Chapter 217: Fire is needed to melt the ice

"Old Chu and Uncle Chu have similar personalities. It stands to reason that elders like children with personalities like their own, but Uncle Chu used to do the opposite." Xiao Xiao was eating canned oranges, which tasted sour and sweet. "But before today, I really didn't see Uncle Chu's love for Old Chu."

Gu Qingqing pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised her head and asked, "Do you think it's because Dad doesn't want him to be like him, but wants him to be like Mom?"

"I don't know. I really can't guess what Uncle Chu is thinking." Xiao Xiao finished the can and asked her, "Do you want this bottle? If you don't want it, I'll put it outside."

"Yes, wash it and use it to soak some pickled radishes and chilies."

"OK."

There were dates and cherry tomatoes at home, and Gu Qingqing washed two portions. Gu Qinglie and Gu Canyang were watching TV, so she brought some over and said, "Brother, don't you guys want to take a nap?"

“Let’s talk about it later.” Gu Qinglie directly grabbed a small tomato and stuffed it into his mouth. The sour taste made him feel refreshed.

Gu Qingqing didn't care and went upstairs with Xiao Xiao.

On the third floor, the two little guys climbed down from the bed to the floor. Shen Sui mopped the wooden floor clean every day, so he just let them do what they wanted.

The enamel bowl filled with fruit was placed on the desk. Gu Qingqing pulled a chair for Xiao Xiao to sit on and stood behind Shen Sui. "Did you say hello to your classmates today?"

Shen Sui shook his head, "I just focused on reading the new book."

Xiao Xiao was so happy that she twisted a green date from the bowl, raised her head and said to Gu Qingqing, "You have a person in your family who loves to learn."

Gu Qingqing watched the boy practicing calligraphy and asked with a smile, "Did Chu Dai not like studying before?"

"He is naughty, but he always gets good grades in exams. He and I are not in the same grade, but those kids are really noisy." At this point, Xiao Xiao smiled mysteriously, "But he has a soft spot, which is that he is afraid of dogs. He was chased and bitten by one when he was a kid, and he is still scarred."

Gu Qingqing thought that when he first arrived at her house, even little Da Mi was afraid. Da Mi wagged its tail and walked past him, its body stiff and not daring to move.

She laughed out loud: "Can we keep dogs in the compound?"

"You want to keep one? Sure, no problem. Chickens, ducks, pigs, dogs, whatever you want, you can keep one." Xiao Xiao turned on the tap and washed the glass jar. "But I think Brother Chu will be furious."

"Forget it. I haven't raised these two kids well enough. Oh, my second brother is still watching TV. Ask him to take the net bag to the stall at the back of the market, next to the wall, and buy some basil."

How can I cook fish in the evening without basil?

I originally wanted to make spicy boiled fish fillets, but Shen Sui and Xiao Xiao can't eat spicy food, so forget it and make a light dish that the two little guys can eat too, without having to cook separately.

Xiao Xiao turned the glass bottle upside down and shook off the water droplets on his hands: "Why don't I just go by myself, and take a look to see if there are any more fish and buy some more. Don't you want your brother to take them to the Construction Corps?"

"That's right." Gu Qingqing thought for a moment and said, "Let's go together. I'll see if there are any shrimps. Don't we all like shrimps? Let's cook some in the evening and dry the rest."

"Okay." Both of them did things quickly and efficiently. Gu Qingqing picked up the vegetable basket and followed Xiao Xiao out. The girl with short hair picked up the bamboo pole standing in the corner, picked up two net bags and followed.

We have a lot of fish drying at home, so we don’t need to buy too many, as it will be troublesome to handle them. Just buy four or five so that it is convenient to bring them back.

The two of them walked out of the military district gate again and headed towards the market.

It was still the same fish stall. The owner saw them coming and waved: "Here, comrades."

Gu Qingqing couldn't help but laugh and said, "Don't worry, remember to keep your stall, I won't take your net bag away."

"That's not true. I trust the comrades from the military region. Even if you don't have time to come today, it will be the same next time."

Seeing Xiao Xiao put down the bamboo pole and net bag, Gu Qingqing smiled and said, "Can you weigh five more sea fish for me? Do you have shrimps?" She looked into the foam box.

"Yes," the stall owner lowered his eyes and took a look, "I still have about 7 or 8 kilograms. Do you want some? I'll give it to you at a lower price."

"Okay, weigh all the shrimps for me." This place is close to the sea, and seafood is cheap. The sisters-in-law buy fish and shrimp frequently, mainly because they don't require meat tickets like pork, and there are many ways to cook them.

I bought five sea fish and seven or eight pounds of shrimps, and also bought some clams when I saw them.

Gu Qingqing went to the vegetable stall and picked up a handful of basil, and took a handful of pickled cabbage from the pot.

There are some leftovers from lunch, so I can just boil some fish in the evening and at most cook some shrimps.

There was nothing else she wanted to buy, so she saw a fruit stand nearby and asked the owner, "Auntie, what is this?"

The stall owner was a little surprised: "This is a mango, comrade, have you never eaten it before?"

Gu Qingqing said embarrassedly, "No, it's the first time I've seen it." A white light flashed in her mind. It seemed that she had eaten it on the island? But she forgot.

But it's not this bright yellow color.

"What about the one with thorns, auntie?"

"Pineapple, have a try." The stall owner felt comfortable when he heard her calling him "Auntie" enthusiastically. He took out two pieces of pineapple from a glass jar of salt water, gave one to her and the other to the girl in military uniform.

Xiao Xiao shook his head, "Auntie, I've eaten this before, you don't have to give it to me."

"OK."

Gu Qingqing took a bite and found it sour and sweet, with a very unique taste. She said, "Can you give me two kilograms of mango and one pineapple?"

"Okay, I'll peel the pineapple for you, and you can go back and soak it in salt water and you can eat it." The stall owner pulled out a plastic bag and asked her to choose the mangoes, and he picked up the scale next to it.

Xiao Xiao helped to select a few and said, "You can buy some more grapes. Old Chu likes to eat them. Although he can't live without sugar now, he actually likes sour food."

"Okay, how about this bunch?" Gu Qingqing picked up a bunch of larger fruits and asked her.

"That's about it. Let's take it."

Gu Qingqing said with some regret: "We have built a shed on the island before and tied two grape vines. I think they will be able to bear fruit in two years."

The stall owner said, "There's nothing to regret about two grape vines. What we have the most in Nanyang is fruit. There's a fruit base in the south of the city, built by the government. It's 50 cents per person. You can eat as much as you want. If you want to buy more, you can pay by the kilogram."

Gu Qingqing secretly took note of it and planned to bring her family to play together next time. She would also ask Chu Dai in the evening if she could get the camera.

"Qingqing," she said as she handed the bag of mangoes to the stall owner, and Xiao Xiao poked her with his hand: "Look behind, isn't that Bai Rong?"

Gu Qingqing turned around when she heard that and saw a girl in casual clothes. The familiar profile was definitely Bai Rong.

Next to her was a middle-aged woman who was also carrying a vegetable basket. They looked somewhat alike. She must be her mother, picking celery.

"I just noticed that she has been looking at you. It seems that she has set a date for her wedding."

"Huh? So fast?"

"My mother said that on the 20th of next month, the man's family came to the military area yesterday with large and small bags. It seems that they attach great importance to it." Xiao Xiao leaned close to her ear and whispered, "My mother said that Uncle Bai also took great pains to arrange her marriage. The man's family background is worse than hers. The man is a powerful man and must want to climb up. He has to rely on Uncle Bai. With this factor, he dare not treat Bai Rong badly."

Gu Qingqing took the weighed mangoes and grapes, and put the peeled pineapple in the basket, and asked, "What if the man's rank surpasses her father in the future?"

"This is basically impossible. All the rank above division commander are veterans who have fought in many tough battles before. It will only become increasingly difficult to move up in the future." Xiao Xiao heard this from her father. He also said that Chu Dai was courageous enough to give up the position of island defense regiment commander that was right in front of him and go to the Navy Command to start as a deputy regiment commander at the most basic level.

Gu Qingqing seemed to be thinking about something.

Xiao Xiao carried the five fishes and followed Gu Qingqing toward the exit of the market. He even asked her leisurely, "Can you lift these seven or eight kilograms of shrimps? How about I help you?"

"I still have some strength left." Gu Qingqing smiled and shook her head. Bai Rong and her mother happened to pass by her chatting and laughing without even turning their heads to look at her.

Gu Qingqing found it a little strange: "Didn't you say that she was very opposed to this marriage? Why does she seem to be in good condition now?"

"She probably fell in love with the guy because he's so good." Xiao Xiao said casually, "Old Chu Wa already has two children. It's useless for her to keep thinking about him. And I think she's just possessive. If Chu Zhao wasn't so-so, she would have fallen in love with him."

"I think Chu Zhao is pretty good looking. In fact, if she has a good personality, she would be a better match for Chu Zhao. His family is full of old acquaintances who know each other well. Living in a large compound, it is convenient for her to go home on weekdays. The uncles and aunts of the Chu family will definitely treat her better."

And they are a perfect match.

"Even if Bai Rong agrees, Chu Zhao won't agree," Xiao Xiao snorted and laughed, "Compared to a delicate girl like Bai Rong, Chu Zhao and Chu Dai have similar tastes and prefer you."

Hearing her words, Gu Qingqing paused, turned to look at her, stared at her face, and fell into deep thought.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Xiao Xiao wiped his face: "Is it stained with tomato juice?"

"No, you said Chu Zhao likes me like this, then he hasn't found a partner for so many years, it can't be because..." The more Gu Qingqing looked at her, the more she thought it was possible: "It can't be because he likes you?!"

Xiao Xiao: "?" She almost dropped the fish in her hand. She subconsciously retorted: "How is that possible? With his personality, if he liked me, he would have chased me a long time ago. Besides, our personalities are different. You are more of a good wife and mother. You can stay at home and cook soup and take care of two children. I can't do that."

She likes the army and will stay in the army even if she gets married in the future. If she really has children, her mother will help take care of them, so she doesn't need to worry too much.

"I am willing to dedicate all my life to my motherland." She shook her head decisively: "Let's go back to the military area."

Gu Qingqing laughed dumbly.

Xiao Xiao’s personality is really suitable for Gou Sheng. Solid ice needs fire to melt it.