Chapter 588 How Did You Know It Was Guanyin?

Chapter 588 How Did You Know It Was the Guanyin?

The moment she got home, Jiang Yu first tallied up the family’s money.

Including the bonus from the factory, the balance in the family’s bankbook had already topped thirteen thousand.

He Jingyi had paid back over six thousand—this was Wei Baiyun's dowry money. Jiang Yu planned to open a separate account in Fei Yan’s name to deposit this sum.

"These gold and silver jewelry are already prepared. If Fei Yan ever marries in the future, there’s no need to buy new ones. As for this money, I plan to get houses for the kids."

They would grow up eventually and couldn’t stay at home forever.

"Not buying nearby—let’s look toward the western part of the city."

This year, things weren’t as strict as in previous years, making it easier to inquire about houses.

He Tingyue had no objections to her decision. After all, he trusted Jiang Yu to handle the money.

"I’ll ask Sixie to look into it later."

There were many well-kept, freestanding courtyard homes in the western district—buying them to hold wouldn’t be a loss.

After putting away the bankbook, Jiang Yu checked the other items.

She set the jade pieces aside and separated the gold and silver jewelry, which added up to a good amount.

"Let’s keep the gold bars Grandpa gave us for now, but I plan to donate three thousand to the disaster zones."

Disaster recovery was a long and difficult process. Jiang Yu felt that aside from this money, there wasn’t much else she could do to help.

An individual’s strength might be small, but everyone pitching in helps.

"Alright, you decide."

Within two days, He Jundao came to see Jiang Yu.

Of course, he was here about Dongqi.

This was the first time Jiang Yu didn’t see arrogance on his face.

He had shed his haughty demeanor and replaced it with a friendly act.

"We’re all family. This isn’t good for anyone to let things escalate like this."

If Jiang Yu had been willing to listen to such words, things wouldn’t have reached this point.

"Comrade He, spare me the nonsense. I’m not used to it."

He Jundao stiffened, then pulled out a passbook from his pocket.

"Here’s nine thousand. I’m paying back what my eldest brother owes."

Jiang Yu: "..." Wow, generous.

She glanced at the passbook, suspicion rising in her heart.

"Comrade He Jundao, are you sure?"

She’d never heard He Tingyue mention that his father and uncle were that close.

Not to mention nine thousand, even nine hundred would make an ordinary family think twice.

He Jundao pushed the passbook over and said calmly, "I'm sure."

"But Jiang Yu, you should think carefully. Don’t burn bridges with the He family over quick cash. If you take this money, the He family will never acknowledge you or Little He again."

Jiang Yu chuckled and took the passbook without hesitation.

"I've heard this kind of big talk too many times. The He family isn’t yours to decide, Comrade He Jundao."

After accepting the money, she returned the agreement to He Jundao.

"Don’t let the door hit you on the way out."

He Jundao snorted coldly. "Young people who don’t know how to tone down their attitude will suffer for it later."

He believed the He family had extended olive branches multiple times, yet Jiang Yu brushed it off.

But he never considered how his so-called "weakness" appeared downright condescending in Jiang Yu’s eyes.

Born into the He family, riding on the old man’s coattails, he thought himself superior.

This was already a far cry from the revolutionary ideals held by the old man’s generation.

Jiang Yu suddenly wondered—if someone like He Jundao ever got knocked down a peg, would he realize just how detestable his arrogance was?

He Jundao had barely left when He Tingyue returned.

Jiang Yu mentioned the money to him.

"He came to settle your father’s debt. Are the brothers close?"

He Tingyue shook his head. "Not really."

Jiang Yu found it odd. "Such a large sum—why would he want to settle your father’s debt?"

He Tingyue shook his head again, uninterested in the He family’s affairs.

He had spent the past two days with Sixie scouting houses and had actually found two options.

One was a traditional quadrangle house, similar in layout to the one in Dongmin Alley.

"They’re asking this much, and they’ll take care of the paperwork."

Jiang Yu’s eyes widened. "Six thousand?!"

That was a lot pricier than Dongmin Alley.

He Tingyue chuckled. "Standard for the area."

You know how they say—east for wealth, west for prestige—some even believed that unless you lived near the Forbidden City, you couldn’t call yourself a true Beicheng local.

"What about the other one?"

He Tingyue said, "The other one is the same price, but it’s a double-courtyard house—bigger and more spacious, in the east of the city. Just a little rough around the edges. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m guessing it’s decent."

Jiang Yu ran the numbers. "Picking just one’s a tough call. Why not buy both?"

He Tingyue nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

No wonder they say He Jundao's money arrived right on time.

Jiang Yu pushed the passbook toward him, "Go ahead and withdraw the money first."

He Tingyue took the passbook but remained still.

"There's one more thing."

Jiang Yu was startled, "What is it?"

He Tingyue paused briefly, "About what Jiang Ting mentioned earlier - that person."

He raised a finger and pointed upward.

"I've inquired about it. It's likely to happen within days."

Something in Jiang Yu's heart seemed to drop and shatter, and she closed her eyes in pain.

"What kind of cursed year has this been?"

From the beginning of the year until now, one after another - this makes three now.

He Tingyue squeezed her hand gently, "Living in this world, birth, aging, sickness, and death are all ordinary things."

It wasn't that he accepted it easily, but he had no choice but to accept it.

Jiang Yu sniffled, "Let's hold off on the house matter for now."

"Yeah."

A few more days passed, and Jiang Yu heard the news from Li Nian.

She burst in, eyes red, already choked with sobs.

The newspaper office had received firsthand information—there could be no mistake about such things.

Jiang Yu looked up, her gaze drifting out the window.

Soon after, the radio broadcast began.

"...the beloved leader of all peoples, 'comrade'..., succumbed to worsening illness...on..."

Jiang Yu seemed to go deaf to the world. Whether inside or outside, everything was tomb-like silence.

Unable to believe it, she wanted to hear the broadcast a few more times, doubting whether she had misheard.

Li Nian had left at some point, leaving Jiang Yu alone in the office.

She lowered her head, burying her face in her arms as she wept.

For several days, newspapers were filled with nothing but reports of the news, and the whole country went into mourning.

This heavy and oppressive atmosphere lasted until the end of the month.

When National Day arrived, Jiang Yu could no longer tell whether her heart held more grief or solemn reflection.

After National Day, everyone dove back into their busy work, and Jiang Yu was no exception.

One day, the moment Cai Xiaole walked in, she started passing around wedding sweets to everyone, and slipped Jiang Yu an invitation.

"We've set the wedding date, you've gotta come!"

Jiang Yu glanced at it and smiled, taking out an identical invitation from her drawer.

"Sixie already gave me one."

Cai Xiaole rolled her eyes. "Man, he's quick!"

As she tilted her head back, Jiang Yu spotted the pendant around her neck.

"That Guanyin pendant of yours..."

Cai Xiaole froze, puzzled. "How did you know it's Guanyin?"

She casually pulled out the pendant.

"I wasn't gonna wear it at first, but since it's a gift from Sixie, it felt wrong not to."

It's said that men wear Guanyin and women wear Buddha, but Lai Liuzi didn't know that—he just saw it was pretty and grabbed it.