Chapter 231: Chapter 231: You Really Are Wonderful

Gu Qinghuan felt a small surge of emotion in her heart. In the end, she hadn’t misjudged this man. His body was clearly honest about wanting more, yet he was able to rein in his desire for her sake.

“Xu Huai’an, have I ever told you? You really are wonderful—so wonderful that I want to spend my whole life with you.”

Xu Huai’an jerked his head up to look at her, unable to hide the delight in his eyes.

In this relationship, he’d always felt like he was the only one in love, always anxious, always afraid he wasn’t doing enough, always scared of losing her.

But now Gu Qinghuan had said she wanted to spend her life with him.

Didn’t that mean she liked him too?

Whether it was out of love or just a moment of emotion, Xu Huai’an finally felt reassured.

He’d been most worried that after he left, his relationship with Gu Qinghuan would cool off. He could promise himself to always stay passionate, but he couldn’t expect Gu Qinghuan to wait for him forever.

Gu Qinghuan understood his unease, so she took the initiative to give herself to him, and then said those words to put his mind at ease.

He lowered his head and kissed her tender lips, savoring the moment, wanting to pass all his passion to her.

She was ready to “suffer” again, but Xu Huai’an, thinking of her first time, restrained himself and didn’t get carried away. He was as gentle and reverent as a devotee, carefully cleaning her with spring water, applying ointment, and helping her get dressed.

Only then did Gu Qinghuan feel a bit more comfortable.

When the two of them returned to the main room, everyone else was already asleep.

Gu Qinghuan limped back to her room and lay down. No wonder people said not to find a man who was too tall and big—sometimes the fit just wasn’t right. Even though Xu Huai’an had been as gentle as possible, it still hurt like hell.

After she went back to her room, Xu Huai’an quietly climbed over the wall and snuck out in the dark to Xu Lao’er’s house.

Unexpectedly, he ran into someone at the door—and the guy looked awfully familiar.

The man seemed to recognize him too, and pulled down the scarf covering his face.

“Big brother? What are you doing here?” Xu Huai’an asked in surprise.

What a pair of brothers—of all places, they’d run into each other here.

“What are you doing here?” Xu Huaizhi asked, holding a rolling pin in his hand—his intentions clear.

Xu Huai’an hadn’t brought anything, since his hands were the best weapons.

The two of them exchanged a look and immediately reached an unspoken agreement: whatever the reason, let’s just teach him a lesson.

Xu Huai’an led the way, quietly climbing into the courtyard and opening the door for Xu Huaizhi.

They went straight to Xu Lao’er’s bedroom. Before he could react, they covered his head with a quilt, and the two brothers gave him a thorough beating.

Xu Lao’er howled under the covers, and by the time it was over, he still didn’t know who had hit him—he could tell it was more than one person, though.

Poor Xu Lao’er—he’d just been beaten once, and now he got another round.

Serves him right for running his mouth.

Thinking about the early departure the next morning, Gu Qinghuan barely slept at all. Normally a sound sleeper, tonight she only dozed for a bit before quietly getting up.

She wanted to prepare one last breakfast for them, as well as some food for the road.

She fished out the tea eggs she’d marinated the night before and put them in a basin.

The dough had been left to rise by the stove last night, and the meat filling had been chopped in advance too.

All she needed to do was season the cabbage and meat filling, knead the dough, and she could start making buns.

There were still some frozen meat buns at home—they could be reheated and eaten.

But since this was their last meal at home, she wanted to make fresh ones for them, something they could also take on the road.

She made two big steamers’ worth of buns, and with the leftover dough, she added some sugar and made sweet steamed buns for the journey.

She put all three steamers on to cook, then made a big pot of cornmeal porridge.

She picked out a plate of spicy pickled cabbage and a plate of water kimchi. With breakfast ready, she finally had time to wash up and get herself together.

At this point, Xu Huai’an quietly got up too. He thought, since his wife was tired from last night, he’d make breakfast today so she could rest.

But when he got to the kitchen, he saw that Gu Qinghuan had already done everything. The stove was burning hot, and she was braiding her hair—her hair was so long, it was easier to work with it tied up.

“When did you get up?” Xu Huai’an’s voice was a little hoarse.

“I can’t sleep when something’s on my mind. Anyway, I can always catch up on sleep at home.

Why are you up so early? Go back and sleep a bit more—it’ll be hard on the road, and you won’t have the chance to rest.” Thinking of last night, Gu Qinghuan turned away a little shyly.

Xu Huai’an naturally took the hair tie from her and helped her braid her hair, adjusting it just right, as if they were an old married couple.

“If you won’t take care of yourself, I will. You barely slept last night, right? Once we leave, you have to get some good rest.”

“Don’t worry, you know me—I never shortchange myself,” Gu Qinghuan replied softly.

As they were talking, Zhong Luoning got up too.

“Qinghuan, why are you up so early?” Zhong Luoning lifted the curtain and walked in.

“Luoning-jie, why don’t you rest a bit more? It’s hard to sleep on the train, and I’ve already made breakfast.”

“I’ve slept enough. Sorry to trouble you, getting up so early to cook,” Zhong Luoning said, seeing all the food in the kitchen.

“We’re family—no need to be so polite. In the future, Lanting and Ruxue will need you to look after them,” Gu Qinghuan said. After all, distant water can’t put out a nearby fire.

“I already see them as my own siblings. Of course I’ll look after them, don’t worry!”

The two women chatted as they tidied up.

Xu Huai’an left the space for the sisters and went to wash up.

Everyone got up early that day, even the children. They got up quietly, not saying much.

A sense of parting hung over everyone. Usually, Xu Huai’an and Gu Lanting could eat five or more of Gu Qinghuan’s homemade meat buns in one go, but today, after three, they stopped.

Everyone ate a little, and then Xu Huai’an and his group got ready to leave.

Gu Qinghuan quickly wrapped the buns in wax paper for them to take on the road.

She also packed last night’s tea eggs into an aluminum lunch box for convenience.

Xu Huai’an called Dabao and Beibei over. “Daddy’s leaving. Remember to listen to your mom at home, okay?”

The two kids, who had just been feeling a bit sad, couldn’t hold back anymore after hearing their father’s words and burst into tears. “Daddy, when will you come back to see Beibei?”

Dabao didn’t say anything, but tears streamed down his face.

They’d known for a while that their father was going away for work, and had slowly come to accept it, but now that the moment had come, it was still hard to let go.

They remembered that back when they lived at the old Xu family house, they were always afraid when their father left, because for them, his absence meant the start of hard days.

Liu Guifang would only treat them a little better when Xu Huai’an was home.

But now they weren’t afraid anymore. Even without their dad, their mom was always so, so good to them.

Xu Huai’an wiped away their tears, hugging them tightly in comfort.

“Soon. When you’re a year older, you’ll see Daddy again. Eat lots, help Mommy with the chores.

Dabao, you’re the man of the house now. After Daddy leaves, can you help me take care of Mommy and your sister?”"

"Chapter 232: Farewell, and Plans for the Next Two Years

“Dad, don’t worry. I promise I’ll get the job done.” Dabao felt as if he’d been entrusted with a sacred mission and nodded earnestly.

“Good! Dad believes in you.”

After saying goodbye to their father, the two children pulled You Ran aside and had a good cry together.

“You Ran, take good care of your little bunny. Next year, we’ll have another contest to see whose bunny is better raised!” Dabao said.

You Ran didn’t quite grasp the feeling of parting yet. She just knew she wouldn’t see Dabao and Beibei for a while, so she started crying too.

“Mm-hmm, I will.”

The three little ones were about to be separated, and so were their three little bunnies.

Gu Qinghuan packed up their things and handed them to Gu Lanting to carry.

“Lanting, if anything comes up, remember to write to me. Don’t just tell me the good news and hide the bad.

Also, Uncle Xu will help us collect the compensation money from Aunt Wu every so often. I’ve told him to give it directly to you—keep it for living expenses.

Don’t be stingy with money. Your health is most important. If you run out, you can always earn more, but you only have one chance to grow up. Miss it, and it’s gone for good. You don’t want to be short your whole life, do you?”

Actually, Gu Lanting wasn’t short at all—he was average height among men. But compared to Xu Huai’an, it was a different story, so he’d always been self-conscious about it.

“Got it, Sis!” Gu Lanting’s eyes were red as he stepped forward to hug his sister.

“Don’t be stingy at home either. Take care of yourself.”

“Do I look like someone who’d be stingy?” Gu Qinghuan couldn’t help but laugh.

Gu Lanting laughed too, realizing he was worrying for nothing. With the way his sister spent money, most people couldn’t keep up—it was only thanks to his brother-in-law indulging her.

“All right, cheer up. Take care of everyone on the road.”

“I know, Sis. Don’t worry.”

“Huanhuan-jie, goodbye!” Ming Ruxue also came over and gave Gu Qinghuan a big bear hug.

Xu Huai’an’s gaze had been fixed on Gu Qinghuan the whole time. In the end, he couldn’t help himself and came over to hug her too.

He whispered in her ear, “Wait for me to come back.”

“Safe travels.”

The group, carrying bags big and small, set off.

Gu Qinghuan took Dabao and Beibei and walked them all the way to the village entrance before heading home.

The two kids cried their eyes out.

Gu Qinghuan’s eyes reddened as well.

Normally, the house was lively and full of chatter, but today it was unusually quiet—so quiet it was almost unbearable.

After returning home, Gu Qinghuan told the two kids not to run around and to play nicely at home. Then she went straight to her room and collapsed into bed.

She slept straight through until noon, and finally her headache eased.

Staying up late really does take it out of you.

As soon as she woke up, the two kids peeked in from outside the door. When they saw she was awake, they ran over.

“Mama, you’re up!”

“Mama, my sister and I reheated the leftover steamed buns and dumplings from this morning, and we made cabbage soup. Let’s eat!” Dabao pointed toward the kitchen.

The two little ones knew Gu Qinghuan hadn’t slept well the night before and was exhausted, so they didn’t wake her. Instead, they figured out lunch themselves.

There were plenty of leftover buns and dumplings from breakfast—Xu Huai’an and the others hadn’t taken them all—so the kids reheated those and used the leftover cabbage from making dumplings to make a pot of cabbage soup.

Gu Qinghuan ruffled their little heads.

“You two are so good. You can help Mama now. Thank you. Come on, let’s eat.”

After that nap, Gu Qinghuan had adjusted her mood. No matter how reluctant she felt, life had to go on. She couldn’t let her emotions affect the kids.

The three of them had a simple lunch. Then Gu Qinghuan sat down, took out a notebook and pen, and began planning for the next two years.

First, she needed to figure out how to buy study materials and start studying systematically.

Even though she’d graduated from a top university in her previous life, a lot of knowledge fades over time. Learning is all about repetition.

She could buy books from the vending machine, or look for them elsewhere.

Especially that famous set of math, physics, and chemistry books from back in the day—she had to get her hands on it.

The second important thing was making money.

The trip to Beijing hadn’t just made Xu Huai’an realize he needed to improve; it had also left a deep impression on Gu Qinghuan.

If she couldn’t become someone powerful and influential, then she’d become someone rich.

Life in the countryside was interesting, but she knew she’d return to Beijing one day—bringing along Zhong Weiqian and his wife, and Zhong Zijun, making a grand entrance.

Even though she’d saved up a bit by now, she was still short on money—not just a little, but a lot.

So over the next year or two, she needed to find ways to make full use of her space and earn as much as possible, just in case.

True peace of mind comes from a solid financial foundation. Relying on others is unrealistic; being capable yourself is what really matters.

That was a lesson she’d learned the hard way in her previous life.

As for making money, her current plan was to use the vending machine to act as a middleman.

She’d buy cheap goods from the future and sell them here, and take scarce, in-demand items from here and sell them in the future.

The key was making a profit as a middleman—so long as both sides were happy, that was enough.

The last thing was the kids’ education.

She and Xu Huai’an had already discussed it and decided to send the two children to school at the commune starting next spring.

She’d buy a women’s bicycle, find an opportunity to bring it out, use it herself, and occasionally use it to take the kids to and from school—very convenient.

That was the general direction for their lives.

There was one more important thing.

Earning work points.

If she wanted to put down roots in Xujia Village, avoid gossip, and get her share of the grain, she had to show up for labor on time.

Earlier, Xu Huainian had brought over the family’s share of last year’s grain, which had been kept at the brigade since they’d been away.

Of course, they hadn’t gotten any of the pork from the annual pig slaughter.

Also, as brigade leader, Xu Huainian had spoken to her privately. She hadn’t participated much in collective labor these past few months, and the other villagers were starting to talk.

He hoped she’d make a change next year. Even as brigade leader, he couldn’t change the villagers’ opinions.

If she kept skipping labor, she wouldn’t get her share of grain at the end of the year, and she’d be publicly criticized.

This was a real headache for Gu Qinghuan. She could do anything except manual labor—she just wasn’t cut out for it. But Xu Huainian had suggested a solution.

She could switch jobs.

Apparently, the commune elementary school was hiring teachers this year—more than one, in fact. If she became a teacher, not only would the work be easier and come with a salary, but the villagers would have nothing to say, and she’d still get her share of grain.

All in all, it was a win-win.

Gu Qinghuan was very interested in the job. Not only would it pass the time, but it would also provide a learning environment. Most importantly, she wouldn’t have to do backbreaking farm work.

If she could become a teacher, she could take the kids with her every day.

But becoming a teacher wasn’t going to be easy."

"Chapter 233: Meeting Lu Jianye Again