B5SB -Chapter 303 The Fool

After Gu Yihan got home, she saw that the courtyard gate was open and knew that Lu Huailin had returned.

Pushing her bicycle into the yard, she saw him busy in the kitchen and smiled as she asked,
“What delicious thing are you making?”

Lu Huailin replied, “Braised fish.”

Gu Yihan looked at him in surprise. “Fish is even harder to get than meat at the supply store these days!”

“And you still managed to get some—impressive!”

Lu Huailin chuckled. “I didn’t go to the supply store. Zhou Jun gave it to me.”

Gu Yihan thought he had caught it in a nearby river and looked into the pot.

It had to be over three pounds.

In March, during the lean season, catching such a big fish was quite impressive.

Seeing her staring at the fish, Lu Huailin thought she was hungry. He put the lid on the pot, wrapped an arm around her waist, and smiled.

“Go rest for a bit. I’ll pick up Haohua. We’ll eat soon.”

Gu Yihan looked up at him, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his cheek.

Then she hooked her arm through his and said, “I missed you so much.”

“Really?” Lu Huailin’s eyes lit up as he stared at her like a big puppy.

Under his burning gaze, Gu Yihan nodded against her conscience. “Really.”

Lu Huailin got so excited that he picked her up and rushed into the bedroom, then pressed her down on the bed.

The Next Day, When Gu Yihan opened her eyes, she saw Lu Huailin sitting sideways on the bed with Haohua.

“Why didn’t you take Haohua to daycare?” she asked.

Seeing her awake, Lu Huailin tossed his book aside. “I’m off today. I’ll stay home and take care of him for a few days.”

When Haohua saw his mom awake, he grinned and crawled into her blanket, hugging her neck.

Dragging out his voice, he said in a soft, spoiled tone, “Mommy…”

Before Gu Yihan could respond, Lu Huailin picked him up and put him on the inside of the bed, tucking him in.

“She’s my wife. Only I’m allowed to hug her.”

“She’s my mom!” Haohua protested.

“Brat, your mom is my wife.”

Hearing the two of them argue, Gu Yihan laughed.

She stretched lazily under the blanket, turned over, and hugged Lu Huailin’s waist.

Murmuring, she said, “I don’t want to get up. I don’t want to go to work. I just want to lie here.”

Lu Huailin chuckled softly and pulled her into his arms.

“How about you don’t go today? Stay home and sleep all day.”

As he spoke, he placed her hand somewhere inappropriate.

Feeling the movement in her palm, Gu Yihan jumped out of bed at once.

“No! I still have work at the factory!”

Seeing her quickly get dressed, Lu Huailin couldn’t help laughing.

In the Accounting Office, Gu Yihan was leisurely reading a newspaper when she felt someone staring at her. She looked up and saw Hu Shan staring straight at her.

“What’s wrong, Sister Shan?” she asked.

Hu Shan stood up, walked over, and leaned on her desk.

Lowering her voice, she said, “I saw your grandma at the textile factory gate yesterday afternoon.”

“Did you forget to give her living expenses these past two months?”

At first, she hadn’t wanted to say anything. But seeing Grandma Gu’s wrinkled face, she felt soft-hearted.

Gu Yihan slapped her forehead in frustration.

“I was so busy that I forgot something so important!”

For the past two months, Lu Huailin had been away on missions.

She had to handle all the housework herself.

She had to get up early to take Haohua to daycare, then rush home after work to cook and pick him up.

So she had neglected her grandmother.

Hu Shan sighed. “I think she’ll probably come again this afternoon. I just wanted to let you know.”

Gu Yihan felt warm inside. “Thank you, Sister Shan.”

Hu Shan felt embarrassed by her sincere thanks and waved her hand.

“You’re too polite.”

Then she returned to her seat as if nothing had happened.

Outside the Textile Factory, as Gu Yihan pushed her bicycle out, she saw her grandmother standing at the gate, rubbing her hands and stomping her feet.

She hurried over and grabbed her hand.

“Grandma, why are your hands so cold?”

Grandma Gu looked at her youngest granddaughter, her nose stinging as tears fell.

“Xiaohan, Grandma has no money left…”

Gu Yihan’s eyes immediately turned red.

It wasn’t that she didn’t feel angry—but seeing her grandmother so pitiful, all her anger melted away.

She quickly took out twenty yuan and some coupons and stuffed them into her hand.

“Grandma, if you want to eat something, buy it and hide it. Don’t let others see.”

“This is from your granddaughter. I don’t mind if you eat it.”

“But if you give it to unimportant people…”

She paused and said, “I’ll feel like you’re treating me like a fool.”

Grandma Gu silently cried.

She knew those “unimportant people” were Kang Long and Qin Shou.

“I understand,” she said.

Then she shivered uncontrollably from the cold.

Gu Yihan noticed and pinched her cotton jacket. It was very thin.

She quickly felt her cotton pants too—also thin.

Her face darkened instantly.

“Grandma, where’s the cotton stuffing in your clothes?”

“I… it turned yellow, so I took it out and washed it,” Grandma Gu said, lowering her head.

Gu Yihan felt like her grandmother was treating her like an idiot.

“Turned yellow?”

“I exchanged for brand-new white cotton from a nearby brigade. I personally watched them make it before Sister Shan brought it to you!”

“I’m not so blind that I can’t tell white from yellow!”

Her face turned green with anger.

All her hard-earned cotton had ended up benefiting some scoundrel.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She didn’t want to say another word. She pushed her bicycle, nodded, and prepared to leave.

Grandma Gu hurried to stop her.

Lowering her head, she said, “I took out the cotton myself to make Kang Long a padded jacket.”

Gu Yihan got even angrier.

“Can’t Qin Shou buy cotton for him? Did you really have to tear apart your own clothes?”

Grandma Gu waved her hands anxiously.

“He bought some, but production was low this year. He went to many supply stores and department stores and still couldn’t get any.”

“I couldn’t bear to let the child freeze, so I had to use my own cotton first…”

Gu Yihan looked at her quietly, her eyes filled with disappointment.

She knew cotton production was low this year.

Didn’t Grandma realize that even supply stores couldn’t get any?

How many households had Gu Yihan visited to gather enough cotton to make her a thick jacket?

Seeing her face dark, Grandma Gu worried she thought she was pretending to be pitiful.

She explained softly, “Kang Long is too young. A cold can be deadly. Grandma is an adult—freezing a little won’t kill me.”

“So I’m really not doing this on purpose to gain sympathy.”

“If I wanted sympathy, I would’ve come before the New Year.”

Gu Yihan glanced at her, unsure whether she was pretending not to understand why she was angry.

She said coldly, “Fine. I was just meddling.”

Then she got on her bicycle and rode away without looking back.