Chapter 18, Female Supporting Character in a Historical Fiction

Xu Qingzhou sighed and told the guards to sit down and rest while he went inside to pack the things he had brought for Yu Wanwan.

This has been the case for the past six months.

Unable to get in, he could only gather as many things as she might need and ask the guards to bring them to her.

However, the institute had very strict checks, so he only brought some local specialties, food, and clothing.

After seeing the guards off, Xu Qingzhou began to examine the two boxes.

It contained a landline phone and a letter.

The letter was very simple, with no extra greetings. It simply instructed him to send one of his landlines back to Maolin Brigade so that his family could install a telephone.

The phone number has already been written on the paper.

With the holiday approaching, Xu Qingzhou pondered for a moment and finally decided to take advantage of the holiday to personally deliver it back.

They were gone for more than half a year, and she stayed at the research institute for more than half a year.

She can't come out now because of something, and he can't just stay away from her either.

Since Yu Wanwan wasn't going back with them this time, Xu Qingzhou opted for the train again.

It takes 8-10 days to drive there, which is too long.

Although Yang Qiang had also learned to drive and could take turns driving with him, the thought of spending so much time in the car was enough to drive him crazy.

When Xu Qingzhou and Yang Qiang arrived at Maolin Brigade, it was already late.

Walking along the country lanes, you can still see some uncles and aunts sitting at their doorways, eating and chatting while holding their rice bowls.

Seeing the two people they hadn't seen in a long time walking over with large bags and small packages, they were both quite surprised.

"Hey! Isn't this little Xu from the brigade leader's family?!"

The aunt had a loud voice, and her words were heard by everyone nearby, who all turned to look.

"It really is true!"

"Xiao Xu, Qiangzi! Why are you back?"

Some people even craned their necks to look behind them.

"Where's Jia Hui? Why didn't she come back with you?"

Xu Qingzhou didn't find them annoying and greeted them one by one with a smile.

He could name each person accurately.

"It's not like I came home because school's out for the holidays!"

"Jiahui is a good student, so the teacher called her over to help out. She probably won't be back for a while, so I had to come back by myself."

He wasn't quite sure whether Yu Wanwan's actions needed to be kept secret.

However, seeing how heavily guarded their research institute was, where even her husband couldn't enter, Xu Qingzhou decided to keep the truth to himself.

He maintained a polite and warm smile throughout, showing no sign of impatience.

Despite having spent a very long time with Xu Qingzhou, Yang Qiang was still amazed.

This person is truly amazing; they can chat with anyone and there's never a dull moment.

After chatting with them for a while and answering many of their questions, Xu Qingzhou finally looked apologetic.

"Auntie, Uncle, Mom and Dad don't know I'm back yet. I have to go back now. Let's talk again next time!"

"Oh right! We really need to get back quickly!"

They didn't think Xu Qingzhou didn't want to talk to them anymore, and they all urged him to go quickly.

Xu Qingzhou finally escaped their endless questions and led Yang Qiang all the way to the brigade leader's house.

After they had gone far away, the group of people gathered together again to reminisce.

"Jiahui is so lucky! She found such a wonderful husband!"

"You're kidding me. I don't even know who it was, but they said Xu, the educated youth, got into university and probably won't be coming back!"

"Who said that? It certainly wasn't me!"

Xu Qingzhou and Yang Qiang didn't hear what was said after that.

When they arrived, the brigade leader and Yang's mother were having dinner.

The door was ajar, not closed.

Xu Qingzhou pushed open the door and shouted inside.

"Dad! Mom! I'm home!"

The captain and Yang's mother were taken aback, and when they turned around, they saw Xu Qingzhou standing by the door.

"Qingzhou?!"

"Mom, it's me!"

Suddenly, Mrs. Yang's eyes welled up with tears. She put down her bowl and rushed over to greet her.

"Oh dear! Why didn't you tell me you were coming back!"

As she spoke, she looked behind him.

Behind Xu Qingzhou, there was only Yang Qiang; besides him, who else was there?

Yang Qiang scratched the back of his head, grinned, and shouted.

"Auntie!"

Mrs. Yang nodded.

"Qiangzi, you're back too?"

"Yes, I went back with Brother Zhou! The things have all been delivered, so I'll head back now?"

He was speaking to Yang's mother, but he was looking at Xu Qingzhou.

Before Xu Qingzhou could speak, Yang's mother frowned and spoke first.

"What are you saying, child? Haven't you eaten yet? Come in and eat with us!"

Yang Qiang wanted to refuse, but Xu Qingzhou glanced at him.

"Have a meal before you go back."

Yang Qiang had no choice but to agree.

After dealing with Yang Qiang, Yang's mother finally found an opportunity to ask.

"Where's Huihui? Why didn't she come back with you?"

Xu Qingzhou didn't hide anything from Yang's mother.

He glanced around, took Yang's mother's hand, and half-supported her as they walked inside.

"Mom, let's go inside first and talk about it."

Mrs. Yang's eyelids twitched, and she suddenly felt a little flustered.

Could something have happened to Huihui?

Suppressing her anxiety, Mrs. Yang nodded and took Xu Qingzhou home with her.

Yang Qiang followed behind, carrying the items inside one by one, and then closed the door behind him.

Inside the main room, the brigade leader was smoking a pipe, glancing outside every now and then.

Seeing them come in, just like Yang's mother, she subconsciously looked behind Xu Qingzhou.

Where is my daughter?

"Yes, Qingzhou, can you tell me now? Has something happened to Huihui?"

"No."

Xu Qingzhou helped Yang's mother sit down and gently comforted the two of them.

"Don't rush, let me explain slowly."

He glanced at Yang Qiang, who immediately understood and took out the box containing the telephone from the things he had brought over, and handed it over.

Xu Qingzhou took the box, opened it in a few quick movements, and showed it to the captain and the others.

"Dad, Mom, look at this, do you recognize it?"

The captain and Yang's mother peeked over and saw the telephone lying quietly in the box.

It's black, small and exquisite, and exceptionally beautiful.

The couple exchanged a glance, both somewhat bewildered.

"Of course I recognize it, isn't this a telephone?"

Someone from the brigade had installed this thing before.

It was installed in the brigade headquarters, in their office.

It's such a small gadget, yet it can connect people thousands of miles away—it's amazing and convenient.

"Why did you buy this thing?"

Xu Qingzhou shook his head, a smile playing on his lips.

"I didn't buy this."

The captain was taken aback and exchanged glances with Yang's mother.

"Not bought?"

Could it have been issued by the school?

Xu Qingzhou nodded.

"Jia Hui had this delivered."

"...So Huihui bought it?"

Aren't the things Huihui bought and the things he bought the same?

No, not exactly.

The captain finally got angry, slammed his fist on the table, and glared at the enemy.

"It's neither this nor that, so what is it? Tell me! And what does this have to do with my daughter not coming back!"

Not to mention the brigade leader, even Mother Yang couldn't stand it anymore and looked at him with a sullen expression.

Xu Qingzhou touched his nose, suppressing a laugh, and finally stopped keeping him in suspense.

"Jiahui had good grades and wrote a paper, which caught the eye of Professor Zhong at the research institute. He brought her into the institute to participate in research."

He tapped the dark landline phone with his fingers.

"This telephone was developed with Jia Hui's help. As soon as it was finished, she applied to the higher-ups for two units. One was installed at our residence in Kyoto, and the other was sent back. With these two telephones, you can contact us anytime from now on!"

He didn't dare tell the captain and his wife directly about the shocking things Yu Wanwan had done, for fear of scaring them to death.

After carefully selecting and downplaying the important points, I told them about it.

Despite Xu Qingzhou's efforts to beautify the situation, the captain and his wife were still terrified and remained in shock for a long time.

"What did you say? My daughter invented this phone?"

This sounds so fantastical!

Xu Qingzhou corrected him helplessly.

"It was participation, not something she did alone."

Unfortunately, the captain and his men didn't see any difference.

"Qingzhou, you're not trying to trick us, are you?"

Even if Yang's mother had a very strong bias towards her daughter, she still knew her own limitations.

Aside from attending school with her great-uncle next door for a few years when she was young, she hadn't learned anything else.

How did they manage to... invent the telephone?

"Tell me honestly, is something wrong with Huihui that you're afraid to tell us, so you're making up this lie to fool us?"

Yang Qiang couldn't stand it any longer and spoke up.

"Oh my! Uncle, Aunt, Brother Zhou really didn't lie to you! I'm really amazing now. If you still don't believe me, I'll call you whenever I have time after the phone is installed!"

Xu Qingzhou nodded in agreement.

The brigade leader and Yang's mother were still skeptical.

"Then...why doesn't she come back?"

"The research institute has new research directions, and they're busy with them. She should be able to come back once this project is finished."

Xu Qingzhou didn't dare to make any guarantees.

He simply couldn't predict what Yu Wanwan would do in the present moment.

Remembering her saying she wanted to bring the Heavenly Eye to the world ahead of schedule...

She will probably be extremely busy for a while.

Xu Qingzhou sighed again.

"Mom and Dad, please don't tell anyone about this. Just say that Jia Hui is a good student and was noticed by the teacher, so she is studying under the teacher."

In this day and age, China's technology is still in its infancy, and many technologies need to be purchased and learned from abroad.

If she could really create the third eye...

The future situation will likely develop in a direction he is unfamiliar with.

This is something that will change the country, and even the world.

It goes without saying how important her skills are, and how many people covet them.

Otherwise, their research institute wouldn't be so secretive, preventing even her husband from entering and visiting.

Xu Qingzhou was really having a headache.

Even if he succeeds in starting a business, he will only be a businessman, and at best, he will become the world's richest man.

He was genuinely afraid of not being able to cover for her.

Fearing that the captain and his wife might spread rumors, he carefully analyzed the pros and cons with them again.

The captain and his wife were stunned, and finally realized that their daughter was really different now, and nodded repeatedly.

"Don't worry, we know what we're doing!"

Neither the brigade leader nor Yang's mother were vain people; they genuinely loved their daughter.

Seeing that they understood the gravity of the situation, Xu Qingzhou felt a slight sense of relief.

"Don't just stand there, let's eat."