Chapter 95 Visiting Relatives
The warm autumn afternoon sun still generously shone on the paths in the park, but the harsh argument just now under the old locust tree was like a cold stone thrown into Gu Qiuyue's heart, and the ripples that spread out were chilling.
Grandma Wang Xiulan held the naive twins tightly in each hand, her steps brisk as she kept muttering, "What a sin... Making such a scene in the street? Aren't you afraid of losing face? You're bringing bad luck to the children... What bad luck!"
The wrinkles are filled with worry about the grandchildren and contempt for the unhappy couple.
Gu Qiuyue followed silently, pinching her palms unconsciously with her fingertips. Aunt Li's whisper of "you stole someone else's spot to return to the city" was like a poisoned needle, repeatedly pricking her nerves.
The resentment in Bai Xiaolian's eyes, which she had not been able to completely conceal, also made her remember the days when she was an educated youth. Although the person before was not her, perhaps because they had the same name and surname, she could empathize with what happened to the original owner. Bai Xiaolian and Chen Xiangsong bullied the original owner, and the original owner's unwillingness. She was worried that she could not find a chance to avenge the original owner, and now the two of them appeared in front of her, so why should she be polite?
However, she took a deep breath, suppressed her surging thoughts, and reminded herself: Right now, there is something more important - to visit her husband whom she had not seen for a long time.
"Mom, thank you for taking care of Huahua and Shuangshuang." Gu Qiuyue caught up with her mother-in-law, her voice returning to its usual gentleness. "I plan to take advantage of the New Year's Day holiday to visit Shiyu at the base."
The anger on Wang Xiulan's face eased a little, and she patted her hands: "Go, go, Xiaohe and I have the child. When you meet Shiyu, tell him to eat well, don't just focus on work, and also... pay attention to safety." The old lady is also a military wife, so naturally she has the concerns unique to a military family.
The next day, the green train left the bustling platform of Beijing with a "what's more" sound. Outside the window, golden fields and low villages quickly receded. Gu Qiuyue leaned against the window, letting the cool air brush across her cheeks, temporarily leaving behind the ink and book fragrance of the Peking University campus and the awkward conflicts in the park.
Her heart flew towards the garrison camp where Xie Shiyu was located in the Pingcheng mountain area.
The camp is nestled among mountains, with grey walls and green tiles, revealing the peculiar solemnity and calmness of a soldier. The sentry standing at the door with a gun stands straight in his posture.
After receiving the news, Xie Shiyu had already been waiting at the camp gate. When he saw his wife's familiar figure from afar, the ice and snow on his stern face melted instantly. He strode forward and took the luggage bag from her hand.
"Are you tired from the journey?" He spoke in a low voice with subtle concern, his eyes carefully tracing her face.
"Not bad." Gu Qiuyue looked up and smiled at him. The fatigue from the journey seemed to be dispelled by this smile. The neat barracks in the camp, the loud slogans, and the fresh mountain breeze in the air all gave her a familiar feeling.
The brief warmth was interrupted by a rapid assembly whistle. Xie Shiyu's eyes flashed with apology: "It's an emergency training. Don't cook tonight. I'll get food from the cafeteria."
Not long after Xie Shiyu left, there was a knock on the courtyard door. When Gu Qiuyue opened the door, she saw Mrs. Zhang, Mrs. Chen and several old acquaintances standing outside.
"Sister Qiuyue, I heard from Xie Tuan yesterday that you would come to visit us. I didn't expect you to come." Mrs. Zhang said with a smile, "You must be tired from the journey. Let's not cook today. Come to my house for dinner after you have rested up."
"Thank you, sister-in-law." Although Gu Qiuyue had not been to the base for a long time, she would sometimes write letters to Sister Zhang and several other familiar sisters-in-law.
Although these sisters-in-law have only attended literacy classes for a few days at most, some of their husbands can still read and write. At the very least, Sister Zhang's son, who is a junior high school student, can help his mother read and write letters.
Gu Qiuyue declined Mrs. Zhang's kindness and promised to visit her house after she had a good rest. Then she sent away the enthusiastic sisters-in-law.
The hot water at home was already boiled. Gu Qiuyue carried the water to the bathroom and took a comfortable bath before falling onto the bed and falling asleep.
She slept until dusk. As soon as she woke up, Xie Shiyu's voice rang out above her head: "You're awake! Hurry up and have dinner. Then go back to sleep."
Gu Qiuyue followed Xie Shiyu out and saw him take out several dishes from the pot in the kitchen, including meat, fish, vegetables and a tomato and egg soup.
"Except for the soup, everything else is from the cafeteria. Master Zhang heard that you were coming to visit, so he specially made some extra food for you to try and see if his cooking skills have declined." Xie Shiyu's eyes were full of smiles when he brought out the food.
The daughter-in-law finally came to visit her relatives. Xie Shiyu had been single for a long time. He could tolerate it before when his wife was not around, but now his delicate and soft daughter-in-law is right in front of him. How can a man in his prime tolerate it? What's more, she is his legitimate daughter-in-law, so naturally he doesn't have to tolerate it.
Gu Qiuyue also missed this man very much, so both of them were a little out of control that night. But in the end, Xie Shiyu finally let his wife go after sitting in the car for such a long time during the day.
The next morning, Gu Qiuyue still felt weak all over. She cursed Xie Shiyu several times in her heart before getting up to eat the breakfast he had prepared for her.
Just after finishing breakfast, there was a knock on the gate. Gu Qiuyue opened the door and saw that it was Mrs. Zhang and some others. They said they were going to the town to buy something and asked her if she wanted to go.
Gu Qiuyue naturally went there as well. She hadn't seen her sisters-in-law for a year or two, but the sense of familiarity between them had not disappeared at all. After chatting for a few words, the familiarity returned.
It was then that Gu Qiu Ming noticed a young woman in the crowd, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. She had a round face, big eyes, and smiled before she spoke. She was wearing a washed-out blue coat and exuded a refreshing energy.
"I haven't seen this sister-in-law before. Is she new here?" Gu Qiuyue looked at her and asked.
The sister-in-law smiled and said, "My husband is the battalion commander under your Xie Regiment. You can just call me Xiaolin. I moved into the family compound with my husband a year ago, so I'm not really new here."
Gu Qiuyue smiled at her friendlyly. Since she could get along well with Mrs. Zhang and the others, she must not be a difficult person to get along with. "I'm young, Mrs. Lin, just call me Qiuyue from now on." Gu Qiuyue was not used to being called sister-in-law by an older woman.
"Yes, yes, just call her Sister Qiuyue." Sister Zhang smiled and said, "When you call us Sister-in-law, you make our young Sister Qiuyue sound old." The other sisters-in-law also agreed.
The group arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative in the town. Although the storefront was not big, there were quite a few people coming to buy things. After all, this was the only supply and marketing cooperative in the town.
Mrs. Zhang and the others pulled Gu Qiuyue to the cloth counter and pointed at a piece of thick navy blue twill cloth: "Comrade, please take a look at this cloth."
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