Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Moving Out—So Be It If We Divorce

Xu Mingshan was so angry his mustache bristled and his eyes bulged. He wished he could whack open her head with his tobacco pipe just to see what kind of mush she had inside—how did he end up with such a troublesome, debt-collecting daughter? She was nothing but a headache!

Looking at her, he knew she was someone he couldn’t count on. He’d better cling tightly to his eldest son’s leg—otherwise, when he got old and couldn’t work anymore, he’d end up pleasing no one.

At least his eldest was still filial.

With this in mind, his resolve to make his daughter move out only grew stronger.

“What do you mean help or not help? You found the man yourself, got married yourself. As your parents, we don’t owe you anything. Pack up your things in the next couple of days and move over there as soon as possible. Don’t hang around here and be an eyesore.”

Lin Xiaomeng was stunned. Wasn’t this old man just trying to smooth things over? Why was he now so eager to kick Xu Meiling out?

After a moment’s thought, she understood.

Turns out, when the knife hadn’t cut into his own flesh, he didn’t feel the pain. Now that he was worried the kids might really start to resent them, he finally decided to act like a decent person.

She suddenly felt like she’d found a breakthrough to deal with them, and her mood improved greatly.

Xu Meiling was used to throwing tantrums and deliberately went against Xu Mingshan.

“I just won’t move out. Let’s see what you can do about it.”

Xu Mingshan clenched his jaw, his left fist so tight his knuckles turned white.

Liu Guifang hurried over to tug at her daughter, signaling her not to say anything rash.

At that moment, Chen Jianghe’s voice came from Xu Meiling’s room.

“We’ll move out tomorrow! Sorry, sister-in-law, for all the trouble we’ve caused you these days. We’ve eaten your food, and I’ll pay you back for it.”

Chen Jianghe had heard most of what was going on from inside.

He figured he must have done something terrible in a past life to end up with a woman like this in this one.

Actually, when he’d come back from the county to recover from his illness, he’d already said that as soon as the new house was ready, they should move in. He didn’t like living under someone else’s roof.

But Xu Meiling insisted on staying at her parents’ place, saying she was pregnant and had to do housework and take care of him, and couldn’t manage it all.

At the time, he needed someone to look after him, so he couldn’t ask too much of her and just agreed to stay at the Xu family’s home.

Although being forced out felt a bit humiliating, he was actually quite pleased at the thought of not having to live off others anymore.

“At least Jianghe knows what’s what. You two pack up today, and tomorrow morning I’ll take you over there,” Xu Mingshan said, finally appeased by Chen Jianghe’s sensible attitude. Xu Meiling had no idea she’d just dodged a beating.

Back when Xu Mingshan was young, he was quite the tough guy. It was only now, in his old age, that he’d mellowed out a bit.

If Xu Meiling kept acting up, she’d be in for a beating for sure. Liu Guifang had taken plenty of those when she was young—always behind closed doors, and she wasn’t allowed to make a sound.

When Xu Meiling heard her husband speak up, she couldn’t very well insist on staying—she didn’t want to embarrass him.

Even though they’d just had a huge fight inside, that was between husband and wife. In front of others, she had to give him face.

At her core, she wasn’t much different from Liu Guifang—tough on the outside, but obedient to her man, as if she couldn’t live without him.

Xu Meiling shot Lin Xiaomeng a glare, went back into her room, and slammed the door behind her.

Xu Mingshan turned to Lin Xiaomeng. “Eldest daughter-in-law, are you satisfied now?”

He was clearly unhappy. He hated having his authority challenged and didn’t like being forced to make decisions.

Lin Xiaomeng kept her head down, hugging her son tightly without saying a word.

She was happy to have gotten Xu Meiling out—a small victory for now. But it wasn’t her ultimate goal. What she really wanted was to split the family up and live separately.

Wait. Just wait a couple more years. When the big political campaigns were over, everything would get better.

Liu Guifang wished she could strangle Lin Xiaomeng.

“You little wretch! Look at what you’ve done to my precious grandson! From now on, you’re not allowed to fill his head with nonsense. Otherwise, I’ll make the eldest divorce you!”

The rebellious streak in Lin Xiaomeng’s genes started to stir.

“Divorce? Fine by me! You think I’m afraid of you? As long as Xu Huaizhi dares to bring up divorce, I, Lin Xiaomeng, won’t even bat an eye before agreeing!”

In her past life, she really had divorced Xu Huaizhi. In this life, she’d tried to make things work for the sake of her child and because she’d pinned her hopes on Xu Huaizhi.

But she wasn’t dependent on him. If Xu Huaizhi could make something of himself, so could she. After all, she had her own resources—she could live well on her own.

The only tricky part was the child.

Worst case, she’d just leave Xu Huaizhi, take the child, find somewhere to hide for a few years, and wait for society to settle down before coming out again.

Liu Guifang had only meant to scare her with the threat of divorce. After all, in this era, divorce was a huge disgrace—there wasn’t a single divorced family in ten villages around here. Everyone just toughed it out.

She never expected Lin Xiaomeng to be so tough—not only was she unafraid, she was downright decisive about it. Liu Guifang was at a loss.

“Big sister-in-law, you want to divorce my brother? Why?” Xu Huaiyu pushed his bicycle inside, having caught the tail end of the conversation, and asked in confusion.

If Lin Xiaomeng had a most-hated list in this family, Xu Meiling would be number one, and Xu Huaiyu number two. He did nothing all day, relying on his glib tongue to boss people around at home.

Xu Huaizhi worked hard every month to earn money for the family, while Xu Huaiyu just spent it, flattering Liu Guifang into thinking her youngest was something special.

She didn’t want to deal with this family anymore.

Lin Xiaomeng simply took her son back to their room and locked the door.

Xu Huaiyu didn’t get it, but he was in a good mood today and didn’t bother arguing with Lin Xiaomeng.

“Dad, Mom, look what I bought!”

He parked his bike and pulled a strip of pork belly from the basket—it looked to be about a pound.

“Third son, where did you get the meat ration ticket?” Liu Guifang, distracted, forgot all about the previous argument and took the pork, examining it.

“I traded for it at the black market,” Xu Huaiyu whispered.

“Oh my god, meat from the black market is so expensive! It’s not even a holiday—why buy meat now? Haven’t we fed you enough? Are you that greedy?” Liu Guifang exploded, giving him a light slap.

Xu Mingshan glared at Xu Huaiyu in disapproval, but couldn’t bear to scold his son, so he snapped at his wife instead. “Look at the kids you’ve raised—not a single one is worry-free.”

“Dad, don’t be mad. Listen to me first!”

Xu Huaiyu cleared his throat. “My fiancée is coming over! This weekend! I’m just getting ready in advance. I can’t rely on big brother for everything, right?”

He’d already calculated that big brother’s meat ration tickets for the month were long gone.

If he didn’t figure something out himself, it’d be embarrassing when his fiancée came over. At least there had to be some meat on the table!

He’d gone to the black market on a whim and actually managed to find someone selling pork belly—nicely marbled, too—so he brought it home.

Liu Guifang was thrilled. “Really? It’s settled?”

Xu Mingshan, however, focused on something else.

“Listen to yourself. You’re a grown man—stop relying on your family and your brother for everything. Once you’re married, you have to live your own life.”

“Alright, Dad, I get it. Stop nagging. I just want the table to look good so her family will see we’re doing well and be willing to let her marry me!”

“Enough, enough, both of you stop. Let’s eat. I’ll put this meat in the cupboard and lock it up—if the rats or stray cats get it, we’ll have nowhere to cry,” Liu Guifang said, smoothing things over.

That night, Lin Xiaomeng stayed in her room with her child and didn’t come out for dinner. She had plenty of food in her own space, and just pretended to take it from the cupboard so her child wouldn’t suspect anything.

Mother and son ate happily in their own room.

—

The day after Gu Qinghuan got the house back, she started cleaning it up.

These two houses were a token of Zhong Zijun’s affection for his two children, so she definitely wouldn’t sell them. She decided to fix them up all at once. In a couple of years, when the political climate improved and maybe their family was rehabilitated, they’d have a place to come back to.

First, she needed to thoroughly clean both houses, inside and out, and get rid of anything left behind by the previous occupants.

She couldn’t do all that herself—it would wear her out.

So she decided to outsource the work.

There weren’t any cleaning companies in those days, so she could only find some trustworthy uncles and aunties who wanted to earn some money. They had to be reliable—otherwise, they might just make a mess and leave her to clean up after them.

Gu Qinghuan mulled it over. It was tricky—her distant relatives had long since cut ties, so who could she trust?

She brought it up at breakfast.

Gu Lanting, mouth full of bun, said, “Sis, why not ask that woman from Mao’er Alley who has a kid? She might need the work.”

Wang Xiaowei?

Right! She wondered how she was doing, if she’d figured things out yet.

There weren’t many other options, so she decided to go ask her and check in at the same time.

No sooner said than done. After breakfast, Gu Qinghuan packed some fruit from her space and a carp, then went to Mao’er Alley to find Wang Xiaowei.

It was all free stuff, so she didn’t mind giving it away.

Whether or not Wang Xiaowei took the job, it never hurt to be generous.

Wang Xiaowei had originally planned to settle in Beijing, find some work, and earn a bit of money. Her introduction letter would last her a while.

She’d thought that as a young, able-bodied woman, she could always earn a living as long as she worked hard. But reality hit her hard.

Good jobs were out of the question—those required education and a Beijing household registration, which she didn’t have.

Even temp jobs—washing dishes, running errands, moving things—turned her away.

As soon as they saw she had a child with her, they waved her off.

She’d finally tasted the bitterness her parents had always warned her about.

Earning money was hard; eating humble pie was even harder.

Luckily, she’d managed to get 200 yuan in child support, which would keep her going for a while.

When she saw Gu Qinghuan again, it was like seeing a long-lost relative.

“Sis, you didn’t have to bring anything,” she said, worried she couldn’t repay her.

“It’s just some fruit and a carp. You’re feeding a child—you need the nutrition. It’s nothing, don’t worry,” Gu Qinghuan said, setting the things down.

“Thank you, sis.” Wang Xiaowei turned away, eyes a little red. In this huge city, Gu Qinghuan was the one who had helped her the most."

"Chapter 119: Setting Up the Villas—Shop, Shop, Shop

Gu Qinghuan saw how emotional she was getting, but couldn’t quite figure out why.

“Don’t get so worked up. These things really aren’t worth much,” she said. After all, she’d just pulled them out of her space—it was just a bit of effort to bring them over.

Wang Xiaowei wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “Thank you, sis. I don’t even know what to say. Did you come by today because something’s up? Is the lease on the house expiring?”

Gu Qinghuan slapped her forehead—she’d almost forgotten her main reason for coming.

“There’s still a little over half a month left on the lease. It’s not up yet, so you can keep staying there.

Here’s the thing—I’ve got a job I wanted to ask if you’d be interested in.

No matter what you decide, just tell me directly, no pressure,” Gu Qinghuan said, giving her a heads-up.

Wang Xiaowei hadn’t expected that, after all this time, Gu Qinghuan would bring her such good news.

But, remembering Gu Qinghuan’s warning, she still asked cautiously, “Sis, can I ask what kind of job it is?”

“I have two small villas. They were occupied by someone else before, but I just got them back. I need someone to give them a thorough cleaning, so there’s no dirt or mess left behind, and it’ll be comfortable to live in.

So I thought of you. It’s not an easy job, and if you take care of everything, I’m planning to pay you four yuan for your trouble. But since you have a child, if you don’t want to do it, just let me know—it’s totally fine.”

Gu Qinghuan, thinking like a modern person, felt this was actually a pretty tiring and troublesome job.

But in Wang Xiaowei’s eyes, this was a golden opportunity falling from the sky.

It was just cleaning, and with a bit of effort, she could earn four yuan. That was enough to make two sets of winter clothes for her child—kids are small, so they don’t need much fabric or cotton.

“Sis, I’d love to do it!” Wang Xiaowei agreed eagerly.

She quickly added, “Thank you for giving me this chance, and for not minding that I have a child. I promise I’ll clean everything until it’s spotless, not a speck of dust left.”

Seeing how happy Wang Xiaowei was to accept, Gu Qinghuan was pleased too—one problem solved.

“Great. If you’re free, why don’t you come with me today to take a look?”

Wang Xiaowei, always carrying her child and some food for the road, set off with Gu Qinghuan.

She’d been in Beijing for a while, but this was her first time really going out to see the city.

Usually, she just stayed around Mao’er Hutong, never daring to go far.

Gu Qinghuan led her to the area where the two villas were located.

Seeing the two beautiful houses, Wang Xiaowei was visibly stunned—her mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg.

She knew Gu Qinghuan was well-off, but she hadn’t expected her to be this wealthy. To own two houses like this in Beijing—her family must be extremely rich or powerful.

Thinking of all the help Gu Qinghuan had given her, Wang Xiaowei was deeply moved and resolved to work hard and hold on tight to this golden opportunity.

Gu Qinghuan had already prepared all the cleaning supplies and told her she could let the child nap in one of the rooms on the first floor while she worked.

There were also some leftover groceries in the kitchen from the previous tenants, which Wang Xiaowei could use as she liked.

After explaining everything Wang Xiaowei needed to know about the house, Gu Qinghuan left.

She had shopping to do over the next few days and wouldn’t have time to supervise.

Wang Xiaowei wasn’t the type to bite the hand that feeds her, and Gu Qinghuan was willing to trust her character.

As it turned out, her trust was well-placed. In about three days, both villas were spotless inside and out, everything that needed cleaning was cleaned, and the houses looked practically brand new.

Gu Qinghuan happily paid Wang Xiaowei her four yuan.

Holding the hard-earned money in her hands, Wang Xiaowei was overwhelmed with emotion.

During those three days, Gu Qinghuan had carpenters come by to custom-make some furniture she wanted: wardrobes, nightstands, dressers, dining tables, and so on.

She also measured the windows herself and ordered a batch of curtains from the vending machine.

There’s an art to buying curtains—the living room, dining room, and bedrooms all needed different patterns, and each person’s bedroom had its own style.

For the two kids’ rooms, she had two small beds custom-made so they could sleep together for a sense of security, and picked linen curtains in pink and blue to suit both kids’ tastes.

Of course, this time she hired skilled craftsmen, not like in the village where she had to make do.

Previously, the two villas only had basic furniture like sofas and beds—there wasn’t even a dining table. Wu Ma had somehow found an old, beat-up table to use, not minding how shabby it was.

The houses were livable, but still missing a lot of essentials. Most likely, Zhong Zijun hadn’t had time to furnish them before being sent down.

Now that she finally had the chance to live in a big villa in the 1970s, Gu Qinghuan was determined to set it up properly.

All the big items were ordered, and the craftsmen promised to deliver in half a month. The curtains she’d ordered were ready and just needed to be installed.

There were so many curtains for the two houses that they filled an entire living room, all in different colors and patterns.

Xu Huaian had helped Gu Qinghuan place all the orders, so he knew exactly how she wanted each room set up.

It was the weekend, and Gu Lanting was home for the holidays, so Gu Qinghuan roped her brother and brother-in-law into helping install the curtains.

Actually, it wasn’t a difficult job—just a lot of rooms, so the same task had to be repeated many times.

As for herself, she took the two kids and Ming Ruxue out shopping.

Ming Ruxue, as expected, had plenty of foreign exchange certificates and ration coupons, so the two of them, with Dabao and Beibei in tow, were ready for a shopping spree.

Their first stop was the Friendship Store.

At this time, the Friendship Store was a state-run shop. Originally, it only served foreigners, diplomats, and government officials, but now, anyone with foreign exchange certificates could go in and shop.

The selection was dazzling—not just ordinary goods, but also many luxury items out of reach for most people.

There were all kinds of trendy “hot items”: Meilin canned goods from Shanghai, Xishilin pastries from Tianjin, double-sided embroidery from Suzhou, brocade from Hangzhou, Snow Lotus cashmere sweaters from Beijing, bicycles, watches, and more.

The store also sold imported appliances, whiskey, Marlboro cigarettes, and other international brands.

You could even find Coca-Cola, English books, Toshiba TVs from Japan, and export-only goods.

People always judge by appearances first, so Gu Qinghuan had dressed up nicely today—she had plenty of modern clothes stashed in her space villa.

She wore the white cashmere coat she’d worn to a wedding before, with a black turtleneck sweater underneath, black skinny pants, and tall boots.

The two kids were also dressed in clothes she’d bought earlier. They’d both filled out a bit recently and looked adorable in their outfits.

Ming Ruxue even complimented her cashmere coat.

Of course, it was a classic style from the future.

With all the foreign exchange certificates and US dollars Ming Ruxue had, the four of them shopped freely in the Friendship Store, and the staff treated them with respect.

They browsed the whole store first, then decided what to buy.

Ming Ruxue fell in love with a piece of double-sided Suzhou embroidery and couldn’t put it down. She planned to hang it above her bed to admire every day. The price—dozens of yuan—was nothing to her.

Gu Qinghuan liked it too, but she preferred practical things.

For example, she was curious about what 1970s Meilin luncheon meat tasted like—was it good? She bought a few cans to try.

The pastries looked nice too, so she bought some to sample.

The Snow Lotus cashmere sweaters felt great, so she got one for everyone in the family—real cashmere, warm for winter, and worth the price.

The kids were easy to please—one bottle of Coca-Cola each and they were happy.

After a while, they came to the watch counter.

The sales clerk, noticing how well-dressed they were, greeted them with a big smile.

“Hello, ladies. Are you looking for men’s or women’s watches? Any particular brand?”

Gu Qinghuan herself wasn’t used to wearing anything on her wrist, so she didn’t need one.

But she thought Lanting and Xu Huaian could use watches. She could buy knockoffs from the vending machine for much cheaper, but since she had the chance to get the real thing, she wanted to give them genuine watches—the craftsmanship mattered.

So she asked, “Do you have any recommendations for men’s watches?”

The clerk’s smile grew even brighter.

“You’ve come at just the right time—we just got a new Omega 18k gold watch in. It’s about $1,000. Would you like to see it?”

Maybe she thought they were rich, so she led with the most expensive option.

Gu Qinghuan had thought she was doing pretty well lately, but one watch could wipe out half her savings.

She quickly shook her head. “Do you have something more affordable? I want to buy two of the same model.”

Ming Ruxue had been ready to pay—she’d brought plenty of dollars—but hearing Gu Qinghuan, she put her wallet away.

Respecting others’ choices is basic courtesy.

The clerk wasn’t offended, and pointed to several watches in the case. “Take a look—these are Titoni, Enicar, and Daroama, all popular Swiss brands and not too expensive.”

After looking through them, Gu Qinghuan chose two Titoni watches at 320 yuan each—there went 640 yuan.

But she was happy with her purchase—it was worth it for the emotional value.

The clerk went to get the new watches, and the two of them sat on the sofa to wait.

While they waited, a group of middle-aged women came over, chatting and laughing as they looked at watches.

“Mrs. Xu, why haven’t we seen your daughter-in-law lately?”

“Oh, her? That ungrateful thing—I told her to stay home and reflect on herself,” Mrs. Xu said proudly.

“That’s the way! I always said you were too soft before, letting your daughter-in-law walk all over you. We mothers-in-law have to keep our daughters-in-law in line, or the household will be a mess,” a plump woman chimed in.

The others agreed, “Exactly, exactly.”

Then they started looking at watches.

Gu Qinghuan hadn’t thought much of it at first, just found these housewives amusing—taking pleasure in bossing around their daughters-in-law. Disgusting.

But then, as Mrs. Xu turned around, Gu Qinghuan was stunned.

Isn’t that… Luo Ning’s mother-in-law?"

"Chapter 120: News of Zhong Luoning, Chocolate

Mrs. Xu? She remembered that Luoning’s boyfriend was called Xu Jianguo.

That fits.

Back in the day, when Xu Jianguo was courting her cousin Luoning, he was nothing if not dramatic.

He’d often stand outside the Zhong family’s house, reciting love poems to her cousin.

Stuff like, “Till mountains crumble, rivers run dry, thunder rumbles in winter, snow falls in summer, heaven and earth unite—only then would I dare part from you.”

Or, “Holding your hand, growing old together.”

Or, “I’d never forsake the green hills, always by your side.”

Zhong Luoning, such a gentle and shy girl, couldn’t withstand that kind of onslaught for long. Xu Jianguo soon won her over. That guy was a master at sweet-talking and putting on a show, even managing to win over several of the Zhong family elders.

Later, the original protagonist had seen the Xu couple at Zhong Luoning’s wedding—she remembered it clearly. Back then, Mrs. Xu had even declared in front of everyone that she’d treat Luoning like her own daughter.

Yeah, right. Like her own daughter.

Now that everyone’s turned on her, it seems Luoning hasn’t had an easy time in the Xu family. She’s always been the type to share only good news and keep her troubles to herself. Who knows how much she’s suffered in private.

That Mrs. Xu didn’t look like a good person—sharp, mean face and all.

Since coming back, she hadn’t contacted her cousin Zhong Luoning yet. She’d been grateful for the tip about Lanting, but had been so busy lately she’d forgotten to check in.

Today, running into her cousin’s mother-in-law, Gu Qinghuan couldn’t help but feel uneasy after hearing her odd remarks. But now wasn’t the right time to go and confirm anything.

Tomorrow, she’d go visit her cousin.

The group of middle-aged women browsed around, didn’t buy anything, and wandered off to another counter.

Xu Jianguo’s mother hadn’t recognized Gu Qinghuan at all as she wandered around. Maybe it was because Gu Qinghuan’s temperament had changed so much, or maybe she simply didn’t remember such trivial things as her daughter-in-law’s family.

Finally, the sales clerk brought over the two watches.

Noticing Gu Qinghuan’s gaze lingering on the departing ladies, the clerk whispered, “Do you know them?”

Gu Qinghuan shook her head. “No, just curious.”

Once sure she didn’t know them, the clerk said disdainfully, “They’re regulars here at the Friendship Store. The kind who look but never buy, always putting on airs and making us show them the best stuff.

At first, we all fell for it and talked ourselves hoarse, but they never bought anything. Now everyone knows what they’re like.

Honestly, what do people like that get out of it?” The clerk shook her head.

Gu Qinghuan understood immediately—just like those fake socialites and wannabe rich ladies in later years, who loved hanging out in luxury stores, trying on everything, running the staff ragged, and never buying a thing.

What they got was a kind of satisfaction most people couldn’t understand. They felt important, like they belonged in high-end places, and could brag about it later.

In short, pointless and embarrassing.

Gu Qinghuan smiled, checked the goods, and left with Ming Ruxue and the two kids.

The children had behaved well all day, so when it was time to pay, Gu Qinghuan bought them two boxes of imported chocolate as a reward.

Imported chocolate was expensive, and she couldn’t always let Ming Ruxue foot the bill. She could afford it herself, but it wasn’t something to buy often—not only did it require foreign exchange coupons, but too much chocolate wasn’t good for kids anyway.

Dabao had already learned numbers and had a basic sense of money. When he heard the clerk say the chocolate cost three yuan a box, he was stunned.

There were only a few small pieces in the box, and it cost three yuan? Three yuan could buy loads of White Rabbit candies or several pounds of fruit drops.

Usually, Aunt Ruxue bought them several boxes at a time—wasn’t that a huge expense?

Dabao tugged at Gu Qinghuan, his clear eyes full of resistance. “Mom, I don’t want the chocolate anymore.”

Beibei didn’t understand why her brother didn’t want such delicious chocolate and pouted unhappily.

Gu Qinghuan understood—he was probably worried about the money. Such a sensible child. But she didn’t want them to be too mature; life would be hard enough when they grew up. As children, they should just enjoy being kids.

“Why don’t you want it? Is it because it’s too expensive?” Gu Qinghuan bent down and asked.

Dabao looked at her, then at Ming Ruxue, fiddled with his shirt button, and mumbled, “Mm.”

He was afraid his mom would think he was embarrassing her.

But he really didn’t want it. Mom and Dad worked hard to support them.

He’d heard Mom say that hiring Aunt Xiaowei to clean two villas cost four yuan.

He’d thought that was a lot of money, and now realized that one box of chocolate cost three yuan. He felt he was being extravagant and wasteful.

Aunt Xiaowei had to clean two villas to earn enough for one box of chocolate. Thinking of it that way, he couldn’t bring himself to eat chocolate anymore.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t say much, just smiled and ruffled his hair. “Our Dabao is growing up, thinking about saving money for Mom.”

“Alright, Mom was going to reward you and your sister with a box of chocolate each. Since you don’t want yours, I’ll give you the money instead. You can keep it or spend it however you like, okay?”

Dabao hadn’t expected that. He thought Mom would be upset, but instead she let him decide what to do with the money. He was stunned for a moment.

Beibei was still too young to understand money and couldn’t resist chocolate. Gu Qinghuan bought her a box, and she hugged it happily.

On the way home, Dabao clutched his three yuan tightly, already planning to use it for something more meaningful.

Beibei broke off a piece of chocolate, munching as she asked her brother, “Brother, do you want some? I’ll share.”

Dabao shook his head. He’d already taken the money, and chocolate no longer tempted him.

“You eat it. I have this.” He waved his fist.

Beibei looked at him, puzzled, as if he were silly. “Brother, you can’t eat money. You’re so silly!”

“You’re the silly one!” Dabao huffed and turned away.

But in no time, the two were back to being best friends.

Ming Ruxue watched the two adorable kids ahead, then looked at Gu Qinghuan with admiration. “Sis, you really know how to raise kids! You’re not perfunctory, you don’t kill their enthusiasm, you treat them as equals and respect their wishes. I can’t even imagine how happy your kids must be!

You and my brother-in-law should hurry up and have a child!”

Gu Qinghuan was speechless at the last part. She and Xu Huaian were still just roommates—how had it gotten to having kids?

Honestly, she didn’t think she was particularly good at raising children, and she didn’t dare call herself a mother. She was always afraid she’d fall short, miss their needs, or hurt their little hearts.

Raising these two kids, she was just trying to give them what she’d missed in her own childhood, hoping they’d be happier and freer.

People say raising children is like raising yourself all over again. It’s true.

Often, she saw shadows of her own childhood in Dabao and Beibei, and she was terrified they’d suffer as she once had.

Some wounds are invisible, but they’re always there—sometimes for a lifetime.

If you’re not treasured as a child, chances are you won’t treasure yourself as an adult.

That’s why she tried so hard to be good to these two kids, to give them enough confidence to face whatever ups and downs life might bring."

"Chapter 121: Shop, Shop, Shop

After finishing their stroll through the Friendship Store, the two of them headed to the Overseas Chinese Store. The products were pretty much the same, so they didn’t linger long.

Gu Qinghuan planned to buy some domestic appliances. Although the Friendship Store sold imported appliances from Japan, she still wanted to support domestic products. It hadn’t been easy for China’s appliance industry to get started, so she wanted to support it as much as she could.

Domestic appliances could be found at the department store.

At this time, the most common appliances in Chinese households were black-and-white TVs, radios, and electric fans.

Of course, there were also refrigerators and washing machines, but these hadn’t yet become household necessities. For most families, they were still considered quite a luxury.

Gu Qinghuan had already asked Gu Lanting for his opinion. Since he was busy with school every day and didn’t have time to watch TV, there was no point in buying one for the house.

Besides, Gu Qinghuan and Xu Huaian might be taking the child back to Xujia Village soon, so they decided not to buy a TV for now.

As for Ming Ruxue, she wasn’t interested in TV either. Apart from her classes, she had plenty of other hobbies, like running, learning martial arts, and occasionally watching a movie. So, there was no need to buy a TV for her place either.

They decided to get two radios—sometimes it’s nice to listen to the news or some music.

A refrigerator was a must-have, too. It would make storing vegetables and meat much more convenient.

However, due to technological limitations, refrigerators at this time were small and basic, but still good enough.

As for washing machines, only semi-automatic models were available. Not perfect, but better than nothing, so they’d get two of those as well.

Gu Qinghuan hadn’t planned to buy fans, since it was winter. But there happened to be a promotion.

Plus, she worried that come summer, Gu Lanting would be too frugal to buy one.

So she decided to get two fans in advance.

A single-cylinder Bailan washing machine: 199 yuan each.

A Xiangxuehai 125-liter single-door refrigerator: 685 yuan each.

A Haishi brand standing fan: 135 yuan each.

A Hongdeng double-speaker radio: 98 yuan each.

They bought two of everything, for a total of 2,234 yuan, plus the necessary ration coupons.

Ming Ruxue was missing a refrigerator coupon among the ones she’d prepared, but luckily, a woman at the counter noticed she had a TV coupon and offered to trade her own refrigerator coupon for it.

That’s how they managed to buy everything.

People passing by the counter all glanced their way. After all, buying this many appliances at once—two of each—was a rare sight.

Never mind the coupons; just the 2,000-plus yuan alone was something most people couldn’t come up with.

For an ordinary worker’s family, it would take five years of saving every penny to earn that much.

The woman at the counter beamed as she took down their address for home delivery.

After leaving the department store, Ming Ruxue pulled out the money she’d prepared and handed it over.

“Here, this is my share,” she said.

Ming Ruxue felt that since she’d be using these things, she should pay her part.

Gu Qinghuan waved her off.

Ming Ruxue was only temporarily staying at the villa; she shouldn’t have to pay for its furnishings. Besides, given their childhood friendship, there was no way Gu Qinghuan would take her money.

“Ruxue, I already feel bad enough asking you for the coupons. There’s no way I’m taking your money. Even though I’m working in the countryside now, my family isn’t as hard up as you think. Don’t worry about it,” Gu Qinghuan said sincerely.

That was true. Judging by their usual spending on food and the things Gu Qinghuan had bought for the villa, they clearly weren’t short on money.

Ming Ruxue thought for a moment, then tried again. “Alright, I won’t insist, but you have to take this money. Consider it a year’s rent.”

They hadn’t discussed rent before, but Ming Ruxue wasn’t about to take advantage of them. She figured 1,200 yuan would cover a year—100 yuan a month.

Gu Qinghuan smiled wryly. This girl was just too generous. If she kept pushing, Gu Qinghuan might not be able to resist, especially since she wasn’t financially free yet and all this shopping had seriously drained her wallet.

But she forced herself to resist the temptation and pushed the money back.

“Just treat those coupons as rent. No need to pay extra.”

“My coupons were free! How can they count as rent? Please take the money, or I’ll feel guilty staying there,” Ming Ruxue said anxiously.

“They weren’t really free. You had to call in favors to get them, and sometimes favors are worth more than money.

Ruxue, with the relationship between our families, you really don’t need to pay. Otherwise, how could I ever face Uncle and Aunt Ming?

But if you really feel bad, do me a favor instead!”

That last line successfully distracted Ming Ruxue.

“What favor? Of course, I’ll help.”

“I’ll be heading back to the Northeast soon, and Lanting will be here on his own. I’m worried he won’t be able to handle things.

He’s just started living independently, and he’s a bit naïve. I’m afraid he’ll get taken advantage of.

You’re smart, capable, and independent. I want you to keep an eye on him for me, make sure he doesn’t do anything foolish.

If anything happens, let me know right away.”

Like last time, when he ran away from home for nearly two months—she’d only found out through Zhong Luoning.

She was worried that if she wasn’t around to watch him, he might do something reckless and ruin his future.

“Isn’t this like being a double agent in the movies?” Ming Ruxue, still young, treated it like a game.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered. I’ll look after him and let you know if anything happens.”

“Alright, it’s settled then.”

It took a lot of persuasion to get Ming Ruxue to take the money back. It was exhausting—most people try every trick to get their money back, but here she was, trying every trick to give it away.

Dabao had been watching the whole exchange between Gu Qinghuan and Ming Ruxue.

Gu Qinghuan’s way of handling things laid a foundation for how he’d deal with people in the future.

He was starting to understand what it meant to be “a gentleman who loves wealth, but acquires it properly.”

Did Gu Qinghuan love money? Of course. She’d even sell wild vegetables for cash—she never missed a chance to make money from anything in the mountains.

But there’s some money you just can’t take. A person needs principles to go far in life.

“Mom, are we done shopping?” Dabao tugged at her sleeve.

“What is it, Dabao?”

“Can you take me to the food store, Mom?” Dabao clutched his three yuan tightly. He already had a plan for how to use it.

Gu Qinghuan saw how he’d been hesitating all along, and now he’d finally made up his mind. She couldn’t help but smile—she had a pretty good idea what he wanted to do."

"Chapter 122: Dabao Buys Fish

As expected, as soon as Dabao arrived at the grocery store, he headed straight for the meat counter. When he found out that buying meat required a ration ticket—which he didn’t have—he had no choice but to give up, disappointed.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t go with him, just followed behind, letting him handle the shopping on his own.

Ming Ruxue noticed Dabao’s distress over the meat ticket. She wanted to take one out from her own pocket to give to him, but Gu Qinghuan stopped her—she wanted to see what the child would do.

Dabao looked around, then went to ask about eggs, fish, and shrimp. When he learned that buying fish didn’t require a ticket, a smile finally broke out on his face.

He carefully asked the fishmonger which kind of fish was best for making pickled fish stew. He remembered his mother had made it once before, and it was delicious.

The fishmonger told him that grass carp, snakehead, and carp were all suitable.

Dabao picked through the big fish tank for a while and finally chose the one he was most satisfied with. The fishmonger netted it out, weighed it, filled out a receipt, and told him to pay first, then come back to collect the fish.

Dabao could read numbers, so he checked the receipt several times to make sure. It said ninety cents, and only then did he happily go to pay.

The girl at the cashier had two long braids swinging back and forth, her face powdered—she must have been an unmarried young woman.

She was surprised to see Dabao paying by himself and asked why he was buying fish alone. Dabao proudly told her he was spending his own money to buy fish for his family. The girl praised him, making Dabao blush.

Then he collected his fish—a three-jin grass carp—and ran over happily, holding it up: “Mom, I bought us a fish! Can we have pickled fish stew tonight?”

Gu Qinghuan beamed and gave him a thumbs up. “No problem! It’s a deal!”

The last bit of uncertainty in Dabao’s heart disappeared.

He smiled and pulled out the rest of the money from his pocket.

“Mom, I still have two yuan and ten cents left. If you want to buy anything else, I’ll pay for it.” His proud little expression made Ming Ruxue and everyone around them adore him. “Dabao, you’re just too cute!” Ming Ruxue pinched his cheek.

Dabao generously said, “Aunt Ruxue, if you want anything, I’ll buy it for you too. But I only have two yuan and ten cents left, so maybe you could pick something cheaper…”

Ming Ruxue was utterly charmed. This child was so grateful and kind-hearted—Qinghuan had truly treated them well.

She had only ever bought him chocolate a few times, yet he was willing to spend all his money for her. He was such a wonderful child.

“Aunt Ruxue doesn’t need anything. Dabao, you should save your money for yourself! Buy some candy next time.”

Dabao looked at Gu Qinghuan.

Gu Qinghuan shook her head too. “Mom can’t think of anything she wants right now. If I do, I’ll let you know.

You can also choose to save your money—use it where it matters most.”

“Okay, Mom.” Dabao contentedly put the money back in his pocket.

Beibei watched with envy, suddenly finding the chocolate in her hand much less appealing.

Her brother’s three yuan seemed much more useful than her chocolate—he’d bought such a big fish and still had money left over.

Thinking about it, she realized she was just greedy and not as thoughtful as her brother, and her face flushed with embarrassment.

Gu Qinghuan noticed her mood right away.

“Beibei, don’t be upset. You’re great too. You chose something you like—there’s nothing shameful about that.

As long as your choice doesn’t hurt anyone else, there’s no need to feel guilty.”

With Gu Qinghuan’s gentle comfort, Beibei finally found an outlet for her feelings and burst into tears.

“Mom, I shouldn’t have bought chocolate. I was just being greedy,” she sobbed.

“Your brother just chose a different way to spend his money—one that he prefers. It doesn’t mean everyone has to do the same thing to be right.

Sweetheart, remember: in this life, it’s important to make yourself happy too. Don’t hurt yourself just to please others. You’re doing just fine.”

“Mom, what does it mean to make yourself happy?” Beibei looked at her, puzzled, her eyes red and rabbit-like.

“Making yourself happy means eating what you want, wearing what you like, buying what you want.

As long as it makes you happy, that’s what matters.”

“Really? I can do that?” Beibei snuggled into Gu Qinghuan’s arms, her voice all stuffy from crying.

“Of course you can! We have to be good to ourselves first, so we can be good to others, right?”

Dabao chimed in, “That’s right! You ate chocolate and you were happy. I spent my money on something I wanted, and that made me even happier than chocolate. We’re both doing things that make us happy. Mom says being happy is the most important thing.”

With their comfort, Beibei finally stopped crying.

Ming Ruxue listened to the mother and children’s conversation, deep in thought.

Yes, all our lives, we’re striving for one thing—the ability to make ourselves happy. So many people are born with the burden of serving their families, unable to do what they want.

To become the person you want to be, to please yourself instead of others—she really agreed with this kind of upbringing.

Dabao carried the fish home himself, grinning the whole way.

At lunch, everyone just had a simple meal—the meaningful fish was saved for dinner, so everyone could enjoy it together.

Over at the villa, the two men were working together better and better, getting more efficient—they’d already finished installing curtains in one building.

Gu Qinghuan left the kids at home with Ruxue to watch over them and went over to bring lunch to the two men.

She’d prepared simple steamed buns made with mixed flour and some spicy pork sauce, plenty to go around, plus some fruit for dessert.

Gu Lanting didn’t eat much, and after he finished, he pulled Gu Qinghuan aside for a private chat.

He’d seen his sister spending freely lately and had a lot of questions, but hadn’t dared to ask, worried he’d hurt her pride.

But now, he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Sis, all the money you’ve been spending lately—is it from brother-in-law?”

He was a bit puzzled about how Xu Huaian, a rural guy, could have so much money, but he knew his sister definitely didn’t. Plus, Xu Huaian didn’t seem like an ordinary country man, so he’d just assumed the money came from him.

Gu Qinghuan was momentarily speechless—how was she supposed to answer that?

She couldn’t very well say she’d earned it all herself. Gu Lanting might believe she’d made a couple hundred yuan, but she’d spent well over a thousand lately.

All she could do was stiffen her neck and say, “So what? What’s wrong with me spending a little of your brother-in-law’s money?”"

"Chapter 123: Sis, How Could You Do This?