Gu Fangbai didn’t want to go on a blind date.
If she hadn’t just arrived in this world, she would have gone to find her grandmother immediately.
But in the original host’s memories, there was indeed a part where she had agreed to the blind date.
Now that the elders had spent one or two months busily screening candidates, it would indeed be unreasonable to dismiss it all with a simple “I don’t want to meet.” It would be better to go along with it for now and ask, “…Which Uncle Wang introduced this?”
Xu Huailan gave her niece a reproachful look: “Stop playing dumb. Which Uncle Wang could it be? Director Wang from the police station, your mother’s colleague. He hasn’t skipped giving you lucky money all these years… Tell me honestly, are you having second thoughts about the blind date?”
She did want to back out, but it wasn’t appropriate to say so directly. Gu Fangbai swallowed the food in her mouth: “Not exactly. I just feel that I’m only 24, there’s no hurry.”
Since the late 1950s, to appropriately control the natural population growth rate, the state had formally and explicitly promoted the late marriage and late childbirth policy.
Therefore, the common marriage age for urban young women was between 24 and 28 years old.
She was only 24 by East Asian age reckoning, with her birthday at the end of the year, so there really was no urgency.
Xu Huailan could clearly see that her niece was trying to retreat, but she had her own perspective: “Your age isn’t too young anymore… Besides, meeting someone isn’t the same as getting married. If you don’t like him, we’ll have to ask someone else to help find another match. Good young men are hard to come by. After all the back and forth, several months might pass in the blink of an eye, and you’ll be 25 before you know it.”
Gu Weiguo fully agreed with his wife. In his view, since their Fangbai was such a wonderful girl, no amount of care in choosing a partner could be excessive: “Fangbai, if you’re not in a hurry to find someone, we can take our time. But this meeting can’t be canceled. After all, we were the ones who asked Uncle Wang for help first. Now that he’s found a good match, we should at least go meet him.”
Since it couldn’t be avoided, better cut the Gordian knot quickly. Gu Fangbai asked: “Did Uncle Wang say when we should meet?”
Xu Huailan: “The time hasn’t been set yet. We needed your agreement first before making arrangements.”
Gu Fangbai: “Then just let me know once you’ve scheduled the time.”
Xu Huailan immediately broke into a smile: “We’ll come to your workplace when the time is set… I need to write to your older brother and sister again to hurry them along. They’re not getting any younger either… By the way, let me tell you about the young man’s personal situation…”
=
The Tongzilou didn’t have proper kitchens.
Every household would set up a simple stove at their doorway or in the corridor.
After dinner, Gu Fangbai and Gu Rongzhi squatted in the corridor together washing the dishes.
After cleaning up, her uncle and younger brother went downstairs to take cold showers, while she carried a thermos back to her bedroom.
The glass factory had shower facilities, but unfortunately they only opened on Sundays during summer.
So on ordinary days, men would basically wear just shorts and stand in the courtyard taking cold showers.
It was more troublesome for women, who had to make do with large red plastic basins inside their rooms – quite inconvenient.
Fortunately, before meeting her grandmother, Gu Fangbai had endured many hardships, so this minor inconvenience was easy to overcome.
After finishing all her chores, Gu Fangbai didn’t rush to rest. Instead, she sat at the desk, wrote the exposé article she had mentioned earlier, then awkwardly copied it with her left hand before turning off the light and lying down on the bed.
People went to bed early in these times. At 11 o’clock at night, besides the patter of rain and chirping crickets outside, there were no other sounds.
Gu Fangbai thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep – after all, this was time travel!
No matter how much one prides themselves on being mature-minded, it’s hard to avoid excitement—especially when about to meet one’s grandmother in her youth.
Yet the raindrops and insect chirps seemed to soothe restless souls.
Within just over ten minutes, Gu Fangbai fell into deep sleep.
=
When she woke again, it was already past six the next morning.
The air was cool, carrying the crisp scent of broken plant stems.
Gu Fangbai stood by the window, took a deep breath of the fresh air until it filled her lungs, then contentedly walked toward the wardrobe.
Under the revolutionary uniform style, dressing required particular attention, especially for work.
So Gu Fangbai directly bypassed the long dress for days off, choosing instead a beige half-worn collared shirt paired with navy blue straight-leg trousers.
Standing before the mirror again, she braided her long hair into two pigtails hanging over her chest, then softened her gaze until she confirmed she appeared as gentle and harmless as the original owner, before satisfactorily opening the door.
Truth be told, though their facial features were quite similar, their temperaments were completely different.
This was likely related to their upbringing.
The original owner’s personality was the soft, warm type.
As inner nature reflects outward, her demeanor leaned classical and gentle.
Whereas she herself had faced much injustice and hardship since childhood, yet stubbornly refused to admit defeat, forcing herself to become like a hedgehog.
Even after later meeting Grandma and being cherished as a biological granddaughter for over a decade, her exterior remained aloof and unapproachable.
Suddenly transforming from a head-down, stern-faced forensic intern studying human anatomy to a soft Jiangnan girl… was rather challenging.
She needed to smile more…
“…Up already? Hurry and wash up for breakfast.” The newspaper’s current actual authority was the Ge Weihui, with stricter management than ordinary factories. Xu Huailan worried her gentle-natured niece would be late.
“There’s still an hour and a half until 7:30, plenty of time.” Despite saying this, Gu Fangbai quickened her preparations. In just five minutes, she was seated at the dining table.
Her younger brother was still asleep. Only three porridge bowls and two sliced salted duck eggs were on the table.
Xu Huailan brought over a plate of dried radish, noticing her niece hadn’t started eating, and urged, “Go ahead and eat… And take this to share with colleagues at work. Don’t be frugal—I’ll have Rongzhi bring you more in a couple of days.”
It was a glass jar packed tightly with braised small fish and soybeans.
This was also a familiar scene from memory.
Her aunt worried the original owner didn’t eat well at work and feared her soft personality might lead to bullying, so she sent meat dishes to the workplace once or twice weekly.
Full of maternal affection.
Gu Fangbai felt complex emotions—after all, the girl who truly grew up showered with love had gone to the future.
Then again, what was their situation? Parallel worlds? Otherwise, how could both exist simultaneously?
“What’s wrong? Spacing out?” Noticing her niece’s distraction, Xu Huailan tapped her forehead.
Gu Fangbai snapped back, imitating the original owner’s manner by curving her eyes and softening her tone: “It’s nothing, Aunt. Let’s have breakfast.”
Seeing her niece’s familiar smile, Xu Huailan’s slight earlier strangeness vanished instantly. She waved her hand: “You eat first. I’ll join you shortly.”
“Okay.” Gu Fangbai glanced at her watch—indeed, no more delays.
Just then, Gu Weiguo, who had left at dawn, returned and handed two Cifantuan to his niece: “Eat one for breakfast, and you can have the other at noon.”
The rice ball was slightly larger than an adult’s fist, filled with fried dough sticks and white sugar inside glutinous rice—one of the original host’s favorite breakfasts.
In her memories, every time the original host returned home, her uncle would queue up early at the state-run restaurant just to satisfy his niece’s cravings.
Gu Fangbai smiled as she accepted it: “Thank you, Uncle.”
Gu Weiguo chuckled cheerfully: “No need for thanks, eat quickly. After you finish, I’ll ride you to the bus stop on my bicycle.”
Gu Fangbai shook her head: “It’s stopped raining, I can walk there myself.”
“What nonsense? Walking would take over ten minutes, that’s too much of a delay. Let your uncle take you.” Xu Huailan handed her niece the boiled egg cooled in cold water before sitting down beside her.
“Alright.” Gu Fangbai took a bite of the fragrant glutinous rice ball and mumbled in agreement.
Xu Huailan expressed dissatisfaction again: “Why aren’t you wearing the dacron shirt? Your eldest brother wrote that this fabric doesn’t wrinkle and is very precious—even in Shanghai it’s scarce. He pulled many strings to get two pieces for us.”
That’s actually made from plastic bottles, Gu Fangbai preferred fine cotton cloth. But explaining about raw materials was difficult, so she could only vaguely respond: “Better not, our workplace situation is sensitive. I’ll just wear it at home.”
“True…” Not being able to show off nice clothes to her old friends somewhat affected Xu Huailan’s mood. Seeing her husband fiddling with the radio immediately diverted her attention: “Old Gu, come eat breakfast quickly, don’t delay Fangbai’s work.”
Gu Weiguo: “Ah, coming right away… It’s 6:30, let me listen to the weather forecast.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the “zzzt” noise during tuning was instantly replaced by a clear female alto voice: “…Comrades of the proletarian revolutionary faction, comrade members, now broadcasting the Suzhou area weather forecast. According to meteorological station analysis…”
The three unconsciously quieted their movements, only resuming normally after hearing the broadcaster confirm that the entire following week would still be rainy.
Gu Weiguo picked up his porridge bowl and took a sip, stubbornly insisting: “This weather forecast isn’t always accurate.”
Xu Huailan nodded: “I think it’s not very accurate either.”
Gu Fangbai didn’t speak, simply taking an envelope from the leather bag hanging on the chair back and handing it to her uncle.
Gu Weiguo reached to take it: “What’s this?”
Gu Fangbai: “That article we discussed yesterday. Uncle can review it when you have time, and send it out if there are no issues.”
“Oh oh…” Gu Weiguo responded automatically, then belatedly realized: “Finished so quickly? Let me see…”
“See what? You’ll delay things.” Xu Huailan snatched the envelope and placed it beside her: “Take Fangbai to the bus stop first, then look at it when you return.”
Gu Weiguo: “…”
=
6:40 in the morning.
Gu Fangbai, carrying her small leather bag, holding an umbrella in one hand and a canned jar in the other, with the thin jacket her aunt insisted she take—worried she might catch cold—draped over her arm, quickly descended the stairs with “clack-clack-clack…” footsteps.
Unsurprisingly, she received another round of doting attention from the uncles and aunts in the residential compound before hurriedly hopping onto the back seat of her uncle’s bicycle, heading toward the bus stop.
Wang Meinan, squatting by the well brushing her teeth, withdrew her astonished gaze. After tilting her head back to gargle and rinse, she exclaimed in admiration: “That… that Fangbai sister is so beautiful?”
Liu Hu turned to look at his wife: “You didn’t see her yesterday?”
Wang Meinan: “It was already dark last night, what could I see?”
She could only vaguely make out a slender, tall figure from the blurred silhouette, never expecting such beauty. Without exaggeration, in her 22 years of life, she had never seen anyone more beautiful than Sister Fangbai.
Moreover, despite the distance between them, she could somehow sense that the other person carried a fragrant aura…
Recalling what her husband had said yesterday about Sister Fangbai’s education and career, Wang Meinan’s eyes sparkled even brighter: “Hey, Dahu, there must be many matchmakers visiting the Gu family, right? What kind of outstanding young man would be worthy of her?”
This time, Liu Hu didn’t respond, burying his head as he noisily washed his face.
In truth, since childhood, there had been countless boys who held affection for Sister Fangbai—not to mention those outside, even within their Tongzilou residential building alone, there were plenty.
But everyone knew their place and never dared to bring it up directly to the person in question.
Because Sister Fangbai deserved only the best.
Gu Fangbai remained completely unaware of the discussions about her circulating in the residential compound after she left.
By now, she had already boarded the bus heading straight to the newspaper office.
Just as she settled into her seat, she was immediately accosted by the matchmaking-enthusiast ticket auntie:
“…Xiao Gu, you’re still single, right? Auntie knows a talented young man—only 28 but already a key member of the textile factory’s equipment department. Handsome too, and comes from a good family—both parents are workers…”
The ticket auntie rambled on at length, but Gu Fangbai let most of it go in one ear and out the other.
When it came to marriage, she already had her own plans and naturally wouldn’t consider anyone else.
Even the man her aunt mentioned yesterday for a blind date, she only vaguely remembered being 28 and a doctor—the rest didn’t register at all.
So when the ticket auntie finished, she firmly declined: “Auntie, I’m still young and not in a hurry to find a partner.”
This was a polite refusal. Though the ticket auntie was overly enthusiastic, she knew her boundaries: “Is that so… but it’s about time to start looking. If you change your mind, just tell Auntie—I’ll definitely find you the finest young man.”
Gu Fangbai acknowledged her kindness with a smile: “Thank you, Auntie.”
The slightly plump ticket auntie beamed with innate cheerfulness: “Hey! No need for thanks! It’s just a casual effort for me.”
A middle-aged aunt nearby finally chimed in with a smile: “Comrade, I know a lovely young lady who might suit the fellow you mentioned. Shall we discuss it?”
The ticket auntie, who had been about to chat further with Xiao Gu, was immediately diverted: “Really? Tell me about the lady’s background.”
“She’s 23 this year, works at the watch factory…”
With the enthusiastic auntie occupied elsewhere, Gu Fangbai finally had time to observe the 1960s streets of Suzhou through the window of the swaying bus.
Most buildings were two or three-story old-style structures, bearing many mottled marks left by time.
Her first impression… everything seemed rather dusty and gray.
But upon closer look, she noticed bluestone-paved paths, white walls, and dark tiles—a true Jiangnan watertown scene.
And after work tonight, she would visit one of those houses to find her 23-year-old grandmother, Chu Xiangxue.
This time, she was the older one.
So let her be the protector…
“…Suzhou Newspaper Office station!”
Twenty-some minutes later, the ticket auntie’s announcement pulled Gu Fangbai back from her drifting thoughts.
She stood up, gathered her belongings, and quickly disembarked through the rear door.