’t have been Zheng’s family in the hospital but Gu’s family and their wedding guests.

Several young children had attended the wedding. If they had ingested croton seeds and suffered severe diarrhea, it could have been very dangerous.

Liu Laidi’s actions were unforgivable!

Lin Yao thought about it and decided that this couldn’t be left unaddressed. At the very least, she needed to inform Gu Shi’an to keep him aware of the situation.