Gu Wan discovered that the room at this time did not come with a kitchen or bathroom.
The kitchen was outside the door, across the hallway. Each family had a small cubicle of its own, where the kitchen utensils, pots, bowls, and pans were kept. There was even a small door that could be locked.
The bathroom was at the other end of the hallway. It was a communal bathroom shared by all the residents on the floor.
This era still operated under the welfare housing system, and it was common for a dozen or more members of a family to squeeze into a single home.
Yet there were always people with special privileges who could obtain more than one housing unit, which in turn gave rise to private, underground property transactions.
This apartment of Gu Wan’s was one that her grandfather had spent a considerable amount of money acquiring through connections.
Gu Wan casually opened the large wardrobe. Inside were all-new bedding sets—four quilts and four mattresses.
The exquisite satin covers were embroidered with auspicious dragons and phoenixes in gold and silver thread. They looked incredibly lifelike, shimmering brilliantly under the light.
These had been gifts from her grandfather for her wedding.
He didn’t want to be too ostentatious and attract attention, but neither did he want to be too stingy and make his granddaughter suffer. So he had given her items that appeared ordinary and unassuming on the surface but were actually extremely valuable.
Unfortunately, the original Gu Wan had been completely ignorant of their worth and had never appreciated them.
There were also some clothes she had left behind at the time, but there was no trace of Li Xiaoyu’s belongings anywhere.
At the very bottom of the wardrobe, Gu Wan found a hidden compartment. When she opened it, she discovered several documents and a few pieces of jewelry.
The jewelry was neatly arranged inside a jewelry box: a set of ruby jewelry consisting of a necklace, bracelet, earrings, and ring. The materials were clearly of exceptional quality and were probably gifts from her grandfather for her wedding.
Resting neatly on top of the jewelry box was a plain silver bangle, its surface covered in scratches.
Gu Wan remembered that the book had mentioned this. It was the token of love Li Xiaoyu had given the original Gu Wan. He had spent all of his military allowances to have it custom-made at a department store. It represented his wholehearted devotion to her.
That day, during their argument, the original Gu Wan had complained that her grandfather had arranged her marriage and controlled her life. She had blamed Li Xiaoyu for trapping her with their child and holding back her pursuit of freedom. In the end, she had angrily taken off the bracelet and viciously smashed it onto the floor!
At that moment, Li Xiaoyu’s heart must have been as battered and scarred as that bracelet, too.
Gu Wan noticed a piece of paper about the size of a certificate underneath the jewelry box. Its design looked exactly like an award certificate.
It was actually a marriage certificate!
Written clearly and formally on it were the names Gu Wan and Li Xiaoyu, stating that they had voluntarily entered into marriage!
Beneath it was a divorce application already signed by Li Xiaoyu, along with a certificate for joining her husband in the military, a household registration booklet, a property ownership certificate, and a letter.
Gu Wan opened the letter and glanced at it. Her eyes immediately reddened.
The handwriting on the paper was strong and forceful:
“Dear Wife, Gu Wan,
This is the first time, and the last time, that I will address you this way.
I know that marrying me was never your intention, but I fell in love with you at first sight. I thought that, with time, you would eventually come to change your mind about me, so I agreed to your grandfather’s arrangement.
Now, I understand your feelings. I don’t want to make things difficult for you, nor do I want you to be unhappy.
Although I cannot bear to part with our child, if you insist on ending the pregnancy… I have no objections.
The divorce application has already been signed. You only need to take it together with the marriage certificate… to the office to complete the divorce procedures.
The bracelet was a token of my feelings for you. I hope you will keep it by your side. If you ever have no other choice, you can also exchange it for some money to support yourself.
Please take good care of yourself!
May everything go smoothly for you!
Sincerely,
Li Xiaoyu”
Looking at the water stains that had blurred some of the words on the paper, Gu Wan could imagine how heartbroken Li Xiaoyu must have been when he wrote those words.
If you don’t want me, then I will let you go and give you your freedom, so you can pursue your dreams and the love you desire.
It wasn’t that he didn’t love her. He loved her deeply, humbly, silently, and with a pain that cut to the bone.
Gu Wan desperately held back her sorrow and secretly cursed the original for being such a foolish girl.
She had been living such a blessed life and still wasn’t satisfied. Where was she ever going to find a man this good?
She had mistaken a worthless pebble for a priceless gem. She deserved the miserable fate she had ended up with.
Having learned from her predecessor’s mistake, Gu Wan certainly wasn’t going to let such an exceptional husband go and deliberately make life difficult for herself!
This was the husband her grandfather had carefully chosen for her. Her grandfather’s judgment when it came to people had never been wrong.
With her identity as the granddaughter of a capitalist, if she continued staying in the city, she would definitely be unable to escape wave after wave of political campaigns and upheavals.
Rather than passively waiting for someone to come after her, it was better to take the initiative.
The military had always operated as a system of its own. No individual, faction, or organization would dare interfere with the military. And with such a loving husband there, she would certainly receive the best protection possible!
Gu Wan decided that once she had taken care of everything here, she would join her husband in the military, taking their child with her to find his father!
Once she had made up her mind, Gu Wan looked at the things in the room.
All of these belongings had been prepared for her by her grandfather. Of course, she couldn’t just leave them behind for someone else.
Besides, once she arrived at the military base, she wanted to furnish an identical new home and start over with her child’s father!
With that thought, Gu Wan casually waved her hand and stored everything in the room inside her space.
Looking at the completely empty room, Gu Wan was very satisfied.
She then opened the door, preparing to go across the hall and clear out everything in her family’s kitchen as well.
Just as she was about to open the kitchen door, a head poked out from the room next door.
It belonged to a middle-aged woman with short hair, her body thick and stocky from top to bottom.
The woman had introduced herself when Gu Wan first moved in. The moment she saw Gu Wan, she immediately slipped out of her room and greeted her enthusiastically.
“Little Gu, you’re back. You two haven’t been home for quite some time, have you?”
Gu Wan knew that this woman, Wang Cuilan, was always fond of prying into other people’s private affairs and gossiping about their families.
She casually replied, “Yes, Auntie Wang. I’ve been staying at my parents’ home for a while.”
As Auntie Wang chatted with Gu Wan, her eyes kept darting toward the apartment door.
Since Gu Wan had closed the door behind her when she came out, Auntie Wang couldn’t see anything inside. So she switched tactics and began fishing for information.
“That day, I heard you two arguing. Later, I saw Little Li leave with his luggage. So… are you two still planning to come back and live here?”
Gu Wan glanced at Wang Cuilan.
“Auntie Wang, why are you asking? Is there something you need?”
Wang Cuilan adjusted the red armband around her sleeve.
“Oh, it’s actually nothing. I’m just asking casually as the security officer for our building.”
Gu Wan knew there had to be another reason behind her questions, so she didn’t respond. She simply waited for Wang Cuilan to grow impatient and reveal it herself.
She opened the door and entered the kitchen.
The kitchen was tiny, only about two or three square meters. It was barely large enough for one person to prepare and cook food. Any meals had to be carried into the living room to eat.
Even so, such a small space had been kept spotlessly clean, with everything arranged neatly and orderly.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Your Little Li is really diligent. Look at how clean he keeps this kitchen. Even an ordinary young wife couldn’t do better.”
Auntie Wang poked her head into the kitchen and looked it over from top to bottom.
“Oh, right, Little Gu. Since you’re not planning to live here for the time being, are you thinking of renting out or selling this apartment?”
Gu Wan looked at Wang Cuilan.
So this was what she had really come here to find out.
“Auntie Wang, are you looking to rent a place or buy one?”