Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng

Chapter 312 It’s you

She couldn't even remember which year it was.

I only remember that it was an extremely cold winter day. She was on her period and was huddled at home, her whole body freezing cold. Her brother insisted on eating fish.

The family hadn't had meat for a long time, and when her mother heard this, she felt sorry for Lin Jiagui and forced her to go out and catch fish by the river.

Back then, she listened to her mother the most. She never dared to disobey her mother's orders. Dragging her tired body, she braved the cold and went out.

When she reached the riverbank, the wind was biting cold. Her clothes were not thick to begin with, and her hands and feet were frozen stiff. The riverbank was wet and had frozen over after a cold night.

Despite her carefulness, her hands and feet were too cold to move properly, and coupled with the weakness and fatigue of her period, she slipped and fell into the river instead of catching any fish.

Although she couldn't remember which year it was, she would always remember the moment when the icy river water engulfed her.

She could swim, but suddenly falling into the river, which was icy cold, caused her legs to cramp. She was helpless and just sank into the water like a weight.

She struggled desperately, but couldn't even utter a cry for help before being swallowed by the river water, which smelled of fish and blood.

She knew the smell of blood came from herself.

This was the day she had the most blood.

She thought she was going to die there, but unexpectedly, someone grabbed her and dragged her to the shore.

She couldn't see who came to her rescue at all. She vaguely heard him saying something loudly, but she couldn't understand a word he said.

In that state of having just struggled back from the brink of death, you are completely dazed, and even the sounds around you seem to be far away, like they are separated by clouds.

Rescue is already difficult in such weather, and she was wearing so many layers. It must have taken a lot of effort for that person to drag her, while she herself was suffering from leg cramps and couldn't control her body at all, and kept sinking.

It kept sinking and kept choking on water.

She felt as if she had been frozen into a large block of ice. Her body, consciousness, and senses gradually became numb and stiff, and finally, she lost consciousness.

When she woke up again, she was already at home.

On her own bed, her second sister sat beside her, sobbing softly.

She moved slightly, only to feel a splitting headache.

"Sister, you're finally awake." The second sister's voice was very soft, almost choked with sobs.

She learned from her second sister that she had been found by two women in the village. At that time, she was lying on the ground covered with a men's cotton-padded coat. The two women carried her back and changed her clothes. Her lower body was covered in blood. Later, she developed a high fever.

In other words, after she fell into the river, a man must have saved her and covered her with his clothes, but then he left. The two women carried her back.

Lin Qingping was delirious with fever. She listened to her second sister recount what had happened and also heard her mother cursing outside.

"What a money-loser! He can't even catch a fish, and he just wastes money on medicine!"

"What's the use of having such a money-losing brat! After raising him for over ten years, he's just a useless piece of trash who only knows how to eat! I might as well have let him drown in the river!"

"Why don't you just die! It costs so much money for medicine!"

Hearing her mother scold her like this, the second sister's tears fell even more profusely.

Lin Qingping had a high fever and her mouth was blistered, but her body was ice cold. She could only force a smile at her second sister, reach out and hold her hand, telling her not to cry.

That illness, that menstrual period, were truly among the coldest moments of her life.

Her thin quilt offered no warmth whatsoever, and at night, her second sister would squeeze in with her, using her body to keep her warm.

Oh, why at night? Because she collapsed, and during the day her mother still had to make her second sister do chores, chores that never seemed to end.

Back then, my second sister was so young, just a tiny little girl...

That period lasted for a full two weeks.

Back then, she was too young to understand how important this was, and she didn't dare tell her mother. So she just let it come and go as it pleased. For many years afterward, her periods were not very regular. She didn't know if it was related to this. In her past life, she had never married or had children. Although she had consulted traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, she didn't know whether she was able to have children or not.

She and Gu Juncheng had always taken precautions to avoid getting pregnant, but maybe she really couldn't?

She never knew who her savior was.

Apart from being a man and having a brand-new thick cotton-padded coat, nothing else is known about him.

She did try to find out more, but after asking around, she found nothing.

The only thing that could serve as a clue, the thick cotton-padded coat, was also taken apart by her mother and used to make a new cotton-padded coat and a new pair of cotton-padded trousers for Lin Jiagui.

Faced with her questioning, her mother retorted: "So what? I just threw it on you, that's all! What do I use your things for that you have to tell me? Are you the mother or am I the mother? If you want to take the cotton-padded coat back, you'd better spit out all the food you've eaten over the past ten years and give it back to me!"

Ultimately, the search for his savior was left unresolved.

So it’s you…

Gu Juncheng!

But didn't you say you didn't remember?

Haha, or will you say again that this happened before we got married, so you remember it?

Lin Qingping stared at the figure in front of her, a cold smile playing on her lips.

Gu Juncheng, you can do it!

In the open space in front of the hotel, Wu Axiu was still arguing with Gu Juncheng, shouting loudly, "How can you not give me my retirement money? Did I just give you my whole daughter for nothing? You have to support me in my old age! Otherwise, you have to get Lin Qingping out! Make her support me in my old age! If you won't, then you have to give me my retirement money!"

She even reached into Gu Juncheng's pocket.

Seeing this, Lin Qingping stopped hiding, strode out, stood beside Gu Juncheng, and took Wu Aixiu's hand.

"Go inside," Lin Qingping said to Gu Juncheng.

He can reason with people and talk about the law, but he'd better not get involved in the kind of crying,闹ing, and threatening suicide that women in his hometown do.

How could Gu Juncheng just go in and leave it alone?

Lin Qingping gave her a threatening look, "Are you coming in or not? Gu Juncheng, I have something to settle with you!"

Gu Juncheng was slightly taken aback, his eyes darting away.

"Go inside now!" Lin Qingping shouted.

After a slight hesitation, perhaps out of guilt, Gu Juncheng finally retreated under her fierce gaze.

Wu Axiu was still clutching a handful of money from Gu Juncheng's pocket when Lin Qingping squatted down and pried it out with all her might.

Taking money from Wu Axiu is tantamount to taking her life.

Wu Axiu immediately screamed, "Money! That's my money! You owe me! I raised you from a baby to adulthood, and you ungrateful wretch still try to take money from me!"

Lin Qingping waved the few ten-yuan bills in front of Wu Axiu. Wu Axiu tried to grab them, but Lin Qingping pulled her hand back and took the money. "This is not your money, it is his money. There are so many fellow villagers here, everyone can see clearly that you took the money from his pocket!"

"So what? That's what he owes me! I raised you all, it's only right that you be filial to your parents! What's wrong with taking some money?" Wu Aixiu's scream was particularly shrill.

Lin Qingping laughed, "Mother, don't let money blind you. You said you'd be filial to your parents, but when have you ever supported him? His surname is Gu, not Lin or Wu. What does he owe you? Why don't you ask the villagers here? Is there anyone so shameless as to steal money directly from their son-in-law's pocket?"

Lin Qingping was stunned for a moment after she finished speaking. It just slipped out of her mouth. How could she have mentioned her son-in-law so easily?

The onlookers also started discussing it.

"Yeah, the most shameless person I've ever seen is someone who at most asks their son-in-law for money, but who would just rob someone out of their pocket?"

"This family is really desperate for money!"

Lin Qingping smiled again, "Fellow villagers, you don't know, my mother is not short of money. When she betrothed me to this man, she accepted a hundred yuan as a bride price. That was four or five years ago!"

"One hundred yuan! Isn't this like selling your daughter?"

"Tsk tsk, they dare to ask for such an exorbitant amount!"

"So much money, did you leave it all to your son?"

"It's not over yet!" Lin Qingping continued, "My younger sister was only sixteen years old at the time, and my mother wanted to marry her off to a cripple who had been married before, and she would accept a dowry of five hundred yuan from him!"

"My God! Do parents really have such a thing?"

"Parents like this aren't just selling their daughter; they're pushing her into a fire pit!"