The four of them looked at each other. After two seconds of silence, Xiao Cheng stepped forward and greeted him. “Dr. Gu.”
“Honey, you two know each other?” Zhang Yaoyao walked over to Gu Yuan’s side and asked quietly, a trace of confusion in her eyes. She thought she knew all of Gu Yuan’s social circles, and she was certain he kept nothing from her—yet she couldn’t recall any memory of Xiao Cheng.
Gu Yuan nodded. His gaze swept over the Xiao couple, lingering on Lin Aiyun for a few seconds with a hint of surprise. Wasn’t this the woman Xiao Cheng had been searching for all over Beijing with that portrait?
He’d actually found her? Did that mean that dream wasn’t just fantasy?
As the thought surfaced in his mind, Gu Yuan couldn’t help but laugh at himself—a staunch materialist thinking such things. He really must be losing it.
But the matter was simply too incredible, and the person in question was right before his eyes. It was only natural for him to think that way.
Now he was even more curious about how Xiao Cheng had managed to find Lin Aiyun—the woman from his dreams. Since there were no outsiders around, Gu Yuan opened his mouth to ask, but just as he started to move, Xiao Cheng cut him off.
“I used to be his patient.”
Gu Yuan met Xiao Cheng’s warning gaze, raised an eyebrow, and swallowed the words that had risen to his lips, staying silent.
Hearing this, Lin Aiyun immediately shot Xiao Cheng a worried look. He patted her shoulder reassuringly and explained the whole story.
“Remember how I used to have trouble sleeping? I saw pretty much every doctor in Beijing. Dr. Gu’s treatments were the most effective, so I spent quite a bit of time there and we got to know each other. When we got married, he couldn’t make it in person, but he sent a gift.”
Hearing that the doctor visits were for that reason, Lin Aiyun finally relaxed. She smiled and thanked Gu Yuan, then invited the couple over for dinner sometime to make up for the missed wedding banquet.
Observing their reactions, Gu Yuan could tell that Xiao Cheng hadn’t told Lin Aiyun the real reason behind his sleeplessness. But that was their business as a couple—he, as an outsider, had no reason to meddle.
“Looks like you’re doing much better now.”
With a rosy complexion, a straight back, and a refreshed look, he hardly seemed like someone who’d suffered from chronic insomnia.
“Mm.” Xiao Cheng’s eyes met Gu Yuan’s. There was a shared understanding between them that only they knew, but they tacitly didn’t bring it up.
After a few more exchanges, they parted ways. In the car, Lin Aiyun told Xiao Cheng about hitting it off with Zhang Yaoyao, then mentioned the newspaper she’d seen today.
“This is wonderful news. Let’s go buy some good food to celebrate. Tomorrow we can try sending a telegram and a letter back home.” What Xiao Cheng didn’t say was that he’d actually heard the news a few days ago, but it was still classified and couldn’t be shared publicly, so he’d kept it to himself.
Seeing Lin Aiyun so happy, he felt it too. He reached out and ruffled her hair.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. It’s also a great way to celebrate Dad and me finishing our first day of work perfectly.” Lin Aiyun’s eyes curved down, her pupils bright and clear. Even though Xiao Cheng had messed up her hair, she didn’t get mad at him.
They soon arrived at the market near home, but since it was already late, there wasn’t much good produce left. After walking around, they managed to buy a pound of spare ribs and some vegetables the family liked.
Carrying the groceries home, they shared the news with Zhang Wenhua. Her eyes reddened with joy as she said “good” three times in a row. She called Lin Aiyun over to help cook a couple of extra dishes, with Xiao Cheng assisting on the side.
Lin Jianzhi would be back a bit later, just in time for dinner.
As dusk fell, Lin Jianzhi strode in with a big smile, two fish dangling from his hands. As soon as he entered the kitchen and saw everyone there, he cleared his throat and announced, “I’ve got good news!”
Everyone turned to look. Lin Wenkang was the most enthusiastic—he clapped first, then called out, “What good news got you so happy, Dad?”
Lin Jianzhi chuckled, deliberately drawing out the suspense. His gaze swept over each person before he puffed out his chest and declared, word by word, “Our Jiangming Province has been liberated!”
But instead of the cheers and applause he’d expected, the atmosphere fell silent.
“What’s wrong? Why don’t you all seem happy?” Lin Jianzhi looked uneasy, worried he’d said something wrong. He muttered the words to himself again, checking carefully.
That’s right! So why were they so calm? Something was off—very off!
“We already celebrated! Did you think you’re the only one who can’t read and doesn’t read the newspaper?” Zhang Wenhua walked over and shot him a look, though her eyes held a smile.
Truth be told, she didn’t know many characters either and wasn’t in the habit of reading newspapers. Plus, she hadn’t gone out today to chat with the neighborhood old ladies, so she only learned the good news when Lin Aiyun came home.
But that didn’t stop her from teasing Lin Jianzhi for fun.
“Aw, you could’ve said so earlier.” Hearing that, Lin Jianzhi wasn’t disappointed at all. He couldn’t stop grinning—ever since he’d learned the news, the wrinkles on his face hadn’t faded.
His hometown was finally liberated. No one was happier than him.
Zhang Wenhua noticed the fish in his hands and laughed. “You go to work like you’re out shopping.”
“It’s a perk—everyone gets it on the first day. After that, no more. But we won’t be short on fish anyway. My coworker told me fish from the factory is half the price of outside, and we get two free ones at the end of every year.”
Lin Jianzhi proudly held up the two plump fish. They’d already been cleaned and had a fishy smell that wasn’t exactly pleasant, so he didn’t show them off for long before putting them away in the cupboard. With the weather turning colder now, there was no worry about them going bad overnight.
“That’s wonderful—we’ll be relying on you from now on.” When praise was due, she gave it. She understood the principle of giving a slap and then a candy.
“Don’t mention it, hahaha.”
Watching this, everyone exchanged smiles, feeling that life was getting better and better, with more and more to look forward to.
But that wasn’t even the best news. Half a month hadn’t even passed before the most exciting moment finally arrived!
After the nine-day conference came to a close, the news of the official establishment of New China spread rapidly across the nation and the entire world!
The date and location of the founding ceremony were also set.
At the same time, Lin Aiyun’s Embroidery Association received a mysterious assignment: to embroider special gifts for all foreign friends and Chinese compatriots attending the ceremony that day.
The gifts had to embody Chinese characteristics while also highlighting the theme. The deadline was extremely tight, and the quantity was enormous—they had to produce the most perfect batch within a limited time.
This was a huge challenge. One misstep and it would be a major embarrassment to China.
So the entire association—from the president down to the ordinary members—was gathered in the cafeteria. Crowds of people packed together to brainstorm solutions. Anyone who offered a reasonable suggestion would receive extra high points.
It wasn’t the points that attracted them; it was the honor. This was a chance to bring glory to the country and contribute to the nation—maybe even get their names in the newspaper!
Everyone chimed in, each saying their piece. Hundreds of ideas were written down and submitted, but all were rejected without exception—either lacking originality, or not fitting the theme. The reasons varied, but ultimately, none of them were striking enough to make an immediate impression.
The cafeteria, usually used for meals, had become a large conference room. People sat on benches or on the floor, huddled in groups with familiar faces, their faces flushed red from excitement. But no matter how hard they racked their brains, they couldn’t come up with a satisfactory idea.
Inside the serving window sat the president, vice presidents, and senior members. They too were racking their brains for new plans, while also filtering and organizing everyone’s suggestions. They set aside the decent ones for now—but there were very few of those. Meanwhile, the pile of rejected ideas on the other side had grown into a small mountain.
“I think lanterns could work—they’re round and bright red, so festive.”
“No, no—they’re too big. How would foreigners carry them all the way across the ocean?”
“How about embroidering handkerchiefs for each person—saves time and effort.”
“No! That’s too thoughtless. They’d just end up as rags.”
…
Over on this side, Lin Aiyun trudged back through the crowd from the serving window, her face troubled. Her idea had been rejected again—this was the fourth one.
Zhang Yaoyao took her hand and pulled her down to sit, comforting her. “It’s okay. I’ve been shot down seven times.”
“Ten for me.” Qin Shuang propped her chin on her hand and let out a heavy sigh. Her hair had been twisted into a messy nest out of frustration, but she didn’t care—many people around her looked the same. At this point, appearances didn’t matter. Coming up with a good idea was what truly counted.
“Same here.” Yang Xi sat cross-legged, her lower lip bitten raw.
Qin Shuang’s eyes darted around, then she suddenly laughed, holding up three fingers. “Yang Xi and I even had three identical ideas.”
“We never have this kind of chemistry normally—now we’re somehow in sync.” Yang Xi laughed too and reached out to swat Qin Shuang’s hand away.
Hearing this, Lin Aiyun also cracked a smile, shaking off her disappointment. She picked up her paper and pen and started thinking again: practical, exquisite, and with Chinese elements.
What was something people could use daily, and preferably something they could put to use right away in autumn and winter?
Her gaze unconsciously began scanning the surroundings.
“I’m going to have some water. You guys keep thinking.” Zhang Yaoyao reached up to adjust the scarf around her neck. All because Gu Yuan had been too rough last night—she had to wear it today to cover up the marks.
After silently complaining to herself, Zhang Yaoyao pulled out her water bottle from the bag beside her leg and took a big gulp.
Hearing the movement, Lin Aiyun instinctively looked over and caught the whole scene. Her eyes flickered, and she blurted out, “I’ve got it!”
Her voice came out louder than she’d intended, drawing glances from those nearby. But this sort of thing had happened plenty of times today—everyone was used to it. They just looked over briefly and turned away.
“Aiyun, what did you think of?” Seeing her staring intently, Zhang Yaoyao swallowed nervously, wondering what she’d done to spark the inspiration.
“I was thinking we could make a bag—no, a scarf.” Lin Aiyun spoke in a jumble, but before she could finish, Qin Shuang cut her off. “Both of those have already been rejected.”
“No, wait—how do I explain this?” Knowing she couldn’t put it into words, Lin Aiyun pulled out a finished embroidery piece from her bag—one she’d completed just yesterday. She’d planned to exchange it for points and payment today, but before she could get to the registration desk, she’d been dragged to the cafeteria.
“What are you doing? Isn’t that the piece you spent two days on?” Qin Shuang gasped, sitting up straight and staring wide-eyed as Lin Aiyun began stitching the embroidery into something “messy” using the needles and thread she carried with her.
Lin Aiyun didn’t answer—she was completely focused on the task at hand.
“Aiyun’s lost it, hasn’t she?” Qin Shuang turned to look at Yang Xi and Zhang Yaoyao, hoping to get them to agree with her. But they just glanced at her and then turned their attention back to Lin Aiyun.
“Aiyun must have her reasons.”
“No embroiderer would ruin a finished piece.”
Finding their words reasonable, Qin Shuang swallowed and also turned her gaze to the oddly shaped piece of fabric in Lin Aiyun’s hands. No matter how she looked at it, she found it strange.
She just couldn’t see it!
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