Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Eighteen Yuan, Five Jiao, and Three Fen

The day after returning from the hunt.

Gu Qinghuan made a special trip to the commune to send a letter and thirty yuan to Gu Lanting. She also included some mountain goods—hazelnuts, pine nuts, wild mushrooms, and the like—things that would keep well.

She’d originally wanted to send some fine grain too, but considering he was living at home now, she didn’t want to let those heartless people get their hands on any more food, so she decided against it.

At the same time, she received a letter from her younger brother. In it, he asked how they were doing, wished them a happy Mid-Autumn Festival, and included exactly eighteen yuan, five jiao, and three fen.

This was the first time Gu Lanting had ever sent money home. Before, the most he could manage was to save a little grain for them.

Back when he and the original Gu Qinghuan lived at home, it was like walking on thin ice. That woman controlled all the household expenses. She wouldn’t openly withhold their living allowance, but there was never a penny more than necessary.

So where did he get this money?

If it had just been eighteen yuan, she wouldn’t have been so worried. But it was such an odd amount—eighteen yuan, five jiao, and three fen.

Gu Lanting was only a second-year high school student. Aside from his living expenses, where could he have gotten so much money?

Still, she decided not to mention it to Zhong Zijun. Her health was already poor, and worrying about this would only make things worse.

So she quickly wrote another letter and sent it to her cousin Zhong Luoning, who was also in Beijing, hoping she could help look into Lanting’s situation. She sent her some mountain goods as well.

Distant water can’t put out a nearby fire, but for now, this was all she could do.

When she got home, she didn’t mention the money Lanting had sent—she just showed Zhong Zijun the letter.

Early that morning, Xu Huai’an had gone to the mountains to collect the traps he’d set the day before. He’d caught two pheasants and a wild rabbit.

He planned to give one pheasant to the Xu family as a gesture, and keep the rest for their own household.

If it weren’t for not wanting to completely fall out with them, he wouldn’t even want to give them that one pheasant.

After cleaning up their share of the pheasant and the rabbit, he asked Gu Qinghuan enthusiastically, “Huanhuan, let’s have rabbit for dinner tonight? The kind you made last time, with green peppers?”

Gu Qinghuan didn’t respond.

He asked again, and only then did she snap out of it. “Huh? Sure! You can cut it up and marinate it first, and I’ll cook it tonight.”

“What’s wrong? You seem distracted.”

Gu Qinghuan didn’t know why, but ever since she’d received the money from Gu Lanting, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She just couldn’t focus.

After all, he was her original self’s younger brother—she had to look out for him.

So she quietly told Xu Huai’an about it.

Both of them felt something was off, but couldn’t quite put their finger on it. For now, they decided to keep it quiet and wait for a reply from cousin Luoning.

To get the answer sooner, she’d sent Luoning’s letter by express delivery, so she should hear back soon.

There was another matter at hand.

She needed to help Zhong Zijun get revenge.

Since they were all in the same boat, Gu Qinghuan didn’t hide it from Xu Huai’an. She really did need a reliable partner to pull this off.

When Xu Huai’an learned that his mother-in-law had been deliberately pushed down the slope and seriously injured, he was furious at the culprit.

“Don’t worry, I’m not after his life. I just want to give him a taste of his own medicine. If the law can’t deal with him, then I’ll handle it myself.” Gu Qinghuan knew he’d been in the army before, and worried he might think her way was wrong.

“Don’t act rashly. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you’ll never lose a battle. Let’s find out more about this person first, then make a plan. Before we do anything, we need to make sure we’re not implicated, so we don’t end up on the defensive. I’ll help you.”

Xu Huai’an’s words gave Gu Qinghuan a strange sense of reassurance.

The two of them started planning.

The rough idea was for Xu Huai’an to first get a sense of the man’s daily routine, then create an “accident” so he could experience what it felt like to fall down a slope himself.

—

Xu Huai’an took a pheasant over as a gesture, but Xu Mingshan and Liu Guifang were, of course, dissatisfied.

Before they could say anything, Xu Meiling—never one to think before she spoke—jumped in.

“Did you catch more wild game and just keep it for yourself? I don’t believe you only got one pheasant in two days! You used to be able to take down wild boars! You just don’t want to help me. What kind of brother are you?”

Xu Huai’an couldn’t even be bothered to reply. He just tossed the pheasant down. “Take it or leave it! I don’t owe you anything. I earned the most money for this family, but when we split up, I didn’t get a single cent. I even chipped in for your dowry, gave money and effort, and you’re still not satisfied—there’s nothing more I can do.”

He deliberately said this to remind Xu Mingshan and Liu Guifang. By rights, when the family split, he should have gotten his share, but because he’d been “crazy” at the time, he got nothing.

Sure enough, his words made Xu Mingshan and Liu Guifang swallow whatever they’d been about to say. They were terrified he’d use this as an excuse to demand his share—like cutting flesh from their own bodies.

This kid—how did he get so sharp after recovering? He used to be so easy to use and fool.

Xu Mingshan waved it off. “One pheasant is fine. We’ll make a big stew out of it, at least there’ll be some meat on the table.”

Xu Meiling still wouldn’t let it go. “Dad, how is one pheasant enough for so many people? The banquet will look terrible! I don’t care, you have to find a way to get more meat.”

Xu Huai’an ignored her completely and swaggered away.

Xu Mingshan was furious. “Whose fault is it that she’s so stupid?”

“Chen Jianghe won’t even give you a bride price, treats you like a fool, and you’re still fussing over the banquet?” Xu Huaiyu came out of his room, bleary-eyed.

Xu Meiling immediately turned into a shrew, charging at Xu Huaiyu, scratching and kicking. The siblings started fighting again.

“I’m just telling the truth. With the way Chen Jianghe treats you, don’t come crying to us later,” Xu Huaiyu said as he dodged.

Men know men best. Honestly, if he were Chen Jianghe, he’d probably want to tear Xu Meiling apart—there’s no way he’d treat her well. This marriage might look good on the surface, but Xu Meiling was in for a miserable life.

Everyone in the family understood this, except Xu Meiling herself, who kept her head buried in the sand, dreaming of a bright future.

Xu Mingshan couldn’t be bothered to watch the two siblings fight. Out of sight, out of mind.

Liu Guifang was injured herself, so she couldn’t break them up.

Xu Meiling nearly scratched Xu Huaiyu’s face to ribbons.

In the end, it was Xu Huaizhi who came back from outside and stopped them.

Xu Huaizhi had brought back a bucket of fish, big and small. He’d been trying to catch fish these past two days to add some dishes to his sister’s wedding banquet.

Though he didn’t approve of the marriage either, he still cared for his little sister.

Xu Meiling finally managed a smile when she saw the fish. “At least big brother is reliable!” With the fish, the pheasant, and over a jin of pork, the banquet wouldn’t look so bad.

Inside, Lin Xiaomeng was hemming the wedding dress, sneering to herself.

This little sister-in-law had been completely spoiled by Liu Guifang. She was in for some hard days ahead.

At least this would be the last time—once she finished this wedding dress, Xu Meiling would be married off, and wouldn’t be able to come back to her mother’s house to freeload anymore."