Hongguo had started it—after that, she couldn’t control what followed.
She was no match for his strength. And she couldn’t resist his soft, careful pleading. Such a capable man—how did she end up feeling he was pitiful?
She couldn’t bear to refuse him.
But it was daytime. Anyone could drop by—chatting, borrowing something. If people found out they were being intimate at home in broad daylight, it would spread through the entire village.
She still had to live here.
Heart pounding with anxiety, she turned pitiful and coaxed him instead, promising to shut the door early tonight.
Only then did Gu Changzong release her, though not before pressing a lingering kiss to her lips.
“Guoguo, these past few days, I really missed you. Every single moment.”
Her heart swelled.
She’d missed him too.
But thinking of her unease while he was away, she softly pleaded, “You shouldn’t go out to work anymore. When you’re not home, I sleep at Auntie Liu’s.”
Gu Changzong leaned down and kissed her again.
“For now, I won’t go. And if I ever have to, I’ll take you with me.”
Then he remembered something. “By the way, Wang Auntie’s family scraped together money for a house so quickly. Just digging ginseng wouldn’t be enough, right?”
He didn’t think Meng Qingdai could be that foolish.
He had just returned and didn’t know yet. Jiang Hongguo told him that Meng Qingdai had picked up a piece of gold and sold it for nearly a thousand yuan. The woodshed was barely livable, and partly out of pride, Wang Auntie had decided to build.
“We’re neighbors. Starting tomorrow, you should go help.”
Better to stay put and avoid stirring up trouble.
“Gold is that easy to cash in?” Gu Changzong sounded surprised. Suddenly, the wild ginseng he’d sold didn’t seem like much.
What is he thinking? Hongguo’s heart skipped. Don’t tell me he wants to go pick up gold too?
That absolutely wouldn’t do. First ginseng, then gold—wasn’t that inviting disaster?
She grabbed his sleeve. “You’re not allowed to secretly pick things up and sell them behind my back. Promise me. If you do, I’ll give you a reward.”
He nodded at once. “Alright. I won’t randomly pick things up. If I see anything, I’ll tell you first. Guoguo… what’s the reward?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Tonight.”
His eyes lit up.
That night felt different.
When he took the initiative and when she did—it was worlds apart. Only, Hongguo’s stamina was too weak. After a short while she protested she wanted to sleep, leaving him unsatisfied.
The next morning, she refused to sleep in. Wang Auntie’s house was laying the foundation today, and they were hosting a meal for the helpers. She and Auntie Liu were called to cook. If she were late, people would tease her again.
She noticed Changzong had put on the new cloth shoes she’d made for him.
“Why wear new shoes to do heavy work? Aren’t you afraid they’ll get dirty?”
Then she thought—shoes were meant to be worn. Besides, he had bought her leather shoes. So she put them on too.
Changzong beamed. “Guoguo, why don’t you wear the dress too?”
One pair of leather shoes had already required half a dozen explanations about where the money came from. Add the dress, and wouldn’t that spark jealousy?
She pushed him toward the door. “I get cold easily. I’ll wear the dress when it’s warmer.”
They arrived at Wang Auntie’s house one after the other. Liu Sao had sharp eyes and immediately spotted Hongguo’s leather shoes.
“Hongguo, those shoes are beautiful! Changzong bought them, didn’t he?”
Hongguo nodded shyly and deliberately complained, “He said he was going to the city to look for work. Didn’t earn a cent, and spent all the money he’d saved from odd jobs instead. Since they’re bought already, I might as well wear them and make him happy.”
Auntie Liu clucked her tongue. “He bought them for you—why scold him? You two don’t have big expenses right now. Besides, he earned the money. Such a good man—don’t nag him.”
Hongguo nodded along obediently.
Wang Auntie noticed her youngest daughter-in-law staring at Hongguo’s shoes. She thought to herself: Gu Zhishi Qingnian earned money and spent it all on Hongguo. The only new thing on him were the cloth shoes—and those were handmade. The money in her own family came from her daughter-in-law’s luck. Naturally, she should spend some on her.
Smiling broadly, she promised Meng Qingdai, “Next time, I’ll have Laosan buy you a pair too.”
Meng Qingdai lowered her head shyly. “Mom, I don’t care about things like that.”
Hongguo did care.
Kong Laosan only talked sweetly. So far, he hadn’t bought Qingdai a single thing. Instead, he bragged about her luck—maybe next time she’d pick up an antique and sell it for even more.
Behind her, Hongguo overheard Gu Changzong proudly telling someone about his cloth shoes.
“Hongguo made these for me. Before this, she only made shoes for her father. Now she made them for me. That’s different. So many people here today—I wore them out to show you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t bear to work in them.”
Her face burned red.
Whose husband didn’t wear shoes made by their wife or mother? What was there to boast about?
And yet… her heart was sweet.
I have to treat Changzong well.
…
Wang Auntie’s house went up quickly. Soon it was time for the beam-raising ceremony, complete with several banquet tables. Hongguo helped cook again.
She noticed Kong Laosan looked thinner than last month, dark circles under his eyes. He couldn’t even carry a hundred-jin load properly anymore.
With that kind of strength, could he still farm?
Meanwhile, Meng Qingdai looked rosy and radiant, always clinging shyly to Kong Laosan. People praised them as the most affectionate couple in the village. Second place, they said, went to Jiang Hongguo and Gu Changzong.
Hongguo didn’t care about rankings.
She cared about Changzong’s health.
That night, when he once again made boundless demands, she refused firmly.
“Changzong, did you see Kong Laosan’s complexion today? On his wedding day he looked so healthy. Now he looks like he just recovered from a serious illness. He must be overdoing it, just like you. Don’t rely on being stronger than him. In a few months, I’m afraid you’ll look the same.”
Gu Changzong felt wronged.
How could Kong Laosan even compare to him?
He was only relieved that men and women were different—thankfully, Guoguo wasn’t the one looking haggard.
He told her bluntly, “If you want me tired, that’d take a whole day without leaving the bed. And you don’t have that stamina.”
She shot back, “Boasting without shame. Don’t brag like that outside—you’ll be laughed at.”
He tried to prove it.
She was already exhausted.
“If you keep it up, go sleep in the next room,” she warned.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
He stopped pushing and simply held her quietly instead.
The new house was completed. Wang Auntie and her youngest son’s family moved in. Not just the two older sons—even the whole village was envious.
Soon after, Kong Laosan carried home a fourteen-inch black-and-white television from the county supply and marketing cooperative.
The first TV in the entire village.
They set up the antenna that very day. As luck would have it, the station was rebroadcasting Huo Yuanjia. Nearly everyone in the village—including Jiang Hongguo—was watching television for the first time. Wang Auntie’s spacious courtyard was packed with over a hundred adults and children. Only when the screen dissolved into snowy static did the crowd finally disperse.
Because Hongguo was on good terms with Wang Auntie’s family, she squeezed to the very front and could clearly see the fight scenes. Those at the back could only hear the sound—but even then, no one wanted to leave.
Hongguo was thrilled.
It was so good!
No wonder city folks gritted their teeth and bought a TV once they could afford it. No wonder televisions were so expensive. Even now, TV coupons were still incredibly hard to get.
If she had the money, she’d want one too.
After the crowd thinned, she and Auntie Liu finally left, both flushed and excited. Huo Yuanjia was amazing. They agreed to come back the next evening.
Seeing how much she liked it, Gu Changzong said, “Guoguo, if you like it, we’ll buy one ourselves.”
Wang Auntie’s TV had cost 450 yuan. Even in the city, few households had one—let alone in the countryside.
How would they explain the money?
Even if they scraped it together, wouldn’t people be jealous?
Truthfully, Hongguo was worried for Meng Qingdai. She couldn’t control other families—but she could control Changzong.
She immediately said, “I don’t like watching TV that much. And you’re not allowed to find crooked ways to make money to buy one. I’ll be angry.”
The next evening, she didn’t go to Wang Auntie’s to watch, proving her resolve.
But by the third night, she couldn’t resist and went again with Auntie Liu. She watched until she didn’t want to leave.
After the first run of Huo Yuanjia finished, Wang Auntie stopped moving the TV into the courtyard. She said it disturbed their rest—which was true. With that many people every night, how could they sleep?
But Kong Laosan looked visibly more energetic.
Since only their family had a TV, even if adults didn’t go, some children still sneaked over. Before long, the children blurted out that Wang Auntie’s kitchen always smelled delicious. They had malted milk powder at home, and soft, fragrant egg cakes.
With such conditions, people began guessing that Meng Qingdai had found a gold mine—or some hidden treasure. Otherwise, how could their money seem endless?
Even Auntie Liu started to believe it. She wasn’t as close to Wang Auntie anymore and whispered to Hongguo:
“I asked Wang Auntie if her youngest daughter-in-law found treasure. Back then I was the one who told her to keep things quiet. Now she won’t even tell me. Fine, if she won’t say it, so be it. I’m not trying to take advantage. But when she couldn’t even borrow five yuan, wasn’t it me who borrowed it from you for her? Now that she’s a bit wealthy, she looks down on everyone.”
What could Hongguo say?
She could only murmur agreement.
And worry more for Meng Qingdai.
Sure enough, before the autumn harvest even began, something happened.
Meng Qingdai went to the county with Kong Laosan. Only Kong Laosan returned.
He was devastated, saying they had been kidnapped. Qingdai had held off the attackers to let him escape. He’d already reported it to the police, but didn’t know if they could rescue her.
Wang Auntie cried until she fainted several times.
Auntie Liu immediately forgot all past grievances and stayed with her day and night, weeping alongside her.
The village head organized strong young men to form search teams and go to the county.
Gu Changzong was assigned as well.
If kidnappers could seize both Kong Laosan and Meng Qingdai, there must have been several of them—and they must have been ruthless.
Hongguo gave Changzong the military knife her father had left her for protection.
“Stay with the others. Don’t be alone,” she urged.
He tucked the knife into his pocket and suddenly asked, “Guoguo, do you hope Meng Qingdai lives—or would it be better if she just died?”
What kind of question was that?
Meng Qingdai had sacrificed so much for Kong Laosan, endured so much jealousy. Why should she die?
Why would Changzong think like that?
“Of course I hope she lives!” Hongguo blurted.
He didn’t argue.
Privately, he thought Meng Qingdai was foolish and deserved it. But since Guoguo hoped she lived… then they’d see. If they found her.
After two or three days, most of the villagers returned.
Aside from Wang Auntie’s three sons, Changzong, and Uncle Yang from Auntie Liu’s family, everyone else had given up.