Chapter 582 | Chapter 583 | Chapter 584
Chapter 582: A Man Denied of Meat
“Alright.”
Gu Tingxiao massaged her for a while. Once he saw the tight frown on her face relax, he went to cook noodles for her.
Sheng Wanyan could only feel that this man was incredibly clingy tonight; even while she was eating her noodles, he insisted on pressing tightly against her.
Sheng Wanyan shifted her body slightly, but Gu Tingxiao held her shoulder firmly. “Are you really trying to suffocate me to death!”
Sheng Wanyan stiffened and dared not move erratically again. A man who had tasted sweetness but was still being denied of his meat was the absolute worst person to provoke.
“You haven’t told me what’s going on with that car yet,” Sheng Wanyan said, settling accounts now that the immediate dust had settled. The car Gu Tingxiao had driven to pick her up earlier was clearly not one belonging to the family elders, but a civilian sedan.
Following the economic opening up, more than twenty thousand civilian sedans had appeared in Shanghai alone, and seeing them on the road was an object of immense envy. In this day and age, buying a car was easy enough, but securing the official state quota and permit from the higher-ups was incredibly difficult.
“Bought it.”
Sheng Wanyan’s eyes widened at his words. Did he mean what she thought he meant???
“Who bought it?”
“Our family.”
Hearing Gu Tingxiao’s final words, Sheng Wanyan felt a bit lightheaded. Was it truly exactly what she thought???
“Having a car at home makes things more convenient. In the future, when we return to the compound on weekends, we won’t have to squeeze onto the public bus.”
Hearing his confirmation, Sheng Wanyan excitedly leapt onto him. Gu Tingxiao scooped her up smoothly, letting her sit securely on his forearm.
“It’s really ours?”
“You aren’t tricking me?”
Gu Tingxiao’s expression was incredibly tender. Seeing the intense excitement and delight in her eyes, he knew he had delivered this surprise perfectly.
“Really. Happy sixth anniversary,” Gu Tingxiao whispered softly against her ear.
A radiant smile broke across Sheng Wanyan’s face at his words. Today marked their sixth anniversary together. Six years had flown past in a flash, and now they had built a home and had children of their own.
“Happy anniversary,” Sheng Wanyan said softly, her heart overflowing with love. He always knew exactly what she wanted first thing.
Previously, because of Gu Tingxiao’s military profession, she hadn’t dared to be too extravagant, petrified that others would use it against him and sabotage his future. She hadn’t expected that the moment she returned from Hong Kong, Gu Tingxiao would have such a massive surprise waiting for her.
After washing up and returning to their bedroom, Sheng Wanyan couldn’t help but question him about the process of purchasing the vehicle.
Gu Tingxiao had secured the quota by asking Father Gu to pull some strings, so with the proper connections, it was approved very quickly. Initially, a few of the old gentlemen who found out about it expressed dissatisfaction, feeling their family was engaging in bourgeois practices. But with the current era of opening up, those old fogies who refused to accept reality could only try to find faults in these petty areas. If the Gu family fell, the supreme leader would lose a major pillar of support, which would give another faction a chance to claim that top seat. Having finally caught what they thought was a grievance against the Gu family, they naturally wanted to launch a grand crusade.
But as it turned out, the supreme leader directly spoke up himself. In this current era of opening up, he was only happy when every household lived a prosperous life. Furthermore, Comrade Sheng Wanyan hadn’t stolen or robbed anyone; what could possibly be wrong with a couple purchasing a vehicle using their own hard-earned capabilities!
When those old folks still wanted to say something, the leader straight up brought to light the fact that their own juniors were doing business and opening factories, which finally shut their mouths.
“How much does a car cost right now?” Thinking about the immense future value of these vintage cars, Sheng Wanyan’s heart fluttered with excitement. Had she known earlier, she would have reserved a portion of her capital when she went to Hong Kong just to buy cars.
Sheng Wanyan hurriedly kicked the thought out of her head. Things had to be done step by step; she couldn’t have absolutely everything. As a person… one shouldn’t be too greedy.
“Including all the miscellaneous fees, twenty thousand yuan.”
Sheng Wanyan inwardly cheered at how cheap the price was. One had to understand that the cars of this era were manufactured with solid, genuine materials! Although they weren’t smart or digitized, in an era where the roads were all concrete, it was practically equivalent to having an airplane.
“I didn’t have enough cash on hand, so Mom and Dad brought over last month’s store earnings, and I deployed them.”
“Use them as you like. These are all joint marital assets anyway.”
Gu Tingxiao smiled at her words. His wife truly wasn’t afraid that he would take the money to do something behind her back to wrong her. He had deployed tens of thousands of yuan on his own, yet she wasn’t worried in the slightest.
“Comrade Gu Tingxiao, what isn’t meant to be mine will never be mine. That includes people.” Sheng Wanyan knew what he was pondering, answering his doubt before he even had to ask it out loud.
Gu Tingxiao looked at her. His wife lived with far too much clarity, to the point where sometimes he would feel a trace of fear that she might depart at any moment. Gu Tingxiao pulled her tightly into his embrace, unyielding yet restrained, venting all of today’s pent-up frustration onto her body. Their fingers locked together tightly as they fully unleashed all the longing accumulated over the past month.
A night of lingering affection ensued…
The next day, by the time Sheng Wanyan woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. When Yi Yi spotted her mother on the bed, she didn’t quite register it at first.
“Mama is very tired. Don’t disturb Mama’s rest.”
Hearing her father’s words, Yi Yi nodded her small head and followed him downstairs, leaving Sheng Wanyan to sleep undisturbed.
Sheng Wanyan slept until past noon before finally waking up. No one in the family disturbed her. The twins had been taken downstairs by Mother Gu to play with Chouwa (Gu Jinyu). The three babies cooed and babbled, competing to see who could make the loudest noise.
“I don’t know what time Wanyan reached home last night, but it’s already past noon and she still hasn’t woken up.” Mother Gu looked toward the top of the stairs and let out a sigh, her heart filled with both protective concern and pride.
“The child has been exhausted for so long; she absolutely must get sufficient rest now that she’s home. During the summer break when everyone else gets to rest, she had to travel all the way to Hong Kong. How could she not be tired?” Grandma Gu spoke up, preventing Mother Gu from heading up to wake Sheng Wanyan. Mother Gu and Eldest Sister-in-law Gu had never traveled on official business, so they didn’t know how physically draining a trip could be. But she knew all too well; when she was young and traveled abroad, her mind remained in a state of high alert the entire time. It wasn’t just physical exhaustion; it was mental exhaustion as well.
Mother Gu nodded at Grandma Gu’s words. Since the old master and old madame of the house had spoken, she naturally wouldn’t go wake Sheng Wanyan. She was merely marveling… at her third daughter-in-law’s sleeping capability. Furthermore, when Old Third had set out for work this morning, he explicitly instructed them not to disturb his wife’s rest.
Sheng Wanyan slept until past twelve o’clock in the afternoon. After getting up and washing up, she finally headed downstairs. Seeing her come down, the family immediately served lunch.
“You’re finally awake. Come eat quickly. You’ve lost weight from this trip.” Mother Gu saw at a glance that she had leaned down quite a bit. She hadn’t thought much of it when she hadn’t seen her yet, but now that they were face-to-face, why did she feel her third daughter-in-law’s face had shrunk by a full margin?
“Grandfather, Grandma, Mom, Sister-in-law.” Sheng Wanyan greeted everyone in turn. Hearing Mother Gu say she had lost weight, she quickly touched her own face. She didn’t seem to have lost weight, did she? “Mom, I didn’t lose weight.”
“You still say you didn’t? Your face has thinned out.”
Sheng Wanyan smiled at her words, walking over to stand in front of her so she could look closer. “Mom, take a close look. Where do I look different?”
Mother Gu sized her up meticulously, and only then did she realize her hair was completely different!
Chapter 583: Gifts for the Family
“Oh! You curled your hair.”
“I was standing too far away just now and didn’t notice. This is far too trendy!”
Mother Gu hurriedly took her hand, looking her up and down, incredibly delighted with her new hairstyle.
“It looks good, it really looks good.”
Eldest Sister-in-law Gu loved it too upon seeing it. With her hair curled like this, Third Sister-in-law looked like a completely different person.
“Mom, I didn’t lose weight. It’s just that the hairstyle is different, so it makes my face look smaller.”
“When the time comes, I’ll take you, Grandma, and Sister-in-law to get yours curled too!”
Hearing this, Grandma Gu, Mother Gu, and Eldest Sister-in-law Gu laughed so hard they couldn’t close their mouths. If they all went and got curls, wouldn’t the house be filled with a bunch of curly-haired women? The men in the family would probably think they were living in a monkey enclosure. The mere thought of that picture amused them.
“But seriously, Third Sister-in-law’s hair does look beautiful; her entire aura is different.”
Eldest Sister-in-law Gu was tempted. Her hair wasn’t short either, and her demeanor was gentle and intellectual. However, as she got older and had given birth not too long ago, she had been shedding hair like crazy. It frustrated her to no end every single day, as she was terrified of going bald. It seemed like curled hair really made one’s hair look voluminous. One look at Third Sister-in-law’s hair and it seemed much thicker than before. If she went and got a mature curl later, it would definitely look great.
“Beautiful, beautiful! We’ll all go together in a couple of days!” Mother Gu immediately made the executive decision.
Grandma Gu trotted into the kitchen on her quick little steps and grabbed Mother Gu’s hand, absolutely thrilled. Could she finally have those trendy curls too??? She had seen some old ladies her age in the compound get it done—a head full of curls, and their entire aura changed! She wanted to get those curls too, so she could be the youngest old lady in the compound.
“Really?”
“Really. In a couple of days over the weekend, Eldest and Third will both be off work. Let them stay home and watch the kids.” Mother Gu finalized the plan in just a few sentences.
Sitting in the living room playing with his three grandsons, Grandfather Gu wanted to say something. But before he could even open his mouth, the four women were chattering so loudly that he didn’t even stand a chance. In this house… the men had no status whatsoever.
After finishing her lunch, Sheng Wanyan went upstairs to bring down the things she had bought in Hong Kong to distribute to everyone.
“Grandfather, this is for you.”
The gift box Sheng Wanyan handed to Grandfather Gu was very large. When Grandfather Gu opened it, his eyes widened instantly, and his hands trembled slightly. Sheng Wanyan had gifted him a tea set—a complete set of cloisonné enamel teaware. Grandfather Gu loved drinking tea. This tea set was something Sheng Wanyan had retrieved from her space, which she had acquired at an auction in her past life.
Hong Kong was a vanity fair full of luxury goods, but Grandfather Gu didn’t care for those. In his eyes, as long as clothes weren’t torn and shoes weren’t broken, they were perfectly fine! He naturally accepted the clothes and shoes his juniors gifted him, as it was a reflection of their filial piety. But those things were mere clouds compared to this tea set!
Grandfather Gu couldn’t take his eyes off it. He could already imagine how envious those old fogies in the compound would be of him. Just thinking about their envious stares made him immensely happy! Tomorrow, he would invite people over to drink tea with him! He would reluctantly let them taste the tea leaves his third granddaughter-in-law had given him. Good tea had to be paired with a good tea set!
“Grandma, this is for you.”
Sheng Wanyan had bought skincare products and clothes for Grandma Gu. Grandma Gu was absolutely delighted to see the skincare products.
“I’m already this old, yet I’m still using this stuff.” Grandma Gu said this, but she still accepted it, opening it up to test it on her face right away. “Oh my, this is wonderful. My face doesn’t feel dry at all. And these two sets of clothes feel ice-cool; they must be so comfortable in this sweltering heat.”
Seeing that she liked them, Sheng Wanyan was happy too. Grandma Gu hated the heat the most. Once summer arrived, she felt like a furnace, and her temper would grow irritable along with it.
“As long as you like them, Grandma. But since I bought them, you have to wear them.”
Hearing her words, Grandma Gu smiled a bit sheepishly. Her third granddaughter-in-law was intentionally reminding her. Normally, except for New Year and holidays, she would never wear new clothes. The juniors in the family scolded her constantly, but who could be more stubborn than her?
“If you don’t wear them, I will just keep filling up your wardrobe.”
“I’ll wear them, I’ll wear them.” Grandma Gu’s greatest fear was Sheng Wanyan bringing clothes back from the clothing store; every time, she would bring back a massive pile, packing her wardrobe tightly to the brim. She had told the child to sell them instead of keeping them at home since she didn’t wear them. But the child would straight up reply: “If you don’t wear them, they can just rot there. The clothing store doesn’t run short on clothes.” It forced her to wear them whether she wanted to or not. It had to be said that when someone was even more stubborn than you, you had no choice but to obey.
“Look, the clothes I’m wearing today are the new ones you bought me last time.” Grandma Gu pointed at her outfit, and Sheng Wanyan smiled at the sight. Elderly people were just like children; you had to find ways to coax them.
“Mom, Sister-in-law, these are the skincare products and new clothes for you. And this is a watch I bought for Dad; it’s the same model as Tingxiao’s.”
Seeing that the watch strap was made of steel, Mother Gu knew Father Gu would definitely love it.
“The watch face is simply beautiful.”
“I heard the meaning behind this watch is the North Star, and the dial was also designed based on it. It carries a wonderful meaning.” Mother Gu smiled from ear to ear.
All the children in the family received gifts, which consisted of new clothes and some trendy hair accessories from Hong Kong.
“Third Aunt, this gaming console is far too fun!” Sheng Wanyan had gifted Gu Jinfang a handheld gaming console that children in Hong Kong played with. The console was very simple, just fitting blocks together.
“As long as you like it, but you absolutely can’t neglect your studies.”
“Definitely not!” Gu Jinfang patted his chest in a guarantee, and Eldest Sister-in-law Gu rubbed his head with amusement.
“These are gifts for Jinshou and Jingjing.”
Gu Jinshou was still small, so Sheng Wanyan had gifted him milk powder and clothes. Eldest Sister-in-law Gu found the imported milk powder incredibly novel. The gifts for Gu Jingjing were hair accessories and a princess dress that young girls loved.
“Third Aunt, this dress is so beautiful.” Gu Jingjing cradled it in her arms lovingly, her eyes shining brightly. Seeing her growing more and more confident, Sheng Wanyan smiled.
“As long as you like it. Go try it on and see if it fits.” Gu Jingjing nodded and ran back to her room to try on her new dress.
Yi Yi stared at her. Sheng Wanyan pinched her cheek with amusement, deeply missing the familiar texture.
“Of course Yi Yi and your little brothers have gifts. Look! This is Yi Yi’s gift.” Sheng Wanyan handed the largest box to her. Yi Yi’s eyes widened at the sight; it was so huge! “Open it yourself and take a look.”
Hearing this, Yi Yi went to open the gift box. Seeing the sparkling princess dress and princess shoes inside, her mouth gaped wide open.
“Wow~”
Sheng Wanyan had gifted her an outfit that was a display-only item in a boutique window; she had negotiated for a long time before securing it. Not only did it include the dress and shoes, but there was also a pair of hairpins, a bracelet, and a necklace. They were all highly playful children’s jewelry that wouldn’t look overly ostentatious when worn out.
“Mama! I love it so much!” Yi Yi hurriedly hugged her thigh. This dress was beautiful; she had never seen such a pretty dress in her life.
Chapter 584: Those Damned Men
“As long as you like it.”
Sheng Wanyan ruffled her head. Yi Yi clutched her gift for a long time, completely immersed in the joy of receiving it.
The twins were still small, so Sheng Wanyan had bought a few cans of milk powder and two small suits that they could wear when they turned four. When the time came, there would be two identical little boys running around the house. The thought of two little gents walking hand-in-hand around the living room filled her with anticipation.
The entire household was immersed in happiness. Over the summer break, Gu Jingjing had also returned to stay and keep the elders company.
The family was perfectly harmonious. Two days later, the female members of the household returned home with heads full of curled hair, leaving the men of the family harboring their resentment in silent compliance.
“Wife…” Father Gu looked at the curls on Mother Gu’s head, desperately wanting to say something, but upon catching the sharp glare from her eyes, he shut his mouth.
Mother Gu had straight up cut her hair short to her neck, styling it into a large inward curl, which gave her a completely different aura than before. Previously she looked gentle, but now she looked like a successful, powerful career woman.
“What?” Mother Gu looked at Father Gu with displeasure. He better not say anything she didn’t want to hear, or else she would make him sleep in the living room tonight!
“Nothing… Wife, you look even more beautiful with this new hairstyle.”
Mother Gu nodded in satisfaction. Father Gu let out a massive sigh of relief; thank goodness he reacted fast enough, or else tonight would have been a rough one.
Sheng Wanyan pulled Gu Tingxiao out to drive, wanting him to teach her how to operate the car so she could master the steering wheel herself in the future. Although she already knew how to drive, she still needed to go through the motions to make it official, otherwise who would believe she was self-taught without a master?
Their family’s newly purchased car was black. Gu Tingxiao drove it out and began teaching her by the side of the road. At this hour, there was no one on the streets, making it quite convenient to practice. Sheng Wanyan watched him demonstrate twice before taking over herself.
Watching her smoothly operate the brakes, change gears, step on the gas, and turn the steering wheel, Gu Tingxiao was utterly shocked. She learned this fast???
“Wanyan, you grasp everything instantly.”
Catching his astonished gaze, Sheng Wanyan immediately felt a swell of pride. She was, after all, someone who had passed her driving test on the first try in her past life.
“Impressive, right?”
Sheng Wanyan gradually grew accustomed to it, figuring out the car’s functions and equipment. There weren’t many features; aside from the essential equipment needed to make the vehicle move, there was absolutely nothing else.
“I’ll drive back.”
Gu Tingxiao nodded, watching her master the steering wheel with absolute skill, radiating a distinct charm. He had really hit the absolute jackpot.
When Sheng Wanyan drove the car into the military compound and parked it in the courtyard, the family members happened to be taking a stroll. Seeing her climb down from the driver’s seat, their eyes widened instantly.
“Wanyan… You, you drove it back?” Mother Gu looked at her incoherently, her eyes filled with disbelief. This was the first time she had ever seen a female driver. This was practically an event that shattered old-fashioned conventional thinking. Let alone a female driver, even among men, not many knew how to drive!
“Yes.” Sheng Wanyan tossed the car keys to Gu Tingxiao, who caught them steadily.
“Oh my goodness, this is extraordinary.” Grandma Gu let out an exclamation and hurriedly pulled Yi Yi forward, looking at her with adoration. Sheng Wanyan felt her scalp tingle under the gazes of the grandmother-granddaughter duo.
“A female driver! Can I learn to drive at my age?” Grandma Gu’s eyes were glowing. She wanted to learn how to drive too, to be that female driver everyone envied.
“Grandma, you absolutely cannot.” Seeing that Grandma Gu wanted to learn, Eldest Brother Gu felt his scalp go numb and stepped forward to stop her.
Hearing her eldest grandson refuse her, Grandma Gu’s face hardened instantly. She pulled Yi Yi toward the house, muttering, “Nothing is allowed. What’s the use of you all? Every single one of you is more nagging than the last.” Grandma Gu trotted on her quick little steps, nagging the entire way inside.
Eldest Brother Gu and Gu Tingxiao exchanged a look, neither daring to utter a word.
Sheng Wanyan and Eldest Sister-in-law Gu watched the two men with amusement. When the two elderly matriarchs grew angry, not even the Lord of Heaven could do anything about it. Grandma Gu, in particular, could nag you until your head spun.
“Third Aunt, can you take me out for a spin?” Gu Jinfang pulled her arm. He couldn’t admire his third aunt more; she actually knew how to drive!
Men, no matter their age, could never resist the attraction of a car. When his third uncle first bought this vehicle, he had long wanted to climb in and experience it.
“Of course. Come on, I’ll take you all for a spin.”
Hearing this, Gu Jinfang and Gu Jingjing cheered instantly. The two of them ran inside to drag Yi Yi out, opened the car doors, and climbed inside to sit down. Eldest Sister-in-law Gu wanted to experience it too, so Sheng Wanyan straight up abandoned Gu Tingxiao and let Eldest Sister-in-law Gu take the passenger seat.
“Be careful. If anything happens, step on the brakes immediately.” Gu Tingxiao was still worried.
Sheng Wanyan waved her hand, started the car, turned the steering wheel, and departed.
Eldest Brother Gu and Gu Tingxiao exchanged a glance, hurriedly opened the doors of the family’s military jeep, stepped on the gas, and followed them out.
Sheng Wanyan rolled down the windows, and the entire car enjoyed the cool breeze, thoroughly soaking it in.
“This is too comfortable. I didn’t expect coming out at this hour could be so fun.” In this era, there were no good places to go at night, let alone any nightlife to enjoy.
“It’s so cool!!”
“Mama! It feels so good~”
“Third Aunt, you’re so amazing.”
The three children in the back seat chattered away, looking at the night scenery outside with immense curiosity.
Feeling the wind blow against her face, Eldest Sister-in-law Gu felt as though her previous days had been spent in vain.
“This is nothing. In the future when the country develops and the children grow up, we can drive wherever we want.” Sheng Wanyan spoke while keeping her eyes on the lights reflected in the side mirrors.
Those damned men…
“That sounds wonderful. I’ll go learn how to drive then too.” Oblivious to the fact that those damned men were following them, Eldest Sister-in-law Gu was entirely focused on the beautiful life Sheng Wanyan described. Her heart was filled with anticipation; she felt that kind of life was akin to a heavenly existence. When she grew old, she would certainly have to enjoy it.
“When we retire, we’ll go look at the scenery of our motherland. We’ll take a car and go wherever we want.”
“Alright, we’ll go in the future.”
Sheng Wanyan stepped on the gas, increasing her speed. In the military jeep following behind, the two men saw the car accelerate and hurriedly sped up to keep pace, thoroughly startled.
“Wait, why is she accelerating?”
“I’m truly done with you, letting Sister-in-law learn how to drive.”
“In the future, with the women in the house, there’s going to be chaos.” Eldest Brother Gu grumbled relentlessly at Gu Tingxiao. He was truly brainless. Once they knew how to drive, if the precious women of the household ever felt the slightest bit displeased, they would just drive away!
“Eldest Brother, shut up.” Gu Tingxiao knitted his brows tightly, staring dead ahead at the speeding car.
“You…!” Eldest Brother Gu was furious. Lazy to say more to this mute block of wood, he stepped on the gas to chase after them.
Sheng Wanyan looked at the pursuing vehicle with resignation. Pulling over to the side of the road, she engaged the handbrake tightly.
“What’s wrong?” Eldest Sister-in-law Gu looked at her, bewildered.
Sheng Wanyan tilted her chin toward the rearview mirror. Eldest Sister-in-law Gu looked over. Weren’t those headlights??? There was a car behind them?
