Chapter 92 Riddle

Chapter 92: A Cryptic Clue

Xie Xinyi never expected to run into Xie Tingting in Beijing.

That day after work, she accompanied Xiao Jiang to the department store to buy things for her child. Just after paying and turning around, she bumped right into Xie Tingting.

At first, she didn’t recognize Xie Tingting; her eyes were drawn instead to the pot-bellied man from the exhibition a few days prior.

“What a coincidence, Comrade Xie, you’re here shopping too?”

In just a few short days, the man had managed to learn her name. Suppressing her discomfort, Xie Xinyi politely nodded, not intending to engage with him. However, as she looked up, she saw Xie Tingting standing beside the man, staring at her in disbelief.

“Xie Xinyi?”

Clearly, the other woman hadn’t expected to see her either.

Xie Tingting first called her name uncertainly, then scrutinized her from head to toe with those snobbish eyes, as if she were a stranger. With a disdainful snort, she asked, “So it really is you.”

Her tone was displeased, and combined with her earlier look, Xie Xinyi immediately understood: Xie Tingting couldn’t stand seeing her so well-kept, so utterly transformed from her days with the Xie family, and it clearly made her uncomfortable.

She smiled. “Cousin has found a better perch, no wonder she doesn’t even recognize me anymore.”

Her words were pointed, and her eyes deliberately flickered toward the pot-bellied man, her meaning clear to anyone watching. Xiao Jiang, feigning ignorance, asked, “You know each other?”

“Yes,” Xie Xinyi interjected, “she’s my cousin.”

She readily admitted their relationship and even warmly inquired about Xie Tingting’s family, making it seem like they were very close. But then, what was the meaning of Xie Xinyi’s earlier feigned unfamiliarity?

Xie Tingting was seething with anger. Seeing that Xie Xinyi had the nerve to ask about her family, she retorted sharply, “My family matters are none of your concern.”

After saying that, she fussed with the scarf around her neck. Only then did Xie Xinyi take a closer look at Xie Tingting.

A stylish ready-to-wear suit, a perm that was too youthful for her age, and a pair of fashionable chunky-heeled shoes.

Her outfit was trendy but completely unsuitable for her, especially the brightly colored scarf around her neck—it seemed superfluous.

No wonder Xie Xinyi hadn’t recognized her at first glance. With that getup, not only was it a world away from her appearance in Guozi Alley, but it was also vastly different from the last time she’d seen her.

She couldn’t help but steal a few more glances, which made the haughty Xie Tingting, full of herself, extremely uncomfortable. Smirking, Xie Tingting asked, “I heard your eldest sister still hasn’t returned to the city. It’s been so long—haven’t you tried to help ask around?”

Her words, whether intentional or not, painted Xie Xinyi as heartless, implying that her eldest sister’s failure to return was due to Xie Xinyi’s inaction. Xie Xinyi was irritated. “Our family matters are none of your concern either.”

She threw Xie Tingting’s own words back at her. Xiao Jiang chimed in, “Poking your nose into other people’s business. Instead of meddling, why not check a mirror and wipe the lipstick off your teeth?”

Xiao Jiang’s voice wasn’t loud, but everyone present heard her clearly.

Xie Tingting’s face flushed bright red to her neck. Seeing Xie Xinyi covering her mouth to stifle a laugh, she turned away, wiped her mouth, and snapped angrily, “Why should I care? Given the place your eldest sister’s in, it’d be a miracle if she could return to the city.”

What did that mean?

Her eldest sister couldn’t return?

Xie Xinyi’s smile froze. Regardless of whether Xie Tingting was deliberately provoking her, she was about to ask why she’d said that when the pot-bellied man smoothly interjected, trying to make small talk.

“So you’re family! I never thought Tingting would run into relatives here.”

The man smiled, his face full of fat, seizing on the family connection to chat with Xie Xinyi. “Fate, fate, what fate! Meeting relatives in the same line of work—what are the odds…”

He acted warmly, using “fate” several times to diffuse the tension between Xie Xinyi and Xie Tingting.

But Xie Tingting wasn’t having it. When the man mentioned “family,” she rolled her eyes and snorted.

That snort brought Xie Xinyi back to her senses.

Knowing that with the pot-bellied man around, she wouldn’t get anything useful out of Xie Tingting, she ignored the still-talking man and turned to Xiao Jiang. “You said earlier there was something else you needed to buy?”

“Huh? Oh…”

Xiao Jiang, who had already finished shopping, paused at the question but quickly caught on and made up an excuse. “Yeah, I still need to buy formula.”

Formula? Her child had been weaned off milk and switched to rice paste last year—there was no need for formula.

But only she and Xie Xinyi knew that. As for the other two, upon hearing they still had shopping to do, the pot-bellied man immediately wrapped up his unfinished topic. “…Well, then, we won’t keep you. You go ahead, go ahead.”

After saying that, he pulled aside the glaring Xie Tingting to make way, putting on an excessively gentlemanly act.

After they left the store, when Xiao Jiang asked why the man had been so polite to them, Xie Xinyi was suddenly reminded of those insincerely smiling Japanese soldiers in war dramas.

“Probably force of habit.”

That type of person was used to being obsequious, saying whatever suited the listener. They’d rather act subservient in front of you than risk offending you by acting superior.

They were good at sizing up situations—Xie Xinyi had noticed that at the exhibition, which was why she’d cut him off without even letting him finish.

That was just how Xie Xinyi was. If she didn’t know whether you were friend or foe, she might give you the benefit of the doubt. But once she sensed ulterior motives or realized you were trouble, she’d make a quick exit.

Better to avoid than provoke.

She didn’t want to tangle with that sort, especially when Xie Tingting was involved.

One of them was someone she had nothing in common with, the other a smooth talker who dodged questions—both were trouble. Best to steer clear.

As for Xie Tingting’s slip of the tongue, Xie Xinyi called her eldest sister as soon as she got home.

If she couldn’t wheedle it out of her, she’d ask directly.

She told her sister about running into Xie Tingting at the department store and urged her to ask the Village Party Secretary again about returning to the city.

“She really said that?”

On the other end of the line, Xie Xinyue didn’t ask why—she just confirmed it.

Both sisters knew Xie Tingting well. Though she seemed as unreliable as their second brother, when provoked, her words held some truth.

Xie Xinyi had tested this many times since arriving here, and Xie Xinyue knew even better—having grown up with Xie Tingting, she understood her temperament and how to handle her.

So after getting Xie Xinyi’s confirmation, she went to see the Village Party Secretary again.

“…Nothing yet. I’ve been keeping an eye out this whole time. Even the town leaders have made an example of me, saying I’ve got too much time on my hands.”

And wasn’t that the truth? The village had plenty of matters needing his attention, yet all he did was worry about whether the sent-down youth could return.

The Village Party Secretary didn’t tell Xie Xinyue that the town leaders hadn’t just made an example of him—they’d nearly reported it to the city level.

He advised Xie Xinyue, “Just be patient and wait. I’ll notify you as soon as there’s news.”

Though he genuinely wanted the girl to return to the city, her frequent visits to his home were becoming a problem.

The village was full of gossips, and rumors about him and Xie Xinyue had already circulated before.

The village head was also human and had his own personal considerations. His son had previously advised him to keep some distance from Xie Xinyue—after all, he already had several grandchildren, and being the subject of gossip wouldn't be good for the children's reputation.

He took the advice to heart and had been trying to avoid her as much as possible lately. But how could he turn her away when Xie Xinyue showed up at his doorstep, knowing his address?

Moreover, over the years, he had watched her work her way up step by step to get to where she was now. Though he never spoke of it, he understood how difficult it had been for her.

He had done everything he could to help with her urban relocation, but with no official notice from higher authorities, there was nothing more he could do. All he could do was advise her to wait a little longer.

"But I..." Xie Xinyue said, her voice full of disappointment, "I've already waited so long, and there's still no notice."

Not to mention the first batch of people who returned to the city, even half a year had passed since the temporary workers were recruited by Second Sister's factory.

Everyone kept telling her to wait, but no one could tell her how much longer it would take.

This time, when she went to ask the village head, it wasn't to pressure him. She just wanted to know if it was true, as Xie Tingting had said, that the village she was assigned to simply wasn't eligible for urban relocation.

The village head had no way of knowing either. After all, when you went to the town leadership, they had no personal ties to you. They'd only tell you that no notification had been issued, and they couldn't disclose anything beyond that.

With no other options, Xie Xinyue didn't push for more details. After thanking him, she relayed what she had learned to Xie Xinyi.

With no progress made, they were back at a dead end. Xie Xinyi was troubled, and Xie Xinyue became so distracted that she almost lost a leg during logging work up the mountain due to carelessness.

When Xie Xinyi found out about her injury, she was still considering whether to ask Gu Yu for help.

She had learned that many of the recently returned educated youth had relied on connections or called in favors behind the scenes.

As an outsider, she knew the Xie family had no such connections. The only person who could possibly help was Gu Yu.

But... she was reluctant to ask him for favors.

Aside from her understanding that the Gu family's principles discouraged such actions, she also didn't want to owe Gu Yu a favor debt.

Favor debts were hard to repay, and she didn't want to accumulate too many. Yet, thinking of her older sister's predicament, she began to waver.

As she was deliberating whether to ask him, she received a telegram from her sister.

It had been sent secretly by the village head to Xie Xinyi, not using the village phone, and contained only a few words: "Your sister's injury is very serious."

The telegram was sent directly to their factory. That day, Xie Xinyi was chatting with Xiao Jiang and Ms. Liu about the pot-bellied man when she ran into a postman in uniform at the factory gate.

"Is Comrade Xie Xinyi here? There's a telegram for her."

Telegrams were faster than letters but more expensive, usually reserved for urgent matters.

Uncle Wang, about to go out and call for her, opened the door and saw Xie Xinyi.

"Perfect, she's right here. This is Xie Xinyi."

Hearing about the telegram, everyone stopped talking and looked at her. Xie Xinyi straightened up and stepped forward. "I am Xie Xinyi."

The postman confirmed her identity before handing her the paper with the telegram's content.

Xie Xinyi didn't know who had sent it. She opened it and, after just one glance, her face darkened.

Her older sister was injured, and it was serious.

Xie Xinyi's heart jumped to her throat. She immediately bid farewell to Xiao Jiang and the others, got on her bicycle, and rushed home. She had planned to call her sister to find out more, but the more she thought about it on the way, the more something felt wrong.

The telegram had been sent by the village head from her sister's village. As the village head, for such a serious matter, he could have simply called her using the village phone. Why send a telegram?

The telegram mentioned her sister's injury but didn't specify where or how, only that it was serious.

It was a notification, but it felt more like a signal. Combined with what her sister had told her earlier...

Xie Xinyi slowed her pedaling.

She carefully recalled her sister's words and the information she had gathered recently from Director Ou, Ms. Liu, and others.

With a sudden brake, she turned her bicycle around and hurried toward Gu Yu's army base.

When Xie Xinyi showed up at the base, Gu Yu was initially doubtful. It wasn't until he saw her at the guardhouse that he believed it.

“What brings you here?”

After so many years of marriage, with their child already walking, Xie Xinyi had never once visited his base.

Not only did no one at the base know her, but even the person who had processed Gu Yu's marriage application had once suspected him of a sham marriage and had asked Zhou Lv to verify it.

It wasn't entirely unfounded—Gu Yu had always insisted he wouldn't marry, only to suddenly submit a marriage application. Even after that, he never brought his wife to the base to introduce her around.

In a place dominated by a sea of men in uniform, it was customary for anyone who submitted a marriage application to bring their fiancée to the base to hand out wedding candies and get acquainted. After marriage, it was common for wives to visit with homecooked meals or snacks.

This was a tradition in their unit. Gu Yu, however, had brought the candies alone when he submitted his application and had even asked Zhang Xin to help distribute them.

And after marriage, his wife had never once visited to show her care.

Gu Yu hadn't thought much of it initially, until the new ice cream Xie Xinyi developed became popular at his base. Others didn't know she was the creator, but the person who processed his paperwork knew it was from his wife's factory.

During the peak of its popularity, that colleague, enjoying an ice cream his own wife had stood in line to buy for him, joked with Gu Yu, asking why his wife never brought any over. He remarked how lucky Gu Yu was, saying he could just ask his wife for some anytime, unlike them, who had to stand in line in the heat.

Lucky?

Gu Yu didn't think so. He remembered later subtly asking Xie Xinyi if their newly launched ice cream was tasty.

"It's delicious. It's almost sold out in the market," she had replied, not noticing the odd tone in his voice. She even enthusiastically shared amusing stories from her research, but never once asked, "Is something wrong?" or "Would you like to try some?"

His wife was detail-oriented but blunt, and Gu Yu knew that. So he didn't dwell on it, though his expression darkened whenever someone mentioned how "lucky" he was.

He had never brought up the topic of Xie Xinyi visiting the base in front of her. Only occasionally, when the subject came up, he mentioned that their base welcomed family visits.

He had made his stance clear, and he assumed his wife had taken note. Otherwise, she wouldn't have shown up so soon after he mentioned it.

Pretending not to know why she was there, Gu Yu escorted her from the guardhouse to his barracks.

Along the way, he greeted everyone who passed by, responding cordially instead of his usual rushed, perfunctory nods.

Walking side by side with Xie Xinyi on the base grounds, he not only slowed his pace but also, when he noticed people glancing at his wife, went out of his way to explain, "Yeah, this is my wife. She came to visit."

Xie Xinyi didn't initially notice him showing off like a peacock until he stopped to explain the same thing to eight different people along the way. She then glanced at him.

His face—no longer the usual sternness—held a faint, barely noticeable smile.

His words—no longer those of a man of few words—were now accompanied by unnecessary and almost boastful explanations.

"What's got you so happy?"

Xie Xinyi didn't think twice about it, assuming Gu Yu had something good happen. Since she was there to ask for his help, this might make things go more smoothly.

As for asking a man for help, she had already convinced herself on the way over.

Yes, she disliked owing favors, but Gu Yu wasn't just anybody—certainly not a stranger.

He was her husband, properly married. They were a couple, and as Gu Yu had emphasized before, they were one—meant to face hardships together (though there were none at the moment) and prosperity (though she wasn’t sure if that prosperity included her).

If either of them faced something, good or bad, they should speak up and face it together, solving it as one.

When Gu Yu had said those words back then, his attitude was clear and firm, and he made sure Xie Xinyi took them to heart.

Xie Xinyi had agreed because, at the time, she never thought she’d actually need to ask him for anything. But now...

Her eldest sister was seriously injured, and the village party secretary had secretly given her a cryptic hint. She knew that if she didn’t use this opportunity to get her sister back to the city now, it might become much harder later.

You have to strike while the iron's hot, so even though she felt a little awkward, her first thought was to ask Gu Yu for help.

When they reached Gu Yu's dorm and he asked, she laid out her idea and what she needed Gu Yu to do.

"...It shouldn’t be too troublesome. I just need you to help me look into the requirements for sent-down youth returning to the city due to injury."

Only by understanding the policy clearly would she know whether her sister’s situation qualified.

If it did, things would be straightforward—she could directly use the policy to request her sister's return.

If it didn’t, there’d be no other way. Even if she begged Gu Yu to pull strings, it might not work, and it would only cause trouble for his family.

So she only asked Gu Yu to find someone to inquire about the policy, not to use connections to help.

Xie Xinyi kept it within bounds, but the man seemed a little put out.

"Just inquiring?"

"Yes, just asking is fine."

Xie Xinyi confirmed again. Gu Yu was quiet for a good while before replying, "Understood."

In truth, Gu Yu had heard about Xie Xinyi’s eldest sister back when the first batch of sent-down youth returned to the city. At the time, Xie Xinyi had said she had a plan, so he didn’t interfere.

Later, for a while, Xie Xinyi would linger by the phone after work every day, either frowning or sighing when talking to her sister. He had guessed some of it, and she had vaguely mentioned it, but she still hadn’t asked for his help.

Gu Yu had been busy with his career transition recently and hadn’t paid much attention to Xie Xinyi’s sister’s situation for some time. Today, just as his own matters were wrapping up, he was planning to ask her about it that evening when Xie Xinyi came to him first.

Getting back to the city as a sent-down youth wasn't easy.

He had heard Gu Ying and his comrades mention it—not only did the family need to pull some weight, but the place where the youth were sent also had to issue an official notice.

One of Zhang Xin’s comrades had a younger sister who had been sent to Heilongjiang years ago. Rumor had it that when she returned to the city, the family had pulled many strings behind the scenes.

Gu Yu knew it was a difficult matter, so he had prepared to help out. But in the end...

She only wanted him to inquire about the policy.

Gu Yu felt a vague sense of disappointment.

He agreed but, after a moment of silence, still asked if she wanted to try other approaches.

"Not for now."

Xie Xinyi’s reply was just as direct. She explained her thoughts but didn’t say anything about not wanting to be in his debt.

"Alright."

Gu Yu didn’t push further, thinking it wasn’t his place to interfere too much in her sister’s affairs, as Zhang Xin had advised him.

Being married was different from being single—one had to maintain boundaries. You couldn’t get too close to other female comrades, and you certainly couldn’t go over your own wife’s head to help another woman.

Gu Yu kept this in mind at all times. Since Xie Xinyi said not to help, he naturally wouldn’t go over his wife’s head to assist another female comrade.

He automatically put Xie Xinyi’s eldest sister in the same category as "other female comrades" and did only what Xie Xinyi asked.

That same day, he had someone check with the person in charge of sent-down youth returning to the city.

When he returned home with the results, Xie Xinyi had already eaten and was waiting at the door.

"How did it go?"

She knew the man never put things off—if something could be done today, he’d never leave it for tomorrow. So after dinner, she went straight to the courtyard gate, eager to hear what he'd found out. But the man’s first words were, "It might not be easy."

Not easy?

Seeing her disappointment, Gu Yu shared what he had learned.

"...To return due to injury, it must be certified that the person is truly unable to work and needs to return to the city for recuperation."

Where Xie Xinyi’s sister was injured and how severe it was, they didn’t know. But even the certification alone wouldn’t be easy to obtain.

Moreover, the official had put it delicately, saying they had only encountered two such cases where the injury required returning to the city for recuperation.

One had fallen into a trench while logging in the mountains, breaking both arms; the other had leg cramps while rescuing someone from a river, inhaled water, and lost consciousness.

Both were severely injured—either couldn't take care of themselves or were in a deep coma.

On his way back, Gu Yu thought it over and decided it was best to first ask about the sister’s condition before making a decision.

Xie Xinyi felt the same, but figuring out who to ask and how was the hard part.

She thought about it all night but still had no ideas by the next morning.

At the factory, she couldn’t focus on anything, spending every day wondering how to help her sister. Just when she thought things were at a standstill, Gu Yu brought good news a few days later.