Chapter 241: Chapter 241: Only Gifts, No Sale

Gu Qinghuan took out the items one by one, as if showing off her treasured possessions, and laid them out on the kang bed.

“I once heard the old folks in the village say that women need brown sugar when giving birth—the more, the better. I’m not sure why, but I brought you two jin just in case.

And these red dates—I do know about these. They help replenish your blood and energy. Eat two a day, it’s good for your health.

And this piece of cloth—feel how soft it is. The beige color works for both boys and girls. It’s perfect for making clothes for a newborn. Keep it.”

Lin Shengnan’s eyes widened in shock.

Any one of these things would be considered a generous gift on its own. Was Gu Qinghuan moving her whole household here for her?

“Gu… Qing… Qinghuan, this is too much. I can’t accept all these gifts. Please, take them back,” Lin Shengnan stammered, so surprised she could barely speak.

“I’m not done yet, so don’t be in a hurry to refuse. These are all things you need. And here’s the most important one—look, pig liver!

Pregnant women tend to get weak and anemic. Anemia isn’t just bad for the mother; if it’s severe, it could even affect the baby’s development. So you have to prevent it.

Pig liver is rich in iron and helps prevent anemia.

Every day, when you make porridge or gruel, have Zhu Chunlin slice in a few pieces. Pig liver porridge tastes pretty good.

You can also stir-fry it with chili, or make soup—whatever you like.

If your morning sickness is bad and you can’t eat much, stir-frying it helps with the smell.”

Lin Shengnan was completely stunned. In her mind, she and Gu Qinghuan were just ordinary friends—not distant, but not especially close either.

Back when Gu Qinghuan was down on her luck, all Lin Shengnan had done was occasionally speak up for her; she hadn’t really helped her in any substantial way.

She never expected Gu Qinghuan to bring so many valuable gifts, and it made her feel a bit ashamed.

What’s more, everything Gu Qinghuan said was genuinely for her sake, which moved her deeply.

She had left her hometown to work in the countryside, with no family or in-laws to rely on. Pregnant and about to give birth in a strange place, she was honestly anxious and scared. But at this moment, her friend’s care warmed her heart.

“Qinghuan, thank you for thinking of me like this. Fate brought us together, and we didn’t know each other well before, but from now on, we should keep in touch more.

But these gifts are really too much—I can’t accept them,” Lin Shengnan said earnestly, holding Gu Qinghuan’s hand.

Just as Gu Qinghuan was about to reply, Zhu Chunlin walked in carrying a glass of water.

He’d already overheard their conversation outside the door.

To be honest, Gu Qinghuan had thought of everything. As a man, he knew he wasn’t as attentive or considerate as a woman.

Besides, their situation wasn’t great—they had to support themselves and prepare for the baby, so money was tight. Lin Shengnan was reluctant to spend anything on herself.

“Shengnan, Comrade Gu is right. You need all these things. Just yesterday you complained about dizziness, which is probably a sign of anemia.

Comrade Gu, thank you for thinking of us. Let me pay you for these things, all right?” Zhu Chunlin was an honest man and didn’t want to take advantage of others.

Lin Shengnan didn’t want to spend money recklessly, but she also didn’t want to reject Gu Qinghuan’s kindness. Everything she brought was genuinely useful.

And she was worried about what Gu Qinghuan had just said—anemia could affect the baby’s development.

So she chimed in, “That’s right, Qinghuan, let me pay you for these. I really need them, and you brought them just in time. You can’t even buy these things outside right now.”

Gu Qinghuan smiled helplessly. These two really were cut from the same cloth.

“I’m only giving, not selling! The two of you can decide what to do!”

“No, Qinghuan, we really can’t accept this. We… we just can’t afford such a big favor…” Lin Shengnan said awkwardly.

“She’s right! We can’t just take such valuable gifts for nothing,” Zhu Chunlin agreed.

“Oh, don’t overthink it. I do things based on my heart. I’m giving you these because you need them, and I happen to have them.

That’s how relationships between people are built.

I believe that if I ever run into trouble, you wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

Please accept them. To me, these things aren’t much, but if they can help you, that makes me happy,” Gu Qinghuan said, earnestly trying to persuade them.

The couple exchanged a glance.

Zhu Chunlin gritted his teeth and said, “Then we’ll accept your kindness.

Comrade Xu isn’t home right now, so if you need help with any heavy work around the house, just call me.”

If his wife didn’t really need the nutrition, he would never have accepted the gifts.

But he couldn’t just take them for nothing, so he decided to help Gu Qinghuan with chores in the future to repay the favor.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t really need help, but to put their minds at ease, she said on purpose, “That’s great! I was just worrying about who’d help with the heavy work now that Huai’an is gone.”

Lin Shengnan, ruled by pregnancy hormones, had always been a carefree girl, but now she couldn’t hold back her tears. They slid down her cheeks in an instant.

Choking up, she held Gu Qinghuan’s hand and said, “Qinghuan, I really don’t know how to thank you. Honestly, I never realized how hard it is for two people to support a family.

We’re both the eldest in our families, with younger siblings to support. We can’t expect much help from home—in fact, sometimes we have to send things back.

Here in the countryside, as long as you work hard you won’t starve, but making money is incredibly difficult.

We’re still living in a borrowed house in the village. Apart from our own bedding and clothes, we have nothing.

The baby’s coming soon, and we need to save up. After working hard all last year, there’s barely any money left.

Now that my belly’s getting bigger, I can’t earn full work points, so all the burden falls on Chunlin.

Sometimes I worry so much I can’t sleep at night.”

Gu Qinghuan’s generosity made Lin Shengnan open up completely and pour out her heart.

Zhu Chunlin had never realized how much pressure his wife was under. He punched himself in frustration, blaming his own lack of ability.

Gu Qinghuan understood her anxiety completely, because she herself had been through similar hardships—working hard but never having enough to eat, while still having to care for elders.

She gently patted Lin Shengnan’s arm. “Don’t worry, everything will get better. As long as you two work together, things will turn out fine.”

At the same time, she was thinking about ways to help them earn some money together.

And there was the Erdan family—Chen Fengqin had always been kind to her, standing up for her in public, and Xu Huainian had even suggested she become a teacher.

She needed to find a way to help them too."