Chapter 89 Settle Accounts

Chapter 89: Settling Scores

Xie Xinyi was grateful to Gu Yu for always standing by her, supporting her, and prioritizing her feelings in everything. She thanked him for buying a house, bringing her mother to live with them, and consistently putting her and her family first during every New Year celebration.

So, when Gu Yu, while her mother was distracted, quietly whispered in her ear, asking how she planned to thank him, Xie Xinyi had no idea what was about to unfold.

It wasn't until her mother took the child to another room, leaving just her and Gu Yu in the small space, that Xie Xinyi realized she had once again fallen into his trap.

Since they rarely stayed overnight, Xie Xinyi had chosen the smallest room when they first picked out the apartment. It served both as a guest room and a place for them to rest when they visited.

The room was tiny. After fitting in a wardrobe, a bed, and a desk, there was barely enough space to walk. Moreover, the bed was a custom-made 1.4-meter bed that Xie Xinyi had specially commissioned from a carpenter.

In those days, ready-made beds weren't available; all beds were custom-built by carpenters. Unlike later times, there were no standard sizes like 1.8x2 meters or 1.5x2 meters.

Beds were still measured by the traditional *chi* system, typically 4 *chi* (approximately 1.3 meters wide). Larger beds were 5 *chi*, about 1.7 meters wide.

At the Gu family home, Xie Xinyi and Gu Yu's room was spacious, so Wen Shuhua had ordered a 5-*chi* bed for them.

In their new home, the room was truly small. Thinking they wouldn't stay there often, they opted for a 4-*chi* bed.

Xiao Yueer didn't sleep with them, so a 1.3-meter bed was actually quite sufficient.

Besides the bed, Xie Xinyi also placed a small desk at the foot of it, which could be used for writing or holding toiletries and skincare products.

While Xie Xinyi was sitting at the desk, applying face cream, Gu Yu locked the door.

Gu Yu walked over and kissed her on the side of her neck. "I locked the door."

Xie Xinyi had, of course, heard the click of the lock, but so what?

She glanced back at him, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling with laughter. Her soft, dark hair brushed lightly against his face, and in an instant, Gu Yu’s dark eyes deepened.

The girl's appearance was incredibly alluring, though she seemed unaware of it. Sitting on the stool, her head tilted back, she perfectly showcased her slender neck and collarbones.

Just as she was about to ask him what he meant by locking the door, Gu Yu lifted her chin and kissed her.

He held her close. A few minutes later, perhaps sensing her discomfort, his hand moved to her waist. In the next moment, Xie Xinyi was lifted high. Before she could react, he carried her all the way, bringing her to climax…

The first Spring Festival after moving into their new home, Xie Xinyi witnessed just how shameless the man could be.

He had turned the New Year's Eve vigil into something risqué and then went back on his word. He had promised it would be the last time, but there had been several "last times," and he was still at it.

Fortunately, the room she had chosen was at the very back, separated from her mother’s and younger sister’s rooms by a hallway. Otherwise, with the noise Gu Yu had made the previous night, she would probably be too embarrassed to face anyone today.

This year’s New Year’s Eve was the most exhausting Xie Xinyi had ever experienced. The next day, she dragged her aching body out of bed around noon.

Her mother assumed she was tired from her usual work and didn't bother her on the first day of the New Year. She made breakfast for Xiao Yueer and took the child out for a stroll early in the morning.

By the time Xie Xinyi got up, Gu Yu had already warmed up the food.

Her younger sister had plans with friends and had left early that morning. Now, only she and Gu Yu were left at home. Thinking it was the first day of the New Year, Xie Xinyi didn’t give him the cold shoulder. However, when he handed her chopsticks, she glared at him irritably, unable to lift her sore arm.

"Sorry."

Gu Yu put down the chopsticks, came over, and quickly massaged her aching arm.

His apology was sincere, so Xie Xinyi temporarily forgave him, the instigator of her discomfort.

After he fed her, the two went out to find her mother, who was out with the child. On the way, a neighbor who knew Xie Xinyi greeted her.

Xie Xinyi stopped to chat, while Gu Yu stood nearby, his expression cold and silent, making the other person uneasy. After hurriedly saying "Happy New Year," the neighbor quickly left.

Not long after they walked away, Xie Xinyi overheard someone say, "Xie Xinyi is such a friendly person. Why did she end up with a cold-faced weirdo?"

Cold-faced weirdo!

Xie Xinyi couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

She glanced at the expressionless man beside her. The description was surprisingly fitting.

She wasn’t sure if Gu Yu had heard the neighbor’s comment, but when she laughed, he seriously asked her what was so funny.

Xie Xinyi shook her head without answering and went to Auntie Shen’s house to find her mother, who was visiting.

Auntie Shen had met Gu Yu when Xie Xinyi bought the house. Later, when Gu Yu came to tidy up the room, Auntie Shen had brought them water and snacks multiple times. Unlike the other neighbors, she wasn’t intimidated by Gu Yu’s cold demeanor and was quite warm toward him.

While preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner the previous day, Xie Xinyi’s mother had given Auntie Shen’s grandson a generous portion of the prawns brought from the Gu family. Now, seeing Xie Xinyi and Gu Yu visiting, Auntie Shen brought out all the snacks reserved for honored guests.

Auntie Shen lived with her eldest son, who had gone to his wife’s family for the day, leaving his nearly two-year-old younger son at home. The child happened to be a perfect playmate for Xiao Yueer.

The two children took off their shoes and played with toys on the large heated bed, while Auntie Shen and Xie Xinyi’s mother chatted about everyday matters.

There were no phones or TVs, yet Xie Xinyi found the atmosphere more fulfilling and interesting than in later times.

Listening to her mother and Auntie Shen reminisce about the past, time flew by, and before they knew it, it was time for dinner.

This year, they spent New Year’s Eve and the first day of the New Year at Xie Xinyi’s home. From the second to the eighth day, they began visiting relatives and friends.

Fortunately, the Gu family didn’t have many direct relatives. With Gu Ying absent, there was only the eldest aunt’s family and Wen Shuhua’s maternal family to visit.

On the third day of the New Year, Xie Xinyi visited the eldest aunt’s family with the Gu family. On the fourth day, she took Xiao Yueer to visit the elderly at Wen Shuhua’s maternal home.

Wen Shuhua’s family situation was complicated. Xie Xinyi had heard about it from Grandma Gu not long after marrying into the Gu family. The main reason Wen Shuhua rarely visited her family was the strained relationships among her siblings.

Old Mr. Wen and Old Mr. Gu were old comrades-in-arms. Later, they were assigned to different military regions and only reconnected after Wen Shuhua and Gu Haoting married, but even then, their interactions were infrequent.

The two old men had incompatible personalities and interests, especially when it came to family responsibilities.

Old Mr. Wen was not a native of Beijing. He had joined the army after fathering two sons and two daughters in his hometown. Later, through an introduction from his military superiors, he met Wen Shuhua’s mother. He concealed his existing family and had Wen Shuhua with her. When his first wife fell seriously ill, Old Mr. Wen brought all his children to the city.

Wen Shuhua’s older siblings, who shared a different mother, never got along with her after moving to Beijing. They often insinuated that Wen Shuhua’s mother was a "broken shoe" (a derogatory term for a promiscuous woman).

Old Mr. Wen was aware of these issues but turned a blind eye.

When Wen Shuhua’s mother was alive, Wen Shuhua tolerated the situation for her sake. After her mother passed away and Wen Shuhua married into the Gu family, her contact with the Wen family dwindled even further.

Apart from visiting with Gu Yu and Gu Ying during the New Year, she usually just went through the motions of delivering holiday gifts and quickly returned home.

Last year, Xiao Yueer was too young, so Wen Shuhua didn’t bring Xie Xinyi and Gu Yu along. This year, with Xiao Yueer having turned one, Wen Shuhua brought her along as a new addition to the family.

The gifts had been prepared before the New Year. Xie Xinyi had visited Old Mr. Wen’s home with Gu Yu during their first year of marriage and had met all the Wen family members. Now, returning here, she felt just as uncomfortable as she had the first time.

Unlike at the Gu family, she sat quietly on the sofa while Wen Shuhua carried Xiao Yueer around to greet the aunts and uncles. Gu Yu sat beside her, occasionally handing her fruit or candy, acting completely at ease.

"Why be polite?" After the formalities and exchanging New Year's greetings, Wen Shuhua patted Xiao Yueer's stuffed pocket. "Being polite to those people is disrespectful to them, right, Xiao Yueer?"

Xie Xinyi looked down at her own equally stuffed pocket and the items the man beside her was carrying that were almost too much, feeling a bit dazed.

Were they visiting the Wen family to exchange New Year's greetings or to loot the place?

They brought two bags of gifts but left with ten bags worth of goods. Whenever the Wen family politely mentioned how tasty certain foods were or who had given them, Wen Shuhua took them at their word—she insisted on taking some along.

She even managed to "mooch" from her own family, claiming either that her daughter-in-law would love this or that her granddaughter adored that.

Her excuses were so hard to refuse that the Wen siblings were rendered speechless.

Recalling the expressions on the Wen siblings' faces as they saw them off, Wen Shuhua breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling thoroughly satisfied.

"When you’ve been nursing grievances, it’s good to settle scores every now and then."

She teased her well-behaved granddaughter, "And our Xiao Yueer even scored a small windfall."

It was only later that Gu Yu explained to Xie Xinyi the tradition of giving large red envelopes to newborns. At the time, he had been about to explain, but Xie Xinyi’s mind was elsewhere.

After leaving the Wen family, they made their way back along a small path.

This path ran parallel to the one leading to the department store, except one connected to the front gate and the other to the back.

The military housing compound was located at the rear, so they took a shortcut. But not long after leaving the Wen family, Xie Xinyi spotted someone familiar.

Xie Tingting!

I thought she was missing? How could she be here in Beijing?

At first, when Xie Xinyi saw Xie Tingting walking side by side with a man, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.

It wasn’t until they reached a corner and Xie Tingting linked arms with the man, turning right, that she got a clear look.

Round-faced with a flat nose bridge—who else could it be but Xie Tingting?

Xie Xinyi stared long and hard, confirming it was indeed Xie Tingting ahead of them. As soon as she got home, she immediately called her eldest sister.

Someone who was supposed to be undergoing re-education in the countryside had suddenly appeared in Beijing.

Xie Xinyi had a hunch that the sent-down youth might have started returning to the city.

The phone at her eldest sister’s place had just been installed this year in the village administration office. Her sister was on good terms with the Village Party Secretary’s wife, who had secretly given her the number for emergencies. In her last letter, her sister had written the number at the end.

When the call first connected, her sister sounded hesitant.

"Big sister, it’s Xinyi."

Xie Xinyi repeated it several times before her sister finally realized who it was.

"Xinyi? Is something wrong?"

Xie Xinyue’s voice came through the phone line, tinged with weariness and urgency, likely worried about the phone charges. It was so different from the cheerful, lively sister she remembered that Xie Xinyi paused for a moment before remembering why she had called.

"Sis, have you heard anything recently from the other sent-down youth you’re with?"

"Heard what?"

On the other end, Xie Xinyue had thought her younger sister had urgent news and didn’t catch the question at first. After a moment, she asked quietly, "Have you heard something in the city?"

She quickly grasped Xie Xinyi’s meaning, reacting just like the quick-witted older sister she remembered, the one known as the "shrewd operator" of Guozi Alley.

Xie Xinyi had no reason to hide anything and told her sister about seeing Xie Tingting in Beijing.

"Not long ago, Xie Jianjun came asking if I knew Xie Tingting’s whereabouts, and today I saw her in the city."

Xie Tingting had the latest hairstyle and was wearing a new coat from the department store. She looked so different from the last time Xie Xinyi had seen her in the suburbs that she hadn’t recognized her at first.

She looked full of life and was boldly walking arm-in-arm with a man on the street. Though it was a small path, there were still plenty of people around.

If Xie Tingting had really escaped from some village, she wouldn’t be so bold.

And this was Beijing, right under the authorities’ watchful eyes. No matter how brave she was, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to attract unwanted attention.

Xie Xinyi shared her thoughts with her sister, who, after a brief silence, replied directly, "I’ll go to the Party Secretary’s house later."

Xie Tingting wasn’t foolish—she wouldn’t take such risks. For a sent-down youth to fearlessly appear on the streets of Beijing at this time, the only explanation was that she had nothing to fear.

She wasn’t afraid of being discovered or caught.

And if she wasn’t afraid, what did that mean? It meant the "up to the mountains, down to the countryside" policy had loosened. It meant Xie Xinyue could openly return to the city!

Her sister caught on right away. Without needing any prompting from Xie Xinyi, she knew what to do next.

"Sis, I’ve secured a temporary job for you at our factory."

"Good, I’ll talk to the Party Secretary about it later."

Xie Xinyi thought for a moment. "Also, Mom’s household registration has been moved to Beijing. Take down the address."

"Okay, wait a moment."

Through the static of the phone line, Xie Xinyue’s hand trembled as she held the receiver.

After six years, finally, finally, she could leave this place and return to the home she had missed for so long.

Tears welled in her eyes as she listened to Xie Xinyi methodically reciting the new address and the name of the work unit where she would be employed in the city.

She noted everything down so she wouldn’t be left unprepared when she spoke to the Village Party Secretary.

Though both sisters had their theories, they still needed confirmation from the Party Secretary.

For sent-down youth to return to the city, policy support was one thing, but whether the village would release them and when were even more critical.

Xie Xinyi remembered a memorable period drama she’d seen from her previous life, about a sent-down youth in this era. While others returned to the city in droves, she tried everything she could, even sacrificing herself, but still couldn’t go back.

She advised her sister to speak carefully and thoroughly at the Party Secretary’s house, to clearly state her stance and see how he responded.

Xie Xinyue agreed readily, promising to call back at the same time the next day.

So Xie Xinyi put everything on hold the next day and waited by the phone, but by evening, there was still no call from her sister.

She grew worried, wondering if she should call again, when suddenly the phone rang.

"Xinyi."

Her sister’s voice on the other end was heavy with disappointment.

"The Village Party Secretary said... he said we aren't allowed to return."