Over at the Gu family, however, the situation was quite different.
The sky had just begun to lighten.
Gu Jianfeng’s mother sat sullenly on the edge of the kang, sewing shoe soles. Her stitches were dense and messy, betraying her restlessness and irritation.
Her own son, Gu Jianbin, had only recently sacrificed his life. While her heart was still heavy with grief, she was now forced to arrange a wedding for her adopted son, Gu Jianfeng.
Once the celebrations began, seeing people drinking and chatting in her home, congratulating Gu Jianfeng and Lin Wanxing on their marriage, with no one remembering her own son—it would feel like needles piercing her heart.
But Gu Jianfeng had only taken leave to return home, and his time was limited.
He had just hurriedly reported to the military, obtained marriage leave, and his superiors were urging him to return soon.
Time was running out, so the Gu family, upholding their righteous duty, had to proceed quickly.
The thought of Lin Wanxing entering their home but marrying someone other than her own son made her chest tighten.
A daughter-in-law serving someone else!
She couldn’t shake the feeling that this ill-omened woman had brought misfortune to her eldest son and was now coming to diminish her younger son’s blessings.
No, she thought, giving the thread a harsh tug. Once Gu Jianfeng returned to the military and Lin Wanxing stayed behind to serve them, she would make sure the girl worked twice as hard to earn her keep.
Gu Jianfeng’s father had also been walking around the brigade these past few days. He loved to appear magnanimous but was afraid that if the wedding wasn’t handled well, people would gossip that he favored his eldest son and didn’t care for Gu Jianfeng, who would be supporting them in their old age. This troubled him the most.
He was torn between heartache over the money they might have to spend and fearing the villagers’ chatter, so he went around seeking advice from others.
The most unhappy one was undoubtedly Gu Xiuxiu.
She shut herself in her room, crying one moment and cursing under her breath the next. Whenever she thought of her honest, straightforward second brother marrying Lin Wanxing and no longer prioritizing her with good things, a wave of pent-up resentment rose within her.
She still hoped Gu Jianfeng would notice her unhappiness as he used to, come to comfort her, and reassure her that marrying this sister-in-law was only to care for the family and serve their parents—not to make life difficult for his little sister.
But Gu Jianfeng had been extremely busy these past few days, with no time to attend to her emotions.
Thus, his busyness felt especially grating.
He was busy cleaning up his small room, meticulously pasting old newspapers over the walls, scrubbing the kang mat spotless, and even going to the commune to exchange for a brand-new door curtain printed with red double-happiness characters.
He also asked others to invite guests and contacted his fellow soldiers from home to attend the wedding.
Gu Jianfeng didn’t understand romantic gestures; he only knew that since he had made this decision, he had to take responsibility and give Lin Wanxing a proper bridal room.
During a meal one day, Gu Jianfeng’s mother finally couldn’t hold back. She tapped her chopsticks against the rim of her bowl:
“Jianfeng, by the way… how much bride price did you give the Lin family? Don’t be foolishly honest and let others take advantage of you.”
Remembering the Lin parents’ money-grubbing expressions made her feel as if a knife were twisting in her heart.
Gu Jianfeng paused, not looking up as he ate, his voice low: “Mom, I know what I’m doing.”
Gu Xiuxiu, who had been silent until then, suddenly set down her bowl and slammed her chopsticks.
“Know what you’re doing? Brother, what do you know?”
Gu Xiuxiu could no longer contain herself—she had been holding these words back for days, waiting for the right moment to speak.
These past few days had felt like needles pricking her heart, and now she finally had a chance to let it out.
Pointing outside the window and seeing Gu Jianfeng look up at her in surprise, she felt even more aggrieved.
He’s doing this on purpose—trying to give Lin Wanxing benefits, giving her so much bride price!
Those good things aren’t even reserved for their own Gu family! They’re all going to outsiders.
“I’ve heard, Brother. Did you empty out all your military savings? A Shanghai watch, sewing machine coupons, even a color TV… The Lin family is a bottomless pit! And you just gave it all to them? Mark my words—the Lin family will swallow it all, bones and all. Even selling a daughter doesn’t fetch that much!”
Gu Xiuxiu had run into the carefree Lin Xiaoya playing outside yesterday. The girl was overjoyed, acting all high and mighty.
Suspicious and still angry over being implicated before, Gu Xiuxiu sternly coaxed a few sentences out of the foolish girl, who proudly boasted about everything their family had received.
Only then did Gu Xiuxiu learn about the bride price, she was so angry that she could barely stand straight!
Gu Jianfeng stopped eating, put down his chopsticks, and looked at Gu Xiuxiu, his brow furrowed.
His mother was also stunned: “What? That much?”
“Jianfeng, are you out of your mind?”
“That Lin family barely earns any work points all year—they must have been eyeing our family’s resources all along!”
Gu Jianfeng frowned. “Enough.”
Gu Xiuxiu continued, her voice louder, as if she wanted all the neighbors to hear. She pointed outside, “If I don’t say it, Lin Xiaoya and the Lin family will spread it anyway. Now everyone in the village knows the Lin family has hit the jackpot—marrying off a ‘doorstep widow’ and still getting such a huge payout! Everyone’s saying they sold their daughter! And here you are, still in the dark!”
Gu Jianfeng raised his voice sternly, a rare display of severity: “Gu Xiuxiu!”
His bronzed face looked even more rigid. “The bride price was my decision. It has nothing to do with the Lin family.”
“…How can it have nothing to do with them?”
Gu Xiuxiu was startled by his shout, then grew even more aggrieved and furious, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Second Brother! Have you been bewitched by that Lin Wanxing? What kind of spell has she cast on you? That money, those coupons—they’re the hard-earned savings you scraped together over the years! You risked your life in the military for them! And you just gave them all away to outsiders?”
“Think about Mom, think about Dad, think about this family. We are your family!”
Gu Jianfeng’s mother clutched her chest, her face pale, breathing heavily as if she were about to collapse. Her voice trembled with tears—she was crying over the money and coupons that had been wasted for nothing.
“Jianfeng, Xiuxiu is right! What kind of family are the Lins? Wang Shufen is shallow-minded, and Lin Jianguo is quietly calculating. Giving them so much is like feeding meat to a dog—it’ll never come back! Do you think they’ll appreciate you? They’re probably laughing at how foolish you are behind your back!”
Gu Jianfeng’s father was also stunned.
Only then did he let out a heavy sigh: “Jianfeng, your mother and sister may sound harsh, but they’re not wrong.”
“Our Gu family is in this situation now—Jianbin just passed away, and our family’s foundation is weak. If you give away so much all at once, how will we manage in the future? In my opinion, why don’t you go discuss it with the Lin family? Things like the color TV and sewing machine—can they wait for now? Or maybe… take the watch back? Just say… the military has rules against extravagance?”
Gu Jianfeng remained silent but suddenly stood up.
His posture was straight as a pine, carrying the resoluteness unique to soldiers.
“A soldier does not make empty promises. Since I promised the Lin family, there’s no going back. These things were given willingly to Wanxing—they’re security for her future and compensation on behalf of my elder brother.”
His tone was firm, even rigid: “Mom, Dad, this matter is not up for discussion.”
Looking at his shocked family, his heart was a mix of emotions, but his tone remained unchanged:
“Once Wanxing marries into our family, she’ll be part of the Gu family. If her life is good, our Gu family will be good too. I hope… you’ll treat her well and not let her hear such talk.”
Gu Jianfeng’s mother’s lips trembled.
Listen to what he’s saying—as if we’re the ones in the wrong for worrying about him!
Shaking with anger, a sharp pain shot through her stomach. Clutching her abdomen, she pointed at Gu Jianfeng, heartbroken and furious.
“You stubborn fool! How did I raise such a stubborn fool! If your elder brother knew you were giving away the family’s savings like this… could he rest peacefully in his grave?”
As she spoke, she truly felt a twisting, churning pain in her stomach, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
“Mom!” Gu Xiuxiu quickly supported her, shooting a resentful glare at Gu Jianfeng. “Look at how you’ve upset Mom!”
Seeing his mother’s pale face, Gu Jianfeng stepped forward to help, but she pushed him away.
“Don’t touch me! I don’t have a son like you!” Pushing Gu Xiuxiu aside and clutching her stomach, she threw down her chopsticks. “You can stay in this house! I can’t stand it anymore!”
In a fit of anger, Gu Jianfeng’s mother stormed out and went straight to the home of a close friend next door.
As soon as she entered, she grabbed her friend’s hands and began crying and pouring out her grievances.
“Dear sister, my heart is so bitter… That child Jianfeng—he’s completely bewitched by his unmarried bride!”
“He gave away all the savings he’s accumulated over the years to the Lin family! A Shanghai watch, sewing machine, bicycle, even that precious color TV! Our Gu family is practically emptied out!”
“What kind of decent family are the Lins? Wang Shufen would sell her daughter by the pound if she could… This isn’t a marriage—it’s draining our Gu family dry!”
She embellished the story, vividly portraying Gu Jianfeng’s foolishness and the Lin family’s greed.
Her friend listened wide-eyed, clicking her tongue in disbelief. While offering comfort, she also tucked this away as sensational gossip.
In this era, rural villages held few secrets.
Gu Jianfeng’s mother’s tearful account spread within half a day.
“Hey, have you heard? That Gu Jianfeng—he’s been taken advantage of by the Lin family this time!”
“What happened? I only heard Xiaoya bragging about the generous bride price. What else could there be?”
“Generous? It was cleaned out! Mrs. Gu herself told me—Jianfeng’s hard-earned military savings over the years, not a penny left, all fed into the Lin family’s bottomless pit! A Shanghai watch, sewing machine, color TV… Goodness, it makes my heart tremble just hearing it!”
“Hah! I knew it! That Wang Shufen has been walking with a spring in her step these past few days, and that little girl has been showing off their bicycle and sewing machine to everyone. Turns out they all came from the Gu family! Isn’t this selling their daughter? Worse than the arranged marriages of the old days!”
“Surely not… Jianfeng seems like a steady young man, and his rank is high. Would he really let the Lin family take advantage of him like that?”
“What a tragedy! It hasn’t been long since Jianbin passed. His mother must be suffering so much! Her son is gone, and now the family savings are being scraped away by her future daughter-in-law’s family. Who wouldn’t be furious?”
“I also heard Gu Xiuxiu had a huge fight with her second brother over this, saying the Lin family is only after the goods and that her sister-in-law will suffer later!”
“Just wait and see. The Lin family is all smiles now, but once their daughter marries over, they’ll get what’s coming! With Mrs. Gu’s temper, will she let the in-laws who made her sick off easily? There’ll be plenty of trouble ahead! It’s just a pity for Jianfeng—such a kind heart, treated like a fool!”
“Yes, yes… Who would’ve thought the Lin family was like this…”
Such talk spread among the women who often gathered by the well or the river.
Their words were filled with disdain and mockery toward the Lin family.
Yet, none of this gossip reached the ears of the Lin family, who were still immersed in immense joy and anticipation.
Inside the Lin family’s small courtyard, Wang Shufen was using a soft cloth to wipe down the brand-new Forever bicycle they had just acquired—for the hundredth time. The wheels were practically gleaming.
Lin Jianguo squatted by the doorway of the main room, squinting with satisfaction as he gazed at the Butterfly sewing machine inside.
But what stirred his heart the most was still…
The large, unopened cardboard box wrapped in red cloth sitting on the TV cabinet in the corner.
That was the Peony brand color TV he had specially carried back!
Once they unveiled it, wouldn’t the whole village praise him! Envy him for raising such a fine daughter and marrying her to such a good son-in-law!
Lin Dabao and Lin Xiaoya hopped and jumped around, chattering excitedly about these rare treasures—debating who would ride the bicycle first and who would watch TV first.
They had no idea how the villagers were talking about them.