So much money.
Jiang Hongguo was happy.
Grandma’s students had owed antiques—yet what Changzong brought back was cash.
How had he done it?
She was both happy and worried. He had gone out for only one day, handled everything, and returned.
He was far too capable.
“I’m happy. But… how did you collect it?”
Gu Changzong was afraid she would be hungry, so he handed her a steaming meat bun. He said the matter of the IOUs had gone smoothly.
Once he produced the IOUs, Grandma’s former students panicked as if the sky had fallen. At first, they bluffed like paper tigers, trying to intimidate him. When that failed, they set up a banquet, begging for more time.
He ignored them and said he would take the IOUs to the police station.
That frightened them thoroughly. They said the antiques had already been sold and would convert everything into cash for him.
“They jointly opened an antique shop on Antique Street. They really do have money on hand. Twelve thousand—just like that, they took it out.”
They probably had never imagined Grandma would one day be rehabilitated, so they had simply treated the antiques they were supposed to safeguard as their own. In the past two years, they had dabbled in all kinds of business.
But was the antique trade really that profitable?
And if collecting the debts had gone so smoothly, why hadn’t he returned last night?
He had been back at the hotel by seven. The first bus wouldn’t have been that early. Hongguo had no idea what time he had returned—or how.
So how exactly had he come back?
“Changzong… how did you get back?”
Gu Changzong replied, “Guoguo, I walked back.”
He said it in the most ordinary tone, as though walking one hundred and forty kilometers was something entirely normal.
“It went smoothly. As soon as I left with the money, I noticed I was being followed in shifts. I couldn’t risk going to the station—I didn’t know how many of their people were there. So I chose to walk back. As long as no one was behind me, it meant I’d shaken off all suspicion. I changed clothes halfway, washed off the clay from my face. No one would know it was me.”
Jiang Hongguo’s heart lurched violently.
She took small bites of her wonton, gripping the spoon tightly to keep it from trembling.
Her father had once told her that when he was in the army, forced marches were ten kilometers an hour. You could maintain that speed, but not for long—your stamina couldn’t sustain it.
From the provincial capital to the city was one hundred and forty kilometers.
For Changzong to walk back in one night—that meant jogging speed.
Marching urgently for more than ten hours straight.
How could that possibly be normal?
Jiang Hongguo’s hands stopped shaking.
Whether Changzong was human or not didn’t matter.
She already liked him.
It didn’t matter.
She would help him conceal it.
After all, he had walked the entire night. Her heart ached for him. She set down her bowl and gently squeezed his legs.
“Then… are you tired? Should we rest a day before going back?”
It had only been one night of walking. Even if he had been a little tired, being cared for like this by Hongguo made him feel no fatigue at all.
All his strength seemed to return instantly. He didn’t even feel like eating anymore. He picked her up and kissed her.
“Not tired at all.”
Hongguo’s face flushed red.
No wonder he never seemed exhausted at night, always unsatisfied.
In the future, she absolutely would not feel sorry for him in that regard.
She handed him the ultrasound report.
“Changzong, look. The baby is very healthy. Just a bit small.”
Gu Changzong glanced at it and put it down.
“This little one is considerate of you. Guoguo, don’t worry. He’ll grow stronger than other children.”
So Changzong was confident the baby was healthy.
He also knew his child would not be ordinary.
Right? Jiang Hongguo thought silently.
Gu Changzong gathered up the personal items scattered in the bathroom and prepared to check out. Jiang Hongguo packed the clothes laid out on the bed.
From the inner pocket of the formal jacket he had changed out of, an IOU peeked out.
She pulled it free and glanced at it.
It belonged to one of Grandma’s students, surnamed Sun.
“Changzong, there’s still one IOU. Did you forget?”
Gu Changzong leaned over to look, scratching his head.
“I forgot to mention it when I saw how happy you were. This one’s a bit different. I didn’t really want to collect from her. Take a look. If you think we should, I’ll go again.”
They had already alerted people this time and had to walk back overnight.
Jiang Hongguo didn’t want him taking risks again.
But what did he mean by “different”?
She saw that he had already pushed the matter out of his mind and didn’t want to emphasize it.
She trusted his judgment.
Besides, the IOU had been stuffed casually into his pocket. It probably wasn’t the kind of “different” she was imagining.
“It’s fine. I’ll keep this IOU. Let’s go home.”
While checking out, someone happened to be checking in.
Once they walked outside, Gu Changzong said quietly,
“Guoguo, that man just now—he was one of the ones tailing me yesterday. Grandma’s students who were corrupted by money really did suspect us. You were clever to prepare in advance. Listening to you was the right choice.”
Jiang Hongguo resisted the urge to turn around.
So they truly had suspected her and Changzong regarding the IOUs’ whereabouts. Perhaps someone had even gone to investigate at her step-grandfather’s house.
She was grateful her needless worrying had hit the mark.
Let them investigate the hospital and the hotel all they wanted. Changzong had never left the city.
…
After returning to the village, Jiang Hongguo brought some pastries from the city to Aunt Liu’s family.
Aunt Liu was so pleased she nearly forgot something important.
“Oh right—yesterday there was a call from the provincial capital asking whether Changzong was here. The village chief said he’d gone to the city with you for a prenatal checkup. They didn’t leave a return number. Was it your step-grandfather’s family? What could they want? Haven’t the inheritance matters already been settled? Why are they still calling?”
“I don’t know. We’ll ask next time we go to the provincial capital. They’re the ones looking for us—we’re not in a hurry.”
Jiang Hongguo didn’t think it had been her step-grandfather’s family.
Even if it was, someone had probably instructed them to make the call—just to see whether she and Changzong were home.
Fortunately, her excessive caution had paid off.
This trip had been handled cleanly.
The previous eight thousand yuan had been placed in a one-year fixed deposit. This twelve thousand, however, she didn’t dare deposit—what if someone noticed?
Better to keep it at home for now.
The purple jade grape on the bedside table also didn’t dare be displayed openly.
She took out the one IOU they hadn’t collected and looked at it again and again.
Changzong was usually the least sentimental person.
So why hadn’t he collected hers?
Jiang Hongguo shook her head.
Changzong treated her so well and trusted her so completely.
She must give him one hundred percent trust in return.
She was still three or four months away from her due date.
Gu Changzong said he wanted to follow a transport convoy for a while, travel around, and see which businesses were promising in several larger cities.
Jiang Hongguo didn’t want him to go.
They could speak to Aunt Liu and resume selling shaobing.
Gu Changzong said,
“Guoguo, Aunt Liu’s family has occupied the stall for two months already. When we came back after the New Year, she mentioned it once, but never brought it up again. If we take it back now, your decades of neighborly ties will likely end. If you think that’s not how things should be, I can reclaim it. But if we do, will we truly go back to selling shaobing? It might be better to transfer the stall to her family, collect a transfer fee, and keep some goodwill.”
He was right.
If her father were still alive, he would have advised the same.
But Jiang Hongguo still felt uncomfortable.
Since her father’s time, her family and Uncle Yang’s had been close. Aunt Liu could be calculating, but she had been a decent neighbor to her.
She had repaid that—she had taken Aunt Liu to the county to set up a stall.
So why was Aunt Liu now eyeing her family’s stall?
That was taking a mile after being given an inch.
“Fine then. You go talk to Uncle Yang. I don’t want to talk to Aunt Liu.”
Gu Changzong patted her head.
“Guoguo, you’re the best. Aunt Liu has no fortune to lose such a good neighbor.”
Warmth spread through Jiang Hongguo’s heart.
To her, Changzong was the person who treated her best—second only to her father.
Gu Changzong went to speak with Uncle Yang about transferring the stall.
He said Hongguo’s belly was big now, and in a few months she would give birth. It wasn’t suitable for her to run a stall anymore. After the baby came, they might not return to selling shaobing.
Uncle Yang was certainly willing. He said he would discuss it with Aunt Liu and give an answer within a day.
He carried home some freshly bought meat. Since setting up the stall, their life had become much more comfortable. Buying meat was no longer something they hesitated over.
Old Yang told his wife,
“I ran into Changzong while buying meat. He and Hongguo have decided not to run the shaobing stall anymore. He asked whether we want to take it over. Four hundred yuan transfer fee. I think it’s fair. I said I’d come home and discuss it before replying.”
Aunt Liu was both shocked and delighted.
“Why didn’t Hongguo tell me?”
Old Yang said, “If she told you, you’d bargain. Changzong said another two hundred needs to go to the management office to smooth things over. Six hundred total. If you want it, you take it. No bargaining.”
Aunt Liu’s heart ached.
“Then wouldn’t everything we earned these past two months—and before the New Year—just go straight to Hongguo?”
Not quite.
In these two months selling fried dough twists at Hongguo’s stall, they had made over four hundred yuan. Adding last year’s savings, they could manage six hundred.
Old Yang said, “If you think it’s too expensive, I’ll refuse and tell Changzong we’re not taking it.”
“How can we not take it? Without Changzong smoothing things over, do you think our family could rent such a good spot from the management office?”
Old Yang laughed.
“Then why say all those sour, pointless words?”
So when she saw Gu Changzong come in, Aunt Liu hurriedly brought over the six hundred yuan.
Gu Changzong went to the management office, slipped over the money, greeted the right people, and told Aunt Liu she could set up her stall without worry.
Aunt Liu was full of thanks.
Yet she couldn’t help worrying about Jiang Hongguo and Gu Changzong.
“They’re just living off what they have. And they don’t seem anxious at all.”
Old Yang told his wife to mind her own business.
“If they can walk away from a sesame pancake stall that makes that much money, it means they don’t even care about it. If they really wanted to work, they’ve got businesses that earn way more than that stall. The young couple just isn’t in a hurry.”
After her initial confusion, Aunt Liu realized her husband was right—and couldn’t help feeling envious.
“Hongguo really… I don’t even know what to say about her. She lost her mother young, but her dad treated her so well. He never remarried, just afraid she’d suffer under a stepmother. He even picked her a city educated youth to marry. They were married barely over a year, and she inherited the estate. Changzong dotes on her like crazy too. Why doesn’t my daughter have that kind of luck?”
Old Yang knew Jiang Hongguo was repaying the goodwill from when both families were still on good terms. With this stall transfer, all debts of favor were settled.
When everyone was poor together, it was easy to stay close. But as Hongguo’s family prospered, his wife’s tongue grew sharper and more bitter. Even if Hongguo started an even more profitable business in the future, she probably wouldn’t bring along an auntie who gossiped and twisted herself in knots over everything.
After Jiang Hongguo transferred the stall to Aunt Liu’s family, Aunt Liu treated her a little better—but Hongguo’s heart no longer stirred.