Chapter 137: Chapter 137: Discussion and Comfort

Gu Qinghuan didn’t want to reopen Zhong Luoning’s wounds in front of her.

She simply reached out and flicked Gu Lanting on the forehead. “Come help wrap the buns! I’ll go boil water to steam them.” Before leaving, Gu Qinghuan shot him a look, signaling him not to pry further.

Gu Lanting could only swallow his curiosity and join the kids in making buns.

Xu Huaian had already scrubbed the steamer clean.

Gu Qinghuan placed the wrapped buns into the steamer, waiting for them to rise a second time before steaming.

The family dining table wasn’t ready yet, so everyone gathered around the low table in the living room, listening to music on the radio, chatting and snacking on sunflower seeds while they waited for the buns to finish. The atmosphere was warm and lively.

With laughter and conversation, half an hour passed quickly, and the buns were ready.

Each person got a bowl of millet porridge and a big tray of buns in all shapes and sizes.

The children excitedly searched for the buns they had made themselves.

Dabao found the two buns he’d made—one he handed to Xu Huaian, the other to Gu Qinghuan.

“Daddy, Mommy, eat the buns I made.”

Beibei, not to be outdone, found her two buns and handed them over. “Mine are for Daddy and Mommy too!”

Lanting pretended to be upset. “So you’re only giving buns to Daddy and Mommy, not to your uncle?”

Dabao and Beibei quickly found a bun for their uncle as well.

Seeing this, Youran seemed thoughtful. She suddenly picked up a bun she’d made and placed it in front of her mother. “Mommy, eat.”

Zhong Luoning was stunned for a second, her eyes full of bittersweet emotion. The child was learning to imitate others’ actions—and such a warm gesture, too.

She took the bun and took a big bite. “Thank you, Youran.”

Only then did Youran beam with happiness.

The family began to eat the buns, lively and cheerful.

Zhong Luoning ate a third of the small bun her daughter gave her, but the smell of oil made her nauseous and she couldn’t take it anymore. Gu Qinghuan told her to have some porridge instead.

Millet porridge is gentle on the stomach, and had been specially made for her.

Fortunately, the porridge was good. Zhong Luoning finished a small bowl and went back to her room to rest.

After the meal, Gu Qinghuan brewed medicine for her with spiritual spring water and brought it upstairs, but Zhong Luoning was already asleep.

Gu Qinghuan tiptoed downstairs. After sending the kids off to bed, she told Gu Lanting everything that had happened during the day.

Lanting was so agitated he looked ready to storm out and fight someone.

“What are you getting so worked up for! Can’t you use your brain for once? Even if you go now, you won’t be able to see Xu Jianguo—he’s been detained by the police. What we need to do now is figure out how to make sure Xu Jianguo goes down for this, so he can’t turn things around. Beating him up won’t solve anything—you’d just end up getting yourself locked up too.” Why was this kid always so impulsive? It was worrying.

“I get it, Sis. So what do we do now?” Lanting deflated.

To be honest, Gu Qinghuan didn’t know what to do either. Xu Jianguo was with the Revolutionary Committee—if someone protected him, things could get tricky.

But she still had a trump card in her hand, one she wouldn’t use unless absolutely necessary.

She’d thought it through: if Xu Jianguo was shielded by his connections and got off scot-free, she’d release the photos she’d taken earlier and make a public scandal out of it—ideally, something that would make the news. She’d use public opinion to force those behind him to abandon him.

But if she did that, it would mean exposing Luoning’s private pain to the world. From then on, she’d never have peace—wherever she went, people would gossip and point fingers.

This era was especially harsh on women. Even though she was the victim, she’d still have to endure endless rumors and judgment.

So unless there was no other way, Gu Qinghuan didn’t want it to come to that.

Xu Huaian reminded her, “Didn’t you mention your mother-in-law’s old classmate last time? Maybe he could help us get some information.”

“That’s right! How could I forget Uncle Xu? Even though he’s in a different district, he’s still better connected than we are. I’ll go see him tomorrow,” Gu Qinghuan decided.

Speaking of connections, Gu Lanting remembered someone else.

“Sis, did you forget Uncle Zhang, the one who helped you transfer before? He works in the Revolutionary Committee too. Maybe we can ask him about the situation.”

If Lanting hadn’t mentioned it, Gu Qinghuan would have forgotten about him. After all, it was her original self who’d gone to ask for his help, and their families didn’t have much contact.

Back then, when her stepmother signed her up to go work in the countryside—way out in the northwest—she was furious and desperate. She remembered her mother once said, if anything happened, she could go to Uncle Zhang Zheng from the Revolutionary Committee for help. So she went.

This Uncle Zhang Zheng had been her grandfather Zhong Weiqian’s student. When the Zhong family got into trouble, he tried to help. Though he couldn’t save the family, he at least arranged for her to be sent to a better place.

Later, out of respect for Zhong Weiqian, he helped transfer her from the northwest to the northeast.

Come to think of it, she’d never properly thanked him—not even a piece of fruit. That showed what a decent man Uncle Zhang was.

She’d have to bring a gift to visit him tomorrow.

After a brief discussion, the three of them went to bed.

Gu Qinghuan’s room was right next to Zhong Luoning’s. She was a light sleeper, always alert to any sounds from Luoning’s room.

In the middle of the night, Zhong Luoning started talking in her sleep, then suddenly screamed and burst into tears, waking Gu Qinghuan.

She hurried over.

Maybe it was that people are most vulnerable in the dead of night, when every emotion feels magnified. Zhong Luoning looked like she was about to fall apart, sobbing uncontrollably—so different from her calm self during the day.

She hugged her knees, half-sitting on the bed.

“Huanhuan, I dreamed that Youran fell from the upstairs again. Blood! So much blood, I couldn’t wipe it clean no matter how hard I tried.”

Youran, sleeping soundly beside her, had no idea her mother was having nightmares because of her.

It seemed the daytime scare hadn’t left much of an impression on the child.

“Luoning, dreams are always the opposite of reality. Look, Youran is right here, sleeping peacefully.”

Worried their voices would wake Youran, Gu Qinghuan gently moved her to her own bed to sleep with Beibei.

“Huanhuan, I want to take a bath. My hands feel dirty. I feel dirty all over. Xu Jianguo made me dirty.” As she spoke, Zhong Luoning gagged, wanting to vomit but unable to.

“Sis, I’ll get you some water to wash up. You can’t get your wrist wound wet, okay?” Gu Qinghuan knew she must be thinking about what happened last night, feeling sick to her stomach.

Zhong Luoning curled up in the corner of the bed like a helpless little animal, tugging at her clothes.

“I feel awful. I really do.” It wasn’t just physical—her heart felt like it had a gaping hole that couldn’t be filled.

Gu Qinghuan quickly went downstairs to fetch a basin of hot water. Luckily, they used a coal stove and always kept warm water on it at night, so there was still hot water available.

She took a brand-new white towel and gently wiped Zhong Luoning clean, over and over again."