Qiao Yu hadn’t expected that the words she had casually spoken would be taken to heart and acted upon by him.
It would be false to say she wasn’t touched.
No wonder Gu Shaoyuan had been nowhere to be seen these past two days—he had been busy preparing the family quarters in advance.
Gu Shaoyuan observed her expression, and seeing her silent, he thought she might be dissatisfied with the arrangements.
“If you don’t like it, I can have it taken down and rearranged.”
Qiao Yu quickly replied, “No, no, I really like it.”
All of this had been specially prepared by Gu Shaoyuan for her, perfectly matching the courtyard she had envisioned.
She looked at Gu Shaoyuan, her eyes clear and bright, and praised him sincerely, “Gu Shaoyuan, you’re such a good person.”
Gu Shaoyuan was momentarily stunned, then the corners of his lips lifted imperceptibly. His mood brightened, and the fatigue of the past two days vanished instantly.
He said softly, “Let’s go inside and take a look.”
Moving further in, to the right of the main hall entrance was the kitchen, the cooking area.
The house was about thirty square meters, with the living room in the center and the dining area to the right. The dining table and chairs were already set up.
Qiao Yu’s almond-shaped eyes widened as she saw the sewing machine, women’s wristwatch, and radio on the table, all adorned with red paper.
“What are these?”
Gu Shaoyuan explained, “These are the betrothal gifts prepared for you by our Gu family. We’re still missing a bicycle, but we’ll make up for it later.”
Gu Shaoyuan had discussed it with his parents. Since he was going to marry Qiao Yu, he wanted to give her the best.
He had someone fetch the sewing machine and radio overnight, purchased at a high price. The wristwatch was personally chosen by him, the most fashionable at the time.
Gu Shaoyuan knew that Qiao Yu was a young lady from Shanghai who had seen all kinds of luxury items, but he had done his best to give her the finest he could.
This was unexpected for Qiao Yu. She hadn’t thought she would receive the “three rounds and one sound” as betrothal gifts.
For a moment, she didn’t know how to react.
Gu Shaoyuan then took out an envelope he had prepared earlier from his pocket and placed it in Qiao Yu’s hand.
“This is the betrothal money, five hundred in total.”
“And my salary is already in the metal box in the room’s drawer. It’s over a hundred each month, and I’ve saved it all for you to manage.”
Qiao Yu’s eyes lit up as she looked at the bulging envelope in her hand.
Who else would shower their spouse with money right after marriage? This marriage was definitely the right decision!
Gu Shaoyuan then took her to the main room on the left. It was furnished with basic furniture: a bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and more.
“These are all provided by the military as settling-in supplies. If anything is missing, we can go buy it.”
Qiao Yu looked at the bed in the room. It was quite large, big enough for two people to sleep in.
Wait, why was she already thinking about two people?
She stole a glance at Gu Shaoyuan’s physique, brimming with masculine hormones. It was hard not to be drawn to him.
Qiao Yu rubbed her flushed cheeks. She couldn’t stay in the room any longer.
“Take me to the second floor to see.”
The second floor only had a storage room, and outside the door was a spacious rooftop, perfect for drying quilts.
The house was spotless, clearly cleaned in advance.
Qiao Yu looked up at him and asked, “Why didn’t you call me when you came to clean the house?”
“The house had been vacant for too long, and there was too much dust and clutter. It wouldn’t have been convenient for a young lady like you to clean.”
Gu Shaoyuan pursed his lips. “I also called Yang Zhongcheng and Qian Feng. The three of us finished cleaning quickly.”
His wife was a young lady from Shanghai—how could he possibly let her do the cleaning? Unless, of course, he didn’t want to keep living with Qiao Yu.
Qiao Yu nodded. She really didn’t enjoy cleaning, and had only asked out of a sense of awkwardness.
“Should we invite everyone over for dinner tonight?”
Today was the day they had registered their marriage, so it made sense to celebrate.
Gu Shaoyuan said, “We can just invite some old acquaintances over for a meal.”
He didn’t care for overly lively gatherings.
Just then, cheerful voices sounded at the door.
Deputy Regiment Commander Li Jun and his wife, Wang Guilan, arrived with their four-year-old daughter. Wang Guilan had also brought several pounds of fruit candies wrapped in red paper as a wedding gift.
Qiao Yu accepted the candies with a smile. “Thank you, Deputy Regiment Commander Li and Sister-in-law.”
Wang Guilan laughed. “No need to be so polite! If you ever need anything in the future, just come find me!”
Li Jun, standing nearby as they chatted, couldn’t help remarking to Gu Shaoyuan, “Old Gu, no wonder you never took a liking to any of the girls on the island—you were waiting for such a beautiful sister-in-law.”
Gu Shaoyuan shot him a glance. “My wife and I had a marriage arrangement.”
Well, well—he was already calling her “my wife.” Li Jun felt that Gu Shaoyuan seemed much more approachable now than before.
While Qiao Yu was chatting with Wang Guilan, another couple entered the courtyard.
Qiao Yu didn’t recognize them and hadn’t met this couple before. She quietly asked Wang Guilan, “Sister-in-law Wang, who are they?”
Wang Guilan introduced them. “The male officer is Deputy Regiment Commander Luo Bin, the same rank as my husband. He’s in charge of logistics and equipment, while my husband assists with training and combat operations.”
“The woman beside him is his wife, Zhao Jinhua. She currently works in the cultural troupe.”
Now understanding, Qiao Yu introduced herself to them openly and warmly.
Zhao Jinhua stared fixedly at Qiao Yu, her gaze never leaving her.
Everyone had been saying that a great beauty had arrived in the family quarters, and that she was Regiment Commander Gu’s wife. Zhao Jinhua hadn’t believed it, insisting on coming with Luo Bin to congratulate Regiment Commander Gu.
Previously, Zhao Jinhua had been praised as the most beautiful woman in the family quarters.
Now, it seemed that title would have to be passed on to someone else.
Qiao Yu warmly invited them in. “Sisters-in-law, please come in and sit.”
Seeing how gentle and lovely Qiao Yu was, Zhao Jinhua couldn’t help moving a little closer to her.
“Sister Yu, you’re from Shanghai, right? City girls really do have a different air about them.”
Wang Guilan chuckled. “Jinhua, didn’t I tell you the other day that Regiment Commander Gu’s fiancée looked like a fairy? I wasn’t lying, was I?”
Qiao Yu felt a bit embarrassed by their compliments and smiled. “Sisters-in-law, you’re both very beautiful too—the prettiest sisters-in-law I’ve ever met.”
Wang Guilan and Zhao Jinhua were delighted by Qiao Yu’s words. Regiment Commander Gu’s new wife certainly had a sweet tongue.
Since they were inviting everyone for dinner that evening, the ingredients they had definitely wouldn’t be enough. Wang Guilan and Zhao Jinhua thought of taking Qiao Yu to the market to buy groceries.
Fortunately, the jeep was parked outside, and Yang Zhongcheng could serve as the driver.
Qiao Yu went inside and said to Gu Shaoyuan, “I’m going to buy groceries with the sisters-in-law.”
Gu Shaoyuan nodded and said softly, “The money is in the drawer in the room. Take it and use it.”
Qiao Yu replied, “Alright.”
Though she said so, she still took out a little money from her own savings. Buying groceries probably wouldn’t require too much.
The sisters-in-law assumed Qiao Yu, being a young lady from Shanghai, wouldn’t know how to pick out groceries at all.
To their surprise, Qiao Yu moved swiftly, selecting fish and vegetables that were clearly very fresh.
Zhao Jinhua and Wang Guilan watched in amazement.
Tonight was lively at home. Besides Deputy Regiment Commander Li and Deputy Regiment Commander Luo’s families, Gu Shaoyuan’s parents naturally came over for dinner as well.
Gu’s mother, Zhang Xiulian, specifically took Gu Ling and Liu Cuicui to pick out a red quilt, enamel washbasins and cups with the character “double happiness,” and other items.
Although Liu Cuicui felt jealous inside, she still bought a new towel with her own money.
Two days ago, she had suddenly run into her ex-husband and was scared to death, turning around and fleeing immediately.
She didn’t want to have any further entanglement with that man.
Deep down, Liu Cuicui still thought Gu Shaoyuan was better—handsome and responsible.
She began to change her strategy, thinking of pleasing Qiao Yu, hoping to become like sisters with her.
That way, she could shamelessly visit their house to see Gu Shaoyuan.