He never believed there was any affection between them. Even if there were, it wouldn’t be with Su’s Father, but with someone else.
The mere thought of that time he was schemed against by them made Gu Ciyuan feel nauseous.
“N-no, I don’t.”
Su’s Father was frightened by his fierce expression.
“Good that you don’t.” Gu Ciyuan left these words behind, “You’re welcome to entertain such thoughts. It would be a perfect opportunity for the organization to investigate whether I, Gu Ciyuan, have done anything improper. If I have, I’ll accept my punishment. But if not, are you prepared to bear the charges of falsely accusing or conspiring against a military officer?”
Su’s Father didn’t dare say another word, forced to watch helplessly as Gu Ciyuan walked away heartlessly.
He still remembered that although the young man back then already showed signs of sharpness, he was far less intimidating than he was now.
Like a ferocious beast ready to devour someone at any moment, just one glance from him could make one’s heart tremble.
Where on earth had he found the courage a month ago to dare scheme against such a man?
Probably because they hadn’t fallen out yet back then. Gu Ciyuan had visited with generous gifts and treated him with courtesy, giving him the illusion that he could manipulate him.
Ah!
One wrong step leads to another.
Not far outside the door, Gu Ciyuan softened his expression and asked the person beside him, “Among those arrested, was there a female comrade around eighteen or nineteen years old named Su Wantang?”
Although he detested Su’s Father and Su Ye, whenever he thought of that little girl who used to ride on his shoulders sweetly calling him “brother,” a trace of tenderness always remained in his heart.
The last time he passed through Nan Province, the reason he visited the Su family was to see her.
Unfortunately, not only did he not get to see her, but he also fell into someone else’s trap.
After all these years, that exquisitely beautiful child must have grown into an elegant young woman.
He was somewhat worried. During that last incident when he was schemed against, Su Wantang happened to be away from home. He wondered what role she might have played in it all?
After so many years, was the little girl he remembered still that well-behaved and adorable child?
However, the answer he received was, “No!”
While he breathed a sigh of relief, he couldn’t help but worry.
Old Man Su was leaving, yet he didn’t take her with him. Where was she now? Was she safe?
This mission could be considered successfully completed. It seemed he would have to make another trip to Nan Province on his way back.
…
Time flew by in the blink of an eye.
Before they knew it, half a month had passed.
Su Wantang grew increasingly anxious.
She was already one and a half months pregnant, yet she hadn’t even caught a glimpse of Gu Ciyuan.
If this dragged on any longer, even if Gu Ciyuan were willing to marry her, her pregnancy would likely be too advanced to hide from others.
Besides Gu Ciyuan, the Gu family had three other children, all born to Gu Changzheng’s current wife, whom he married later.
The two eldest were twins, just two years younger than Gu Ciyuan, and both were already married with families of their own. Gu Ciyuan often didn’t return home, so currently, the only one frequently around was the youngest daughter, Gu Jiaojiao.
The family’s housekeeper, Li Lan, was a cousin from Madam Gu Li Cuiping’s maternal family.
Based on Su Wantang’s understanding during this period, the reason Li Lan worked as a housekeeper for the Gu family was mainly because Li Cuiping wanted to matchmake her with Gu Ciyuan. This was to strengthen family ties and prevent Gu Ciyuan from constantly opposing his stepmother.
This was precisely what made Su Wantang feel awkward.
Su Wantang’s beauty seemed to make Li Lan uneasy, as she often enjoyed making snide remarks and persistently tried to matchmake her with others.
This inevitably led to discussions about Su Wantang’s charm. Since she had been staying with the Gu family, young men and women around her age in the compound would visit daily, devising various excuses to invite her out.
The young men were naturally drawn to her and sought to pursue her, while the young women came to speak on behalf of their brothers or male relatives.
But Su Wantang knew clearly that all this attention was based on the premise that she was a relative of the Gu family, not the daughter of a capitalist.
With the current political climate uncertain, she feared that once her true background was revealed, people would likely keep their distance.
Distracted throughout the movie, Su Wantang didn’t even notice what was playing. She just wanted it to end quickly so she could return home.
She had no intention of accepting the invitation from the man beside her, but he was the nephew of Li Cuiping’s maiden family. With both Li Lan and Li Cuiping pushing them together, Su Wantang found it impossible to refuse and was practically forced to come out.
Once again, she found herself hoping that Gu Ciyuan would return soon. Whether he was willing to accept her or not, she just wanted a clear answer so she could make other plans if necessary.
The man beside her kept chattering incessantly, every word dripping with flattery as he listed his advantages and lamented the plight of capitalists nowadays.
Su Wantang suspected that Li Cuiping must have revealed her background to him.
To avoid complicating matters, she occasionally responded with a word or two, merely to placate him.
Su Wantang proactively bought some sunflower seeds and peanuts and handed them to the man, intending it as repayment for his treating her to the movie.
To her surprise, when he took the snacks, he seized the opportunity to grab her hand and refused to let go, even proposing that they become “revolutionary partners”!
But on one condition: she must publicly disown her family in the newspaper to avoid implicating his family after marriage!!!
Ugh, what nonsense!
Couldn’t he see that she had no interest in him whatsoever?
Her struggles only seemed to him like the coy shyness of a young girl.
Though he wasn’t much to look at, his family circumstances were decent. While not comparable to the Gu family, they belonged to the working class with Beijing household registration and access to state-supplied rations.
As a capitalist’s daughter, if not for her exceptional beauty, Su Wantang wouldn’t even qualify to marry into a family like his.
He was already being generous by not rejecting her class background. What right did she—a problematic-class orphan seeking refuge with relatives—have to look down on him?
Not far from the cinema, the recently returned Gu Ciyuan and Jiang Hongqi were each munching on a steamed bun, with Gu Ciyuan’s one arm still hanging in a sling.
Jiang Hongqi asked him, “Are you coming back to the compound with me, or heading to your aunt’s place?”
Both could be considered children of the compound, though Gu Ciyuan rarely stayed there.
After returning from Nan Province, he had immediately joined the army to suppress bandits. Though the War of Resistance had ended by then, the country wasn’t entirely peaceful, with various military campaigns still ongoing.
It was only in the past couple of years that true stability had settled in.
Given his strained relationship with his family, Gu Ciyuan usually stayed at his aunt’s place whenever he returned.
His aunt’s husband was a good man who never treated him as a burden, even keeping a room specially for him and treating him like his own child.
“I’ll go to my aunt’s place.”
If he went home now, he’d inevitably have to deal with conflicts with his dear stepmother.
Especially bringing her niece into the house as a maid—did they think he couldn’t see through their intentions?
It truly left Gu Ciyuan utterly exasperated.
Moreover, he still needed to ask his uncle-in-law for help finding someone in Nan Province.
That old scoundrel surnamed Su was truly despicable. Leaving was one thing, but how could he bear to harm the daughter he had raised with his own hands?
Where could Xia Wantang be now? A young girl alone out there—had she been mistreated?
Or perhaps…was she even alive or dead?