B5SB -Chapter 323 Haohao’s Wailing

“Mom, I’m back!” Haohao shouted as he ran, waving his arms excitedly.

Gu Yihan stepped out into the living room, looking at them.

Gu Yihan laughed and said, “No need to go to the office. Their shirt factory comes by once a week to make adjustments to the design drafts.”

Lu Huailin looked at his wife in surprise.

He raised his thumb and loudly praised her, “Wife, you’re amazing! You’ve just come, and you’ve already found work. Such a capable person… and she’s my wife. Tell me, how did I get so lucky? My wife is beautiful, gentle, and talented.”

Gu Yihan rolled her eyes at him, not too pleased. “What’s this? You spreading honey on your words today?”

Lu Huailin chuckled as he climbed into bed and pulled Gu Yihan close. Leaning near her ear, he whispered softly, “I did. Go ahead and taste it.”

Then, while Haohao wasn’t paying attention, he lightly pecked his wife on the fragrant lips.

…

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye, from early summer to the cold of winter.

In these months, Gu Yihan had mostly stayed at home, only occasionally going to the service station to buy daily necessities.

As a result, few people had actually seen her, and the military wives in the housing compound became increasingly curious about her.

At the Gu residence:

Fu Ling sat on the sofa, eyes sparkling as she looked at Gu Yihan.

Excitedly, she said, “Xiaohan, do you know? Our factory’s orders for underwear and sleepwear have caught up with the main export orders for shirts! You really are amazing.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke—after all, the fabric could barely cover the essential areas. She didn’t understand why the pale-skinned, blue-eyed foreigners went crazy over such shameless clothes.

Gu Yihan didn’t think that much, smiling gently: “Sister Ling, you’re exaggerating. I’m not as amazing as you say.”

Fu Ling shook her head, admiring her: “It’s your brain that’s impressive. Who else could think of making the most profit with the least fabric?”

Hearing Fu Ling’s words, Gu Yihan awkwardly touched her nose. It wasn’t that she had consciously thought of maximizing profit with minimal fabric; it was because she had been so poor before. So poor that everything she wore was polyester, with only the small area of the underwear gusset made of cotton.

That’s why she had always paid extra attention to beautiful clothes, especially those made from silk or other materials she couldn’t afford.

Whenever she saw beautiful, sexy underwear or sleepwear, she would try not to stare too much—but inevitably, she would look again, and again. Unconsciously, all of it stuck in her memory.

Fu Ling suddenly remembered why she had come today. She quickly took 200 yuan from her shoulder bag and handed it to Gu Yihan.

“Xiaohan, these 200 yuan are a reward unanimously decided by the factory leadership.”

Gu Yihan didn’t refuse, smiling as she placed it on the side table.

Fu Ling worried that Gu Yihan might think the reward was too small. She took her hand, patted it gently, and explained softly: “Xiaohan, don’t think it’s too little. This is the maximum reward the leadership can apply for you. You know, nowadays it’s about collective interests, not personal gain. If we applied for more, the higher-ups might think we’re profiteering for personal interests.”

Gu Yihan shook her head with a smile: “Sister Ling, you’re overthinking.”

She didn’t care about trivial rewards. What mattered was that, with the reform and opening, she could do business and cooperate with the shirt factory.

Fu Ling breathed a sigh of relief. She genuinely wanted to befriend Gu Yihan. Even without considering Lu Huailin’s background, Gu Yihan’s far-sighted, calm, and humble nature alone made her worth genuine friendship.

At the housing compound entrance:

After seeing Fu Ling off, Gu Yihan noticed more people coming and going at the service station.

Everyone was neatly dressed, smiling.

Gu Yihan observed them, and they, in turn, observed her. Seeing an unfamiliar face, they couldn’t help stealing a few extra glances.

A female colleague smiled and walked over to Gu Yihan, greeting her proactively: “Sister Gu.”

Gu Yihan looked up at the short-haired woman in a black wool coat and fair skin, puzzled: “You are?”

“Sister Gu, hello. My name is Luo Bi. My mother-in-law is Auntie Zhang. We’re neighbors.”

Knowing that she was Auntie Zhang’s daughter-in-law, Gu Yihan felt a bit of goodwill toward her. After all, she had a good impression of Auntie Zhang. She smiled: “You’re out shopping?”

Luo Bi shook her head: “My mother-in-law already bought what she needed and went home.”

As they walked and chatted, the people nearby noticed that Luo Bi seemed familiar with Gu Yihan.

They whispered: “Is that new female colleague talking to Comrade Luo?”

“Don’t know, but look how warmly the chief commissar’s daughter-in-law treats her. She can’t be ordinary.”

Upon hearing this, they immediately rated Gu Yihan more highly. Aside from Luo Bi being Zhao Xu’s daughter-in-law, Luo Bi herself was a reporter for the city’s Guangming Daily, definitely a highly educated person.

If someone like her took the initiative to greet another person, that person must have some background or status, sparking their curiosity about Gu Yihan.

They guessed quietly: “Could she be the wife of Commander Lu?”

“Impossible. Commander Lu’s wife has been here for half a year, but we’ve hardly seen her outside.”

“Maybe she’s too ugly and embarrassed to go out.”

Standing behind them, Wu Meili twitched her mouth upon hearing this. See, she wasn’t the only one who liked gossiping behind others’ backs; others did too—she was just unlucky to get caught.

Luo Bi remembered Auntie Zhang mentioning that Gu Yihan rarely went out, so she kindly reminded her: “Sister-in-law, today’s the Winter Solstice. Did you buy meat buns or dumplings?”

“Winter Solstice?”

“Yes. Here, it’s customary to eat dumplings on the Winter Solstice.”

Gu Yihan nodded: “There’s enough meat at home to make dumplings.”

No wonder there were so many people today—it was the Winter Solstice.

Back home:

Gu Yihan quickly chopped the meat filling and kneaded the dough.

…

Haohao, wearing thick cotton pants, ran nimbly along the paths of the housing compound, screaming “Ahhh…” nonstop.

Lu Huailin held a small branch, rhythmically smacking Haohao’s bottom with a “bang, bang.”

Haohao, with his short little legs, dodged quickly, letting out pitiful shrieks as he did so.

He Shengli almost couldn’t hold back his laughter. Wearing thick cotton pants himself, Lu Huailin’s smacks didn’t hurt much at all.

But Haohao cried and screamed as if his bottom were swollen.

“Mom! Mom!”

Like a tiny cannon, Haohao threw himself at Gu Yihan, shouting at the top of his lungs: “Mom, Dad hit me! My bottom hurts so much!”

Gu Yihan caught Haohao, looked up at the stern-faced Lu Huailin, and asked puzzled: “What happened?”

“This kid has an itchy bottom. At such a young age, he dares to play with firecrackers!”

Gu Yihan was startled, shivering, and hurriedly asked: “Is he hurt?”

She checked him all over—inside, outside, top, bottom—but there were no injuries. Puzzled, she asked: “Who gave you the firecrackers?”

Haohao sniffled and wiped his tears: “Brother Zhao Hu.”

Lu Huailin clenched the branch tighter, gritting his teeth: “Who told you to blow up the manure pit!”