Chapter 40

His eyes were clear and steady. One look at him was enough to make a good impression.

Captain of the criminal investigation unit?

Those credentials were almost too good.

He looked no older than twenty-seven. Talk about a promising young man!

Hearing the people around her murmur in admiration, Xu Fenglai couldn't help challenging him. "Young man, with credentials like yours, how come you're still unmarried at your age?"

The implication was clear: if he still wasn't married, there must be something wrong with him.

She wanted to put Yan Ren down and prove that breaking up with Zhao Donglai was the stupidest decision Gu Yinxing had ever made.

"I was in the army before. I didn't want to waste a young woman's best years, and life on an army base is hard. I couldn't bear to put my wife through that."

As it turned out, even Yan Ren could lie through his teeth when he needed to. "Now that I've left the service, my family has arranged an apartment for me. Things are comfortable enough, so I thought it was time to find someone. Then I met Yinxing, such an outstanding woman, and fell for her."

The way He Chunlian looked at Yan Ren, she might have married him off to Gu Yinxing on the spot.

Just listen to how well the young man spoke. Without making a show of it, he'd revealed that he was considerate, family-minded, and, most importantly, well-off.

An apartment of his own!

How many families could manage that these days?

With more and more educated youths returning to the city, housing was tight. Having a room of one's own was already an advantage in marriage talks, but his family could provide an entire apartment.

"An apartment? What, you don't live with your elders?"

Xu Fenglai kept pressing, determined to find something wrong with Yan Ren.

Yan Ren said evenly, "That's how our family has always done things. My parents have their own place, and my grandparents have theirs."

That settled it!

His circumstances were unbeatable.

His must be the family of some high-ranking official. Xu Fenglai was too stunned to speak.

He Chunlian quickly stepped forward. "All right, everyone, break it up. Isn't it time to cook dinner? There'll be plenty to see when we hold the wedding."

"Sounds good, Auntie He! We'll be looking forward to that meal."

Several young people at the front grinned as they chimed in.

Grandpa Sun and Auntie Sun helped send the crowd on its way.

He Chunlian ignored Xu Fenglai and the others and invited Yan Ren inside.

A little embarrassed, she began, "And you are..."

"Auntie, my surname is Yan." Yan Ren quickly half-rose. "Yan as in strict, Ren as in perseverance."

"Yan Ren. What a fine name. I'm so sorry you had to witness that as soon as you arrived."

He Chunlian poured him a glass of water.

Then she shot Gu Yinxing a glare. "And you dragged Comrade Yan into it."

Gu Yinxing said with perfect confidence, "He's courting me. Shouldn't he show what he can do?"

"You..." If Gu Yinxing hadn't been her own daughter, He Chunlian would have smacked her on the head with a shoe. She was such a shrewd woman herself, so how had she raised such a fool? What mattered more, winning an argument or keeping a good prospect?

Luckily, Yan Ren was gracious enough not to take offense. A more sensitive man might have decided their family was vain and grasping, then turned around and left.

"Auntie, you can't blame her. That's just how Yinxing is."

Yan Ren spoke with great respect. "If anything, I'm the lucky one. I got a chance to make a good impression the moment I arrived."

"Mom, you heard him." Gu Yinxing drew out the words.

Smiling, He Chunlian stepped on Gu Yinxing's foot under the table. "Comrade Xiao Yan, you do know what to say. Since you're already here, why not stay for dinner?"

"Wouldn't that be imposing?" Yan Ren asked politely.

He Chunlian insisted. "Not at all. You talk with Yinxing while I buy a few things. Dinner won't be long."

She gave Gu Yinxing a meaningful look. "And the ice cream is still outside. Bring it in and offer him some."

"Got it."

Gu Yinxing answered lazily.

He Chunlian took her purse, murmured a few words to Liang Ying, and went out.

She planned to buy several substantial dishes from the restaurant. Yan Ren's visit might have been unexpected, but he'd saved their family a great deal of face. She couldn't serve him a shabby meal.

The State-Run Restaurant happened to have fish that day, so she bought braised fish, moo shu pork, and half a roast chicken before heading home.

On her way from the front gate to the rear courtyard, she naturally ran into a few people.

"Auntie He, that's a lot of food!" Widow An said enviously.

He Chunlian answered loudly, "It is! Yinxing's young man is visiting, so of course I had to get a few good dishes."

"Well, congratulations in advance! That future son-in-law of yours is first-rate."

Widow An gave a thumbs-up.

Beaming, He Chunlian invited Widow An to drop by sometime.

Inside the Song Family's home,

Huang Xirong heard He Chunlian chatting and laughing and seethed with envy.

She was shredding cucumbers for that night's noodles with fried sauce. Her cleaver thudded against the chopping board.

The more Huang Xirong thought about it, the angrier she got. She glared at her daughter, who was sitting there doing nothing. "Look at Gu Yinxing. She's about your age. How did she manage to find such a good match?"

Song Mei pressed her lips together, feeling wronged.

She thought of Yan Ren. He should have been her match, but he'd been blind enough to take a fancy to Gu Yinxing instead.

"Have you gone mute? Say something!"

Huang Xirong snapped.

Song Jianshe hurried to smooth things over. "Mom, enough. If anyone hears you carrying on like this, it'll be embarrassing."

In a compound courtyard like theirs, the neighbors could hear a fart around the corner, let alone someone raising their voice.

Song Jianshe didn't want his family to become a laughingstock.

Song Mei pursed her lips and said suddenly, "Who says I don't have a boyfriend?"

"You do?" Huang Xirong froze. She stopped cutting the cucumber and asked quickly, "What's his name? What does he do? Is his family well-off?"

Song Mei jerked her chin toward Gu Yinxing's place. "Zhao Donglai, the one Xu Fenglai introduced to Gu Yinxing. He wasn't interested in Gu Yinxing. He likes me."

There was a smug note in her voice.

"Really?"

Huang Xirong was delighted, but another thought soon occurred to her. Had Gu Yinxing and Zhao Donglai split up because of her daughter?

If that was the reason, they couldn't let it get around.

Huang Xirong asked quickly, "He really likes you?"

"He likes me a lot."

Song Mei said proudly, "He can't take his eyes off me. You heard about his circumstances just now. He's an accountant at the Department Store. He earns plenty every month, and more importantly, the job comes with perks."

That much was true.

These days, working at a department store earned a person respect. A family with a relative employed there was sure to have plenty of friends.

Goods were scarce, after all. Store employees could get hold of slightly defective items and set things aside before they went on sale.

"My daughter really has done well. Good, good."

Huang Xirong's anger vanished. She even took a piece of meat from the cupboard to make meat sauce.

Yan Ren didn't leave until after eight.

Gu Jinshui walked him out and didn't stop until they reached the mouth of the alley.

"Jinshui, you don't need to walk me any farther. I know the way," Yan Ren said with a smile.

Gu Jinshui smiled back. "Then I'll stop here. Yan Ren, let me offer you a few words of advice."

"Go ahead." Yan Ren understood what was coming, and his expression turned serious.

Gu Jinshui took a pack of Daqianmen from his pocket and flicked out a cigarette. Before he could light it, Yan Ren had his lighter ready. Gu Jinshui paused, leaned in to take a puff, and then said, "I figure your family is even more influential than people think. Even your lighter's imported, isn't it?"

"A friend gave it to me," Yan Ren said. "I don't usually care much about what I wear or use."

"I know you're not that sort of man, but I need to say this plainly. My sister's a bit clueless, but she isn't a bad person. Other people might find fault with her left and right. If the two of you get together, you can't let her suffer."

Gu Jinshui offered Yan Ren a cigarette and exhaled a plume of smoke. The glowing tip brightened and dimmed in the dark like a firefly. "If you ever think she isn't good enough for you, remember that you were the one who chose her."

"I know."

Seeing that Gu Jinshui wasn't one to stand on ceremony, Yan Ren lit a cigarette too. "Jinshui, we're practically family, so I'll be honest with you. People think families like mine have it all, but it's not like that. Yours is much warmer. I could never look down on Yinxing. If anything, I'm afraid she'll look down on me."

"She wouldn't."

Gu Jinshui felt a weight lift from his chest. "With Yinxing's temper, if she didn't like you, she wouldn't give you the time of day even if you were mayor, no matter how well-off your family was. She cares deeply about people. Treat her well, and she'll treat you well."

"I understand, Jinshui."

Yan Ren nodded.

Only after seeing Yan Ren off did Gu Jinshui head back.

As soon as he entered, Gu Yinxing came over. "Jinshui, what took you so long? Fall into the latrine? And why do you stink of smoke?"

The little pang of sentiment Gu Jinshui had felt vanished at once.

Looking at his scatterbrained sister, he thought, Yan Ren fell for her? He really must be blind.

The Forty-Sixth Day of Being Overheard

"Xiao Gu! You're finally here."

As soon as the woman at the Housing Reform Bureau saw Gu Jinshui, she grabbed the coat hanging on her chair.

Gu Jinshui was sweating from his run. He wiped his forehead. "Any news?"

"Is there ever!" She briskly told a colleague she was stepping out, then pulled Gu Jinshui outside and onto a bus. "A property became available this morning. I thought of you right away and called."

"Oh, thank you so much."

Gu Jinshui quickly found her a seat and stood beside her. "What's the place like?"

Pleased by his attentiveness, she smiled. "It's near the clothing factory, a small courtyard house, and close to your compound too. I'm telling you, you'd better act fast. A place like this will sell in days!"

"Of course. Absolutely."

Gu Jinshui nodded repeatedly.

He knew exactly what the housing situation in Beijing was like. Forget buying a home; people fought over decent rentals.

The single room Shanhu rented cost eight and a half yuan a month, and he'd only secured it because Douzi had heard about it early and helped him rent it first.

The woman hadn't exaggerated a thing.

The small courtyard house was near the compound courtyard, about a fifteen-minute walk away. The clothing factory was even closer, just ten minutes on foot.

Gu Jinshui looked around inside and out. Quite a bit of lumber was stacked in the courtyard, and in the cluttered southeast corner stood a brick earthquake shelter with a tar-paper roof.

"What do you think? Counting the shelter, you've got three rooms. That's enough space for anyone."

The owner was an elderly man.

His hair was gray and he was frail with age. When he came out, Gu Jinshui even stepped forward to steady him, afraid he might fall.

"It's good. There's certainly nothing wrong with the place."

Gu Jinshui didn't try to find fault.

There was no point. Housing was in high demand, especially small courtyard houses like this one. People who couldn't afford a larger two-courtyard property or wait for their work unit to assign them housing could still squeeze into a place like this.

The courtyard house had probably been built after the founding of the People's Republic. It had white walls and red brick, with a main room in the center and a room on either side. The layout was simple.

The asking price was low, too: just 1,100 yuan.

"Eleven hundred?"

Gu Jinshui was surprised.

The old man asked, "Yes. What, you think it's too expensive?"

Hearing the irritation in the old man's voice, Gu Jinshui smiled. "It's a lot of money, of course, but it's worth the price. The place has been kept in such good condition that whoever buys it won't lose out."

"You've got a good eye, at least."

The old man sighed. "My wife and I built this house back—"