Chapter 65: First Update

Less than a year into the 1970s, Qin Yao still couldn't shake off the influences of her past upbringing, which often left her feeling quite bewildered. The material conditions in the 1970s were tough, yet there was a vibrant vitality, and people still had happy and contented smiles on their faces.

That genuine friendliness and natural sense of ease were something Qin Yao, who grew up after the millennium, couldn't understand.

People in this era were quick to show their genuine feelings, like Chen Baozhen's affection for Gao Jianguo, or Neighbor Sister Zaohua's simple and warm enthusiasm towards her. Qin Yao smiled at everyone, but she habitually erected an invisible "barrier" around herself, isolating herself from others.

Gu Cheng said she was cold-hearted, and he wasn't wrong. Qin Yao couldn't convince herself to fully love someone, to rely on someone, to give her whole heart to him.

Even with the so-called "favorability system" backing her up, it was still impossible.

It was because her mind and body were filled with something called "vigilance."

Lying in Gu Cheng's arms, she kept pondering this. As a literature enthusiast, Qin Yao had sensitive emotions. She was pondering why? Why did her generation experience such a shift in mindset? Why had it produced someone as vigilant as her.

Even though their generation had comfortable material living conditions and no longer faced the challenge of being unable to attend school, most people lived in constant anxiety and fear.

It was an age of utilitarianism where efficiency was paramount, and many people no longer believed in or yearned for love, prioritizing "making money."

It seemed that only with money could one feel secure.

People were filled with mutual distrust.

The education after the millennium was about "children not losing at the starting line," about "crossing the narrow bridge with thousands of troops," about "surpassing one point and defeating thousands."

From birth, they entered an endless competition. Classmates in the class, regardless of gender, were competitors, and one had to remain vigilant, striving to rise above. They were cultivated as gu insects.

After graduation, the competition intensified. With the development of social software and the abundance of media information, the gu insects had to constantly confirm their position in the social hierarchy, crushing many and being overshadowed by others.

No matter how good the material conditions were, constant comparison still led to anxiety and fear.

In such an environment, how could one fall in love with someone? Falling in love with the "wrong" person was too tragic in terms of class descent, so it was better to choose money.

People in the 1970s had weak competitive awareness. Correspondingly, efficiency was low, and work enthusiasm wasn't high.

The feelings between people were deeper. Social transportation conditions were poor, and people often lived in one place for a lifetime, so they had to maintain good relations with their neighbors, at least not making things too awkward. Therefore, people were willing to maintain long-lasting relationships.

Love, friendship, and family were the true emotions people longed for.

Qin Yao couldn't judge which era was good or bad, as each had its advantages and benefits. But she knew that since she had already taken root here, she needed to change her mindset and wanted to sustain and manage her marital family and friend relationships for a long time.

Therefore, she should pay more attention to her husband.

She had chosen this man for life.

"Ring ring ring—" The bedside table alarm clock went off. The curtains blocked the outside light, and the sky was still not bright, just a dull gray.

Qin Yao's eyes were dry and couldn't open. She wished she could smash the annoying alarm clock. She hadn't slept enough, really hadn't slept enough. She had just closed her eyes; how could the alarm go off already?

A hand pressed the alarm clock, and the ringing stopped.

Gu Cheng sat up, a bit amused looking at the sleeping woman beside him. It was she who had insisted on setting the alarm last night, and now she couldn't get up. He, on the other hand, had long been accustomed to waking up at this time without an alarm.

The little ungrateful one, failing on the first day. Yesterday, she had confidently said she would see him off.

He leaned down, took a breath on Qin Yao's neck full of hickeys, helped her adjust the blanket, and reset the alarm.

Qin Yao started work at eight, and it was fine to go at nine. The requirements for work start and end times weren't strict, and there wasn't much to do anyway.

Gu Cheng placed the alarm clock back on the bedside table and was about to get out of bed to put on his clothes when someone hugged him from behind, wrapping around his waist.

Qin Yao opened her eyes and, feeling dazed, clung onto him, mumbling, "Captain Gu, you're more useful than an alarm clock."

She yawned three or four times but still refused to open her eyes, her head nodding like a chicken pecking.

Gu Cheng pried open the clinging "little chicken" and said, "Sleep a bit more."

Qin Yao struggled to open her eyes—she couldn't fail on the very first day. Today, she was determined to see Gu Cheng off to work. In the past, when she got up, there had been no sign of him, which led her to wonder if he had even come home.

Dressed in his military uniform, Gu Cheng noticed Qin Yao behind him, her long, waist-length hair loose, shuffling in slippers like a ghostly figure.

Gu Cheng felt a tug on his side and turned around to see a disheveled woman with long, straight black hair hanging messily, obscuring her pretty face, resembling a female ghost from *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*.

The "ghost" pried open her hair with her fingers, rolled her eyes, stuck out her tongue, and whispered in an eerie voice, "Give me back my life."

Gu Cheng: “……”

He could no longer contain himself and scooped up the playful treasure into his arms, reminded of the day they first met, when Qin Yao had gasped for breath in short bursts, acting like a real patient.

He laughed and fell back on the bed, "Yaoyao, your expressions are really vivid."

"Just trying to wake you up properly this morning, Captain."

With the "ghost" in his arms, Gu Cheng sat her down in front of the vanity and began to comb her hair, carefully braiding it.

"Make it more voluminous, not the kind that sticks to the scalp. It doesn’t look good that way, comb it upside down."

Gathering the braid to her chest, Qin Yao looked at the lovely lady in the mirror and felt a twinge of insecurity.

Gu Cheng's skillful hands braided her hair so beautifully—if he weren't a commander, he could have been a stylist.

A professional Tony the Stylist, achieving 200% satisfaction.

"When I'm on leave, how about I style your hair in a 'fallen horse bun' or a 'flying fairy bun' from ancient books?"

"Are you just boasting? Do you even know how to do that? Have you ever styled your sister’s hair?"

"Is there a need to learn? Isn’t it something you just pick up?"

"……Captain Gu, you're treating me like a guinea pig!"

After taking their time with the hair, Gu Cheng glanced at his watch, "We’ll need to wake up half an hour earlier from now on, okay?"

"Try to go to bed earlier."

Before seeing Gu Cheng off, the couple shared an affectionate goodbye kiss. Once Gu Cheng left, he immediately started his morning run, while Qin Yao fetched water to leisurely water the plants.

It was still the dry season, with little rain, although it did rain occasionally. Qin Yao had placed several containers in the yard and on the second-floor balcony to catch rainwater.

Rainwater was the best for watering flowers and vegetables.

The rose bushes Qin Yao had planted had already formed buds. They grew quickly, and even before blooming, the buds exuded a strong, sweet fragrance, reminiscent of roses.

Her mood, like the flowers, was joyful, relaxed, and content.

After their argument the previous day, the couple's relationship had grown stronger. Qin Yao had made a decision—she would let go of all her wariness, fully trust and depend on Gu Cheng, and they would walk through life's ups and downs together, side by side.

"Was your window broken yesterday?" Neighbor Auntie Zaohua, who usually got up early to tend to her yard, watering and weeding, happened to see Qin Yao at this hour.

Qin Yao squatted beside the flowering shrubs, a stunningly beautiful woman.

Qin Yao muttered, “...My window?”

“I saw someone climbing your window. I was so startled that I almost called for help, thinking it was a thief. Old Zhou said it was Captain Gu, who was fixing the window?”

Qin Yao counted the flower buds one by one, proudly, and prepared to add some phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. "We had a fight."

"The plants are thriving, even branching out and producing two more flower buds."

“A fight? I didn’t hear anything.”

“I locked the door and refused to speak to him, so he climbed through the window.” Qin Yao pinched off the poorly grown short branches at the base of the rose plant and thinned out the leaves.

Neighbor Sister Zaohua looked at her in surprise.

“Next time, I’ll lock the window tight.”

Neighbor Sister Zaohua: “……”

Qin Yao wore a modified, clever white shirt, paired with light-colored wide-leg pants, accentuating her slim waist and long legs. A thick, long braid cascaded down her chest, and she wore a beige hat, making her no different from the fashionable ladies on magazine covers.

Many people turned to look at her as she walked by.

Qin Yao entered the office and proactively boiled water to make tea. By now, she had become accustomed to the routine of drinking tea and reading newspapers.

In the morning, she would have a cup of hot tea and read the latest newspapers at the office.

“Xiao Qin?”

“Deputy Director Liu, would you like a cup?”

Deputy Director Liu looked at her in surprise. She had expected to see a haggard Qin Yao but instead saw a radiant Qin Yao today.

She looked like the heroine from a foreign film from the 1950s or 60s.

“Is everything okay? Captain Gu didn’t look very happy. I thought you two would still be fighting.”

Qin Yao poured her tea. “He likes to throw tantrums.”

“Deputy Director Liu, next time you come over for dinner, if he dares to sulk again, just watch me. I’ll beat him to a pulp.” After saying this, Qin Yao felt that she might have been a bit too aggressive. She continued,

“After you all left yesterday, I already scolded him.”

“My mom always says, teach your children in public, but discipline your husband in private.”

Qin Yao spoke with fierce momentum, wondering if she had the air of a fierce lioness. In front of Gu Cheng, she wouldn’t dare to show her temper, but now that he wasn’t around, she could say whatever she wanted.

“Xiao Qin, something’s off with you.” Deputy Director Liu was shocked. She had prepared many comforting words for Qin Yao, but now they were unnecessary.

What exactly happened at the Gu household yesterday?

This morning, Qin Yao seemed to be under a spell.

Xiao Yan was already in denial, but Qin Yao’s condition seemed even worse. Yesterday, she had planned to introduce Qin Yao to Xiao Yan, as they both had hot-tempered and difficult husbands. These two women, sharing their troubles, would make perfect companions like two Xianglin Sisters…

Qin Yao was no longer just a Xianglin Sister, but more like Kong Yiji or Ah Q. A scholar’s theft isn’t really theft, right? And how did she interpret ‘disciplining her husband’ with such Ah Q-like logic?