Chapter 11

She smiled and said yes, then waited until she and Chen Deng Deng had walked a little way before asking, "What did the head nurse want with me?"

"Hey, didn't you see where the head nurse came from?"

Chen Deng Deng said regretfully, "A woman in a senior position was transferred to our hospital a few days ago. They say she has powerful connections. She had surgery yesterday, and the hospital wanted to assign a nurse to look after her personally. Too bad Song Mei snapped up the chance!"

Gu Yinxing felt a pang of regret herself.

Opportunities like that were rare. She could make a useful connection and get noticed by the higher-ups. Promotions were hard to come by for nurses like them; their everyday work gave them little chance to stand out. Who knew how long she would have to wait for another opening like this?

"Come to think of it, that woman is the aunt of the man you were just talking to. How did you not know?" Chen Deng Deng said suddenly.

"You mean Yan Ren?" Gu Yinxing was surprised, but when she thought about his bearing and appearance, he hardly seemed ordinary. It wasn't strange that he had an aunt in a senior position. "I don't know him well. We've only spoken a few times."

"A few times is already something."

Chen Deng Deng playfully nudged Gu Yinxing in the stomach. "He's so handsome! So tall, with those legs and that face. He's only been here a few times, and half the hospital has been asking about him. I hear Song Mei's interested too. You'd better make a move."

"Don't talk nonsense."

Gu Yinxing blushed, but said stubbornly, "If I like him, I'll pursue him. If I don't, I'm not going to fight someone else over him just to prove a point."

Chen Deng Deng felt a sudden respect for her.

She had always thought Gu Yinxing was like a child who had never grown up. She hadn't expected her to have a clearer head than some people.

After Song Mei got home from work, she asked around and learned that Widow An had spread the story. She and her mother, Huang Xirong, went straight to Widow An's door.

Widow An had been widowed for years and was no pushover. The two sides started cursing each other out front, then came to blows, grabbing hair, striking faces, and slapping cheeks.

The commotion drew everyone in the Compound over.

Some rushed to break up the fight, while others tried to calm them down.

"You've been neighbors for years. Can't you talk this out?" the Courtyard Chief said angrily. There had been trouble only yesterday, and now this.

Gu Yousi came out in her aunt's arms to watch the spectacle.

It had been a long time since she'd seen a fight this direct, all slaps and hair-pulling.

In her previous life at the orphanage, there had been teachers and a director watching over them, but there were so many children. They were young, and none of them had parents. There had hardly been a day without a fight.

But Gu Yousi had never fought. For one thing, she knew studying was her way forward. What if a fight left her with a head injury? She would rather put up with a little unfairness now and then. For another, she knew a moment's satisfaction wasn't worth it. The teachers and director noticed who fought, and over time, whether you were the bully or the one being bullied, their opinion of you suffered. That opinion might not matter most days, but at a crucial moment, it could matter a great deal.

"Talk it out? Uncle Liu, you have to see justice done for us."

Huang Xirong had lost a handful of hair. She slapped her thigh and wailed, "We weren't home last night. I only found out today that someone was spreading nasty stories about my daughter yesterday, saying all sorts of things about her and Zhang Dabiao. If that gets around, how is my daughter supposed to get married?"

"Pah!"

Widow An spat in Huang Xirong's face. "I said it, and every word was true! If your daughter does something shameful, she can't blame other people for talking. I heard what sounded like a cat meowing in the middle of the night. Scared me half to death, living alone as I do. Then I got up and took a look, and it turned out your daughter was sneaking around with that thug!"

"Whoa!"

The crowd erupted in shock.

Gu Yinxing squeezed forward. "Make room, make room. I want to hear what happened."

Chapter 13: The Thirteenth Day of Being Overheard

"You're full of it!"

Song Mei trembled with anger, her face crimson.

Widow An planted her hands on her hips and gave her a knowing smile. "You know whether I'm lying. Did you think I was the only one who saw? The Courtyard Chief saw too. Everyone's just been keeping quiet about it."

"Enough, enough. Why bring that up?"

The Courtyard Chief coughed and spoke up.

He clearly didn't want the matter to grow any bigger, but he had all but confirmed Widow An was telling the truth.

Everyone was stunned.

Song Mei's face went from pale to flushed. With a cry, she covered her face and fled back to her room in the rear courtyard.

"All right, nothing more to see. Go on, disperse."

The Courtyard Chief waved them away. "Look at the time. Go home and make dinner."

Gu Yinxing was disappointed that the spectacle was over.

She was still mulling it over when she spotted Liang Renyi and his wife standing by the entrance.

"Yinxing!"

Liang Renyi and his wife met Gu Yinxing's eyes and immediately came over with warm smiles.

Gu Yinxing forced a smile and glanced at the mesh bag in Xu Fenglai's hand. "Oh, you brought canned fruit? You must have the wrong house."

Xu Fenglai didn't look embarrassed in the least.

She gave Gu Yinxing's shoulder an enthusiastic pat. "Still holding on to what happened before? We've come with good news for you today. Come on, let's talk at home."

With that, she tugged at Gu Yinxing's shoulder.

Gu Yinxing had no desire to be friendly.

But they were standing in front of everyone. If she made a scene, her own family would lose face. So she pursed her lips and led the couple home.

He Chunlian and Liang Ying were cooking. When Liang Ying saw them arrive, her smile faded.

"We've come to apologize." Liang Renyi had no trouble swallowing his pride; he even bowed to Liang Ying.

Liang Ying quickly stepped aside, her smile faint. "You must be joking. What did you do wrong that you need to apologize for?"

Liang Renyi was taken aback.

Liang Ying had always been good-tempered, especially with him, her only cousin. She had never given him the cold shoulder.

That was why Liang Renyi had assumed a couple of cans of fruit and an apology would settle things.

He exchanged a glance with Xu Fenglai. She quickly put on a brilliant smile. "I knew you had a generous heart and wouldn't hold this against us. Here's what happened: last year, Renyi stumbled on a bit of good fortune. He found a wallet on the road, and things got a little easier for us. But we couldn't exactly go around telling people that, so we didn't mention it to you. Then our child got the wrong idea and thought we'd struck it rich."

"Is that so?"

Liang Ying smiled as she drew out the words.

"That's exactly it. What a mess. Anyone who didn't know better would think we'd deliberately been taking advantage of your family."

Xu Fenglai looked aggrieved, as though Liang Ying had wronged them both.

Liang Ying chuckled. "Well, where did you find this wallet? Tell me, and I'll go try my luck there too."

"Over... over by the Temple of Heaven."

Liang Renyi hadn't expected Liang Ying to press him for details, so he named a place off the top of his head.

"The Temple of Heaven? Isn't that in the east of the city? What were you doing over there?"

Liang Ying's tone was gentle, but her eyes were sharper than usual, as though she could see straight through the lie.

Sweat beaded on Liang Renyi's forehead. "I went there to fish and take a walk. Who knew I'd get lucky and find it?"

"Oh, right. We left in such a hurry on New Year's Eve that I never gave my niece her red envelope." Liang Renyi hurriedly signaled Xu Fenglai with his eyes.

Xu Fenglai was reluctant, but slowly took a red envelope from her pocket.

Gu Yinxing snatched it with a grin and opened it. "Oh, five yuan this year. That's quite a lot—just as much as we gave your son last year."

Liang Renyi blushed and glared at Xu Fenglai. He quickly pulled out two ten-yuan notes and handed them over. "A mistake. Of course it wouldn't be just five yuan. My wife must have grabbed the wrong envelope on her way out."

Gu Yinxing accepted the money with a grin. "Then I'll thank you on my niece's behalf. People say a mother's brother is a child's greatest elder. An uncle can't be stingy."

"Of course, of course."

Liang Renyi kept smiling.

He Chunlian, who had watched for a while, said, "Since it was a misunderstanding, we can leave it at that. It's nearly dinnertime, so you two should hurry home and eat."

What?

Liang Renyi and Xu Fenglai were both taken aback. Neither had expected He Chunlian to be so blunt.

They had arrived right before dinner precisely so they could stay for a meal.

"Auntie, we came today because we have some good news to discuss with you." Xu Fenglai set down the mesh bag, smiling. "It concerns our Yinxing, too."

"Oh? What good news? Let's hear it."

Gu Jinshui came in from outside and joined the conversation.

The moment he entered, Liang Renyi looked uncomfortable. "Jinshui, you're home."

"I am. So what's this good news?"

Gu Jinshui urged them on.

Liang Renyi shot Xu Fenglai a look.

Xu Fenglai smiled obligingly. "There's a young man we know with excellent prospects. He's two or three years older than Yinxing and an only child. Both his parents are cadres. He works at the Department Store, earns a good monthly wage, and gets good benefits. His family even has a television and an electric fan."

To say those were poor prospects would be dishonest.

Working at the Department Store, being an only child, and having parents who were cadres—those qualifications alone put him ahead of at least ninety percent of men his age.

"If his prospects are that good, why hasn't he found someone?" He Chunlian was interested, but quickly checked herself. "Hasn't anyone around his parents introduced him to a girl?"

"They have, but he has good prospects and high standards. None of those girls caught his eye."

Xu Fenglai went on, "I showed him Yinxing's photo, and he was interested right away."

Gu Yousi noticed the corners of Gu Yinxing's mouth turn down.

Gu Yinxing was plainly unhappy.

She gave a cold laugh. "So he has to approve of me before I even get to look at him? Is he made of gold or something?"

That left Xu Fenglai struggling to save face.

She wanted to fire back, but her husband was signaling frantically beside her. She swallowed her words and took a photo from her pocket. "You can have a look at him too. This is Zhao Donglai. See how respectable he looks?"

Gu Yinxing glanced at the photo.

She couldn't deny he looked respectable.

Zhao Donglai wore glasses and a white shirt, giving him a scholarly air.

When Gu Yinxing thought back to the qualifications Xu Fenglai had listed, she did feel a little tempted.

He Chunlian knew her daughter well. "A photo isn't enough. She'll have to meet him in person."

"Of course, of course."

Zhao Fenglai readily agreed. "How about this weekend? The two of them could take a walk in the little park nearby. What do you think?"

"Fine." Gu Yinxing nodded without much enthusiasm.

With that settled, Liang Renyi looked much more at ease.

He smiled. "If this works out, Auntie, you'll finally be able to stop worrying."

He Chunlian smiled. "How could I? You worry about your children for a lifetime."

Although the mood had eased, the Gu Family still didn't invite Liang Renyi and his wife to stay for dinner. They did accept the two cans of yellow peaches.

Gu Yinxing eagerly opened one and poured the fruit into a white porcelain bowl. When she saw Gu Yousi staring longingly, she let her taste a little of the peach syrup.

It really was sweet.

"Mom, we need to be careful about this match," Liang Ying said, troubled. "Even though my cousin-in-law is only acting as a matchmaker, I still can't help worrying."

She didn't trust Liang Renyi's character and feared Gu Yinxing might fall into a trap he had set.

"Don't worry. Yinxing isn't foolish. If he's a good man, they can see each other. If there's something wrong with him, we'll put a stop to it."

He Chunlian spoke lightly.

Seeing how calm He Chunlian was, Liang Ying felt somewhat reassured.

That night, after everyone in the house had fallen asleep, Gu Jinshui nudged Liang Ying. She woke groggily. "What is it?"

"I'm going to dig it up," Gu Jinshui whispered.

Liang Ying froze, then woke fully and sat up. Gu Jinshui handed her the padded jacket beside them to drape over her shoulders. "Why the rush?"

"I don't think your cousin can sit still much longer," Gu Jinshui said.