Su Jinle picked up the white shirt, wanting to throw it away but stopping herself. It wasn’t that she couldn’t bear to part with it—it was that she suddenly remembered this fabric had cost three yuan, money she’d saved up by weaving countless bamboo baskets.
Gu Jingxiu wasn’t worth a thing, but the fabric was.
From outside came Lin Yun’s gentle voice: “Lele, Mom’s going to work now. I’ll bring back your favorite meat buns tonight, okay?”
Su Jinle quickly stood up: “No.”
Lin Yun understood what she meant and smiled, patting her head. “Today’s payday—the whole family can eat them.”
Only then did Su Jinle manage to force a smile and nod. “Okay.”
Seeing that she was all right, Lin Yun finally felt relieved. Yet for some reason, even though her daughter still looked twenty, something seemed different. Was it because the Gu family had come to propose marriage?
Just then, a faint cough came from the east room. Lin Yun snapped out of her thoughts and was about to bring in some water when Su Jinle took it from her. “I’ll go.”
The east room was slightly larger than hers, with windows painted in peeling green.
Fragmented sunlight streamed in, illuminating a tall, pale young man half-lying on the bed. Handsome, he bore some resemblance to Su Jinle, with one leg in a cast.
It was her older brother, Su Yi’an.
Hearing the noise, he opened his light brown eyes and offered a gentle smile. “Lele.”
Seeing her brother so young again, Su Jinle felt as if a lifetime had passed. She stepped forward, her heart aching as she helped him sit up. “Brother.”
Su Yi’an had nearly lost his life a few months earlier while on a mission and was now recuperating at home. Though he’d been lucky to survive, his leg still had no strength. They’d visited several hospitals, and all had said he’d likely be left with a limp.
Both Su siblings were exceptionally good-looking, yet now one was a cripple and the other a stutterer. Countless people laughed behind their backs, and Su Jinle had secretly cried many times over this.
Su Yi’an, however, remained remarkably optimistic, saying that surviving at all was already a stroke of luck.
In her previous life, Su Jinle had been so absorbed in the joy of marrying Gu Jingxiu that it took her a long time to realize how poor her family had actually been at the time, struggling to pay for her brother’s medical treatment. Yet her parents, afraid she’d be looked down upon by the Gu family after marriage, had exhausted their savings to provide her with a respectable dowry.
But her brother’s leg could have been cured. The treatment was simply too expensive, and he had given it up on his own. This kind, gentle brother of hers had kept it a secret from everyone. It wasn’t until many years later that she accidentally found out.
Back then, she had cried until her eyes were red, but her brother had only smiled gently and said, “It’s all right.”
How could it be all right!
Remembering this, Su Jinle quickly asked, “Brother, when you last saw the doctor, how much did he say the treatment would cost?”
Su Yi’an was surprised. His military allowance was eight hundred yuan, and after the recent medical expenses, almost nothing was left. The doctor had said there was hope for a cure, but it would require at least another thousand yuan.
A thousand yuan was an insurmountable mountain for a family like theirs. Rather than burden his family with heavy debt for a slim hope, he preferred to leave what little remained for Lele. He’d rather die than drag his entire family into a bottomless pit because of his leg.
He hadn’t told anyone about this—so how did Lele know?
“No need for treatment for now.” Su Yi’an smiled, sitting up to change the subject. “I just heard Dad say the Gu family came to propose marriage.”
Su Jinle pursed her lips. “No, I won’t marry.”
Su Yi’an furrowed his brow briefly, then quickly relaxed. “Mm, you’re still young, no need to rush.”
Su Jinle suddenly thought of that white shirt. Why had she only thought of Gu Jingxiu? Her brother was so handsome—he would definitely look good in it too. She hurriedly stood up and ran toward her room. “Brother, the shirt—for you.”
Five minutes later, Su Jinle dejectedly placed the shirt aside.
Her brother was taller and broader than Gu Jingxiu, and after being bedridden for so long, he had grown much thinner. The shirt didn’t fit him at all—the sleeves were too short and the body too loose.
Su Yi’an chuckled. “You said you’d give it to me, but you’re just trying to annoy your brother.”
Su Jinle looked at the ill-fitting shirt, and the tears she had held back since returning from her past life suddenly overflowed. She had a soft, gentle nature, so she cried silently, tears streaming straight down her face, a sight that was heartbreaking to see.
Su Yi’an had only meant it as a joke and never expected it would make his sister cry. He panicked immediately.
Patting her shoulder gently, he whispered soothingly, “Brother was wrong, it’s my fault. Can you stop crying?”
Su Jinle’s tears fell heavily. She cried so hard she couldn’t speak, as if pouring out all the grievances from her past life. She didn’t even know how long she cried.
Only when her voice grew hoarse did she manage to stop. With swollen, red eyes, she picked up the shirt and spoke haltingly, “Brother, you’re not wrong. I’m the one who’s wrong. Three yuan… the fabric cost three yuan, and I wasted it…”
Giving this shirt to Gu Jingxiu was a waste, and giving him her sincere heart was a waste too…
To make the shirt look nice, she had even starched and destarched the fabric at home herself, making it more lustrous and less prone to wrinkles—nothing like the clothes sold in stores.
After marriage, she had taken pleasure in making clothes for Gu Jingxiu to wear. Though they weren’t bought from department stores, they always fit him perfectly and looked good. Even his colleagues had asked where he bought them, but he never once said his wife made them.
Her effort might not have been worth much, but she regretted wasting those three yuan.
Ever since her brother returned from the army, only their father earned a salary. To help with household expenses, their mother went to a restaurant every noon to wash dishes, working for most of the day just to earn one yuan.
Those three yuan were her mother’s wages for three days, or a week’s worth of medicine for her brother—and she had wasted them just like that.
Su Yi’an wiped away her tears and whispered gently, “Don’t cry, it’s just a shirt. But Lele, why don’t you want to marry Gu Jingxiu anymore?”
That his sister liked Gu Jingxiu was no secret in their family—this girl couldn’t hide her feelings.
Su Jinle sniffled, looking utterly miserable. She nodded, then shook her head. “No, I don’t like him.”
She would never like Gu Jingxiu again. Liking him wasn’t worth it.
Seeing her expression, Su Yi’an didn’t press further. He patted his sister’s slender shoulder and said simply, “Alright, Lele doesn’t like him anymore.”
After silently shedding a few more tears, Su Jinle’s eyes were as red as a rabbit’s. Finally, she stopped crying. Holding the shirt, she stared blankly for a moment before suddenly speaking up. “Sell it.”
“Huh?” Su Yi’an raised an eyebrow. “Sell what?”
Su Jinle pointed at the shirt: “Sell it, money!”
She couldn’t possibly give the shirt back to Gu Jingxiu; it was better to exchange it for cash.