Chapter 111 Returning Home
The evening breeze by the Weiming Lake, with its cool scent of water vapor, gently brushed the tips of Gu Qiuyue's hair, and the dim halo of the street lamp stretched and shortened under her feet.
The chill brought by the brief muffled sound last night had long been dispelled by Xie Shiyu's calm "quick reaction" and the silent sense of security left after the jeep's taillights merged into the traffic flow.
She clutched the textbooks in her arms, the hard edges of their spines rubbing against her arms, bringing a strange sense of solidity. Gazing at the tranquil lake, shimmering with tiny silver glints in the night sky, Gu Qiuyue took a deep breath. The air was filled with the lingering fragrance of lilac trees and the scent of growing plants, and she returned to her studies.
During the holidays, Gu Qiuyue would almost always go to Pingcheng to visit her husband Xie Shiyu. Xie Shiyu would also run to Beijing whenever he had a holiday. It was so hard for a couple to live apart.
This day, in the office of the head of the Economics Department.
"Qiuyue," the gray-haired professor pushed up his glasses, looking at the admission letter in his hand with a complicated look. He then looked up at one of his most proud students, his tone filled with deep regret. "Economics needs young people like you who are focused and talented. Peking University's platform and resources are top-notch. If you stay, your future will be even higher and further. Really... won't you consider it again?"
The sunlight outside the window was just right. It shone through the tall glass windows onto a corner of the desk, illuminating the dust flying in the air. Gu Qiuyue's gaze involuntarily turned to the familiar campus outside the window. She had spent countless all-nighters in the library, and her figure was left in countless corners of the campus. A subtle feeling of reluctance, as if gently strangled by a sharp thread, quietly passed through her heart.
She was silent for a moment, her fingertips unconsciously sliding across the edge of the desk. Then, she reached out and gently took the heavy notice from her tutor's hand. The paper had a unique smell of ink and carried a clearly visible and smooth path.
"Thank you, teacher," her voice was soft but steady, "I understand." She did not look at the regret in her tutor's eyes, but just lowered her head, and with an almost solemn ritualistic movement, she carefully and neatly pressed the notice into the bottom layer of the suitcase that was already almost packed. Thick professional books and notes covered it, as if temporarily burying an unfinished dream.
When she stood up, her eyes fell on the letter from home she had just received. It was written by Xie Shiyu. They had been living apart for four years. Although they did not completely see each other, it was not a big deal for a couple to always be in different places. Besides, the children needed their father's company to grow up.
Thinking of this, Gu Qiuyue raised her head, her eyes clear and firm, and a gentle arc curved at the corners of her mouth: "My family and children need me more."
The train clanked along the familiar tracks. The fields outside the window stretched like a flowing green scroll. Gu Qiuyue cuddled her son, who dozed in her arms. Her daughter lay by the window, her little hand pointing at the telephone poles and cattle flying by, chirping excitedly, "Mom! Look! Are we almost home? Is Dad waiting for us?"
"It's almost there." Gu Qiuyue replied with a smile, her fingers gently combing her daughter's soft hair.
Unlike the nervousness and novelty when I first arrived at the station a few years ago, this time it was the return journey. The rhythm of the rolling wheels, the changing scenery outside the window, and even the smell of instant noodles, sweat and sunshine mixed in the carriage, all revealed a familiar sense of security.
Home is ahead.
The platform of Pingcheng Railway Station is noisy and full of the atmosphere of fireworks. Among the crowd, the figure in neat casual clothes and with a pine-like posture always catches her attention at the first moment.
Xie Shiyu's gaze accurately penetrated the crowd and fell on the mother and her two daughters. The cold outline of his face softened like melting ice and snow the moment it came into contact with the child's smile and his wife's figure.
He strode through the crowd with big strides, took the heavy luggage from Gu Qiuyue's hand with one hand, and stretched out his other arm to hold his little son who was rubbing his eyes to wake up. The little guy hugged his father's neck in a daze, called "Dad" in a baby voice, and leaned his little head on his shoulder dependently.
"I'm back." Xie Shiyu's voice was low, with an imperceptible hoarseness after a long journey, but as steady as a rock.
"Yeah, I'm back." Gu Qiuyue met his gaze, her eyes quickly sweeping over the newly added star badge on his epaulettes that was faintly reflecting under the platform lights, and also catching a glimpse of the faint blue shadow under his eyelids. Thousands of words were melted into these four short words and the look in their eyes.
The jeep drove into the camp gate, and the familiar olive green color, loud slogans, and the unique smell of grass, dust and engine oil in the air hit us in the face.
The car stopped in front of the familiar row of red brick bungalows in the staff housing compound. Pushing open the gate, the courtyard was more lively than she remembered. The small jujube tree in the corner, which was drooping when it was transplanted, has now grown a lot taller, with tender green buds emerging from its branches. A few dried clothes were hung on the clothesline, swaying gently in the evening breeze.
When you push open the door, the furnishings in the house are still as they were, spotless, beckoning the owner's self-disciplined and rigorous lifestyle.
Every brick and tile, every table and chair here bears the mark of their lives.
"You three mothers, take a rest first. I'll go to the cafeteria to get some food. There's hot water in the pot." Xie Shiyu put down his luggage, rolled up his sleeves, revealing his strong arms, and his movements were quick and decisive.
Gu Qiuyue had just put her children, who were rubbing their eyes, on their beds when a familiar loud voice came from far away, "Oh! Sister Qiuyue! I've finally got you back!"
With a hearty laugh, Zhang Xiumei came into the courtyard like a gust of wind, followed by several familiar military wives. Zhang Xiumei came up and patted Gu Qiuyue's shoulder affectionately with considerable force: "You, a college student military wife, have been away for several years and we missed you so much. Look, this scholar is different, she is more beautiful." Her voice was loud and her laughter was bright, which instantly dispelled the loneliness in the room.
Everyone helped to put the luggage in place, and the small courtyard was suddenly filled with the long-lost atmosphere of fireworks and laughter. The two little ones in the house were also woken up, so Gu Qiuyue simply brought them both out.
When the two children came out and saw so many people in the room, they were a little confused. But after seeing that they were people they knew, they calmed down and came over to call everyone.
When everyone saw Xie Shiyu coming back with the lunch box, they all said goodbye, saying that they would come back tomorrow to reminisce after the three of them had rested well.
During the meal, Xie Shiyu said to Gu Qiuyue, "Principal Wang of Zhenyi Middle School knows you're back and has already informed the division. He wants you to teach at the school. Do you think you'd be willing?"
Gu Qiuyue was wiping Shuangshuang's mouth when she paused. "What does Principal Wang want me to teach? I'm studying economics, and I don't think there's this subject in middle school?"
Xie Shiyu: "You can talk to Principal Wang about this some other day. Of course, it's okay if you don't want to go. I can support the family."
"Okay, I'll go ask then." Gu Qiuyue nodded. After all, he was the elder who helped her a lot when she first came to the base. She couldn't refuse his kindness too much. She knew that many military wives in the base couldn't find jobs now.
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