Chapter 32: Gu Yan’an’s Vigil to Pursue His Wife

Far away in Jingshi, Gu Wenlin and his wife were sneezing nonstop early in the morning.

The weather hadn’t changed, and neither of them had caught a cold—why were they suddenly sneezing so much? Could it be that someone was talking about them?

Who would be talking about them? Could it be their eldest son, far away in Haishi?

Pan Huijuan asked with a worried expression, “Wenlin, do you think Yan’an is upset with us for not going to Haishi to see him? Does he miss us?”

Gu Wenlin glanced up at Pan Huijuan and scoffed, “What nonsense are you talking? Don’t you know your precious son has a poker face? Anyone who sees him feels like they owe him money. There’s no way he misses us!”

Pan Huijuan thought about it and realized it was true. Among their three sons, only the youngest, Yanbei, had a bit of warmth to him. The other two were just big headaches.

“Huiqiao sent a telegram saying Yan’an’s leg surgery was already done. Why hasn’t he come back yet?”

Gu Wenlin put down the newspaper in his hand and said slowly, “He’s probably waiting until he’s fully recovered before coming back, right? Don’t worry, he’ll come back when the time comes.”

“That eldest girl from the Bai family asked Tingting last night when Yan’an would be back.”

As soon as Gu Wenlin heard his wife mention that eldest girl from the Bai family again, he grew annoyed. “Wife, don’t tell me you’re still thinking about having Bai Wei as your eldest daughter-in-law. Never mind whether Yan’an would agree—I certainly wouldn’t.”

“I think that Weiwei is quite nice. She’s polite, treats our Tingting well, often gives her hair accessories, and even sends her study materials.”

“Hmph, so easily bought off. You two are really something. If you like her so much, why don’t you adopt her as your daughter? Just don’t ruin my son’s life.”

“Why are you like this? What has she ever done to offend you?”

“You haven’t seen how she ‘cares’ about our Yanbei and Yannan.”

“What’s wrong with her caring about our sons?”

Gu Wenlin didn’t know what to say to his wife. Was it a good thing for a young woman to be so attentive to this man and that man?

“Fine, if you think it’s a good thing, don’t come to me when problems arise later. Go tell Tingting to keep her distance from Bai Wei.”

He didn’t want his only precious daughter to be led astray. His wife was beyond saving in her naivety, but his precious daughter’s innocence could still be preserved.

“If you want to say it, go say it yourself. See if Tingting will agree.”

Gu Yan’an had no idea his mother had already arranged a wife for him. If he knew, he’d be furious.

In order to catch up with Lan Mo, he had been lingering near her house for a whole week, spending his days playing chess with the old men under the trees.

Of course, he wasn’t so bored as to spend all his time with the elderly. Rather, he had discovered that one of the old men was very likely Lan Mo’s grandfather.

That old man, around seventy years old, was called Old Man Lan by everyone. Every day, this Old Man Lan would boast to others about how outstanding his granddaughter was.

The first time Gu Yan’an played chess with them, the old man grabbed his hand and said, “Young man, how old are you? Are you seeing anyone? My granddaughter is very outstanding—would you like me to introduce you?”

“No need, Grandpa. I already have someone I like.”

Lan Guochang shook his head. “Young man, you’re missing out! Ask everyone here—my granddaughter is so outstanding. She’s now a full-fledged doctor at First People’s Hospital.”

At that moment, an old man in his sixties nearby said, “Old Man Lan, you’re always bragging about your granddaughter. Are you worried she won’t find a husband? Want me to introduce her to someone?”

Gu Yan’an’s heart skipped a beat. Old Man Lan, and Doctor Lan also had the surname Lan—could they be related?

Gu Yan’an began fishing for information from Lan Guochang. “Uncle, I had my leg surgery at First People’s Hospital. Which department does your granddaughter work in?”

“My granddaughter followed in my footsteps and now works in the Orthopedics Department. What, now that you know how outstanding she is, you’re starting to have designs on her? Hmph, my Momo hates fickle men the most.”

Momo, and also surnamed Lan—could she be the Doctor Lan who treated his leg? What a coincidence?

Gu Yan’an knew that if he admitted now that he knew his granddaughter, this stubborn old man would definitely give him a hard time. For now, he just needed to build a good relationship with him before inquiring about Doctor Lan.

“Old sir, I’m not fickle. The one I like is also a doctor in the Orthopedics Department at First People’s Hospital, and I’ll keep pursuing her. Maybe she’s as outstanding as your granddaughter?”

“The woman you like is also a doctor in the Orthopedics Department at First People’s Hospital? Are there that many female doctors in Orthopedics?”

“Old sir, it’s your turn now. Watch your horse—Uncle Wang’s cannon is coming for you.”

Since he was Doctor Lan’s grandfather, it shouldn’t hurt to give him a friendly reminder, right?

Uncle Wang said angrily, “A true gentleman watches chess without speaking. You, kid, are just causing trouble.”

Lan Guochang laughed heartily. “Young man, thanks for the reminder. Let’s play a couple of rounds later.”

…

And so, every day, morning and evening, Gu Yan’an watched Lan Mo come and go from work. Apart from mealtimes, he spent the rest of his time playing chess and chatting with these elderly gentlemen.

Gu Yan’an absentmindedly gazed toward the intersection. Why hadn’t Doctor Lan returned yet?

“Ah…! Help!”

A woman’s scream came from a house not far away. Gu Yan’an asked, “Uncles, did you hear that scream?”

“It seems to be coming from Lin Laogou’s old house. Who knows what’s going on? They’ve been crying and wailing every day these past few days.”

“Lin Laogou’s good-for-nothing son loafs around all day. He doesn’t even have a wife, so how could there be a woman crying in his house? Could it be Lin Laogou beating his wife?”

Gu Yan’an felt something was very wrong. The woman’s crying clearly didn’t sound like an old woman’s voice. He decided to go over and check.

“Uncles, keep playing. I’ll go see what’s going on.”

Lan Jingtian, after getting off work, was dropped off by his driver at the intersection. As he walked into the alley, he suddenly heard a heart-wrenching scream coming from the Lin family’s courtyard.

“Ah…!”

He hurried over and knocked on the door. “Uncle Lin, open up!”

Just then, Gu Yan’an walked over. Seeing Lan Jingtian in uniform, he said, “Officer, do you also think something’s wrong inside?”

“And you are, young comrade?”

“My surname is Gu. I was just sitting under the tree playing chess with the uncles when I heard someone calling for help over here, so I came to see what was happening.”

“Oh, I see. But the old man isn’t opening the door, and we don’t know what’s going on inside.”

Gu Yan’an said, “Let me climb onto the wall first to take a look.”

“Alright, be careful.”

At that moment, Gu Yan’an didn’t even consider whether his leg had fully recovered. In two or three moves, he leaped onto the Lin family’s wall.

At a glance, the scene was shocking—a woman lay collapsed in the center of the courtyard, blood seeping from her leg.

A young man with triangular eyes, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, was shouting, “Run! Why aren’t you running now? How dare you try to escape? I think you don’t need that leg anymore!”

“Stop!”

Without a second thought, Gu Yan’an jumped down. Seeing him leap, Lan Jingtian realized something serious must be happening inside and hurried to the neighboring house to borrow a ladder.

The moment Gu Yan’an landed, a dull ache throbbed in the leg he had recently undergone surgery on, but he gritted his teeth and bore the pain.

“Who are you? How did you get into my courtyard?”

“Never mind who I am. Put down that stick in your hand first!”

“Hah, trying to play the hero? You’ve picked the wrong person to mess with. Did you take a fancy to my woman too? Get lost now, or I’ll deal with you as well.”

Gu Yan’an sneered. Deal with him? He was the top soldier in his unit—he had never lost a hand-to-hand fight. What did it matter if this man was holding a long stick? Was he supposed to be afraid? Ridiculous!

The injured woman on the ground, seeing someone jump into the Lin family’s courtyard, cried out, “Comrade, please save me! I’m not his wife. I was trafficked here and sold to him. Please, I beg you, save me!”

Hearing her speak out, Lin Xiangqian began to panic. No one knew he had bought a wife from traffickers—if this were reported, he’d be finished.

“Shut up!” Lin Xiangqian roared.

Just then, Lin Laogou came out with his wife and said, “Xiangqian, if this woman can’t be tamed, send her back and get a refund. I’ll find you another wife. All this daily commotion is giving us a headache.”

Noticing the stranger suddenly in their courtyard, Lin Laogou asked curiously, “Huh, comrade, who are you? What are you doing in our yard?”