Chapter 79

Lin Yao pretended to yawn, “Ah, I’m so tired after a whole day, I’m so sleepy. Hurry up and blow out the lamp.”

After saying this, she burrowed into the quilt, leaving only her head exposed. Even then, the white curve of her neck was not hidden.

Gu Shi’an remained unmoved, following her instructions to blow out the lamp and lying down with his eyes closed.

The room darkened, and the bamboo shadows danced outside the window. Lin Yao secretly stretched out, quietly observing for a while. The surroundings were silent, and it seemed she had over thought things.

Gu Shi’an must be tired too, having been busy at the police station all day and then having to wash diapers for the chubby baby when he got home.

Lin Yao relaxed, recalling Gu Shi’an’s tempting V-line and abs from earlier. Her hands itched to touch them.

It had been months since she last felt his abs.

Lin Yao’s hands were restless. She quietly called out, “Gu Shi’an?”

There was no response from the bed, only the sound of steady breathing.

Lin Yao, still not reassured, tried again.

“Deputy Director Gu?”

“Doudou’s dad?”

“Old Gu?”

“Is there a fire outside?”

Lin Yao called several times with no response from the figure on the bed, who remained still with eyes closed.

Relieved, Lin Yao triumphantly emerged from the quilt, grabbing a fan to cool herself. She had been stifled under the quilt, and with the summer night’s heat, she was covered in sweat. She couldn’t bear to suffer just to avoid this guy.

Lin Yao’s delicate hand reached out to touch Gu Shi’an’s abs. The sensation was incredibly satisfying, and she eagerly kept touching them.

She happily fanned herself, planning to indulge a bit more before going to sleep.

Unexpectedly, someone who had seemed deeply asleep suddenly opened his dark eyes. With a strong, practiced motion, he easily pulled Lin Yao into his embrace.

“Yao Yao, are you satisfied with your touch?”

The man’s deep, magnetic voice whispered in her ear, startling Lin Yao.

“You, weren’t you asleep?”

“Hmm, I was asleep, but then a little rabbit woke me up.”

Lin Yao: “…….”

Bah, you are the rabbit!

Lin Yao struggled a few times, but her waist was firmly trapped by the man, leaving no chance of escape. Giving up, she pulled the quilt over herself, pretending to be asleep and grumbling that she wanted to rest.

Gu Shi’an chuckled softly, agreed, and snuggled under the quilt with her.

“……”

As Lin Yao was about to speak, she was suddenly kissed by his warm lips.

A night of heavy rain fell, blowing down a ground covered in begonia petals.

The next morning, after the rain had cleared, the window revealed fresh green pomegranate leaves glistening with dew. Lin Yao slept sprawled out until after seven. It was only when her baby, Doudou, started crying loudly in the main room that she was finally roused from her sleep.

Zhang Cuilan, holding the chubby baby and sweating profusely, was anxious. She wanted to call her daughter-in-law to wake up, but she feared Lin Yao hadn’t gotten up yet. Not going in would mean Doudou would continue to be hungry.

Upon hearing her baby crying outside, Lin Yao jumped out of bed, not bothering to brush her hair, slipping on her slippers, and rushing out.

Her legs felt weak and sore from getting up, but Lin Yao prioritized feeding her chubby baby. After that, she supported her waist and mentally scolded Gu Shi’an for causing her this trouble.

Zhang Cuilan sighed in relief. Seeing Lin Yao still looking sleepy and unrested, she sympathetically said, “Yao Yao, what time did you go to bed last night? You need to rest well, don’t stay up too late.”

Lin Yao’s face turned red. Fortunately, the little bundle in her arms was focused on nursing, which drew Zhang Cuilan’s attention away. Otherwise, Lin Yao wouldn’t know what to say.

After Lin Yao fed Doudou, Zhang Cuilan took him to change his diaper.

The mother and daughter had breakfast and went back to the room to catch up on some sleep. When Lin Yao woke up, Doudou was still sleeping soundly in his cradle. She checked the time on the clock and saw it was already 10:30.

Lin Yao felt refreshed but was too lazy to move due to the excessive activity the previous night. If it weren’t nearing noon, she might have slept a bit longer.

In the kitchen, Zhang Cuilan was busy preparing lunch.

Lin Yao, with nothing else to do, tried to help but was pushed back by her mother-in-law.

“You’ve just finished your confinement period and are still weak. You need to take good care of yourself. If a woman doesn’t rest well during her confinement, it’ll be hard on her later.”

Lin Yao had no choice but to return to her room. Zhang Cuilan made mixed grain rice, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a cucumber salad for lunch.

Lin Yao checked on Doudou, who was sleeping peacefully, and then went to the yard to check on the mother rabbit in the hutch.

A few days ago, Gu Shi’an almost got bitten by the mother rabbit when feeding her, and he discovered that she was pregnant again.

Gu Shidong, delighted, carried a small basket to the market every day to collect unsold cabbage leaves to feed the rabbits. Now, the little rascal was using a small shovel to clean up the rabbit droppings.

Daju, who had his bath daily, was sitting on the low wall licking his paws. Upon seeing Lin Yao, he jumped down from the wall and ran over, meowing and rubbing against her affectionately.

Lin Yao picked up Daju and scratched him for a while, smiling, “Our Daju has grown fatter. His fluffy face is so cute and funny.”

It was indeed funny.

Gu Shidong saw Daju meowing and wanting to play with his sister-in-law. Unable to hold back, he asked, “Sister-in-law, Doudou’s one-month-old now. Tomorrow, Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt are coming over. What should we prepare for the meal?”

Lin Yao had completely forgotten about this. Of course, with the baby reaching his one-month milestone, a celebration was in order, and the two uncles and aunts from the countryside were coming over. Preparations had to be made.

Lin Yao went to the kitchen to see what supplies were left. Daju quickly scampered away.

Lin Yao, like an old woman, walked around the kitchen, examining things here and there. She even took down the basket hanging from the beam to check it, and then clapped her hands and said, “All good.”

There was still a whole dried old hen from the front of the house, and although the rabbit meat had been eaten, it didn’t matter since a new batch of rabbits had grown.

Currently, the Gu family has six rabbits in total: a pair of large ones and four small ones. The female rabbit was kept separately. Lin Yao chose two plump gray rabbits.

Gu Shidong curiously approached.

“Sister-in-law, what are you doing with the little third and little fourth?”

Well, this kid even gave the rabbits names.

Lin Yao made a cutting gesture with her hand and said, “Tomorrow, when the uncles and aunts come, Little Third will be steamed, and Little Fourth will be braised!”

Gu Shidong: “…….”

The little guy was momentarily dejected, but after five seconds, he perked up and said, “Sister-in-law, rabbit meat cooked with potatoes are delicious. Don’t forget to add potatoes when Little Fourth is cooked. And save the skins of Little Third and Little Fourth for me. They make warm hats for the winter.”

Lin Yao: “…….”

Alright then.

The next morning, Lin Yao bathed the baby, cleaned him up, and dressed him in the red bellyband that Zhang Cuilan made. She put little socks on him, dressed him in tiger-head shoes, and topped his little head with a lifelike tiger-head hat. The chubby little boy immediately resembled a character from a painting—white, plump, and with big, twinkling eyes. He looked incredibly cute.

Lin Yao kissed the baby and said, “Our little Doubao is so adorable.”

Gu Doudou also excitedly kicked his little chubby legs and gave his mother a kiss that smelled of milk.

After the baby’s one-month celebration, the old lady of the Xu family in the countryside suddenly fell ill. So, Xu Xiangqian’s family all went back to the countryside to visit her.

Before leaving, Gu Chunmei brought a basket of fruit cans for her nephew and left hurriedly after exchanging a few words. Gu Shi’an was also rarely home. He was dressed in a white shirt and olive green trousers, with his sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows. Seeing his wife struggling with the baby, he came over to take Gu Doudouo.

Second aunt laughed and said, “Oh, you really care about your wife. When Yao Yao has another baby, the house will be lively.”

Lin Yao laughed awkwardly.

The elders are all the same. As soon as the first baby is born, they start urging for a second one.

The two uncles, Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle, were extremely fond of the baby and spent the entire morning circling around Gu Doudou.

The little guy wasn’t shy at all. He happily extended his little hands to anyone who came to hold him.

The two uncles, delighted, had their faces lit up like laughing Buddhas. After Eldest Uncle  Zhang held the baby, Second Uncle took his turn, and after Second Uncle Zhang, the baby was once again in his Grandpa’s arms.

As soon as Gu Mancang held his grandson, Gu Doudou began to whimper. Eldest Uncle Zhang asked, “What’s wrong? Is he hungry?”

“No, he just had milk. How can he be hungry so soon?”

“Is he wet?”

The three old men, flustered, checked the baby’s diaper. It was clean and dry. The baby still pursed his little mouth and looked like he was about to cry.

Gu Shi’an heard the commotion and came over, saying that the baby was probably sleepy. He skillfully picked up the baby and soothed him. Sure enough, within minutes, Gu Doudou fell asleep in his father’s arms.

“Oh, I’m sweating all over.”

Eldest Uncle Zhang wiped the sweat from his forehead and, as usual, reached for the dry tobacco pouch on his belt, ready to smoke.

Eldest Aunt was picking chives in the vegetable garden. Seeing her husband’s actions, she immediately came over and scolded, “You old fool, smoking around the baby. What if you harm the child?”

Eldest Uncle Zhang sheepishly smiled, “It’s just a habit.”

Second Uncle Zhang took pleasure in his brother’s embarrassment, while Gu Mancang kept a watchful eye on his eldest brother-in-law.

Eldest Uncle Zhang was never so embarrassed before, and now he was sweating all over.

*

Gu Doudou’s one-month celebration coincided with a good harvest year for the county. The grain supply was stable, and the Gu family was generous this time.

On the table, there was mapo tofu, chive and egg flower, a pot of potatoes stewed with rabbit meat, and a big basket of assorted steamed buns.

Gu Mancang brought out some of his treasured wine. Each man in the family got a glass, and they merrily celebrated the baby’s one-month milestone.

After a few drinks, Eldest Uncle Zhang began to speak with a slur.

Second Uncle Zhang, who had no drinking habit, stopped after one glass. Gu Mancang asked about this year’s situation.

Eldest Uncle Zhang grinned, “Mancang, don’t worry. Yunshui County won’t have any grain shortages this year.”

Gu Mancang was puzzled.

Second Uncle Zhang explained, “Last year, there was a lot of talk from the higher-ups. To save face, each production team boasted about their yields, claiming to produce over a thousand pounds per mu. But where could you get a thousand pounds per mu? In the end, all the grain was taken away, and we were left hungry.

This year, the grain output is good, and with disasters in the north, the higher-ups asked for reports on grain production. Our county’s leaders, seasoned by experience, reported only seventy percent of the yield, keeping the remaining thirty percent in the granary, just in case there’s another shortage.”

Gu Mancang clapped his hands in delight, “That’s good. We common folk rely on the grain for the whole year. Without it, everything else is just talk.”

“Exactly.”

Last winter, many villagers had no food and were reduced to eating sweet potato vines, looking gaunt and skinny. People were really scared of hunger; it was a last resort.

At home, the three old men had drunk too much and soon passed out, snoring at the table. Only Second Uncle Zhang still had some energy, grumbling about wanting another drink.

Zhang Cuilan and her two sisters-in-law came over. There was no point in being angry. They just washed the old men’s faces and called Gu Shi’an to help. He carried each old man to bed, one on each shoulder.

Gu Shi’an had a good tolerance for alcohol. After drinking a few glasses, his handsome face remained as usual, showing no sign of drunkenness.

Lin Yao, feeling uneasy, went over to check. As soon as she did, she could smell the alcohol on someone.

Lin Yao scrunched up her nose in distaste, pulled out a handkerchief to cover her nose, filled a basin with water, and soaked a towel. She handed the towel to Gu Shi’an to wash his face and get rid of the smell of alcohol.

Gu Shi’an, with his good temper, smiled and did as his wife asked. After washing his face, he revealed a pair of narrow, sharp black eyes.

While he was washing his face, he suddenly remembered something. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Yao Yao, there’s news about your brother.”

Lin Yao, who was eating a warm egg from the pot, widened her eyes in surprise. She quickly finished the egg, ran over, and eagerly asked for the news.

“My brother, Lin Yi? Where is he?”

In the past six months, Lin Yao had sent countless letters to Xinjiang. From the initial hopefulness to her eventual despair, she had lost track of how many letters she had written. All of them seemed to vanish into thin air with no response.

Sometimes, Lin Yao wondered if Lin Yi was playing a prank and had intentionally left a fake address. Otherwise, how could so many letters just disappear without a trace?

Lin Yi joined the army at seventeen and, despite the vast expanse of the country, insisted on going to Xinjiang, the most challenging place to serve.

Back then, Xinjiang was far from the tourist destination it would later become. In the 1950s and 60s, Xinjiang was a desolate land of Gobi Desert, with endless yellow sand and no signs of human settlement, oasis, or livestock. It relied on General Wang Zhen and tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians to establish roots in the region.

Lin Yi’s decision to serve in Xinjiang puzzled his parents, but they supported his choice. Lin Yi’s grandfather was a Red Army veteran who had endured the Long March through grasslands and snow-covered mountains. If the Red Army’s son could settle in the borderlands and help build the country, why not?

No one expected that after Lin Yi left, he and his parents would never meet again.

Yunshui County was far from Xinjiang, and Lin Yao’s attempts to find news of her brother felt like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Fortunately, Gu Shi’an had an old comrade who was also stationed in the Xinjiang Corps.

During a difficult time last year, Gu Shi’an sent a package to his old comrade, including some rice, flour, soap, toothpaste, and a letter asking his comrade to help locate Lin Yi.

The comrade, a loyal and honest man, had devoted the past six months to helping and finally found news about Lin Yi.