Chapter 33: “cultured Person”
Su Yuxian unconsciously dug her knuckles into her palm.
An alarm bell rang in her mind.
She knew all too well what Lu Yizhou’s pensive gaze at this moment meant; it was the look of a hunter assessing the value of his prey.
He hesitated.
About the marriage.
“Bao Zhen was scared by Lin Zhao’s dog,” she said, dodging the main issue.
“Lin Zhao?” Lu Yizhou’s mind conjured up the lotus-like face he had seen on the road before.
He subconsciously compared Su Yuxian to Lin Zhao and regretfully found that, whether in looks or family background, she couldn’t compare to Lin Zhao.
An inexplicable emotion welled up in Lu Yizhou’s heart, making even Su Yuxian’s coarse cloth clothes glaring.
And she was already over twenty.
In an instant, most of the thought of remarrying in Lu Yizhou’s heart vanished.
Su Yuxian didn’t know that the golden turtle son-in-law she had finally climbed onto temporarily didn’t want to get married.
Ten minutes later, Lu Baozhen ran back to the Lu Family; she tasted the flavor of fate’s mockery.
“Marriage… let’s put it off for now,” Lu Yizhou said.
In that instant, Su Yuxian’s face twisted, but fortunately she lowered her head in time so Lu Yizhou didn’t see.
“Why?” Her voice was trembling; she tried hard to suppress her emotions to keep from roaring out loud.
What did Lu Yizhou take her for?
A nanny from a landlord’s family in the old days?
He had to marry her!!
Lu Yizhou’s gaze was indifferent; this expression looked especially odd on his upright face. “I only have a few days off; no time to get married. I’m afraid I’d wrong you.”
Su Yuxian smiled, stepped forward a few paces, stood before him, looked up into his eyes, her ending tone soft and drawn out. “It’s fine; we can have the wedding banquet first.”
“My mom says I’m getting old and can’t keep delaying like this.” She paused slightly in her words, shyly lowered her head, and continued, “Besides, the whole brigade knows our good news is coming soon. I even notified Lin Zhao. If we don’t get married, and it spreads to the troops, I’m worried there’ll be bad rumors.”
Lu Yizhou hesitated.
A glint flashed in Su Yuxian’s eyes.
She understood Lu Yizhou; he cared more about his face than anyone and liked to secretly compete with Gu Chenghuai. Mentioning that family, he would compromise.
“A wedding banquet only takes one day.” She reached out and hooked Lu Yizhou’s hand; her eyelashes trembled lightly with both nervousness and shyness, but she still mustered her courage and said, “I want to form a family with you. I want to openly take care of Bao Zhen, take care of your parents. I can do anything. If we get married, I’ll handle all the household chores; you just need to focus on striving upward. In my heart, you’re even more capable than Gu Chenghuai. Without family burdens holding you back, you’ll surpass him.”
These last words hit Lu Yizhou’s heart exactly.
He did think that way.
Though moved, Lu Yizhou still didn’t relent; he knew Su Yuxian was more anxious than him and didn’t want to be pinned down by the Su Family.
Gu Family’s Third Branch.
Lin Zhao hummed a tune back into the house; Da Zai waved to Er Zai.
Er Zai was grabbing Da Huang’s tail; seeing his brother’s gesture, he stood up, patted his hands, and ran over pattering.
“Bro, what’s up?”
Da Zai kept his bun face serious. “From now on, no playing with Lu Baozhen!”
“Why?” Er Zai asked.
Da Zai furrowed his brows. “Anyway, no playing with her, or I won’t pay attention to you.”
“I didn’t say I wanted to play with her!!” Er Zai said hurriedly. “I don’t like playing with girls anyway. They always cry—cry when they lose at games, cry when they fall, cry when they don’t get candy, cry when scolded. Such a hassle. I only play with Brother Bang Bang and them!”
“You better remember that.” Da Zai reminded again, afraid his younger brother would forget.
“Uh-huh, uh-huh.” Er Zai nodded several times.
“I won’t play.”
After agreeing, he still couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked again, “Bro, why can’t I play with her? You never cared before.”
Da Zai didn’t say it was because he felt Mom didn’t want them too close to Lu Baozhen; he just said, “She cursed you. Her mom curses us. Her mom also badmouths Mom. Mom and that little Su aren’t friends, so we shouldn’t be friends with her kid either! If you play with her, you’ll be betraying Mom and betraying me!”
Er Zai was always carefree, but hearing his brother put it so seriously, he widened his eyes and waved his hands in a blur. “I won’t play! If I see her from now on, I’ll run!”
The little friend was scared into a psychological shadow by his own brother.
Da Zai touched his chin. “It’s not impossible either, to keep her from clinging to you.”
“Why would she cling to me?” Er Zai looked terrified.
Da Zai thought for a few moments and said seriously, “To trick Mom into giving us food and drink she makes.”
“She better not try!” Er Zai said fiercely.
Tie Chui came looking for Da Zai and Er Zai to play and heard this as soon as he arrived. “Er Zai, what are you saying?”
Er Zai couldn’t keep a secret and immediately told Tie Chui about Lu Baozhen’s ‘plans.’
Tie Chui was dumbfounded. “She’s that little and already has so many schemes!? So scary!”
“Yeah, yeah. From now on, you stay away from her too, in case she tricks you out of your candy,” Er Zai said solemnly.
Tie Chui nodded like pounding garlic. “Got it!”
He looked moved. “Er Zai, you’re really my good brother.”
“You’re my good brother too,” Er Zai said.
“Have you eaten watermelon?”
Tie Chui um-ummed twice; his little face was shining. He licked his lips, his voice loud like the chirp of a sparrow in spring, wrapped in the purest happiness. “Yeah, have you? The watermelon was so sweet, so delicious, better than the wild strawberries on the mountain.”
“My mom bought it in the county,” Gu Er Zai blurted out.
Lin Zhao took out some dog food to feed Da Huang.
Da Huang looked up at its owner; its head was missing a patch of fur here, exposing pink flesh there, sloppily like it had been kissed by a typhoon—ugly to the point one couldn’t bear to look straight at it.
It rubbed its head against its owner’s knee, then buried its head to eat.
Amber directly stuck its head into the basin, eating with loud noises, so eager it nearly overturned the food bowl.
Da Huang growled lowly at it; seeing it wouldn’t listen, it swatted it with its right paw, sending the little one tumbling in place, letting out a aggrieved whine from its mouth.
“Huh?” Da Zai’s eyes widened. “Da Huang hits its own kid too?!”
His expression was especially cute; Lin Zhao held back a laugh. “Of course. When kids are naughty and make mistakes, the mom will definitely teach them.”
“Mom’s never hit us,” Da Zai said, carefully hiding the little secret joy surging in his heart, his body unconsciously swaying. “It must be because we’re good, so Mom never beats us.”
Tie Chui chimed in, “I’m good too, but my mom still beats me.”
Da Zai asked, “Why does your mom beat you?”
“Because I wet the bed,” Tie Chui said honestly.
Er Zai made a little animal-like gurgle in his throat and froze in shock. “You still wet the bed now??! My bro and I stopped wetting the bed long ago.”
Tie Chui waved his hands hurriedly and explained, “Not now, it was that winter.”
Er Zai instantly fell silent; last winter he had wet the bed too. “It’s fine. Grandma says little friends wetting the bed is normal. We’ll stop when we grow up.”
Lin Zhao was dying of laughter; the little friends discussing some topic so seriously, with their childish words—really so amusing.
In the afternoon, Gu Family’s Third Branch ate braised pork ribs; Da Huang and its pup also happily gnawed on a meal of meat bones. The dog mom and pup wagged their tails into blurs; this life, even an immortal wouldn’t trade.
Today Da Huang had made a great contribution and deserved a reward.
After eating, Da Huang took its pup and nestled in the dog kennel Gu Fu had made; the bald patches rose and fell with its breathing, occasionally letting out soft gurgles, basking in the sunset glow, utterly content.
The dragon-phoenix twins played beside them; when the two little dumplings were about to fall, Da Huang stood up and rushed over swiftly to steady them.
“Da Huang is so capable,” Lin Zhao said, petting its head.
Da Huang’s tail wagged even faster.
The next day, early morning.
Around six-something, Lin Zhao woke up, washed up, braided her hair, changed into a light green sundress; the peter pan collar like two mint-paper-cut lotus leaf edges, paired on her feet with the white round-toe small leather shoes Gu Chenghuai had bought her, with a square strap buckle across the top—stylish and nice-looking.
She had just applied some face cream when Gu Mu came over?
Seeing Lin Zhao’s outfit, she was stunned for a moment but didn’t say anything discouraging; instead, she praised, “This looks good; you look like a city girl.”
Lin Zhao smiled openly. “From now on, it’ll be hard on Mom.”
Gu Mu just thought the third son’s wife lived up to being a high school student, so good with words; she hurriedly smiled and said, “Taking care of my own grandsons is no hardship. You’re the one who’s hardworking. You just go to work well; leave Da Zai and them to me. With so many people at the old house, how could we not take good care of a few kids.”
Not to mention the third son’s wife had given rations according to the higher standard; the Gu Family’s other two daughters-in-law had no objections and fully supported taking over caring for Da Zai and the others.
Lin Zhao cooked two bowls of dried noodles, simply garnished with a few green vegetables and scallions, some meat sauce, and two fried eggs—so fragrant it could kill someone.
“Mom, one bowl for you, one for me. Eat quick, or it’ll clump.”
Gu Mu wanted to say something but saw Da Zai’s mom eating with her head down; she moved her mouth but ultimately said nothing and started eating the noodles.
She had lived half her life and never eaten such white noodles, and these eggs—fried in oil, right? So fragrant.
“Zhaozhao, your cooking skills are really good,” Gu Mu said. The ingredients were good too, but the third son’s wife’s cooking skills were top-notch.
Lin Zhao wasn’t modest at all. “Of course. I haven’t learned much, but I just know how to do it, and the food I make is delicious.”
“Then you have a talent for cooking,” Gu Mu said. “You have a talent for studying too. Da Zai and Er Zai take after you; they’ll definitely make it to high school later.”
High school?
That education was too low!
The book said the college entrance exam would resume later; Da Zai and them would catch the good timing and at least make it through university’s doors.
“What high school? University is better.”
Gu Mu of course hoped the kids would become more promising; Lin Zhao’s words made her feel the third son’s wife truly cared about Da Zai and them, willing to teach them. She was very happy inside and said, “Right! University! I heard there’s some workers-peasants-soldiers university; at that time, we can find a way to pull some connections.”
Gu Mu had four sons and doted most on the youth Gu Chenghuai who had left home; by extension, she liked Da Zai and the others even more.
Lin Zhao filled her stomach a bit and figured it was about time, so she hurried off to work.
“We still need a bicycle; walking there would be so tiring. Don’t know if the third son can get a ticket,” Gu Mu muttered.
Her mouth said third son, but her old eyes flashed with longing.
This emotion passed in an instant.
She washed her own bowl and Lin Zhao’s, swept the yard and backyard, and watered the vegetables in the vegetable garden.
Da Zai and Er Zai had just groggily gotten up.
“Grandma? Where’s Mom?” Da Zai instantly sobered up upon seeing Gu Mu, looking left and right for Lin Zhao’s figure.
“Your mom went to work,” Gu Mu said, wiping the sweat off her grandson’s face from the heat, pouring water for them to wash their faces. “Hurry and wash; your faces are all sweaty. Hot, right?”
Er Zai answered, “Hot, super hot. The heat woke me up.”
Gu Mu said, “Hang in there a bit longer; in another two months, it won’t be this hot. I heard the city has some kind of fan that fans itself, but it’s expensive and needs electricity.”
Da Zai and Er Zai listened attentively.
“You need electricity to have lights; I know,” Er Zai said proudly as a little friend who had been to the county.
Da Zai asked puzzledly, “Grandma, why don’t we have electricity here?”
“Yeah, why?” Gu Mu was puzzled too.
“It’ll probably all get it eventually, but installing power lines is troublesome. I heard you have to pull electric wires and stuff; we don’t understand it. Some places have it, some don’t. I think it’s one village at a time, slowly,” she didn’t fool the two kids but shared her guess.
“Hope it comes soon. Electric lights are so bright; no need to light lamps at night—just pull the lamp cord and it lights up,” Er Zai said.
Gu Mu didn’t even know it was a pull-cord. “Oh my, pull the cord and it lights up? So convenient? How do you know it’s a pull-cord? Is the cord like a clothesline?” She was full of curiosity.
Er Zai puffed out his little chest. “My mom said.”
“Then it must be true,” Gu Mu said. “Your mom is educated and has seen a lot. Learn well from your mom; go to university later.”
“Uh-huh.” Da Zai’s expression was serious; he listened to Mom most and was willing to learn from her.
Er Zai didn’t know where his confidence came from but said loudly, “My bro and I will both go to university!” Full of confidence.
Gu Mu’s brows were knit with worry; even one workers-peasants-soldiers university spot was hard to get, let alone two.
Both were the family’s treasures; she didn’t want to hurt either one’s heart.
Gu Mu forgot the old house had a string of kids too; if there really was a university spot, it’d be even more worrying.
“Grandma, I’m hungry,” Er Zai’s voice ended Gu Mu’s worrying.
“Grandma will steam egg custard for you.” Though Gu Mu thought two eggs for one kid was a bit luxurious, since Lin Zhao had instructed it, she would follow through. Just like the old man said, after separate households, it’s two families; how to live is up to the kids’ mom.
Lin Zhao arrived at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative before eight.
There was already someone inside.
She looked about thirty-something, a female comrade.
Her gaze lingered on Lin Zhao’s sundress, and she smiled. “New comrade, right?”
What a striking girl, Li Fen thought.
“Yes, I’m Lin Zhao. Hello,” Lin Zhao smiled back.
“I’m Li Fen, a few years older than you; you can call me Sister Fen,” Li Fen said with a smile.
Pointing to two sections of counter, “Those two sections are yours.”
“Thanks, Sister Fen.” Lin Zhao smiled gratefully, slipped her a handful of shrimp crisp candy, and headed to the counter.
Li Fen was stunned for a moment, took the candy, and smiled more sincerely. “Comrade Lin, anything you don’t understand, come find me.”
This was just what Lin Zhao wanted.
“Great, I’ll trouble Sister Fen from now on.”
With the shrimp crisp candy from Lin Zhao, Li Fen wasn’t stingy and told her a lot about work—
Like how to get up to speed quickly when just starting, or how to get defective products from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, keeping good work records, and so on.
After listening, Lin Zhao felt that handful of shrimp crisp candy was really worth it.
When the morning light climbed onto the faded “Develop the Economy and Ensure Supply” slogan, the other salespeople arrived one after another.
Two were old employees; one was new like Lin Zhao.
One old employee swept a hostile glance over Lin Zhao and the other newbie, snorted coldly, was tugged on the sleeve by the colleague beside her, rolled her eyes, went to her own counter, face drawn long, slamming things around.
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