Chapter 44 - First Update

Qin Yao's family lived in a large, multi-family courtyard that had originally been a four-section courtyard. Unlike independent houses, the gates of the large courtyard stayed open from morning till evening, spanning two hutongs. The once bright red front gate had faded into an earthy brown, its former grandeur only hinted at by the four door pins on top, weathered by time.

Shen Guixiang walked ahead, passing through a covered walkway, revealing several side rooms and a small courtyard. Next to it was a decorated door, its red lacquer worn and cracked, like earth parched by drought. Only from its outline could one vaguely discern the past luxury of the former noble residence.

As Qin Yao entered, her first impression was one of cramped space. The walkway and small courtyard felt narrow, exuding a sense of oppression. Wires hung overhead in disarray, with several bare clotheslines strewn across the small courtyard.

Passing through the decorated door into the second courtyard, two elderly men stood by a persimmon tree, smoking. Each courtyard had only one water tap, around which two or three women gathered to do laundry.

Xu Huiling and her daughter, Ju Ying, were chatting in front of Zhao Dama's house in the second courtyard. Spotting Shen Guixiang, she immediately called out, "Guixiang, is Qin Yao back?"

Her loud voice sent the birds flying, and several families came out to see the commotion.

Qin Yao and Gu Cheng walked behind. The ground was uneven and covered with patches of broken ice. To prevent her from slipping, Gu Cheng held her hand.

"I heard Yaoyao brought back an officer as her husband—" Xu Huiling hadn't finished her sentence when she caught sight of the approaching Qin Yao and froze on the spot.

The young woman wore an army coat and a hat, with a simple black braid by her cheek. Her skin was crystal clear, her lips red like cherries. Even in the icy snow, she looked like a beauty sculpted from ice.

Her features still vaguely echoed the chubby, likable girl she had been but had bloomed into a stunning beauty.

"This—this is the Qin family girl!" exclaimed a twenty-year-old man from the courtyard, who had grown up with Qin Yao as his childhood friend. The chubby girl he remembered had turned into a goddess, leaving him full of regret.

Qin Yao smiled, calling out brightly to Xu Huiling, "Aunt Xu, Sister Ju Ying."

Xu Huiling forced a small smile. Others who had come out to see what the commotion was about also felt a pang of regret seeing Qin Yao.

It was as if they had missed out on a "hidden gem." Before, they had worried she was too much of an eater, with four older brothers, making her a difficult match.

Now, seeing how stunningly beautiful Qin Yao had become, they secretly regretted it, slapping their thighs in frustration. If only their sons had seized the opportunity. If they had married her, they would have gained not only a skilled cook of a father-in-law but also a life of never worrying about food.

Men, women, old, and young—everyone secretly regretted it, slapping their thighs in frustration!

Now, it seemed, an outsider had taken the prize!

Some people in the courtyard began to glare at the man standing next to Qin Yao with hostile eyes. Gu Cheng, tall and dressed in the same army coat, was being scrutinized with critical and harsh eyes by several elders.

"This kid looks too sharp and monkey-like, not very proper. He doesn't look as good as my son," said one.

"So dandyish! What kind of officer is he? From the art troupe or the drama troupe?" said another.

"His face looks like he's not destined for good fortune. How did Yaoyao fall for him?"

...

These elders whispered among themselves, unaware that in the small courtyard, everyone could hear.

Qin Yao felt embarrassed. She glanced sideways at Gu Cheng. After getting off the train, Gu Cheng had spoken a few words to Shen Guixiang with a gentle expression. Visiting his future mother-in-law, he hadn't put on a cold face, yet this very demeanor made him seem "too delicate" and "not steady enough" to the neighborhood aunties.

Gu Cheng noticed her gaze and gave her an innocent, harmless smile.

Qin Yao was stunned. In her heart, she couldn't help but scream. Just now, his smile had reminded her of when they first met. She hadn't seen such a pure Gu Cheng in a long time.

She wanted to kiss him, to sleep with him!

"Little Gu and our Yaoyao are a match made in heaven. I'll hand out candies later," Shen Guixiang said with an ear-to-ear smile. She didn't dare look too much at her son-in-law's smile, for fear of being overwhelmed with maternal love. Even when faced with Xu Huiling, with whom she usually competed, Shen Guixiang had no interest in bickering or showing off.

They walked through the side corridor and arrived at the third courtyard. Qin Chuanrong had been waiting in the room, hearing the noise from the front courtyard but forcing himself not to rush out and greet them—one shouldn’t be too impatient when the new son-in-law is visiting.

Pregnant Second Sister-in-law Qin stood at the door, looking out. She wished she could join the crowd to watch the excitement but was afraid to, in case she fell and hurt the baby.

Standing next to Second Sister-in-law Qin, a three-year-old boy tilted his head and asked, "Second Aunt, is Little Aunt back?"

"Second Sister-in-law, go sit inside," Shen Guixiang said as she walked into the house. The others gradually emerged from the long corridor. The third courtyard was more spacious and housed four families. Besides the Qin family, people crowded around the windows of the other three houses, all watching the spectacle.

As Qin Yao and Gu Cheng entered the room, they felt the warmth from the stove. It was much warmer inside than outside, and Qin Yao let out a breath before beginning to introduce Gu Cheng to the family.

Their front door wouldn’t close properly, and a crowd had gathered outside, with more people standing by the windows. They wore red, green, or floral cotton jackets, all watching the excitement together.

"Stand if you want, but don’t bump into our coal," someone warned.

Shen Guixiang handed out candies to the neighbors.

When Qin Chuanrong saw his son-in-law Gu Cheng, a look of disappointment crossed his face. He had expected to meet a sturdy, tall man with a big head and thick neck, a convincing and reliable officer.

But Gu Cheng in front of him was too handsome, not looking like a high-ranking officer at all—he looked more like the star of an arts troupe.

Qin Chuanrong felt disappointed; he had only heard that she had found a naval arts troupe officer.

"Little Gu..." Qin Chuanrong asked haltingly, "Yaoyao said you're some kind of captain, oh, the leader of an arts team? Is it hard work, performing all the time?"

Gu Cheng looked confused.

"Wait, Gu Cheng, an arts team leader? Was he supposed to perform for people? Put on a show firing cannons at sea?"

Qin Yao said in disbelief, "I did tell you, didn’t I? His name is Gu Cheng. Don’t you remember, Baozhen went to the island to meet him for a matchmaking session."

Qin Chuanrong stood frozen on the spot. Chen Baozhen's matchmaking session, the grandson of Grandpa Chen's war comrade, the grandson of Old Master Gu. And here he is—

"My son-in-law is so handsome!" Qin Chuanrong grinned, his heart swelling with joy.

Seeing how quickly her father-in-law had changed his attitude, Second Sister-in-law Qin sneered inwardly but felt happy too. It would only benefit their family if her younger sister-in-law found a good match.

Thinking of this, Second Sister-in-law Qin spoke to Qin Yao more enthusiastically, her face beaming with smiles. "Yaoyao really knows how to pick a good match."

Then she turned to Shen Guixiang and said, "Mom, there's no need to set up a new bed. Why don’t Second Brother and I bunk with Big Brother and Sister-in-law?"

Shen Guixiang said, "That won’t do."

"I’ll move my things aside and make more space," Second Sister-in-law Qin said.

When Big Brother Qin and his wife returned, they saw the usually penny-pinching Second Sister-in-law generously making space.

The two sisters-in-law were on bad terms, all because of the house. There was so little space that even a small patch of land could lead to arguments, with people measuring again and again with rulers.

Once Qin Yao left and Fourth Brother moved to the zoo dormitory, the space was freed up, finally easing the tension.

At noon, Qin Chuanrong, along with his eldest son, personally slaughtered chickens and ducks to prepare a table full of delicious dishes. He was overjoyed. Qin Chuanrong was an excellent cook, and he never lacked food or drink. He was quite famous in the neighborhood, and many people invited him to cook for weddings and birthdays, always returning with some leftovers.

Qin Chuanrong had learned cooking by himself, without a proper master or lineage. He couldn’t tell you about fancy dishes or elaborate traditions. All he knew was how to make food taste good.

This also made him feel like he lacked some glory and face outside, especially since he wanted to cultivate his children to become cadres. He had four sons: the eldest and the second had learned cooking from him, the third had been sent to the countryside, and though he had managed to get the fourth a job at the street office, the boy had run off to work at the zoo instead.

However, his youngest daughter Qin Yao had found him such a son-in-law, and Qin Chuanrong’s heart was unsettled. A few days earlier, he had been hoping his fourth son would become a low-level cadre, which would’ve been more than enough for him.

"Yaoyao, look at your younger brother," Qin Chuanrong said, heartbroken. "Instead of managing people, he’s gone off to manage animals." He had found his fourth son a job not to sweep streets, but to manage the street sweepers—at least he’d be a team leader.

After a few days, the fourth son quit and secretly swapped jobs, ending up actually cleaning up shit. The family that swapped jobs with him also felt cheated, which made Qin Chuanrong even more furious. They were acting like they were benefiting but still complaining!

Qin Yao tried to console him, "Dad, the zoo job’s good too. It’s easy, and you don’t have to deal with many people."

Qin Chuanrong wasn’t eloquent, and except for his second son, the others weren’t very talkative. His second son was a smooth talker but loved to slack off, which Qin Chuanrong disliked.

"Yaoyao has a point too," Qin Chuanrong said, feeling a bit better after hearing his youngest daughter’s words.

Qin Xueguan snorted beside him. "The zoo job’s great. The entrance fee is 50 cents a day, and I get to go in for free. I earn 15 yuan a month—that’s an extra 180 yuan a year. If any of you want to go to the zoo, I can let you in for free. Such a good job, and yet you all still complain about it."

Qin Xueguan thought he had struck a great deal by swapping jobs, but no one in the family seemed to get it.

The second daughter-in-law couldn’t help but say, "Seriously, who goes to the zoo every day?"

The eldest daughter-in-law didn’t say anything. She thought the job was quite good, and her son had gone to the zoo with his uncle twice.

"Yaoyao, if you and your husband want to visit the zoo, just let me know, and I’ll get you the tickets."

Qin Yao responded, "...Okay, sure."

In the small room, ten people gathered to eat. For the first time, Qin Yao felt the warmth and bustle of this large family atmosphere. As the youngest daughter, she was the family's darling. Her parents cared for her, her brothers doted on her, and her sisters-in-law, though not particularly close to her, were always polite.

After the meal, as the youngest daughter of the family, Qin Yao felt a bit regretful and said, "I should have headed back when I was at the port."

Gu Cheng responded, "You couldn’t have done that."