Gu Beizheng walked over holding two sheets of paper. “Come on, sign and press your thumbprint. With the Village Head as a witness, if you harass Ding Lan for any reason in the future, she can use this proof to sue you.”
The old woman snatched a piece of paper with a dark face and showed it to Zhao Xiaojun.
Zhao Xiaojun, that half-wit who hadn’t even finished elementary school, held the paper and stammered, “From now on, something something something Ding Lan, something something something relationship something…”
“Something something what?” The old woman looked at her useless son impatiently.
“Auntie, let me read it for you.” Zhao Ying walked over with a smile, her eyes darting to glance at Gu Beizheng. She took the paper from the old woman’s hand, read the content aloud, and then asked, “Did you hear that clearly? From now on, you have no relationship with Sister Ding Lan. You don’t have to pay her debts, and you have no say in her affairs.”
The old woman pursed her lips. “I heard it. I can’t write, so I’ll just press my thumbprint.”
She rubbed her thumb on the ink pad and pressed it down decisively.
Then the Village Head and Ding Lan also pressed their prints. The Village Head shook his head and said, “Wangsheng’s wife, although Daming is gone, that girl Ding Lan is honest and righteous. Abandoning such a good daughter-in-law, you’ll regret it one day.”
“Hmph, if I didn’t abandon her, then I’d regret it. I don’t want to lose my family fortune. Let’s go.” The old woman rolled her eyes and led her younger son out the door.
“Mom, I haven’t pushed my bike yet?”
“Can you beat him in a fight?”
“No.”
“Then forget about the damn bike.”
“Village Head, sorry to trouble you with this trip,” Gu Beizheng thanked the Village Head.
“Sigh, me witnessing this for you… isn’t this harming the girl, Ding Lan?” How could a widow and orphan pay such a huge debt?
“It’s okay, Uncle. As long as no one bothers us mother and daughter in the future, I’ll just earn money in peace and quiet.” Ding Lan smiled faintly.
“If you have any difficulties, tell your Uncle.”
“Tell your Auntie too; Auntie can help you.” Wang Guihua quickly chimed in.
“Yes, Sister Ding Lan, if there’s anything you can’t attend to at home, just tell me, and I’ll help you.” Zhao Ying walked to Ding Lan, took her arm, and spoke intimately.
“Uh, okay.” Ding Lan smiled somewhat unnaturally.
“Oh my, look at Little Ying and Little Lan standing together. They look like family, don’t they, Comrade Gu?” Wang Guihua looked at Gu Beizheng with a beaming smile.
“I don’t see it.” Gu Beizheng glanced indifferently.
Wang Guihua smiled sheepishly. “They look close to me. Don’t you say so, Little Lan?”
Ding Lan laughed dryly. “Sister Zhao Ying is a kind person; she’s close with everyone.”
“Little Lan, if you like Little Ying, how about making her your sister-in-law? When Little Gu isn’t around, she can look after you, right?”
Wang Guihua’s eyes twinkled as she looked at Ding Lan, then at Gu Beizheng.
Zhao Ying said with a shy face, “Mom, what are you saying?”
The Village Head was also dumbfounded. “Oh my god, what are you saying? Why start forced matchmaking out of nowhere?”
Ding Lan looked at Gu Beizheng’s dark expression. “Auntie, I don’t have the final say on my brother’s marriage. He has parents; they have the say.”
“My parents don’t have the final say either.” Gu Beizheng spoke in a deep voice. “Only I have the final say.”
Wang Guihua quickly thickened her skin to ask, “Then… then what does Comrade Gu think of our Little Ying?”
“Not much.”
The shyness froze on Zhao Ying’s face as she looked awkwardly at Gu Beizheng. The Village Head was also incredibly embarrassed.
“What’s wrong with our Ying’zi? She has the looks, she has the figure. What kind of talk is that…” Wang Guihua glared at Gu Beizheng, unconvinced.
“Oh, Auntie, my brother doesn’t know how to talk, don’t mind him. Sister Ying is great… plenty of good families are waiting for her… this brat isn’t good enough for her.” Ding Lan quickly tried to smooth things over.
“Uncle Zhao, you just helped my sister, so I should thank you. But forget about the marriage alliance. I have no plans to get married right now. Don’t waste time on me.” Gu Beizheng’s tone was indifferent, his refusal decisive.
“Uh, look at how this turned out… just the calculated thoughts of an old woman… don’t mind it. What are you standing there for? Let’s go home.” The Village Head called his wife and daughter with an embarrassed face.
Wang Guihua rolled her eyes, dragged her daughter, whose face was drooping, and followed the man out.
“You two just had to rush in to humiliate yourselves and make a spectacle, didn’t you?”
The Village Head grumbled unhappily.
“Hmph, looking down on people just because he’s a soldier? What’s so great about that?” Wang Guihua pursed her lips, unconvinced.
“But he just doesn’t like me.” Zhao Ying scrunched up her face in grievance.
“If he doesn’t like you, then forget it. What’s wrong with that Zhu Dayong I found for you? He’s tall, big, and rich. What’s not to like? Let me tell you, just settle down and date him honestly. Don’t try any of these tricks with me, you hear?”
The Village Head scolded his daughter, “Stop messing around with these useless schemes. What kind of family background does Gu Beizheng have? You only see that he has a sister in the countryside, but you don’t see that his parents are both high-ranking cadres. Is that a family people like us can climb up to?”
“What… what high-ranking cadres?” What did his parents do now? All they knew was that after their rehabilitation that year, two sedans came and picked the family up. They didn’t know what they actually did.
“High-ranking cadres means high-level officials, understand?” He couldn’t be bothered to explain further to the old woman.
“Then… dear, wouldn’t it be good if our daughter could climb up to such a high branch?” Wang Guihua’s eyes lit up at the thought of her daughter becoming an officer’s wife.
The Village Head scoffed. “You just tried to climb. Did you make it?” As if you can just climb up because you want to.
“Think of a way.” Wang Guihua rolled her eyes.
“The fat meat is right in front of us; isn’t it a pity to let it run away?”
“Heh heh, I have a way,” the Village Head chuckled.
“What way, dear? Tell me.”
“Go back, wash up, and go to bed early. You can have anything in your dreams.”
The Village Head walked away chuckling, leaving behind his wife, who was spewing profanities, and his dejected daughter.
……
At Ding Lan’s house, Gu Beizheng gave the clothes and schoolbag he bought to Xiaotao.
Xiaotao carried the schoolbag and jumped excitedly. “Such a beautiful schoolbag! It’s just like Xiaoling’s in my class. I’ve envied her for so long. Uncle, how did you know I liked this kind of schoolbag?”
Seeing Xiaotao’s sparkling eyes, Gu Beizheng knew that taking Xu Zhouzhou shopping had been the right choice.
“As long as you like it.” He patted Xiaotao’s head with gentle eyes.
“You’re wasting money. Why did you buy so many things?” Ding Lan complained as she looked at the pile of bags on the table.
“These are just some daily necessities, to save you the trouble of going out to buy them. These clothes are for you; try them on.” Gu Beizheng handed the Dacron outfit he bought to Ding Lan.
“I have clothes. Why buy new ones? It’s a waste of money.”
“Money is earned to be spent. How is buying things for you and Xiaotao a waste of money?” Gu Beizheng said dismissively.
Ding Lan gave him a reproachful look. “You’re not young anymore. You should consider finding a partner. You need to learn to manage a household and save some money. In her last letter, Godmother was complaining that you don’t listen and still haven’t found a partner. She’s worried sick.”
“She’s retired and has nothing to do, so she’s bored. First, she rushed Big Brother to have kids. Now that the kids are born, she should just focus on watching her grandkids. Instead, she’s rushing me. Next time she nags you, just tell her I plan to be a bachelor and tell her to stop worrying for nothing.”
Gu Beizheng really couldn’t stand his mother’s nagging. This time on leave, he didn’t even go home; he came straight to find Ding Lan.
“Nonsense.” Ding Lan glared and punched him.
After thinking for a moment, she probed tentatively, “Have you really never dated anyone in all these years?”
“No.” Gu Beizheng shook his head. He was busy enough as it was; where would he find the leisure time?
Ding Lan looked at him with disdain. “You’re twenty-something. Other people’s kids can already go buy soy sauce, and you’re still a greenhorn. Aren’t you embarrassed to say that out loud?”
Gu Beizheng frowned. “Tsk…” What’s wrong with being a greenhorn? The whole regiment is full of bachelors; can I be the exception? Besides, do I really count as a greenhorn?
“Alright, alright.” Ding Lan smiled and stopped teasing him. “If you don’t like the Zhao Ying type, tell your sister, what type do you like? Are there female soldiers in your unit? Anyone you’ve taken a fancy to?”
Gu Beizheng, who was still judging whether he counted as a greenhorn, was suddenly asked this question. He froze, and Xu Zhouzhou’s face suddenly popped into his mind. His scalp tightened, and he shook his head. “Haven’t thought about it.”
“I think Teacher Xu is quite nice.” Xiaotao chimed in while organizing her new schoolbag.
“Teacher Xu is beautiful; she matches Uncle perfectly. She’s also very gentle. How great would that be? Uncle, you can like Teacher Xu.”
Can I? Gu Beizheng actually asked himself in his heart. (T/n: 😍)
“Don’t talk nonsense.” Ding Lan swatted Xiaotao and glanced at the dazed Gu Beizheng. “That Teacher Xu has a bad class background; she can’t even return to the city. How could your uncle marry her?”
These words were meant for Xiaotao, but they were also a reminder for Gu Beizheng not to let lust confuse his mind. That girl was indeed beautiful—too beautiful. Leaving aside her class background, would she be the type to live a steady, down-to-earth life?
Gu Beizheng didn’t speak. He lowered his head, took a bankbook out of his bag, and handed it to Ding Lan.
“What is this?”
“A bankbook.”
Ding Lan opened it in confusion and was startled. She silently counted the zeros. “Eight thousand yuan? Is this your money?”
“This is your money.” Gu Beizheng nodded to her.