Chapter 67

Regardless of the book’s new title, Deputy Director Gu wasn’t concerned. After all, the one who changed the title was his lifelong ancestor.

Even if it were something else, if his little ancestor wanted to put a tight spell on him, he would willingly accept it.

The books on the bed, one on the left and one on the right, and one under Lin Yao’s feet were usually treasures of Deputy Director Gu, not to be touched easily by anyone in the family. Now they were discarded carelessly by someone.

If books had consciousness like characters in “Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio”, they would probably jump up and angrily accuse Gu Shi’an of being a “heartless man.”

In March, as spring returned to the land and the weather warmed, Lin Yao’s delicate temperament also returned, especially now that she was pregnant. She felt like something was missing if she didn’t bathe every two or three days.

Zhang Cuilan indulged her. The house still had a warm kang, so it wasn’t necessary to bathe every day. Back when they lived in the city, they had monthly bath tickets from the factory and could bathe at the public bathhouse whenever they wanted.

Now, in the peaceful countryside, bathing wasn’t as convenient, but it wasn’t difficult either. The house had a tub, and hot water could be boiled in the kitchen pot. They would bring the hot water to the room, where Lin Yao could bathe and then take the water back out. It just required a bit more firewood.

After bathing, Lin Yao was fragrant. To prevent stretch marks on her belly, she applied cream daily, keeping her skin as soft and tender as tofu. Holding her felt exceptionally pleasant.

Candles flickered in the room, and in the middle of the night, wild cats in the mountains began to call. It seemed a weasel had come out to steal food, and the family’s chickens, startled, fluttered their wings and clucked loudly in their coop.

Daju jumped onto the chicken coop, crouching down and panting loudly, making a lot of noise with its meows.

A shadow flashed by outside the fence.

Lin Hongwu, hiding in the dark, cursed silently. “Why does the Gu family have to raise cats? When I was a child, a cat scratched me. I’m terrified of cats, especially fat orange ones!”

The cat that scratched him was an orange one!

Inside the house, Gu Shi’an opened his dark eyes, a cold and sharp look appearing. Lin Yao mumbled as she crawled out from his arms.

Gu Shi’an’s expression softened, and he wrapped his arms around her. “What’s wrong?”

“What else could it be? I need to use the bathroom.”

Since becoming pregnant, Lin Yao had to wake up one or two times a night, unlike before when she could sleep through till morning. It was all Gu Shi’an’s fault.

Gu Shi’an very distressed and insisted on accompanying her.

Lin Yao thought he was being overly clingy. They were an old married couple now, and in a few months, they would have a baby.

But she relented. If he wanted to come along, so be it.

The mountain night in Gujiaao village was cold and dark, with mist swirling. Lin Yao, wearing only a thin nightgown, felt the cold wind sweep into the room as the door opened. Gu Shi’an immediately wrapped her in a cotton coat, turning her into a little silkworm, and carried her outside.

When Lin Yao came out of the bathroom, warm water was already prepared for washing hands. There was fragrant soap, a washbasin with a towel, and everything was arranged just right. She couldn’t be more satisfied.

Lin Yao washed her hands, applied snow flower cream, and was very comfortable. Gu Shi’an heated her cotton coat and then came over to massage her calves. His large, warm hands made her legs feel extremely relaxed.

Within seconds, Lin Yao’s sleepiness returned, and she fell asleep again.

When Lin Yao woke up, there was nothing by her bed except for the neatly folded quilt.

Great, her husband was nowhere to be found, making her feel like her home was a hotel. After spending the night, he was gone without a trace.

But she had nothing much to complain about. He was busy with work, not fooling around. As a soldier transitioning to a police officer, Gu Shi’an was swamped with cases in the county. As Xu Xiangqian said, when busy, you don’t even have time to drink water. The People’s Liberation Army and the police both serve the people with responsibility and duty.

Lin Yao understood and felt less frustrated.

In the courtyard, Zhang Cuilan was sitting on a small stool, making hemp ropes. The courtyard was filled with drying bed sheets, blankets, and sweaters. Passersby, carrying hoes, stopped and looked in amazement, as if seeing something exotic.

“Wow, the Gu family is so wealthy!”

Even the village leader’s family only had two rough bed sheets. City people were different, and the village’s elderly women came to see the spectacle, some even bringing stools to chat.

Among them, Hua Huamiao was the most active. Her eldest daughter was engaged, and the groom’s family had given fifty pounds of grain and ten yuan in betrothal gifts. In the countryside, offering these gifts indicated a good family background.

Hua Huamiao also wanted to prepare a decent dowry for her daughter. The mountain people had limited experience, and she struggled to find someone to consult.

The Gu family had returned from the city and were more knowledgeable than the village folks. Hua Huamiao came to seek advice.

She planned to prepare a dowry consisting of a three-pound quilt, a straw mat, a ceramic washbasin, a bar of soap, and a wrapping cloth.

This dowry was not considered too thin.

Hua Huamiao felt something was still missing. Zhang Cuilan gently reminded her not to forget items like a child’s bucket.

Hua Huamiao hurried back to prepare the additional items.

The next morning, the house was bustling. The village leader’s elderly mother, an eighty-eight-year-old with sharp eyes and ears, came to visit. She was not an ordinary old lady. Despite her age, she still made shoes.

The family had told her not to work, but she was upset. When she was young, she made shoes for the Red Army, churning out twenty pairs a night. The Red Army soldiers wore the shoes she made, so why couldn’t she still be useful in her old age?

The village leader could only remain silent.

What could he say? His whole life, his mother had been in charge.

In the mountains, elderly women had bound feet, but the village leader’s mother did not. Her father was a private school teacher, and after the Xinhai Revolution, the government ordered the abolition of foot binding.

Most people in the old society refused to listen, but her father did.

The elderly woman never bound her feet, walked comfortably, and didn’t want her children to suffer as she had. Her daughter and granddaughter enjoyed a more comfortable life.

After Zhang Cuilan sent the old lady away, Lin Yao came out of the house and asked, “Mom, who washed so many clothes this morning?”

Zhang Cuilan smiled. “Your husband did. He said he had to go to the police station, so he left after washing. He left you some beef jerky in the house. Go and eat it.”

Lin Yao went to the Eight Immortals table and saw a package. Inside was an oil paper wrap with two bottles of Baique Ling snow flower cream and beef jerky.

Lin Yao opened the wrap and found beef jerky the thickness of a finger. It was dry and roasted, weighing about a pound. She had mentioned craving beef jerky before.

She had some in her space, but it was vacuum-packed and didn’t taste authentic.

She was surprised that Gu Shi’an had remembered. It must have been hard to get fresh meat.

As the morning light appeared, Lin Yao felt a mix of sweetness and bitterness. “That silly guy, it’s okay even if I don’t eat it.”

Lin Yao took the cloth package to Zhang Cuilan.

Zhang Cuilan took it and exclaimed, “Oh, there’s beef jerky and Baique Ling cream inside. It’s clear that our eldest son bought these from the county.”

“Mom, if you’ve finished the snow flower cream in your room, you can keep this one for yourself.”

Dongzi, holding a small shovel, was cleaning out the rabbit hut and tossed something over.

“What are you talking about? I’m just an old woman. Yao Yao, your skin is delicate, so it’s good to use it more.”

Lin Yao was eating sugar-coated eggs in the room and quickly waved her hand.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I still have a jar left in my room. I can’t use all of it.”

Actually, it wasn’t that she couldn’t use it, but nowadays, snow flower cream comes in metal tins with a thick, greasy texture that’s hard to apply. It’s very moisturizing but too oily for her liking.

Lin Yao didn’t use it much, so Zhang Cuilan smiled.

“Alright, I’ll keep one jar of snow flower cream and give the other jar to Chunmei.”

“Good idea!” Lin Yao clapped her hands. “Comrade Cuilan is wise.”

Gu Shidong echoed, “Comrade Cuilan is awesome!”

The two lively characters made Zhang Cuilan smile happily.

Gu Mancang returned from the back mountain, dumping the hay into the rabbit hut and checking if the mother rabbit had dug up the soil. Then, he performed a trick from his basket, pulling out several bird eggs, a bundle of toon sprouts, and finally, a large gray-brown wild chicken.

The whole family was astonished.

“Old man, where did you get this wild chicken?”

“Dad, did you catch it?”

Gu Shidong’s eyes sparkled with admiration. His father was really impressive. Wild chickens in the mountains are fierce, can fly, and can even peck at people. Most villagers just stare at them dumbly.

Gu Mancang was thirsty after walking quickly on the mountain path. When his family brought him a bowl of plain water, he wasn’t afraid of the heat and drank it down like a thirsty old ox.

“I don’t have that kind of skill. Today, I was lucky. This wild chicken was fighting with another one, its wing was broken, and it couldn’t fly. It was sitting in the reeds on the riverbank, and I caught it when I came across it.”

Lin Yao looked down and saw that the wild chicken was indeed missing feathers on its beautiful tail, looking rather pitiful, showing how fierce the other wild chicken must have been.

No matter what, a wild chicken delivered right to their door shouldn’t be wasted.

In a few days, Eldest Uncle Zhang’s eldest grandson was having a hundred-day celebration. Gu Mancang slaughtered the unfortunate wild chicken, hung it up to drain the blood, and roasted its beautiful tail feathers on the stove, making a chicken feather shuttlecock.

In the mountains, the children’s material life isn’t as rich as in the city, but their spiritual life is no less fulfilling.

Children catch fish in the river during summer, roast sweet potatoes and yams in autumn, build snowmen in winter, roll iron hoops in the snow, and play with beanbags, enjoying themselves immensely.

By the end of March, the ice on the riverbank had broken, making fishing easier. The vegetable seedlings in the Gu family’s garden had sprouted. The bean plants were climbing the trellis, and Gu Shi’an came back in the evening to cut bamboo for the vegetable frame, tying the bean plants neatly in rows. It looked as if it had been measured with a ruler.

Lin Yao’s pregnancy was now over three months old. As the saying goes, if a pregnancy doesn’t show in the third month, it’s hard to hide in the fourth. Around this time, most women in the village had noticeable bellies.

Lin Yao still had a slender waist, showing only a slight curve from the side when wearing a fitted sweater.

Zhang Cuilan said that Lin Yao’s nutrition was adequate, so she kept sending soups and meats. Lin Yao felt nauseated at the thought of meat soup.

Gu Shi’an came home to help relieve his mother’s pressure.

In the evening, Zhang Cuilan cooked a pot of crucian carp soup and brought it to Lin Yao.

“Yao Yao, this crucian carp soup is nourishing. Drink it while it’s hot.”

Zhang Cuilan was incredibly loving.

Lin Yao nodded obediently.

It was a heartwarming scene of motherly love and filial piety, but as soon as Zhang Cuilan left, Lin Yao’s true feelings emerged. Her appetite was small, and she was full after just a few sips of soup.

Lin Yao didn’t want to waste the soup. She called Gu Shi’an over and pushed the bowl towards him.

“This soup was made by Mom, and I can’t drink it all. You’ve worked hard these days, have it to replenish your strength.”

Gu Shi’an’s lips curled into a smile. The little trick she played was charming, and even if it was a flimsy excuse, it was endearing.

He had a big appetite and quickly finished the soup and fish.

Daju meowed and came over, rubbing against Lin Yao’s legs, wanting to be petted and cuddled like when it was a kitten.

Lin Yao, with a helpless expression, said, “Daju, you’re not a kitten anymore. Look how fat you are. I can’t pick you up anymore.”

Unable to be picked up or kissed, Daju, feeling left out, jumped onto the table and knocked over the military books, then strutted away with its tail high.

Lin Yao complained to Gu Shi’an, “It’s all your fault. You’ve upset Daju. You should bathe Daju tonight.”

Gu Shi’an, who was wrongly accused: “…….”

The next day, Gu Shi’an had small scratch marks from a cat’s claws on his handsome face and took Lin Yao to the clinic for a check-up.

Nowadays, pregnant women generally don’t have routine check-ups.

Lin Yao didn’t want any problems with her baby, so she went to the county clinic once a month.

The experienced and gentle doctor asked about her condition and used a stethoscope to listen.

The doctor smiled. “The baby’s heartbeat is strong. Congratulations, it’s a healthy child.”

As soon as these words came out, the new parents both smiled.

*

Since Father Sun collapsed from the shock, the Sun household has been engulfed in gloom and despair.

Father Sun was hit hard this time and has been bedridden at the town health center.

Lin Hongna got what she wanted—she finds that the Sun family members are all incapable of taking care of themselves. Mother Sun avoids any household chores, unable to even make a simple bowl of plain noodles, and the eldest daughter has moved back to her parent home.

Recalling her husband’s infidelity, she would wail and cry out in anguish, scolding everyone in sight, and sometimes rolling around on the floor in despair. It was a sight too pitiful to behold.

Mother Sun also lay there, wiping her tears. The second daughter of the Sun family looked this way and that, trying to offer comfort, but no one paid her any attention, and the two of them sat there crying.

As for Sun Jialiang, he had no choice but to show up. With the Sun family’s reputation in tatters in town, he had to come back home.

While Father Sun was at the health center, Lin Hongna was busy taking care of him, wiping him down, bringing him meals, and fetching his medicine, attending to him with meticulous care.

Father Sun noticed this and increasingly felt that his son had found a good daughter-in-law. Despite her background and past behavior, Lin Hongna’s current performance made him feel very warm inside.

Lin Hongna had an excuse not to work at home, leaving the Sun family without any clear plan. Mother Sun cried for a long time and, with red eyes, wanted to go eat.

However, she forgot that Lin Hongna had abandoned her duties and was at the hospital, leaving Mother Sun to make her eldest daughter cook.

The eldest daughter of the Sun family, crying with snot and tears, hiccupped as she spoke, “Mom, I don’t even have a man anymore, why should I eat?”

Mother Sun was furious and scolded her, “Useless thing! What kind of face does the Sun family have? Our daughter is making such a fuss over a man! What will people think if they hear about this?”

The eldest daughter cried even harder, “What should I do? Am I supposed to find another man to marry?”

Mother Sun was left speechless, leaning against the doorframe, struggling to catch her breath.

—It used to be an act, but now she was truly infuriated by her unworthy daughter.

The second daughter of the Sun family, timid and compliant, ran back to her room, closed the door, and peeked through the gap to observe the situation.

Unable to rely on her daughters, Mother Sun had to cook the noodles herself. After finally preparing them, as she was about to eat, the eldest daughter rushed over, dirty hands and all, and grabbed the noodles to eat.

This was her own daughter, who had married off and caused trouble in someone else’s house. If Lin Hongna had such a miserable disposition, she would definitely be sent away and a more suitable daughter-in-law would be married in!