The man before her, who appeared respectable on the surface, truly was…
The Su City Newspaper Office was a three-story building blending Chinese and Western architectural styles.
Standing somewhat worn yet not entirely old along a rather narrow street, its entrance discreetly displayed a black-lettered plaque against a white background, giving the whole structure an understated appearance.
Gu Fangbai merely glanced curiously a couple of times before stepping through the stone stairs worn smooth by countless footsteps into the first floor, where she was immediately assaulted by the heavy scent of printer’s ink.
Instinctively holding her breath, she exchanged morning greetings with colleagues packing in the Distribution Section while quickening her pace straight toward the second floor.
Only after entering the Editorial Department office did she dare breathe freely again.
Truth be told, the ink smell persisted here too, but it was far more tolerable than downstairs—at least within bearable limits.
“…Thought you’d be late today.”
The speaker was Hu Yaoying, twenty-five years old. Similar in age and work experience, plus facing each other across their desks, she was one of the few colleagues the original host got along well with, even considered a fairly good friend.
Gu Fangbai first stored her small leather bag and canned goods in a drawer before mustering a smile to reply, “Don’t worry, I kept track of time.”
“Good that you’re mindful. Hey… did your uncle summon you back for a matchmaking meeting?” Worried about being overheard, Hu Yaoying not only dropped her voice to a whisper but also stood up and leaned fully across the desk.
From memory, the original host had indeed mentioned the matchmaking matter to this plump-cheeked girl who radiated good fortune, so Gu Fangbai nodded frankly.
Getting confirmation, Hu Yaoying’s eyes lit up. She immediately rose and scurried over to squat beside her friend’s chair, her face alight with curiosity: “So? Was the comrade handsome? How old? What does he do? What’s his family situation like…”
This machine-gun barrage of questions… Gu Fangbai twitched her lips: “Haven’t met him yet.”
Hu Yaoying looked startled: “Ah? Then… you at least know what he does?”
She did know, but before she could answer, the department head announced the start of political study. Gu Fangbai could only say, “We’ll talk later.”
=
After political study concluded,
the editorial team held an internal meeting.
By the time they received new assignments from the editor-in-chief and returned to their desks, it was already past nine in the morning.
Hu Yaoying, who also got a new task, complained with a pained expression: “The editor already rejected my last draft twice. I haven’t even figured out the previous piece, and now I’m assigned something new—and it’s the critical type I’m worst at…”
Gu Fangbai took a piece of candy from her drawer and lightly tossed it onto her friend’s desk, casually remarking, “It’s required for revolutionary work.”
The previously agitated Hu Yaoying immediately sobered up. After glancing around to ensure no one was paying attention, she flashed a grateful smile: “Right, right. I’ll work overtime and push through.”
Seeing her friend understood the implication, Gu Fangbai lowered her head to review the new assignment from the editor.
The comrade journalist had only submitted interview notes—they still needed careful polishing.
The title was “Iron Man-Style Good Worker XXX Persists on the Frontline Despite Illness.” Hmm… a classic model of self-sacrifice for public duty.
Gu Fangbai’s job was to quickly conduct political vetting, enhance ideological value, refine the content, and… it seemed some structural adjustments were needed in several places.
She wasn’t familiar with editorial work in future generations, but the workload nowadays was indeed heavy.
So, while the official end of the workday was at 5 p.m., unless there were special circumstances, almost everyone would “voluntarily” and “enthusiastically” extend their working hours.
It was common to work until 8 or 9 p.m., and many even persisted until 11 p.m. or midnight. This was also the reason the original occupant had moved out and was living in the unit’s dormitory.
If Gu Fangbai didn’t want to work overtime today, she had to get her draft approved by the editor-in-chief before leaving… She had no choice but to bury herself in her work.
Once a person gets busy, they completely lose track of time. Before she knew it, it was already lunchtime.
If Hu Yaoying hadn’t called her to the cafeteria, her thoughts would still have been immersed in her article.
At the cafeteria, since she had soybean and small fish canned food and rice balls, Gu Fangbai only spent 5 cents on a vegetable dish.
Hu Yaoying, as usual, ordered one meat dish and one vegetable dish, in addition to 2 liang of rice.
She wasn’t stingy either—before eating her friend’s fish, she first shared half of her meat dish: “Will you come with me to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative after lunch?”
Lunch break was an hour and a half. Gu Fangbai had originally planned to continue working after eating: “What are you buying?”
“My cousin sells fabric at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, right? Last week, I bought some fabric there to make a dress. It should be ready by now. I was planning to pick it up after work tonight…”
The Supply and Marketing Cooperative was a 15-minute walk from the newspaper office. Gu Fangbai wasn’t completely unable to spare the time, but… “It’s raining again outside. Can’t we go another day? I’ll still go with you then.” She didn’t like rainy days—everything was wet and sticky.
At this mention, Hu Yaoying was uncharacteristically embarrassed: “I… I’m going on a blind date soon, and that new dress makes me look slimmer. I just want to pick it up sooner to feel more at ease. The matchmaker said the guy drives a truck and, like me, graduated from high school. I’m quite satisfied…”
It was precisely because she was satisfied that she was in a hurry. What if her blind date came to meet her in the next couple of days? Where would she find a slimming dress then?
This wasn’t something that could easily be postponed. Besides, Gu Fangbai suddenly remembered she shouldn’t visit her grandmother empty-handed, so she agreed readily and added, “You’re not fat.”
At most, she was a little plump, but her fair skin and round face made her look like a lucky doll—just seeing her lifted one’s spirits.
Being praised by a widely acknowledged beauty like Gu Fangbai made Hu Yaoying absolutely delighted: “I think I’m just right too. My mom says ordinary families couldn’t raise a girl as fortunate-looking as me.”
Gu Fangbai nodded seriously: “Your mom is right!”
It might seem like they had fish and meat in their bowls, but that was because both their families were well-off, even in a prosperous city like Suzhou. Many people outside couldn’t even eat their fill, so naturally, they couldn’t raise such plump and fair girls.
“Exactly… Ah, let’s not talk about that. Tell me more about your blind date…”
“…”
=
Gu Fangbai’s writing skills proved reliable.
By a little after 2 p.m., she had successfully gotten her draft approved by the editor-in-chief.
So, when 5 p.m. rolled around, she lingered for just a few minutes before picking up a box of Taosu (Peach Crisp), which her grandmother liked, and bidding farewell to her colleagues who were working overtime with grim expressions.
From a social etiquette perspective, it would be better to linger until after 6 p.m., since everyone else was staying, and she had already left on time for two consecutive days.
But Gu Fangbai couldn’t care less about that anymore—she was eager to see her grandmother.
Another thing—if the plan goes smoothly, this editing job probably won’t last long either…
After all, in Grandma’s memories, July 1968 was the most difficult period for her eldest brother Chu Yu, and also the time when she struggled with whether to seek out the original host to play matchmaker.
Now that she was here, it meant Grandma no longer needed to agonize over that decision.
She just wondered—would Grandma be shocked to suddenly see her?
…Right, she couldn’t call her “Grandma” anymore, Gu Fangbai silently reminded herself. Now she was the older one, so she must address her by name.
If she actually called this 23-year-old girl “Grandma,” who knows how terrified the poor thing would be…
From the newspaper office to the Chu residence, it took nearly half an hour walking and riding combined.
Along the way, Gu Fangbai’s mind wandered through all sorts of random thoughts, while repeatedly reminding herself not to cry when they met—she must keep her emotions under control, and so on…
In any case, with all this mental turbulence, time passed particularly quickly.
Before she knew it, she was already standing at the entrance of the Chu residence.
Gu Fangbai possessed a resilient character, and now that the moment had arrived, she grew completely calm. After just two deep breaths, she raised her hand and knocked: “Knock, knock, knock…”
This was a two-story house—the only property the Chu family still openly owned after donating most of their wealth.
The house was quite spacious. After knocking, Gu Fangbai waited quietly for about a minute. When no one came to the door, she was about to knock again when her peripheral vision caught the lock hanging beside the door, obscured by the twilight. Only then did she belatedly realize—had Grandma not returned from work yet?
Based on the timeline, she should have already been transferred away from her teaching position due to her background and reassigned to logistical work in the school library.
Just as Gu Fangbai hesitated between waiting at the door or going to the school, footsteps sounded through the drizzling rain.
She instinctively turned and, through the faint light, saw two figures—one tall, one short—approaching slowly under an umbrella a few meters away.
Even with their faces hidden by the umbrella, Gu Fangbai could be certain the slender, shorter figure was her grandmother in her youth.
Sure enough, within moments, the two—already quite close—reached her and lifted the umbrella.
It really was Grandma!!!
The same bright and charming grandmother she’d seen countless times in those 2-inch black-and-white photos!
At this moment, all her mental preparations proved useless.
When faced with her living, youthful grandmother, Gu Fangbai completely lost control of her emotions—tears instantly flooded her eyes.
She suddenly felt grateful for the early darkness of rainy days, as the twilight gave her a chance to hold back her tears.
Meanwhile.
Chu Xiangxue stood frozen in place for a long moment, finally asking in disbelief: “Fang… Fangbai? What are you doing here? Are you… here to see me?”
Having already reined in her excitement, Gu Fangbai offered a faint smile: “I came to see you.”
Hearing this, Chu Xiangxue immediately grew both flustered and delighted: “Really?” Over the past year, everyone she knew had been avoiding her—she truly never expected a high school classmate would come looking for her.
Gu Fangbai gazed steadily at the other woman, smiling as she confirmed: “Really! Xiangxue, it’s been a long time!”
“Long time no see. We haven’t met since high school graduation, but I always knew you went to college… Oh my, I’m so overjoyed! Let’s go inside first.” The 23-year-old Chu Xiangxue, naive, enthusiastic, and cheerful, was utterly delighted to confirm that this former classmate she once considered a friend hadn’t distanced herself. She immediately pulled her toward the house, completely forgetting about the fiancé who had just brought her home.
Until a gentle male voice sounded: “Xiangxue, I’ll head back now then.”Chu Xiangxue, who had already stepped over the threshold, turned back in frustration: ‘I’m sorry, Brother Zhifan, look at my terrible memory.'”.. Thank you for seeing me home.”
Fang Zhifan!!!
Gu Fangbai, hidden in the twilight, maintained her smiling face, but her eyes turned completely cold.
Her guess was correct – this seemingly decent man before her was indeed that scumbag!