Not long after Gu Hai's younger siblings left, Director Yuan from the neighborhood committee arrived.
When she saw Gu Hai there as well, she was not surprised in the slightest. Instead, she looked at him teasingly and said,
"Well, Gu Hai, I really underestimated you. Last time, I even came all the way here hoping to introduce a suitable match to Su Yun. Who would have thought you'd already gotten there first? Living so close really does have its advantages!"
At her words, Su Yun's face immediately warmed.
"Director Yuan, that's not true," she quickly denied. "Please don't believe rumors."
"Oh? Feeling shy now?" Director Yuan laughed. "I'm not making things up. Deputy Director Wang told me himself. The last time he arranged to meet you at the state-owned restaurant, Gu Hai—"
Before she could finish, Gu Hai's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly interrupted.
"Director Yuan, it's such a hot day. Did you come here because there's something important you needed to discuss with Su Yun?"
Successfully distracted, Director Yuan followed his change of subject.
"I happened to be out taking care of some business. Since I was passing by the recycling station, I thought I'd stop in and remind Su Yun not to forget to collect last month's salary from the neighborhood office in the next few days."
Then she turned to Su Yun.
"Su Yun, although things have been a bit difficult since you started working here and you've faced your share of setbacks, none of that matters anymore. Everything is getting better now. Just keep working hard, and you'll do fine."
The encouragement filled Su Yun with excitement.
"Yes, Director Yuan! Don't worry. I'll work hard!"
"Good girl."
After praising her a few more times, Director Yuan hurried off to continue her errands.
As soon as she left, Su Yun clenched her fists and happily bounced around in place several times.
Then she suddenly remembered that Gu Hai was still there.
Immediately, she suppressed her excitement and sat back down properly on her stool.
Gu Hai watched her with obvious amusement.
"Xiaoyun, keep jumping. I wasn't done watching."
Her face grew even hotter.
"It's too hot. I don't feel like jumping anymore."
"Then wait here. I'll be right back!"
Without another word, he rushed out.
A short while later, Gu Hai came running back, sweat covering his forehead. In his hand was a creamy ice cream bar.
Holding it out in front of Su Yun, he gestured for her to open her mouth.
"Ah..."
Su Yun blinked in surprise but instinctively obeyed, taking a small lick.
At once, a cool sweetness spread through her entire being.
How long had it been since she had tasted something like this?
In her previous life, after marrying into the Jiang family, she had never been allowed even the smallest snack. Her days had been filled only with endless chores and endless scolding.
As she tasted the ice cream, emotions surged inside her.
Before she knew it, tears were rolling down her cheeks.
Panicking, Gu Hai asked,
"Xiaoyun! Why are you crying? Is the ice cream bad?"
She shook her head while crying.
"It's delicious!"
"Then why are you crying?"
"Because it's too delicious!"
She took another bite, laughing and crying at the same time.
She was not mourning her past.
She was crying because, for the first time, someone genuinely cared about her—someone who noticed her feelings and looked after her.
After a while, she lifted her tear-filled eyes toward Gu Hai and hesitantly asked,
"Gu Hai... can I hug you?"
Gu Hai froze.
His pupils widened as if struck by lightning.
For several long moments, his brain simply stopped functioning.
Finally processing her words, he stiffly straightened his back and opened his arms.
Waiting.
Su Yun did not hesitate.
She stepped forward and threw herself into his embrace, feeling the warmth radiating from his body.
At that moment, Gu Hai had already planned the names of their future children—and even their grandchildren.
He even puckered his lips expectantly, silently hoping Su Yun would understand the hint and kiss him.
Unfortunately, reality had other plans.
A loud voice suddenly rang out from outside.
"Comrade Su! I'm here!"
It was Gouzi.
The moment he entered, he noticed the strange posture between Su Yun and Gu Hai.
Both of them were staring at him.
Especially Gu Hai.
The man looked like a deeply resentful husband whose entire body was screaming one word:
Get out.
Gouzi shuddered.
Carefully, he asked,
"Comrade Su, I brought the payment. Am... am I late?"
The moment Gu Hai heard that, he ground his teeth.
He wanted nothing more than to kick Gouzi all the way back to his hometown.
Meanwhile, the moment Su Yun heard the words payment, she instantly forgave Gouzi.
"Come with me," she said, gesturing toward the back courtyard.
Seeing this, Gu Hai's eyes widened.
"Xiaoyun!" he called out.
When she turned, he reminded her seriously,
"Three meters!"
Without looking back, Su Yun casually waved a hand to show she had heard him.
Then she left with Gouzi.
---
Watching them disappear into the backyard, Gu Hai stood there for a moment before quietly following.
Still holding the melting ice cream, he sneaked to a corner wall and stretched out his neck to eavesdrop.
Near a pile of scrap in the corner of the courtyard, Su Yun made sure Gu Hai was out of earshot before beckoning Gouzi closer.
Understanding immediately, Gouzi reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick stack of bills.
Su Yun counted them.
There were 2,200 yuan.
Surprised, she said,
"Comrade Gouzi, this amount isn't right. Ten thousand jin of watermelons should only be worth 2,000 yuan. You gave me 200 yuan too much."
"I didn't," Gouzi replied. "There were eleven thousand jin. That's 2,200 yuan."
Su Yun blinked.
"The extra thousand jin was supposed to be your reward..."
Gouzi waved his hand dismissively.
"Oh, come on. What you asked me to do was a tiny favor. I only mentioned compensation because that's how business works. How could I actually take it?"
He scratched his head.
"Besides, I still want to trade supplies with you in the future. If I help you now, maybe you'll look after the Azure Dragon Gang later. Mutual benefit, right?"
Seeing how straightforward he was, Su Yun smiled.
"Alright. Then I'll give you something else another time as thanks for helping me."
Then she lowered her voice.
"Oh, and make sure you keep this secret. Don't let Gu Hai find out. I don't want to scare him. Understand?"
Gouzi stared blankly.
Scare... who?
What exactly is she talking about?
"Cough! Cough!"
A loud, exaggerated cough suddenly came from outside.
Gu Hai was making his presence known as aggressively as possible.
Although he couldn't hear what they were discussing, he could clearly see how close they were standing.
They were definitely not honoring the three-meter agreement.
He could not tolerate it.
After coughing dramatically, he raised his voice.
"Xiaoyun! If you don't come out soon, your ice cream is going to melt!"
Under Gu Hai's relentless interference, the brief financial transaction came to an end.
---
As Gouzi left, Gu Hai followed him outside with a pleasant smile.
Only after they reached the shade of a nearby tree did the smile disappear.
"Gouzi, can Zhou Ziyang handle all ten thousand jin of watermelons?"
Gouzi shook his head.
"Not all of them. I'm only planning to sell two thousand jin to Officer Zhou. I've already arranged other buyers for the rest. They'll be gone in no time."
Gu Hai nodded.
After thinking for a moment, he asked,
"How's Ermao lately? Anything unusual?"
"What could be unusual about him?" Gouzi replied. "He's got no parents, no family, and no responsibilities. The eight hundred yuan he earned from the last job is enough for him to live comfortably for years. And this time, I even brought him along to help sell the watermelons."
Then he gave Gu Hai a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, Hai-ge. Once I finish this deal, I'll do what you said and save some money to buy a house in the future."
"Good."
After finishing business, Gu Hai fixed him with a meaningful look.
"Gouzi, from now on, don't keep coming to the recycling station for no reason. If you need something, come directly to me. Don't keep bothering my Xiaoyun. Understood?"
Gouzi blinked.
Understood?
Understood?
Understood?
He felt as though he'd been trapped in an endless loop of those words all day.
The problem was—
He genuinely had no idea what Gu Hai was talking about.