Free Web NovelChapter 159: Chapter 159: What Have They Brought?
The days passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, more than three months had gone by. The Laba Festival was over, and it was now the middle of the twelfth lunar month.
Gu’er sat in the gatehouse, looking outside.
A bitter wind howled outside. Its whistling gusts felt sharp enough to crack the skin on your face.
Gu’er pulled her cotton-padded jacket tighter. Although she was indoors, a gatehouse like this had no central heating in this day and age. Because it was just a gatehouse, it had no heated kang bed or stove, leaving the room feeling damp and cold.
Gu’er had started a fire in a brazier, but she couldn’t keep it burning constantly. The coals had now died out, and she felt as if her legs were frozen stiff.
If it was this cold inside, it was hard to imagine what it was like outside. In the Northeast, winter could freeze water solid in an instant. A few minutes outdoors was all it took for the wind to cut straight through your clothes, feeling like a knife scraping against your skin.
It wasn’t that Gu’er was unwilling to stay in the warm Lin family house. But she preferred being here alone to sitting at home in awkward silence with her mother, Chen Fengjiao.
It had been almost four months since she’d arrived at the Lin family’s home. She and her mother had grown familiar with one another, and the adjustment period was going well enough, but they had never been able to truly connect. Though her mother treated her well, Gu’er always felt they weren’t like a real mother and daughter.
Over these four months, Lin Sui’er’s hostility toward her hadn’t lessened; in fact, her words had grown even more scathing. A couple of times, Gu’er had retorted, only for Chen Fengjiao to step in and mediate. But seeing the undisguised pain and protectiveness for Sui’er in Chen Fengjiao’s eyes, Gu’er fell silent.
A few times, Lin Shan had tried to discipline Lin Sui’er, but Chen Fengjiao always stopped him. Gu’er once even overheard Chen Fengjiao tearfully recounting how pitiful Sui’er’s childhood was. How she had no milk to drink right after birth, crying from hunger, and all Chen Fengjiao could feed her was thin gruel.
How Sui’er had suffered a terrible illness as a child, and she had almost lost her.
How Lin Shan’s career only began to flourish after Sui’er was born, that Sui’er was the one who brought their family prosperity.
In short, in Chen Fengjiao’s heart, Sui’er could do no wrong. She wouldn’t let anyone mistreat her—not even her own husband or her other daughter.
Gu’er understood Chen Fengjiao’s mindset. ’It’s almost pathological,’ she thought. But because she and Chen Fengjiao had never managed to have a real mother-daughter relationship, she couldn’t say anything.
In contrast to her relationship with Lin Sui’er, she got along very well with Lin Zheng.
Lin Zheng had become very attached to her. He would cling to Gu’er in the evenings, asking her to help him with his homework and other things.
Gu’er’s feelings for Lin Zheng were unique. He was her little brother, but more often than not, she saw him simply as a child, transferring the affection she once held for Little Yueyue onto him.
As for Lin Shan... Gu’er’s lips curved into a small smile. She really liked this father of hers. Over the past few months, he had made her feel like she truly had a father, which gave her a sense of security.
She also loved going to night school. She learned a great deal and made many friends, the closest of whom was Li Zhi.
Li Zhi was a bit calculating and a little selfish, but he wasn’t a bad person. And he was especially considerate toward Gu’er. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Gu’er knew Li Zhi had a little crush on her. She had told him she had a boyfriend, but he didn’t seem to believe her and remained just as attentive. Gu’er, for her part, only considered him a friend.
She also got along well with many other classmates. Gu’er knew that personal connections were an important part of life, and friendships forged in youth were less likely to sour.
But once the twelfth lunar month began, the school closed for winter break. Classes wouldn’t resume until after the Lantern Festival, so for now, her evenings were free.
While Gu’er was lost in thought, a customer came in. They bought a pound of dried mushrooms, five pounds of pine nuts, and two pounds of hickory nuts, then paid and left.
That was right. It was cold now. The snows had started in late October and had fallen intermittently ever since. Gu’er no longer set up her stall outside, choosing to sell from the gatehouse instead. Business wasn’t as brisk as before, but it still brought in some income. Besides, keeping her goods in the gatehouse protected them from the damp. If she had left them outside, they would have been ruined by now.
’I wonder how Grandma Sun is doing, and how Brother Jia Ming is...’ Because the snows had made the roads from the village to the city treacherous, Gu’er hadn’t seen Sun Jiaming in almost two months.
She missed Sun Jiaming terribly. ’If I were back in the village right now,’ she thought, ’I’d be sitting on a warm kang, doing needlework or just chatting with Grandma Sun and Sun Jiaming over tea. It would be so perfect.’
’Sigh... too bad. Even if I wanted to go back to the village, the roads are just impassable.’
’Why can’t I open up to my own mother?’ Gu’er felt a pang of sadness as she thought about how, when they were home together, they either made forced small talk or simply sat in silence.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open again. A few figures stood outside, letting in a gust of frigid air. Gu’er didn’t pay them much mind, assuming they were customers for her mountain goods. But then the person in the lead took off his fur hat and unwound the scarf from his neck, and Gu’er’s eyes lit up.
It was Sun Jiaming!
"Brother Jia Ming."
Gu’er cried out his name and shot to her feet. Her legs were so stiff from the cold that she nearly stumbled.
Sun Jiaming looked at Gu’er, a smile spreading across his face. It was so genuine, so full of affection. freewёbnoνel.com
"Brother Jia Ming, what are you doing here? How is Grandma? We just had a huge snowstorm a few days ago, the roads must be terrible! How did you get here?"
The questions tumbled out of Gu’er in a rush.
Sun Jiaming just kept smiling, his eyes filled with adoration. He hadn’t seen Gu’er in over a month and had missed her terribly. His grandmother hadn’t been well, so he had stayed home to care for her. Now that she was feeling much better, he could finally come to the city without worrying.
"So, you only have eyes for your Brother Jia Ming, eh, Gu’er? Completely forgot about your old uncle."
Another man said, laughing heartily as he entered the gatehouse and unwound his own scarf.
"Uncle Zhao! Brother Zhao!"
Gu’er exclaimed, blushing slightly. She had been so happy to see Sun Jiaming that she really had forgotten everyone else was there.
Uncle Zhao wasn’t truly teasing her. He just smiled without saying more. He had gotten to know Gu’er quite well over the previous months and treated her like a niece, always speaking to her with warmth.
Gu’er invited them to sit and poured them some water.
Feeling the chill in the room, Sun Jiaming frowned. "Why is it so cold in here? Have you just been sitting here without a fire?" he asked, worried she would freeze.
"If I keep the fire going all the time, the room gets too stuffy," Gu’er said. "It’s uncomfortable."
Gu’er was telling the truth. The poor ventilation in winter did make it unpleasant.
"Don’t open up shop after today," Sun Jiaming said, unable to stand the thought of her suffering in the cold. "The New Year is only half a month away. You should take a good rest and enjoy the holiday. You can open again when the weather improves."
"Okay," Gu’er said, smiling at Sun Jiaming. "I was planning to close up in a couple of days anyway." She could feel his genuine concern for her.
"Uncle Zhao, why did you all come today?"
Gu’er asked about their reason for coming. ’They wouldn’t have all come together unless it was for something important,’ she reasoned.
"Heh heh," Uncle Zhao chuckled. "Take a guess, Gu’er. What do you think your uncle brought for you?"
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Thank you to Karl King for the He Shi Bi and the monthly tickets! Thank you all for your support. I will write the bonus Chapter in the next few days. I’m currently suffering from an indescribable injury. It’s excruciating, but I can’t talk about it.
