Chapter 168 Settling in the Capital
The early morning sunlight filtered through the window lattice and sprinkled on the red date tea that Gu Qiuyue had carefully prepared. The misty hot steam carried a faint sweet fragrance. She carefully placed the teacup on the small table outside Granny Li's door, still thinking about the sad country tune she heard last night.
The door creaked open, and Granny Li came out, draped in her coat. There was a faint dark discoloration under her eyes, but she looked in good spirits. Seeing the teacup at the door, she was slightly startled, and a warm look flashed in her eyes: "Qiuyue, you are always so thoughtful..."
"I made a little extra this morning, thinking you might enjoy it." Gu Qiuyue smiled gently, never mentioning what happened last night. She helped Granny Li sit on a stone bench in the courtyard. "The weather is nice today, and Madam Qin invited us to go shopping on Qianmen Street. I heard Ruifuxiang just received a batch of silk threads from Suzhou and Hangzhou, with very unique patterns."
Granny Li's hands subconsciously stroked the corners of her clothes, her eyes filled with anticipation and hesitation: "This... is too much trouble for me..."
"It's no trouble." Gu Qiuyue said softly, "Mrs. Qin is from Chief Shiyu's family. She studies folk culture and is particularly fond of embroidery. She's been looking for someone knowledgeable about it and wanted to ask for advice. She said that if you have time, we could go and take a look together."
This was said cleverly, giving Granny Li face while also easing her psychological burden. The old woman was indeed reassured and nodded hesitantly, "Then... let's go and take a look."
Qianmen Street was bustling with people. The capital of the early 1980s was full of new energy. Mrs. Qin was an intellectual woman of about fifty, dressed in a well-fitting Dacron shirt and with her hair neatly combed into a bun. When she saw Granny Li, she warmly took her hand and said, "Sister Li, I've been waiting for you. I've heard from Shi Yu that you're a great embroider. I'd like to ask for your advice today."
Granny Li was infected by her enthusiasm and smiled shyly: "I don't deserve it, it's just some country tricks..."
The three of them walked and talked, from the ancient buildings on the street to folk crafts. Mrs. Qin was knowledgeable but did not show off. Granny Li gradually relaxed and started talking more.
Ruifengxiang is filled with a wide variety of silk threads. Granny Li was attracted by them as soon as she entered the store. Her fingers gently stroked the glittering satins, and a long-lost light flashed in her eyes. Seeing that she was an expert in the business, the clerk enthusiastically introduced the newly arrived silk threads.
"This is from Hangzhou Textile, and this is from Suzhou embroidery..." Granny Li picked up a bunch of silk thread and rubbed it between her fingertips, then accurately identified its origin and characteristics. "This Suzhou embroidery thread is dyed well, with bright colors that don't fade easily."
The clerk was surprised and said, "Old man, you have good eyesight!"
Mrs. Qin praised repeatedly: "Sister Li is really an expert!"
Gu Qiuyue watched from the side with a smile on her lips. At this moment, her eyes accidentally swept out the window and suddenly stopped.
At the corner of the street, two familiar yet embarrassed figures were pulling each other.
Chen Xiangsong, wearing a washed-out work suit and with disheveled hair, was fighting with a woman in a cheap printed shirt for a bun that had fallen to the ground.
That woman - although she looked much more haggard, Gu Qiuyue recognized her as Bai Xiaolian at a glance.
"You have no future. You can't even grab a bun." Bai Xiaolian cursed sharply, with unconcealable harshness and resentment on her face.
Chen Xiangsong pushed her away and said, "If you hadn't insisted on buying that vanishing cream, would you have no money to eat?"
The two men started fighting in the street, attracting the attention of passers-by. Gu Qiuyue watched quietly, with no ripples in her heart, as if she was watching a farce that had nothing to do with her. The grudges of past and present lives were finally settled at this moment.
She turned around calmly and continued to pick the silk threads, completely forgetting the two figures.
After coming back from shopping, Granny Li's face had a long-lost glow, and she even took out the newly bought silk thread to show it to others.
In the evening, the courtyard door creaked open and Xie Shiyu came back carrying a luggage bag.
"Why did you come back early?" Gu Qiuyue greeted him in surprise.
"I have a meeting tomorrow, so I came back today to prepare." Xie Shiyu put down his luggage and took out an envelope from his bag with a smile in his eyes. "Just in time, I have some good news."
He pulled out some documents. "The publishing house wants to hire you as a special editor. The Foreign Languages Institute wants you to teach part-time. There's also a newly established foreign affairs service department. I heard you're good at foreign languages, so they want you there, too."
Gu Qiuyue took the document, looked at it, and gently placed it on the table: "I've made up my mind. I'd better become a freelancer, write books, do translations, have more free time, and spend more time with the children and Grandma Li."
Xie Shiyu raised his eyebrows: "Are you sure? These units all offer good treatment."
"Sure." Gu Qiuyue smiled. "Now that my royalties have increased, I have endless translation work to do. My income is no worse than working. Besides..." She looked at Granny Li, who was teaching Shuangshuang how to identify silk thread, "My family needs me more."
Xie Shiyu held her hand: "Just think it through. But..." He lowered his voice, "There's something I need your help with - a few of my old comrades have retired and want to start a business but don't know how to write documents. Can you..."
"Of course." Gu Qiuyue's eyes lit up. "It just so happens that I know a few editors at newspapers and can help promote them."
Late at night, while checking the doors and windows, Gu Qiuyue spotted a brand new handkerchief on the small table by Granny Li's door. She picked it up and saw it was the plain satin she had bought that day, embroidered with the old locust tree in the courtyard and three tiny figures beneath it—clearly herself, Shuangshuang, and Huahua. The stitching was precise and lifelike, each one imbued with deep affection.
Gu Qiuyue held the handkerchief, feeling a warm feeling in her heart. She gently pushed open Grandma Li's door and wanted to say thank you, but she saw that the old woman was already asleep, with an unfinished embroidery lying beside her pillow. It was a larger embroidery that had just outlined the contours of the distant mountains.
Under the moonlight, Granny Li's sleeping face was peaceful, but there was an indescribable melancholy in the corner of her mouth, as if she was still thinking about her distant hometown and unfinished business in her dream.
Gu Qiuyue quietly closed the door and thought: This handkerchief represents gratitude and acceptance, but what kind of untold story is hidden in the embroidery of distant mountains?
Back in the study, Xie Shiyu was still sorting through meeting materials under the lamp. Seeing her come in, he put down his pen and reached out to pull her into his arms. Gu Qiuyue gently placed her handkerchief on the table and snuggled up to her husband's shoulder. The moonlight outside the window was just right, casting their figures on the window frame.
"Granny Li's knot will eventually unravel," Xie Shiyu whispered, his warm palm caressing her hair. "Just like how you helped my old comrades write materials and build connections. Now their farms and repair shops are thriving. Some things can't be rushed, but they will always get better."
Gu Qiuyue nodded, thinking of the light that had returned to Granny Li's eyes, Mrs. Qin's heartfelt admiration, and even more so, the unfinished embroidery of distant mountains - that might not only be homesickness, but also a past waiting to be listened to. And what she had was patience, using the warmth of this home to illuminate every corner of the old man's heart inch by inch.
Faint sounds of cars and people came from outside the wall. Shuangshuang and Huahua were sleeping soundly next door. Gu Qiuyue held Xie Shiyu's hand, interlocking their fingers.
This family is just like the jujube tree in the yard. After enduring wind, frost, rain and snow, it will eventually grow deep roots and lush leaves, and stand tall like a canopy. Their story will also continue to be written warmly and lingeringly in the passing years.
(End of full text)
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