Chapter 108 Fine Wine and Flowers, Offered to the Triumphant Returnees
Early Sunday morning, Gu Yin and Li Dalong went to town, and after calling Li Li, the four of them took a car to the No. 1 Middle School of the city to find Gu Shu.
School was closed on Sunday, and my roommate wanted to go to an internet cafe, so he invited Gu Shu to join him.
Gu Shu shook her head: "You guys go ahead, my sister and my friend are coming to see me, I have to go out for a bit, we'll go together next time!"
Upon hearing this, the other three stopped calling him and left.
Gu Shu looked at himself in the mirror, saw that there was nothing wrong, and then changed his shoes and went downstairs.
As soon as he got down to the first floor, he saw the president of the basketball club come in. Gu Shu turned around and tried to hide, but he was spotted by him.
"Gu Shu! Why are you running away! What have you thought about what I said? There are competitions during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays. Are you even capable of doing it?" The person quickly called out to Gu Shu, who was trying to run away, and said helplessly.
Gu Shu turned around, touched his nose, and said helplessly, "President Qin, I'm an academic student, not a sports student. I need to study hard and improve every day! If I don't get into university, my family will definitely break my legs! Your basketball club trains every day, I don't have time! I've already asked around, go find a sports student! Sports students are tall and have good stamina, and their time is relatively flexible! Don't keep targeting me!"
Qin Heng, holding a basketball, laughed and said, "I'm a liberal arts student too! I'm not only the class monitor of the top class, but also the president of the basketball club. The club has not only sports students, but also art students and liberal arts students who specialize in studying. Haven't I told you many times? We only practice on weekends, and occasionally in the evenings! If you agree, I'll tutor you! How about it?! Lots of classmates have asked me to tutor them, but I haven't agreed to any of them! You'd better seize this opportunity!"
Meeting Gu Shu was also an accident. During the freshmen military training, the student council members took turns delivering water and mung bean soup to the freshmen. When he delivered the soup to Gu Shu's class, Gu Shu was being called out by the coach to be the team leader.
He was very tall, at least 1.8 meters! And strong! If he hadn't been in the same class as Qin Heng, he would have thought this junior was a sports student! He stood at attention without moving an inch, very steady! He was clearly a good candidate for joining a club, but because he wasn't sure if he could play basketball, Qin Heng didn't go up to bother him.
When they went to the basketball court for training after class in the evening, they saw Gu Shu playing basketball with a few classmates. To be honest, it didn't require much skill; it was all about strength and jumping ability. But Gu Shu was steady; he didn't budge even when someone bumped into him! His shooting accuracy was also very high, and this was without any training. Thinking about the competition with other schools during the National Day holiday in two months, Qin Heng felt that this guy had to join their club!
Despite several attempts to intercept him, he refused to comply! He was incredibly stubborn!
Gu Shuyuan initially didn't want to join, but when he heard that Qin Heng could tutor him, he was honestly tempted. Qin Heng was in the top ten of the second year of high school! He was a potential candidate for a top university! If he wasn't tempted, he'd be out of his mind!
"If I join, will you really help me catch up on my studies?"
Qin Heng nodded: "That's right! Are you coming or not!"
Just as Gu Shu was about to speak, his phone rang. Seeing that it was A Yin calling, he figured they were already at the school gate. Gu Shu looked at Qin Heng and nodded, "Come to my dorm tonight to talk! I have something urgent to do right now, so I'm leaving!" He waved and quickly ran out the door.
Gu Yin and the other three got off the bus at the entrance of the No. 1 Middle School of the city, then found a shady spot to wait. Gu Yin called Gu Shu and told him their location. Then Gu Yin looked at the others and asked, "Want some milk tea?"
There are several milk tea shops near the school, and they're already open now.
On such a hot day, after such a long car ride, everyone must be thirsty, so they nodded and said, "Drink up, with ice to cool us down!"
The group entered the milk tea shop. Gu Yin ordered a kumquat lemon tea for herself and Gu Shu. After looking at it for a while, the others also thought it was refreshing and not too sweet, so they all ordered the same one. After ordering, Gu Yin was about to pay when Li Dalong stopped her.
"You're the youngest among us, how can I let you pay! I brought my own money with me! Besides, Xiaoming and I worked on the construction site for over two months and even got paid! I'll treat everyone to drinks!"
Gu Yin said helplessly, "I earn money more easily than you guys. After you leave, you'll have to spend your money wisely and save wherever you can!"
Seeing the two arguing, Li Li slipped away and paid the bill directly.
Gu Yin: "..." My house has been raided.
Seeing the disapproving looks on their faces, Li Li laughed and said, "I'm not short of money, I still have my salary! I can afford this 15 yuan! Don't argue, once you and Xiaoming go to the army, I won't have a chance to treat you to a drink!"
Upon hearing this, Li Dalong and Gu Yin stopped arguing. She would treat them to lunch later.
After receiving the milk tea, Gu Shu appeared at the school gate.
The group walked over, and Gu Yin handed him the milk tea, then looked him up and down, blinking, "Brother, why are you so dark?"
Gu Shu was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts. Except for her calves, which were white, the rest of her exposed body was several shades darker! Her arms were so dark they seemed to glow!
Gu Shu took a big gulp of his iced drink before laughing, "It's normal. I just finished military training, and I was exposed to the sun every day. It would be strange if I didn't get tanned. But don't I look manly and charismatic? I think I look great! I don't like being too pale anymore; I prefer being a little tanned! All of our instructors are the same color—dark!"
Gu Yin nodded: "You do look much more energetic."
After finishing her iced drink, Gu Shu checked the time and said, "Let's go, it's lunchtime! There's a stir-fry place around here that's really good, with generous portions and great deals. My classmate told me about it, and I've eaten here twice already. It's delicious! Let's eat and chat!"
The restaurant was 300 meters away from the school, and when we arrived, several tables were already occupied.
Gu Shu led them to a large table and gestured for the waiter to bring the menu.
Gu Yin turned her head and looked around. It was a home-style restaurant with decent hygiene. Most of the customers were students. There were waiters serving the dishes, and Gu Yin saw that the plates were full of food. The portions were indeed large. Rice and soup were all you could eat and drink. The prices were also low. Meat dishes were 5 yuan and vegetable dishes were 3 yuan. You could eat your fill. It was really a great deal.
The five of them each ordered a meat dish, and Gu Yin added two cold dishes. In no time, all the dishes were served; the chef was very fast.
"It smells so good! It looks delicious! I wonder if the food will be this good when we get to the army!" Li Dalong ladled out a big bowl of rice and started eating as he spoke.
Gu Shu served Gu Yin a bowl of rice, nodding affirmatively: "It has to be delicious! I specifically asked my instructor, and he said the mess hall is full of top chefs! They grow their own vegetables and raise their own pigs! They have whatever you want to eat! Eat as much as you like!"
"That's great! I'll definitely come back fat! And I'll be as tall as you!" Li Xiaoming said happily.
They only eat meat five or six times a month at home, but they can eat it at every meal in the army! Just thinking about it makes me happy!
Gu Yin looked at their innocent expressions, smiled, and remained silent. She prepared to get up to get the soup when she noticed Li Li's envious gaze beside her.
Gu Yin sat down silently again and kicked Gu Shu. Li Li originally wanted to join the army, just like Li Dalong. His grandmother was very supportive. But after this incident, he became disabled and his dream of joining the army could never be realized.
Gu Shu was kicked by Gu Yin and looked at her in confusion. Following her gaze, he also saw Li Li looking at Li Dalong and Li Xiaoming with envy.
Gu Shu coughed lightly: "Don't just think about enjoying yourself. Listen to my instructor, the training is very heavy. Your shoes will wear out and your hands will be blistered. You can't even imagine the hardship. You two need to be prepared to endure hardship! If you can't take it and run back, then you're deserters! I don't think you want to know what happens to deserters!"
Gu Yin then reminded them, "Alright, stop scaring them. Let's eat, and then we'll go shopping!"
Li Dalong and Li Xiaoming promised, "We will never desert! We will grit our teeth and persevere! Ashu and Ali, you two, one study hard and the other make money. If we get out with injuries, we'll have to rely on you two to help us out!"
Li Li laughed: "Then I'll work hard and save money. If you really need it later, just come to me!"
"You're a true brother!" Li Dalong patted Li Li on the shoulder and said with satisfaction.
After finishing their meal, Gu Yin paid the bill. Afterwards, the group went for a stroll in the city. The boys bought some clothes and stayed until the afternoon before heading home.
Gu Shu saw them off to the car and looked at Li Dalong and Li Xiaoming: "Although you can find your brothers to do when you're out here, I still want to say that a soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier! We're all in here now, wouldn't it be a waste of our physical strength and all that we learned from our PE teacher this semester if we didn't give it our all?! I hope that one day when I introduce him to someone, I can proudly say: This is my childhood friend! He's a regimental commander! Isn't that amazing!"
Li Li stepped forward, smiling at the two of them: "I also hope to have a childhood friend who's a regimental commander, so that no one will dare to bully me anymore! You two must keep working hard! Whether you can get married in your later years depends on your efforts!"
Looking at the two of them, Li Dalong suddenly felt immense pressure.
"Can't you lower the bar a bit? Company Commander, is that alright? I'll risk my life for you! As for Ali, your problem of getting married, I'm powerless to help you. I don't even have a wife myself! I'm leaving! I was a little reluctant and sad at first, but after what you guys said, nothing's left! Nothing at all! You really dare to dream!"
Gu Yin watched from the sidelines, amused. When the car arrived, the group said goodbye to Gu Shu and got in.
Gu Shu waved to the departing car and whispered, "Fine wine and flowers for the victorious returnees! Take care!"
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