Chapter 235: Chapter 235: Conflicting Stories and Gift-Giving

Gu Qinghuan pushed her bicycle along, chatting with Lu Jianye as they arrived at the Lu family home, which wasn’t far from the grocery store.

The old lady they’d met before, back when Zhong Zijun was in the hospital, was playing with a cat in the courtyard. She looked a bit surprised to see her son suddenly return home.

Then she spotted Gu Qinghuan following behind.

“Well, well, what a rare guest! Young lady, come on in!” The old lady had a strong impression of Gu Qinghuan—after all, the girl was truly beautiful.

“Grandma, how have you been lately?” Since she called Lu Jianye “Uncle,” she couldn’t very well call the old lady “Auntie,” so “Grandma” it was.

“Thanks to you, I’m doing very well. How’s your mother? Is her hand better?” The old lady welcomed her in with a beaming smile.

Gu Qinghuan parked her bicycle in the courtyard and handed over the nutritional supplements she’d just bought. “That’s great! I brought you a little something for your health.”

“Oh, you really shouldn’t…”

While the two of them were politely refusing and insisting, Lu Jianye came out carrying a burlap sack full of books.

“All these books are packed up—two big bags and a small one. Are you sure you can carry them?” He eyed Gu Qinghuan’s petite frame with some doubt.

Of course Gu Qinghuan could manage. The spiritual spring she drank every day wasn’t for nothing. While she wasn’t as strong as Xu Huai’an, she was no slouch either.

“Don’t worry, I can handle it. No matter how heavy, I’ll manage.”

Lu Jianye asked the old lady to help find some rope to secure the bags on either side of Gu Qinghuan’s bike’s rear rack.

The three bags of books were tied down tightly.

After much back-and-forth, the old lady finally accepted the nutritional supplements Gu Qinghuan brought, and warmly invited her to visit more often.

Gu Qinghuan hopped on her bike and rode off briskly, leaving the mother and son marveling behind her. “Who’d have thought that young lady was so strong!”

“Yeah, she’s got quite a bit of strength.”

With her impressive strength, Gu Qinghuan rode straight out of town. Since the bike was loaded with books, it wasn’t convenient to unload them now—she might not be able to get them back on by herself later. These books had to be brought in openly; they couldn’t just appear at home out of nowhere. She’d promised Xu Huai’an she’d be careful and protect herself.

The kids were getting older, so she had to be cautious with everything to avoid giving herself away. So, she could only shoulder this heavy load and pedal home.

A strange bicycle riding through the village quickly drew attention.

“Huh, whose bike is that? Looks brand new! But it seems a bit small?”

“That person looks familiar. I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before.”

Gu Qinghuan was bundled up tightly, so most people didn’t recognize her.

“Oh my, isn’t that Xu Huai’an’s wife? Wow, she’s riding a bicycle now? Didn’t her husband just leave yesterday? Couldn’t even wait a day, huh?”

“She really doesn’t shortchange herself, always buying the best. Where does she get the money? Didn’t she marry that crazy Xu for money last year? Where’s all this money coming from?”

“Haven’t you heard? Liu Guifang’s second daughter-in-law is really something. She’s got a house in Beijing, and the rent alone is enough to support the whole family. Folks like us aren’t even fit to carry her shoes.”

“That’s not the point. Her family background isn’t good. Even if she has money, it was earned by exploiting farmers.”

“Oh, give it a rest! It’s her house—what’s it got to do with you? It’s not like she exploited you.”

“Xu the Madman really lucked out! He was on the brink, and then things turned around—Gu the Educated Youth cured him, and now he can even go work in Beijing. Must be his ancestors blessing him!”

Everyone had their own opinions, and soon the whole village was gossiping about Gu Qinghuan’s spending habits. Thanks to Xu Huai’an’s earlier explanations, everyone now knew where her money came from, so no one tried to stir up trouble—after all, you never know when you might need her help.

Most people weren’t malicious—just envious. Of course, there were a few who were dissatisfied or jealous.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t care at all, riding home in grand style.

On the way, she’d already stashed the Maotai liquor in her space, so now only the bags of books and some daily necessities she’d taken from her space remained on the bike. With so many people at home recently, they’d gone through a lot of rice, flour, and eggs, so she’d restocked.

She also brought pencils and notebooks for the two kids. It was cold in the northeast, so school started later—about a month to go. During this month, while she reviewed for her own exams, she’d also have to tutor the two little ones.

After preparing enough supplies for a while, Gu Qinghuan started a simple, monotonous study routine with the kids.

Meanwhile, after arriving in Beijing, Xu Huai’an first dropped Gu Lanting and the others off at the small Western-style house. Then, carrying his bag, he went to report to Zhuo Yifan.

It never hurts to be courteous. As expected, Zhuo Yifan would be his direct superior from now on.

Following his wife’s instructions, he brought five jin of her homemade beef jerky, a jar of cold rabbit, and some dried goods from his mother-in-law.

He did feel a bit pained—not for the things themselves, but because his wife had worked so hard to make them.

But Zhuo Yifan had always treated him well, so giving a gift was only right.

Zhuo Yifan hadn’t expected this big lug to know how to give gifts, which piqued his interest. He never accepted anything from anyone, but this time, out of curiosity, he opened the package, tried a piece of beef jerky, and was instantly won over.

“This is made from beef? Tastes great! Where did you buy it?”

“Reporting, Commander Zhuo, it’s not store-bought—my wife made it herself.” He emphasized the word “wife,” as if afraid no one would know he had such a good one.

Zhuo Yifan was caught off guard by this blatant display of marital bliss. As if he didn’t have a wife himself!

What a shame—such delicious beef jerky, but he couldn’t accept it. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have tried it.

Then, an idea struck—he could keep the gifts fair and square.

“You went to all this trouble to bring these things, so I’ll reluctantly accept them. But I have to pay you. There’s about five jin of beef jerky, right? At three yuan a jin, that’s fifteen yuan. Plus the other items, I’ll give you twenty yuan. Is that enough?”

Xu Huai’an was dumbfounded, not sure how to respond. Commander Zhuo was so strict—no wonder he’d risen so high and stayed there.

“That’s enough! But… Commander Zhuo, I—” I was giving you a gift, why are you paying me?

“That’s settled, then. As your superior, I can’t just accept things from you. Don’t bring anything next time—just this once.”

With that, Zhuo Yifan solemnly handed over twenty yuan and quickly stashed the goodies in his cabinet."