Chapter 119
Although Gu Yuanyang was far away in the army, he did not abandon his relatives in Beijing who had suffered great changes. Although his two younger siblings could not avoid going to the countryside, he could find someone to help arrange where they would be sent to work in the countryside.
At least we can choose some places that are not so poor or remote.
But he soon received news that his two younger siblings had been sent to a remote village in the southwestern mountains.
Upon learning of this, Gu Yuanyang immediately called his maternal uncle Jiang Chengye in Beijing to inquire about what had happened.
Jiang Chengye sighed, "Yuanxiang chose this place on her own initiative. Yuanzheng had no choice but to choose it with her! I heard that some people from your family's old cadre compound were sent to the countryside. They said that if you go there, everyone can look after each other."
Is there someone to look out for you?
Gu Yuanyang found this utterly incomprehensible.
Although I don't know who in the family compound was sent to the countryside, they were sent to the southwestern mountainous area, which shows that they were probably deliberately arranged to go there. It is far from Beijing and is more remote and backward.
Jiang Chengye said, "They set off two days ago." Then he reassured him, "You don't need to worry too much about them. Yuanzheng seems quite clever. He can protect himself and take good care of Yuanxiang. He also knows people there, so there definitely won't be any problems."
What else could Gu Yuanyang do?
The person is already gone, and the matter is settled, so there's not much he can do.
"Now only your mother is left in Beijing. We will take care of her, so don't worry." Jiang Chengye said, a sigh escaping his lips.
Of all the siblings in the Jiang family, Jiang Huijun lived the best life, as she and her husband were both government officials.
Unexpectedly, Gu Maowen got into trouble overnight, and Jiang Huijun and her children were implicated. They lost their jobs, and her two children were forced to go to the countryside.
Jiang Huijun was always a proud and dignified person. Who would have thought that her lifelong pride would end up like this?
Since Gu Maowen's accident, she has been running around asking for help everywhere. Her pride and dignity have been trampled on. After Gu Maowen left, her spirit seemed to be drained, and she collapsed, becoming haggard and her hair turned quite white.
What makes Jiang Huijun even more bewildered is that she is now unemployed and has left the family compound where she has lived for most of her life. Like a defeated dog, she hides in her brother and sister-in-law's house and is supported by them.
How could someone who has been proud all their life possibly accept this?
Unfortunately, her family's money was almost all spent on helping Gu Maowen, leaving her with little money and unable to even afford rent. She had no choice but to stay temporarily at her brother and sister-in-law's house, relying on them for support.
Jiang Chengye felt a pang of guilt and felt sorry for his younger sister, so he tried his best to help her.
They couldn't help Gu Maowen with his previous matter, even if they wanted to. The Jiang family was unable to help, and they were also afraid of implicating their own family. If they lost their jobs, would they have to go to the countryside with him?
I feel somewhat guilty about this.
Jiang Chengye sighed, "Yuanyang, we are very sorry about what happened to your father."
“Uncle, don’t say that.” Gu Yuanyang didn’t blame them. “No one can help with my father’s matter, so you don’t need to worry about it.” After a pause, he added, “But I’ll need to trouble you with my mother’s side! Uncle, go back and ask her if she’s willing to come to the army. I’m worried about her being alone in Beijing.”
Although his parents have neglected him and ignored him all these years, treating him as if he were not their son, he couldn't just completely ignore everything.
Her husband was sent to the countryside, her youngest son was sent to a labor camp, and eventually both of her children were sent to the countryside as well. Jiang Huijun was left alone in Beijing, and since she had no job, she inevitably felt lonely.
Gu Yuanyang was worried, so he wondered whether he should bring the person to the military base.
Jiang Chengye paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll go back and ask her, then I'll get back to you."
“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Uncle,” Gu Yuanyang said. “If she’s willing to come, I’ll find someone to take her to the army base. If she’s not willing… wait until she’s feeling better, Uncle, you can rent a place for her nearby so she can stay. I’ll send you some money then, and I’ll ask you to help look after her.”
Jiang Chengye naturally agreed.
This is his own sister, and he will definitely take care of her. His wife, Tang Fengzhen, didn't say anything either. After the Gu family had their accident, she let Jiang Huijun and Gu Yuanzheng stay at their house and comforted her regularly.
Finally, Jiang Chengye asked in a low voice, "Yuanyang, no matter what, you need to be careful over there."
He was worried that Gu Yuanyang would be implicated in Gu Maowen's matter, but he couldn't say it directly on the phone for fear of being overheard, so he could only give him a tactful reminder.
This nephew is very promising; it would be a pity if this incident affected him.
-
When Jiang Chengye got home from get off work, he told Jiang Huijun what Gu Yuanyang had said.
Upon hearing the news of her eldest son, Jiang Huijun was somewhat excited, but her expression quickly turned somber as she said with a wry smile, "My appearance has caused him worry."
In the past, they felt that their eldest son was the most disobedient, which made them dislike him and even treat him as if he didn't exist. They didn't care much about his marriage or having children. They would just throw the letters and things that their eldest son and his wife sent home into the storage room, out of sight, out of mind.
As for what they sent, they didn't look at it and didn't know.
Upon hearing this, Tang Fengzhen asked her sister-in-law, "What are you thinking? Do you want to go find Yuanyang, or stay in Beijing?"
If it were her, she would naturally want to find her son and live with him and his wife. She heard that Gu Yuanyang had a daughter after getting married, and she was not very old. Her sister-in-law could also go over to help take care of her granddaughter.
However, she also knew that Jiang Huijun probably wouldn't want to go. She had never left Beijing in her entire life, and even after all that had happened, she probably still wouldn't want to leave.
Sure enough, Jiang Huijun paused for a moment, then said, "Never mind, I won't bother them." After hesitating for a moment, she added, "When Xiangxiang came back from the army this time, I found out that Xixi was also there. The unit she was with happened to be the same one Yuanyang was in..."
But Gu Xi didn't tell them any of this.
After getting married, Gu Xi and Shen Mingzheng left Beijing and disappeared without a trace.
There were no phone calls or letters returned, as if they were truly severing ties with them.
Perhaps in her heart, they really did have nothing to do with each other anymore.
Every time Jiang Huijun thinks about these things, she can't help but feel extremely sad.
When Gu Xi was still at home, they disliked her for bringing shame to the Gu family and habitually ignored her, preferring to ignore her. But when she actually left the Gu family and completely severed ties with them, they felt a deep sense of regret and reluctance.
Jiang Chengye and Tang Fengzhen looked at each other in disbelief. How could the Gu family not know about this?
They assumed Gu Maowen and his family knew, so they never brought it up. Neither side seemed to know either.
"Never mind, I don't think Xixi would want to see me," Jiang Huijun said. "If I go there, I don't know if she'll feel bad seeing me, and then..."
Thinking back to the days before Gu Xi's marriage, her cold words felt like a knife stabbing into her heart.
Even if she regretted it, she didn't know how to win back the daughter they had hurt so deeply, and she was too ashamed to see her.
If the Shen family were willing, they could actually protect Gu Maowen from this incident, at least allowing him to stay in Beijing. Gu Yuanzheng could keep his job, and Gu Yuanxiang could return to school instead of going to the countryside.
But the Shen family did nothing.
Gu Xi knew about the trouble the Gu family had, but she didn't do anything about it either, which showed her attitude.
Knowing that Gu Xi offered no help and just watched the Gu family suffer, did Jiang Huijun harbor resentment?
She really didn't know.
She didn't even dare to think about these things, nor did she dare to call Gu Xi to ask why she hadn't asked the Shen family for help... Occasionally, she felt empty inside, not knowing what to feel.
Tang Fengzhen glanced at the absent-minded Jiang Huijun and felt that her sister-in-law was really not like a mother. How could a mother be so confused? However, when she thought about the days that Gu Xi had spent after returning to the Gu family, she understood a little.
When a mother is confused, her daughter will naturally drift apart from her.
It's perfectly normal.
She didn't know what to say, but comforted her, "Huijun, don't overthink it. Xixi is soft-hearted. As time goes by, all those things will pass."
"Really?" Jiang Huijun asked uncertainly.
Tang Fengzhen: "...Probably."
Jiang Huijun sat there blankly, not really holding out any hope.
They had already experienced firsthand how ruthless Gu Xi was, and dared not hold out any hope.
She said sadly, "We were too foolish before, perhaps this is our retribution..."
Perhaps even God has eyes. They treated their own daughter badly and completely estranged from her, so when the Gu family got into trouble, they were too ashamed to ask her for help.
Whether Gu Xi helps or not, there's no way to blame her.
**
Gu Yuanyang was not surprised to learn that Jiang Huijun was unwilling to come.
If it were his father, his father would definitely come straight over and even ask him for help, preferably to get his father back to work; but as for his mother, he still had some concerns. It was one thing that he was reluctant to leave Beijing, but he was also afraid that coming over would cause them trouble, or even make Gu Xi feel bad.
Gu Yuanyang sighed.
If only I had known this would happen, why did I go so far in the first place?
When he first learned about the baby swap, he wanted to return the two children to their respective homes, which would be better for both of them. But they made the worst possible move, and they even forgot to give Gu Xi the gifts and letters he and Ji Ya sent back to Beijing for their new sister, stuffing them directly into the storage room.
Gu Yuanyang learned from Gu Xi later that she had never accepted anything from him and Ji Ya over the years.
It was obvious without asking that his parents didn't like him and wouldn't even glance at the things he sent back; similarly, they didn't value Gu Xi, so naturally they wouldn't find the things they and her husband had sent back for her.
Back home, Gu Yuanyang and Ji Ya discussed sending some money to Beijing to ask Uncle Jiang to help settle Jiang Huijun.
Ji Ya had no objection to this. After all, she was her husband's biological mother and her mother-in-law, so she was quite generous with the money.
Her mother-in-law's reluctance to come was unexpected.
She asked, "Why did Yuanzheng and Yuanxiang go to such a remote place in the southwest? Was it really not a deliberate setup?"
Gu Yuanyang made a guess, "Perhaps the person Yuanxiang likes went there."
Otherwise, why would a brother and sister choose this place?
Ji Ya was at a loss for words.
Her impression of Gu Yuanxiang, after being unable to handle things, now includes another one: she tries to endure hardship even when it's not her fault.
Although Gu Yuanxiang was brave for her beloved, love can't put food on the table. Besides, she didn't know what her beloved's attitude towards her was. What if he didn't have those kinds of feelings for her? What good would it do for her to go there like that, except to impress herself?
Gu Yuanyang also told Gu Xi about Gu Yuanzheng and Gu Yuanxiang going to the countryside, and that was all; he felt he should tell her about it.
Gu Xi remained calm after hearing this. As expected, her rebirth had not affected anything. The Gu family's situation was the same as in her previous life: those who were to be sent to labor camps, those who were to be sent to the countryside, and those who were to be sent to the countryside.
It can only be said that so-called destiny is actually something that people create themselves, and they still end up following their predetermined fate.
“Now only Mom is staying in Beijing,” Gu Yuanyang said. “Your sister-in-law and I discussed that we plan to go back to Beijing for the Spring Festival this year and take Tuantuan with us. Mom hasn’t seen Tuantuan yet.”
The Gu family is now falling apart, and any remaining grievances should be put aside.
Gu Xi responded with an "oh," remaining unmoved.
"Xixi, do you and your brother-in-law want to go back to Beijing together this year?" Gu Yuanyang asked again. "If you go back together, you'll have company."
Gu Xi said, "I don't know, we'll see."
Although she really wanted to go back to Beijing and missed Feng Min and the others, she had to wait and see if Shen Mingzheng had time off.
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