AYLS – Chapter 58

Gu Huayuan went to check on his own house. It was arranged nicely, and he felt quite satisfied. Normally, he would have invited his brothers over for a meal, but he had just returned today. With Lin Qiao alone at home, he couldn’t leave her unattended. So, he agreed to have a couple of drinks with his brothers on the wedding day instead, and hurried back toward the courtyard.

By the time he returned, it was almost noon. Before even reaching his own room, Aunt Xu from next door saw him and exclaimed in surprise, “Shitou, weren’t you supposed to be resting at home? How come you’re back from outside?”

Hearing this, Gu Huayuan’s eyes flickered, and he smiled. “I’ve been resting in the car, couldn’t really sleep. But my wife, she’s been taking care of me on the train, busy the whole time, not a moment’s rest for days. Once we get home, I’ll let her have a proper sleep so she’ll have energy on our wedding day.”

“Oh, that’s how it is. Then she definitely needs some rest. Shitou, you should know too—now that you’re grown, you need to learn how to care for someone. Don’t be like your uncles and elder brothers, all rough and coarse.”

“I know, I know. I need someone to teach me. Aunties, you’ll have to teach me more in the future. I promise I’ll learn well.”

Aunt Xu laughed at this, realizing this child hadn’t had it easy. Losing his mother at a young age, though Zhang Wenjuan had later looked after him, she herself soon had her own child. She couldn’t give him much attention, and he joined the army in his teens. He’d hardly ever been properly cared for.

“Go on, go eat. Afterward, you can come by my house too.”

“All right.” Gu Huayuan smiled.

Once inside, his expression turned serious, and he went straight into the house.

Zhang Wenjuan was cooking in the kitchen, Gu Bicheng was reading the newspaper in the living room, and the two kids were on the sofa reading comic books.

As soon as Gu Huayuan entered, Gu Bicheng asked him to call Lin Qiao down for lunch.

Gu Huayuan nodded and went straight upstairs.

Lin Qiao was having a sweet dream. She dreamed she had returned to the real world and the first thing she did was ask her personal chef to prepare a feast, which she devoured greedily.

So when Gu Huayuan came in, Lin Qiao’s mouth was noisily munching.

She even murmured occasionally, “Delicious…”

Gu Huayuan listened and laughed helplessly—she really had an appetite.

He sat at the edge of the bed, rubbed his palms together, and gently pinched Lin Qiao’s cheek with his thumb and forefinger.

Soft, fair, and smooth.

Pinching once made him want to pinch again. But Lin Qiao didn’t give him the chance—she grabbed his hand and bit it, eyes wide with excitement.

Startled to see someone sitting by the bed, she jumped.

“Hey, why aren’t you saying anything?” Lin Qiao wiped her mouth and sat up. She had just dreamt of eating a giant lobster, which suddenly came alive and pinched her face with its claws.

Gu Huayuan calmly withdrew his hand. “I was kindly asking you to come down for lunch, and you bite me?”

Lin Qiao: “……”

“What were you dreaming about to get so worked up?”

“Nothing… Isn’t it lunchtime? I’ll quickly wash my face.”

She scrambled out of bed.

Although this small Western-style house was simply decorated, the bathroom was Lin Qiao’s favorite—easy access to water and a proper shower.

After freshening up, the two of them went downstairs.

By then, the meal was on the table, though no one had started eating. Gu Bicheng was there with the family, waiting.

Seeing this, Lin Qiao felt embarrassed, repeatedly apologizing for oversleeping. She even shot Gu Huayuan a sly glance—blaming him for going out and leaving no one to wake her.

Gu Bicheng smiled kindly. “It’s fine, you’ve all been on the road these past few days, probably haven’t slept well. It’s normal to feel tired the first day. Nothing urgent anyway, just rest.”

Zhang Wenjuan also laughed and said it was okay; being a bit late for a meal didn’t matter.

The two kids, however, were unhappy—already hungry and forced to wait. They pouted but dared not speak out of respect for their father.

Gu Huayuan chuckled. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have gone out and let Lin Qiao be misunderstood.”

Gu Bicheng asked, “Misunderstood about what?”

“I just came back from outside and heard the aunties in the courtyard talking about Lin Qiao sleeping at home. It’s her first day here, and I wasn’t around to accompany her, so she overslept. The aunties outside may have misinterpreted it. Later, we’ll need the maids outside to help explain to them. You know, she’s already suffered a lot before, and now that she’s married to me, she hasn’t had a good life yet, and her reputation is already being questioned. How will she face the people in the courtyard later?”

Lin Qiao was astonished. “Really? Something as simple as me sleeping could spread outside?”

Zhang Wenjuan: “……”

Gu Bicheng was a rough man, but Gu Huayuan had explained it clearly. If no one talked about household matters, how could even a daughter-in-law’s afternoon nap be known by outsiders?

He glanced at Zhang Wenjuan. “Although our family is free with speech, it doesn’t mean everything needs to be shared outside.”

Lin Qiao finally realized—someone was trying to smear her.

She didn’t care much; she was leaving anyway. But this was too much. Making things difficult for her was like making things difficult for Gu Huayuan. Aunt Zhang was really malicious. Gu Huayuan only came home once every few years, and yet she couldn’t accept her stepson—her character was really terrible.

She still wanted to retort, but Gu Huayuan had already served her some food, urging her to eat.

Lin Qiao thought to herself, Poor thing—so helpless, like a little cabbage that can’t make a sound even when being bullied.

She held back her tears, quietly sobbing.

Gu Bicheng noticed immediately and asked, “Lin Qiao, what’s wrong?”

“I… I feel like I’m really annoying. I come back and cause trouble for Gu Huayuan. I shouldn’t have overslept… If I’d known that just taking a nap would be noticed, I’d have propped my eyelids open with matchsticks and not slept at all.”

Her little face looked so pitiful when she cried.

In the past, this trick never failed with her dad, Lin Dajin—no matter how unreasonable her request, he would agree.

Now, it worked just as effectively on her father-in-law, Gu Bicheng. Seeing her like this, he immediately put on a serious face. “That’s not true. It’s no big deal. Later, we’ll have Aunt Zhang explain to everyone, and it’ll be fine.”

“That would just trouble Aunt Zhang. It’s my own fault for oversleeping. I don’t know how anyone found out, but it’s still my fault. Just thinking about it makes me sad.”

Gu Huayuan: “…”

Zhang Wenjuan: “…”

How can this little girl act so convincingly?

And yet, old Gu believed her.

Gu Bicheng said, “Don’t worry about it. This is Aunt Zhang’s responsibility. I promise, no one in the compound will misunderstand you. And if anyone says a word against you, I’ll go straight to their house.”

Lin Qiao was genuinely touched, reminded of how her father used to be.

She couldn’t pretend anymore and sincerely thanked him.

After finishing the meal, Lin Qiao pulled Gu Huayuan outside.

“Did you see that? I told you—we have to be careful. I just got in the door, and already like this. Imagine if… your future wife is treated this way…”

She didn’t finish the sentence; a pang of sadness rose in her chest, and she didn’t dare say it aloud.

Gu Huayuan smiled. “It’s nothing serious.”

“You’re not upset that someone bullied me?” Lin Qiao didn’t trust his calm attitude, worried that if she ever left, he might get badly treated.

Gu Huayuan laughed casually. He had never really been bullied growing up. There was always food, playmates, and later, the pursuit of his own dreams.

Besides, Aunt Zhang never really singled him out; at most, she was a bit neglectful. It was human nature—after all, she had her own children.

His biological father barely cared about him, working outside every day and never coming home. How could he hold a non-blood-related aunt accountable?

Of course, bullying Lin Qiao was absolutely unacceptable.

Fragile and prone to tears, he barely had time to protect her himself—no one else was allowed to bully her.

“Lin Qiao, remember: no one can bully me. And of course, no one can bully you either.”

Lin Qiao pursed her lips awkwardly.

After getting their marriage certificate, Gu Huayuan’s words seemed sweeter than before.

Inside, Gu Bicheng was seriously talking to Zhang Wenjuan, telling her to be more careful in the future.

“Comrade Zhang Wenjuan, you’re in the Women’s Federation. Isn’t mediating quarrels caused by gossiping women enough work for you?”

Zhang Wenjuan said, “I was just speaking casually, is that a problem?”

“Casually? Smart people defend their family outside. You need to speak well of Lin Qiao, even if it’s not true—you must say good things.”

Gu Bicheng was so angry he wanted to slam the table. “Study more of your ideological materials, improve your thinking!”

“I also work in women’s ideological work; what’s wrong with my thinking?”

Zhang Wenjuan felt annoyed. Every time Gu Bicheng told her to improve herself, she felt he looked down on her.

Though both came from rural backgrounds, she was younger than Gu Bicheng. When she first met him, she had just joined the army, while he was already a commander. She wasn’t outstanding in looks or education, and he married her because he urgently needed someone to take care of his son and household.

Otherwise, many women with better qualifications would have married him.

Over the years, she worked hard to improve herself and eventually became the district Women’s Federation director.

Yet Gu Bicheng still seemed to look down on her!

All because the previous woman had a college education?

Thinking of this, Zhang Wenjuan felt a pang of bitterness. Who doesn’t like heroes? She truly admired this man, yet even after a lifetime together, she felt inferior to that previous woman.

Look at how he treats his daughter-in-law—more tenderly than his own two children.

“Be honest with yourself. After all these years, have you really treated me well?”

Seeing that she was about to argue, Gu Bicheng felt irritated. Every time it was like this—they’d quarrel after a few words and then sulk separately.

In the past, he would have stormed out long ago. This time, he had to endure it.

“Alright, let’s keep the peace these few days. Don’t make it awkward in front of the children.”

Zhang Wenjuan wanted to save face and didn’t want to quarrel with Old Gu in front of Gu Huayuan and Lin Qiao.

Once she calmed down, Gu Bicheng discussed preparing Gu Huayuan’s room to make it look like a wedding chamber. Though the couple said it wasn’t necessary, the elders couldn’t ignore it.

Zhang Wenjuan said, “Got it. I’ll just put up a double happiness character. His furniture is almost unused and still new; replacing it would be wasteful.”

Gu Bicheng didn’t object—he was frugal as well. “Put up a few more double happiness characters, make it festive. Our family hasn’t celebrated a wedding in many years.”

Hearing this, Zhang Wenjuan felt a pang of bitterness. When she got married, she didn’t even have a celebration—just new clothes and a few sweets.

…

“This is our new home.”

Gu Huayuan smiled, pushing open a door to a small courtyard house.

An old-fashioned courtyard: entering the gate, there was a central main room, with side rooms on both sides.

The snow in the courtyard had been cleared, and double happiness characters adorned the doors and windows.

Red lanterns still hung under the eaves.

At a glance, it looked extremely festive.

In the courtyard, there was a grape arbor, a well, and stone tables and chairs.

Lin Qiao let out an amazed “Wow.” She had seen mansions before, but a small courtyard with this classical charm still managed to touch her heart.

Even someone like her, who knew nothing about art, felt that this little courtyard was like a work of art.

“Is this your house?” she asked.

“It’s ours,” Gu Huayuan said, leading her into the courtyard.

“It hasn’t been lived in for a long time. I had some friends help me fix it up. The furniture inside is all old-fashioned.

“I originally planned to get a new bed made, but then I found a set of step beds my mother left behind—they’re actually quite nice. So I didn’t redo it.”

He said this as he pushed open the main bedroom in the east wing.

It had also been cleaned, and on the table were peanuts, sunflower seeds, and candy. These small touches made it impossible to tell that no one had lived here for many years.

“Did your mother leave this?”

“Yes.”

Gu Huayuan said, “This is the home my mother left me…”

After she had joined the organization alone, his mother had donated all her property, but she had kept this little courtyard.

Perhaps she had planned that after the war, it would be a quiet place to retire.

But she never lived to see that day. Maybe she had a premonition before her sacrifice; she often told him that in this life, she could never give him much, but at least she could leave him a home. No matter what happened in the future, he would have a place to stay.

When he was a child, whenever he felt lost, he would also come sit here.

“Gu Huayuan, don’t be sad. At least your mother left you something to remember her by. My mother…”

Lin Qiao couldn’t help but sigh. When her mother passed away, she was still very young. If it weren’t for the photos, she wouldn’t even remember what her mother looked like.

Gu Huayuan thought she missed her mother, but there was nothing he could do. Conditions had been too harsh back then, and there weren’t any photos left.

Even the photo of his mother kept in his pocket watch was taken back in college. Later, when she joined the underground work, she destroyed all other photos, leaving only this one close to her.

He held Lin Qiao’s hand. “Comrade Lin Qiao, the past is the past. We need to look to the future. This place—that’s our future.”

Lin Qiao: “…” She lowered her eyes, not even daring to look at Gu Huayuan.