Chapter 246 Wedding Banquet Turmoil
In the first month of the lunar calendar, Qinghetun was still immersed in the chill of melting snow.
Icicles dripped water from the base of the old Gu family courtyard wall, splashing onto the bluestone slabs with a pattering sound, like the tapping of some uneasy rhythm.
Zhang Pandi huddled in the corner of the kang (heated brick bed) in her dark and damp side room, picking at the torn reed bark on the kang mat with her fingers.
Outside the window, laughter and chatter could be heard coming from the Gu family's courtyard. Wu Guixiang was directing Gu Jianqiang and his grandsons to move tables and borrow stools in preparation for Gu Baobao's wedding banquet the next day.
The laughter was so loud and clear that it hurt Zhang Pandi's ears.
A year ago, in this same village, she pushed Gu Baobao, a dark-skinned, fat man with a muffled voice, to the side of a ditch.
I wanted to teach her a lesson then, since that brat wouldn't give her eggs.
Who would have thought he'd hit his head on a rock?
She was terrified, causing her parents to apologize and pay money. In the end, her parents sent her to the mountains that very night to marry an old bachelor.
Those days... Zhang Pandi shuddered, her hand instinctively reaching for the indelible scars on her arm.
After the old bachelor died, she was taken back to her parents' home like a piece of junk. Her brother and sister-in-law looked down on her, and her parents sighed.
And what about Gu Baobao?
The person who should have died not only came back to life, but also became noticeably lighter and thinner, almost strikingly handsome, as if he had shed a layer of skin.
She rose from a barefoot doctor to a military expert, married a military officer, and now she's returning to her village in style to hold a banquet, which even city leaders are attending!
On what grounds?
Zhang Pandi's fingernails dug into her palms, her eyes filled with venom.
She secretly went to the county yesterday and used her last bit of savings to exchange for half a bottle of kerosene on the black market.
The glass bottle pressed coldly against her chest, like holding a burning ember.
We can't just let this go.
Even if I die, I'll drag Gu Baobao down with me.
Ye Ke, who also couldn't sleep.
She lay in the Zhang family's cold, ice-cold side room, her hand resting on her slightly protruding belly.
Regarding the whistleblower letter, the commune secretary criticized her as a "sabotage element" in front of the entire village, and the punishment of having her work points deducted and being forced to carry manure felt like a branding iron on her face.
Her mother-in-law, Zhao Jinlan, now looks at her like she's a plague carrier, and her husband, Zhang Baogen, won't even sleep next to her on the kang (a heated brick bed).
It all started when Gu Baobao returned to the village.
Ye Ke bit the corner of the blanket, her mind replaying the scene of her "chance encounter" with Gu Baobao by the well during the day.
The woman was wearing a well-fitting dark blue Lenin suit with a military overcoat over it, and the red scarf around her neck made her face look as white as snow.
The tall soldier next to her, Lu Zhanming, protected her closely, his eyes filled with sweet affection.
Why should I have to rot away in this wretched place?
And Gu Baobao can have all of this?
A thought, like a poisonous ivy, crept up on me:
It ruined her wedding.
Let her lose face at the height of her glory, and let that military officer husband see what kind of woman he married.
Ye Ke quietly got up, put on her cotton-padded coat, and slipped out of the Zhang family's courtyard.
Under the pale moonlight, she found Zhang Pandi waiting by the haystack at the back wall of the Gu family's old house.
The two women's eyes met in the darkness, burning with the same twisted fire.
"We got the kerosene."
Zhang Pandi's voice was hoarse as she pulled the small bottle from her bosom.
Ye Ke's heart was pounding, but she was even more excited:
"At the banquet tomorrow, I'll find a chance to ambush her by the well and say she pushed me. You take advantage of the chaos..."
"I know."
Zhang Pandi interrupted her, grinning to reveal teeth stained yellow from smoking.
“Burn down her old house. Even if you can't burn it down, it will still ruin her wedding. Let the whole village see that Gu Baobao is a jinx.”
The two leaned closer, lowering their voices to go over the details again and again.
How the kerosene was spilled, how the tinderbox was hidden, how Ye Ke fell and cried out... every step exuded a ruthless determination to fight to the death.
Unbeknownst to them, a figure stood quietly behind the window on the second floor of the Gu family's new house in the distance.
Lu Zhanming squinted as he watched the two blurry figures beside the haystack separate and disappear into the darkness.
"Brother Zhanming?"
Gu Baobao washed her face and came out of the inner room. Seeing him standing by the window, she walked over and asked softly.
"What are you looking at?"
Lu Zhanming withdrew his gaze, turned around, put his arm around her shoulder, and spoke in his usual tone:
"It's nothing, just looking at the moon. It'll be colder tomorrow, so wear more layers."
Gu Baobao hummed in agreement and nestled in his arms.
She actually noticed her husband's muscles tense up for a moment, but didn't ask any questions.
There were some things he didn't want to bother her with, so she pretended not to know.
But deep within her consciousness, the electronic voice of the system, Defu, quietly sounded:
[Host, a cluster of malicious targets has been detected within a 50-meter radius and has been marked. Should continuous monitoring be initiated? This consumes 5 merit points per minute.]
Gu Baobao replied in her heart:
Monitor Zhang Pandi and Ye Ke. Pay special attention to whether they are carrying any dangerous items.
【Yes, sir!】
Defu's voice was filled with eagerness.
[I'm curious to see what new tricks these two daredevils have up their sleeves!]
The following day was the actual wedding day of Gu Baobao and Lu Zhanming.
Before dawn, the Gu family's old house was already bustling with activity.
Li Fenfang and Wu Guixiang were frying and cooking in the kitchen, and the aroma wafted far and wide.
Gu Jianqiang and his brothers set up a makeshift stove in the yard, and the water in the large iron pot was bubbling away.
Gu Baobao got up early and carefully applied light makeup in front of a small mirror.
The powder was bought through a friend in Shanghai; it was extremely fine. The lipstick was obtained by Lu Zhanming from somewhere; it was a vibrant red.
With her skillful touch, she quickly outlined the best features of her eyebrows, eyes, and lips, making her look as radiant as a crabapple blossom suddenly blooming in the snow.
She wasn't wearing a bright red wedding dress.
She and Lu Zhanming both changed into brand-new military uniforms; hers was a female cadre uniform with bright red collar insignia.
His uniform was crisp and sharp, with gleaming epaulets.
The two stood side by side in front of the mirror, their striking good looks revealing a perfect match.
"So handsome."
Lu Zhanming wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head, his voice full of pride.
"My wife looks best in military uniform."
Gu Baobao looked at him in the mirror and smiled:
"Director Lu, please be mindful of the consequences."
"Influence?"
Lu Zhanming lowered his head and gently bit her earlobe, his warm breath entering her ear.
"It's only natural for me to hug my wife."
The two were chatting and laughing in hushed tones when the sound of a car engine came from the courtyard.
Lu Zhanming's expression turned serious, and he released his grip:
"The leaders have arrived."
The delegation included not only county officials, but also two leaders from the municipal health bureau and the armed forces department.
The jeep stopped at the entrance of the village, and the group walked in. The villagers who had gathered along the way made way for them, their eyes filled with awe and curiosity. This was the first time that such a high-ranking official had come to Qinghe Village for a banquet!
Gu Baobao and Lu Zhanming greeted them at the gate of the courtyard.
The leaders were very polite, shaking Gu Baobao's hand and repeatedly saying "Congratulations," while nodding to Lu Zhanming. Their words, however, clearly indicated that they valued Gu Baobao more.
"We've all heard about Expert Gu's contributions to the capital! The hemostatic powder, the health-preserving pills, and the glory he brought to the country at the F country exhibition—truly remarkable!"
"We've come back on behalf of the organization to offer our congratulations on this happy occasion! Expert Gu is the pride of our region!"
Gu Baobao handled the situation appropriately, her smile gentle yet measured.
Lu Zhanming stood half a step behind her, silent as a guarding mountain, but his sharp gaze swept over every corner of the courtyard.
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