Gu Jianfeng was holding the Lin family’s old broom, its bristles worn bald at the tip, sweeping the fallen leaves and chicken droppings in the courtyard with strong, steady strokes. His movements were crisp and efficient, carrying the upright neatness unique to a soldier.
It was obvious he’d been at it for a while. Not only had most of the courtyard been swept clean, even the water jar had been filled to the brim, the clear well water almost sloshing over. The firewood that had been piled in the corner yesterday had also been chopped and stacked neatly into a tidy pile.
Perhaps hearing the movement, Gu Jianfeng paused and turned around.
When he saw Lin Wanxing standing at the doorway, her hair still a little messy from sleep, his gaze flickered for a moment before he awkwardly looked away. “Sister-in-law, you’re awake.”
He quickly grabbed the undershirt hanging on the clothesline and fumbled it on while speaking, covering up the overly eye-catching muscles of his body.
“Y-you… why are you here?” Lin Wanxing asked in surprise, her voice still carrying the softness of just waking up.
“I came to help you with the chores. It’s cool in the morning—good for working,” Gu Jianfeng replied succinctly. He picked up the broom again and swept the last bit of trash into the dustpan. “Did I wake you?”
“No…” Lin Wanxing shook her head, her eyes landing on his sweat-soaked undershirt clinging tightly to his back, outlining his broad shoulders. A feeling she couldn’t quite name stirred in her chest.
This man really was too honest…
Among so many oddballs, he was truly unstained by the mud.
Just then, Aunt Wang from next door came out carrying an enamel basin to dump some water. Seeing the scene in the Gu family’s courtyard, she immediately narrowed her eyes and shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Oh my! Jianfeng’s here helping out? Up so early—how hardworking! Wanxing girl, you’re really blessed! With Jianbin watching from the heavens, he can finally rest in peace!”
Her voice was loud and ringing.
A head popped out from over the left courtyard wall, and someone from the Li family in the front house came over to the fence with a child to watch the excitement.
“Exactly! Jianfeng is such a good kid—no complaints at all! Soldiers really are different!”
“Look how fast Jianfeng works. Just talked about it last night, and today he’s already here helping his sister-in-law!”
“Look how tidy the courtyard is now! Wanxing’s going to enjoy a good life from now on!”
“The Lin family really struck gold!”
“The Gu brothers are both outstanding!”
The chatter came one after another, unabashed, filled with teasing and obvious envy.
These days, what family wouldn’t like a young man who was both capable and willing to work? Especially one who ate state grain—a military officer.
Lin Wanxing didn’t feel much about it.
Gu Jianfeng, on the other hand, seemed a bit embarrassed. He lowered his head, put the broom away, then reached for the shoulder pole, looking like he was about to go carry another load of water.
“Jianfeng, take a break first. Have some water,” Lin Wanxing said quickly, turning and heading inside. She poured a bowl of plain boiled water that had been cooled in the morning from the earthen jar and hurried back out to hand it to him.
Gu Jianfeng froze for a moment, set the shoulder pole down, and quickly took the bowl.
His fingers were rough and warm from working. When he took the bowl, they inevitably brushed against Lin Wanxing’s slightly cool fingertips.
That brief contact made both of them pause.
Lin Wanxing swiftly pulled her hand back, her fingertips seeming to still retain that scorching warmth.
She lifted her eyes just in time to catch the fleeting embarrassment on Gu Jianfeng’s bronze-colored face. He tilted his head back and gulped down the water in big mouthfuls, his Adam’s apple bobbing rapidly, as if trying to hide something.
Seeing him like this, the corners of Lin Wanxing’s lips couldn’t help but curve upward slightly.
This man was quite amusing.
She took back the empty bowl and turned to wash it.
At the entrance to the main hall, Wang Shufen and Lin Jianguo had long since woken up. They were peeking through the crack of the door, secretly watching Gu Jianfeng work in the courtyard.
Looking at the diligent and capable future son-in-law, listening to the neighbors’ envious praise, the two exchanged looks that clearly said, Our family really hit the jackpot.
Just as the atmosphere grew subtle yet warm, Lin Dabao and Lin Xiaoya—two half-grown kids with sleepy eyes—also shuffled out of the house.
The moment they saw Gu Jianfeng, it was as if they’d been injected with chicken blood. Instantly wide awake, they hopped over excitedly like two sparrows spotting grain.
“Brother Jianfeng!” Lin Xiaoya called sweetly, her eyes darting all over Gu Jianfeng.
Lin Dabao also squeezed forward, rubbing his hands and grinning. “Brother Jianfeng, do you still have those… you know, the kind of coupons that can buy lots of good stuff? Like cloth coupons, industrial vouchers, that sort of thing? We were thinking… thinking of getting some things for the family.”
Gu Jianfeng looked at the pair of future brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Thinking that they were his sister-in-law’s family, his expression softened a little.
He assumed the kids just wanted a bit of pocket change, so he took a few loose cloth coupons and some small change out of the pocket of his military jacket and handed them over. Patting them on the head, he reminded them, “Take it and share with your friends to buy something you like. Be careful, and don’t run around recklessly.”
To Lin Dabao and Lin Xiaoya, his generous attitude was nothing short of being handed an imperial decree!
They accepted the money happily, feeling even more confident that their plan of borrowing someone else’s prestige would work.
See? Asking Brother Jianfeng directly really was more reliable.
Before going to the commune, Lin Xiaoya was still a little scared. Her eyes rolled around, and she decided to look for someone sensible to get an opinion.
In the village, the most clear-headed and knowledgeable person in her eyes was Gu Xiuxiu.
Gu Xiuxiu was one of the few high-school students in the village. She was always talking about “getting into college” and “building the Four Modernizations,” and even the way she walked carried a vigor different from the other village girls.
In the eyes of half-grown kids like Lin Xiaoya, Gu Xiuxiu was practically the embodiment of wisdom. Whatever she said had to be right.
Lin Xiaoya wandered over to the Gu house.
Familiar with the place, she made her way to the back of Gu Xiuxiu’s room and peeked through the window. She saw Gu Xiuxiu sitting at her desk, books and notebooks spread out in front of her, a fountain pen in hand, her brows slightly furrowed as if she were pondering a difficult problem.
Sunlight streamed through the glass window, falling on her neatly braided pigtails and the collar of her newly changed Dacron shirt, giving her an especially cultured air.
Lin Xiaoya admired her even more. Sister Xiuxiu really was studying hard!
Not at all like her own elder sister, Lin Wanxing, who only knew how to feed pigs, raise chickens, cook, and wash clothes at home—no education at all.
Lin Xiaoya didn’t dare shout. She only lightly tapped on the window.
Gu Xiuxiu’s train of thought was interrupted. She lifted her head irritably, and when she saw it was Lin Xiaoya, her expression darkened even more.
She hated being disturbed while studying, especially by this ignorant little girl from the Lin family. She was already annoyed with that girl’s sister.
“What is it?” Gu Xiuxiu pushed the window open, her tone cold and clearly displeased.
Lin Xiaoya quickly plastered on a flattering smile. “Sister Xiuxiu, you’re studying? You’re so diligent! You’ll definitely get into college!”
The flattery worked on Gu Xiuxiu. Her expression eased slightly, but she was still impatient. “If you’ve got something to say, say it. I’m busy.”
Lin Xiaoya seized the chance and embellished the story of how she and Dabao wanted to help prepare some dowry for their eldest sister, only to be harshly rejected by her, who even said their thinking was wrong. Her tone was full of resentment toward Lin Wanxing’s stubbornness.
“Sister Xiuxiu, don’t you think my big sister is too inflexible?” Lin Xiaoya pouted. “We just wanted to borrow her name and ask at the supply and marketing cooperative to see if we could buy some scarce goods. What’s wrong with that? Isn’t it only right to give some convenience to the family of a martyr?”
Gu Xiuxiu almost rolled her eyes.
For the family of a martyr, reputation was the most important thing. Their own family had to guard their reputation carefully—what reputation did Lin Wanxing even have that was worth using?
She looked at Lin Xiaoya like she was an idiot.
“If you want to go, then go! Why are you nagging me about it?” She just wanted to get rid of this annoying little girl as quickly as possible. Her tone was sharp and biting. “Don’t you think that title is useful? Then go try it! See if the sales clerk will give your sister face. Maybe you really can carry all the good stuff back! And our family will back you up too!”
The sarcasm was so obvious that anyone with a brain could hear it.
She never imagined that this idiot wouldn’t be able to tell good from bad, let alone that they would actually dare to go.
But to simple-minded Lin Xiaoya, Gu Xiuxiu’s impatient attitude was precisely how a cultured person showed disdain for fussing over trivial matters!
Those angry remarks were automatically filtered by her into support and encouragement.
Look—even Sister Xiuxiu, such an impressive high-school student, said it was fine!
Lin Xiaoya’s eyes instantly lit up, all her doubts swept away.
Overjoyed, she didn’t wait for Gu Xiuxiu to react and skipped off.
Gu Xiuxiu watched her retreating figure, curled her lip in disgust, slammed the window shut with a bang, and sat back down at her desk. She muttered “idiot” and quickly forgot all about it.
Lin Xiaoya ran all the way back home and found Lin Dabao squatting in the courtyard, poking at chicken droppings for fun.
“Brother! Sister Xiuxiu said it’s no problem! She told us to just go! She said the supply and marketing cooperative will definitely give face to the martyr’s widow’s family—and her family will back us up too!” Lin Xiaoya said excitedly, her face flushed red.
When Lin Dabao heard this, his last bit of concern vanished into thin air. He clapped his hands. “If even Sister Xiuxiu says so, then it’ll definitely work. I told you we didn’t need to listen to my sister. Let’s go! We’ll head to the commune right now.”