Chapter 13 No Such Person
The footsteps and laughter of the young soldiers faded away, leaving behind a few wisps of dust swirling in the beam of light.
Wielding a broom, Mrs. Zhang skillfully instructed, "Sister, move this old wardrobe to the window for more light. Put Captain Xie's table against the wall for stability."
She helped Gu Qiuyue move those "belongings" without saying anything.
Gu Qiuyue responded, but her eyes couldn't help but drift towards the yard outside the window. The ground had been turned over, and the well covered with bluestone slabs stood silently in the corner.
She was thinking about growing some vegetables and building a loofah rack. Her uncertainty about the unfamiliar environment and this marriage also eased a little. She rolled up her sleeves, picked up an old cloth and wiped the table neatly with an almost instinctive proficiency.
Xie Shiyu silently wiped the newly moved desk, his arm muscles slightly tense, revealing his well-defined wheat-colored skin.
He wiped very hard, and his eyes swept over Gu Qiuyue's smooth movements. He once again thought of the strength in the alleys of Beijing, which was far from that of an "ordinary country girl". He frowned slightly and slowed down the movement of his hands for a moment.
"Hey, sister!" Sister Zhang put down the broom and approached Gu Qiuyue, lowering her voice but unable to conceal her excitement, "Sister-in-law, let me tell you, even though Captain Xie lives in this old house, that doesn't mean he lives in a building. His family background, wow! In the capital, that's also a well-known family, definitely not inferior to that Tang family!"
Gu Qiuyue paused while wiping the table. "Tang family! So that's how it is..."
All the doubts suddenly became clear at this moment. Why was he not in the original book? Old Tang was implicated by her, and Xie Shiyu naturally became a passerby!
"Mrs. Zhang!" Xie Shiyu warned in a low voice. Mrs. Zhang stopped talking awkwardly, smiled and slipped into the small kitchen next door to boil water.
Leaving the air slightly stagnant, Gu Qiuyue looked at Xie Shiyu by the window. He had his back to her, and his upright posture revealed an indescribable heaviness.
He turned around, his face calm, but a trace of coldness still lingered in the depths of his eyes. He walked straight to the desk that had just been wiped clean, opened a drawer, took out a brown paper file bag, opened the bag, and handed the two papers that looked like certificates to Gu Qiuyue.
"The formalities are complete." His voice was low and steady, devoid of emotion, as if he were stating a settled fact. "At Wucheng Station. I asked someone to expedite it before I got off the train."
It's a marriage certificate.
Gu Qiuyue's gaze was fixed on the "certificate of achievement", her fingertips felt slightly cold, and the legal constraints became extremely clear and specific at this moment.
She subconsciously curled her fingers, her gaze shifting from the marriage certificate to Xie Shiyu's face. He had chosen to get the marriage certificate at the military base, rather than returning to Beijing, or even to his family's seat, which was "on par with the Tang family"... What was he avoiding? Family pressure? Unnecessary attention?
"It's quiet here." Xie Shiyu seemed to see through her silence and added, his voice still steady, but with a sense of settling, "Home... I don't know for the time being." These words were like a stone thrown into the lake of her heart, as if confirming Gu Qiuyue's guess. Was this "quiet" a safe zone he had drawn for himself and for her, his "wife" who had suddenly broken in?
Gu Qiuyue took a deep breath, and the late autumn air in the south rushed into her chest, carrying the scent of grass and trees, but it could not dispel the complexity in her heart.
She didn't touch the marriage certificate. She just raised her eyes and met Xie Shiyu's gaze. Her voice was silent, with only a hint of inquiry and calmness: "You didn't tell your family because I forced our marriage?"
Xie Shiyu did not answer yes or no.
He avoided her gaze, his eyes fixed on the deserted courtyard outside the window. After a moment's silence, he said, "Don't let your imagination run wild. Since I've agreed to marry you, I'll be responsible for you. The logistics department will deliver new furniture tomorrow." He paused, his tone akin to a soldier's pragmatic promise, "Tell me what you need."
"Hey, the water's boiling!" Mrs. Zhang came out of the small kitchen at the right time, carrying two bowls of steaming hot water, breaking the almost frozen air in the house. "Hurry up and drink something to warm yourself up. This train ride is really tiring.
"Don't worry, sister. This yard is ready to go. Look at this well, so convenient! I'll teach you how to draw water later. Except for a few people in our yard, everyone else is pretty down-to-earth. I'll talk to you about the few who are difficult to get along with another day." She enthusiastically arranged things, as if the brief moment of solemnity had never happened.
Gu Qiuyue took the bowl and felt the warmth in her palm. She looked at Xie Shiyu's chiseled profile, and the corners of his tightly pursed lips revealed a hint of imperceptible fatigue.
She looked out the window at the barren yet vibrant land, the book-traveling, the military marriage, the invisible husband, and the unfathomable Xie family... The road ahead was full of fog, but at this moment, the confusion and uneasiness in her heart strangely settled down, and was replaced by a desperate calmness.
Now that you are already deeply involved in it, instead of panicking, you might as well gain a firm foothold in this small place.
This deserted courtyard is her first stronghold and the starting point for her to gain a foothold in this strange world. She wants to use her own hands to turn it into a vibrant stronghold.
Xie Shiyu looked at the setting sun outside the window, drank the water in the bowl, and put the bowl down. "I'm going back to the camp dormitory tonight to squeeze in with the others." He picked up the military jacket draped over the back of the chair and said with quick and decisive movements, "You... lock the door." There was no extra explanation, nor was it needed.
He needed space to digest all these sudden changes.
The door was closed gently, and the footsteps disappeared outside the yard. Only Gu Qiuyue and Mrs. Zhang were left in the house, as well as the bowl of steaming boiled water in Gu Qiuyue's hand.
Mrs. Zhang looked at Gu Qiuyue's quiet profile, wanting to say something but stopping herself. She rubbed her hands, then leaned forward to confirm that Xie Shiyu had indeed gone far away. Only then did she approach Gu Qiuyue. The warm smile on her face faded, replaced by a look mixed with sympathy and worry.
"Sister," she lowered her voice so low that it was barely a whisper. "There's something... Captain Xie is stubborn and won't let me tell you, but I'm feeling... really suffocated and I think you need to know..."
Gu Qiuyue's heart skipped a beat for unknown reason and she looked at her.
Mrs. Zhang took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, with fear in her voice: "Before he came back this time, he was seriously injured... in the south. I heard my husband mention it. He said that he almost... died. Alas, he had just recovered a little and then..." She didn't finish her words, but just sighed heavily, her eyes full of heartache and pity.
Gu Qiuyue suddenly turned her head to look at Mrs. Zhang. The dusk outside the window was pouring in heavily, covering most of her body in shadow. Only her eyes, which suddenly opened wide, clearly reflected the shock in them, as if she was hit hard by this sudden secret.
Is this the real reason why “no such person” exists in the book?
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