Chapter 29 The Miser

Chapter 29 The Miser

Drawing the curtains dimmed the room slightly, but since sleeping in was not an option, it didn’t matter if the light was blocked; it was enough to obscure the view from outside.

The room contained only a kang (a traditional heated bed) and a desk, making it feel rather empty. "We should add a curtain later to divide the space into inner and outer sections, using the outer part as a study and the inner part as a bedroom."

She planned to do this for both rooms.

Gu Xiang and Gu Nian followed her around, occasionally chiming in with their own ideas.

"Let’s build a brick wall."

"Forget about building a wall. There’s only one window here, and a wall would block all the light." If they were going to build a wall, they would have done it already.

"Then what should we use?"

"A fabric curtain, just like the window curtains."

"Mom, that’s too expensive, it wastes fabric!" Gu Nian looked disapproving. How could they use fabric for curtains? It would require so much material!

Gu Xiang shook his head, also disapproving. "How about a reed curtain? We can weave it ourselves, and there are reeds by the roadside."

Su Zhaozhao imagined how a reed curtain might look... automatically picturing scenes from period dramas, theme restaurants, and tea houses.

If woven well, it could look quite nice!

A rustic, vintage style!

It would fit their home perfectly.

The only question was... whether she could weave it herself.

"Alright, when you see reeds, gather some. When your father has time, he can weave them. You still have school to attend." Su Zhaozhao passed the task off to Gu Heng.

He could handle anything, from farming to carrying a gun; he definitely could!

...

"Are those your twins?"

On a small slope by the road, a few half-grown children were pulling reed stalks from the reed beds. Zhou Ming pointed to a brother and sister among them.

His own son was there too, laughing heartily, clutching his stomach at something amusing.

Gu Heng looked up. "Yes, that’s them."

What were they doing pulling reed stalks?

Gu Heng didn’t realize he owed two reed curtains.

The children saw them too.

Zhou Xiaojun shouted at the top of his lungs, "Dad!"

Zhou Ming cupped his ear. "I heard you." From such a short distance, it sounded like they were miles apart.

Gu Xiang and Gu Nian called out to their father.

Gu Heng responded, pointing to Zhou Ming. "This is Uncle Zhou."

"Hello, Uncle Zhou."

Though they lived next door, Zhou Ming worked early mornings and late nights, so they hadn’t met in days.

Zhou Ming smiled warmly. "Hello, feel free to visit Uncle Zhou’s house anytime."

He then said to Gu Heng, "They look just like you! It’s as if they were carved from the same mold."

"Of course they do; I’m their father." Gu Heng straightened his back, finally experiencing the pride others felt when complimenting their children.

"Why are you pulling reed stalks?"

Gu Nian held a bundle of reed stalks. "To weave a reed curtain. Mom said we need it for the house."

Hearing this, Zhou Ming lowered his voice and asked Gu Heng, "Is everything alright at home? If there’s any trouble, just let me know, don’t keep it to yourselves."

"Everything’s fine." Gu Heng couldn’t understand why they needed a reed curtain when they had plenty of savings.

"That’s good."

Zhou Ming didn’t think Gu Heng would be short of money. Living alone for so many years with no expenses and a decent salary, who else could be richer?

That could only mean one thing.

He patted Gu Heng on the shoulder. "Men handle external affairs while women manage the household. A woman needs money to take care of the family well."

Gu Heng understood immediately.

How could the male lead be foolish?

The male lead wouldn’t be stingy or unwilling to give his wife money.

Gu Heng was speechless. Great, now he was the miser.

"Don’t jump to conclusions." He left these three words, gesturing for Gu Xiang and Gu Nian to come home.

A pot of porridge was simmering on the stove, and Su Zhaozhao was preparing a cold dish, mixing thin cucumber strips and shredded cabbage. Hearing the voices, she looked up. "You’re back."

"We’re back." Gu Heng entered the house first, took off his military uniform, and then came out to wash his face, wiping his neck and exposed shoulders and arms.

The towels at home were hung on the washbasin stand under the eaves. The stand also held a soap dish. Gu Heng carefully rubbed the towel with soap and then hung it back up.

He had excellent hygiene habits.

Su Zhaozhao had seen people use their towels until they were greasy, especially the side that was used most often, which would change color from the rest due to not being washed promptly after use, leading to a noticeable difference over time.

It was great that Gu Heng had such good hygiene habits; she didn't need to think of ways to improve them.

Living together could be quite trying if their hygiene habits were different.

After washing his face, Gu Heng went into the kitchen. "Why did you think of weaving a grass curtain?"

"To serve as a partition," Su Zhaozhao explained her idea. "It won't block too much light, but it will provide some privacy so that the bed isn't visible as soon as you enter."

"I think the curtains are fine..." Before Gu Heng could finish, he saw Su Zhaozhao looking at him with a helpless expression. "What's wrong?"

"How wasteful!" She used her daughter's words to silence him.

Gu Heng paused for a moment. "There's no need to be too frugal. We have money, and if it runs out, we can withdraw more. If you run out of cash, let me know. You should buy some new clothes."

They had been here for a few days, and she was still wearing patched clothes. A small wicker trunk couldn't even hold all three of their outfits...

His wife was too thrifty, and Gu Heng felt a bit worried about it.

"We've commissioned a tailor to make some clothes, but they're not ready yet." Su Zhaozhao tasted the flavor and offered a piece to Gu Heng.

Gu Heng instinctively opened his mouth.

"How does it taste?"

Sour and spicy!

Gu Heng nodded. "Delicious."

Su Zhaozhao smiled. "Of course it is, it's my secret recipe!"

She learned it from a video tutorial on a certain app.

Gu Heng smiled. "I've arranged for Gu Xiang's school enrollment. I'll take them to register tomorrow. Do you want to come along?"

"Yes." Su Zhaozhao remembered the dinner invitation. "How about inviting everyone over for dinner tomorrow night?"

"Sure, but there might be quite a few people."

"How many roughly?"

"About a dozen. Since I invited Lao Yan, I can't not invite the other cadres in the unit. Lao Zhou's family next door definitely needs to be invited, and I'm not sure if they'll bring their families. There are also those who helped us a few days ago."

"Then we'll prepare two tables." Two tables should be enough.

Gu Heng nodded. "I'll come back early tomorrow to help. I'll also pick up a few meat dishes from the canteen. You just need to cook some simple side dishes at home."

If he could save some effort, that would be better. Gu Heng could get meat dishes from the canteen, but she wasn't sure if she could find the ingredients for meat dishes at the market.

After the porridge was cooked, Su Zhaozhao made a few egg pancakes.

It was very simple: mix two tablespoons of flour with three eggs and water, add some chopped green onions, heat the pan with a little oil, pour the slightly thick batter into the pan, and rotate the pan handle to spread the batter evenly. Flip it once, and when it's done, take it out and start the next one.

A large bowl of batter could make several large pancakes, perfect for serving with porridge.

The green onion and egg pancakes were indeed very popular, so much so that Su Zhaozhao wondered if she hadn't made enough?