Chapter 45: Continuation

Chapter 45: Continuation

Qin Yao's good mood lasted until after lunch. Her house didn't have a toilet, so she had to use the public latrine. The experience was even worse than in the countryside, where the outhouse smell was relatively lighter since it was ventilated and not too awful.

The population density in the large courtyard was too high, and the public toilet was no better. The smell was overwhelming as soon as she entered.

Qin Yao pinched her nose, wishing she could somehow lose her sense of smell.

Gu Cheng accompanied her to the latrine and came out before her. He stood near the latrine, unexpectedly returning to his usual composed and professional self, tall and straight like the cold moon. He became a striking sight next to the latrine, a beautiful contrast. Many young girls stole glances at him.

Some even went in and out just to sneak another peek at him.

Dazed, Qin Yao walked out of the latrine and saw Gu Cheng standing by a persimmon tree. Families here liked to plant persimmon trees, symbolizing "everything going smoothly." The leafless winter branches were beautiful, dense and resembling a Chinese ink painting.

Gu Cheng stood by the old courtyard house, its red lacquered tiles buried in snow. He had the charm of a classical beauty, and the scene was stunning—almost too beautiful for words.

—If only it weren’t next to a public latrine.

After a bowel movement, Qin Yao felt like she'd lost half her life. She was grateful she hadn’t returned from the port six months ago. Otherwise, she would have had to empty and clean chamber pots every morning. Suffocating.

Thinking about spending this difficult night at home, should she drink less water, not drink water at all, or brave the cold wind without drinking? Everything would freeze at night, right?

Having to use the toilet in such cold weather at night… Help!

Gu Cheng turned his head and saw her standing there, dazed, as if her soul had left her body. A stray hair stood up on her head, giving her a comical look. He smiled slightly and walked over to support her, guessing the reason.

Qin Yao clung to him, curious about how Gu Cheng could maintain his aloof demeanor without showing any disgust or dissatisfaction with the latrine's smell. Then she remembered the vomit on the ship…

Sigh, everyone had their struggles.

Gu Cheng blinked, his teardrop mole under his right eye tilting upwards. He drawled, "How about it? Do you still want to turn back and come home from the port?"

Qin Yao tugged at his sleeve, weakly, "My nemesis, let’s leave first."

Let’s not chat near the latrine.

The two walked through the alley. People hurried by, occasionally glancing back at them.

"Let's go to the department store," Qin Yao said, as if making a firm decision. She wanted to buy a spittoon. Although there was one at home, she didn’t want to share it with others.

She really couldn’t accept it.

Gu Cheng asked, "What?"

She said timidly, "I want to buy something."

Qin Yao looked at him with a deadpan expression, her heart filled with melancholy. As a fellow "post-2000s" generation, other women would act coquettishly to their husbands to buy bags and diamond rings. Was she supposed to act coquettishly to her husband to buy a spittoon? She finally understood why a spittoon could be part of a woman's dowry.

Gu Cheng accompanied her to pick out a popular spittoon of the era. They didn’t even need to go to the department store; there were vendors on the street selling them. The spittoon was red on the top and bottom, with a white belly featuring a pattern and a large red double happiness character.

She had heard that this item was popular abroad, where foreigners used it for flowers or bread. People from this country could never bring themselves to do such a thing.

Carrying it back felt awkward, since she wasn’t from this era originally.

Gu Cheng didn't mind and took the pot from her hands, holding it in his arms.

"We'll be using this together tonight, okay?" Gu Cheng whispered in her ear.

Qin Yao blushed and nodded shyly.

Seeing her so docile and sweet was rare, and it softened Gu Cheng's heart. "If you need to get up at night, call me. I'll go with you and keep an eye out."

The worst part about living in a large compound was the lack of privacy. There were too many people, and you could hear everything at night.

The two of them walked towards the siheyuan. Qin Yao's scalp tingled as she realized that they were today's "hot topic" in the compound, still topping the charts.

Getting home meant running a gauntlet of nosy neighbors. They were surrounded by the aunts and uncles who were gathered in the long hallway: "Yaoyao's back. What did you two buy? Oh, I see."

"It's new, and the pattern's nice."

...

By the time they reached their doorstep, Qin Yao was regretting it deeply. The 70s were a time where connections mattered a lot. Living in this compound, nothing could be hidden.

There was no Weibo, but there were definitely trending topics and gossip in the compound.

#Youngest Daughter of the Qin Family Rumored to Be Dating Art Troupe Captain#

#Shocking: Qin Family's Recently Returned Daughter Buys Night Pot with Her New Husband#

Qin Yao's mind was spinning with these thoughts, her face turning as red as a persimmon. This brought a smile to Gu Cheng's face.

Unfortunately, just as they returned, Xu Huiling and her daughter Ju Ying were visiting. The family was curious to see what they'd bought.

"You only bought this one thing?" Xu Huiling exclaimed in surprise.

It was just a chamber pot, nothing special.

She continued with a smile, "Our Ju Ying is getting married soon. Her fiancé gave a bride price of a thousand yuan."

Her face beamed with pride as her daughter Ju Ying wore a new cotton jacket.

In contrast, Qin Yao had obviously returned wearing an old coat. No matter how nice it looked, it was still old.

Shen Guixiang replied with a hint of irritation, "Our family doesn't ask for a bride price. We give a dowry."

"How is that possible?" Xu Huiling's smile deepened at the corners of her eyes. "Would your elder and second daughters-in-law agree?"

With that, she looked towards the Qin family's most miserly and critical second daughter-in-law.

However, the second daughter-in-law smiled and said, "I don't mind."

Xu Huiling was stunned.

Gu Cheng put down the chamber pot and spoke up, "Mom, my salary and savings are managed by Yaoyao."

Shen Guixiang smiled, her voice unusually gentle, "Yes, I know."

Xu Huiling's chest rose and fell as she controlled her expression and asked loudly, "Little Gu, I heard you're a captain of some sort. Do you make more than a hundred a month?"

Gu Cheng replied calmly, "More than that."

Xu Huiling's expression turned stiff.

Qin Yao said, "He also gets a sea voyage subsidy."

"Yaoyao, why are you still wearing these clothes? As a young lady, you should buy a flowered jacket."

Qin Yao replied, "I just got back and haven't had time to buy new clothes yet."

Xu Huiling managed a sheepish smile, too embarrassed to say more, and left the Qin family, suppressing her frustration.

Watching her storm out, Shen Guixiang was secretly delighted. "Let's see if she still dares to show off."

The second sister-in-law chimed in, "Exactly, Mom. You haven't shown off, but she's out here bragging every day."

Shen Guixiang wore a gentle smile. "But Yaoyao, why did you suddenly buy this?"

Qin Yao said, "I'll be using it tonight."

After that, Qin Yao fell silent, not wanting to talk about the topic anymore. After a simple wash, Qin Yao grabbed her change of clothes and went with Gu Cheng to the public bathhouse.

When they returned, wrapped up tightly against the cold, the evening had already fallen. Children were chasing each other in the courtyard, and adults were drawing water from the tap. Each household had a large water tank to store water, both to prevent outages and because the outdoor taps needed to be shut tight at night during winter. If not, the pipes would freeze, and it would take a lot of effort to get the water flowing again the next day.

The water tanks outside would also get a layer of ice overnight.

The Qin family had made some frozen persimmons, and Mother Shen gave a couple to Qin Yao and Gu Cheng. They were sweet and delicious. For dinner, they ate leftovers from lunch, and the whole family chattered away noisily.

Qin Xueguan didn't stay the night; he went back to the zoo. The house wasn't big enough for so many people.

That night, with a dim yellow light, Qin Yao listened to her nephew counting ducks. Snowflakes drifted outside the window, and the night was quietly black. She sat by the window, feeling warm inside, like a pot of hot water, looking at the man beside her.

In the kitchen, the stove was heating water. At night, the whole family would wash their feet, mixing hot water with cold. Some families, too stingy to burn fuel, would share a basin of water. But if one person had athlete's foot, the whole family would suffer.

The Qin family used separate basins. At most, couples would share one.

The eldest daughter-in-law came in with a basin of hot water, her expression odd. Behind her was Gu Cheng, also carrying a basin of hot water.

Gu Cheng called Qin Yao over to sit and wash her feet. He knelt to help her take off her shoes and socks. Qin Yao felt embarrassed and asked, "Do my feet smell?"

Gu Cheng smiled, "They're fragrant."

He held the sole of her foot in his hand. Her ankle was beautiful, her skin smooth and plump, with faint blue veins and pink nails.

Gu Cheng felt a bit strange but really liked his wife's feet. He wanted to kiss her foot.

Qin Yao dipped her feet into the hot water, which was slightly too warm. She pulled Gu Cheng to join her.

Gu Cheng laughed and soaked his feet with hers, their feet touching in the hot water.

The second sister-in-law looked at them with a strange expression.

That night, Qin Yao and Gu Cheng slept on a small bed in the corner. The bed was too narrow, and they lay close together. Qin Yao, despite trying to drink less water that evening, still woke up in the middle of the night.

Everyone else in the room was asleep, and it was quiet except for the sound of snoring. She closed her eyes again, unwilling to leave the warmth of the quilt or the hot "stove" beside her.

But if she didn't take care of her needs, she really couldn't sleep.

Qin Yao struggled internally and began to crawl out of the quilt, moving stealthily so as not to wake the others. She stretched out a hand, and just as she lifted her head, she met a pair of glowing eyes in the dark.

Gu Cheng put on his coat and carried her out of bed.

Qin Yao wrapped her arms around his neck and thought he was like a human hot water bottle, so warm and cozy.

Gu Cheng whispered, "Do you want me to hold you—?"

Qin Yao was deeply touched but gently refused.

After washing their hands, Qin Yao climbed into bed and into Gu Cheng's arms. She used her slightly cool hands to touch his chest and settled down to sleep in his embrace.

The next morning, Qin Yao had intended to get up early to empty the chamber pot herself, but Gu Cheng took it out to dispose of it for her. The family shared a single chamber pot, which Qin Yao's elder brother usually emptied. It wasn't a big deal; the younger family members usually handled it. Gu Cheng offered to take it out as well, but Qin Yao's elder brother didn't agree, insisting that it wasn't proper for the new son-in-law to do such a task. Her brother insisted on emptying it himself.

Gu Cheng refused, and in the end, they each took a pot.

They spoke in low voices, but the house was small.

Having this kind of conversation early in the morning made Qin Yao want to pretend she was dead under the covers like a bald-headed sparrow.

At that moment, Qin Yao realized she couldn't stand to stay in that house any longer.

It was then that Qin Yao felt a sudden admiration for her elder and second sisters-in-law.

The second sister-in-law, with her pregnant belly, went up to Mother Shen Guixiang and whispered, "Xiao Mei was a bit greedy and lazy when she was at home. It wasn't a big deal, but now that she's married, she needs to change."

The second sister-in-law had always thought of herself as quite fussy, but this younger sister-in-law was even more so.

The second sister-in-law sighed, "At least she used to get her own water for washing her feet."

This kind of remark would have been more expected from the elder sister-in-law, given her personality. In comparison to the elder sister-in-law, the second sister-in-law didn't quite feel like a virtuous woman, but…

Mother Shen Guixiang hesitated for a moment, but her doting love for the youngest daughter won out. "Let her be."

The girl had already been pampered to this extent; what more could be done?