Siheyuan: I just came across and wanted to chase me away

Chapter 1051 Joy in Liu Hai

Meanwhile, Gu Nan returned home just in time for dinner. As soon as he pushed open the gate, a rich aroma of food wafted out from under the door—the smell of braised pork mixed with stir-fried bok choy. The meat was savory and the bok choy refreshing, enveloping him warmly and instantly dispelling the evening chill. Ran Qiuye, wearing a faded blue apron, was coming out of the kitchen with a plate of freshly stir-fried bok choy in her hand. The vibrant green leaves still glistened with oil. Seeing him come in, her eyes curved into crescents: "You're back just in time. I just put the last dish on the table. Go wash your hands and eat. I specially stewed pork belly today, simmering it in a clay pot for over an hour. Try it and see if it's tender enough."

The afterglow of the setting sun slanted in through the window, casting a soft golden rim on Ran Qiuye's smiling face, and also falling on the steaming food on the table—fragrant rice in a white porcelain bowl, braised pork piled high in an open clay pot, its glistening broth still bubbling slightly, and a refreshing plate of cucumber salad beside it. The whole room was bathed in a comforting warmth.

Gu Nan changed his shoes and walked into the house. Seeing the thin layer of sweat on Ran Qiuye's forehead, he reached out and tidied her hair that was messed up by the heat: "Didn't I tell you? You're already tired enough taking care of the child at home. You can cook when I get back. There's no need to rush."

Ran Qiuye smiled, moved the plate on the table, and said in a light tone, "Taking care of the child at home isn't too much work. He just fell asleep, and I'm just killing time anyway, so I'll cook a meal to pass the time. Sit down, the food's getting cold."

Gu Nan sat down as instructed, picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of braised pork. It melted in his mouth, with a perfect balance of salty and sweet flavors, just the taste he loved. As he chewed the meat, he suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, the steel mill is organizing a technical assessment tomorrow morning, so I have to leave a little early. I probably won't have time to eat breakfast at home."

Ran Qiuye served him a bowl of soup, then blinked and said, "Speaking of the factory, our courtyard has been quite lively lately. The Yan family in the front yard has been practically wearing down their doorstep these past few days, going around asking around for connections to prevent Yan Jiefang from being sent to the countryside. I heard they've approached several leaders, but the policies are what they are, so it doesn't seem to be of any use."

Gu Nan raised an eyebrow and picked up a piece of bok choy with his chopsticks: "The Liu family in the backyard must be secretly delighted, right?"

Ran Qiuye was taken aback for a moment, then nodded: "How did you know? Liu Haizhong has been grinning at everyone he meets these past few days, constantly telling people that his Guangtian is lucky and doesn't have to suffer in the countryside. And it's true, when they heard that Liu Guangtian's name wasn't on the list of people to go to the countryside, the Liu family was so happy that they even cooked two dishes and had a little wine last night."

Gu Nan put down his chopsticks, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "Some people shouldn't be too happy. As the old saying goes, excessive joy leads to sorrow, and life is unpredictable."

Looking at his expression, Ran Qiuye felt uneasy and pressed him for details, "Do you know something? Your question is making me uneasy."

Gu Nan picked up the soup bowl and took a sip, his smile fading slightly: "What could I possibly know? It was just something I said casually. But some things may seem fine now, but who knows, they might change someday."

Ran Qiuye didn't ask any more questions, but she felt vaguely uneasy and silently ate her meal with her head down.

Gu Nan looked out the window, his gaze falling on the backyard, a cold smile playing on his lips—Liu Haizhong, you're celebrating too soon. He'd happened to glance at the latest rural resettlement list when he went to the factory that morning, and Liu Guangtian's name was clearly written on it. He'd probably be notified home first thing tomorrow morning. When he found out his son was also on the list, he wondered if this "third-class meritorious official" would still be able to laugh.

Of course, Gu Nan didn't plan to tell Ran Qiuye any of this—it's better to avoid trouble than to cause more. Watching the clown jump around on his own saved him a lot of trouble. He picked up a piece of meat and ate it slowly. The only sounds in the room were the soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks and the gradually darkening twilight outside the window.

Just as Ran Qiuye had vaguely mentioned before, Liu Haizhong's face was now beaming with joy, and the lines around his eyes were full of undisguised smugness. You see, his son Liu Guangtian's name was originally on the list of those to be sent to the countryside, and he was so worried that he had blisters on his lips. He never expected that this brat, who looked so simple-minded, would have some crooked ideas and manage to get away with it through an "accident".

Liu Haizhong walked out of the courtyard with his hands behind his back, wanting to chat with his old friend about this "happy event." Just as he turned the corner past the screen wall, he bumped into Xu Damao pushing his bicycle, which rattled everywhere except for the bell. A bulging canvas bag was strapped to the back seat, containing projector parts. Xu Damao looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes, clearly exhausted.

Xu Damao has indeed been extremely busy lately. In order to compete with Gu Nan for the position of factory director, Deputy Factory Director Li has been working hard to win people over. Every few days, he arranges for Xu to go to various workshops and even surrounding factories to show movies, ostensibly to "enrich the cultural life of the employees," but in reality, he uses the opportunity of the screenings to spread rumors that are detrimental to Gu Nan.

Although Xu Damao felt exhausted from carrying the projector around every day, the generous subsidy from Deputy Factory Director Li—20% more than his monthly salary—made him forget all about his fatigue. Seeing Liu Haizhong grinning from ear to ear, he stopped his bicycle in front of him and deliberately drawled, "Hey, old man, what good thing happened? Your mouth is practically stretched to your ears!"

Liu Haizhong cleared his throat, casually smoothing his clothes, but his face lit up with a smile: "You know perfectly well that brat Guangtian... will be back soon. When he gets home, I'm going to give him a good talking to and let him know how close this was." Although his words carried a hint of reproach, the doting affection in his tone was undeniable.

Xu Damao could easily understand the underlying meaning. He knew perfectly well that Liu Guangtian wasn't "having ideas" at all; he had simply been caught fighting by the police and happened to be there during the crucial period of reviewing the list of people to be sent to the countryside, thus conveniently taking the spot. This matter had already spread privately throughout the compound, but only Liu Haizhong was showing it off like a treasure.

He chuckled and followed up, saying, "Uncle, your son Guangtian is really smart! Otherwise, the spot for going to the countryside this time would have easily gone to him. That's what you call good fortune!"

Liu Haizhong felt even more comfortable after hearing this. He didn't say anything, but he was secretly overjoyed. He just waved his hand and said, "It's just a lucky break for a kid." He then changed the subject and looked at the canvas bag on the back seat of Xu Damao's car. "Damao, have you been particularly busy lately? I see you coming home later than anyone else every day. You have to be careful on the road in the dark."