At her reply, Gu Yanzhi broke into a smile, his eyes crinkling beautifully.
“Alright, I’ll do exactly as you say!”
It was then that Shen Niannian noticed something—when he smiled, a tiny, endearing little dimple appeared on one side. Handsome as he was, it lent him a touch of pure, boyish charm.
After breakfast, Gu Yanzhi rode his bicycle to take her back to his family home. Along the way, he told her to hold tight to his waist. At first Shen Niannian felt shy, but as she looked at the broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, long-limbed man sitting straight-backed before her in his neat military uniform, her heart melted completely. There was a quiet dignity and bearing about him that no ordinary man could match. And when you added that handsome face and those slender, elegant hands… Shen Niannian honestly believed that if Gu Yanzhi had lived in the twenty-first century, he would have outshone nearly every male celebrity in the entertainment industry.
No wonder Shen Youyou had fought so hard to marry him in her past life. A man like this—you could wake up smiling just having him beside you.
The thought of Wang Jiangang, by contrast, made her stomach turn. She remembered his yellowed teeth, his laziness, how he rarely changed his underclothes even once a month. She found herself wondering—what on earth had Shen Youyou seen in him? Did she admire how he never washed his face or brushed his teeth? How he wore his undergarments until they were stiff and stained? The reek of body odor from his armpits? Or the fungal rot on his feet?
Shen Niannian nearly laughed out loud.
Ah—she must have wanted his money!
But what Shen Youyou had never known was that none of that money had ever belonged to Wang Jiangang. It had all been hers. When they had parted, it had not been Shen Youyou taking a share from Wang Jiangang—it had been Shen Niannian giving Wang Jiangang a payout! She wondered if Shen Youyou would ever realize the truth and regret it. But in this life…
She looked at the fresh, handsome man pedaling steadily before her, and her heart swelled with joy. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist. Gu Yanzhi shuddered sharply at her touch, while Shen Niannian felt a thrill run through her own chest, barely stifling a soft, happy sigh. He felt even better than she had imagined—solid, warm, and steady.
On the way, Shen Niannian remembered the two children waiting at home. It would be their first meeting; it would not do to arrive empty-handed. When they passed the supply and general goods store, she thought of the few precious banknotes she had, steeled herself, and went inside to buy a bag of sweets and a tin of preserved fruit for the children—all she could afford.
Before she could pay, however, Gu Yanzhi stepped forward and settled the bill first.
Shen Niannian felt a strange, unfamiliar hesitation. In her past life, she had always been the one reaching for her purse, always the one managing everything herself. She had grown accustomed to bearing every burden alone. To have someone step in and stand between her and the world like this… it felt surprisingly, wonderfully safe.
Gu Yanzhi turned back from the counter, and found his new bride gazing up at him with bright, limpid eyes, shining with pure delight. His heart began to race. He had always known she was lovely—but to have her look at him like that… it stirred feelings he could barely contain.
What Shen Niannian did not know was that Gu Yanzhi had seen her once before their wedding. Near the railway station, she had carried a wicker basket, quietly selling steamed buns made from mixed grains, stopping to ask every passerby if they wished to buy. She had seemed timid then, yet her eyes had burned with quiet determination. When she had approached him, he had bought two buns from her. She had carefully counted out his change, smiled with eyes bright as stars, and turned away to speak to the next person.
So when he had seen Shen Niannian again on their wedding day, he had recognized her instantly. But she, he suspected, had no memory of him at all. She had never mentioned that meeting, and clearly had long since forgotten.
Gu Yanzhi found himself smiling. How lucky it was that she was the one he had married. Just thinking of her filled his heart with a warm, gentle glow.
Meanwhile, in a house in North Third Alley, Tian Yuefang had been waiting anxiously all morning. Her son Yanzhi had married yesterday; today, as agreed, he would bring his new wife home. She had risen early and busied herself preparing an entire feast. Her daughter Gu Yanzhen stood beside her, helping with the cooking.
Gu Zhenhua worked at the textile mill and had not yet returned from his shift. Their eldest son had gone out on business, and his wife lay napping inside the house. The two little children ran and played out in the courtyard.
Gu Yanzhen added another handful of firewood to the stove, then glanced toward the east room through the window and could not help frowning.
“Mother, you spoil Eldest Brother’s wife far too much! The moment she returns, she demands whatever she wants. That apartment was allocated to you and Father by his workplace—why should she simply take it because she asks? Yanzhi has only been married one single day. Are we truly to turn the new bride out? Have you no thought how hurtful that must be for her?”
At her daughter’s words, Tian Yuefang let out a long, heavy sigh.
“What else am I to do? I know it is unfair to Yanzhi’s wife. But Eldest Brother’s wife is pregnant. She swears that if she is not given that apartment, she will end the pregnancy—and divorce your Eldest Brother!”
Gu Yanzhen felt her temper rise.
“Mother, you are far too yielding! You know perfectly well what she is like—the more you give way, the more she takes!”
Tian Yuefang slid a handful of shredded meat into the sizzling wok. Steam rose up, hiding the tears glistening in her reddened eyes. She turned the meat in silence, then drew a shaky breath and spoke, her voice thick with emotion.
“Your Eldest Brother and his wife have only just returned from the countryside. They have no work at all. Day after day, he goes about begging for any kind of work he can find, growing more worn and discouraged by the hour. Even our mill has no vacancies. And his wife… she has long had her eye on my position at the factory. Your father and I have discussed it—if things cannot be settled otherwise, we may give my post to your Eldest Brother. Anything, to keep the peace and stop her making such a fuss.”
Gu Yanzhen threw down the firewood stick in exasperation.
“Mother, Father—you are completely unfair! When I had no work, did you ever offer to give me your job? Did you? I went from door to door begging for work myself, until finally I found a temporary post at the food processing plant. And what of Yanzhi’s wife? She has no work either! Why should your post go to Eldest Brother’s wife and not to her?
“There are two daughters-in-law in this family now. If you cannot treat them both fairly, you will break Yanzhi’s wife’s heart! And think of Yanzhi—has he not suffered enough? He has taken in his late Eldest Sister’s two children to raise! If his wife had been a harsh or unkind woman… do you think his life would be anything but misery now?”
Gu Yanzhen spoke from the heart, her voice sharp with frustration. She knew how hard her brother had struggled. Their eldest sister had died young—had Yanzhi not stepped forward to care for those two little ones, they might well have ended up begging on the streets. She did not begrudge her eldest brother the love and care of their parents after his years away in the countryside. But Yanzhi deserved that same care too! He should not be loved less simply because he was an officer and earned a decent wage.
She had always been closest to Yanzhi. He had always been kind to her. She would stand by him—and she would not stand by and watch his wife be wronged.
Just then, a knock sounded at the gate. Tian Yuefang and Gu Yanzhen exchanged a look, and both faces lit up with joy.
“It’s Yanzhi and his wife!”
Dropping everything they held, they hurried together to the door.