"It’s really good. I haven’t had cornbread in ages. It’s one of my favorites,"
Sun Jiaming said with a smile.
"Then please, have so more."
Liu Cui said with a small smile.
The Wang Family’s three children ca ho as well. The two oldest were daughters, seventeen and fourteen, and the little boy they had seen earlier was eight.
"Let them co up on the kang and eat with us,"
Gu’er said to Liu Cui.
"No, no, it’s fine. You eat. There’s food for them in the kitchen; I saved them so."
Liu Cui waved her hand dismissively, not letting the three children join them on the kang.
But as Gu’er watched eight-year-old Wang Ming sneak glances at the food on the kang table, she knew there probably wasn’t anything left in the kitchen. Liu Cui was just worried there wouldn’t be enough for her guests, so she kept her children away from the table.
Gu’er knew that it was customary around here to offer guests the very best, ensuring they ate their fill, even if the host family had to go hungry.
Technically, she and Sun Jiaming were strangers, and Liu Cui could have just ignored them. But she hadn’t. She had welcod them in. ’It shows that even though she sotis scolds her husband, it’s only because life has forced her hand. Deep down, she really loves him,’ Gu’er thought.
"We can’t possibly finish all this. Please, let’s eat together. The more, the rrier—it makes the food taste better."
How could Gu’er bear to let the children go hungry?
In the end, the entire Wang Family sat down at the table. As they all ate and chatted, Gu’er noticed Liu Cui ladle a generous serving of cabbage and potato soup for Wang Shun, making sure his bowl was full, and gave him a cornbread patty as well.
Wang Shun gave his wife a simple, honest smile, and Liu Cui shot him a glare.
A sense of bliss washed over Gu’er. ’Liu Cui really does dote on her husband.’
After the al, Gu’er and Sun Jiaming stayed for a little while before taking their leave. Wang Shun offered to walk them out, worried they might get lost.
Liu Cui saw them to the door as well, telling them to visit again.
Wang Shun walked them all the way to the main road. He watched as Gu’er and Sun Jiaming got into their car, waving continuously until they drove off.
Back at the hotel, Gu’er and Sun Jiaming started talking about Wang Shun.
"Are you thinking of asking Uncle Wang to work at the nursing ho?"
Sun Jiaming asked.
"Exactly. Once the nursing ho is built, we need to find soone trustworthy to oversee things. I don’t really have anyone suitable in mind right now. It’s easy enough to find a manager, and general laborers are easy to find, too. Sa goes for cooks and caregivers—we can just hire so capable won from the village. If we pay them to clean, look after the elderly, and do the laundry, they’d be happy to do it.
"But finding soone truly trustworthy is the hard part. We can’t be there all the ti, so we need soone reliable on the ground to give us regular updates. I think Uncle Wang would be perfect. He’s straightforward—blunt, even—but he won’t lie or hide things. With soone like him there, I doubt the manager would dare to cut corners or be deceitful. They’d have to do their job properly.
"I feel that if we’re going to do this, we have to do it right. We can’t have people cursing our na. What do you think?"
Gu’er laid out her thoughts for Sun Jiaming. Funding a nursing ho wasn’t actually difficult for them. A small portion of their earnings, whether from the departnt store or from their exports to the Soviet Union, would be more than enough. But if they were going to spend the money, they had to make sure the job was done right.
"I agree, I think Uncle Wang would be a good fit. When we were at their house today, I noticed that even though Aunt Wang nags Uncle Wang, she’s still very good to him. And Aunt Wang doesn’t have a an bone in her body. Their three kids are honest and well-behaved, too. Uncle Wang might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but that’s actually what makes him suitable for this. The only question is, would he be willing to leave his family here and co with us?"
Sun Jiaming was worried Wang Shun wouldn’t want to leave his family behind.
"We’ll go back tomorrow and ask him. If he says no, we’ll just have to find soone else."
The reason they hadn’t brought it up today was that Gu’er wanted to see how the Wang Family would treat them without any promise of reward. As it turned out, they were truly genuine people.
"Okay."
Sun Jiaming nodded, then pulled Gu’er into his arms.
"You know, it would have been great if we were alone on Sun Island today,"
Sun Jiaming whispered to Gu’er.
"Why?"
Gu’er didn’t understand at first.
"If we were alone, I would have..."
He whispered right into her ear, and he could feel it turning beet red.
Gu’er’s face flushed crimson. ’This Jia Ming is so brazen! To think that if they were alone on the island, he would have... with ...’
’In broad daylight, on an island, no less! How could he even dare? Just the thought of it made her heart pound.’
"Don’t be ridiculous,"
Gu’er huffed at Sun Jiaming.
"I’m not being ridiculous. People do it in cornfields, you know."
Sun Jiaming’s hands began to wander over her body as he continued to whisper unfiltered words into her ear.
Gu’er buried her face in Jia Ming’s chest. ’What Jia Ming said was so... explicit.’ And yet, hearing it from his lips, she felt sothing more than just embarrassnt. A flicker of impulse made her hug him tighter, pressing her body closer to his...
——————
The power was out all day today, so I combined two Chapters into one. As soon as it ca back on, I skipped dinner and ignored my kid’s howork just to get this written. Now, ti to go check on that howork.
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