B5SB -Chapter 353 The Virgin Mary

Seeing him crying like this, and noticing that Gu Yihan still hadn’t let go of the cute big rooster, Haohao became even more heartbroken.

Tears fell like golden beads, plop, plop, streaming down his face.

Gu Yihan felt helpless and whispered softly, “Haohao, this rooster is too big and hard to feed. Mommy will buy you a smaller one on the weekend, okay?”

“I don’t want it! I want this one! No other chicken is like it—I like this one!”

Haohao lifted his chubby little hands, wiping his tears as he cried.

Seeing Haohao so sad, Lu Huailin’s heart ached. He stepped forward, picked him up, and looked at his wife.

He said, “Honey, how about we spare its life for Haohao’s sake?”

Gu Yihan looked troubled. This was the first time Haohao had cried so desperately over something he liked.

After a moment of thought, she lowered her gaze to the rooster’s round eyes, sighed, and compromised, “As long as you can find a way to make sure it doesn’t crow in the morning, you can keep it.”

Hearing this, Haohao’s eyes lit up. He quickly patted Lu Huailin on the shoulder, his voice full of excitement, “Daddy, put me down quickly!”

Lu Huailin gave Haohao a sidelong glance but didn’t say a word. Instead, he silently picked up the shoes from the floor and put them on him.

Once his shoes were on, Haohao ran to Gu Yihan, hugging the big rooster he had just saved from the chopping block.

Dragging out the end of his words, he coquettishly said, “Thank you, Mommy~”

Gu Yihan shot the rooster a blank-eyed glare, then turned and walked back to the living room, approaching Lu Huailin.

She said coldly, “Our sofa got pooped on by the chicken. You take care of cleaning it.”

After saying this, she put the knife in the kitchen and went upstairs.

Lu Huailin froze for a moment, then quickly said, “Honey, what do you want for breakfast this morning? I’ll make it for you.”

Without turning her head, Gu Yihan replied, “I’m not eating.”

There was no way she could eat now; everything smelled like chicken poop to her.

Lu Huailin glanced at Haohao, who was still interacting with the big rooster, sighed, and resignedly started cleaning the sofa.

“Are you silly? How dare you provoke the most authoritative one in our house?”

Haohao scolded the rooster while tidying its feathers.

“Coo, coo, coo.”

The rooster seemed to understand that it had been saved by the human child in front of it and responded respectfully.

……

Service Station

Gu Yihan had just finished her tasks when Auntie Zhang came over, smiling. “Xiao Han, I need a bar of soap and a bag of laundry powder.”

“Auntie, soap is 36 cents, laundry powder is 28 cents—total 64 cents.”

“One ticket each for the soap and laundry powder.”

Auntie Zhang cheerfully took out the tickets and placed them on the counter. In a low voice, she said to Gu Yihan, “I’m going to buy some fabric. I’ll come back later to talk to you about something.”

Gu Yihan smiled slightly and nodded.

“Comrade Yang, I’ll take 16 feet of corduroy.”

“Coming right up.”

Yang Yue measured and cut the fabric efficiently, glancing at Auntie Zhang.

She assumed the fabric was for her daughter-in-law at home and felt a pang of envy.

Smiling, she said, “Auntie, clothes made from corduroy are so stylish.”

Auntie Zhang’s lips curved slightly, replying, “I’m old now; nothing looks good on me anymore. I can’t compare to you young folks. Even if you drape a scrap of cloth on yourself, you look like a blooming flower.”

Gu Yihan: “……”

Yang Yue: “……”

After buying her items, Auntie Zhang returned to Gu Yihan’s counter.

Her face bright with excitement, she said, “Xiao Han, do you know? Fu Ling gave me thirty yuan this month.”

“Really?”

Auntie Zhang nodded repeatedly, too excited to contain herself. She had wanted to share her joy with Gu Yihan for a long time but hadn’t found the right moment.

“Congratulations, Auntie!”

Gu Yihan admired Auntie Zhang’s courage in breaking conventions, boldly designing clothes that didn’t conform to current aesthetics.

“By the way, Xiao Han, I wanted to ask—does Director Fu accept other people’s design drafts?”

Gu Yihan frowned slightly, her tone cool. “Auntie, I can’t make decisions for Director Fu.”

Seeing Gu Yihan’s expression turn cold, Auntie Zhang panicked slightly, realizing she might have overstepped.

She hurriedly explained, “Xiao Han, don’t think too much of it. I was just asking, no other meaning.”

Gu Yihan was silent for a moment, then responded with a brief “Hmm.”

She continued, “Auntie, my Haohao is about the same age as your Huzi. They can play together.”

“Eh, Huzi loves playing with Haohao.”

Gu Yihan looked Auntie Zhang in the eyes deeply.

“Auntie, our families get along well. I saw your talent in design and couldn’t bear to see it wasted. That’s why I recommended you when Director Fu came.”

At this point, Gu Yihan trusted that Auntie Zhang understood the implication behind her words.

Yang Yue looked at Gu Yihan in amazement, not knowing exactly what they were discussing but letting her imagination run wild.

She assumed Auntie Zhang had asked Gu Yihan for help and was rejected.

Auntie Zhang showed no hint of displeasure, waving her hand with a smile. “Xiao Han, don’t worry. As long as you don’t give in, I won’t take matters into my own hands.”

She wasn’t naive; she understood the principle of quietly profiting from a situation.

Hearing this, Gu Yihan smiled.

She was rather selfish.

She didn’t want too many people to meet Fu Ling through her.

After all, the market was limited.

The more people who knew Fu Ling, the less important she would be to him.

Besides, how could Gu Yihan let others step on her shoulders to climb higher? She was not the Virgin Mary.

After chatting briefly with Gu Yihan, Auntie Zhang left.

At the Courtyard Gate

“Sister Zhang, have you thought it over?”

Auntie Zhang looked up at Bai Yun walking toward her, smiled, and refused, “Sister-in-law, I don’t decide that.”

Bai Yun’s smile stiffened, then she tried again, “Sister-in-law, you know, my family was well-off before. I’ve been learning painting since I was a child, even studying under a famous painter for a few years. So the clothes I design are certainly not bad. If you help me, I can give you a cut.”

She lowered her stance, thinking Auntie Zhang wouldn’t refuse free benefits.

Auntie Zhang twitched at the corner of her mouth.

“Sister-in-law, even if you gave me a bigger cut, if the clothing factory doesn’t agree, it’s useless.”

She was glad she had kept Gu Yihan from knowing about Fu Ling in the first place.

Bai Yun stood quietly in the alley, watching Auntie Zhang leave, gritting her teeth in frustration. If it weren’t for Gao Guoqiang suddenly wanting to take in his ex-wife’s youngest son, she wouldn’t be so desperate to find a way out.