chapter 1.4

No matter how advanced the modern plastic surgery was, the face that was touched by a knife and natural youth was obviously very different from each other. Faces that were touched by knives before, will never have this kind of youthfulness that came from within the bones. Furthermore, this young lady emitted the aura of a simple girl who had just entered university.

Facing the unbelievable eyes around her, Gu Yuan pulled her suitcase and lowered her head, hurriedly prepared to board the plane.

Although her youthful appearance attracted people’s admiration and made her very happy, Gu Yuan afraid that the airport personnel would not allow her to board her plane. The air ticket was very expensive. If by any chance, she was stuck there, she still needed to pay for the air ticket!

After the plane took off smoothly, Gu Yuan finally felt relieved.

Looking around, the surrounding people had their heads bowed while holding and looking at a rectangular device with an electronic screen. It looked like a console game that she had played before. Gu Yuan was puzzled, thinking what were those devices. A newly invented game console? It appeared to be more interesting compared to the game console that she had played before.

After getting off the plane, Gu Yuan exit the airport and took a taxi in line as taught by

Dr. Chen.

The taxi was driving on the highway and Gu Yuan looked out of the window

Although she had accepted that it was now 25 years later, and she understood the daily development of science and technology in these 25 years means the 4 modernizations had already been achieved. But Gu Yuan was still shocked when looking at this city street view,

(TN: 四个现代化 – The Four Modernizations were goals first set forth by Deng Xiaoping to strengthen the fields of agriculture, industry, defense, and science and technology in China.)

After the taxi stopped, he requested for $120 from Gu Yuan. This made Gu Yuan take a deep breath. She looked at the driver in surprise, she never expected that after 25 years had passed, unexpectedly there’s a taxi that charges sky-high prices to blackmail people. Her father’s salary was only $1,000++ a month and it was already considered a high salary!

Gu Yuan: “How can this be! $120 is so expensive, brother driver, you can’t bully me like this, this is daylight robbery! ”

The taxi driver glared at Gu Yuan: “Expensive? You still think this is expensive? My taxi runs on the meter and this price is already very common here. You think I’m overcharging you? Louzi never does this kind of thing!”

[TN: Louzi- “I, your father” (in anger, or out of contempt) / I (used arrogantly or jocularly)]

Gu Yuan: “……..”

A wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him. Looking at the taxi driver who was so fierce, Gu Yuan reluctantly gave him $120 and treated it as she’s spent the money to buy her safety.

After receiving the money, the taxi driver looked at it carefully then looked at Gu Yuan. He then left her with a strange look.

After getting off from the taxi, she looked around the neighbourhood that had not been demolished and felt relieved.

Her mother already passed away while her father also remarried with a woman, surnamed Hou. Therefore her only reliance was this apartment here which was left to her by her waipo.

[TN: waipo – maternal grandmother]

To yearn day and night, after 25 years, she never expected that she could still return to this apartment.

Along the journey here, she kept thinking about it. She still had the key in her hand, she only scared that the neighbourhood was not around anymore and the door for the key to unlocking it did not exist anymore.

Now that the neighbourhood is still here and her apartment was still standing.

She took a sigh of contentment, carried her suitcase up to the 3rd floor, and finally came to her doorstep.

When she looked at the security door that was completely different from her memory, she felt something was wrong.

She took out her key and planned to open the door, but at this moment the door opened.

From within the door, a woman looked at her defensively: “Who are you? Why do you want to open our door?”

Gu Yuan looked at this woman inquisitively: “Are you Gu Yue?”

She soon felt something was wrong, Gu Yue was the younger sister brought over by her stepmother when she married her(GYuan) father. She was only younger than her by 3 months. So, by now she should be 45 years old also but the woman standing in front of her looked like 20 plus years old only. This woman and Gu Yue resembled each other, is this Gu Yue’s daughter?

The woman: “Why do you know my mother’s name? Who are you?”

When the woman was saying these, a few people also came out together from behind her. There’s an old man, a young man and finally a woman in her forties. That woman angrily said: “Zihan, who is it?”

Peng Zihan: “Mom, this person just mentioned your name. Is she here for you?”

The middle-aged woman already looked over to probe. When she saw Gu Yuan at first sight, she was stunned.

“You, you, you——”