"It wasn't expensive; it was a gift from them," Gao Mingcheng said.
Grandma Qin looked at Xing Zhaozhao in surprise: "You brought things back again?"
Xing Zhaozhao opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Gao Mingcheng spoke up for her: "She didn't bring it back. She came back the day before yesterday, and when the things were delivered yesterday, she went to pick them up."
Xing Zhaozhao: "??!!"
Grandma Qin's face darkened as she looked at Xing Zhaozhao, her eyes widening: "Didn't you say you wouldn't go again? Why did you go again?"
"What a scoundrel, actually tattled on me." Xing Zhaozhao glanced at Gao Mingcheng, smiled apologetically, and explained to Old Madam Qin, "Don't listen to Mingcheng's nonsense. This time, I didn't even go over there. They had already piled up the things at the door. I just had to reach over and bring them back."
Grandma Qin was startled: "That won't do either."
She grabbed Xing Zhaozhao's hand and touched it repeatedly with concern: "What if the door suddenly disappears when you reach out, leaving your hand behind?"
Xing Zhaozhao: "??!!" Can you please not say such terrifying things?
"I promise I will never go there again," she solemnly assured Old Mrs. Qin.
Grandma Qin seemed a little distrustful of her. She looked at Gao Mingcheng and solemnly instructed him, "Mingcheng, this girl often says one thing but means another. I'm really worried about her. I'll have to trouble you to keep a close eye on her from now on. Don't let her run around like that anymore."
Gao Mingcheng nodded seriously: "Godmother, don't worry, I will keep a close eye on her."
Grandma Qin nodded and said, "I can trust you."
Several people took turns lecturing Xing Zhaozhao, and she had to swear to the heavens that she would never do it again before the matter was considered closed.
Grandma Qin took it upon herself to open the boxes that had been given to them.
Besides the letters to the two of them, she also gave Fu Lan a box of gold bars, though the box was slightly smaller than Xing Zhaozhao's. The rest of the box contained some books on fashion and design, which she didn't know whether Ying Rongrong or He Shasha had prepared for her.
He also gave the old principal and Mrs. Qin a box of gold. Qin Shi already knew that the old principal and Mrs. Qin's belongings had been found and they were not short of money, but since they had already given to them, he, as their grandson, couldn't fall behind, so he gave them some too. In addition, he prepared various tonics for the old couple. He was most worried about the health of the other elderly person.
As for himself, he simply ignored it. He had survived even after his grandparents passed away, and now that they were still alive and he had adopted such a capable goddaughter, there was absolutely no need for him to worry about himself.
Xing Zhaozhao felt quite apologetic to Fu Lan: "However, I won't go there again in the future, I'm afraid I won't be able to get any more work."
Fu Lan waved her hand dismissively and said, "It's nothing. I just designed a garment for my sister and brother-in-law's textile factory. Their factory director, Mr. Xu, really likes it and has decided to make an exception and hire me to work at the textile factory."
"Director Xu?" Xing Zhaozhao raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is the director of the textile factory now surnamed Xu?"
"Yes." Fu Lan nodded and then remembered, "Oh right, I think the factory manager of the textile factory that Sister Xing is cooperating with over there is also surnamed Xu."
Xing Zhaozhao thought of Grandpa Xu, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, and said with a nostalgic look, "I wonder how old Director Xu is now. Is he the father or grandfather of the Grandpa Xu I knew?"
Fu Lan recalled the little guy she met when she visited Director Xu at the textile factory last time and laughed, "He must be Grandpa. Director Xu is fifty years old. I just met his grandson at his place last time."
Xing Zhaozhao chuckled: "That's quite a coincidence."
"How about we find an opportunity to meet?" Fu Lan asked with a smile.
Xing Zhaozhao said with a smile, "Then let's find an opportunity to see what Grandpa Xu looked like when he was a child."
Unfortunately, he ultimately failed to find an opportunity.
In less than a month, Gao Mingcheng will be returning to his unit. This time, his whole family will naturally go with him. They don't know when they will be back. They will take everything they can and should take with them.
The day after Fu Lan and the old principal's family came to visit her, Xing Zhaozhao, with the two little ones who had been keeping a close eye on her, went to the cellar again. Looking at the things inside, she felt dizzy; there were too many things, and it would be difficult to carry them all.
From that day on, Xing Zhaozhao and the two little ones began cleaning the cellar, and Gao Mingcheng would come over to help from time to time.
The more enjoyable it was to hoard things back then, the harder it is to clean them out now.
First, anything edible was eaten. Second, anything that could be given away was given away. As for the rest, which were too shameful to keep here to avoid any trouble if someone accidentally stumbled in, some were sent to the old principal for safekeeping, and others were sent directly to the military compound through the post office. Given the current postal speed, by the time they all arrived in Beijing, they would probably still be on their way.
The rest are very important and cannot be delegated to others. For example, the box that Gao Mingcheng received from there can only be carried over by himself. Anyway, things that can be solved with a little effort are not a big deal.
When the house was almost tidied up, Fu Lan and Gao Qingshan suddenly came over hand in hand, both with a hint of shyness on their faces.
“Sister Xing, we don’t know when you and your husband will be back after you leave, and you might not be able to attend our wedding. So, we want to get the engagement settled while you’re still at home,” Fu Lan said to Xing Zhaozhao.
"That's great news! Has the date been set?" Xing Zhaozhao asked with a smile.
Fu Lan mentioned a date, which was three days before their originally scheduled departure.
“Okay, I’ll definitely be there,” Xing Zhaozhao said.
"After we finish eating, I'll take Sister Xing to the textile factory to meet Director Xu's eldest grandson," Fu Lan said.
"Okay." Xing Zhaozhao nodded with a smile.
However, things didn't go as planned. Just a week before the scheduled departure date, Gao Mingcheng received a telegram from the army ordering him to return to his unit immediately.
With no other option, the family had to set off ahead of schedule.
Fortunately, everything had already been arranged, and after packing up my daily necessities, I could leave.
When Fu Lan received the news, she rushed over with Old Mrs. Qin, the former principal, and young Qin Shi to see him off. Her eyes were red and swollen: "Why is it so unfortunate? I should have set the date for yesterday."
Xing Zhaozhao smiled and comforted her, "It's okay. I'll write to you when we get to the capital. Tell me when you get married, and I'll come back to celebrate your wedding with Qingshan."
"Yes." Fu Lan nodded vigorously.
As the train whistle sounded, it slowly pulled away from the platform. Xing Zhaozhao leaned against the window, watching the figure still standing on the platform waving to her, and her eyes welled up with tears.
Gao Mingcheng patted her head reassuringly: "It's okay, you'll come back again."
"Mm." Xing Zhaozhao nodded gently.
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