Chapter 88: The First Gift Su He Gave to Gu Chiyan
Old Man Ge rambled for a while and then sighed, “Your grandfather is really lucky to have a granddaughter like you! I’m almost jealous of him!”
He felt that he had made himself very clear this time!
The little girl was so smart, she’d surely get what he was hinting at.
Normally, Su He would have caught on, but today her mind was completely preoccupied with that golden remittance slip. She had no interest in playing guessing games with Old Man Ge.
She gave a perfunctory humble reply, then said, “Sir, I’m exhausted and starving. I’ll go inside first. I’ll chat with you tomorrow.”
Before Old Man Ge could say another word, Su He had already opened the door and gone in.
Old Man Ge was fuming!
He’d hinted that clearly, and she just let it slide?
Where was her usual cleverness?!
Su He had no idea about his frustration. As soon as she entered the house, she eagerly tore open Gu Chiyan’s letter.
“Comrade Su He:
Greetings upon reading this letter.
I’ve received your last letter. Thank you for updating me on Old Man Ge’s condition.
You mentioned the Dragon Boat Festival customs in your region; let me briefly tell you about the traditions in the capital. Every year, people hang mugwort, tie colorful threads for children, and make zongzi.
Here in the capital, people usually eat plain white rice zongzi, sometimes with red bean paste or dates. Savory ones are rare.
Some of my colleagues from the south eat savory zongzi and also have traditions like dragon boat races and wearing scented sachets…
As you said, our country is vast and diverse. I, too, wish to travel across this beautiful land—to see the snowy north and the coconut groves of the south…
Though I can’t make the trip just yet, I can share what I learn from my colleagues about their hometowns and customs with you—so that you can know the world without leaving your home. One colleague from Yunnan and Guizhou told me…”
Su He grew increasingly impatient. She didn’t want to “know the world.” She just wanted to know who those 200 yuan were for!
Finally, after enduring all the cultural insight about Yunnan and Guizhou, Gu Chiyan got to the point:
“In your letter, you advised me to balance work and rest, for which I’m grateful.
I hope you too take care of yourself and don’t overwork.
If anything troubles you, please write or call me. I’ll do everything I can to help.
Also, thank you for taking care of Old Man Ge. I initially wanted to send you a gift but was unsure of your taste, so I opted to send money instead. I hope you won’t mind, and definitely don’t reject it.
If you refuse, that would mean you don’t want to continue helping me with Old Man Ge. If that’s the case, I won’t be able to focus on work, which would in turn affect the Four Modernizations.
Comrade Su He, for the sake of the greater good, please accept the money…”
Su He couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Gu Chiyan was such a model comrade!
A generous, big-picture-minded sugar daddy type—how could she not be charmed?
He didn’t just shower her with money—he worried about whether the money might hurt her!
And he was certainly generous!
200 yuan!
Before Su Yongshi was officially employed, his monthly salary was just 19.84 yuan. This remittance was equivalent to ten months of his wages!
Now that she thought about it, Su He felt a bit puzzled—how was Gu Chiyan this rich?
What exactly did he do for a living?
Truthfully, Su He had the smarts to figure it out. With just the phone number he’d left, she could dig up his workplace in no time.
But she didn’t want to do that.
Partly, she liked keeping some mystery. And partly, she didn’t want to complicate things.
Gu Chiyan was obviously sharp. He might find her small schemes to get money endearing. But if she secretly investigated him and he caught wind of it, he might grow wary or annoyed.
It had been hard enough to find someone in this era who truly clicked with her. She wasn’t about to mess it up over something so small.
Su He opened the trading interface. She had just over 1,000 yuan left. Her biggest expense so far had been a high-value life insurance policy.
Still, she thought it was worth it.
That damn System Exchange Hall platform wouldn’t want to go bankrupt—so in a real emergency, it’d have to help her.
She kept 50 yuan as pocket money and deposited the remaining 150 yuan back into the platform.
Then she thought, Gu Chiyan gave her such a generous gift, she should return the gesture. Giving and receiving keeps relationships healthy, after all.
An idea sparked—she bought five silk threads from the Exchange Market platform and tried to weave a multicolored bracelet.
Half an hour later, the bracelet was still a mess, just a tangled pile of thread.
Su He: “…”
Her one weakness—she was all thumbs. That’s why she’d asked Cao Hongmei to make the patchwork cushions and headbands before.
In the end, she simply bought a multicolored bracelet from the platform.
“Buying it myself counts as making it myself—no problem here.”
She wasn’t being stingy. She just knew how people thought.
Gu Chiyan had already shown he didn’t care much about money. What mattered to him was the sentiment.
And Su He wasn’t the type to nitpick pennies either. They had a long journey ahead—no need to rush.
This time, she didn’t procrastinate. She immediately started writing a reply.
She was worried that if the letter went out too late, the Dragon Boat Festival would already be over, and her bracelet wouldn’t carry the same significance!
“Comrade Gu Chiyan:
Greetings and best wishes.
Old Man Ge is doing well, though he does get into little moods now and then…
Reading your descriptions of Dragon Boat customs across the country, I could almost smell the fragrant sachets, hear the roar of the boat races, and taste the savory zongzi.
Your stories about Yunnan and Guizhou especially opened my eyes and stirred my longing to travel.
I have a humble request: please keep sharing these stories with me so I can better appreciate the beauty of our homeland.
I’ve received the remittance. I initially planned to refuse, but since you mentioned considering the greater good, after much thought, I’ve decided to shamelessly accept.
With the Dragon Boat Festival coming, I’ve personally handmade a multicolored thread bracelet and am sending it to you. It’s meant to ward off evil, protect from illness, and bring good fortune.
There’s so much more I want to say, but I’ll leave it for another time.
—Su He, [date]”
Su He carefully checked the letter for any mistakes, signed and dated it.
By then, her stomach was growling. She bought a claypot rice meal from the Exchange Market platform and enjoyed it thoroughly.
She ended up too full and had to take a walk in the courtyard to digest.
Old Man Ge heard the commotion and came out too, silently starting to do tai chi.
Su He: “…”
Didn’t he only do that in the morning? Why was he at it in the evening too?
Little did she know, he was trying to get her attention and start a conversation.
But Su He didn’t take the bait!
She figured Old Man Ge had been moody lately—better not go looking for trouble.
So, humming to herself, she strolled around the courtyard, completely ignoring him.
Old Man Ge was furious!
What was supposed to be a gentle tai chi session turned into a display of clenched teeth and suppressed rage.
Su He, seeing this, felt more certain that not engaging had been the right call.
After a few laps around the yard, she went back inside.
Leaving only Old Man Ge stewing alone in the breeze…
*
The next day, Su He first went to the post office to send her letter. Then she headed to the machinery factory to find Qian Huifang.
“Aunt Qian, I’d like to borrow your phone to check how the wild vegetables are drying at the commune.”
Qian Huifang smiled, “Well, talk about timing! Director Luo from your commune just called. He said the vegetables are all dried and ready—he asked me to pass the message to you!”
Su He’s eyes lit up. “Aunt Qian, are there any idle trucks at the factory? If so, how about we go pick up the wild vegetables today?”
She was planning to return to Huangxi Village anyway—to pick up Old Madam Su. Might as well catch a ride.
