Chapter 32 Dark and Obscure

"Grandma, there were packages for you at the mailroom. I've brought them back."

"Look, who sent this? They sent you such a big package, it's really heavy to carry."

Zhou Qiong put down her package and went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water; she was dying of thirst!

She was carrying other things when she arrived. As she passed the gatehouse, she saw her grandparents' names on the blackboard, so she went to retrieve the package without having a chance to see who sent it.

Upon hearing this, Qin Youyi put down the book in her hand, got up and walked over, opened the package, and found a letter inside. She said happily, "It was sent to us by Chengcheng."

In her letter, Cheng Cheng asked about her grandparents' health and inquired about the well-being of her in-laws. She then recounted how she and her son, Xiaoxiao, had discovered ginseng in the mountains. She sent them half a ginseng root and some local specialties, hoping they would accept them and not find them offensive.

The following section describes some of Xiaoxiao's funny stories, such as how she can recognize and write characters, how she's become more adventurous with her older siblings, and how she can climb trees...

Cheng Cheng also selected a few drawings and writings by Xiaoxiao and sent them to the two elders. She also sent a picture book of Xiaoxiao's growth, which she drew in the style of a picture book, with black and white lines depicting the little guy on the top and the reason, time and place of drawing on the bottom.

For example, there are scenes of Xiaoxiao reading comic books attentively, sitting upright at her desk studying, playing the game of "eagle catching chicks" with her friends in the village, and doing somersaults on the bed...

These can be considered a record of the little one's growth. Cheng Cheng drew these pictures simply to commemorate the little one's growth and changes. She is the kind of person who is quite ritualistic and likes to make a fuss.

It's a pity that we don't have mobile phones with the full range of functions that we have in later generations, otherwise her photo album would be overflowing right now.

She had considered asking her parents to help her buy a camera, but then she thought that only film cameras were currently on the market, and digital cameras were probably still in their infancy, so she gave up the idea.

A bad pen is worse than a good memory, so it's better to write it down yourself, which will also make it more meaningful.

When Zhou Jianying returned, Zhou Qiong was with her grandmother looking at the paintings her younger brother and sister-in-law had sent. Her younger brother and sister-in-law's painting skills were superb and full of inspiration. Every scene was painted so vividly that it was as if one were there.

"What are you two, grandfather and grandson, looking at so intently?"

"Grandpa, my sister-in-law sent a letter and a package. We're looking at the drawing she made of Xiaoxiao. Look, the little girl is so cute!"

Zhou Jianying walked over with his hands behind his back, first looked at the painting, then picked up the hen painted by his great-granddaughter, studied it carefully for a while, and a smile appeared on his serious face.

He picked up his granddaughter-in-law's letter, quickly read it through, and his gaze fell on the half-wrapped ginseng on the coffee table.

Qin Youyi noticed the old man's gaze and smiled, "My granddaughter-in-law is filial; she thinks of us old folks."

As she spoke, Qin Youyi got up to make a phone call. She first called her daughter-in-law and happily told her about it.

Their son and daughter-in-law are not around; the couple is in the Southwest Military Region. Their three grandchildren—the eldest grandson and his wife—have gone to develop the border region and support Xinjiang Province, and haven't returned for several years.

The grandson is focused on research and hasn't come back for several years. Only the granddaughter has stayed with the elderly couple.

The children have all grown up and are busy with their own jobs, so the family is scattered all over the country.

Qin Youyi sighed almost imperceptibly. After finishing her call with her daughter-in-law, she dialed her eldest granddaughter-in-law, who was a military doctor in Xinjiang Province. The granddaughter-in-law inquired about the family of three's well-being and, upon learning that they were all doing well, hung up the phone.

Qin Youyi understood that the children were the type to only share good news and not bad news; if something bad happened, she wouldn't tell them.

Qin Youyi put down the phone, but picked it up again a moment later, about to dial.

Zhou Jianying: "Stop fighting, A Yue is not at the base right now."

Upon hearing this, Qin Youyi looked at the old man with a questioning gaze.

Zhou Jianying waved his hand, "Don't ask around, this is confidential."

As a member of the central command, he naturally saw the report submitted by the base and learned of the successful completion of the experiment, knowing more details than others.

When Lao Zhang came to the meeting before, he mentioned that once this experiment was successfully completed, he would approve A Yue's family visit leave.

Now that the experiment has successfully concluded, the grandson should no longer be at the base by now.

Zhou Jianying didn't call to ask. As long as she knew that her family was safe and sound and that no bad news came, that was good news.

Qin Youyi sighed and put down the phone.

"Alright, Grandma, don't worry about it. My little brother is a grown man, he'll definitely take good care of himself. And if things get really bad, there's always a bodyguard!"

Zhou Qiong comforted him, trying to shift the focus, "Let's reply to your sister-in-law and Xiaoxiao. By the way, I have two foreign exchange certificates here. Let's ask your sister-in-law if she needs anything."

Zhou Qiong worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was frequently issued foreign exchange certificates, which were not scarce for her.

Xiangnan County is a small county town, and she figured there wouldn't be a Friendship Store there. She made sure to ask in her letter that she could buy the items from the Friendship Store in the capital and then send them over.

Qin Youyi put down the phone, walked over, picked up the letter her granddaughter-in-law had written, read it over and over, and pondered what to send them.

-

July 11th, Saturday, the ninth day of the sixth lunar month, is an auspicious day for weddings and also for matchmaking.

The matchmaking was scheduled for this day, and Cheng Weihong made a special trip over to help Sister Luo make the selection.

Xiao Juan naturally asked her to accompany her as well. Cheng Cheng originally wanted to send Xiao Xiao to her older sister's house, but Xiao Juan asked her to bring Xiao Xiao along, saying that she wanted to observe the man's attitude towards the child and whether he was suitable to be a father.

Cheng Cheng had no choice but to bring the little one along. She dressed the little girl up beautifully, putting her in the pink dress her second aunt had bought for her. The large package she had received from Beijing last time contained food, clothes, and other necessities.

Zhou Yue's second sister bought two sets of clothes and a pair of small leather shoes for Xiao Xiao. She probably bought them in advance, afraid of buying the wrong size.

The clothes are fine; I can alter them myself. The shoes are too big; we'll have to wait until Xiaoxiao's feet grow a bit more before she can wear them.

I braided the little girl's hair into her favorite colorful braids, put a sun hat on her, and led her to meet up with Cheng Weihong and Sister Xiaojuan before heading to the lakeside park.

Yes, that's right. The blind date was set at the Lakeside Park. If it weren't for accompanying Sister Xiaojuan on her blind date, Cheng Cheng would never want to come to the Lakeside Park under the scorching sun again.

"Xiaoxiao, are you hot? What kind of soda would you like? We'll be there soon."

Luo Xiaojuan, holding the little girl's hand, lowered her head and said.

She wore a blue dress today, and Xiao Cheng braided her hair, starting from the top of her head and hanging down her left shoulder.

For some reason, looking at herself in the mirror, Luo Xiaojuan felt as if she had become gentler.

Cheng Weihong took her arm and teased, "Sister Luo, are you nervous? You're about to meet the man."

"Why should I be nervous? If it works out, great; if it doesn't, we part ways. What's there to be nervous about?"

Luo Xiaojuan was at ease; it wasn't like she was a young woman getting married for the first time.

"Is that Leng Gang?"

Cheng Cheng suddenly spoke up, pointing to the large man in the distance.

The other person had his back to them. He was over 1.8 meters tall and looked quite strong. He was wearing a white shirt and army green pants, which were stretched taut. From behind, he looked like a small mountain, very robust.

They came from the path on the right. The other person was standing under a large willow tree by the lake, with his back to them and facing the lake. His voice was melodious and revealed a hint of nervousness.

"Hello, Comrade Luo Xiaojuan! I am Leng Gang, a porter at the meat processing plant. I live on Minsheng Road. My monthly salary is thirty-eight yuan. I live alone. I don't beat my wife..."

"No, what I mean is that I have never laid a hand on a woman, and I've decided I never will..."

"Let's try again! Hello, Comrade Luo Xiaojuan..."

"Pfft—"

This guy looks as strong as a bear, but he has a funny personality, and he's funny without even realizing it.

Luo Xiaojuan was clearly amused by the other party's antics. She glanced at the two girls beside her, gave them a look, and walked over.

The other person was still facing the lake, muttering to himself, completely unaware that someone was approaching from behind.

Cheng Weihong had originally come with the intention of finding fault, but upon seeing this, she winked at Sister Luo.

Luo Xiaojuan coughed lightly and said, "Comrade Leng Gang."

Whether his voice was too soft or the other person was too focused, it seemed they hadn't heard him. He continued his self-introduction to Da Hu in a gruff voice: "Hello, Comrade Luo Xiaojuan—"

Luo Xiaojuan smiled helplessly and raised her voice: "Comrade Leng Gang."

The man paused, turned around abruptly, and was startled.

Turning around and seeing his face clearly, not only was Luo Xiaojuan surprised, but Cheng Cheng and Cheng Weihong were also taken aback.

Little Lingxiao was so frightened that he hid behind Aunt Juan, peeking out with his eyes wide open, staring at her.

Actually, the man's appearance was not bad at all. He had regular features and a handsome profile, which fits the current definition of a man. He had a very masculine look.

But here's the important part: this person isn't just dark-skinned, he's completely black, and that's definitely not an understatement!

People often say that a person is either dark or fair-skinned, but there are actually many definitions of "dark". Yellow skin is also called dark, wheat skin is also called dark, basically as long as it is not fair, everyone is said to be dark-skinned.

Leng Gang was truly dark-skinned, as dark as coal, and he was wearing a white shirt, making his clothes, neck, and face look completely different colors, making him look incredibly dark.

If the other person is wearing dark clothes, they will be impossible to find at night without a flashlight.

In addition, the other party was tall and strong, a real hunk, not the obese kind. His chest muscles bulged, making his shirt bulge. He was a strong man with fierce eyebrows and a dark face. To be honest, he looked quite scary.

"Hello, Comrade Luo, Comrade Luo Luo!"

The big black bear nervously rubbed his hands together, becoming a stutterer, his black face turning bright red, but because he was so dark, no one else could tell.

Seeing this, Luo Xiaojuan smiled, feeling confident and taking the initiative.

"Hello, Comrade Leng Gang, I am Luo Xiaojuan."

"I'm thinking of going to buy Xiaoxiao a soda first, and we can talk as we walk. What do you think?"

"No problem! No problem!"

The big black bear immediately said, his bull-like eyes looking at the little girl behind her. A look of joy appeared between his brows, and his hands unconsciously rubbed the seams of his pants.

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Author's Note: See you tomorrow.