Chapter 29 Chapter 29 I am not an incompetent man

"What should we do? We are not in the same group for the exam." Zhao Xiaoxing was holding a pair of chopsticks with a green bottom.

The chopsticks that Qingmei is holding are red. There is also a yellow one in the third set.

"I was hoping I could help you find the way." Zhao Xiaoxing looked at the groups gathering on their tractors and said anxiously, "You're just making me angry."

"I told you I'm fine. I'm not completely blind. I can still see the road. If you were next to me giving me instructions, what if someone said we cheated and we were disqualified?"

Qingmei comforted Zhao Xiaoxing and took her to the Green Group. Each group had ten people, and Zhao Xiaoxing was the only one missing.

"You must study carefully." Qingmei said worriedly, "If you don't take the exam seriously, I'll be angry with you."

Zhao Xiaoxing really doesn't want to be a tractor driver anymore. All her plans are about being with Qingmei. What's the point if Qingmei fails the exam?

But she was even more afraid that Qingmei would get angry and ignore her: "I get it, you have to do your best too."

"I understand." The Red Team was waiting for Qingmei to come over in the distance. After Qingmei finished talking to her, she trotted to the side of her team's tractor and stood in line.

Twenty villagers and ten brigade cadres voted together in this assessment. It was the first time that the village had handled such a big matter independently, and everyone who participated, whether taking the exam or voting, was a little nervous.

There are three roads leading to the threshing ground: one leads to the dam, one leads to the ground, and one leads to the village entrance.

Three lanes are crossed and the voting personnel take turns to anonymously vote on the three groups of tractor drivers. The three groups of red, green and yellow test takers each go back and forth, testing normal driving, turning, parking, and going up and down steep slopes.

The feeling of driving a tractor alone is different from that of having a driver watching from the side. Many people saw Huang Wenbi's experience and were afraid of driving the tractor into a ditch, so they drove slowly.

Just when everyone thought that this was the average level, a petite figure with a pink scarf tied around her neck, with both hands tightly gripping the steering wheel of the tractor, started driving smoothly. "Beep, beep, beep" - it drove past in a gust of wind, "beep, beep" - it drove back in a gust of wind. Compared with the person in front, she was simply flying.

Mrs. Fang, who had won the voting spot, recognized the driver in the pink headscarf from a distance. She couldn't help but say to the person next to her, "Nothing can faze her."

Someone nearby who wasn't familiar with Qingmei said, "I heard you need to have strong hands. A tractor with weak hands can't be driven steadily."

Mrs. Fang said, "She is just very strong and has a lot of energy."

Qingmei jumped out of the car after driving it and waited for Zhao Xiaoxing in a corner of the threshing ground.

After more than ten minutes, Zhao Xiaoxing came over with a sad face.

"Didn't you do well on the test?" Qingmei walked over, looked at her face and said, "What went wrong?"

After she got out of the car, she could see how other people were driving. It was pretty much the same as during training, so Zhao Xiaoxing shouldn't have any problems.

It's not just one or two people, there's a great chance of success if we choose six out of thirty people.

"I stalled once," Zhao Xiaoxing said, pursing her lips. "Someone grabbed a pile of cow dung on the road and stuck a straw on it. I didn't see it until I got close to it, and I stalled because I got so anxious. I really didn't mean to."

Cow dung in the countryside is great fertilizer; whoever sees it gets it. If you don't have the tools to collect it, stick a piece of grass stick in it so others know someone wants it.

Qingmei patted her on the back and said, "It's okay, we tried our best."

Zhao Xiaoxing asked Qingmei: "What about you?"

Qingmei narrowed her eyes and said, "I drove towards the dam and there were no problems. I slowed down a bit when turning, but otherwise drove at a constant speed."

"If you can succeed, I will feel better." Zhao Xiaoxing sincerely hopes that Qingmei can get this job.

"Let's go, everyone come over here, Captain Jin is calling us to assemble."

Qingmei pulled Zhao Xiaoxing, who was about to cry but had no tears, to the middle of the threshing ground.

Mrs. Fang, who had just voted, passed by and gave them a thumbs up from afar.

Qingmei turned her head and said to Zhao Xiaoxing, "Look, sister-in-law definitely thinks we're okay."

"I hope so." Zhao Xiaoxing took Qingmei's hand and whispered, "Does your eye hurt? It feels like a bee sting. It's pretty uncomfortable, right?"

Qingmei said, "It's okay. Just go back and drink some chrysanthemum water."

When they reached the center of the threshing ground, they saw Xiaoyan, Grandma, Zhao Wuhe, and the others standing in the distance, looking in. There were also many people around them, waiting for the results of the assessment.

Captain Jin personally supervised the process, taking the ballots out of the ballot box and counting the votes.

Secretary Wang wrote his name on the wall with pink chalk.

Qingmei and Zhao Xiaoxing stood at the back of the crowd, craning their necks to look forward.

Qingmei couldn't help but feel nervous, and whispered to Zhao Xiaoxing, "Look, you have two votes!"

Zhao Xiaoxing's mood fluctuated wildly. She grabbed Qingmei's arm and said, "You have the most votes. You have twelve. You will definitely succeed!"

Qingmei stood on tiptoe and kept an eye on the number of votes. She had the most votes among the first six people, and the rest had single-digit votes.

Zhao Xiaoxing currently has the same number of votes as another male comrade, four votes. The two are competing for the sixth place, which is the last tractor driver position.

Zhao Xiaoxing was so nervous that she had trouble breathing. Qingmei hugged her, patted her back, and said, "Take a deep breath. Don't be afraid. We've fought for it and will never regret any outcome."

Qingmei remembered that man, whose driving skills were obviously not as good as Zhao Xiaoxing's.

Maybe people subconsciously think that gay men are better at driving than lesbians. Unless they are far ahead like Qingmei, under the same conditions, gay men are more likely to get votes than lesbians.

"Five votes left." The thirty voters could vote repeatedly, each of them could choose three candidates. Captain Jin grabbed the last five tickets, opened the first one, and muttered, "One vote for Wang Murong."

Zhao Xiaoxing almost couldn't hold it in anymore, because Wang Murong was the one competing with her for the last seat.

Then Captain Jin opened another ticket. The scene was very quiet and everyone looked at her nervously.

Qingmei looked at Wang Murong in the crowd. This honest-looking young man was also nervously clenching his fists and swallowing. When he heard his own name, he couldn't help but smile.

Captain Jin finally read out a vote: "One vote for Zhao Xiaoxing!"

Zhao Xiaoxing grabbed Qingmei's arm again and kept saying, "I'm going crazy, I can't stand it..."

Qingmei thought of the bruise on her arm from Xiaoyan's scratch. Gu Qingzhou would definitely not let her get another bruise. She silently moved Zhao Xiaoxing's hand down and took it in her own.

Wang Murong wiped the sweat from his forehead in the March weather and let out a deep breath.

Zhao Xiaoxing squatted down, holding her head and said, "Li Xianjin, you're dead. I'll beat you to death when I get back."

Qingmei said with a smile: "Why are you saying such harsh words here? You didn't even hit him."

Zhao Xiaoxing said tearfully, "My heart is so tight."

Captain Jin opened the third-to-last ballot, paused, and said, "One vote for Zhao Xiaoxing!"

"It's my ticket!"

Zhao Xiaoxing stood up suddenly, her eyes bright and she was fine again.

Captain Jin continued, "Zhao Xiaoxing, one vote!"

"One vote for Zhao Xiaoxing!"

"Voting is over!"

"Wow! I surpassed Wang Murong, I got eight votes!" Zhao Xiaoxing hugged Qingmei and jumped around. She was not good at speaking and didn't know what to say.

Qingmei saw the vote count and saw that Zhao Xiaoxing was fourth out of six candidates. Her hard work had paid off.

Wang Murong was just one vote short of the sixth place.

Qingmei patted her shoulder and asked her to look back.

Wang Murong walked over, extended his hand and said, "Congratulations, Comrade Zhao Xiaoxing."

Zhao Xiaoxing smiled innocently and said, "Thank you, but...you should be more open-minded."

Wang Murong did feel uncomfortable. After working so hard for so long, failure was always hard to accept.

But he still said, "I admit that my driving skills are not as good as yours. When our village buys another tractor, I will definitely take the test again."

Zhao Xiaoxing said quickly, "I'll definitely be more skilled by then, and I can teach you."

Wang Murong grinned and said, "Okay, then it's a deal."

After he left, Zhao Xiaoxing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I thought he was looking for trouble with me."

Qingmei smiled and said, "He was impressed by your skills. You were so worried just now. Are you feeling better now?"

Zhao Xiaoxing pulled Qingmei aside and said sheepishly, "How can I compare to you? I'm number one."

Captain Jin compiled a list of six newly-appointed tractor drivers and asked Secretary Wang to post it on the bulletin board and publicize it through a loudspeaker.

On the other side of the village, Chen Qiaoxiang, who was packing clothes, froze after hearing this. She couldn't believe that Qingmei actually passed the exam.

She felt mixed emotions and cursed quietly at home, "As expected of a widow, she loves to hang out with men."

I don't know if this was heard by the waiter outside the door, but he said impatiently, "Pack up quickly, your husband is going to have surgery soon, you need to go over and pay the money."

Chen Qiaoxiang brought a change of clothes for her mother-in-law and one for herself. She thought for a moment and decided to bring a ragged piece of clothing for Huang Wenbi, figuring that since he had lost his arm, he could cut off the sleeves and not feel bad about the clothing.

"I'm coming." She came out of the house. The sunlight in the sky was dazzling, and she squinted her eyes.

Why is God so unfair? Why can the widow live so well while she has to suffer so much?

Chen Qiaoxiang couldn't figure it out, so she followed the official closely to the county hospital.

Huang Wenbi is the only labor force in the family. She has a bad background and has not been assigned a job. It is estimated that the job she is assigned to will be in a remote place where no one wants to go, and her work points will not be high.

She walked to the threshing ground and saw three tractors coming towards her.

The leading tractor was driven by Qingmei.

Qingmei wore a glorious big red flower on her chest, and she was steering the wheel without even looking away from Chen Qiaoxiang.

Chen Qiaoxiang looked up and watched Qingmei driving away on the tractor. In the distance, firecrackers were being set off for the new tractor driver.

Then the next day, a tractor drove over and Chen Qiaoxiang was shocked. It was Zhao Xiaoxing.

She actually became a tractor driver! She could earn 16 work points a day? How on earth?

Chen Qiaoxiang's mouth was filled with the taste of blood. Normally, she looked down upon these two people, but now they were unattainable!

The clerk urged, "Hurry up and leave! You're reluctant to spend money on a donkey cart, so why don't you leave quickly?"

This excitement had nothing to do with Chen Qiaoxiang. At the urging of the clerk, she quickened her pace and rushed to the bus station.

"Your house will be roofed tomorrow, shouldn't we have a feast?"

Qingmei and Zhao Xiaoxing were confirmed as tractor drivers and would start work in three days, during which they would practice operating the tractor for two to four hours each day.

Back at the new house, Wang Yang's elder brother exclaimed, "You two have both become tractor drivers. This is a double blessing. You must prepare four dishes and a soup for us."

The other people who were helping also joined in the fun, and took advantage of this trend to finally get a nice meal at Comrade Qingmei's place.

"I've had ten big bluefish left behind. We brothers don't need you to pay for them."

Qingmei smiled and said, "No problem. It's too late today. I'll go to the market to buy some vegetables and cook it tomorrow."

She turned to Zhao Xiaoxing and said, "Shall we celebrate together?"

Zhao Xiaoxing said, "It's not double happiness, it's triple happiness. Do you remember what I said?"

Qingmei said excitedly, "Are you really going to divorce Li Xianjin?"

Zhao Xiaoxing said, "Yes! My light has arrived, so let them continue to struggle in the darkness."

Mrs. Fang came back and was helping mix the cement. After hearing this, she sighed, "This is the best. Once you leave that house, you'll be the new Zhao Xiaoxing. The sooner you get out, the better. You'll be spared from those demons and monsters."

Brother Wang Yang also heard it from the roof and said, "If it bothers you, tell us and we will help you."

Everyone saw Li Xianjin drinking and beating people, so they would naturally help her.

Zhao Xiaoxing was so grateful that she took Qingmei and went to Li's house.

"Aren't you going to make some preparations?" Qingmei went over with her and said, "Shouldn't we write an agreement or something?"

Zhao Xiaoxing said, "Agreement? What agreement?"

Qingmei has read a lot of news, including divorce debt disputes, elderly and children support disputes, etc. What Zhao Xiaoxing should pay most attention to now is the debt issue.

With Qingmei's reminder, Zhao Xiaoxing thought about it and decided to go back to the brigade headquarters to find Secretary Wang to act as a witness.

When Wang learned that she wanted a divorce, he was very happy for her. He took the divorce documents to the office, and when he heard that she wanted to write an agreement, he took out some letter paper.

Li Xianjin heard the broadcast at home and found that Zhao Xiaoxing was among the tractor drivers.

He wasn't happy about it, but rather fearful and terrified. The higher Zhao Xiaoxing climbed, the more ways he would have to deal with them.

Li Xianjin had developed bedsores from sleeping on the kang (kang), and he'd become as thin as a stick. Perhaps it was because the kang wasn't heated, but his cough hadn't gone away for a month.

He felt that he would not survive if he continued like this.

He thought about dying, but Sun Xiufen would kneel down and beg him every time, asking him to live and not let the Li family die out. As long as people are alive, there is still hope.

Li Xianjin didn't feel hopeful.

There was a sound coming from the door. Sun Xiufen had just left, so it couldn't be her.

Zhao Xiaoxing came up to him with a handkerchief covering her mouth and nose, and said condescendingly, "Let's get a divorce."

It was a statement, but it left no room for him to maneuver.

Secretary Wang was right there, helping with the paperwork. In those days, rural marriages could be handled at the brigade headquarters, and afterward, a backup copy could be made to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Li Xianjin's hands were able to move, and he signed his name with difficulty. Zhao Xiaoxing picked up a thin piece of paper, a thin piece of paper that ended her nightmare that had lasted for more than six years.

Secretary Wang then asked Li Xianjin to sign a divorce agreement. The agreement was drafted by Qingmei. Li Xianjin glanced at it and then signed his name.

The agreement stated that Li Xianjin was responsible for all debts during the marriage, including but not limited to living expenses, medical treatment, and social obligations.

"You are really ruthless." Li Xianjin closed his eyes, thinking about Sun Xiufen's suggestion to make a fake IOU to blackmail Zhao Xiaoxing. Now he didn't even have the chance to blackmail her.

Zhao Xiaoxing is no longer the Zhao Xiaoxing who was still under their control.

"Ahem...you should leave quickly before my mother comes back...to avoid her making a scene again."

Before Li Xianjin could say anything, Zhao Xiaoxing had already walked into the yard. She didn't want to stay here for another second.

Li Xianjin smiled bitterly and said, "How heartless."

Qingmei, who was walking at the door, stopped and said calmly, "I learned all this at your house."

Qingmei stepped out of the door and saw Zhao Xiaoxing waiting for her.

The golden satin-like sunlight fell on Zhao Xiaoxing's body. She smiled confidently and called Qingmei to come over quickly.

The sunlight outside the yard could not reach the closed room, and Li Xianjin continued to stare at the dilapidated roof with his eyes open day after day.

Maybe you will recall the ridiculous times in the past.

He thought that the woman who could not be beaten or scolded away would have nothing to do with him from now on.

*** ***

"Is Commander Wang in the office?"

Gu Qingzhou looked up at Mu Ran.

Mu Ran sat on the sofa, exhausted. He took off his hat and placed it on the coffee table, his long arms draped over the back of the sofa. "Why are you looking for Master Wang? He's been training me to death since the beginning of the year. Don't look for him. He might even give you extra training."

"If you want more training, then you can." Gu Qingzhou, who was much more physically fit than Mu Ran, walked over with the report in his hand, and said casually, "I have two reports to hand in."

Mu Ran opened his eyes with difficulty: "Report? What report do I not know?"

Gu Qingzhou smiled faintly: "Love report."

Mu Ran suddenly perked up and sat up from the sofa: "Are you really with that little girl?"

Gu Qingzhou frowned and said, "Speak to me properly."

Mu Ran repeated, "Are you really with that heroic woman who helped solve the Zhou Wu case and the corruption case?"

Gu Qingzhou nodded and said, "That's right."

Mu Ran leaned back on the sofa: "I got it."

Gu Qingzhou nodded slightly: "I caught it."

Mu Ran sneered at him: "It's simply vulnerable."

Gu Qingzhou glanced sideways and clenched his fists: "Who are you talking about?"

Mu Ran didn't dare to say more, but he could continue to sneer.

Seeing Gu Qingzhou walk to the door, he said, "Commander Wang is here, you can go directly. By the way, what is the other report?"

Gu Qingzhou said: "Marriage report."

Mu Ran leaned heavily on the sofa and could no longer laugh.

This is not a question of "being caught", it is a question of jumping into someone else's pot.

Mu Ran saw Qingmei last time when he helped her build a house. All in all, it was better than he had imagined, and she was as beautiful inside and out.

No wonder the brothers were so anxious to pick it up.

Mu Ran rubbed his nose, wondering if there were any suitable young widows in Donghe Village.

Gu Qingzhou had no idea what Mu Ran was thinking, and he strode quickly upstairs to Commander Wang's office.

When he reached the staircase landing, he met Xiao Jin running down. Seeing Gu Qingzhou, he said, "Commander, the old political commissar just called and asked you to come over."

Seeing him coming over in a hurry, Gu Qingzhou glanced at the report in his hand, put it in his military uniform pocket, turned around and went downstairs.

The old political commissar, surnamed Chen, is about to retire, and this is his last year. He's very strict with his work and has high standards in every area. I hope he doesn't lose his integrity in his later years.

Gu Qingzhou came to the independent bungalow on the first floor. This was where the old political commissar's office was. He had a gunshot wound in his leg when he was young and could not climb the stairs. After joining the army, a row of bungalows were built for him.

On one side is his office and on the other is the telephone operator's office.

Gu Qingzhou thought something important happened, so he knocked on the door but there was no response, leaving it ajar.

He gently pushed the door open and saw a slender figure wearing a puff-sleeved shirt and black wedge-heeled leather shoes.

He immediately took a step back and stood outside the door: "Political Commissar Chen wants to see me?"

Chen Lili walked over, leaned against the desk, and spoke in a gentle voice: "Come in and I'll tell you."

There was another woman in the office. When she saw Gu Qingzhou coming, she quickly came out to give them a chance to be alone together.

Gu Qingzhou made way and frowned, saying, "Notify me when the old political commissar comes back." Then he turned and left without even giving a glance.

Chen Lili chased him to the door, stopped and said, "Please don't leave, I want to ask you something!"

It was time for the telephone operator team next door to take over. Four or five signalmen came out and overheard what she said. They made faces at her and went back into the room.

Everyone knows that Political Commissar Chen’s only daughter has been pursuing Gu Qingzhou for many years, and today they finally caught her.

Gu Qingzhou turned around and asked, "What's the matter?"

Chen Lili said shyly, "Come in and I'll ask you. I'm embarrassed to say this."

Gu Qingzhou said in a cold voice: "There is nothing I am embarrassed to say between you and me."

Chen Lili was embarrassed. She stamped her foot and said angrily, "I heard that you are interested in a widow. Is this true or false? Why would your family let you go on a blind date with someone like that?"

This news has been circulating in 014 for a long time but Gu Qingzhou has not come out to clarify it. There is a feeling of silence.

Old Political Commissar Chen advised Chen Lili to give up, saying that once Gu Qingzhou made a decision, no one could change it even with ten oxen. But Chen Lili just wanted to ask him in person.

Gu Qingzhou heard a voice coming from the operator class. Where there are people, there is gossip.

From now on, no matter whether Qingmei is willing to join the army or not, he must make it clear to her. He cannot let her suffer any grievances before she gets married and just starts dating.

"Put aside your prejudice. If you are not the old commissar's daughter, you are nothing."

Gu Qingzhou's words were a bit harsh, but Chen Lili had insulted Qingmei first. He slowly looked at Chen Lili and said, "You, and everyone else listening in there, remember clearly that I took the initiative to ask Comrade Qingmei to date me. I came here today to submit my marriage report."

Chen Lili had never been scolded like this before, and immediately said with red eyes: "You are simply possessed by a ghost!"

Gu Qingzhou didn't want to say much to her, and said lightly: "You are far inferior to her." Then he left here and went straight upstairs to find Commander Wang to hand in the report.

The operators in the telephone team fell silent, and the scene was awkward to watch.

I thought it was a good thing that Chen Lili was pursuing Captain Gu, but now Captain Gu has a partner. Isn't she just being the third party and destroying his marriage?

It seems that Captain Gu is deeply in love with his childhood sweetheart.

They still had a lot of gossip to gossip about when suddenly the phone in front of one of the correspondents rang.

"where?"

A sweet voice came from the other end of the line: "Hello, comrade. I'm from Donghe Village, Dawang County. My name is Qingmei. Please transfer me to Captain Gu Qingzhou."

Normally, they would just turn around and ask. But at this moment, as soon as Captain Gu said the name "Qingmei", all the operators in the call center were excited. Someone shouted, "Captain Gu's girlfriend is calling. Pick up the phone!"

Chen Lili was still in pain, and when she heard this, she rushed into the operator's booth and grabbed the phone. She wanted to hear what method the other party used to seduce Gu Qingzhou!

Gu Qingzhou didn't know that Qingmei had called him. He went up to the fourth floor in one breath, and Commander Wang was in his office.

Gu Qingzhou handed both the love report and the marriage report to his office, saluted, and said, "I also ask the chief to approve my personal issues."

Commander Wang picked it up and took a look, and saw that the woman was a widower.

He looked at Gu Qingzhou and said, "Are you sure?"

Gu Qingzhou said: "I won't submit the report if I'm not sure."

Commander Wang stood up but didn't sign directly. He walked up to Gu Qingzhou with his hands behind his back and said, "You're still young. You'll be twenty-seven after the Lunar New Year. The country advocates for delayed marriage and childbearing—"

Gu Qingzhou said, "That's not what you said when you introduced me to a blind date last time. You said I was an older troubled youth, a leftover from the army."

Teacher Wang laughed angrily: "Isn't it that I thought you would have a greater future? Such a partner, for you——"

Gu Qingzhou interrupted Commander Wang again and said calmly, "Sir, I am a soldier. My future will be forged through real battles and not through my wife's connections."

Commander Wang sighed and said helplessly, "It's not nice to tell anyone about this. Imagine you become the commander and people say you married a widow. She's getting married for the second time, and you're getting married for the first time. How would you feel about that?"

Gu Qingzhou said: "It's quite lucky, at least I'm a widower."

Commander Wang: “…”

Good boy.

If she wasn't a widower, could she have other plans?

Commander Wang: "...are you determined?"

Gu Qingzhou: "Yes."

Commander Wang: "Are you not afraid of delaying your future?"

Gu Qingzhou said: "The future is only linked to personal ability. If a man transfers his failure to his wife's status, then that man is incompetent."

Commander Wang patted Gu Qingzhou on the shoulder and said, "Approval requires procedures, just wait."

Gu Qingzhou then smiled: "Yes!"

He came down from upstairs and met Mu Ran who came over: "Your boyfriend called, can't answer——"

Before he could finish his words, Gu Qingzhou stepped down the stairs, quickly returned to his office and picked up the phone.

"Hello---"

Qingmei held the microphone and sat in the brigade office waiting for about ten minutes.

Finally, I heard a low voice: "Xiaomei."

Qingmei smiled and said, "You're here, so quick."

Gu Qingzhou listened to Qingmei's voice, which seemed to wash away his worries. He couldn't help but chuckle and said, "You finally knew to call me. Did you miss me?"

Qingmei pursed her lips and said, "I'm here to tell you the good news."

Knowing that the little girl was embarrassed on the phone, Gu Qingzhou teased her again, "What kind of celebration are you talking about? Are we handing out wedding candies?"

Qingmei feigned anger and said, "Don't be so smooth-talking. I passed the tractor driver exam, Xiaoxing passed it too, and the roof of our new house will be completed tomorrow. It's a triple blessing."

"My partner is amazing." Gu Qingzhou coaxed, "Do you want a reward?"

"No." Qingmei smiled and said, "I just want to share with you. I am very happy now."

Gu Qingzhou said: "I am also very happy. I have submitted the report."

Qingmei said in surprise: "So fast?"

As she finished speaking, she faintly heard a short noise, followed by the same slight electric sound as before.

Qingmei whispered, "What happened just now? Was someone listening to our call?"

She knew that there were regulations regarding monitoring of military telephones, and she would still feel embarrassed if what she had just said was heard.

Gu Qingzhou said calmly, "Article 3, Paragraph 12 of the Communications Manual stipulates that monitoring of private calls shall not exceed 30 seconds. If this exceeds the time limit and infringes upon my personal privacy, I will apply for punishment from the monitoring personnel of the call handling team."

Qingmei didn't know that Gu Qingzhou was speaking to others. She calculated the time and it should have been more than thirty seconds. She confidently replied to Gu Qingzhou's words: "I miss you."

Gu Qingzhou was startled on the other end of the phone, and a warm feeling surged in his heart. He whispered, "Have you eaten the locust flower cake?"

Qingmei said, "I ate a lot, but I wanted to save some for you. It will go bad when the weather gets hot."

Gu Qingzhou said: "It's okay, there's still a long way to go."

Qingmei smiled sweetly and said, "Yes!"

Gu Qingzhou then said, "You're going to hold a housewarming party after you finish building the house, right?"

That's what Qingmei wanted to tell him: "They say tomorrow is an auspicious day."

Gu Qingzhou said, "Then you do it. I have a mission and can't come back. I'll reimburse you for the banquet."

Qingmei didn't ask him to reimburse her, but she still felt warm in her heart. It felt so good to be loved.

Qingmei told Gu Qingzhou about Huang Wenbi again, and said casually, "He's already disabled. I heard that being struck by lightning is very painful. Are you afraid?"

Gu Qingzhou said: "I'm not afraid of anything. Are you afraid?"

Qingmei was shocked by his sharpness. She quickly said, "I just said that casually."

Gu Qingzhou smiled: "But I'm not saying this casually. Tell me when you're scared and I'll protect you."

Qingmei said "hmm".

It was a rare moment for the two of them to have a serious conversation. Gu Qingzhou remembered that Qingmei was looking for furniture for her new house, so he said to her, "I have a few industrial tickets here. You can borrow some from other comrades. Don't worry about the furniture for your new house. Just buy a set from us. I'll ask what kind of wood is available and tell you. You can also choose the style."

This made Qingmei very happy. The 014th Army had a factory for its employees, and the furniture produced there was much better than that produced by other factories. Many people tried to buy it at a higher price, but there was no way to get it.

Gu Qingzhou actually asked her to choose the wood and the style!

Qingmei couldn't help but say, "My partner is so nice!"

Gu Qingzhou said gently: "It's enough for you to say this. I will deliver the furniture to you personally after it is finished."

"At least half a month." Qingmei muttered, "Can you make it back in time?"

Gu Qingzhou said, "We can make it back."

Gu Qingzhou said again: "Then you will wait for me obediently?"

Qingmei said sweetly, "Okay."

"See you then."

"See you then."

"Let me hold it?"

"...Um."

"You hang up first."

"good."

The short call time passed in the blink of an eye. Gu Qingzhou waited for Qingmei to hang up first. Before Qingmei hung up, a busy tone appeared on the phone line.

Maybe he has an emergency call.

Qingmei stretched and stood up, thinking, Gu Qingzhou is too clingy today.

hey-hey.