Chapter 87: Gu Tong Wants to Urge Marriage
“What are you saying, Elder? How could I possibly mind?” Gu Tong said warmly. “When I was young, I moved to Chengdu all by myself after I got married. It wasn’t easy being so far from my family, and I always wished I had more relatives close by. I couldn’t be happier.”
Hearing that Gu Tong had come to the city alone all those years ago and had spent so much time without any of her own family or childhood friends around, Grandpa Sheng felt a pang of sympathy for her.
“Well said, well said! From now on, the Sheng family will be your relatives here in Chengdu. You come over whenever you like, and just treat our place as your own home.”
“Then I’ll hold you to that, Elder. I certainly intend to visit often from now on.”
Gu Tong was an expert at turning a polite gesture into a standing invitation. Just a moment ago she had been a mere visitor, but now she had successfully established herself as a regular guest.
Listening to his wife’s tragic backstory, Ning Weiguo turned his head away in sheer embarrassment. My wife is truly becoming more and more silver-tongued, he thought. It was true that she had moved to Chengdu alone after their wedding, but given her fiery temper and her immensely powerful family background, not a single soul in his clan had ever dared to cross her all these years! Hadn’t she personally thrashed anyone who so much as annoyed her?
Yet here was Gu Tong, lying without blushing or a single skip of her heart, continuing to play the helpless victim to Grandpa Sheng. The more Ning Weiguo listened, the lower he ducked his head.
Sitting quietly to the side, Sheng Wanyan watched her grandfather get completely reeled in. She had to admit that Gu Tong was an absolute master at handling people. If she didn’t know any better, even she would have started thinking Gu Tong’s life had been deeply miserable.
Gu Tong chatted with Grandpa Sheng for a long while, and before she finally rose to leave, she affectionately took Wanyan’s hand and squeezed it with fond reassurance.
Once Grandpa Sheng finished his fruit, Sheng Wanyan poured him a fresh glass of water, subtly lacing it with spiritual spring water.
She hated the thought of him lingering in the hospital for too long. The wards in this era were hotbeds for germs, and given Grandpa Sheng’s advanced age, he would undoubtedly recover much faster and feel far more comfortable in the privacy of his own home.
Grandpa Sheng’s color improved noticeably after drinking the water. A short while later, the attending doctor stopped by, checked his surgical dressing, offered a few routine pieces of post-operative advice, and left. What Grandpa Sheng needed most now was absolute quiet, so he settled down for a long nap in the afternoon.
Seeing that the thermos was empty, Sheng Wanyan picked up the heavy metal kettle to fetch some hot water. Gu Tong instantly grabbed her own kettle and followed her out into the corridor.
“Wanyan, let’s go line up together.”
Gu Tong walked briskly beside her. In those days, patients and visitors had to queue at a central boiler station in the hospital courtyard to obtain hot water. When they arrived, a long line had already formed, so the two women took their places at the back, kettles in hand.
“Wanyan, you’re currently working at the cotton mill, right?” Gu Tong asked casually.
“Yes, Aunt Gu. I’m in the Propaganda Department.”
Hearing this, Gu Tong privately thought her nephew was being rather selfish. The girl had a respectable state job, a steady salary, and a bright future ahead of her in the city. The moment they married, custom dictated that she would have to follow him to his remote military post. Wouldn’t that mean she’d have to surrender her career entirely?
Being a stay-at-home military wife was often more grueling than a regular factory shift, leaving a woman buried under endless domestic chores day in and day out. No wonder the girl was hesitant to rush into marriage. Who would willingly give up their independence and financial security without a second thought? If it were her… she wouldn’t want to do it either!
Gu Tong silently cursed Gu Tingxiao in her heart. That brat was simply being thoughtless. Realizing the sacrifice involved, she suddenly felt too embarrassed to press Wanyan about setting a wedding date anytime soon; she simply couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“You’re twenty this year, aren’t you, Wanyan?”
“Yes, twenty.”
Sheng Wanyan knew exactly where Gu Tong’s train of thought was heading, but she had zero intention of rushing into a marriage. She and Gu Tingxiao had only met a handful of times in person; they had spent a single day getting to know each other before he had to sprint back to his regiment. She refused to upend her entire existence on a romantic impulse.
A military marriage was a serious, legally binding contract under state law, and extracting oneself from it was notoriously difficult. As long as Gu Tingxiao didn’t commit a severe violation of military principle, a divorce was virtually impossible unless both parties explicitly agreed to a mutual separation. Marrying him meant wagering her entire future on his character.
Even if she possessed her own secret means to escape a bad situation, no woman in this era wanted to carry the heavy social stigma of being a “divorcee.” For all her modern independence and clear-headedness, she was still a woman navigating a conservative society; how could she not care about her reputation? No one wanted a permanent stain on their record.
Furthermore, in this politically tense era, the last thing she wanted to do was court unnecessary trouble. If she was going to step into marriage, she had to be fully prepared, and her partner had to provide her with absolute trust and an unwavering sense of security. Otherwise, cracks would inevitably form in the relationship down the line. Marriage was a solemn, lifelong commitment that required cautious deliberation, not a blind leap into the dark.
“My nephew has always been a man of absolute integrity,” Gu Tong said softly, looking at her. “In all these years, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him lose his mind over someone like this. But I completely understand your perspective. As a woman, it is only right that you put your own well-being and future first.”
Sheng Wanyan turned her head, looking at Gu Tong in genuine surprise. In the 1970s, it was incredibly rare to hear an older woman express such enlightened, progressive views on female independence.
“Surprised?” Gu Tong caught her expression and smiled knowingly.
“A little,” Wanyan admitted. “Aunt Gu’s perspective is quite different from that of most elders I’ve met.”
“There’s nothing to be surprised about. When I was young, I rushed headfirst into marriage because of a spark. It was only after the wedding that I realized building a life together isn’t nearly as simple as young people think. Once the ceremony is over, you have to navigate friction with your husband, complex dynamics with your mother-in-law, tension with sisters-in-law, and the burden of raising children.”
Gu Tong sighed, her expression turning reflective. “Fortunately for me, my maternal family possessed immense political weight, and your Uncle Ning turned out to be a deeply devoted, caring man who protects me fiercely. If it weren’t for those two factors, how would my life be any different from those miserable daughters-in-law who are tormented and broken by their husbands’ families every day? I was incredibly lucky to find a man like your Uncle Ning who truly treasures his wife. If my luck had been just a fraction worse, I would likely be filled with bitter regret today.”
Therefore, she genuinely believed it was a magnificent thing for a young woman to remain clear-headed, rational, and independent. At the very least, it prevented her from tumbling into a domestic trap from which there was no escape. How many women in this world had utterly ruined their lives because of an impulsive romantic decision? They worked like slaves for their husbands’ clans only to be treated with disdain, endured the indifference of their spouses, and eventually faced the disrespect of their own children. If a woman took a wrong turn at the altar, every subsequent step of her life would be a mistake.
Hearing Gu Tong’s candid advice, Sheng Wanyan felt a surge of genuine admiration for the woman. She possessed an incredibly transparent, modern outlook, successfully living out her true self despite the rigid societal constraints of the era.
“I truly admire your composure and patience, Wanyan,” Gu Tong added warmly. “Keep living your life on your own terms, and don’t invite unnecessary burdens into your world. Just do what feels right for you.”
“You flatter me, Aunt Gu,” Wanyan smiled. “I simply believe marriage is too momentous of an event to take lightly. Two people must thoroughly understand each other’s true character and daily habits before they can even think about tying the knot. If two individuals don’t share the same fundamental values, rushing into a marriage is just laying the groundwork for a lifelong disaster.”
Gu Tong nodded in profound agreement. Wasn’t that the absolute truth? Nothing remained simple once a household was established. If Wanyan married into the elite Gu family alone, without a strong network of her own backing her up in the north, wouldn’t her situation mirror Gu Tong’s early days in Chengdu? She would be a stranger in a distant land with no one to guard her rear.
After weighing the matter thoroughly, Gu Tong firmly abandoned her mission to press the girl into an early wedding. Instead, she found herself entirely aligned with Wanyan’s philosophy, enthusiastically pivoting the conversation to discuss how a woman could best design a comfortable, autonomous existence for herself.
Sheng Wanyan had never anticipated that a few casual insights from her would completely rewrite Gu Tong’s deeply entrenched traditional views. From that afternoon onward, Gu Tong’s mind would be entirely consumed with maximizing her own personal happiness and independence—a shift that would eventually make her so fiercely self-reliant that Commander Ning Weiguo would spend the rest of his days in a perpetual state of anxiety, terrified that his brilliant wife might leave him.
As for Sheng Wanyan, the architect of this successful psychological shift, she felt absolutely zero guilt. She patiently waited until Father Sheng arrived at the ward to take over the evening shift, then quietly gathered her coat and headed back home to get some well-deserved rest.
