Chapter 23 She Likes
Gu Qiuyue held the military medal that still had the warmth from Xie Shiyu's palm. She raised the corners of her lips slightly and carefully put the medal into the box at the bottom of her drawer.
The sunlight outside the window was shining brightly, shining through the glass onto Xie Shiyu's body. Those once hideous wounds had quietly healed and scabbed under Gu Qiuyue's meticulous care day after day.
Thanks to Xie Shiyu's strong physique and Gu Qiuyue's meticulous care, he can now walk freely and even start simple recovery training.
During his final follow-up visit, Dr. Yang patted him on the shoulder and said, "You're incredibly lucky! Your recovery has exceeded expectations. Any sequelae? They're basically ruled out!"
This conclusion finally put everyone's minds at ease. They had thought this promising young soldier would have to retire, but unexpectedly, the military hospital finally gave him a diagnosis of "continued service," which was a complete turn of events.
Xie Shiyu hadn't yet returned to the squadron, and now he leaned against the doorframe, his gaze glued to Gu Qiuyue. The sunlight gilded his tall features, and warmth shone from his eyes. The military career he had regained, the person he had devoted his heart to, filled his heart with the satisfaction of having regained what he had lost.
"Report!" The communicator's clear voice penetrated the courtyard gate, breaking the silence.
Gu Qiuyue turned around in surprise. At this hour? He was still recuperating… Worry instantly gripped her: Is there another urgent mission?
Xie Shiyu looked normal, but upon closer inspection, there was a flicker of light in his deep eyes, as if he had expected this.
"Come in." He responded in a deep voice.
The messenger trotted in, stood at attention and saluted, his voice booming: "Report to Captain Xie! Divisional headquarters has issued an order! All officers of the regiment, company rank and above, must assemble in the small auditorium at 7:00 tonight! No one is allowed to be absent!"
"Commander Xie Shiyu, the battalion commander of the 1st Battalion of the 432nd Regiment, received the message! I promise to be there on time!" Xie Shiyu returned the greeting, his voice as steady as a rock.
The communicator saluted again, turned and left, leaving the courtyard full of sunshine and Gu Qiuyue's suddenly anxious heart.
"What's going on?" She took a few steps forward, her brow furrowed. "You're not fully healed yet, why are you having a meeting? Is there... another mission?"
Xie Shiyu's heart softened, and he patted Gu Qiuyue's shoulder gently: "Don't overthink it, gathering isn't necessarily a mission." Seeing that she was still worried, he added, "Doctor Yang said it's okay, just a few steps and a meeting, it won't be tiring."
Having said that, at seven o'clock that evening, Gu Qiuyue's heart was still hanging in the air as she watched Xie Shiyu, in his neat military uniform and with steady steps, merge into the twilight. It was not until late at night that the familiar footsteps were heard outside the yard.
The door opened, and Xie Shiyu stepped in with the coolness of the night dew. Under the dim light, Gu Qiuyue keenly noticed that in addition to his usual calmness, there was also a hint of suppressed excitement on his face, and... a deeper solemnity.
"Are you tired? You've been driving for so long." She came forward and took the military cap.
Xie Shiyu held her hand, his palm warm and strong: "I'm fine." He looked directly into her eyes, his voice low and clear, "Two pieces of news."
Gu Qiuyue's heart was lifted.
"First," he said with a sharp glint in his eyes, "the division headquarters appointed me as deputy commander of the 432nd Regiment."
Deputy Head! Gu Qiuyue's eyes widened instantly, pure surprise flooding her like a tide. This wasn't just a title, it was also an affirmation of his abilities and achievements. She subconsciously clenched his hand, her voice leaping with joy: "Really? That's great!" This joy was only for his glory.
Xie Shiyu shook her hand in return, feeling her excitement, and the warmth grew stronger, but a solemn expression reappeared between his brows: "The second thing..." He paused, as if considering, "In recognition of our collective achievements, the division headquarters has specially approved a recommendation for a place in the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University for our regimental family compound."
A place in the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University? Gu Qiuyue's smile froze slightly, her mind racing. Although the college entrance examination was about to be resumed, this place was now a piece of cake that everyone wanted to fight for.
The news spread like wildfire, igniting the entire family compound the next morning and igniting the desire in everyone's heart.
The next day, Mrs. Zhang was the first to knock on the gate. Gu Qiuyue came over and unbolted the door, and saw Mrs. Zhang holding a bamboo basket filled with some fruits and vegetables.
"Sister Qiuyue, congratulations! I've noticed you've been buying vegetables from the service center lately, and you refused to come to my house to pick them. These are all grown by me, and we can't eat them all at home, so I sent some over to you. Don't be disgusted."
Gu Qiuyue always knew that Zhang's sister-in-law was kind to her, and her "congratulations" were also sincere. However, she had a sister-in-law living at home. She had heard her sister-in-law scolding her sister-in-law before, so she didn't bother to visit. "Thank you, sister-in-law. We are so familiar with each other. There is no need to say whether we dislike each other or not. I will not hide it from you. I can go into the kitchen to cook porridge and boil water, but if you really ask me to cook, I might set the kitchen on fire, so I didn't bother you."
"Sister Zhang, if you're free, please come sit down. I've been here for quite some time, but to be honest, I didn't go out much at first. Then my son Shi Yu got injured, and he took so long to recover, so I had even less time to get to know everyone better. When I first arrived, I was more familiar with you and Sister Chen. Why don't you tell me more about our family compound?"
Mrs. Zhang was a straightforward person to begin with, and under Gu Qiuyue's deliberate guidance, she started to rant about all the families in the family compound. She complained about how the sister-in-law of so-and-so was the gossiper, and how the mother of so-and-so lived with her son and daughter-in-law, and they quarreled every other day, and how many times the director of the women's department came to mediate but failed to stop...
As he was speaking, he heard footsteps outside the yard again, and from the sound it seemed that there were quite a few people around.
Gu Qiuyue and Mrs. Zhang just looked up when they saw the gate of the courtyard was pushed open and a group of women walked in directly. "Oh, we said we would come early, but we didn't expect someone to drive us ahead."
"That's right, they live close to me, so I never know when I'll be there!"
Mrs. Zhang didn't feel guilty at all. She stood up and said, "Li Caifeng, Wang Zhaodi, who are you two being so mean to? That's right, I'm just relying on the fact that I live close to Qiuyue's house. What's the matter? I'm just pissing you off to death. Who told you to choose to live in the building in the first place?
And Wang Zhaodi, there's an idiom called 'those who are near the water get the moon first'. If you can't read a few words, you should show off your knowledge to others, so as not to be laughed at."
The soldier's wife, Wang Zhaodi, blushed crimson with embarrassment, but she still held her neck high: "Don't just blame me. You can't read a word either. Let's not blame each other. Besides, country folk like us can't afford to go to school."
"Well, I can't read, but at least I won't pretend to know anything. If you speak properly, no one will laugh at you."
As soon as Mrs. Zhang finished speaking, Gu Qiuyue couldn't help but burst out laughing. She didn't expect that Mrs. Zhang was also a person with a sharp tongue. No wonder she could quarrel with her sister-in-law. It was said that her sister-in-law was a junior high school graduate.
But she likes this kind of personality.
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