Chapter 137: Buying a Gift
When exactly had she become like this?
“Come here, Daddy will feed you,” Gu Tinghao said, taking Gu Jingjing’s porridge bowl with a grim expression.
Wang Chunmei wanted to defend herself, but seeing the heavy look of disapproval from the entire family, she felt deeply aggrieved instead. Clamping her mouth shut, she looked away.
Gu Jingjing walked over to her father with red eyes. Gu Tinghao rubbed her head reassuringly and began feeding her the porridge, one gentle spoonful at a time.
Wanyan watched the brief farce play out within the fourth brother’s family without uttering a single word. As an aunt who had just crossed the threshold, she had zero right to interfere in how parents chose to handle their own children.
“Third Aunt’s porridge is really delicious,” Gu Jingjing whispered, stealing a shy glance at Wanyan.
Wanyan would never hold a grudge against a child. She offered a warm smile, ladled another fresh portion into a clean bowl, and placed it directly in front of the little girl. “If you like it, drink as much as you want, dear. Tomorrow, Auntie will make those egg cakes for you.”
Gu Jingjing nodded bashfully. Her new third aunt was just as gentle as her eldest aunt.
With Wang Chunmei’s hostility firmly shut down, Wanyan thoroughly enjoyed the rest of her breakfast. Her mother-in-law and husband had both stepped up to defend her honor, resolving the tension beautifully without her having to lift a finger.
As the family finished eating, Mother Gu set her chopsticks down and glanced across the table. “Old Fourth’s wife, go wash the dishes.”
Wang Chunmei’s face fell instantly. Today was supposed to be the new bride’s turn to handle the domestic chores, wasn’t it? “Isn’t Third Sister-in-law supposed to be doing the dishes today?” she grumbled.
“Why?” Mother Gu scoffed, a sarcastic laugh escaping her. “Do you expect her to cook the meal and clean up after you? What kind of sweet dream are you having?” Did she expect Wanyan to personally spoon-feed her next?
“Go do them when you’re told!” Gu Tinghao barked, his face darkening further.
Realizing she had no allies left, Wang Chunmei reluctantly rose and stomped into the kitchen to clean the wok and bowls. She briefly entertained the idea of dragging Gu Jingjing in with her to help, but catching her husband’s protective posture as he played with their daughter, she lost her nerve.
Standing over the sink, listening to the bursts of warm laughter filtering in from the living room, Wang Chunmei felt an intense wave of bitterness wash over her.
Out in the parlor, Mother Gu turned to Wanyan with a warm smile. “Third daughter-in-law, get ready to head out with me in a bit. We need to purchase the gifts for your formal return visit to your parents.”
Since Wanyan was scheduled to visit her natal family’s temporary quarters the day after tomorrow, Mother Gu wanted to assemble an incredibly grand, respectful selection of gifts. She wanted the Sheng family to rest completely assured, knowing they had left their precious daughter with a generous and honorable household.
“Alright, Mom,” Wanyan agreed readily.
Hearing the exchange from the kitchen, Wang Chunmei’s chest tightened with jealousy. Mother-in-law is completely biased toward the third branch, she thought bitterly. When she had wed into the family, Mother Gu hadn’t personally escorted her on a lavish shopping spree for her return visit.
Wanyan had barely been married for a single day, yet the favoritism was already this blatant; how were they supposed to survive in this house in the future? If this trajectory continued, the bulk of the family assets would inevitably be funneled to the first and third branches, leaving the fourth branch with nothing but scraps.
Furthermore, everyone in the compound knew Old Master Gu favored his third grandson above all others. The patriarch constantly praised Tingxiao’s military achievements while offering nothing but perfunctory nods to her own husband. Wang Chunmei concluded that they needed to push for a formal division of the family estate as quickly as possible; otherwise, they would be left entirely empty-handed down the line.
After a brief morning chat, the extended family members began to disperse for their shifts. As high-level employees within state-owned enterprises and government sectors, their work schedules were exceptionally demanding.
Before long, the sprawling residence emptied out, leaving only Grandpa and Grandma Gu, Mother Gu—who had secured a formal leave of absence—and the newlyweds.
Wanyan set out alongside her mother-in-law, with Gu Tingxiao trailing quietly behind them to serve as their designated pack mule. Mother Gu led them straight to the legendary Overseas Chinese Store, which was Wanyan’s very first time stepping into the capital’s exclusive shopping paradise.
The store was housed in a grand, Soviet-style building with the national flag fluttering proudly from the roofline, projecting an incredibly stately aura. While it wasn’t a massive complex by modern standards, its scale and quality completely eclipsed any ordinary local supply and marketing cooperative. The inventory here was vastly superior, packed with rare luxury commodities and high-end goods. It functioned like a boutique department store.
Most notably, it was the exclusive venue for imported foreign goods, which the citizens of this era widely regarded as the pinnacle of quality. Having lived through a modern era, Wanyan had to objectively admit that foreign manufacturing during this specific decade was indeed significantly more advanced than domestic production, particularly the goods coming out of the United States.
“Wanyan, let’s select some premium nutritional supplements for your grandparents first,” Mother Gu suggested, scanning the display cases. “Then we’ll get two high-quality fountain pens for your father and mother, and two crates of fresh fruit. Later on, we’ll secure ten kilograms of fresh pork and two large pig trotters from the market, and I’ll have Tingxiao hunt some fresh wild game from the hills to add to the spread. What do you think?”
Although Mother Gu had already mapped out the baseline protocol in her mind, she still fastidiously requested Wanyan’s input to ensure her satisfaction.
“I’ll follow your expert lead, Mom,” Wanyan replied sweetly. She found the arrangement exceptionally practical and respectful; it would grant the Sheng family immense face without seeming gaudy.
Seeing that her choices aligned perfectly with her daughter-in-law’s tastes, Mother Gu beamed and immediately moved toward the service counter to finalize the purchases. The two fountain pens carried a steep price tag, but Mother Gu didn’t hesitate to count out the bills. When the first two daughters-in-law had executed their formal return visits years ago, she had provided gifts of equal grandeur; she insisted on maintaining absolute fairness among her sons’ households.
As they navigated the aisles, Gu Tingxiao happened to glance toward a clothing display and spotted a striking pink dress hanging prominently from the line. Looking ahead at Wanyan, who was happily strolling arm-in-arm with his mother, he instantly visualized how magnificent the silhouette would look against his wife’s porcelain skin and elegant posture.
Realizing he had handed his entire life savings over to Wanyan the previous night and currently possessed zero pocket money, he discreetly veered closer to his mother, dropping his voice to a whisper. “Mom, lend me fifty yuan.”
Mother Gu paused, throwing him a highly suspicious, defensive look. “What do you need fifty yuan for? Where on earth is your own money?” Was this boy trying to surreptitiously establish a hidden private vault behind his bride’s back?
“I surrendered my entire savings ledger to my wife last night,” he answered honestly.
Mother Gu’s suspicion instantly dissolved into immense maternal satisfaction. A proper man was supposed to hand the household funds over to his wife for safekeeping. Did he honestly think he was qualified to manage financial accounts? What a ridiculous notion.
Weighing the request for a moment, she offered a measured inquiry. “Then what do you need fifty yuan for right now?”
“I want to purchase that dress for Wanyan,” Gu Tingxiao replied, gesturing subtly toward the display.
Hearing that his request was driven entirely by a desire to pamper his new bride, Mother Gu didn’t hesitate. She quickly extracted a crisp fifty-yuan note from her purse and slapped it into his palm. “Make sure you repay me down the line.”
“Mhm.”
The second the cash hit his hand, Gu Tingxiao detached from the group to purchase the garment. Having handled her wardrobe just that morning, her exact measurements were perfectly memorized.
Meanwhile, Wanyan had brought a substantial stash of her own cash along, intent on buying an abundance of capital goods for her loved ones. The specialized imports sold at the Overseas Chinese Store were incredibly durable, and since she would soon be departing for the remote northern base while the Sheng family returned to Chengdu, she wanted to secure enough premium provisions to put her mind at total ease.
When it came to treating her family, Wanyan possessed zero concept of restraint. Before long, Mother Gu developed a slight headache watching the girl eagerly point at nearly every premium display she encountered. However, since the girl was utilizing her own independent funds to honor her elders, Mother Gu naturally raised no objections. Backed by her mother-in-law’s silent indulgence and her husband’s absolute devotion, Wanyan pushed her shopping spree to the limit.
She selected three high-quality Zhongshan suits and three pairs of sturdy cloth shoes for Grandpa Sheng, followed by three complete sets of traditional clothing and three pairs of comfort shoes for Grandma Sheng.
She carefully looked after her parents as well, purchasing three tailored outfits for Father Sheng, alongside two elegant skirts and a pair of premium leather heels for Mother Sheng.
As for Sheng Wanze and Pan Yue, she purchased two sets of fine clothing for each of them. Her brother and sister-in-law had been exceptionally good to her; when she wed, Wanze had presented her with an incredibly generous dowry fund, which undoubtedly carried Pan Yue’s explicit blessing. Wanyan operated under a simple, absolute philosophy: she would always return maximum kindness to anyone who treated her well.
Naturally, she ensured the Gu elders and her new parents-in-law weren’t left out either; it would be highly improper if the compound gossips started whispering that the new bride only held her natal family in her heart. She selected three sets of premium attire and three pairs of high-grade shoes for Grandpa and Grandma Gu.
When it came to Father Gu’s sizing, Mother Gu stepped in to navigate the selection, knowing his exact frame measurements. Worried that Wanyan might deplete her wedding funds completely, Mother Gu deliberately steered her toward two sets of classic, modestly priced garments to balance the ledger.
