Gu Fangbai had seriously reflected.
The “Xiangxue content” in their previous conversations was indeed excessively high.
Although she and Chu Yu came together because of Xiangxue,
their marriage was real, and she should adopt the right attitude and manage it earnestly.
Especially for this date—compared to Chu Yu’s anticipation and careful preparation, she had indeed been much more perfunctory.
Therefore, for the rest of the time, she would try to focus her attention on each other…
“…Want some soda?” As soon as they settled into the wooden flip-down seats in the balcony, Chu Yu pulled a glass bottle from his bag.
“Yes.” Gu Fangbai reached out to take it.
Chu Yu pulled it back: “Don’t rush, I’ll open it for you.”
The cinema was dimly lit. Before Gu Fangbai could see clearly, she heard a faint sound of the bottle cap being opened.
“Done. It’s orange flavor.”
Gu Fangbai reached out again: “What are you drinking?”
Chu Yu chuckled softly: “I have another bottle here, white lemon flavor.”
Seeing him indeed pull another glass bottle from his bag, Gu Fangbai leaned over curiously: “How did you open it just now?”
Her glossy black braid, smooth as silk, unexpectedly brushed lightly against the skin of Chu Yu’s forearm. In that instant, a fuzzy, tingling sensation seemed to ignite a fire in his bloodstream, spreading rapidly like lightning.
Along with it came a faint, warm fragrance carrying her body heat.
At that moment, Chu Yu stiffened almost like wood, unsure where to place his hands and feet.
Completely unaware of anything amiss, Gu Fangbai asked again when he didn’t respond: “How did you open it just now? With your teeth?”
Chu Yu glanced at the girl who had moved even closer, subtly relaxed his muscles, and replied gently: “Used the seat.”
Gu Fangbai understood: “Can I see?” She had seen it in videos before but never in real life.
“Sure.” To satisfy his partner’s curiosity, Chu Yu first explained the method, then wedged the edge of the cap against the seat surface. With a quick twist of his hand, the cap popped off effortlessly in the blink of an eye.
The principle wasn’t difficult, but Gu Fangbai felt she couldn’t do it—neither the speed nor the strength. So, she gave the man beside her a thumbs-up: “Impressive.”
Chu Yu’s lips curled upward uncontrollably. Though clearly pleased by the praise, he modestly said: “It’s not hard. Next time, I’ll open one for you using chopsticks.”
Is this… a peacock showing off? Gu Fangbai suppressed a laugh: “…Alright!”
Only when he detected the laughter in his partner’s voice did Chu Yu belatedly realize what a silly thing he had just done. He raised a hand to cover his face, and after a moment, as if resigning himself, pulled a packet of pastries from his bag and handed it to the snickering girl beside him: “Want some?”
“…Yes.”
Gu Fangbai hadn’t held high hopes for the era’s movies and thought time would drag.
But once she immersed herself in the plot, she found this film called “Tunnel Warfare” quite thrilling.
She wasn’t the only one who thought so. When they left the theater after the show, most of the other audience members were chattering excitedly about the story.
“Haven’t seen it before?” Seeing how visibly excited his partner was, Chu Yu found it amusing.
“I have, but it’s still great to watch again.” In her memories, her original self had indeed seen it, but she hadn’t: “You must have seen it too, right?”
“Hmm, the army often organizes movie screenings.” Chu Yu pinched out the mosquito coil and wrapped the remaining part in oiled paper. “It’s almost 11 o’clock. Are you hungry? Should we go eat first?”
Gu Fangbai looked up helplessly. “You’ve been feeding me biscuits and sponge cakes earlier—I’m not hungry at all now.” During the movie, she hadn’t paid attention while snacking, and the consequence was feeling full after the film ended.
Feeding… Chu Yu was amused by his partner’s choice of words. “Then shall we go take photos first?”
Fang Bai had no objection to either taking photos or strolling in the park, but… “Let’s go to the restaurant instead. You must be hungry—you barely ate anything earlier.”
Touched by her concern, Chu Yu’s eyes unconsciously curved into a smile. “I’m not very hungry either. We can eat later. How about we take a walk first to help digest?”
“Alright, there happens to be a park nearby.”
“……”
=
The freshly minted couple spent the entire day out enjoying themselves.
The more fun they had that day, the more miserable work felt the next morning.
Gu Fangbai stared blankly at the tasks assigned to her, feeling as if her soul had floated out through her gaping mouth.
So much work—the boss was truly being inhuman!!!
“…I’m telling you, the editorial office should hire more people. Look at us now—with just Editor Wang away on business, we have to work until midnight.” Hu Yaoying flipped through papers vigorously, teetering on the edge of irritation.
That sounded terrifying. Fang Bai absolutely didn’t want to work overtime until midnight—she still had to wake up early tomorrow. She immediately straightened her posture, patted her cheeks, and tried to cheer herself up. “No use complaining. Let’s do our best. Things will ease up once Editor Wang returns.”
Hu Yaoying understood the logic, but she couldn’t help envying the colleague on business travel. Unscrewing her fountain pen, she muttered, “Next time, I’m applying for a business trip too. You should come as well, Fang Bai. We can take turns—why should we always be the ones stuck here suffering?”
Fang Bai didn’t dare respond to that, since she would be resigning in at most another week despite the busyness.
Remembering this, she lightly tapped her forehead and went to see the editor-in-chief.
“Where did you go? Did you see that? The editor-in-chief’s eyes nearly popped out just now.” Hu Yaoying asked curiously, watching her colleague hurry off and return swiftly.
Fang Bai handed over the document she had just obtained.
“What is it? So mysterious… Hiss…” Ma… Marriage application? Recognizing the content on the paper, Hu Yaoying gasped sharply.
Fang Bai cut in timely, “Hold your questions for now. We’ll talk during lunch.”
With that one sentence, countless inquiries were choked back in Hu Yaoying’s throat. Though she desperately wanted to get to the bottom of it immediately, she was even more aware of how many people were watching Fang Bai. No matter how curious she was, she had to suppress it fiercely and bury herself in work.
But… she was burning with impatience! What kind of man could possibly be worthy of Fang Bai?!
=
“Tell me! Who is he?”
Finally making it to lunch break, Hu Yaoying swiftly got their meals, pulled her colleague to a secluded corner, and settled in.
Fang Bai opened a jar and placed it between them. As the weather grew hotter, the aunt had prepared stir-fried salted vegetables with cured meat that would keep better. She urged Yaoying, “Eat more. It’ll spoil by tomorrow if we don’t finish it.”
Hu Yaoying picked up the bottle, used clean chopsticks to scoop some into her own bowl, then continued pressing: “Hurry up and tell me, what does that man do? When did you meet him?”
Since the marriage application had already been signed by superiors with the editor-in-chief’s help and approved by the military, there was no need to keep hiding it from her friend. So Gu Fangbai replied directly: “You’ve met him before – that ‘cousin’ who came looking for me a few days ago.”
Hu Yaoying bit her chopsticks, confused for a moment before understanding dawned: “So that man wasn’t your cousin? He’s actually your boyfriend?”
Gu Fangbai revealed a sly smile: “I never said he was my cousin.”
“But you didn’t explain either!” Hu Yaoying gritted her teeth, then soon sighed: “Actually, being too beautiful isn’t good either – there are too many bad people who’d set their sights on you. It’s right for you to be cautious… But your boyfriend is really handsome. In terms of appearance… he barely matches our great beauty Gu.”
Gu Fangbai laughed: “You certainly think highly of me.”
“Hehehe, we’re friends after all, of course I should side with you… By the way, what does your boyfriend do?”
“He’s a soldier.”
“A soldier?” Hu Yaoying recalled the man’s imposing manner and suddenly had a bad feeling: “He’s an officer, isn’t he?”
“Mm, Zhengying (battalion commander).”
Oh no… Hu Yaoying felt like crying. Thinking about the workload that was crushing her, the plump girl hugged herself in distress: “You… you’re not going for Sui Jun (accompanying the military), are you?”
Gu Fangbai showed a sympathetic smile: “Yes, I’ll be Sui Jun next week.”
Like a bolt from the blue! Hu Yaoying covered her chest, feeling like the meat in her mouth had lost its flavor…
Gu Fangbai was amused and reached out to pat her: “The editor-in-chief will definitely add more staff. Is it really that bad?”
“How could it not be? Don’t new people need time to adjust?” After retorting, Hu Yaoying sighed again: “Mainly I’ll miss you. Who knows how many years it’ll be before we meet again.”
Hearing this, Gu Fangbai also felt somewhat sad. Although they hadn’t known each other long, she had grown quite fond of Yaoying.
But nothing was more important than repaying her grandmother, so she could only comfort her: “My uncle and aunt are both in Su Shi. I’ll definitely come back to visit relatives later, and I’ll look for you then.”
“But travel is so slow these days…”
“Then we’ll write letters. I’ll leave you my address.”
That would have to do… A friend getting married was a happy occasion, especially since the other party was a young and promising military officer. Hu Yaoying quickly suppressed her reluctance and offered sincere congratulations, asking about the wedding date.
Gu Fangbai didn’t mention the Chu family’s situation: “We won’t be holding a banquet in Su Shi. Too many people are watching me.”
“That’s true…” Although her friend wasn’t holding a banquet, Hu Yaoying began considering what wedding gift to give, then remembered something she had forgotten.
She put down her bowl and chopsticks, pulling out a small stack of coupons from her pocket: “Here, the ones you asked me to help exchange a few days ago. They’re all valid nationwide.”
Gu Fangbai took them and found that besides grain coupons, there were several industrial vouchers. Combined with what she had exchanged from others, this should make Xiangxue’s life much more comfortable in the Honghe Brigade…
=
Tuesday, 8:05 AM.
It was time for the Educated Youth to depart.
To be safe, the Chu siblings arrived at the platform around 6:30 in the morning – more than an hour early.
As for Gu Fangbai, because her workload had been too heavy the previous day, by the time she finished, it was already past 11 p.m., forcing her to wake up early today to rush to the train station.
Chu Xiangxue knew her sister-in-law would come to see her off, so after arriving at the station, she kept glancing toward the entrance from time to time.
When the clock finally struck 7:30, she spotted the familiar figure she’d been waiting for. Just as she was about to wave, her peripheral vision caught another figure darting out at lightning speed—whoosh!
What was that?
Chu Xiangxue focused her eyes and, goodness, it was her eldest brother.
On the other side.
Chu Yu quickly made his way to his sweetheart’s side. Using his height to his advantage, he shielded her, keeping the jostling passengers at bay before asking with concern, “Have you had breakfast yet?”
“Not yet. What about you?” The newspaper office was quite far from the train station—about a two-hour ride—and in her rush this morning, Gu Fangbai truly hadn’t had time to eat.
Chu Yu: “We’ve eaten. I brought you some sponge cake. Would you like to have some later to tide you over?”
Though it was only a little past 7 a.m., the train station was already bustling with people. The summer heat mingled with the warmth of the crowd, creating an unpleasant odor in the air that left Gu Fangbai with no appetite. Still, she didn’t reject her sweetheart’s thoughtful gesture: “Alright.”
“Fang Bai! I was worried you wouldn’t make it.” Chu Xiangxue had to keep an eye on the luggage and couldn’t move freely. Once her brother finally managed to escort her sister-in-law through the crowd, she happily hurried over.
“Don’t worry. I promised to see you off—I wouldn’t go back on my word.” Gu Fangbai looked Xiangxue up and down. Today, she was wearing a somewhat faded gray shirt paired with loose black trousers and plain black cloth shoes, giving her a rather dull appearance overall. “This looks good. What did you put on your face? Your complexion has darkened quite a bit.”
Chu Xiangxue touched her cheek: “Big brother gave me some ointment. He said it would be safer this way… It can be washed off with water.”
Gu Fangbai shot an approving glance at the man beside her: “Your brother did the right thing.”
A smile tugged at Chu Yu’s lips as he couldn’t resist raising his hand to ruffle his sweetheart’s hair.
Chu Xiangxue’s eyes widened in surprise before quickly crinkling into lovely crescent moons… Oh my, it seemed big brother and Fang Bai were getting along quite well! The previous awkwardness and stiffness were noticeably gone—was it because of their date the day before yesterday?
But they really were such a perfect match. For some reason, just seeing them standing together made her heart feel all soft and sweet.
Completely unaware of Xiangxue’s delight in shipping them as a couple, Gu Fangbai lowered her head and rummaged through her bag, pulling out an envelope: “Take this. I exchanged these ration coupons for you.”
“Ah? For me?” Looking at the envelope pressed into her palm, then at her old classmate, Chu Xiangxue was momentarily stunned.
Gu Fangbai: “Mm. They’re mostly national grain coupons, with some industrial vouchers mixed in. You probably won’t use up all the grain coupons—once you get there, you can trade them with the other Educated Youth for different types of coupons.”
Coming back to her senses, Chu Xiangxue shook her head repeatedly, pushing the envelope back while protesting urgently, “How can I take your coupons? I’m not short on coupons—big brother has already prepared everything for me.”
How much could he possibly have prepared? The coupons Chu Yu had were likely nearly exhausted after asking the elderly lady to help purchase supplies from various places. Gu Fangbai firmly shoved the envelope back into her hands: “Your brother is your brother, and I am me. These are a token of my affection as your sister-in-law.”
Chu Xiangxue still didn’t want to accept it. After all, everyone was short on ration coupons these days. If Sister-in-law gave these to her, how would she manage later? Thinking this, she looked helplessly at her elder brother.
Chu Yu: “Keep them. I know about this—your sister-in-law went through many contacts to exchange for these.”
Gu Fangbai: “Your brother is right. Take them quickly.”
With things put this way, and since Chu Xiangxue was never good at back-and-forth refusals, she could only express sincere thanks before carefully tucking them into her inner pocket.
Seeing this, Gu Fangbai stepped forward to check, making sure the pocket was secure, then added with concern: “I’ve heard farming is very tough. When you get there, don’t just bury your head in work foolishly—do what you can. We don’t depend on work points to survive…”
If possible, she would have preferred to personally see Xiangxue off to the Honghe Brigade. Unfortunately, travel was too difficult nowadays. Without proper justification, it was impossible to obtain an introduction letter.
All she could do was repeat every piece of advice she could think of, over and over…
After all, the 23-year-old Chu Xiangxue was far too naive, completely different from the wise and perceptive elderly woman she remembered.
Of course, if possible, Gu Fangbai hoped Xiangxue could forever maintain her innocence and passion.
Because the Chu Xiangxue of later years had endured far too much suffering before growing into the person she remembered.
Chu Yu had been standing protectively beside his sweetheart and younger sister, listening quietly to their conversation, his heart melting with tenderness.
Only when the two girls paused did he add: “Your sister-in-law is right. Do what you can in the fields, but don’t push yourself too hard… And regarding Mom and Dad, remember what I said—don’t act recklessly alone. Not only would it fail to help, it might implicate them.”
“I understand…”
=
The train was only a few minutes late today.
Before the hands on her watch even reached 8:10, the familiar long whistle echoed through the platform.
What followed was disembarking, boarding, noise, and crowding…
There were too many people. Chu Yu had his sweetheart wait below while he carried the luggage to see his sister onto the train.
But Gu Fangbai didn’t stay put. She hurried along the platform, searching for Xiangxue’s carriage.
It was less crowded outside, so she moved faster. She waited several minutes outside the corresponding carriage before spotting familiar figures, then quickly approached the window to wave at them.
Chu Yu frowned: “Fang Bai, step back a bit. Don’t fall off the platform.”
Gu Fangbai was being careful, but seeing her sweetheart’s stern expression, she obediently took two steps back.
Chu Xiangxue pressed against the window, making playful faces at her old classmate: “My brother can be a bit fierce sometimes, but he’s most afraid of women crying. Next time he dares to scold you, Fang Bai, just cry—make him panic!”
“Stop with the mischievous ideas.” After storing the luggage on the overhead rack, Chu Yu turned his back to his sister. Was he really afraid of women crying? He only feared his mother’s and sister’s tears… and now Fang Bai’s as well.
“Ouch…” Chu Xiangxue rubbed the back of her head. Her brother hadn’t held back much strength that time—it hurt enough to bring tears to her eyes. “Chu Yu! Why so rough? Are you slaughtering New Year’s pigs? That hurts! Careful, or I’ll turn Fang Bai against you!”
Chu Yu snorted coldly. He wanted to say “As if I’m scared,” but remembering how much his sweetheart valued the troublesome girl, he changed his words: “Why do you talk so much? Just sit still.”
After scolding his sister, he didn’t rush to leave but instead chatted with the passengers sitting nearby.
Chu Yu didn’t explicitly ask others to take care of Xiangxue but used the opportunity to break the ice among them.
Once people become familiar with each other and are all heading to the same place, they naturally stick together for support during the rest of the journey.
Especially since he had deliberately worn the four-pocket Jun Zhuang today, which symbolized his status as a cadre. The public naturally held a favorable impression of military personnel, and even out of respect for the uniform, they would treat Xiangxue a little better.
After everyone had warmed up to each other, Chu Yu went to find the train attendant, handing over two packs of cigarettes and asking him to keep an eye on things during the journey.
It could be said that, for his sister’s safety, her brother had considered every possible angle.
The train only stopped for ten minutes.
No matter how worried Chu Yu was, he still had to get off.
Then, together with Fang Bai, he stood on the platform, waving to the girl who was leaning against the window, tears streaming down her face once again.
Only when the train had moved far into the distance and was completely out of sight did Gu Fangbai lift her hand to wipe the corner of her eye. “Why didn’t you buy sleeper tickets?”
Chu Yu hadn’t brought a handkerchief today, so he could only raise his hand and use his fingertip to wipe away his partner’s tears, his tone resigned. “We’ll see each other in a couple of months. Why are you crying again?”
Gu Fangbai blinked, took a few deep breaths, and successfully held back her tears before saying, “It’s the atmosphere—so many people were crying…”
It was all the influence of parting sorrow. Moreover, compared to sadness, she was more worried, especially since the journey alone would take four or five days. “Will it be hard seats all the way to the north?”
Chu Yu gently guided her as they walked out. “We have to transfer in Shanghai. After that, we’ll switch to sleeper berths. Don’t worry, the Educated Youth office has everything arranged.”
Transferring was still troublesome, but no matter how uneasy she felt, there was nothing to be done—the girl had already set off. Gu Fangbai could only suppress her anxiety. “I need to get back to work.”
“I’ll walk you.”
“Okay… By the way, does Fang Zhifan know about Xiangxue going to the countryside to support the construction?”
Mentioning Fang Zhifan, Chu Yu frowned. “He probably doesn’t know.”
Gu Fangbai was curious. “So, did he still go to pick up Xiangxue this morning?”
Whether he went or not, Chu Yu snorted coldly. “This afternoon, I’ll talk to Uncle Fang about calling off the engagement.”
Gu Fangbai agreed with this. “The sooner it’s called off, the better… He won’t try to track Xiangxue down in the countryside, will he?”
“He won’t.”
Gu Fangbai was surprised. “So sure?”
Chu Yu explained, “I asked someone to keep Xiangxue’s rural address confidential. It shouldn’t be easy to find out in a short time. Later, I’ll talk to Fang Zhifan. He may be cunning, but he’s also cautious.”
Even so, Gu Fangbai was still a little worried. “What if he tries something underhanded, like writing a report letter or planting banned books at home?”
“You’ve thought this through quite carefully…” Chu Yu couldn’t resist reaching out to ruffle the girl’s hair beside him.
Gu Fangbai raised her hand to smooth her hair, exasperated. “If it gets messed up, I’ll have to re-braid it.”
Chu Yu coughed lightly, his fingers itching to try. “Want me to braid it for you?”
Gu Fangbai was skeptical. “You know how?”
Chu Yu shook his head honestly. “I could learn.”
Better not—she didn’t want him fumbling and pulling her scalp. So, Gu Fangbai steered the conversation back to the previous topic. “Fang Zhifan won’t try any tricks behind our backs, will he?”
Chu Yu reassured her: “That might be possible before we get married. After we’re married, my political class status will improve. Not only will those petty tactics become ineffective, but they’d also completely burn bridges with me. Someone named Fang wouldn’t do something that costs more than it gains—he’ll probably find another target instead.” That would be the perfect opportunity for him to gather solid evidence and strike them down.
Elder Brother Chu’s reasoning was sound and logical, so Gu Fangbai felt somewhat relieved: “I…”
“The bus is here, let’s get on first.”
There were no empty seats on the bus. Chu Yu followed behind his partner, making sure they stood securely in the aisle before asking: “What were you going to say earlier?”
Gu Fangbai: “I’ve already started handing over my work duties. Do you think we should buy some wedding candies to distribute to everyone?”
Upon hearing about the wedding preparations, Chu Yu turned to look at the girl beside him and replied with a smile: “No need to buy any. I’ve already prepared both candies and wedding cakes.”
Although they hadn’t known each other long, Gu Fangbai had already noticed how thorough this person was, so his answer didn’t surprise her much: “We’ll be passing by your place on the way to the newspaper office. Should we go pick them up?”
Chu Yu thought for a moment, then finally shook his head: “Let’s wait until after we get our marriage certificate. We can deliver them to familiar households together then.”
Gu Fangbai was momentarily stunned… That’s right, she was getting married tomorrow.
Author’s Note: Still desperately seeking favorites!! [Heart][Heart][Heart] Please leave comments!! Please give nutrient solutions!!! This chapter will randomly drop one hundred red envelopes, mwah! [Covering face peeking](╯3╰)
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Recommending my bestie’s super amazing novel [Heart][Heart]:
Title: “The Sweet Daily Life of a Peerless Beauty in a Period Novel” by Ci Tang, Book ID: 9122662
Synopsis: Feng Man transmigrated into a period novel, immediately facing the tragic situation of being schemed against by her biological father and stepmother. To protect herself, she remembered the tall, handsome, upright, kind, honest, reliable neighbor with both car and house mentioned in the book – her fiancé.
Just as she was about to be sold by her father and stepmother for 1000 yuan to the local bully, Feng Man saw her neighbor appear driving a small truck. The man stood at 188cm with striking eyebrows and bright eyes, ruggedly handsome and imposing – truly deserving of the description “tall and handsome”. With her imminent forced marriage to the bully approaching, Feng Man hardened her heart and climbed onto her fiancé’s small truck, heading south with him.
Her fiancé had unlimited prospects and impeccable character – completely a potential stock. Feng Man waited for him to make his fortune so she could retire early.
But only after marriage did Feng Man realize her understanding of this era was vastly different. “Tall” actually meant 170cm, “handsome” actually meant an honest square face, “having a car” actually meant driving a tractor, and “neighbor” actually meant the neighbor on the right, not the left…
Feng Man: QAQ
She had mistaken the person! She had married the powerful, vengeful, ruthless, woman-repelling villain from the book!
Wait, where was this “woman-repelling” quality people talked about?! Who was the one clinging to her every day?
Cheng Lang, discharged from the military due to injury, had worked hard for years to pay off his family’s debts and settle the old house. Riding the wave of reform and opening up, he contracted several mining areas and headed south to develop.
Unexpectedly, during a move, a young girl appeared in his truck.
Cheng Lang had always been unapproachable and never involved with any female comrades, but this time he found himself stuck with a young girl.
Feng Man told him she was his childhood arranged marriage partner.
Cheng Lang looked at this female scammer who came from who-knows-where and sneered inwardly: ?
Since when did he have an arranged marriage partner.
Later, their neighbor Jiang Ping was searching everywhere for the neighbor who had an arranged marriage with him since childhood, and asked Cheng Lang about it.
Jiang Ping: “Have you seen the eldest daughter of the Feng family between our two households?”
Cheng Lang closed the door, completely blocking Feng Man from view, and said with complete seriousness: “Haven’t seen her.”