The entire educated youth cabin was buzzing with excitement.
Seeing that he had everyone’s attention, Xiao Yi looked at Gu Zhouye and put on a magnanimous expression.
“Comrade Gu Zhouye, I understand that you’re eager to help everyone. But in this weather, whether we can even catch any prey is still up in the air.”
Lately, Xiao Yi had been feeling utterly stifled in Qingshantun. Finally getting a chance to show off, he naturally wanted to say a few more things. But just as he was about to continue, a voice cut him off.
“Shut the hell up. Stop pretending. There’s no way you’re getting any grain. Besides, you’re already married to Bai Xueying — that makes you a member of Qingshantun. Your wife isn’t going to let you starve, no matter what. Do you really think you’ll put your whole heart into helping everyone else?”
Shen Qiuqiu’s words were meant to make everyone clearly understand that the man in front of them had a safety net — and they did not.
Wang Lixia glared viciously at Shen Qiuqiu.
“Shut up! You’re just jealous of Xueying and Brother Xiao Yi. They’re trying to help us out of kindness, and here you are making snide remarks.”
Shen Qiuqiu sneered and was about to retort when Gu Zhouye took her hand and gently shook his head.
Fine. Better to listen to her husband.
After much discussion, about half of the group sided with Xiao Yi and decided to find their own food. Only Ding Rui and a few others close to Shen Qiu stuck with her.
Gu Zhouye and Shen Qiuqiu braved the wind and snow to head home.
Gu Zhouye first lit the fire. Then he secretly pulled out a dust-covered ox-horn bow from under the bed.
“An old hunter gave this to me when I first came to Qingshan Village.”
Shen Qiuqiu took the bow, delighted.
“So that’s why you’re such a good shot — someone taught you!”
Gu Zhouye smiled. He was about to speak when Shen Qiuqiu covered his mouth.
“I know what you want to say. But don’t say it. I definitely don’t regret anything. And I trust you.”
The room had warmed up by now. Gu Zhouye’s face turned red. Shen Qiuqiu mischievously pinched his cheek.
“Tell me about your past.”
“Didn’t I already?”
Truth be told, Gu Zhouye didn’t really want to talk about these things. What he wanted to do right now was something else. Not that he had been completely tamed by this woman — it was just that the mood felt right.
“Don’t gloss over it. Give me the details.”
Shen Qiuqiu lay happily in Gu Zhouye’s broad arms. People used to say that love could sustain you without food, and she’d never believed it. But now, even though her stomach was growling loudly, lying in this strong man’s arms…
She just didn’t feel hungry.
…
Gu Zhouye talked for quite a while.
Gu Zhouye’s father, Gu Hongsheng, had been a famous young master in the capital as a child. His great-grandfather was a high-ranking official in the imperial court. His grandfather later went into business and built a great fortune. His father, Gu Yunhe — that is, Gu Zhouye’s grandfather — had studied abroad in his early years, then returned to serve the country, becoming a nationally renowned scientist.
For a time, Gu Hongsheng was an ambitious young man and was engaged to a well-bred young lady from a prominent family — that young lady was Gu Zhouye’s mother. But later, Gu Hongsheng met a courtesan and became infatuated with her. He even took this courtesan abroad with him, leaving Gu Zhouye and Gu Zhouye’s mother behind. Gu Zhouye’s mother, enraged, remarried someone else.
Gu Zhouye was raised by his grandparents. But due to various circumstances, he cut ties with them, and then that incident happened. From then on, Gu Zhouye had no close family left.
By the time he finished speaking, Shen Qiuqiu was already so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open.
Gu Zhouye, as if he had finally opened the floodgates, reached out and pinched Shen Qiuqiu’s thin, bony arm.
“What about you, Shen Qiuqiu? What was your life like before?”
Shen Qiuqiu fought off her drowsiness.
“My family were both dual-income workers. I’m the third child — I have an older brother, an older sister, and a younger brother. The family had to send one person to the countryside. My older brother got married and moved out, my dad couldn’t bear to let my sister go, and my mom couldn’t bear to let my brother go, so they sent me.”
Gu Zhouye smiled. His hand moved to Shen Qiuqiu’s chest.
“Then why did you come all the way out here?”
Without thinking, Shen Qiuqiu answered directly. “I was love-stupid back then. Insisted on following Xiao Yi.”
Suddenly, she felt a tightness in her chest. The man behind her radiated heat. He bit her neck.
“If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have met you.”
Gu Zhouye lifted his head, his eyes fixed on Shen Qiuqiu. Feeling playful, Shen Qiuqiu arched her back and pushed backward. Sure enough, the man let out a low grunt.
Gu Zhouye said in a low voice.
“Shen Qiuqiu, are you asking for it again?”
…
When she woke up the next morning, Shen Qiuqiu was sore all over. Gu Zhouye had somehow gotten two sweet potatoes, still warm.
He handed one to her and muttered, “Borrowed. Hurry up and eat.”
Gu Zhouye turned to boil some water, but Shen Qiuqiu kicked his firm, lifted backside.
“Weren’t you wild enough last night? First thing in the morning and you’re shy again. Honestly, Gu Zhouye.”
When Gu Zhouye had woken up that morning, remembering what he had done the night before, he was so embarrassed he wished he could crawl into a hole in the ground.
Where had he learned all that? He just did whatever Shen Qiuqiu told him to do.
“Hurry up and eat. We’re going out after.”
Shen Qiuqiu got dressed and finished her breakfast in a few quick bites. The snow had been heavy for days, and without a truck, there was no getting into the county. So the educated youths were all holed up at home.
Only Ding Rui, a young girl, had gotten up early. She cheerfully followed Shen Qiuqiu and Gu Zhouye out hunting.
They had only one gun. Gu Zhouye left the gun with Shen Qiuqiu and took his bow deep into the forest.
Shen Qiuqiu and Ding Rui, meanwhile, broke through the ice to go fishing.
This was Ding Rui’s idea. She said to Shen Qiuqiu, “Qiuqiu, last night I asked the oldest man in the village. He told me that back in the day when there was a famine, people would go fishing in the lake.”
The lake they were at wasn’t very big, but the ice was thick. Not many fish could be seen in the water.
After setting their lines, they found a spot to dig for wild roots.
Ding Rui sighed and said to Shen Qiuqiu, “Qiuqiu, how have things been with Gu Zhouye lately?”
Shen Qiuqiu was startled. She looked at Ding Rui, curious. “Really good. Why do you ask?”
Ding Rui quietly leaned close to Shen Qiuqiu’s ear.
“I’m telling you — the other day, I saw him get a letter. He burned it before he even finished reading it. I thought, he’s your husband, so I picked up the part that didn’t burn and took a look.”
Shen Qiuqiu’s eyes went wide.
“Guess what? It was from a woman. The letter was so cringey — really mushy. Her name seems to be Bai Kerou.”
Shen Qiuqiu jolted. Her brow furrowed slightly.
She remembered. She remembered everything now. This book was also a story of a real daughter and a fake daughter. Bai Kerou was Gu Zhouye’s ex-girlfriend and also the fake daughter. And Bai Xueying in Qingshantun was the real daughter who had been lost.
In the book, Bai Kerou was a teacher at Yanjing University — extremely ruthless. Xiao Yi, by then a famous entrepreneur in the capital, had become engaged to her.
Seeing Shen Qiuqiu’s face shift through colors like a palette, Ding Rui asked with concern, “Qiuqiu?”