Chapter 33: The Cultured Person

Su Yuxian’s knuckles unconsciously dug into her palm.

Alarm bells rang in her mind.

She knew all too well what Lu Yizhou’s thoughtful gaze meant—it was the look of a hunter assessing the value of his prey.

He hesitated.

About the marriage.

“Baozhen was frightened by Lin Zhao’s dog,” she said, avoiding the core issue.

“Lin Zhao?” Lu Yizhou’s mind conjured the lotus-faced girl he’d seen on the road before.

He instinctively compared Su Yuxian to Lin Zhao, and sadly realized she fell short in both appearance and family background.

A strange emotion stirred in Lu Yizhou’s heart, making Su Yuxian’s coarse cloth dress suddenly unbearable to look at.

And she was already over twenty.

In an instant, Lu Yizhou’s faint thought of remarrying vanished by more than half.

Su Yuxian didn’t know that the golden husband she’d so painstakingly secured had temporarily lost interest in marriage.

Ten minutes later, Lu Baozhen ran back to the Lu household, tasting the mockery of fate.

“Let’s delay the wedding,” Lu Yizhou said.

In that moment, Su Yuxian’s face twisted—but she lowered her head in time, hiding it from Lu Yizhou.

“Why?” Her voice trembled; she forced herself to hold back her emotions, barely keeping from screaming.

What did Lu Yizhou think of her?

A servant from an old landlord’s household?!

He MUST marry her!!

Lu Yizhou's gaze was cold; the expression looked strange on his handsome face. "I only have a few days off—I don't have time for a wedding, and I don't want to make you suffer."

Su Yuxian smiled, stepped forward, stood before him, and looked up into his eyes. Her tone softened, “It’s fine—we can hold the wedding banquet first.”

“My mother says I’m too old to keep delaying this. Besides, everyone in the brigade knows we’re about to get married. I’ve even told Lin Zhao. If we don’t marry, word will reach the army, and I’m afraid rumors will spread.”

Lu Yizhou hesitated.

A flash of cunning gleamed in Su Yuxian’s eyes.

She understood Lu Yizhou—he cared more than anyone about his reputation and secretly competed with Gu Chenghuai. Mentioning that family would make him yield.

“One day is enough for the banquet,” she said, linking her arm through his. Her eyelashes trembled with nervousness and shyness, yet she pressed on bravely: “I want to form a family with you. I want to care for Baozhen and your parents openly. I can do anything. If we marry, I’ll handle all the household chores—you just focus on climbing higher. In my heart, you’re stronger than Gu Chenghuai. Without family burdens, you’ll surpass him.”

That last sentence struck right at Lu Yizhou’s heart.

He truly thought so.

Though moved, Lu Yizhou still didn’t agree. He knew Su Yuxian was more desperate than he was—he didn’t want the Su family to control him.

The Gu family’s third branch.

Lin Zhao hummed as she returned to the house. Dacai waved to Ercai.

Ercai had been tugging at Dahuang’s tail. Seeing his brother’s gesture, he stood, brushed his hands, and dashed over.

“Brother, what’s up?”

Dacai’s round face turned serious. “Don’t play with Lu Baozhen anymore.”

“Why?” Ercai asked.

Dacai frowned. “Just don’t. Or I won’t talk to you.”

“I never said I wanted to play with her!!” Ercai hurriedly protested. “I never like playing with girls—they cry all the time. Lose a game? Cry. Fall down? Cry. No candy? Cry. Get scolded? Cry. So annoying. I only play with Bangbang and the others!”

“Remember that,” Dacai warned again, afraid his brother would forget.

“Mm, mm, mm.” Ercai nodded vigorously.

“I won’t play.”

After promising, he couldn’t suppress his curiosity. “Why won’t you let me play with her? You never cared before.”

Dacai didn’t say it was because he sensed their mother didn’t want them near Lu Baozhen. Instead, he said: “She insults you. Her mother insults us. Her mother speaks ill of our mother. Our mother and that little Su aren’t friends. We shouldn’t be friends with her kid! If you play with her, you betray our mother and me!”

Ercai, usually carefree, widened his eyes at his brother’s severity. He waved his hands frantically. “I won’t play! From now on, I’ll run away if I see her!”

The child was left with a psychological scar from his older brother’s warning.

Dacai rubbed his chin. “Well, maybe it’s not a bad idea. Keeps her from clinging to you.”

“Why would she cling to me?” Ercai looked terrified.

Dacai thought for a moment, then said seriously: “She wants to trick our mother into giving her food and drinks.”

“She can’t!” Ercai growled.

Tiechui came over to play with Dacai and Ercai. He heard this and asked, “Ercai, what are you talking about?”

Ercai couldn’t keep secrets. He immediately told Tiechui about Lu Baozhen’s “plans.”

Tiechui stared in shock. “She’s so young and already so cunning?! So scary!”

“Exactly! You’ve got to stay away from her too. Watch out—she’ll trick you out of your candy,” Ercai said solemnly.

Tiechui nodded like a pounding pestle. “I’ll remember!”

He looked touched. “Ercai, you’re my true brother.”

“You’re my true brother too,” Ercai said.

“Did you eat watermelon?”

Tiechui nodded eagerly, his face glowing. He licked his lips, his voice bright as a spring bird’s song, filled with pure joy: “I did! Did you? The watermelon was so sweet, so delicious—better than wild strawberries on the hill!”

“My mom bought it in town,” Gu Ercai blurted out.

Lin Zhao brought out dog food to feed Dahuang.

Dahuang looked up at her. Her head was patchy—bald spots revealing pink skin, as if a typhoon had kissed her, ugly beyond bearing.

She nudged her head against Lin Zhao’s knee, then buried it in the bowl to eat.

Hupo shoved her whole head into the bowl, eating loudly and frantically, nearly tipping it over.

Dahuang growled low at her. When Hupo ignored her, she swatted her with her right paw, knocking the pup flat on her back, who let out a pitiful whimper.

“Huh?!” Dacai’s eyes widened. “Dahuang hits her own pup?!”

His expression was adorable. Lin Zhao bit back a laugh. “Of course. When pups misbehave, their mother teaches them.”

“Mom never hit us,” Dacai whispered, hiding his quiet joy, his body swaying slightly. “It’s because we’re good, so Mom never beats us.”

Tiechui chimed in: “I’m good too, but my mom still hits me.”

Dacai asked, “Why does your mom hit you?”

“Because I wet the bed,” Tiechui answered honestly.

Ercai let out a small animal-like grunt, frozen in shock. “You still wet the bed?! My brother and I haven’t done that in ages!”

Tiechui waved his hands. “Not now! Back in winter!”

Ercai fell silent. He’d wet the bed last winter too. “It’s fine. Grandma says it’s normal for kids. We’ll stop when we grow up.”

Lin Zhao was delighted. The children’s earnest, innocent chatter was so amusing.

That afternoon, the Gu family’s third branch ate braised pork ribs. Dahuang and her pups devoured their meat bones too, tails wagging so fast they blurred—this life was better than heaven.

Today, Dahuang had done a great job—she deserved a reward.

After eating, Dahuang and her pups curled up in the doghouse Gu Fu had built. Her bald patches rose and fell with each breath, occasional soft snores escaping as she basked in the sunset’s glow, utterly content.

The twins played beside them. When the two little balls nearly tumbled, Dahuang sprang up and steadied them instantly.

“Dahuang is so capable,” Lin Zhao patted her head.

Dahuang’s tail wagged even faster.

The next morning.

Around six, Lin Zhao woke, washed up, braided her hair, and put on a light green pinafore dress. The doll collar resembled two mint-green lotus-leaf ruffles. She wore white round-toed leather shoes Gu Chenghuai had bought her—each with a square buckle across the front, stylish and pretty.

She’d just applied her face cream when Gu Mu arrived.

Seeing Lin Zhao’s outfit, she paused, then offered no criticism. Instead, she praised: “You look nice like this. You look like a city girl.”

Lin Zhao smiled openly. “I’ll be counting on you from now on.”

Gu Mu thought her third daughter-in-law was truly a high-school graduate—so articulate. She laughed warmly. “Taking care of your own grandchildren isn’t hard. You’re the one who works hard. Just focus on your job. I’ll take care of Dacai and Ercai. There are so many people at the old house—how could they not look after a few kids?”

Not to mention Lin Zhao had already given them extra grain rations. The other two daughters-in-law had no complaints—they wholeheartedly agreed to take care of Dacai and the others.

Lin Zhao cooked two bowls of noodles—simple, with just a few green vegetables and scallions, some meat sauce, and two fried eggs. The smell could make a man weep.

“Mom, one bowl for you, one for me. Hurry up and eat, or it’ll get soggy.”

Gu Mu wanted to say something, but saw Lin Zhao already eating. She opened her mouth, then closed it, and began eating too.

In her entire life, she’d never eaten noodles this white. And these eggs—fried in oil? So fragrant.

“Zhaozhao, you’re an excellent cook,” Gu Mu said. The ingredients were good, but her third daughter-in-law’s cooking was truly top-notch.

Lin Zhao didn’t humble herself. “Of course. I never formally learned, but I just know how to cook—and the food turns out delicious.”

“Then you have a natural talent for cooking,” Gu Mu said. “You also have talent for studying. Dacai and Ercai take after you—they’ll definitely make it to high school.”

High school?

That’s too low!

The book said the college entrance exam would be restored soon. Dacai and Ercai would be right in time—they absolutely had to get into university.

“Why bother with high school? Go straight to university.”

Gu Mu, of course, wanted her grandchildren to rise higher. Lin Zhao’s words made her feel her third daughter-in-law truly cared for Dacai and Ercai and was willing to teach them. She was delighted. “Yes! University! I heard there are worker-peasant-soldier universities—let’s find some connections then.”

Gu Mu had four sons, and she favored Gu Chenghuai the most, the one who left home young. Love for him extended to Dacai and the others.

Lin Zhao patted her stomach, estimated the time, and hurried off to work.

“We need a bicycle too—walking all the way would be so tiring. I wonder if Old Three can get his hands on a ticket.” Gu Mu murmured.

As she spoke of Old Three, her aged eyes flickered with longing.

The emotion vanished in an instant.

She washed her own bowl and Lin Zhao’s, swept the courtyard and the back yard, then watered the vegetables in the garden.

Dacai and Ercai finally stirred awake, half-asleep.

“Nai? Where’s my mom?” Dacai snapped fully awake the moment he saw Gu Mu, scanning left and right for Lin Zhao.

“Your mom went to work,” Gu Mu wiped the sweat from her grandsons’ faces, poured them water to wash up. “Hurry and wash—your faces are all sweaty. Hot, right?”

Ercai replied: “Hot. So hot I woke up.”

Gu Mu said: “Just bear with it a little longer. In two months it won’t be this hot. I heard there are fans in town—they blow air by themselves—but they’re expensive and need electricity.”

Dacai and Ercai listened intently.

“Electricity’s needed for lights—I know that,” Ercai said proudly, having been to the county.

Dacai asked curiously: “Nai, why don’t we have electricity here?”

“Yeah, why not?” Gu Mu wondered aloud.

“Eventually they’ll connect everyone. Running wires is a hassle—I heard they have to string cables and all that. We don’t understand it. Some villages have it, some don’t. I think they’ll connect them one village at a time.” She didn’t make up excuses for the boys—she shared her own guess.

“I hope it comes soon. Electric lights are so bright—you don’t even need oil lamps at night. Just pull the cord and it turns on,” Ercai said.

Gu Mu didn’t even know about pull-cords. “Oh my, you just pull a cord and the light turns on? That’s that easy? How do you know it’s a cord? Is it like a clothesline?”

Ercai puffed out his little chest. “My mom told me.”

“Then it must be true,” Gu Mu said. “Your mom’s educated, seen a lot. Learn well from her—you’ll go to university someday.”

“Mm-hmm,” Dacai said seriously. He listened to his mom above all, and wanted to learn from her.

Ercai, somehow brimming with confidence, declared loudly: “My brother and I will both go to university!” His voice brimmed with certainty.

A frown creased Gu Mu’s brow. One spot in a worker-peasant-soldier university was hard enough to get—two? Even harder.

Both were treasures of the household. She couldn’t bear to hurt either one’s heart.

Gu Mu forgot: there was another string of children back at the old house. If they actually got university spots, the trouble would only multiply.

“Nai, I’m hungry,” Ercai’s voice ended Gu Mu’s brooding.

“I’ll steam you some egg custard.” Though Gu Mu thought two eggs per child was a bit extravagant, Lin Zhao had instructed her, and she’d follow through. As the old man had said: after the split, it became two households—how to live was up to the child’s mother.

Lin Zhao arrived at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative before eight.

Someone was already inside.

She looked to be around thirty, a female comrade.

Her gaze swept over Lin Zhao’s dress, then smiled. “New comrade, right?”

What a striking girl, Li Fen thought.

“Yes, I’m Lin Zhao. Nice to meet you.” Lin Zhao smiled back.

“I’m Li Fen. A few years older—you can call me Sister Fen,” Li Fen said with a smile.

She pointed to two counters. “You’re assigned to those two.”

“Thank you, Sister Fen,” Lin Zhao said gratefully, slipping her a handful of shrimp-flavored sesame candy, then walking toward the counter.

Li Fen paused, took the candy, and smiled more genuinely. “Comrade Lin, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to come find me.”

This was exactly what Lin Zhao had hoped for.

“Good. I’ll trouble you from now on, Sister Fen.”

Now that she’d received Lin Zhao’s shrimp-flavored sesame candy, Li Fen didn’t hold back—she told her plenty about the job—

Like how to get up to speed quickly when starting, how to get defective goods from the cooperative, how to keep proper work records, and so on.

After listening, Lin Zhao thought: those shrimp-flavored sesame candies were worth every bit.

As morning light climbed the faded slogan “Develop the Economy, Ensure Supply,” other sales clerks arrived one by one.

Two were veteran staff; one, like Lin Zhao, was new.

One of the veterans gave Lin Zhao and the other newcomer a hostile glance, snorted, but was tugged by a colleague’s sleeve, rolled her eyes, stomped to her own counter, face long, slamming things around.