B5SB -Chapter 186 A Letter from Mother Lu

January 23, 1972 (Gregorian calendar)

December 18, 1971 (Lunar calendar)

Grandma Gu was in the kitchen, simmering Laba porridge.

Gu Yihan was being amused by the little one on the bed, laughing nonstop.

When he was five months old, he could roll over with a little help, but the little guy was too lazy. After only a few attempts, he’d get frustrated.

Now he wanted to roll over again. Wearing thick cotton clothes, his face flushed red from the effort. He kicked his little legs hard but still couldn’t manage it.

“Xiaohan.”

Hearing Grandma Gu call, Gu Yihan looked up at her with a smile.

Grandma Gu handed over a letter to her granddaughter.

“It’s a letter for you,” she said. “The soldier who delivered it said it’s for you.”

A letter for her?

Gu Yihan took the envelope. Her name was written on it, and it had been sent from Beijing.

Opening the letter and reading its contents, Gu Yihan sneered and tossed it onto the bed.

Ridiculous.

Mother Lu was demanding equal treatment. Back when Miaomiao was born, her family had been given 1,000 yuan.

So now, because her own Haohai was born, Mother Lu thought it unfair not to give the same amount, and demanded that the extra money be returned.

And the remittance address wasn’t the Beijing compound but Big Brother Lu’s home address.

Grandma Gu cautiously studied her granddaughter’s expression, thinking it might be a letter from Gu’s village.

Weakly, she asked, “Did your grandfather cause some trouble?”

Gu Yihan looked at Grandma Gu’s tightly clasped hands and shook her head with a smile. “It’s from Beijing, addressed to Lu Huailin.”

She wanted her to return the money? Just wait. Did she think she was the perfect, obedient daughter-in-law?

Grandma Gu breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing her granddaughter’s earlier grim expression, she had feared something had gone wrong in Gu’s village.

“Get ready. It’s time to eat. I’ve cooked Laba porridge and made your favorite deep-fried yellow croaker.”

Gu Yihan smiled at her grandmother. “Okay.”

The Laba breakfast was indeed lavish. Grandma Gu usually avoided fried foods, worried the family’s rationed oil wouldn’t be enough.

Holding the little one while eating, Gu Yihan watched him impatiently trying to grab the eggs on the table and laughed, patting his head.

Grandma Gu quickly finished her meal, then picked up the little one and cheerfully said, “Come on, let’s go for a walk.”

Meanwhile, Mother Lu sat on the sofa, looking at her eldest son, noticing the weariness and exhaustion etched into his face. She felt a deep pang of sympathy.

Rubbing his temples, Lu Huaixu asked softly, “Mom, how’s my sister-in-law’s side responding?”

Mother Lu was troubled. The letter had been sent several days ago, and the remittance should have arrived by now.

Seeing his mother remain silent, Lu Huaixu worried that if he couldn’t gather 5,000 yuan, the woman would accuse him of misconduct.

He couldn’t help but shout, “Mom, why did you lend so much money to Auntie?”

Hearing her son’s questioning, Mother Lu’s expression darkened.

Slap!

She coldly sneered at Lu Huaixu. “What right do you have to blame me?”

Even if she had made a mistake, so what? She was the elder. No way would Lu Huaixu try to control her.

Stunned by the slap, Lu Huaixu realized his attitude had angered her.

He immediately knelt before his mother with a thud, placing his hands on her knees and crying, apologizing.

He explained that he’d been under too much pressure and was in a bad mood, not intending to take it out on her.

Although Mother Lu felt uneasy, seeing the dark circles under her son’s eyes softened her heart.

Thinking of the Fang family, she cursed: “Not a single good person among them, all thieves!”

Lu Huaixu listened as his mother spat a string of curses, anger written all over his face.

He knew clearly he had been trapped by Brother Fang. They had drunk together, and suddenly he lost consciousness.

When he woke up, a woman lay in his arms, completely naked.

Before he could react, Brother Fang appeared, taking photographs as evidence of them together.

He was threatened to pay 5,000 yuan, or the photos would be posted in the factory accusing him of misconduct.

At this critical moment in the factory, he couldn’t afford any blemishes on his record, or it would ruin his life.

After cursing enough, Mother Lu held her son’s hands tightly on her knees. “Don’t worry. I’ll find a way.”

Lu Huaixu choked back tears and nodded. Right now, his only hope was his mother.

Family compound

“Grandma.”

Gu Yihan had just parked her bicycle and called out loudly.

Grandma Gu came out of the living room holding the plump little one and saw the bicycle piled high with goods.

Worriedly, she asked, “Why did you buy so much?”

Knowing Grandma Gu hated spending, Gu Yihan said on purpose, “Grandma, tomorrow is Little New Year. We’ve worked hard all year; we need to treat ourselves.”

Grandma Gu followed behind her granddaughter, holding the child, watching as she made several trips to the kitchen to unload everything from the bicycle.

Back in the living room, Gu Yihan picked up a glass of water from the table and drank it all at once.

“Slow down. No one’s taking it from you.”

Gu Yihan turned to the little one in Grandma Gu’s arms, clapping her hands. “Come on, Mommy will hold you.”

Grandma Gu handed Haohai to her granddaughter. “He just had carrot puree, no need for milk.”

Gu Yihan had no intention of nursing. She was actually thinking of discussing weaning the little one with Grandma Gu.

“Grandma, Haohai is seven months old. I plan to wean him.”

“What?” Grandma Gu exclaimed, shocked, thinking she misheard.

She looked at her granddaughter. “What did you say?”

Gu Yihan repeated with a smile, “Grandma, I want to wean Haohai.”

“No way.”

Grandma Gu sat beside her granddaughter, anxious. “Who weans their child so early? Back home, kids drink milk until five or six!”

Gu Yihan wasn’t angry, but looked pitiful. “Grandma, Haohai has two teeth now. When he drinks milk, he bites me. He even broke the skin.”

“Broke the skin?”

Before Grandma Gu could respond, a sudden rough voice startled them: it was Lu Huailin, disheveled, with a scruffy beard.

Haohai immediately burst into tears, his little face scrunching up like a dumpling.

Hearing his son cry, Lu Huailin was heartbroken. “Come on, Dad will hold you.”

But the little one cried harder, twisting and burying his head into Gu Yihan’s chest, refusing to be soothed.

Grandma Gu was stunned, too. Usually, the child was so easy to handle. Even around strangers in the compound, he wouldn’t cry or fuss.

Gu Yihan saw Lu Huailin standing helplessly by her side and couldn’t help laughing.

“You made our son cry!”

Grandma Gu quickly glanced at Lu Huailin’s face. Seeing that he wasn’t angry, she relaxed, then glared at her granddaughter. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Suppressing a laugh, Gu Yihan looked at Lu Huailin. “Go wash up and trim that beard.”

“Really?”

Lu Huailin looked at the little one in his wife’s arms. He wasn’t crying anymore, just refusing to turn his head.

Gu Yihan smiled and nodded.