Recuperating
When Gu Xi woke the next day, she felt much better.
She did not rush to get out of bed. Instead, she lay there quietly with her face buried in the pillow, breathing in the scent of sunshine.
The sun-dried quilt was warm and soft, making her reluctant to leave it.
Being alive truly felt wonderful.
Auntie Wang was a relative of the Shen family. Although the relationship was somewhat distant, she was still one of their own.
These days, well-off families in the city often invited relatives to help with housework or care for the elderly. Auntie Wang was one such example.
She was hardworking. Whenever the weather was good, she would carry the mattresses, quilts, and bedding into the courtyard to air them in the sun. Although Gu Xi only stayed at the Shen residence for a few days each month, Auntie Wang still entered her room every day to clean and frequently aired her quilts and clothes.
After lying there for a while, Gu Xi sat up.
The curtains had not been drawn completely shut, allowing light to filter into the room. Half the room was dim while the other half was bright, making it possible to see the furnishings clearly.
Compared with the room she occupied in the Gu household, this room was not only larger but also contained far more things. Every detail made it obvious that it was a young woman’s bedroom and that it had been carefully arranged.
The Gu family had many members. When Gu Xi returned to the household, every bedroom was already occupied. It would have been inappropriate to make anyone give up their room for her, so they cleared out the small study in the corner of the second floor and gave it to her.
The situation was different in the Shen family.
Given Shen Chongshan’s rank, the family lived in a two-storey house with its own courtyard.
They did not live with the older generation, and the household was relatively small. It consisted only of Shen Chongshan and Feng Min, their two sons, Shen Mingzheng and Shen Mingrong, and Auntie Wang, who helped with the housework.
Shen Mingzheng served in the military and rarely returned even once a year. The last time he had come home was two years ago.
The Shen family had few people and many rooms. Since Gu Xi was a young woman, they gave her the sunny room.
It was kept for her even though she rarely visited.
When Feng Min had originally planned to adopt Gu Xi, she had already regarded her as a daughter. This room had been specially prepared for her at that time.
Gu Xi did not linger in bed. After changing her clothes, she went downstairs.
It was already late. Shen Chongshan and Feng Min had long since left for work, leaving only Auntie Wang at home.
Medicine was simmering in the kitchen, filling the house with the strong and rather unpleasant smell of traditional Chinese herbs.
It was a scent Gu Xi encountered every time she visited.
“Good morning, Auntie,” Gu Xi greeted her.
Auntie Wang first touched her forehead, then said happily, “Wonderful. Your fever hasn’t returned today. You should be better now.”
She told Gu Xi to sit at the dining table and brought over breakfast.
Knowing that Gu Xi had little appetite while ill, Auntie Wang had prepared minced-pork congee.
The congee had been simmered until a glossy layer of rice oil formed on the surface. Fresh minced pork was mixed among the grains of rice, producing a thick, savoury fragrance. Even with only a light sprinkling of salt, it tasted exceptionally delicious.
“The logistics department delivered a chicken today. I’ll make chicken soup for you so you can properly nourish your body.”
She looked compassionately at Gu Xi’s pale face.
The girl seemed even thinner than the last time she had seen her, and her chin had become sharper.
She was certainly beautiful, but young women were healthier when they were a little fuller.
Gu Xi smiled at her. Her smile was calm and gentle, making her look extremely obedient.
“Thank you, Auntie.”
Auntie Wang affectionately stroked her head.
Older people naturally liked obedient, quiet, and considerate young women like her. She was fair-skinned and beautiful, and merely looking at her made one’s heart soften.
More importantly, the child truly had a good nature.
After several years together, Auntie Wang had gradually begun treating her like one of her own children.
Besides, Gu Xi would marry into the Shen family in the future. That made her one of the family, did it not?
While Gu Xi ate her congee, Auntie Wang sat nearby.
She was not idle and was mending a piece of clothing.
Gu Xi recognised it as one of Shen Mingrong’s garments.
Boys were active and spent their days running around wildly, which wore out clothes faster than anything else. A perfectly good outfit would become torn and frayed after only a short time and frequently needed mending.
“Auntie, where is Mingrong?” Gu Xi asked.
“He’s at the old master’s place. He went over as soon as the school holiday began and said he wanted to keep the old master and old madam company for a few days,” Auntie Wang replied with a cheerful smile. “Mingrong is a good child and knows how to sweet-talk people. The old madam likes having him around, so he’ll stay there for several days.”
Shen Chongshan and Feng Min had two sons.
When Feng Min gave birth to their eldest son, Shen Mingzheng, her health had been damaged. They originally believed she would never be able to have another child.
Unexpectedly, after their eldest son had already grown older, she became pregnant again and gave birth to Shen Mingrong.
Shen Mingrong was ten years old this year, an energetic boy who was usually lively and restless. He seemed to possess endless energy. Whenever school was on holiday, he spent his days running wild with the other boys in the compound and was rarely home.
Shen Chongshan and his wife were both busy and had no time to discipline him, so they sent him to the old master’s residence. The elderly couple could discipline him while he kept them company.
After finishing the congee and drinking her medicine, Gu Xi was urged by Auntie Wang to return to her room and rest.
Auntie Wang told her, “Your aunt said you should stay here and rest properly for the next few days. Don’t go home yet. Once you recover, she’ll accompany you back to the Gu family.”
Both of them understood what that meant.
Feng Min clearly intended to visit the Gu family and support her.
Gu Xi fell silent for a moment before agreeing.
She truly was not in a hurry to return.
Gu Xi did not go anywhere that day. She ate and drank her medicine on time, then returned to her room to rest.
Her body was indeed still very weak. Before long, she drifted into a hazy sleep.
In her dream, she seemed to have become a wandering ghost again, rejected by the entire world. Separated by an invisible boundary and existing beyond its dimension, she silently watched time pass.
She watched the eras change.
She watched the world undergo earth-shattering transformations.
She watched the nation rise…
Suddenly, she saw her own corpse.
Upon hearing of her death, Feng Min fainted on the spot. After waking, she cried as though her heart had been torn apart.
Yet Gu Xi was clearly standing beside her, but no one could see her.
She had been unable to comfort the grieving Aunt Feng…
A knock on the door startled her awake.
Gu Xi abruptly sat up, breathing rapidly and drenched in sweat.
Feng Min pushed open the door. When she saw Gu Xi’s frightened appearance, she was alarmed and hurried over to pat and soothe her chest while calling her name.
As she did so, she murmured the old comforting phrase, “Pat the fur, chase away the fright…”
Gu Xi’s tense body gradually relaxed.
Seeing the concern on Feng Min’s face, she forced down the suffocating terror in her chest and said quietly, “Aunt Feng, I’m fine.”
“Are you really?” Feng Min examined her.
She felt as though something about this child had changed. She looked very…
After Gu Xi repeatedly assured her, Feng Min did not continue pressing the matter.
“Little Wang said you’ve slept all day. Get up and eat something before going back to sleep.”
Gu Xi agreed.
….
When the two went downstairs, they saw that Shen Chongshan was already seated at the dining table, waiting for them.
After they took their seats, Auntie Wang brought out the prepared dishes.
Among them was the chicken soup she had made especially for Gu Xi. It had simmered over low heat in a clay pot for most of the day until the bones were tender and the meat nearly fell apart. The broth was golden and exceptionally fragrant.
Feng Min told her to drink more so she could restore her health.
After dinner, Feng Min pulled Gu Xi over to the living-room sofa and chatted with her.
Shen Chongshan sat nearby reading the newspaper.
Auntie Wang brought over the medicine and said, “There are still several doses left. Xixi should stay a few more days this time and finish all of them.”
Gu Xi did not particularly like drinking traditional Chinese medicine.
She believed that very few people with a normal sense of taste could possibly enjoy it.
However, Feng Min had specifically asked an elderly doctor at the military hospital to prescribe it to improve her health. Every time Gu Xi visited, they prepared several doses for her.
Unwilling to disappoint the older woman’s kindness, Gu Xi held her breath and swallowed the entire bowl in one go.
Feng Min immediately placed a piece of candy in her mouth.
Seeing one of Gu Xi’s cheeks puffed out by the sweet, making her display a rare trace of childishness, Feng Min could not help laughing.
Shen Chongshan glanced over.
The two sat together talking with the intimacy of a mother and daughter, causing him to shake his head inwardly.
He knew that his wife had always wanted a daughter.
Unfortunately, her health had been damaged when their eldest son was born, and they believed she could no longer become pregnant. When she unexpectedly conceived again, the child had still turned out to be a boy.
However, his wife was now older. Even if she wanted another child, he would not dare allow her to risk another pregnancy.
Feng Min held Gu Xi’s hand while asking how she had spent her summer holiday. Then she complained that Gu Xi had not visited them at all since the holiday began.
“I was planning to come and see you in a few days,” Gu Xi said somewhat awkwardly.
Previously, she had not wanted to visit too frequently and disturb them.
Even though she was engaged to a member of the Shen family, constantly visiting her future in-laws would not look appropriate.
Whenever she came to the Shen residence, her parents’ expressions would become unpleasant. Gu Yuanhui would also mock her, saying she had no sense of shame and constantly ran to her future husband’s family before she was even married.
He would ask whether she was already desperate for a man.
She was also afraid that rumours would harm the Shen family or cause them trouble, so she avoided visiting whenever possible.
How could Feng Min not understand?
The Gu family must have said something again.
She could not be bothered to pay attention to them and changed the subject.
“You need to take better care of yourself in the future. Your health is the foundation of everything. Don’t let yourself become ill. Even if you do get sick, don’t run around. Stay home and rest properly.”
Remembering how Gu Xi had arrived yesterday while burning with fever, Feng Min inevitably became angry.
Gu Xi’s fever had been so severe, yet not a single member of the Gu family had stopped her from leaving the house.
Feng Min did not know whether they had deliberately ignored her or simply did not care.
Gu Xi obediently agreed, then quietly said, “I only came because I missed Aunt Feng…”
Feng Min was delighted to hear this, but she remained more concerned about Gu Xi’s health.
“You should stay here for the next few days. Let Little Wang nourish you properly. We’ll send you home after some time.”
Gu Xi froze and hesitantly looked towards Shen Chongshan, who was reading his newspaper.
She hurriedly said, “There’s no need. I can go back by myself…”
Shen Chongshan and Feng Min were both extremely busy and had their own jobs.
She could not keep troubling them.
“It’s fine.” Feng Min smiled. “We haven’t visited your family for a long time anyway. There are a few matters I happen to want to discuss with your parents.”
Gu Xi looked at her.
She knew there was something ominous about the phrase “a few matters I want to discuss with your parents.”
Since Shen Chongshan said nothing, she understood that he had tacitly agreed.
After chatting for a while longer, Feng Min suddenly remembered something and asked, “Xixi, you’ve already graduated from high school. What are your plans now? Do you want to attend university? We have a recommendation place for a worker-peasant-soldier university. We could recommend you…”
Gu Yuanxiang was currently studying at a worker-peasant-soldier university.
At the time, the Gu family happened to have a recommendation place. Since Gu Xi was still attending high school, it had been given to Gu Yuanxiang.
Feng Min loved Gu Xi dearly.
If she wished to continue studying, Feng Min would arrange for her to do so. Once she became a university student, no one would dare mock her as a country bumpkin again.
If she did not want to study, that was also fine. Feng Min could arrange a job for her, allowing her to move out of the Gu household and avoid further mistreatment.
Of course, if she chose neither of those options, she could also marry.
After all, neither of the two young people was particularly young anymore…
Gu Xi shook her head.
“Aunt Feng, I don’t want to continue studying for the time being.”
Although she had become a wandering ghost, that experience had allowed her to see the country’s future.
She knew that the national college entrance examination would eventually be restored.
From the perspective of later generations, degrees obtained through worker-peasant-soldier recommendations carried too little weight, and it was difficult for students to learn anything substantial.
It would be better to wait for the national college entrance examination to resume and then take the exam.
It was currently 1972.
She only needed to wait another five years.
At that time, she would be twenty-five years old, which was not too late to attend university.
Feng Min respected her decision.
“Then we’ll find you a job first. I’ll keep an eye out for a suitable one.”
Gu Xi wanted to say something, but when she saw the smile on Feng Min’s face, she swallowed her words.
That night, before going to sleep, Feng Min discussed asking their eldest son, Shen Mingzheng, to return home.
Shen Chongshan asked, “What for?”
“To discuss his marriage to Xixi, of course,” Feng Min replied reproachfully. “Xixi has already graduated. Even if we find her a job, as long as she remains in the capital, she’ll continue seeing the Gu family every day. It would be better for them to marry so that Xixi can completely leave the Gu family.
“Once she becomes my daughter-in-law, let’s see whether the Gu family still dares to bully her!”
In this era, the prevailing belief was that a married daughter belonged to her husband’s family, like water that had been poured away.
A woman’s birth family was not supposed to interfere in her affairs after marriage.
Even when a married daughter returned to her parents’ home, she had to be treated respectfully as a guest.
Seeing Feng Min’s fiercely protective expression, Shen Chongshan immediately understood her intentions.
However, their eldest son truly was no longer young, and Gu Xi was already twenty.
They were both of marriageable age.
“That works,” Shen Chongshan said thoughtfully. “Tomorrow, I’ll call our son’s military unit and speak to him.”
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