Chapter 86: Heartache

Having come into another unexpected windfall, Lan Mo had been in an exceptionally good mood these past two days, practically floating on air as she walked.

Li Jing stared at Lan Mo, mesmerized. Not only was this Doctor Lan stunningly beautiful, but how was it that her face didn’t have a single visible pore? Her skin was so tender it seemed you could pinch water out of it—truly, “skin like ice and bones like jade, complexion like congealed fat” was no exaggeration at all.

She teased with a smile, “Doctor Lan, your skin is as white and smooth as silken tofu, so tender and silky. And your complexion has improved so much since your sweetheart arrived. Love really does make one radiant!”

After saying this, she even winked and made a face at Lan Mo.

Hah… What exactly had she and Gu Yan’an been up to? It was clearly the effect of those Beauty-enhancing Fruits.

Worried about being seen, they hadn’t even hugged this time. Of course, there had been some secret hand-holding and meaningful, affectionate glances. After all, when you’re dating, you can’t just awkwardly stare at each other, right?

I wonder if Comrade Gu Yan’an managed to buy a sleeper ticket for the return trip?

Where is he now? He should be getting off the train soon, right?

“Doctor Li, you’re joking! By the way, my sweetheart brought back quite a bit of wool yarn from Xinjiang, more than I can use. Would you like some?”

Looking at the generous and straightforward Li Jing, Lan Mo suddenly remembered the large stash of yarn in her space.

She should probably start by getting rid of some of the ordinary yarn in her space. After all, she couldn’t possibly use it all, and turning it into pocket money wouldn’t be a bad idea.

The 100% pure wool yarn priced at eight or nine hundred yuan per pound, marked on the cardboard boxes, definitely couldn’t be sold to them. Those good things were, of course, reserved for herself and her family.

But she could sell them a few pounds of the blended wool yarn that cost a few dozen yuan per pound.

At the mention of yarn, Li Jing’s eyes lit up. She said with a smile, “Last time, I even mentioned returning some yarn to you. I never expected your sweetheart to bring you so much this time. He really treats you well!

You know how much I love collecting yarn. I’ll go home at noon to get the money and Wool Yarn Coupons. You can bring the yarn over in the afternoon!”

“Alright!”

…

This time, Gu Yan’an didn’t listen to Lan Mo’s advice to buy a sleeper ticket. Instead, he once again chose to ride for free in the caboose. Riding the caboose was a bit tough, but it saved quite a bit of money.

By three or four in the afternoon, as soon as Gu Yan’an got off the train, he first took his things back to the siheyuan, then immediately reported to his unit.

After having a good talk with his supervisor, he returned to the siheyuan only to find that his parents had brought his younger siblings along, and they were all there.

What were they up to?

Pan Huijuan walked over, her heart aching as she said, “Yan’an, you’ve lost so much weight after being away for a while!”

“Mom, what are you all doing here?”

Gu Wenlin patted Gu Yan’an on the shoulder and said with a smile, “Did you really think you could hide how you got back from me? Someone specifically came to tell me you were back. What? Afraid we’d come to snatch your food?”

“Dad, didn’t I ask Xu Duo to bring back red dates and walnuts for you? What other food could I possibly have left?”

His two younger brothers were especially big eaters. If they were around, the things Momo had prepared would probably be gone within a couple of days.

He had planned to save the Spicy Diced Chicken and Cured Beef for Grandfather and himself to enjoy slowly.

Suddenly, Gu Wenlin pulled Gu Yan’an aside and whispered, “Son, I heard you helped someone bring back several tons of cotton from Xinjiang. Since when are you so kind-hearted? That cotton wasn’t actually bought by you, was it? But where on earth did you get so much money?”

He worked at the railway bureau, and the moment Xu Duo came knocking, he suspected his son might have partnered with someone to resell cotton. Such a steady person—why suddenly take such a risk? What had spurred him on?

Gu Yan’an also knew this matter couldn’t be hidden from his shrewd father. Next time, he might even need his dad to provide some convenience for them, so he had no choice but to confess honestly.

“Dad, you already know about this? That’s my savings for marrying a wife. Grandfather even lent me his burial money. Please, whatever you do, don’t tell Mom!”

If she found out, his mom would worry about this and that, fret over him messing things up, and she’d definitely find a way to make him hand over the money for her to keep.

He had actually already given her the living expenses he was supposed to. Now that he was planning to marry, he absolutely couldn’t let his mom take away his savings.

Gu Wenlin gave Gu Yan’an a hard kick and glared at him. “Yan’an, you’ve saved up quite a bit over the years, haven’t you? Why are you so eager to make money? What are you planning?”

Gu Yan’an looked at his father in disbelief. In these times, who would ever think they had too much money? Of course, earning a little extra now was to live a better life.

“Working hard to earn more money is naturally to marry a wife! I want my wife to be able to eat meat every day with me, have new clothes every season. To give her a good life, I have to work hard!

What’s the point of marrying if a grown man can’t even support his wife? I want my wife to live well with me. Didn’t Mom say girls from Haishi are delicate young ladies? Once my future wife marries me, I want to pamper her.

Dad, I haven’t shown my face in this from start to finish. Xu Duo is handling all these matters. I just provide the money and collect the profits. Don’t worry too much—I’ll keep an eye on him from the side. Besides, Xu Duo is sharp, clever, and has connections…”

Gu Wenlin pinched the bridge of his nose and finally relented. After all, this was his own son.

“Fine, you young people have your own ideas, so I won’t interfere. Tell Xu Duo to be careful in his dealings. If you really need help, come and let me know.”

“Okay, thanks, Dad!”

“Don’t thank me too soon. Let me see what delicious things you brought back this time. I just heard from your grandfather that you came back with loads of good stuff?”

Gu Yan’an glanced at Gu Guozhong, who was smiling at him. What else could he say? Share it, of course!

Gu Guozhong hadn’t eaten with his eldest son in a long time, and now his eldest grandson had brought back delicious food. Might as well keep them for dinner.

“Wenlin, since you’re here, stay for dinner tonight before you leave.

Yanting, go help your mom with the cooking. Remember to stir-fry a plate of the cured beef your brother brought back. Your dad and I will have a couple of drinks tonight.”

“Okay, Grandfather.”

In the evening, everyone gathered around the large round table for dinner. Gu Yan’an removed the wax seal from the jar of Spicy Diced Chicken, opened it, and scooped out a bowl of the chili sauce to place on the table.

Gu Yanting gently waved her hand over the bowl, sniffed it, and said, “Elder Brother, what is this? Why does it smell so good? Hasn’t Grandfather’s beef sauce run out yet? This doesn’t look like it.”

“No, this is Spicy Diced Chicken Chili Sauce. Little sister, don’t eat too much, or you might break out in red bumps.”

“Hmph, stingy!”

Seeing another appetizer on the table, Gu Wenlin quickly filled the old man’s glass with wine and was just about to pour a cup for Gu Yan’an.

Gu Yan’an waved his hand and said, “Dad, pour some for Yannan. I don’t drink.”

“Oh! You’re not in the army anymore, why won’t you drink?”

“Drinking too much can easily become addictive, and it’s not good for your health either.”

Most importantly, he had promised Momo that he generally wouldn’t drink unless necessary, and right now, he didn’t have anything worth celebrating anyway.

Gu Guozhong, Gu Wenlin, and even Gu Yannan and Gu Yanbei all looked at Gu Yan’an with strange expressions.

Gu Guozhong put down his bowl and chopsticks and said seriously, “You rascal, before you joined the army, whenever you saw us drinking, you’d always come over eagerly. Now that you’re back from demobilization and can drink, you’re not interested anymore. Tell me, is there something you’re hiding? Or is there something seriously wrong with your health?”

Seeing how serious Grandfather was, Gu Yan’an quickly explained, “Grandfather, my partner is a doctor. She says a little drink can lift the spirits, but too much harms the body. Since I have a partner, I must prioritize my health.”

When he was young and didn’t know any better, he had never drunk before. Wanting to seem more manly, he had started to become curious about cigarettes and alcohol.

Everyone burst into laughter, but Pan Huijuan wore a worried expression. Her son hadn’t even married this girl yet, and he was already listening to her. How could he be so easily swayed? It felt like she had raised this son for nothing.

Gu Guozhong suddenly suggested, “Yan’an, how about Grandfather goes with you to Haishi to help you with the marriage proposal?”

At this, Gu Yan’an immediately became dejected. Ah, he also wanted to settle this marriage sooner.

“Grandfather, let’s talk about this later. It’s the end of the year, and there’s a pile of work waiting for me at the unit. Even if I wanted to leave now, I couldn’t.”

Besides work, he also needed to figure out how to get Xu Duo to quickly deal with all the cotton. After that, he would have Xu Duo make a trip to Xinjiang to bring back a few tons of red dates to sell.

In this era, the New Year atmosphere was very strong. Whether people had money or not, they would stock up on some New Year goods before the holiday. Red dates sold especially well before the New Year.

“Yan’an, how did the cuffs of your sweater get so worn out? After dinner, take it off, and Mom will get some new wool yarn to re-knit the sleeves.”

“Okay, thank you, Mom!”

Seeing his eldest grandson’s sweater in such a state, Gu Guozhong felt a pang of heartache. He went straight back to his room, fetched over a pound of Wool Yarn Coupons, and placed them in front of Pan Huijuan.

“Take these coupons and go to the supply and marketing cooperative to get some new wool yarn for Yan’an. As for the sweater he’s wearing now, just unravel it and knit it into woolen pants!”

Pan Huijuan wanted to say something but ended up obediently taking the Wool Yarn Coupons.

Gu Yanbei shamelessly asked, “Grandfather, do you have any extra Wool Yarn Coupons? I’d like to have my mom knit me a woolen vest too.”

“None left. Wait until next year! Your elder brother hasn’t gotten a new sweater in how many years? All the Wool Yarn Coupons he saved before were sent back and used on you and Yanting.”

“Understood, Grandfather. Everything should prioritize Elder Brother first. Now that Elder Brother has a partner, he should pay even more attention to his appearance.”

Hearing this, Gu Yan’an’s old face flushed red. It was all because of that broken razor, making him appear so disheveled in front of Momo.

He wondered if Momo would look down on him. Actually, he usually paid quite a bit of attention to personal hygiene.