Chen Lishu’s anger, initially at three parts, surged to eight as she saw his attitude. Besides anger, she also felt wronged. It was clearly his fault, yet he dared to challenge her with such a demeanor.
Immediately, she threw down the spatula, tilted her head back, and glared at him, “Yes, that’s what I said!”
“Heh.”
Seeing her posture, like a provoked little chick ready to peck, Gu Xingdong was amused.
How could he still laugh at a time like this? Chen Lishu was instantly enraged.
“Gu Xingdong, I’m telling you, straighten your attitude. If you… I…”
In her haste, she forgot what she was going to say.
Gu Xingdong stretched out his long arms, pulled her into his embrace, and rested his chin on her head, saying, “Alright, I’m back.”
Chen Lishu blinked a couple of times, the realization dawning on her, and she felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.
Seeing her smile, Gu Xingdong leaned his chiseled face closer and asked in a low voice, “Not angry anymore?”
“I’ve never seen anyone as shameless as you.” Chen Lishu gave him a chiding look and then pushed him away, “Hurry up and get out. My pancakes are burning.”
Gu Xingdong complied, no longer bothering her, and turned to leave the kitchen.
“Third Brother, did you have a fight with Third Sister-in-law?” Gu Xingping hurried over as she saw him emerge and asked in a low voice.
Gu Xingdong glanced at her, “Which eye of yours saw us fighting?”
Gu Xingping pouted, “I heard Third Sister-in-law tell you to get lost.”
Gu Xingdong’s eyes flickered, “You misheard.”
Gu Xingping scrutinized him carefully and asked doubtfully, “Third Brother, are you afraid of Third Sister-in-law?”
“Nonsense!”
As soon as he spoke, realizing his tone was a bit too abrupt, Gu Xingdong cleared his throat and sat up straighter, “Husband and wife aren’t enemies, so how can there be fear?”
Gu Xingping didn’t quite understand. She looked up and saw Chen Lishu carrying the pancakes in, her expression unchanged. Only then did she feel relieved.
The next day, Gu Xingdong had a rare day off. The three of them took a bus to the city early in the morning. After showing Gu Xingping around, Chen Lishu stopped when she saw a Xinhua Bookstore.
The glass windows on both sides of the store were inscribed with traditional characters that read, "Four Treasures of the Study, Office Supplies," and so on.
Chen Lishu had never been inside a bookstore before. Seeing the crowd inside, she couldn’t help but curiously pull Gu Xingdong and Gu Xingping inside.
The bookstore was not large, about forty to fifty square meters. Glass display counters were placed on three sides, and the wall facing the entrance was covered with propaganda posters, mostly portraits of great leaders, with a few others of celebrities or ordinary working people.
It was August, and students were on summer vacation. Besides a few genuine book buyers, most people were there to browse books.
Chen Lishu moved closer to a counter, looked down carefully, and felt a slight disappointment.
Since many books were still banned, the counters mostly displayed Chairman Mao’s Selected Works, collections, or comic books, or limited titles like "Tracks in the Snowy Forest," "Red Crag," and "The Crimson Sun."
Chen Lishu looked up, her gaze falling on a staff member in a grey Zhongshan suit behind the counter, and she asked, “Comrade, do you have any study materials for high school?”
“I don’t know if we have any left. Please wait a moment, and I’ll go look,” the salesperson said, turning around to search through a large pile of books. She also wondered what was going on, as several people had come to buy study materials in the past two days.
“Yu Wei, it’s so hot. Why don’t you stay home instead of squeezing with so many people, smelling of sweat? It’s awful.”
While Chen Lishu was waiting, two girls suddenly squeezed next to her. She instinctively turned her head and saw two beautiful young women, about eighteen or nineteen years old. The girl on the left, wearing a white floral dress and with a slender build, looked full of disdain.
“Sun Ling, I heard my dad say that a meeting was held upstairs and it was decided to reinstate the college entrance examination,” Jiang Yuwei said in a low voice.
“I heard that too, but it’s just hearsay. Think about it, how many years has the college entrance examination been canceled? It’s not that easy to reinstate it,” Sun Ling said dismissively, thinking Jiang Yuwei was too prone to believing rumors.
“I think it will be reinstated. My dad said that the authorities are very determined this time.”
Chen Lishu was surprised to hear their conversation. She remembered that in her previous life, the official announcement of the reinstatement of the college entrance examination was in October. She hadn’t expected news to be circulating in August.
“Comrade, here are the materials you wanted.” While Chen Lishu was trying to overhear more information, the salesperson suddenly walked over and pushed a few books towards her.
Chen Lishu glanced through them and found them very useful. She looked up and asked, “How much are these in total?”
“Four books, one yuan and two jiao.”
Chen Lishu nodded and was about to pay when Jiang Yuwei, standing beside her, pointed at the materials on the counter and said, “Comrade, I want a set of these materials too, like this lady.”
“Sorry, we only have this last set left in the store.” The salesperson said with a hint of apology, “Perhaps you could try the bookstore on Jianshe Road?”
The store on Jianshe Road was relatively larger and had a wider selection of books, so the salesperson offered this suggestion kindly.
Jiang Yuwei frowned elegantly upon hearing this. She had just come from that direction.
There were only two bookstores in the city, and she had pinned her hopes on this one.
“We just came from that side. We’re almost suffering from heatstroke in this sweltering heat.”
Sun Ling, upon hearing that there were none, pouted unhappily. Her gaze fell on Chen Lishu, her eyes rolled, and she smiled, saying, “Comrade, we’ve traveled a long way just for these materials. How about you let us have them?”
“Sorry, I need them very much too.” Chen Lishu smiled and refused. Study-related materials were scarce in those days, and especially with the imminent reinstatement of the college entrance examination, having one more review material meant one more chance of winning.
“Comrade, I really need these books. If you’re willing to let them go, I’m willing to pay double the price for them. What do you say?” Jiang Yuwei spoke after thinking for a moment.
Facing the beauty’s soft plea, Chen Lishu thought that if she were a man, she might have been soft-hearted and agreed. But she was also a woman, so she could only refuse again, “These materials are very important to me too. I’m sorry.”
After speaking, Chen Lishu took out one yuan and two jiao and handed it to the salesperson. After paying, she took the books, called out to Gu Xingping and Gu Xingdong, and left.
“Stop right there!”
Sun Ling, displeased, blocked her path, “We’ve told you that we came all this way specifically for these materials, and Yu Wei is even willing to compensate you with a higher price. Can’t you wait a bit longer to buy them?”
Chen Lishu was amused by her shameless words and was about to retort when someone beside her reacted faster.
“No.”
Gu Xingdong coldly uttered two words, pulled Chen Lishu to his side, and looked at her, frowning in displeasure, “Don’t talk to strangers casually in the future. What if you run into some idiot who blocks your way?”