Chapter 597 | Chapter 598 | Chapter 599
Chapter 597: Yi Yi Learns a Musical Instrument
At noon, Sheng Wanyan didn’t sleep in the dormitory either; she went to pick Yi Yi up so they could head home for lunch and a brief rest.
Sheng Wanyan straight-up brought her bedding from the dormitory back home. With one less person in the house, she instantly felt a bit stretched thin.
“Yi Yi, go to the general store and help Mama fetch a cut of meat.”
“Okay!”
Hearing that her mother needed her, Yi Yi immediately took Maodou by the leash and ran off toward the general store. In less than ten minutes, the little girl was back, looking incredibly familiar with the route and showing no fear of being on her own at all.
By the time Sheng Wanyan finished cooking dinner, the twins were ready for their complementary foods; they could eat some rice paste and fruit purée.
While Sheng Wanyan prepared the dinner, Aunt Hu helped Yi Yi, Lailai, and Maomao bathe. Since the weather was cold, Aunt Hu always bathed the children before dinner. With Gu Tingxiao missing from the household, there was no need to prepare as many dishes—just two meat dishes and one vegetable dish, plus the twins’ rice paste.
“Aunt Hu, let’s eat first.”
“Alright!”
Aunt Hu placed the twins in their playpen, ate her own dinner in the kitchen, and then went to feed the twins their rice paste after finishing.
Yi Yi ate her egg custard, taking a bite and stealing a glance at Sheng Wanyan with each mouthful. Sheng Wanyan tapped her forehead.
“Mama, I want to…”
“Eat your food properly. No talking while eating…”
“…No speaking while sleeping~” Yi Yi caught the second half of the phrase, shutting her small mouth and swallowing down what she wanted to say.
Sheng Wanyan knew her temperament inside out; she definitely wanted something but didn’t dare bring it up.
After dinner, Yi Yi straight-up carried her pillow into Sheng Wanyan’s room, scrambling up onto the bed with all her limbs and lying down.
“Mama, I want to sleep with you.”
“You may.” Sheng Wanyan looked at her helplessly. She was already lying on the bed with the blanket tucked in, so why even bother asking?
Sheng Wanyan nursed Lailai and Maomao. After drinking their milk, the two little ones grew drowsy and gradually drifted off to sleep. Sheng Wanyan went to wash up, returned to the room to lie down, and pulled Yi Yi into her embrace.
“Speak. What did you want to tell Mama during dinner?”
Yi Yi hugged her waist, her small face looking up with absolute anticipation as she carefully weighed her not-so-subtle words.
“Mama, last time I went back to the compound, I saw my little sister learning the zither. Yi Yi wants to learn the zither too.”
“Oh?” Sheng Wanyan looked at her with some surprise. This was truly the first time she had seen a child proactively request to study something.
“Mama, my little sister knows how to do it. As the big sister, I can’t not know!”
Hearing her reasoning, Sheng Wanyan burst into laughter instantly, laughing until tears practically welled in her eyes. Her daughter was truly…
“Mama~ Don’t laugh.” Yi Yi sat up anxiously, grabbing her hand to stop her from laughing at her, her small face puffing up.
Seeing that she had made her angry, Sheng Wanyan suppressed her smile and looked at her with absolute seriousness.
“Yi Yi, do you genuinely want to learn?”
“Yi Yi wants to.”
Sheng Wanyan pulled her into her embrace and broke the matter down for her. If she truly liked it, she could learn it. But if it was merely on a whim and she ended up giving up halfway, Sheng Wanyan wouldn’t tolerate it.
“Yi Yi, studying isn’t for the sake of pleasing others. You study for yourself, to learn the things you truly like.”
Yi Yi nodded, but she still wanted to learn. Sheng Wanyan didn’t discourage her confidence either, deciding to take her to check it out first.
Sheng Wanyan thought of Teacher Hu; the Beijing Dance Academy should have classes for learning musical instruments as well. If not, she would ask Professor Zhao to look into it.
The next day, Sheng Wanyan went to find Teacher Hu. Teacher Hu didn’t quite approve of Yi Yi dividing her focus. However, children of this age were in a phase of exploring broadly; if she truly harbored interest, it would simply be one more strength.
“The Beijing Dance Academy primarily focuses on dance. If she wants to study musical instruments, the Conservatory of Music would be best. However, the Conservatory of Music has only just begun to develop, so it’s not suitable for Yi Yi to go there.” Teacher Hu pondered for a moment, then gave Sheng Wanyan an address, telling her to pay a visit to an old friend of hers. “This is an old friend of mine, a veteran musician. Take Yi Yi to visit him tomorrow. Just say I sent you.”
Teacher Hu recommended someone to her, for which Sheng Wanyan was immensely grateful. She escorted Teacher Hu home before heading back with Yi Yi.
The next day happened to be the weekend. Sheng Wanyan rose early to take Yi Yi out, gathering some visiting gifts before departing.
“Mom, if Teacher Hu comes to buy things later, put it on my tab.”
Hearing this, Mother Sheng nodded. Just as she was about to ask why, she noticed how hurried the mother-daughter duo looked to set out, so she closed her mouth. “Alright. Where are you taking Yi Yi?”
“I’m taking Yi Yi to visit an elder.”
Mother Sheng didn’t pry further, helping them pack some appropriate visiting gifts and urging them to get going. “Go on with peace of mind. I’ll watch over Lailai and Maomao.”
“Alright.”
Holding the gifts, Sheng Wanyan led Yi Yi to the address Teacher Hu had given her. The address was a courtyard house near the Beijing Dance Academy. Checking the door number, Sheng Wanyan took a deep breath and stepped forward to knock.
Knock, knock, knock…
As Sheng Wanyan knocked, a hoarse, elderly male voice called out from inside, “Who is it?”
Before Sheng Wanyan could speak, the door opened from within. Standing at the threshold was an elderly man with a white beard.
At this exact moment, Sheng Wanyan truly felt her daughter had struck absolute gold. This was actually the esteemed Old Master Wu!
“You are?”
“Hello, Old Master Wu. I am Sheng Wanyan, and this is my daughter, Gu Jinsheng.”
“Hello, Grandfather Wu~” Yi Yi bowed to greet him.
Old Master Wu nodded. Sheng Wanyan produced the address and the recommendation letter written by Teacher Hu for him to see. Old Master Wu accepted them and examined them meticulously.
“A disciple of Teacher Hu? Coming here to study musical instruments?” Old Master Wu felt it was a massive joke, a trace of anger coloring his expression. In his heart, studying a musical instrument was never a minor matter that could be taken lightly.
Catching the anger on his face, Sheng Wanyan understood his perspective and hurriedly offered a few words.
“Old Master Wu, my daughter is still young. Having recently discovered musical instruments, she finds herself highly interested. I ask that you grant her an opportunity to interact with them. If she cannot persevere or lacks the talent, this junior will certainly not force it. I ask that you fulfill her wish.”
These few sentences caused Old Master Wu’s anger to dissipate significantly. He opened the door wider to let them in.
“Come on in.”
“Thank you, Old Master Wu.”
Sheng Wanyan led Yi Yi inside behind Old Master Wu. The moment she entered, she felt the artistic atmosphere of the courtyard house. Countless ancient zithers hung inside, along with some foreign instruments.
“Sit.” Old Master Wu sat down, pointing to the seats opposite him. Sheng Wanyan smiled and nodded.
“Old Master Wu, these are some visiting gifts from this junior. They are modest, so please don’t look down on them.” Sheng Wanyan set the items on the table. Hearing that they were simple visiting gifts, Old Master Wu did not refuse. If they had been gifts intended to pull strings through connections, he likely would have thrown them straight out.
“Do you know how to brew tea?” Old Master Wu looked at her.
Sheng Wanyan nodded. Old Master Wu pointed to the tea set on the table. “You do it.”
Chapter 598: Visiting Old Master Wu
Seeing this, Sheng Wanyan nodded. An idea sparked in her mind, and she looked at Old Master Wu. “Old Master Wu, this junior brought some tea leaves for you. Would you do me the honor of having a taste?”
Old Master Wu looked at her, stroked his beard, and nodded. “Bring it out.”
Sheng Wanyan took out the tea leaves and began brewing the tea with smooth, fluid movements. Watching her, Old Master Wu’s eyes flickered slightly, and he glanced at Yi Yi, who was sitting obediently nearby.
Yi Yi sat exceptionally well, her small hands resting on her lap and her feet snapped together as she looked at Old Master Wu. Seeing him look over, Yi Yi offered a bright, genuine smile to greet him.
Old Master Wu expressionlessly withdrew his gaze, and Yi Yi instantly deflated, looking exactly like a popped balloon.
Old Master Wu stole another glance, feeling a bit guilty. Could I have actually scared the child? After all, she was the personal disciple of his old friend; it seemed he still needed to show her a bit of face.
“Cough, how old are you?”
Hearing his voice, Yi Yi raised her head, her eyes lighting up. “Yi Yi is four years old~”
Yi Yi held up four chubby fingers for Old Master Wu to see, and Old Master Wu nodded.
“Is your nickname Yi Yi?”
“That’s right~ Yi Yi is Papa and Mama’s only baby.”
Looking at her quirky, clever appearance, Old Master Wu’s gaze softened a little. His old friend and her husband were lonely and without children of their own; having such a lively child around them would certainly make their lives less solitary.
“Oh? And how do you know you’re a baby?”
“Papa and Mama said so.”
Yi Yi babbled endlessly about how wonderful her parents were. Listening from the side while brewing the tea, the corners of Sheng Wanyan’s mouth curled upward.
Old Master Wu seemed to have locked horns with Yi Yi, playfully challenging her assertions. But who was Yi Yi? She was a child who matched wits with the old masters back in the military compound on a regular basis. She didn’t fear Old Master Wu’s intimidating front at all, continuing instead to popularize her parents’ virtues to him.
“I also have two smelly little brothers. They poop every single day, and it’s very smelly.”
“Oh? You have two little brothers?”
“Yes~ My little brothers are twins.”
Hearing that they were twins, Old Master Wu’s interest was instantly piqued, and he began questioning Yi Yi about them.
“Twins? Looking exactly identical?”
“Yes, my brothers look exactly the same. Yi Yi can’t tell them apart.” Yi Yi cupped her face ruefully, complaining to Old Master Wu about how difficult her life as an older sister was.
“You are quite a blessed child.” Old Master Wu cast a glance at Sheng Wanyan.
Sheng Wanyan smiled and placed a brewed cup of tea before him. “Old Master Wu, please.”
Old Master Wu took a sniff. Catching the rich fragrance of the tea, his eyes lit up. He raised the teacup and took a sip. “Fragrant!”
Old Master Wu praised. He loved drinking tea and had tasted hundreds, if not thousands, of varieties, yet none possessed the sweet fragrance of the tea Sheng Wanyan had brought. “This tea of yours is excellent.”
“This junior made it myself. If Old Master Wu likes it, this junior will have Yi Yi bring it over regularly for you to drink in the future.”
How could Old Master Wu not catch the underlying meaning in her words? This little girl named Yi Yi truly possessed a wonderful mother.
Old Master Wu remained silent. Once he had drunk to his heart’s content, he stood up and looked at Yi Yi. “Come with me.”
Yi Yi looked a bit bewildered. Sheng Wanyan offered a low instruction, and Yi Yi followed Old Master Wu obediently into a room.
“This is the music room. If the child truly has talent, she may naturally study here.”
Sheng Wanyan nodded. Old Master Wu told her to wait outside while he took Yi Yi in.
Seeing Yi Yi head inside with Old Master Wu, Sheng Wanyan let out a massive sigh of relief. She had truly never experienced this kind of feeling before. Ever since she had children, she felt that everything concerning their futures was far more critical than her own prospects. Helping her child find a mentor made her more nervous than her own studies. During today’s visit, Old Master Wu hadn’t been nervous, and Yi Yi hadn’t been nervous; she was the only one who was terrified.
Sheng Wanyan waited outside. After more than an hour, Old Master Wu finally emerged, leading Yi Yi by the hand. A trace of excitement still lingered in his eyes. Seeing her, Yi Yi happily ran over to her side.
“Old Master Wu…”
“Bring her over tomorrow morning at half past eight.” Old Master Wu delivered just this one line.
Sheng Wanyan reacted swiftly, replying immediately, “Understood. I will definitely bring Yi Yi here right on time tomorrow.”
Old Master Wu waved his hand dismissively. Sheng Wanyan looked at Yi Yi with glowing eyes; her daughter was truly amazing! Since Old Master Wu had other students coming for lessons later, Sheng Wanyan didn’t overstay her welcome and headed back with Yi Yi.
Teacher Hu came over to the house right away to ask about the situation. Learning that he had indeed accepted her as a student, she burst into a smile instantly. “Our Yi Yi has an excellent sense of rhythm when dancing. I didn’t expect her to possess talent in musical instruments as well; she truly is extraordinary.”
Teacher Hu held Yi Yi close and doted on her for a good while before starting to discuss the scheduling of Yi Yi’s lessons with Sheng Wanyan. “In the future, Yi Yi will study musical instruments in the morning and come to practice dancing in the afternoon.”
Sheng Wanyan nodded and stroked Yi Yi’s small head, her face full of smiles. “Our Yi Yi will definitely be a talented little lady in the future.”
Teacher Hu truly felt she had struck gold. Juniors who could catch the eye of her old friend were few and far between.
“Teacher Hu, Yi Yi will play the zither for you in the future.”
“Good, good, good, Teacher Hu will be waiting.” Teacher Hu cradled Yi Yi and carried her back to her own house. Sheng Wanyan shook her head with a smile; the mentor and disciple could be incredibly clingy at times. Maodou tagged along after them energetically, with Yi Yi hastily grabbing its leash. In Maodou’s heart, Yi Yi was already far more important than its actual owner, Sheng Wanyan.
The next day, Sheng Wanyan arrived at Old Master Wu’s house right on time at half past eight, planning to come back at noon to pick her up.
Upon returning home, Sheng Wanyan began sketching design blueprints. It wouldn’t be long before denim jeans became popular, so she needed to design a few more styles in advance. There were also wide-leg trousers, white blouses, strong padded shoulders, denim jackets, turtleneck sweaters, berets, and studded leather shoes. Sheng Wanyan mailed a copy of the blueprints to Xu Guihua, instructing her to begin production so they could be launched on the shelves when the time came. She took another copy to the small workshop, staying there for the entire morning before leaving to pick Yi Yi up.
Time flew past. Soon, the streets were filled with denim jeans and denim skirts, along with various brightly colored clothes that had become popular. Sheng Wanyan also walked into the university wearing a brown knit sweater and figure-hugging denim jeans.
The year 1980 unleashed a massive wave of denim fashion; denim jeans of various colors were deeply loved by men and women alike. Sheng Wanyan’s shop was packed to the brim with people coming and going every day, forcing her to step in and help out.
Over the weekend, Sheng Wanyan carved out time to drive the children back to the military compound. The streets were filled with vibrant outfits and beautifully dressed people. It seemed the bleak era of the past had thoroughly concluded, and everyone was brimming with vitality.
Yi Yi wore denim overalls over a long-sleeved T-shirt with a panda pattern, paired with small boots, looking both adorable and warm. Returning to the compound, Mother Gu scooped Yi Yi up into her arms; they hadn’t been back for quite some time, and she missed her dearly.
Aunt Hu carried Lailai and Maomao into the house while Sheng Wanyan parked the car and went inside. Before they knew it, May had already arrived, and the Gu family had a monumental event happening today!
Chapter 599: Gu Jingjing’s Suicide Attempt
“Wanyan, Fourth Brother is seeing someone.”
Eldest Sister-in-law Gu whispered into her ear. Sheng Wanyan was quite shocked. Gu Tinghao and Wang Chunmei had been divorced for three years, so it was only normal for him to move on with someone new. It was just that Gu Tinghao had claimed only last year that he wouldn’t remarry, yet this year he was already seeing someone. Sheng Wanyan could only feel that a man’s word was truly unreliable.
“Does Jingjing know?”
“She does. She had a massive crying fit a couple of days ago and hasn’t left her room since.”
“That’s why Mom called you back.”
Hearing this, Sheng Wanyan’s heart instantly turned cold. Did Gu Tinghao really… ever care about this daughter?
“Didn’t Fourth Brother talk it through properly with Jingjing?” Gu Jingjing was at an age where she could comprehend these things. She was already ten years old; if explained to her properly, she would be able to understand.
“Talk it through? He straight-up brought the woman home. Jingjing was completely blindsided.”
“That day, Jingjing ran all the way from their place back to the compound to find Mom, sobbing the whole time.”
Sheng Wanyan frowned. She truly could not fathom Gu Tinghao. What on earth was he thinking? He was always claiming how much he owed Jingjing, yet her disasters were consistently brought about by him. You couldn’t say he was a bad father because when he didn’t have a woman, he doted on his daughter in every possible way. But the moment a woman entered the picture, he completely neglected her.
“Mom and Dad were so furious they beat Fourth Brother. Father and daughter haven’t spoken a single word to each other since.”
“No, it should be said that Jingjing is unilaterally ignoring Fourth Brother.”
“She still refuses to come out of her room.”
“Mom figured Jingjing listens to you, so she wanted you to try and talk to her.”
“She’s been cooped up in there, not even coming down for meals.”
Sheng Wanyan nodded upon hearing this. She washed a basin of fruit, carried it upstairs, and knocked on Gu Jingjing’s bedroom door.
Gu Jingjing didn’t open it. Sheng Wanyan frowned and knocked again. “Jingjing, it’s Third Aunt.”
Sheng Wanyan waited for a moment before the door was unlocked from the inside. When the door opened, Sheng Wanyan was completely horrified by what she saw.
“Jingjing!!!”
The basin in Sheng Wanyan’s hands crashed to the floor. Fresh blood was pouring from Gu Jingjing’s wrist, and her eyes were filled with nothing but profound disappointment and desolation as she looked at her.
Gu Jingjing collapsed. Sheng Wanyan hurriedly caught her fainting body and screamed at the top of her lungs, “Mom!!!!”
Hearing the commotion, the family rushed upstairs immediately. When they saw Gu Jingjing collapsed on the floor with blood pouring from her wrist, their faces turned instantly pale.
Mother Gu’s eyes rolled back as she went faint, and Eldest Sister-in-law Gu quickly supported her, urging Uncle Hu, the family orderly, to rush Gu Jingjing to the hospital.
“Uncle Hu! To the hospital!”
Grandfather and Grandma Gu were only halfway up the stairs when they saw Sheng Wanyan helping Gu Jingjing down, and their bodies instantly went weak.
“Quick! Get her to the hospital quickly!” Grandfather Gu regained his composure and immediately stabilized the chaotic situation.
Uncle Hu scooped Gu Jingjing into his arms, ran to the car, and immediately sped off toward the hospital. Sheng Wanyan climbed in with them, leaving Yi Yi and Gu Jinfang behind, their faces stark white with fear.
“Call Old Fourth!”
“Tell him to roll his ass back here right now!” Grandfather Gu roared in fury.
News of Gu Jingjing’s attempted suicide quickly reached Father Gu and Eldest Brother Gu, who hurried to the hospital at once.
Sheng Wanyan accompanied Gu Jingjing into the hospital. As the doctor applied stitches to Gu Jingjing’s wrist, he let out a heavy sigh. “It’s fortunate she was brought in on time. If it had been any later…” The doctor shook his head, leaving the rest unsaid, but Sheng Wanyan understood perfectly. If it had been any later, she might have lost her life. “You had best take the child to see a psychologist regarding her mental health.”
Sheng Wanyan nodded. Seeing Gu Jingjing’s face completely devoid of color and life, a bitter pang of sorrow hit her chest. The last time she returned, this child had still been smiling brightly, her face full of happiness. Yet in such a short span of time, she had been reduced to this…
Parents… were sometimes the original sin that destroyed a child.
Gu Jingjing was admitted to a hospital ward, and the family rushed over to check on her. Seeing her lying so pale and lifeless on the hospital bed, Gu Tinghao wiped his face harshly with his hands.
“Old Fourth… you don’t deserve to be a father,” Father Gu said, his tone flat, yet Gu Tinghao felt an icy chill wash over him. He looked at Father Gu in pure terror.
“Tomorrow, transfer Jingjing’s household registration from your name into mine and your mother’s.”
“Dad…” Gu Tinghao looked at Father Gu in utter shock, an ominous premonition seizing his heart. He had never imagined things would turn out like this. He had assumed Jingjing was merely feeling upset and would get over it after a while. He had assumed that since Jingjing was already ten years old, she would be able to understand him. He truly had never expected… that Jingjing would try to take her own life!
“Since you have a new family, Jingjing will no longer follow you!”
“From now on… Gu Jingjing belongs only to the Gu family elders.”
“Gu Tinghao! I am severing ties with you!” Mother Gu’s face was filled with utter disappointment as she glared at Gu Tinghao. It didn’t matter that he wanted a new woman! But why did he have to choose the absolute stupidest way to inform the child! This was something that could have been discussed properly with the child and planned with the family, yet he chose to act entirely on his own accord!
Wang Chunmei was like this, and this new woman was like this too! Mother Gu instantly developed an intense aversion to the new woman Gu Tinghao was seeing. With this incident having occurred, there was no way she would ever allow that woman through their door! She also hated herself for giving birth to such a stupid son; she truly wondered if she and Old Gu had undergone some genetic mutation to produce such an absolute idiot!
“Dad, Mom…” Gu Tinghao felt completely dazed and lost. Why had things turned out this way…? He had originally thought that by giving Jingjing a mother, she would be able to grow up well, so why did it end up like this!
“Don’t call me Mom!”
“I don’t have a son like you!” Mother Gu’s heart was chilled to the absolute limit. She hated herself for failing to educate Gu Tinghao properly, and she hated herself for indulging him time and time again! “Get out! Get the hell out!”
Mother Gu’s emotions became highly overwrought, and she suddenly fainted, collapsing toward the floor. Sheng Wanyan and Eldest Sister-in-law Gu couldn’t hold her weight up in time and fell down along with her.
“Mom!”
Father Gu’s face turned white at the sight. He stepped forward, scooped Mother Gu into his arms, and rushed off to find a doctor. Gu Tinghao remained kneeling on the floor, completely stupefied.
“Doctor!!!” Father Gu roared as he rushed out holding Mother Gu.
Grandfather Gu raised his cane, striking Gu Tinghao hard, blow after blow.
“You unfilial descendant!”
“For the sake of a woman, you act like a fool time and time again!”
“How did our Gu family ever breed an idiot like you!”
“Get the hell out!”
Grandfather Gu did not hold back his strength at all, beating Gu Tinghao until he was sprawled flat on the floor. Eldest Brother Gu straight-up hauled Gu Tinghao up by his collar and threw him out of the room.
“Leave, and don’t come back.”
“Since you don’t care for this daughter, she will be my daughter from now on!”
“Tomorrow, transfer her household registration under my name!” Eldest Brother Gu threw Gu Tinghao out, claiming custody of Gu Jingjing in just a few sentences. Since Gu Tinghao didn’t cherish such a wonderful daughter, it worked out perfectly as he didn’t have a daughter of his own, so he would take her!
“Eldest Brother!”
“Get the fuck out! Don’t force me to beat you!” Gu Tingye (Eldest Brother Gu) said with a cold face, shutting the ward door firmly and giving Gu Tinghao zero opportunity to say another word.
Mother Gu had been hospitalized directly due to sheer rage. The examination results indicated that she had come dangerously close to suffering a cerebral hemorrhage brought on by anger; it was fortunate she was already at the hospital to receive immediate medical attention.
Mother Gu was wheeled into the same ward as Gu Jingjing, while Gu Tinghao remained kneeling continuously outside the ward door.
