Chapter 73 Roommate
As the morning light breaks, the quiet two-story building of the Xie family in the military compound is filled with the warmth of everyday life. Wang Xiulan and her relative Xiaohe are cooking in the kitchen together. The clash of pots and pans creates a warm melody, and the aroma of rice porridge wafts in the air.
In the bedroom upstairs, Gu Qiuyue had just put on little cotton jackets for Huahua and Shuangshuang when the two little kids couldn't wait to kick their short legs and rushed into the living room like cannonballs, shouting "Dad! Dad!" in baby voices and pounced on the tall figure.
Xie Shiyu was wearing a brand new military academy student uniform. The navy blue fabric made his shoulders look even broader and straighter. His eyebrows and eyes looked heroic under the brim of his hat. He squatted down and steadily caught his children who rushed towards him, one in each hand. He rubbed his chin affectionately against their soft heads, causing the little ones to giggle.
Gu Qiuyue leaned against the door frame and watched. The early morning light outlined his resolute profile, and also outlined the faint bitterness in her heart at the impending separation. She walked forward and carefully smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles on his epaulettes, her fingertips stroking the cold metal emblem with infinite attachment.
"When you get there, don't just focus on training. Remember to eat on time." Her voice was choked with a barely perceptible sob.
"I know, you too." Xie Shiyu held her hand, his deep gaze locked on her, as if he wanted to carve her appearance into his heart. "Take good care of yourself. Mom and Xiaohe will take care of the child and the family. Don't tire yourself out. Call the school if you have any problems."
He pulled out an old bullet casing from his pocket, which had been rubbed smooth and warm, and placed it solemnly in her palm. "Take this, look at it when you miss me, and wait for me to come back."
The small brass shell lay heavy in his palm, carrying the warmth of his fingertips. Gu Qiuyue held it tightly and nodded vigorously. Thousands of words could only be reduced to one sentence: "Well, go study with peace of mind. You have your parents and me at home."
The sound of a jeep horn came from downstairs, urging the arrival of the moment of departure. Xie Shiyu took a last deep look at his wife and children, waved vigorously to his parents and old man standing at the door, turned around and strode out the door.
In the morning light, his tall figure merged into the dark green jeep, gradually driving away and disappearing at the end of the tree-lined avenue outside the courtyard gate.
Gu Qiuyue held Huahua and Shuangshuang, who were nestled in her arms and seemed to be feeling a little quiet because of the separation. She looked at the direction where he disappeared. Her heart was empty, but filled with a heavy sense of responsibility and pride in his future. She lowered her head and kissed the children's foreheads, took a deep breath, and suppressed the sadness of separation in her heart.
On the campus of Jingcheng University, the aftermath of the impersonation incident has not yet completely subsided.
Gu Qiuyue was walking towards the teaching building with her books in her arms. Occasionally, she could hear her classmates talking about how another impostor had been caught at XX University. From their discussion, Gu Qiuyue got a new piece of information: the crackdown on impostors had spread to universities across the country, and all the impostors had been caught.
Her face was calm, but her heart was more determined: knowledge changes destiny, and fairness cannot be violated.
When I pushed open the door of dormitory 308, a subtle atmosphere hit me. My roommate Liu Mei was shaking the clothes she had just taken back, and water droplets splashed on the cover of the notebook that Gu Qiuyue had just placed on the table.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Qiuyue," Liu Mei glanced at her, but her tone lacked much apology. "This dormitory has a lot of people, so there's a lot of things to do. Some people are always running home, so duties and chores fall on others. People who know you might think you're at school, and those who don't might think this is a hotel."
The air suddenly became stagnant.
Gu Qiuyue paused, looked at the water stains on the notebook, and then looked at Liu Mei's "I'm right" expression. She understood Liu Mei's dissatisfaction. There were a lot of things going on at home recently, so she did come home late. Dormitory duty was sometimes delayed, but she didn't deliberately not do it.
She is not one to shirk responsibility.
Gu Qiuyue did not argue. She put down the book silently, picked up the mop behind the door, walked to the floor where Liu Mei had just hung clothes and there were obvious water stains, and began to mop carefully. Her movements were neat and she did not complain at all.
"Liu Mei, my family situation is special. My child is young and my husband has just reported to the military academy. I can't take care of both running around. I may have missed the dormitory duty. I will pay attention to it in the future and try to coordinate my time. Besides, I have done my part, so you don't have to make indirect accusations." Her voice was calm and clear, with an unquestionable sense of responsibility. "Some people have so much time to stare at others, why not focus on their own studies?" Everyone can be sarcastic.
"You..." Liu Mei glared at Gu Qiuyue and was about to argue with her, but several other roommates came up and pulled her away. Liu Mei also knew that her reason was a bit untenable, so she quickly stepped down now that she had a way out. However, she still pouted and muttered, "I'm glad you know," before turning around to pack her things.
Another roommate who was close to Gu Qiuyue in the dormitory also pulled Gu Qiuyue aside to discuss studying. The other roommates exchanged glances but didn't say anything, but the tense atmosphere seemed to ease a little.
After Gu Qiuyue finished discussing her studies with Zhou Lijuan, she returned to her desk. Her gaze fell on the brass cartridge case lying quietly on the table, and her fingertips gently stroked the smooth surface. Was he, far away, already in the military camp? A sense of strength returned to her heart.
In the afternoon, Gu Qiuyue went to the library to look up information. Just as she walked under the row of tall sycamore trees on the side of the library, a figure blocked her way.
"Classmate Gu Qiuyue, what a coincidence." Zhou Mingxuan from the Department of Literature had a perfect smile on his face. His white shirt was washed white, with his sleeves rolled up. He was holding a copy of "The Red and the Black" in his hand, looking quite gentle and bookish.
He was an educated youth who had returned from the Northeast Construction Corps. He was popular among his classmates, had a good sense of humor, and was very popular among some female classmates. In the recent few "chance encounters", he approached Gu Qiuyue on the pretext of discussing current affairs or asking questions about English.
"Classmate Zhou, is there something wrong?" Gu Qiuyue stopped and spoke in a distant tone.
Zhou Mingxuan stepped forward, his eyes eager. "Qiuyue, I've been observing you for a long time. You're smart and studious. You have a kind of... tenacity and radiance that's different from other female classmates. It's truly captivating."
He paused, lowering his voice with a kind of self-proclaimed affection. "I think we're like-minded people. This weekend, the school auditorium is showing the internal film 'Early Spring in February.' I finally managed to get two tickets, and I'd like to invite you to watch it."
As he spoke, he pulled out two small movie tickets from the book and handed them over.
There happened to be a few classmates passing by. When they heard Zhou Mingxuan's words, they slowed down their pace curiously and looked at the two of them.
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