Chapter 46: Gu Yan’an Becomes Suspicious

As soon as Qian Lao and Comrade Tan left, Gu Yan’an immediately locked the main gate.

Lan Mo asked, “Comrade Gu Yan’an, is that friend of yours reliable?”

“Don’t worry, Tan Minghui used to be a soldier under my command. He won’t go around talking. Besides, I already told them these medicinal herbs belong to your friend.”

Tan Minghui looked like a pale chicken—he didn’t seem like someone who had served in the army.

Lan Mo instinctively remarked, “He looks fairer than you!”

Gu Yan’an was taken aback. Does Momo like fair-skinned male comrades? Then he’d have to take good care of himself and lighten his complexion a bit.

“He was demobilized long ago. After working in an office all these years, how could he not be fair? Once I start working in an office too, I’ll naturally become fairer. Don’t just look at my face and hands—they might not be as fair as his, but if I take my clothes off, I’m actually quite fair. Do you want to see?”

“Pervert! Who wants to look at you!”

Lan Mo first took out the box containing the ginseng, then placed all the money from selling the medicinal herbs at the bottom of the rosewood box. She covered the money with the dried tangerine peel and red tangerine peel intended for her family, and finally placed the sandalwood box and purple jade box containing the ginseng on top of the rosewood box.

“Comrade Gu Yan’an, could you help me carry this wooden box to the tricycle’s cargo bed?”

“Sure…”

Knock, knock, knock!

“Momo, is Momo there? Could you open the door from inside?”

Lan Mo quickly ran over and swiftly opened the door. “Dad, did you get off work early today?”

“You silly child, I couldn’t sit still all afternoon thinking about those precious medicinal herbs Changqing left behind. I finally finished handling everything and rushed over as fast as I could. So, were all those medicinal herbs sold?”

Afraid that passersby might overhear, Lan Mo quickly closed the main gate and whispered, “Dad, everything that needed to be sold has been sold. I even sold a century-old ginseng. All the medicinal herbs together sold for 9,700 yuan.”

“What? That much money? How much is 9,700 yuan? I’ve never seen that much money in my life.”

Lan Mo teased, “Dad, the money is right in the box. You can count it carefully when we get back.”

The couple’s salaries weren’t high initially, and with three children and two elderly parents to support, they could hardly save much. Just when they managed to save some money, their eldest son needed to get married.

They spent all their savings and started over from scratch. After enduring hardships until both their salaries increased and all the children found jobs, they saved for several years and managed to accumulate just over 2,000 yuan. Yet their daughter sold medicinal herbs and earned over 9,000 yuan.

It was truly humiliating! After working hard and living frugally their entire lives, they couldn’t compare to how quickly their daughter earned money by selling medicinal herbs.

“Momo, keep your money safe yourself. Open a bank account and deposit the money.”

Lan Mo smiled and asked, “Dad, if I deposit so much money all at once, won’t the bank staff question me? How about you keep it for me?”

“Keep your own money safe. I won’t hold onto it for you.”

When Momo gets married, they’ll give her some money as a dowry. If their daughter saves more private funds, she’ll have more confidence when she speaks after marrying into another family.

Lan Mo naturally understood what Lan Jingtian was thinking, but she had no intention of being a leech or relying on her parents. Of course, the safest place for this money was in her space. Neither depositing it in the bank nor keeping it at home was suitable.

Who knows what issues might arise if the political climate changes next year? How would she explain this large sum of money then?

“Dad, it’s getting late, let’s head back!”

Lan Jingtian noticed ten bags of paddy rice stacked against the wall and asked, “Momo, what’s with all that paddy rice in the corner?”

“I had someone help me buy it, but it doesn’t seem to have been dried properly. Dad, the cotton in the cellar needs sunning too. When you come back at noon to rest, could you spread out both the paddy rice and the cotton to dry for a couple of days? The courtyard is big enough—just lay down some plastic sheets on the ground.”

“Alright, then I’ll borrow this tricycle for now. Tomorrow after work, I’ll haul some coal briquettes back with it.”

Lan Jingtian took another look around the house to make sure nothing was left behind, then said, “I’ll pedal the tricycle. Xiao Gu, you ride the bicycle and take my Momo home.”

It wasn’t that he wanted this guy to take advantage of his daughter; it was just that the tricycle was loaded with precious goods, and he needed to keep an eye on them. Otherwise, he would have had his subordinate drive him back long ago.

Gu Yan’an was overjoyed. Finally, he could ride a bicycle with his sweetheart through the streets like other couples.

Yang Wei was utterly exasperated with Gu Yan’an. In the past, Gu Yan’an had barely acknowledged him, but now he dragged Yang Wei into conversations every night, forbidding him from interrupting while he rambled on, answering his own questions.

“Xiao Wei, don’t you think my sweetheart is beautiful? Hmm, my Momo is the prettiest in the world—every part of her is lovely!”

“Don’t you think my sweetheart is amazing? You probably wouldn’t believe it, but look—she’s the one who healed my leg.”

“Ah, my Momo is so kind and adorable. She even gave me beef jerky and apples, and her cooking is incredibly fragrant…”

“…”

Listening to Gu Yan’an’s endless chatter, Yang Wei rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Cousin, what happened to your cool, aloof image? Ever since you started dating, you’ve changed so much even your mom wouldn’t recognize you. You’re done for, absolutely done!”

“Pfft, you’re just sour grapes. I have a sweetheart, and you don’t!”

“Cousin, you’re something else. Can you spare me a few more pieces of beef jerky?”

“All gone! Go ask your own sweetheart for some!”

Yang Wei let out a groan. What was the big deal? Once he officially started working, he’d find a female comrade even more capable than Doctor Lan. As for finding a pretty one—that might be harder—so he’d settle for someone competent and skilled.

After receiving the telegram on Gu Yan’an’s behalf, Yang Wei spent the whole day hopping around, searching everywhere Gu Yan’an might possibly be.

“Cousin, where on earth have you been? I haven’t seen you all day.”

Usually, when he didn’t need him, Gu Yan’an was always hovering around. But now, when there was an urgent matter, he was nowhere to be found. Where had this dating business taken him?

Yang Wei stood in the alley near Lan Mo’s house, scanning the surroundings. It was already past six—why hadn’t they returned yet?

Bored, he crouched on the ground and started counting ants. As he counted, he mischievously used a twig to disrupt the ants’ orderly procession.

Gu Yan’an braked sharply on his bicycle with Lan Mo on the back, stopping right in front of Yang Wei. “Xiao Wei, what are you doing crouching on the ground at your age?”

“Cousin, where have you been all day? I’ve been waiting for you near Doctor Lan’s house since morning.”

“Out with it—what’s happened?”

“Aunt sent a telegram saying your grandfather is seriously ill and you need to return immediately.”

Gu Yan’an’s heart sank. His grandfather was seriously ill? Ever since Grandmother passed away, his health had indeed declined, and he’d cough incessantly whenever the weather turned cold. But how could it have become so severe?

“Xiao Wei, did my mother mention anything else in the telegram?”

“She didn’t say anything else. Cousin, I even made a special trip to the train station this afternoon to check the schedule for you.

I also asked the ticket seller and found out there are still train tickets available for tomorrow afternoon and evening to Jingshi, but tonight’s tickets are sold out.”

Lan Mo hopped off her bicycle and comforted him, “Comrade Gu Yan’an, don’t worry just yet. Has your grandfather had any heart problems before?”

“No, his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys are all fine—it’s just his lungs that are a bit weak. He often coughs in the winter.”

“Your grandfather must be hospitalized if he’s sick. With doctors looking after him, he should be fine. The elderly are blessed with good fortune, Comrade Gu Yan’an. There’s no need to worry too much. Besides, worrying won’t get you back any faster.”

Gu Yan’an was thinking about what Lan Mo had just said. His grandfather was usually in good health, and it was only early autumn—his lungs shouldn’t be acting up so suddenly. How could he have fallen seriously ill all of a sudden?

And why was it his mother who sent the telegram? Shouldn’t it have been his father? His mother usually couldn’t be bothered with him. He had just sent a telegram home not long ago, and now his mother replied with one like this. Could it be a trick?

Could it be that his mother was unhappy about him seeing someone here and deliberately lied to get him to come back?

But this was about his grandfather. Surely his mother wouldn’t have the nerve to curse him, would she? Never mind, I’ll buy a ticket tomorrow and go back to check.

“Momo, I’ll head back with Xiao Wei now. I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”

Knowing that Gu Yan’an was in low spirits, Lan Mo didn’t insist on him staying for dinner that evening.