Chapter 279: Chapter 278: Sister-in-law, Someone Sent an Inkstick and Requested to Paint Your “Integrity”!

This month, Lanlan has been so busy that her feet hardly touch the ground.

But she doesn’t feel tired at all; instead, she feels invigorated every day, full of energy.

She is now the most admired person in the entire compound.

The sisters-in-law who used to gossip behind her back now greet her politely with a “Comrade Lan” when they see her.

“Sis! I’m back!”

Lanlan rushed into the house like a gust of wind, her face flushed with excitement.

She placed a cloth bundle on the table and opened it with a flourish, as if presenting a treasure.

Inside wasn’t anything valuable, but a pile of odd metal parts and electronic tubes.

“Look, sis!”

Lanlan proudly lifted her chin.

“Today, Minister Zhang from the General Logistics Department’s wife came again, carrying a bag of money, insisting on buying your ’Above the Snow Mountain’ painting.”

Lin Wan Yi was feeding Gu Ning porridge and looked up when she heard this.

“I didn’t pay her any attention!” Lanlan mimicked Lin Wan Yi’s formal demeanor and put on an official face.

“I told her, at Yiyi Painting Workshop, we have rules: talking money is an insult to my sister-in-law’s art.”

“Sis, you should’ve seen her face; it turned as green as a bitter melon!”

Lanlan chuckled at her own story.

“And then?” Lin Wan Yi asked.

“Then I exchanged the painting with an engineer from the Seventh Machine Department, surnamed Wang.”

Lanlan pointed to the parts on the table.

“I traded your Green Pine Painting for these treasures of his!”

“He said these were dismantled from old machines from the Soviet Union, completely unobtainable in the market, and could double the number of stations a radio can receive!”

Lin Wan Yi glanced at those parts.

They were indeed good stuff.

She set the small bowl down, wiped her hands, and put the parts into a small box.

Then, she handed the box to Gu An, who was on the carpet, intently taking apart an alarm clock.

“An An, it’s yours.”

Half-year-old Gu An’s eyes lit up when he saw the box.

He dropped the dismantled alarm clock in his hands, hugged the box with both small hands, and made cheerful “ah ah” sounds.

Lanlan watched this scene with pride.

Look, as the chief liaison, she not only relieved her sister-in-law’s worries but also secured advanced toys for her little nephew!

“Sis, there’s another big one!”

Lanlan turned and dragged in a heavy suitcase from behind the door.

With a “click,” it opened.

A whole set of shiny surgical instruments lay quietly on the velvet lining.

Scalpels, pliers, scissors, needles.

Reflecting a cold metallic sheen under the light.

“German made.” Lanlan lowered her voice, like an underground party contact.

“Dean Li from Tongren Hospital exchanged it for your large ’High Mountains and Flowing Water,’ saying he wanted it hung in his office.”

Lin Wan Yi walked over and extended her hand.

Instead of picking up the instruments, she pulled a clean handkerchief from her pocket and moistened it with water from her cup.

The water was taken from the space – spiritual spring water.

With that slightly damp handkerchief, she carefully wiped each instrument.

A magical thing happened.

The instruments were already well-maintained, but after her cleaning,

even the slightest trace of time on them disappeared.

The instruments gleamed as if they had just come out of the factory, even more radiant than new.

Lanlan clicked her tongue in amazement.

She only thought her sister-in-law loved cleanliness and had deft hands.

“Lanlan.” Lin Wan Yi closed the case.

“Find a chance tomorrow to take this case and leave it at the entrance of the military hospital.”

“Just leave it there, don’t let anyone see, then leave.”

Lanlan was stunned. “Huh? Give it to them? But this is…”

“Put a note in the case.” Lin Wan Yi interrupted her.

“Just write eight words on it.”

“’Gifted to the most lovely ones.’”

“Sign it with your brother’s name, Gu Yanshen.”

Lanlan’s mind clicked.

She immediately understood.

What’s this called?

This is called hidden accomplishments and fame!

Using someone else’s things to give her family man a good reputation!

Brilliant!

Absolutely brilliant!

“I got it, sis! I’ll make sure it’s done perfectly!”

Sure enough.

Three days later.

Their neighbor Su Qing came rushing over, her face filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

“Wanyi! Your old Gu is amazing!”

Su Qing plopped down and poured herself a glass of water.

“Did you know? The military hospital received a set of surgical instruments from Germany! They’re like new!”

“The dean was overjoyed, saying several complex surgeries could be done now!”

“Only later did they find a note at the bottom of the case, donated by your Mr. Gu!”

Su Qing exclaimed, animatedly.

“Now the whole compound knows!”

“They all say Mr. Gu is truly a living Yama, a hero in battle, yet so noble and selfless in ordinary times! Such a precious item, and he just donated it like that!”

“If only our Old Shi had half the awareness, I’d wake up laughing from my dreams!”

Lin Wan Yi only smiled lightly, brewing a cup of tea for her.

“Old Gu is just like that, doing things without much talk.”

Su Qing looked at Lin Wan Yi’s increasingly smooth and delicate face, then at the reputation her husband earned.

She felt bubbling jealousy inside.

Both married to soldiers, yet the difference was so stark?

After seeing Su Qing off, Lanlan came out of the inner room.

She gave Lin Wan Yi a silent thumbs up.

“Sis, you are truly my goddess!”

Lin Wan Yi smiled without responding.

However, Lanlan’s excitement today seemed a bit less than usual.

After reporting all her “achievements,” she uncharacteristically didn’t leave immediately but sat on the chair, somewhat restless.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Wan Yi asked.

“Anything else?”

“Yes.” Lanlan’s expression turned serious for the first time.

“Sis, today… there’s one last commission.”

“It’s a very strange commission.”

She stood up and carefully took out a rectangular Purple Sandalwood Box from the large army green canvas bag she carried.

The box was heavy.

Carved with intricate cloud patterns, clearly not an ordinary object.

Lanlan placed the box on the Eight Immortals table, her movements so gentle as if afraid of disturbing something.

She looked at Lin Wan Yi and took a deep breath.

“Sis, the person who commissioned this can’t be found.”

“The item was passed through seven or eight connections before it got to me.”

“The requirements from the other side… are also very odd.”

Lin Wan Yi said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

Lanlan reached out and slowly pushed open the heavy wooden box lid.

No flashy jewels or treasures.

Inside the box, laid a layer of bright yellow brocade.

On the brocade lay a single ink stick, quietly.

A whole body black ink stick, yet in the side light, it shimmered with a faint purple glow.

At the top of the ink, in small seal script, the words “Evergreen” were engraved.

On the body of the ink was an exquisitely detailed landscape scene, the figures vivid, the folds in their clothing clearly visible.

A subtle and rich fragrance of ink, mixed with a faint herbal scent, instantly filled the air.

“This is… Huizhou ink,” Lin Wan Yi murmured softly.

“Yes.” Lanlan’s voice was tight.

“The person who delivered the message said this was a masterpiece by the ink-making master from the previous dynasty, Wang Jinseng.”

“This single piece could have bought a mansion back in the day.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep