Chapter 416 Gu Beichen got promoted again!
That golden five-pointed star shone brightly in the sunlight.
Regimental level, with the rank of colonel.
After studying at the National Defense University in Beijing for half a year and experiencing the silent power struggle with the Lin family, this star's arrival was well-deserved and thrilling.
The courtyard gate creaked open.
Zhang Huilan came out carrying a winnowing basket to pour water, when she suddenly saw the person standing at the door. She almost dropped the basket and spilled water all over the floor.
"Beichen?" The old lady wiped her hands on her apron, her dim eyes narrowing into slits as she stared at the new star on her son's shoulder. Her lips trembled slightly. "This...this is..."
"Mom, I'm home."
Gu Beichen strode over, took the winnowing basket from his mother's hand, and placed it in the corner of the wall.
A series of rapid footsteps came from inside the house. Two small cannonballs shot out.
"dad!"
Gu Ping'an ran the fastest, still clutching the wooden gun Gu Beichen had made for him last time. He rushed up to the gun, then suddenly stopped, tilting his head back so hard his neck almost snapped.
Gu Ningjing followed behind, holding half a piece of rice cake in her hand, rice grains still stuck to her face, blinking her big eyes, looking timidly at her father whom she hadn't seen for half a year.
Gu Beichen squatted down.
He stretched out his large, calloused hands, picked up the two little ones, one in each hand, and weighed them in his hands.
"He's sunk." Gu Beichen rubbed against Gu Ping'an's still-developing face, the stubble making Gu Ping'an howl in pain. "You've eaten a lot, how come you're only gaining weight and not growing taller?"
“Who says I haven’t grown taller!” Gu Ping’an struggled indignantly. “I’ve grown so much taller! I’m even taller than the chubby kid next door!”
Gu Ningjing didn't say anything, but simply reached out her soft little hand and touched the golden collar flower on Gu Beichen's collar, then held the rice cake, which was covered in saliva, to Gu Beichen's mouth.
"Dad, eat."
Gu Beichen opened his mouth and took a bite, the sweet aroma of rice spreading in his mouth.
Su Yue stood at the entrance of the main room.
She had finished dealing with everything in the capital a few days ago and had already rushed back to Hainan Island ahead of time.
Looking at the one adult and two children in the yard, she leaned against the door frame, arms crossed.
Gu Beichen looked up, his gaze passing through the grape trellis in the yard and landing precisely on her.
Neither of them spoke.
There wasn't even that passionate embrace of a long-awaited reunion.
Gu Beichen put the child down and strode over to her.
He raised his hand and gently smoothed her wind-blown temples, his movements as practiced as if they had just parted yesterday.
"Is everything alright at home?"
"She's doing well." Su Yue straightened his slightly crooked tie. "I've also made arrangements with the Lin family. Lin Ruolan is behaving herself now; she's probably writing a self-criticism in that compound in Beijing."
Gu Beichen gave a short laugh.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mrs. Gu."
"Serve the people." Su Yue patted the dust off his shoulder. "Colonel Gu, come inside. The food is in the pot, and the water is in the vat."
These few simple words finally put Gu Beichen's mind at ease, which had been hanging in suspense in the capital for half a year.
The news spread like wildfire, and in less than half a day, the news of Gu Beichen's promotion had spread throughout the entire military compound.
Just after dinner, a lot of people started peeking around and gathering outside the courtyard.
"Have you heard? Commander Gu... oh no, he's Brigade Commander Gu now! I saw those shoulder insignia, all gleaming gold!"
"Really? How old is he? Not even thirty yet?"
"How could that be false? He's made a huge contribution in the capital! Plus, he has a wife who can earn foreign exchange, so his promotion speed is like a rocket!"
The murmurs drifted in along the base of the wall.
Gu Beichen put down his chopsticks, his cold and stern face revealing no emotion.
He slowly wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, then stood up and picked up the military cap hanging on the coat hanger.
"Are you full?" Su Yue looked at him. "You're going out again as soon as you get back?"
"To aid digestion." Gu Beichen put his hat on and pulled the brim down. "And while I'm at it, I'll go and familiarize myself with the place."
Su Yue understood immediately.
This is to "get to know the people's conditions".
Although the military compound looks glamorous, many people there actually live a very frugal life.
Especially those military dependents, most of whom do not have formal jobs, and the whole family depends on the man's meager allowance to make a living.
Previously, Gu Beichen was just a regimental commander and couldn't manage too much. Now that he's in a higher position, his responsibilities have become heavier.
“I’ll go too.” Su Yue stood up. “The factory is hiring a batch of temporary workers recently, I’ll go see if there are any suitable ones.”
The two walked out of the courtyard one after the other.
Gu Beichen didn't bring any guards; he just held Su Yue's hand and walked slowly along the cement road in the compound.
The streetlights cast a dim yellow light, making their shadows appear long.
The first house we visited was that of Battalion Commander Zhao Tiezhu.
Zhao Tiezhu was a Shandong man, fierce in battle, but with a heavy family burden.
My mother is bedridden and paralyzed, and I have three growing children to care for.
As soon as I reached the door, I heard a woman crying and a man shouting from inside the house.
"Stop crying! I'm not dead yet!" Zhao Tiezhu's voice boomed like thunder. "So what if you don't have money for tuition? I'll figure something out!"
"What can you do? That's ten dollars! Not ten cents! You sent your allowance back to your hometown as soon as it came in. How are we supposed to live?"
Gu Beichen raised his hand and knocked on the door.
The arguing inside the house stopped abruptly.
A few seconds later, the door opened.
Zhao Tiezhu, shirtless and holding a pipe, paused for a moment when he saw Gu Beichen standing at the door, then snapped to attention and saluted.
"Brigade...Brigade Commander!"
Gu Beichen returned the greeting without any formalities and stepped into the house.
The room was pitch black, so a kerosene lamp was lit.
Zhao Tiezhu's wife was wiping away tears when she saw Gu Beichen and Su Yue come in. She hurriedly hid the bowl of pickled vegetables on the table behind her back.
That was real pickled vegetables. A dark bowl, not a drop of oil in sight.
Gu Beichen didn't look at the bowl of pickled vegetables; his gaze swept around the room. The plaster on the walls was peeling off, revealing the red bricks underneath, and the quilts on the bed were piled up with patches upon patches.
"Old Zhao, are you struggling financially?" Gu Beichen pulled out a creaky chair and sat down.
Zhao Tiezhu blushed and rubbed his hands together: "It's alright! I can pass! I'm sorry for causing trouble for the organization!"
"Stop giving me that official talk." Gu Beichen pulled a wad of ten-yuan notes from his pocket and slammed them on the table. "This is a loan. We can't skimp on the child's tuition."
"This won't do!" Zhao Tiezhu exclaimed anxiously, trying to push the money back.
Su Yue spoke up at the opportune moment: "Sister-in-law, my factory is short-staffed in the packaging workshop recently. It's piecework, the more you work, the more you earn. The work isn't tiring, and it won't interfere with picking up and dropping off the kids. If you work hard, you can earn thirty or forty yuan a month. Would you like to come?"
Zhao Tiezhu's wife was stunned, even forgetting to cry: "Factory manager... are you serious? I... I can go too?"
"As long as you're quick and efficient," Su Yue smiled. "Go directly to the factory at eight o'clock tomorrow morning to report to Deputy Factory Director Huo."
After leaving the Zhao family home, Zhao Tiezhu's wife saw him off to the crossroads, expressing her deepest gratitude.
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