Chapter 7

"Keep pretending. Your family eats white-flour bread and pork every day, goes out to restaurants every few days, and has all those large gold bars. Who are you trying to fool with this poor act?"

Her eyes flicked toward the chubby little boy, Liang Liang. In the book, he was a minor character who had a crush on the heroine, Song Chaohua. To win her favor, he had told her plenty about his family: they were rich, and his parents somehow had a lot of large gold bars. Yet they often went to the Gu Family's home for handouts, pretending to be poor.

Large gold bars?!

Pretending to be poor?!

The whole Gu Family heard her words, and their heads buzzed.

Seeing that the Gu Family had fallen silent, Liang Renyi and his wife exchanged a glance.

"Do you think your cousin's in-laws are upset we didn't bring enough?" Zhao Fenglai asked with her eyes.

"Can't be. We came empty-handed before, and they never said a thing," Liang Renyi replied.

"Ahem, ahem."

Only after Gu Jinshui coughed a few times did He Chunlian and the others come back to themselves.

Liang Ying's face had turned red with anger, and her hands were shaking. "Cousin, your family's better off than ours, aren't you?"

Liang Renyi waved a hand with a cheerful smile. "How could we be? Three adults in your family have jobs. Even though your husband doesn't, he still earns plenty on the side. I'm the only one in our family with a job. How much could we have?"

"Really? You and your son look pretty well-fed. I thought you must eat white-flour bread and pork every day."

Liang Ying's smile did not reach her eyes.

Liang Renyi and his wife felt their hearts sink.

Liang Liang started making a fuss. "Mom, I want candy! White Rabbit candy, not the cheap stuff!"

Embarrassed, Zhao Fenglai smacked him. "What's wrong with this orange candy? We don't even have candy at home most days."

"Oh, don't argue with the boy, Sister-in-law."

Gu Yinxing's eyes darted around. She handed the baby to Gu Jinshui and said, "Come on, Chubby. I'll take you outside to play."

She grabbed a handful of candy, and Liang Liang happily followed her out.

Inside the room.

He Chunlian acted as if nothing had happened. She invited Liang Renyi and the others to help make dumplings and even planned to cook braised pork.

Liang Renyi and his wife eagerly agreed, swallowing again and again.

Gu Yousi was beside herself with worry.

That whole family was a pack of leeches, taking advantage of the Gu Family for nothing. But she could not speak yet. It was infuriating.

The Eighth Day of Being Overheard ### Outside the courtyard.

Gu Yinxing unwrapped a milk candy and gave it to Liang Liang. "Chubby, you're lucky you came to our house today. Otherwise you wouldn't get to eat this."

Liang Liang snatched it and stuffed it into his mouth. "Says who?" he mumbled. "We have milk candy at home too."

"Really? Your family can afford it?" Gu Yinxing deliberately looked scornful. "You're making that up, aren't you?"

"I am not!"

Liang Liang could not stand being challenged. He stamped his feet. "We have loads of milk candy at home. More than you do."

"Liar." Gu Yinxing scoffed. "Your family's broke. How could you afford it? You're so poor you came here today to mooch white-flour dumplings and pork belly."

"Bullshit! We're sick of eating that stuff. We go to restaurants every day. There's nothing good we haven't eaten." Liang Liang stuck out his belly. "My parents only come here to eat because they're too lazy to cook."

"What a whopper. Restaurants every day, huh?"

Gu Yinxing tucked the candy into her pocket. "I'm not giving candy to a little liar."

"It's true!" Liang Liang could not bear being called a liar. After a moment's thought, he turned and ran inside.

He tugged at Zhao Fenglai's sleeve. "Mom, our family's rich, right? We can eat at restaurants every day, right?"

The room fell silent for a moment.

Liang Renyi reacted first, springing up in anger. "What nonsense are you talking? How are we rich?"

"See? I told you he was a little liar." Gu Yinxing walked in with a grin and stood at the door, arms crossed, looking ready to enjoy the show.

Liang Liang grew even more frantic.

Then he remembered the New Year money in his pocket. He hurriedly pulled out a ten-yuan note and held it up. "My family is rich! Look at my New Year money! Do you have this?!"

Well done!

Chubby!

Gu Yousi did not know what had happened, but she was thrilled by Liang Liang's willingness to expose his own family.

He Chunlian set down the dumpling wrapper in her hands. She looked at Liang Liang, then at Liang Renyi and his wife.

Both their faces flushed scarlet.

Fury surged through Liang Renyi. He raised a hand and slapped Liang Liang. "That'll teach you to talk nonsense! Since when has our family had money? Where did you get that?"

Gu Jinshui caught Liang Renyi's hand. Liang Renyi was nearly twice his size, yet Gu Jinshui stopped him with ease.

Gu Jinshui gave him a thin smile. "Cousin, you'd better deal with your family matters at home. As for New Year's Eve dinner, let's eat separately. Our family's only getting by. We can't afford to give a child ten yuan in New Year money."

Liang Renyi was about to speak, but a sharp pain shot through his wrist. He hurriedly agreed and led his family away in disgrace.

East Wing Room.

When Song Chaohua came out to pour away some water, she caught sight of Liang Liang's retreating back.

Her eyes suddenly lit up.

She remembered something and hurried back inside to find her father.

"Dad, there's something I need to tell you."

Song Chaohua had been scolded several times lately over Lin Lianhua losing her wages, so her voice trembled.

Song Jianshe was sitting on the kang reading. He looked up at her. "What is it now?"

"Don't go saying things you aren't sure about, like last time." Huang Xirong's gaunt face turned harsh. The chubby grandson in her arms let out a cry, and she immediately looked down and cooed to him.

"Mom, don't pick on Xiaohua. Quite a few things she's said have been right. They've just gone off course somehow."

Song Jianshe took off his glasses and mildly reproached his mother.

But Song Chaohua immediately looked touched.

She grew even more certain that she had done the right thing.

If I hadn't kept telling Dad things from my previous life, would he treat me so well?

"Dad, I had another dream last night. I dreamed that Uncle Jinshui's wife's family had hidden some valuables."

Song Chaohua gathered her courage. "I think there was... there was gold."

"Gold? Really?!"

Huang Xirong nearly shouted.

Song Jianshe looked delighted, but he kept a cooler head. "Do you know where they hid it?"

Song Chaohua shook her head.

Huang Xirong's face immediately fell, and she pursed her lips.

"If you don't know where it is, how are we supposed to find it?"

Song Jianshe glanced at his mother, then bent down and spoke with rare gentleness. "Xiaohua, think carefully. There must have been a clue in your dream, right?"

Song Chaohua was overwhelmed by the attention.

She thought hard, then said, "Dad, I can't remember. But I think Liang Liang's father must know."

"Liang Renyi?"

Song Jianshe rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

He was not close to Liang Renyi, but while delivering mail, he sometimes saw Liang Renyi's family ordering braised hairtail or chicken stewed with mushrooms at the state-run restaurant. He had even seen the whole family go to Quanjude for roast duck.

So Song Jianshe knew Liang Renyi's family must have some savings.

Now that Song Chaohua had brought it up, Song Jianshe wondered whether Liang Renyi's money had come from the Liang Family's old house.

"Son, we can't let that much money slip through our fingers."

Huang Xirong spoke anxiously. "If our family had money, we could use it to help you move up."

"Mom, I know what I'm doing."

Song Jianshe brushed her off.

He turned, picked up a peanut from the table, and handed it to Song Chaohua. "Good work, Xiaohua. If you have another dream about the future, tell me right away."

Song Chaohua nodded like a chick pecking at grain.

She could barely contain her excitement.

"Come on, eat some dumplings. Stop thinking about it."

He Chunlian had cooked the dumplings and poured out some vinegar. She motioned for Gu Yinxing to close the door, then spoke to Liang Ying.

Liang Ying shook her head. After feeding the baby some milk, she said, "I... I just can't understand how they could act like that."

Liang Renyi was her last remaining relative. After Father Liang died, he had looked after her for a while. Liang Ying knew he liked taking advantage of people, but she had thought his family was struggling. They were relatives, after all, so she had let some things slide.

She had never expected him to sink this low.

"What I want to know is where they got the money to eat out all the time."

Gu Yinxing had been eyeing the table full of food and could not hold back any longer. She quickly ate a dumpling. The pork-and-cabbage filling was delicious, the cabbage juicy and the pork wonderfully savory.

"Why ask about that?" Seeing how downcast his wife was, Gu Jinshui glared at his tactless sister. "What does it have to do with us?"

Gu Yousi let out a milky burp.

At that, she could not hold back.

It has everything to do with us. He got rich by stealing an inheritance meant for someone else.

When Grandpa was dying, Mom wasn't home. That ungrateful wolf was the only one with him. Grandpa left his estate to Mom, but that wolf swallowed it all and claimed the Red Guards had confiscated everything.

Liang Renyi came today mainly to find out where Grandpa hid another part of the inheritance.

Clatter.

The baby bottle slipped from Liang Ying's hand and hit the floor.

Her face was a picture of bewilderment.

"Achoo! Achoo!"

Liang Renyi's family trudged home through the wind and snow.

Zhao Fenglai grumbled beside him. "That cousin of yours is so stingy. What's wrong with us eating one meal at their place? She couldn't even spare that, and we brought gifts! If I'd known, I wouldn't have brought anything. They got those things for nothing!"

"That's enough."

Liang Renyi rubbed his hands together. "Your son ruined my plans. I was going to get Liang Ying drunk today and ask if she knew where that dead old man hid the rest of his things!"

Zhao Fenglai bristled. "My son? Isn't he your son too? Besides, I doubt Liang Ying knows anything about it!"

"She must. She's that dead old man's only daughter." Liang Renyi ground his teeth. He was the only male descendant of the Liang Family in his generation and had assumed the old man would leave him the estate. He had never imagined the old man would intend to give it to a girl like Liang Ying. "If the old man didn't tell anyone else, he'd definitely have told her!"

"So what do we do?"

Thinking of the Liang Family's former wealth, Zhao Fenglai felt a rush of excitement.

What they had already taken from the Liang Family had kept them living well for years. If they found the rest, just imagine.

"Liang Ying's easily swayed. I'll go apologize to her later."

After thinking it over, Liang Renyi spoke with confidence.

As they talked, they reached the state-run restaurant, only to see its doors being shut.

Liang Renyi hurried forward and caught the person closing them. "Comrade, why are you closing?"

The person gave him a dirty look. "What's wrong with you? Who eats out on New Year's Eve instead of staying home?"

The whole Liang family looked sick.

They did not eat at home. They had planned to eat their fill at the Gu Family's place and take food away besides. Apart from rice, they had barely any meat at home.

The Ninth Day of Being Overheard ### Early on New Year's Day, firecrackers sounded in the street, mingled with children clapping and cheering.

Still half asleep, Liang Ying saw Gu Jinshui pull on his padded jacket and bend down to put on his shoes. Hearing her stir, he turned. "Go back to sleep. I'm heading out."

"To your master's place?"

Liang Ying sat up and took a red-paper-wrapped envelope from beneath her pillow. "There's twenty yuan here. Take it and give it to your master too."

Gu Jinshui took the envelope and glanced at it. He smiled and gave a little laugh. "My wife's the best. All right, I'll give it to Master. I'll buy you all some pastries on the way back."

Liang Ying rolled her eyes. "Be serious. Take plenty of dumplings with you. If there aren't enough left for us, we can make more."

Gu Jinshui nodded. He went out and filled a lunch box to the brim with the uncooked dumplings left over from yesterday. Remembering the old man had nothing at his place, he also picked up some vinegar and bought some soy sauce on the way.

It was still early.

The bitter wind blew, and aside from children too restless to stay indoors, there were few people on the road.

Gu Jinshui reached Yangchang Hutong and headed unerringly toward the familiar...