Chapter 19: She Doesn’t Deserve It at All

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She had arrived.

This was the place.

Lu Jiaor stood at the entrance of a large courtyard that looked exceptionally quiet but was heavily guarded, holding two large bags of luggage.

Fortunately, it was just a short bus ride—less than ten stops—and the time was still early afternoon.

“Comrade, this is a work unit compound. If you have no business here, please leave,” the guard at the security booth said upon seeing a woman dressed plainly in a rural style standing nonchalantly at the gate, offering a polite reminder.

Lu Jiaor came back to her senses and didn’t feel offended; indeed, she shouldn’t linger here without reason.

“Hello, comrade. I am Gu Fengji’s wife. We just got married recently. He asked me to come from Guizhou Province to his family home. Could you please notify them for me?” she said calmly, handing over a piece of paper with Gu Fengji’s family phone number and address.

She didn’t know how the Gu family would react, but she was no longer someone to hide in shame. The fact was established; there was no need to be embarrassed.

What?!

She was Captain Gu’s wife?!

No, that couldn’t be right. They hadn’t heard that Captain Gu was married.

Even if he was, he shouldn’t have married some rural woman like her! How could Chief Gu’s family possibly agree?

Several guards who overheard her words were stunned, barely believing their ears. They hadn’t even received any news about Captain Gu’s marriage.

However, they had little reason to doubt her. This was something that could be easily verified, and the chance of her lying was slim.

Moreover, the phone number and address she held were indeed from Chief Gu’s household, without any mistake.

“Comrade, please wait a moment. I’ll call inside to confirm,” a guard said before quickly retreating to the security room to make a phone call.

A short while later, the guard returned with an inexplicable expression.

“Sorry, comrade. Chief Gu’s family says they don’t know you, and that Captain Gu is on a mission and couldn’t possibly be married.”

In truth, the guard knew the woman outside was telling the truth when he heard the family’s response. It was clear they were unwilling to admit this rural daughter-in-law, not the daughter-in-law they desired.

He felt sympathy for Lu Jiaor, but there was nothing he could do to help.

“Alright, I understand. Thank you, comrade. I’ll be going now,” Lu Jiaor said calmly. She had anticipated no one would meet her at the train station, so she felt no disappointment or despair. She nodded politely to the guards and left without hesitation.

She understood and held no grudges, showing tact and leaving without much emotion.

There was no way she would return to Guizhou Province, so she planned to rent a place in Beijing and settle down for the time being.

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After all, now that she had money, a marriage certificate, and an introduction letter, she wasn’t afraid she couldn’t find a place to rent.

Lu Jiaor left.

Several guards quietly watched her go, all understanding the situation in their hearts.

A wooden door matched with a red gate—it simply didn’t fit.

What kind of family was the Gu family?!

They didn’t lack sympathy for Lu Jiaor; the gap between rural and urban people was vast, let alone the Gu family’s high status. It was not a mere difference, but a chasm between heaven and earth, impossible to bridge.

Lu Jiaor didn’t look for housing nearby but went in the opposite direction of the Gu household, deliberately putting distance between them.

Meanwhile, inside the courtyard, the Gu family was gathered.

“Mother, I didn’t expect that woman to actually find this place. If she refuses to leave and keeps lingering outside, it will become a laughingstock for others,” Gu Mingzhi said, having overheard the earlier phone call. She hadn’t imagined that this rural woman could be so capable as to come here on her own.

But she worried that if the woman shamelessly stayed outside until her father and the other family elders returned from work, who knew what kind of embarrassment it would bring.

Her idea of paying off the rural woman with money had been rejected by her mother, who believed that after learning about their family’s status, no amount of money would drive her away.

“A laughingstock or not, it’s inevitable at this point. I’m no longer afraid of ridicule. I will never acknowledge such a woman, nor allow her to set foot in our home—not even one step,” Gu’s mother said with a cold, expressionless resolve. Having such a daughter-in-law was already a joke to her; she no longer cared.

However, to the surprise of the mother and daughter, no one came to raise the matter that evening when the family returned from work. Even Gu’s father appeared completely unaware.

Since no one spoke of it and her husband seemed oblivious, Gu’s mother and Gu Mingzhi naturally kept silent.

Later, under the cover of night, Gu Mingzhi quietly patrolled the courtyard gate but found no sign of any woman lingering outside. They had no idea where the woman had gone.

Lu Jiaor took her introduction letter and checked into a guesthouse, which charged one yuan per night.

She ordered a meat and vegetable dish at the neighboring state-run restaurant, along with a large bowl of rice, and only after eating her fill did she leisurely return.

“Sister, I want to ask—where can I rent a detached house?” she inquired of a woman in her thirties who worked there.

Since Lu Jiaor had registered her stay with her, Liu Xiuqing knew her identity as a soldier’s wife. She wondered why, if her in-laws were also in Beijing, she didn’t just live with them.

“There are some, but you have to go to the neighborhood committee to rent a place. Sister, why don’t you go back to your in-laws’ house?” Liu asked curiously.

“I married my husband impulsively—we only knew each other a few days before getting married. He’s from Beijing, and I’m from the countryside. My in-laws don’t know about our marriage. I went there this afternoon, but they refused to acknowledge me. I’m not forcing them. Going back is out of the question. I’m thinking about renting a place here. My husband sends me money every month. I plan to take the college entrance exam next year, and I can sell medicinal herbs outside to make a living. I’m not afraid of struggling,” Lu Jiaor said, having already decided her next steps while eating, and she didn’t bother to hide anything from the Gu family or herself.

Well, that was that.

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Liu Xiuqing understood perfectly well. It was incredibly difficult for rural girls to marry into the city, especially Beijing; the difficulty was as hard as reaching the heavens.

Moreover, this rural girl had married an officer, so her in-laws’ family was probably quite distinguished.

“Sister, it’s good that you’ve thought things through. Relying on yourself is better than relying on others. Tomorrow after work, I’ll take you to the neighborhood committee. You should rent a place as soon as possible. Staying here is too expensive.”

One yuan per day, and meals weren’t included—it was costly.

Lu Jiaor sincerely thanked Sister Liu and then went upstairs to rest in her room.

She first enjoyed a comfortable hot shower, then lay down on the bed and began studying. She had finished her first-year algebra and Chinese during the train ride and was now starting on English and chemistry.

She learned English more quickly because she had methods, and her memory was strong now, requiring little effort.

The next morning, after breakfast, Lu Jiaor waited outside for Liu Xiuqing to finish work.

When Liu waved to her, Lu Jiaor handed her two wrapped meat buns.

“Sister, please have these,” she said.

Liu Xiuqing knew it was a token of thanks for her help, so she accepted without hesitation or refusal.

The neighborhood committee was not far from the guesthouse—only about a twenty-minute walk down an alley.

After Liu’s introduction and upon seeing Lu Jiaor’s introduction letter, marriage certificate, and ID card, the committee staff understood the situation.

Fortunately, by now the reforms and opening-up policies had begun, especially in Beijing, where regulations had relaxed considerably. With Lu Jiaor’s current status, staying in Beijing was not an issue.

Therefore, the committee introduced two properties according to her request.

Both were detached homes.

One had two rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a small courtyard of about ten square meters.

The other was a tube-shaped building with one bedroom and one living room, with shared kitchen and toilet facilities.

After viewing both, Lu Jiaor chose the small courtyard without hesitation.

The rent for the courtyard and the tube-shaped building was the same—nine yuan a month. The rent was quite high, which was why the place had remained vacant for so long.

Nine yuan was indeed a considerable sum, but Lu Jiaor felt she could afford it. Not to mention that Gu Fengji sent her money every month, her current savings alone could support her for several years.

Most importantly, Lu Jiaor was not afraid of running out of money, nor did she think she would.

After renting the courtyard, Lu Jiaor thanked Liu Xiuqing and the committee staff, then returned to the guesthouse to check out.

She then began setting up the courtyard, purchasing various daily necessities, spending nearly seventy yuan. By nightfall, she had barely gathered the essentials she needed.

Meanwhile, Gu’s mother and Gu Mingzhi, expecting Lu Jiaor to return, waited at home all day in vain. They soon realized the rural woman seemed to have vanished without a trace.