CHAPTER 29: CHAPTER 29 RESISTANCE

The principal, upon hearing this, angrily slammed the table: "At this time and age, is there still such feudal dross! This unhealthy trend must be curbed!"

The teacher of Sun Lijuan was called over, and upon hearing this, he was stunned. Since when did Sun Lijuan have a sister?

Sun Lijuan never considered Sun Chan as family. She told outsiders that she was the only child in her family, an only daughter. This was rare in the 1980s. Many people envied her. She was proud, dressed well, ate well, and had good social skills, and was very popular in her class. Some of the boys in the city, seeing that although her family was from the countryside, the burden was relatively light and the family was well off, thought they might try to make a move since she could be assigned a good job after attending vocational school.

Who would have thought that Sun Lijuan had such a malicious side!

After Sun Chan finished telling the story, she didn’t care about the consequences. She bowed to the principal and teacher, then got on the train, heading to the neighboring X City.

Although she hadn’t left the village in her previous life, she had heard from others in the village about how prosperous the economy was over there, with many people working hard for a living. Although it wasn’t apparent now, within ten years, it could develop into a very large city.

In this lifetime, Sun Chan was unrestrained; she was going out to explore!

Moreover, her wallet still had nearly a hundred dollars which could temporarily keep her from starving. She felt secure, and thus was at ease on the train.

At this time, Bai Fanglan had already gone to the Gu Family with Gu Junming. She didn’t know about Sun Chan’s affair. If she had been there, knowing she was driven away, she probably would have clapped her hands in delight.

The two bought some gifts on the street. Gu Junming didn’t like doing these formalities, but Bai Fanglan insisted, saying it was a gesture for grandpa, so Gu Junming agreed. He insisted on using his own money and not hers.

Along the way, it was Bai Fanglan who was talking and laughing, while Gu Junming only occasionally responded with a few words. However, she didn’t seem to realize and continued smiling brightly.

The Gu Family lived in a big compound in the city, and the living environment was even better than that of the Bai Family.

Gu Junming’s grandfather, Gu Dongfang, had joined the revolution at about eleven or twelve years old. Now, he was retired and at home but still spirited. He didn’t have any formal celebrations for his birthday, celebrating quietly at home with family.

When the two arrived, Gu Dongfang’s daughter-in-law, Wang Guihua, was in the kitchen cooking with the maid.

Hearing Bai Fanglan’s voice, Wang Guihua hurriedly went out to greet her, holding Bai Fanglan by one hand. She enthusiastically smiled and said: "Lanlan is here? Haven’t seen you for so long, you’ve become even more beautiful!"

"Hello auntie!"

"Hello, you came with my Mingzi? That’s wonderful." Wang Guihua smiled warmly and patted Bai Fanglan’s face, the satisfaction on her face visible to everyone present. She was Gu Zishan’s second wife but was very warm towards Gu Junming, letting him sit on the sofa and pouring him tea.

Gu Junming politely greeted Wang Guihua: "Auntie, where’s my grandpa?"

"In the study discussing things with your dad. Old Master Bai is also here," Wang Guihua said with a smile.

Bai Fanglan blushed slightly and looked shyly at Gu Junming.

Gu Junming remained unmoved, turned and walked towards the study: "Then I’ll go and see him."

"Junming, let’s go together, I’ll greet grandpa," Bai Fanglan said with a smile.

"Never mind, you can chat with my aunt. We’ll meet again at dinner." Gu Junming didn’t stop walking and went straight in.

Wang Guihua pretended not to notice Bai Fanglan’s disappointment, smiled, and pulled Bai Fanglan into the kitchen: "Come, let’s cook together. We women don’t understand men’s business, no need to bother with it."

Bai Fanglan laughed: "I’m not good at cooking. Don’t blame me."

"How could I? We’ll all have to get used to your taste in the future, so get some practice in first!"

One sentence made Bai Fanglan’s face turn red. She smiled with pursed lips and followed her into the kitchen. Since there was a cook, the two only did some basic tasks, like picking vegetables and peeling onions. Even if Bai Fanglan were to do it, she wouldn’t be able to.

Wang Guihua constantly praised Bai Fanglan for being sensible: "Junming is lucky. If my son could have such a wife in the future, that would be great."

Bai Fanglan pretended not to understand and smiled: "Brother Juntao is also twenty-two already, he hasn’t thought of finding a partner?"

"Him, he just joined the military. He says family should come after career. He doesn’t even consider marriage, and doesn’t let me worry. I think he’s right, he’s steady, and his future partner won’t be bad."

"Yes, Brother Juntao is a very meticulous person," Bai Fanglan agreed with a smile, but in her heart, she didn’t think much of it. Gu Juntao was the son of Wang Guihua and Gu Zishan. Unlike Gu Junming, who left home young, he was overly coddled by his parents. A complete mama’s boy, he was lazy, had no ambitions in life, and was somewhat overweight, looking nothing like a young man anymore; he was very average.

However, he was obedient, and Bai Chuan had once thought of marrying his granddaughter to him. After all, marrying into the Gu Family was beneficial. Gu Junming was too challenging to control. Gu Juntao was a better option.

Bai Fanglan firmly opposed: "Grandpa, he’s several years younger than me! Besides, if it weren’t for the old master’s connections, Gu Juntao might not even pass his physical exam. Such a person won’t have any prospects. I would never marry him, even if I died."

Seeing her attitude, Bai Chuan dropped the idea.

Wang Guihua, of course, knew what her son was like. Fortunately, she only hoped he would take a civil post, and transitioning to a government office in the future would be good enough.

The atmosphere between the two women was harmonious, but in the study, it was tense with undercurrents.

Gu Junming walked in to find his grandfather and father seated formally. On one side was Bai Chuan, and all three were looking at him seriously. He then smiled slightly.

"What’s this? Are you going to examine me?"

"Junming, have a seat," Gu Dongfang pointed to the seat in front of him, getting straight to the point: "I heard you applied for this mission?"

Gu Junming sat down and nodded: "Yes, why, doesn’t grandpa want me to go?"

Gu Zishan on the side said: "It’s not that we don’t want you to go. It’s just that we heard this time candidates are all above battalion level. As a company commander, if you go, people might not see it as bravery but as ambition, doing whatever it takes for promotion, which might not be good for you. Your grandfather and I don’t want you leaving such an impression. We’ve never used family connections for your matters, and such gossip wouldn’t please anyone."

"Father thinks I might ruin your reputation?"

"You... how can you say that? When did I ever say such a thing!"