Chapter 209: Prosperity 209 But not so fast

1975, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Lantern Festival.

Gu Qingqing was making Yuanxiao balls with glutinous rice flour in the kitchen, and the prepared fillings included fried sesame seeds, peanuts, and red bean paste.

Xiao Xiao held a small stone mortar in his hand and sat in front of a small stove, crushing peanuts and sesame seeds.

"Who did Brother Chu pick up? Why hasn't he come back in such a long time? It's rare that I don't see him even on a day off."

Hearing her complain, Gu Qingqing looked at her watch and said with a smile, "It's only three o'clock in the afternoon. We're picking up an elder from Baisha Island, so we can't get off the boat until five o'clock."

Seeing that she was absent-minded, Gu Qingqing revealed her thoughts, "Don't worry, my brother will come over tonight. He had a flight mission this morning and must not have left the hangar yet. He will be on vacation tomorrow and will stay at my place tonight. If you have time tomorrow, come over and have dinner with me."

"Yes," Xiao Xiao had already figured out how to ask for leave from Commander Xiao. She said without hesitation, "I will have all three meals at your house from morning to night tomorrow."

Gu Qingqing: "...Actually, it doesn't have to be like this."

"That's it, then." Xiao Xiao put the mortared sesame and peanut crumbs aside. The pressure cooker on the small stove was steaming, emitting bursts of aroma.

"What are you stewing? It smells so good."

"Big bone, meat, and dried cuttlefish." Gu Qingqing broke open the glutinous rice balls and stuffed them with red bean paste. "Can you peel some dried longans for me? I'll add the red dates and longans when it's almost done stewing."

"Okay, where is it?" She looked around but couldn't find it.

"In the cabinet, the bottom shelf is for dry goods. Look for it."

Xiao Xiao opened the cabinet, which had five compartments in total.

She took a casual look and saw honey, milk powder, and maltose at the top.

The second compartment is candy. There is no need to say much about this. Chu Dai cannot live without sugar. Every cabinet in the house is filled with sugar. The most common is White Rabbit milk candy, followed by chocolate and various fruit candies. He basically only eats White Rabbit milk candy, and the rest are for Gu Qingqing and Shen Sui.

The third compartment is for drinks, including Maotai, Zhuyeqing, and the Guagan wine that Chu Yuan brought from Datunzi Village.

The fourth compartment was filled with various snacks, including sweet dried sweet potatoes and pumpkins, two or three bags of melon seeds and peanuts, and some red bean and mung bean cakes, but the date cakes were gone.

They are all packed in glass bottles.

The fifth grid was filled with various dried seafood, such as seaweed, kelp, dried abalone, red dates, longans, etc., which were neatly arranged. Xiao Xiao bent down, easily found the dried longans and took them out.

Gu Qingqing handed her a porcelain bowl and said, "Just throw the shell on the ground."

This small stove is not a wood stove, it can only burn coal and charcoal.

"Okay," Xiao Xiao broke the shell of the longan, put one into his own mouth first, and then put one into her lips: "You have too many snacks at home."

"There are still some in the living room cabinet, including canned fruits and canned meat. I don't know where Dad and Chu Dai got them from. They can always replenish them immediately when only half of them are left."

"Eh? Then I'm going to eat a can of orange later."

"Okay." Gu Qingqing put the finished Yuanxiao dumplings aside and started kneading bread dumplings: "What kind of filling do you like? Corn shrimp? Or chives and eggs?"

"How about leeks and shrimp?" she asked with a smile.

"Okay, I'll pack a few for you, and get some with pork and cabbage stuffing." There are a lot of people here today, Gu Jianguo and Gu Weidong will also be here, and Chu Zhao also made a call in advance, as he wants to come and have a free meal.

Shen Sui was taking care of the two little guys. Afraid that Shen Sui couldn't take care of them, she steamed some dumplings for the little guys to eat.

You should eat less fried food at this age, as soup dumplings can easily get all over you. Steamed dumplings are more convenient.

Xiao Xiao also took advantage of them and ate two corn shrimp dumplings in advance. He said incoherently: "My family's dumplings used to be filled with meat. This is my first time to eat corn dumplings. I didn't expect it to be so delicious."

"If it tastes good, eat more. There's more in the pot. We can have dumplings in the evening." Gu Qingqing saw that it was only four o'clock, so she didn't prepare the dishes first. She rolled out some wonton wrappers and chopped up the shrimps, preparing to make seaweed and shrimp wontons for the two little guys in the evening.

The weather has been very good recently. Looking out from the kitchen window, the sky is full of red clouds.

Her dried fish has been almost dried. She tasted the dried shrimp and found them very good. She plans to steam some dried fish in the evening to try the taste. If possible, she will buy more and dry them, and then send them to the Construction Corps.

Gu Qinglie took a ten-day vacation. He first went home to visit his grandparents and parents. Thinking about his sister and two little nephews, he went south and took a train to Nanyang.

It wasn't far to walk from the train station. His mother asked him to bring something with him but he was too lazy to do so, so he just walked through the streets empty-handed and bought a bag of tangerines from the market.

While eating, he walked outside the Southern Military Region, and a sentry pointed a gun at his head: "Comrade, this is a military stronghold, please leave immediately."

Gu Qinglie was not in a hurry and took out his ID from his pocket. "Gu Qinglie from the Construction Corps, I am here to visit relatives in the Southern Military Region. I have been approved by my superiors. This is my soldier ID."

Another sentry tilted his head to take a look and saw that it was indeed a soldier's ID card. He walked over and read it carefully.

After confirming that everything was correct, he raised his hand to signal his comrades to put down their guns, saluted and said, "Captain Gu, you may go in."

Gu Qinglie saluted in return and strode in.

He found the military compound with ease and told the sentry Chu Dai's name. He even showed his soldier ID, but was still not allowed in.

"Comrade, please show your pass or ask someone inside to pick you up."

He couldn't help but tilt his head and mutter, "How come your military affiliation courtyard is harder to enter than the main gate of the military district?"

Seeing the sentry insisted, he didn't make things difficult for him. He squatted in the bushes beside him with the oranges in his hand, waiting to see if he could run into someone he knew. If not, he would go to the Air Force to find his elder brother.

The flight attendant's food is pretty good too, the food is good.

At half past five, Chu Dai picked up Mr. Qin and brought him back, carrying two large luggage bags that were heavy with books. The orderly beside Mr. Qin also carried two large bags.

Mr. Qin took a light black bag, which was filled with clothes. Judging from the weight and size, there were probably only a few pieces.

"This time the navy will patrol the sea area together with the air force, and the military base will monitor the sea situation throughout the process. If the enemy is ready to make a move, the missiles in the cave will be ready to launch at any time." Qin Lao said softly, "I also heard some people on the island lamenting behind your back. If you stayed on the island, you could be a regiment commander, but now you are transferred back to the military region, you are just a deputy. I know that you are unwilling to be trapped in one place, and you can give up the immediate interests and look far ahead. This is a good thing."

"You have your father's style."

Chu Dai just smiled: "I have been transferred to the Navy Command now. I have the lowest position in the entire organization. I help all the uncles and big brothers every day, and I have learned a lot..." Before he finished speaking, he glanced at a person squatting in the distance and waving at him with a smile, and he was stunned.

Why is Goudan here?

"This is Qinglie?" Old Qin narrowed his eyes and took a look, then smiled: "This child is in good condition. There is no longer the depressed look between his eyebrows as on the island."

Chu Dai nodded and walked over quickly: "Boss, when did you come?"

"I took the train from Yancheng at noon and just arrived." Gu Qinglie took his arm and stood up, carrying a bag of orange peels. "You can't enter the Military Family Courtyard without a pass. Look, you're blocking the way here."

Chu Dai couldn't salute because he was carrying something, so he nodded slightly to the sentry and waited for Qin Lao behind him to go in together. He explained, "The regiments, brigades, divisions, and the highest leaders of the military region all live here. If anyone is allowed in casually, they will be in trouble."

"I understand. I'm just squatting and waiting for you to come back."

As a soldier, he still has this awareness and common sense.

"Mr. Qin." Gu Qinglie respectfully greeted the old man in front of him who was wearing a Zhongshan suit and had a gentle look.

"Qinglie, long time no see. You look much more energetic." Although Old Qin looked elegant, he still had some of the air of a military man. He raised his hand and patted Gu Qinglie on the shoulder with a gentle smile.

"Thanks to your words, I was relieved."

"If you have anything to say, go home and tell him," Chu Dai gave him a bag to carry. "Qingqing is cooking at home. She must be very happy to know you are coming. Why didn't she send a telegram in advance this time?"

"I wanted to give you a surprise, but I also have something to do in the Southern Military Region."

Chu Dai thought for a moment and understood what he meant. "Military mobilization?"

“Almost, but not that fast.”

Gu Qinglie walked beside the man, holding the orange peel in his left hand and Qin Lao's luggage bag in his right hand. "You know, things won't stop after the New Year. There's still a tough battle to fight. If we win this battle, there will be no war in the border town for at least ten years."

There was a look of determination in his eyes. In the dictionary of soldiers, only victory is allowed and defeat is not allowed. If you win, you can go home to celebrate. If you lose, you will die on the battlefield.

This is also the reason why he wants to take advantage of the vacation to go home and see his parents and sister.

"Old Chu..." Gu Qinglie wanted to say something but stopped himself.

Chu Dai raised his hand and patted his shoulder heavily, "I know, I won't tell Qingqing, so as not to scare her."

"As expected of you, we are brothers, haha." Gu Qinglie laughed loudly, "I am not afraid of anything, except that my only sister will cry."

"Understanding, the same." Chu Dai said.

Old Qin listened beside him and nodded secretly in his heart.

When Chu Dai married this wife, a group of old guys often asked Chu Yuan why.

Do they look down on their daughter? If A-Dai wants to make further progress in the future, they should be the best helpers.

At that time Chu Yuan said: "I believe in that brat's taste in selecting people."

Now he also understood that although the Gu family did not have the accumulation of other military families, with Gu Canyang and Gu Qinglie, they might be able to go further than them in the future.

Gu Qinglie had been here before, but he didn't take a closer look: "Our house is at the innermost part, with the military base at its back, and there are lookouts on high ground on both sides. It's much safer than Laoguan's crappy command post."

Chu Dai laughed dumbly: "Old Guan, do you have anything to tell me this time?"

"He said you are capable and you will be on par with him in two years." Gu Qinglie stepped into the yard and added, "His tone was even more sour than those jars of green plums my sister brought me before."

"Don't listen to his nonsense. After fighting this tough battle, he will have to move up. It depends on whether he will go to the sub-war zone or come to the headquarters." Chu Dai led them into the living room. The two little balls rushed towards him and hugged his legs.