Chapter 20: When in Doubt, Consult Gu Qingye
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Lu Youyou was not short of money, nor was she covetous of official status. The only thing that truly troubled her was Gu Qingye’s life. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to offer suggestions to the mess hall; if the breeding efficiency improved, the number of meat meals could increase from twice a month to twice a week.
“Sis-in-law, thank you for thinking of me. Could you let me consider it for a bit?” she replied, hoping to stall and find a way to decline later.
Li Sanhua was used to seeing people begging for jobs, but it was rare to encounter someone like Lu Youyou, who could remain calm when a windfall landed in her lap.
“Sis, this is a genuine good job. Many people want it but can’t get it. For us women, earning money is what gives us confidence. This isn’t the time for empty pleasantries!” Li Sanhua urged.
Lu Youyou smiled wryly, wanting to say, “You’re absolutely right, Sis, but I really don’t want to work!”
Before being sent to the countryside, the original owner of her body had prepared a considerable amount of money and bonds. Although the young girl was naive in judging people, she was prudent in this matter and didn’t tell Gu Shuchen’s family.
Lu Youyou was shocked for a long time when she saw the little locked box containing cash—it held about seventeen or eighteen hundred yuan!
The original owner’s parents were either careless or rushed due to urgent circumstances, entrusting a naive young girl with such a large sum to take to the countryside. Even with someone watching over her, safety was not guaranteed.
To put it plainly, in an era where the average monthly wage barely exceeded thirty yuan, Lu Youyou was an undisputed wealthy woman.
Furthermore, according to the original timeline, Gu Qingye’s accident happened before the college entrance exam, and whether he survived depended on this year or so.
Was it really necessary to squeeze in years of drudgery as a rural laborer in the 1970s during such a short time?
Better to forget it. She had never experienced it in her past life and had no desire to now.
Yet Li Sanhua truly meant well and kept considering her situation in every word, but unfortunately, Lu Youyou was a "disinclined" young lady.
“Sis, I know you mean well. How about I wait until Gu Qingye returns and discuss it with him?” she said smoothly, wielding the authority of her fiancé’s name expertly.
Li Sanhua could only take Lu Youyou’s hand and say earnestly, “Sis, you should listen to your man when he’s right, but if he’s wrong, you have to learn to decide for yourself!”
Lu Youyou applauded Li Sanhua silently in her heart.
They say women hold up half the sky, but in real life, many women unconsciously place themselves in a subordinate position.
Especially in the military family compound, many women who came from the countryside with the army had little education, their daily lives revolving around their husbands and children.
That was not entirely wrong—some sacrifices were inevitable for military wives—but for them, self-struggle and personal ambition were still too distant.
Li Sanhua’s willingness to think this way and dare to advise so frankly showed she truly didn’t treat Lu Youyou as an outsider.
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Lu Youyou thanked her again, and Li Sanhua could only suppress her impatience for the time being, determined to find another chance to persuade her, or if necessary, involve their director.
The two agreed on a time to go up the mountain and then went home separately.
After dinner, someone knocked on the courtyard gate. Standing outside was a woman around thirty years old.
Her face was gentle, though her complexion seemed a bit pale. Despite the absence of wrinkles around her eyes, there was an inexplicable trace of weariness.
As soon as Lu Youyou appeared, the woman smiled, which softened that hint of sorrow.
“Comrade Lu, hello. I’m Zhao Wan, the wife of the instructor from the Third Battalion. I live right across the street,” she said, pointing to the yard opposite.
The Third Battalion’s instructor—that was Gu Qingye’s work partner, wasn’t it?
Lu Youyou smiled and greeted, “Sis-in-law, hello. I just arrived yesterday and haven’t had a chance to visit the neighbors. Sorry about that.”
Zhao Wan’s voice matched her gentle demeanor: soft and kind. “No worries. When I first moved here, I was just as busy and disorganized. It took me a week to barely get settled.”
“Sis-in-law, did you come to see me for something? Come in and have a seat.”
“It’s nothing important—” Zhao Wan handed over a rough cloth bag, “This is seabuckthorn from our hometown. Take some and try it. You can cook it in porridge or make steamed buns.”
“Sis-in-law, you’re too kind! I don’t know how to accept this!” Lu Youyou waved her hands hurriedly.
She still wasn’t used to how warm people were in this era, and since no family was wealthy, any food was precious.
Zhao Wan pressed the bag a little closer. “Just keep it. It’s nothing valuable. We have a long future ahead; these little things don’t matter.”
Zhao Wan sincerely wanted to build a good relationship with Lu Youyou.
After all, her husband worked alongside Gu Qingye, and everyone could see Gu Qingye’s promising future. It was always wise to cultivate good ties.
Though Zhao Wan appeared delicate, she was far more adept than Lu Youyou at the traditional arts of “pulling, pushing, and yielding.”
Within moments, a heavy bundle was in Lu Youyou’s hands. She could only laugh and cry simultaneously and accept it.
“Sis-in-law, wait a moment!” Lu Youyou went inside to fetch a bag of dried apricots, a gift from the secretary’s daughter before leaving Qiao Mountain Village.
“Sis-in-law, please take these dried apricots. Every household in my assigned countryside sun-dries apricots; they’re especially delicious. You should try some.”
Zhao Wan considered it briefly and accepted. Giving and receiving was the way to lasting friendship.
Just then, Li Sanhua arrived carrying two baskets and handed one to Lu Youyou.
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“I was wondering when to introduce you two, but you’ve already started chatting! Well, that’s good!” Li Sanhua said.
Lu Youyou smiled, taking the basket. “Thanks, Sis-in-law. I really needed this! Wait, let me lock the door first.”
As Lu Youyou went inside, Zhao Wan curiously asked, “Sis-in-law, where are you two heading?”
Li Sanhua replied, “I’m taking her up the mountain to get familiar with the area.”
Zhao Wan thought for a moment and said, “I’m free too. Why don’t I join you?”
Li Sanhua nudged towards the house across the street and asked quietly, “Is your mother-in-law not home?”
Zhao Wan gave a bitter smile. “She went to the city.”
Li Sanhua sympathized silently but didn’t press further. “Alright then, go get a basket, and I’ll let my sister know.”
Watching Zhao Wan’s slender figure walk away, Li Sanhua sighed helplessly. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship was an eternal problem, especially when dealing with a difficult mother-in-law.
She recalled how radiant Zhao Wan was when she first married, and now, she looked nothing like her former self.
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The military family compound was built at the foot of the mountain. A small path led up the mountain from the back gate, smoothed by frequent travelers.
“There’s not much here; we have to go a bit further in,” Li Sanhua said as they walked.
Zhao Wan agreed, “Yes, a few days ago I went to pick green-capped mushrooms. It took over half an hour to find just two or three.”
Li Sanhua nodded repeatedly. “Exactly. My brat suddenly wanted amaranth cornbread recently. I wandered all afternoon and only picked less than two pounds!”
Lu Youyou listened quietly. Her outdoor survival experience was limited to camping. She had picked wild vegetables and mushrooms before, but only on visits to a friend’s farm.
She couldn’t recognize green-capped mushrooms or amaranth when shown. The lush greenery before her eyes, which she assumed was abundant food, turned out to be mostly just wild grass.
Her cheeks flushed inexplicably.
Fortunately, she would be joining the army soon after a month in the countryside. Otherwise, no one would believe she was an educated youth who didn’t know wild vegetables!