Chu Dai listened to the girl's words quietly, and felt vaguely funny but also a little sour in his heart.
The little girl thought he was afraid of her family? How could a grown man like him think so? Moreover, the character of the Gu family could be seen from the two siblings.
Seeing her serious expression, Chu Dai couldn't help but reach out and gently brush her hair back. Instead of answering, he asked, "Do you want to ride a camel tomorrow?"
Gu Qingqing was so excited thinking about going to the desert with Chu Dai the next day that she fell into a drowsy sleep in the late night. When she woke up, there was just a little light in the sky.
She threw off the quilt, stood up yawning, went to wash up, went to the cafeteria to eat breakfast, and went to the sentry post at the gate of the military camp to wait for the training vehicle to come out.
The guard at the gate was not allowed to speak. Gu Qingqing said to herself half a meter away from him, "Brother, I'm going to the desert with the troops for training. I heard there are a lot of wild fruit trees on that road. I'll bring you whatever you want to eat."
"How about watermelons? My brother picked some for me last time and they were sweet, but they may not be available now. I think oranges are delicious too. How about dates? Yesterday, when Aunt Yu and I went to the supply and marketing cooperative, the dates on the wild date trees on the hillside were particularly large! But the wind was too strong at the time so I didn't climb up to pick them. I think there were also hawthorns and hairy chestnuts..."
The Corps was close to the desert, but still some distance away. Although the soil here was sandy, the fruit trees were growing well, and with plenty of sunshine, the fruits were big and sweet.
Gu Qingqing squatted down, propped up her face with her elbows on her knees, and was not discouraged by the lack of response: "Brother, what do you want to eat? I'll bring you a little of everything. Do I need to bring a basket?"
Gu Qingqing did whatever she thought of. She stood up and ran to the cafeteria, muttering, "I have to ask Uncle Yu for two baskets. I don't have to carry them when I follow the car. The chestnuts have thorns that are too prickly. I can't use them in my clothes. If my mother sees that my new clothes have holes again, she will definitely say that I am a millwright..."
When she got two vegetable baskets from Yu Fugui, the truck just drove out of the barracks. The carport of the military green Dongfanghong truck was full of soldiers with live ammunition.
"Qingqing, you and Captain Chu sit in the back, we'll leave first." Gu Qinglie poked his head out of the car window and greeted her.
"Okay!"
After the cars in front of her had left, a car stopped in front of her. The rear door opened and a white hand with distinct joints stretched out from inside.
Gu Qingqing smiled, took his hand tightly, stepped on the side of the car, and got in.
"Drive." Chu Dai looked at the rearview mirror and nodded slightly to the soldier in front.
"Yes, Captain."
Gu Qingqing looked at his profile and found that this man's aura was different from usual, and more like the first time she met him when she first arrived.
Aloof, cold, and when those dark eyes look at you, it's like being stared at by a ferocious hunting falcon.
She moved a little closer to him, their thighs touching, and she could feel his body warmth through the thin fabric.
Hot and fierce.
Gu Qingqing knew that they were in the car and were going to training, so she didn't make any more intimate gestures, nor did she talk to him. She withdrew her gaze from his sharp jawline and turned to look out the window.
When the car passed the sentry gate, it was time for a change of guard duty. The sentries saluted each other. The soldier who was originally on guard saw the car slowly driving out, so he chased a few steps forward and shouted at the top of his voice: "Sister! Dates, bring some dates for the brothers! Chestnuts are also fine! Bring them back to the canteen and let the kitchen staff fry them!!!"
"Okay!" Gu Qingqing leaned half of her body out of the car and waved to the sentry behind her: "I'll remember it!!!"
Fried chestnuts? She hasn't eaten them for a long time.
Chu Dai put one hand on the girl's waist and pulled her back. After she sat down again, his eyes softened a little: "This is very dangerous, do you know?"
"I know." Gu Qingqing stuck out her tongue at him in embarrassment. Seeing that the soldier driving the car in the front seat and the round-faced little soldier next to him were both trying to hold back their laughter, they quickly sat up straight.
Chu Dai smiled lightly, held her right hand with his left hand, placed it on his legs, clasped their fingers tightly, closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
Gu Qingqing's cheeks were red, and the warmth of the man's palm made her slightly dazed. She turned her head to look at his sleeping face, and suddenly felt her heart filled with something.
Dust was swirling outside the car window. The trees on both sides of the road were sparse and not growing well, looking malnourished.
The closer you get to the desert, the less water there is, and the fewer trees there are, until finally there are almost no trees to be seen, not even a hint of green.
The wheels kept rolling, and the wind and sand blew in her face. Gu Qingqing quickly rolled up the window and looked outside through the glass.
After driving for a while, they saw a small blue dot in the distance. When the car got closer, Gu Qingqing was so surprised that she couldn't close her mouth.
Lake!!! What a huge lake!!!
The blue of the sky is reflected in the water, and the shadows of the straight poplars on the shore are swaying with the waves.
She couldn't help but put her face against the glass to look at it, as if she was amazed that there was such a beautiful scenery in the world. The soldiers in the front row couldn't help laughing when they saw her like this.
He nudged the soldier driving the car with his elbow and silently said with his mouth: "Girl."
The warrior driving the car glanced at the rearview mirror and laughed out loud, waking up Chu Dai who was sleeping lightly in the back seat.
When Chu Dai closed his eyes, the sharp cold light in them was fleeting. When he saw the girl with her face pressed against the car window, he returned to his lazy look.
He held her hand a little tighter.
Gu Qingqing noticed that he was awake. She turned around and smiled at him a little embarrassedly, "Brother, can you sleep a little longer?"
Chu Dai shook his head slightly, and asked her with a smile in his eyes: "Does it look good?"
Gu Qingqing nodded repeatedly: "This is the first time I've seen a desert! No matter how far I look, I can't see the end. I didn't expect there is a lake here. I thought there would be no trees in the desert."
Chu Dai leaned back with his head raised, his right hand subconsciously reaching for his trouser pocket, his fingers touching the cigarette box, he glanced at the girl next to him who was looking out the window with great interest, smiled, withdrew his hand, and instead took out two candies.
The two of them were chewing candies at the same time. Gu Qingqing looked at the man with sparkling eyes, and the joy in her eyes was not concealed at all.
Chu Dai raised his eyebrows at her and nodded his chin towards the warrior in front of him. Gu Qingqing understood and nodded obediently.
When they arrived at the destination, it was almost half past nine, and Gu Qinglie took the soldiers to training first.
Chu Dai wanted to go over and give instructions, so he said to Gu Qingqing, "You stay here and walk around. Don't leave the area around the vehicle. It's easy to get lost in the desert."
"Okay." Gu Qingqing watched their backs as they left, holding the five candies that Chu Dai had given her when she got off the car. Her smile was sweeter than that of a White Rabbit.
She was a person who couldn't sit still, and she definitely wouldn't wait in the car for several hours, so she pushed open the door and jumped out, walking slowly and cautiously beside the long line of cars.
In the distance there were rows of tall poplar trees, above the treetops was the blue sky, without a single cloud. The sun baked the sand scorching hot, she bent down and grabbed a handful, thinking to herself what a pity.
If she hadn't picked the hairy chestnuts when she passed the road before the desert just now, otherwise the sand would have cooked the chestnuts, and she wouldn't be so bored now.
Gu Qingqing walked forward with her hands in her pockets, kicking the sand with her toes. The raised dust fell on the surface of her shoes, but she didn't care and wrote the names Chu Dai, Goudan and Gousheng with the toe of her shoes. When the wind blew, the sand surface became smooth again.
Suddenly there was a long roar overhead. Gu Qingqing looked up and saw a big bird flying across the sky and circling high in the sky.
It's an eagle!
She couldn't help but jump up, wave her hands, and yell to the sky: "Hey! Can you hear me? Why are the eagles in the border town so thin? The eagles in our Datun Village are fat! They often eat chickens. Are you hungry?"
The eagle dived suddenly, almost brushing her head, and its cry was cool and distant.
Disappeared from sight.
Gu Qingqing leaned against the car door, patted her chest, and came to her senses. She whispered, "So fierce..."
She squatted in the shade of the convoy and played with the sand for half an hour, then walked around the cars for another half an hour. When she was feeling sleepy and wanted to climb back into the car to sleep, she suddenly heard a clear bell sound.
At the end of the desert, there was a man wearing a green military uniform, with a straight and thin figure, holding a rope in his hand.
A camel slowly emerged behind him.
Gu Qingqing's sleepiness suddenly disappeared.
She screamed and ran towards the man and threw herself into his arms.
Chu Dai groaned, and Gu Qingqing remembered that his injury had not healed yet.
"Brother." She took a step back, looking a little flustered. She was at a loss as to what to do and wanted to check if his wound had broken open, but she didn't dare to reach out and unbutton his shirt.
"I'm fine." Chu Dai ruffled her messy hair, put his slender white hands on her waist, and before she could react, he lifted her up with a little force.
When Gu Qingqing came to her senses, she was already sitting in the middle of the camel peak.
"Hold on to the saddle." The man's deep voice rang out beside her.
Gu Qingqing realized it later and quickly did as she was told.
Camel walked slowly, and Chu Dai walked in front of her holding the rope, leading her slowly around in the desert.
"Brother." She leaned forward slightly and wanted to talk to Chu Dai.
Chu Dai took a step back and came to her side. "What's wrong?"
"Where did you find this camel?"
"There are two villages here, separated by a desert. Their means of transportation is camels. I just happened to meet an old man and asked him to borrow one." The end of the desert is the border they have to guard. Once, the enemy sneaked into the village and captured the old man's son. It was Chu Dai who saved him.
The old man raised a team of camels to help the villagers transport things. Chu Dai happened to meet him just now, so he asked him to borrow one.
"Then are we going to return to Camel later?" Gu Qingqing had some anticipation in her eyes. She really wanted to see what the village next to the desert looked like. It didn't seem very convenient to get water here. And could they grow vegetables?
As if he understood her thoughts, Chu Dai gently touched the camel and said, "The situation in the village is similar to that in the Corps. It is on the edge of the desert and has sandy soil. It is okay to grow pumpkins and sweet potatoes, but not vegetables."
"We can help them!" Gu Qingqing was a little anxious.
Chu Dai chuckled, looked up at the girl on the camel, his eyes full of tenderness.
"Qingqing, you have helped them."
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