Chapter 71

Be careful, I almost forgot about that.

Although the Gu Family's house was spacious enough, it was only enough for a quick wipe down; to take a full bath, one still had to go to a public bathhouse.

"Did you hear what they were saying inside?"

Huang Xirong patted Song Chaohua's head and said.

Song Chaohua's ears were practically pressed against the wall as she covered her head. "What are they talking about bath tickets?"

"Bath ticket?"

Huang Xirong plopped down on the kang (a heated brick bed), crossed her legs, picked up some peanuts from the table, and started peeling and eating them. "Didn't they mention your aunt's marriage?"

"No." Song Chaohua sat down as well.

Huang Xirong cracked open some peanuts, frowning as she said, "That's strange. They can't possibly not know your aunt is getting married. I bet they're secretly plotting something, trying to steal your uncle away. Heh heh, dream on! I saw right through their scheme. Your aunt and uncle are getting married next month, how are they going to steal him then!"

If He Chunlian and her daughter knew what Huang Xirong was thinking, they would be absolutely disgusted.

Who cares about Zhao Donglai? Gu Yinxing was the one who dumped him in the first place.

"Mom, you're so smart."

Song Mei brought in a cup of tea from outside and even massaged Huang Xirong's shoulders solicitously. "My brother is coming back tomorrow. Could you ask him to give me more dowry? The Zhao Family is rich, and we can't be too stingy. Otherwise, how can I stand on my own two feet after I marry into their family?"

Although Huang Xirong was biased towards sons, she treated Song Mei fairly well. Besides, Song Mei married a successful man, so she said, "Alright, I'll have your brother give you a decent dowry later!"

Anyway, my son made a fortune on this trip, so it's only right that he give a little bit to his sister.

Chapter 79 The Seventy-Nine Days of Being Eavesdropped On

Around noon, Zhang Lili arrived, bringing two little girls with her and some candy and cookies.

He Chunlian immediately said, "Why did you bring something with you? It's too formal."

She beckoned Zhang Lili and the others in. Zhang Lili felt a little embarrassed, "Aunt He, this is just a small token of our appreciation. You've always treated us to food on set, so we'd be very embarrassed if you didn't accept it."

Hearing her say that, and seeing that the two girls were quite shy, He Chunlian accepted the gift, went to the kitchen to cut a plate of fruit, and then asked about the girls' identities.

The two girls were also actresses at the film studio, but unlike Zhang Lili, who could at least get a supporting role, these two girls could only play minor parts.

After a while, Sister Yang, He Chunlian's colleague, came over.

Sister Yang sang the role of Qingyi in Peking Opera. She was a very capable and sociable older sister. After He Chunlian gave up her rural opera career, it was Sister Yang who took over. Sister Yang first listened to a few girls sing a song by Teresa Teng.

Although Teresa Teng's songs are still considered decadent by the mainstream today, young people like them and older people also enjoy listening to them. Therefore, it is very important to know how to sing her songs.

The three girls weren't shy at all. They cleared their throats and sang "Fragrance of the Night" together. Their soft, sweet voices and clear pronunciation delighted not only Sister Yang, but even Gu Yousi couldn't help but peek through the door to listen.

"Yes, yes, that's perfect."

Sister Yang clapped her hands happily. "If you're willing to join us, our team will be like a tiger with wings. We happen to have a job right now. A young couple is getting married. Their elders love to listen to opera, and the young couple loves to listen to songs. We were worried about who would be suitable to hire, but your arrival is just what we need."

"That's wonderful! But Sister Yang, these three girls are still young, so you'll have to take good care of them. They're all our own children."

He Chunlian breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Sister Yang was willing to take them in, but she couldn't help but give her a few words of advice.

Sister Yang laughed and said, "You don't trust me? I'm most biased towards us girls. Haven't you heard Old Liu complaining all the time that I'm too meticulous and wouldn't go to those remote places no matter how much money you offer?"

"That's the right thing to do. We can just travel around Beijing. If we go too far, not only will we women not be able to find anyone to talk to if something happens to a man." He Chunlian was quite satisfied with this point about Sister Yang.

She also knew that performing at various venues was very popular right now, and some people could earn tens of yuan for a single performance, especially the farther the place they went, the more people were willing to pay.

Many people are willing to travel by train to places as far away as Henan and Shandong, let alone the suburbs, in order to earn more money.

It's good that everything is peaceful and uneventful, but if something happens, then there's really no way to express the suffering.

That's exactly the point.

Sister Yang looked at Zhang Lili and the other girls and said, "Although we say we love making money, our lives are more important than money."

Sister Yang discussed the date with the girls and agreed to borrow a few bright clothes. As for the sound equipment, Sister Yang would help them arrange it.

The matter was finalized quickly.

At noon, the sound of cooking came from the courtyard outside. Liang Ying returned from buying groceries and, seeing a house full of people, greeted them, "Teacher Yang, Xiao Zhang, why don't you all stay and have lunch before you leave?"

"No, we all have things to do, so we'll take our leave now." Sister Yang smiled and led Zhang Lili and the others out.

Seeing her daughter standing at the door, Liang Ying smiled and picked her up, "Why aren't you going in? You've been standing here for ages, haven't you?"

"It sounds nice." Gu Yousi raised her head, her pigtails swaying.

He Chunlian laughed and said, "She was so engrossed in listening to someone sing outside just now. Second Girl, why don't we learn to sing too?"

Gu Yousi turned her head and rummaged through Liang Ying's shopping basket to see what vegetables she had bought.

Sing?

What kind of songs can someone who's tone-deaf sing? She shouldn't be ruining the lives of those around her.

Liang Ying and He Chunlian suppressed a smile. Gu Yousi had no idea that she had exposed her own shortcomings. At lunchtime, Gu Yousi held her own small bowl. Lunch consisted of stir-fried shredded potatoes, steamed egg custard, and fried dried anchovies.

The dried fish are very fresh and sweet this season. After being coated in dough and deep-fried, they turn golden brown and crispy, and are especially fragrant and sweet. Lan Lin especially loves to eat them. Liang Ying bought a lot today. Half of them were saved to be fried when Gu Jinshui and the others came back in the evening, and the other half were fried at noon. She also kept a bowl to send to the Lan Family later.

"Mom, Mom, daughter-in-law..."

He Chunlian and the others were eating lunch, they heard several shouts coming from the courtyard.

He Chunlian immediately put down her chopsticks. "Isn't that Jin Shui's voice?" She went out to take a look and Gu Jinshui and Shanhu looking like they had just fled from war. Their thin coats were dirty, and several porters were following behind them, helping to carry in those rattan boxes.

"Jin Shui, Shanhu, why are you back at this hour?"

He Chunlian quickly stepped forward, helping to carry things and calling Liang Ying to come out and lend a hand.

Gu Jinshui told the porters to carry the things inside, then gave them two yuan and sent them away before saying, "Is there any water? Let us have a drink quickly."

Liang Ying quickly poured two glasses of cold water, and the two of them picked up the glasses and gulped them down.

He Chunlian had already gone to serve the rice. Judging from the two of them, she guessed they hadn't eaten lunch either. Sure enough, the two of them picked up their bowls and quickly ate their fill. The pot of porridge she had cooked at noon was not enough. He Chunlian even went to the State-Run Restaurant to get a enamel basin of rice and ordered three or four dishes before the two of them were full.

"Oh dear, are you going out to have fun or to escape a disaster?"

Huang Xirong stood outside watching the commotion.

He Chunlian rolled her eyes at her, "What's it to you? You're just being nosy."

She went straight up and slammed the door shut without any politeness. Huang Xirong was turned away and got angry. He stomped his feet and cursed at the door for a long time. When He Chunlian didn't come to open the door and the neighbors peeked out to see what was going on, he had no choice but to go back dejectedly. He was still thinking about the boxes that Gu Jinshui and the others had just carried in.

"Finally, I'm full."

Gu Jinshui patted his belly and said.

Liang Ying asked with concern, "Isn't there food on this train? How come you're so hungry?"

"Don't even mention it."

Gu Jinshui waved his hand and said, "It was fine when we went there, but on the way back, there were a lot of petty pickpockets on the train. The three of us were carrying some things, so we didn't dare to show off our wealth. We didn't dare to spend our money. We only dared to breathe a sigh of relief after we got off the train."

"So arrogant?" He Chunlian was dumbfounded.

She looked at the suitcase and asked, "So what did you bring back?"

"Mom, why don't you go and take a look yourself?" Gu Jinshui took off his bag, which he had been carrying for a while, and only now remembered to take it off. As he spoke, he took out the souvenirs he had bought. "These things are for you."

Gold earrings, gold necklaces, and toys were laid out on the table, along with a braised chicken that had been bought at the train station.

But He Chunlian and the others didn't have time to look at any souvenirs right now.

They opened the boxes one by one and looked inside. The boxes were filled with all kinds of pottery and porcelain, made of foam and straw. When the three boxes were opened, not only was He Chunlian stunned, but even Gu Yousi was dumbfounded.

Gu Yousi a step forward and walked to Gu Jinshui's side, patting his leg. "Dad, you... you robbed me?"

"What robbery?"

Gu Jinshui flicked his daughter's forehead, "I bought them, but one box was a gift from someone else."

He pointed to a box with a lot of items at the door, "This box was a gift from someone to your father, Uncle Shanhu, and Uncle He Fei."

"Why would someone kindly give you all these old people as a gift?"

He Chunlian's jaw nearly dropped to the ground.

She knew her son was going to Xi'an to buy and sell antiques, but she imagined it would only be a few items; she never expected Gu Jinshui to bring so many.

"That's because I did someone a huge favor."

Shanhu explained, "They gave us so many as a way of expressing their gratitude."

Upon hearing this, He Chunlian knew that Gu Jinshui must have encountered a lot of trouble on his trip to Xi'an. She was about to ask when she saw Shanhu's restless appearance, so she quickly handed them bath tickets and said, "Alright, we can talk about these things later. You two go take a bath first, and then Shanhu, you should hurry home. You haven't even been back to your new home yet, and your wife has been quite worried about you lately."

"Eh."

Shanhu gave an embarrassed smile and accepted the bath ticket.

He Chunlian pushed two men who looked like refugees out to take a bath. They hadn't bathed for days, and the room smelled terrible.

Inside Song Jianshe's house, Huang Xirong peeked out the window and his eyes darted around when he saw Gu Jinshui and the others come out.

Judging from Gu Jinshui's appearance, it seems like he struck it rich in Xi'an this time!

Huang Xirong felt a pang of jealousy, but then she realized that her son had gone prepared this time, which was far better than Gu Jinshui and his group who had blindly wandered around. She felt there was no need to be jealous of Gu Jinshui and his group.

No matter how capable they are, can they possibly surpass his son?

Huang Xirong was already planning how he would spend the gold, silver, jewelry, and antiques his son brought back.

Gu Jinshui and brought a few things to the Old Master's place in the afternoon.

He laid the items out on the table one by one, feeling a little uneasy. "Master, please take a look at these things. What do you think?"

Gu Jinshui only selected those he was confident in, and those were the ones with the most open doors.

Xi Han picked up a bronze incense burner. The burner had five outward-flaring legs shaped like animal claws, an inverted bowl lid, and copper rings on both sides that made a clear sound when struck.

Where did this thing come from?

"I found it at the Ghost Market over there. The man said he got it from a temple. At first, it was covered in mud, but I noticed the lid had a bud-shaped knob and red copper with green patina, so I figured it must be from the Tang Dynasty." Gu Jinshui told the Old Master while nervously watching Old Master expression. "The reddish tinge on this bronze is because the smelting and casting techniques improved after the Tang Dynasty, reducing the tin content in the materials, which makes it appear copper-red. As for the green patina, you told me that the bronze artifacts unearthed in Shaanxi are mostly glassy green and malachite green, which matches up."

Xi Han nodded slightly. He picked up a cloth, carefully wiped away a patch of dirt, and handed it to Gu Jinshui: "Smell it."

Gu Jinshui was stunned for a moment, then took the incense burner and smelled it carefully. He paused, then looked at Xi Han, "Master, there's no smell here?!"

"Yes, what you said earlier is all correct, but the most important thing is that this thing has no taste."

Xi Han's