Chapter 154
When Gu Xi and the others left, Jiang Huijun and Gu Yuanzheng both prepared red envelopes for the children.
Although Gu Xi was extremely cold towards them, treating them worse than strangers and barely speaking to them, as elders, they had to give the child a red envelope since it was the child's first visit.
Moreover, the child looks so much like Gu Xi that they can't help but want to make up for what they owe Gu Xi by doing it to him.
Chen Zhuzhu first looked at her mother, and when her mother nodded, she reached out her little hand to take the red envelope.
He held the red envelope in both hands and said in a childish voice, "Thank you, Grandma Jiang, thank you, Uncle Gu, thank you, Aunt Gu."
Although the addition of a surname before the address made it sound distant, hearing the child's innocent, childlike voice still brought some comfort to Jiang Huijun and the others.
They didn't dare touch the child, smiled at him, and saw them off with the Jiang family.
After they disappeared at the end of the street, Jiang Chengye turned to the others and said, "It's windy outside, let's go back."
Back inside, Tang Fengzhen said with a regretful expression, "It's a pity Mingzheng isn't here, and Yuanyang and the others aren't here either..."
Otherwise, with everyone in Beijing for the New Year, it would have been a rare and fulfilling year.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Huijun's expression darkened.
So much has happened in the past five years, almost destroying her family. Watching her husband and children leave one by one, she was left alone in Beijing, facing a cold and deserted house every day. She finally understood that nothing in this world is more important than her family being together peacefully.
The things we used to care about are insignificant in the face of harsh reality. It's a pity that even if we understand this, we can't undo it.
Jiang Huijun's mood soured, and coupled with her advanced age and tendency to tire easily, she went back to her room to rest.
Gu Yuanzheng and Gu Yuanxiang also went back to their room to keep her company. After Jiang Huijun fell asleep, the brother and sister went to the next room to sit and remained silent for a while.
After a long pause, Gu Yuanzheng said, "I'll look for a job in a few days, and then I'll rent a bigger place. You and Mom can come and live with us."
Gu Yuanxiang looked up at him and saw the hideous scar on his face, which almost ruined his appearance. Her eyes welled up with tears.
"Second brother, I..." she choked out, "I regret it."
Gu Yuanzheng's pupils trembled slightly, but instead of comforting her as usual, he remained silent.
Gu Yuanxiang lowered her head, tears dripping onto her clothes. She wiped them away and said, "I shouldn't have disobeyed my older brother. If we had followed his instructions, you wouldn't have gotten your face injured while saving me..."
Back then, she was determined to find the Chen siblings in the southwestern mountains, for the sake of her secret love.
However, she never dared to think whether Chen Ruian would be moved by her. Perhaps she was only moved by herself. To those who did not like her, her behavior would only cause them distress and even burden the brother who took care of her.
Gu Yuanzheng said, "It's all in the past."
He reached out and touched the scar under his right eyebrow, recalling the past few years in the countryside. It was as if he had tasted all the hardships he had never experienced in the first half of his life, and finally realized that life could be so difficult, and those bitter days seemed to have no end in sight.
He could only endure such a life for a few years before he found it unbearable, but Gu Xi endured it for a full fifteen years.
Whenever he thinks about these things, Gu Yuanzheng is filled with endless regret, hating himself for being such a beast back then.
Not only him, but everyone in the Gu family is a heartless and ruthless beast. They are cold-blooded and heartless, which is why they ignore Gu Xi's suffering and criticize her, and despise her for coming from the countryside.
So what happened later was their own fault, they had no one to blame but themselves.
Gu Yuanxiang looked at him through teary eyes. Even though he said "it's all in the past," his gloomy expression and silent attitude told her that those things would never truly be over.
There is no such thing as true empathy in this world. Only by experiencing the same suffering can one understand the suffering of others.
For the rest of their lives, they will be trapped in those painful and dark memories.
Gu Yuanxiang finally admitted that she really regretted it.
I regret the decision I made, I regret how thoughtless I was...
She envied Gu Xi, envied her ability to overcome her past hardships. She heard that Gu Xi had been admitted to a university in Beijing, that she could write articles, paint, and that she was so beautiful and radiant...
No matter how many hardships she encountered, they never defeated her. She would grit her teeth, pull herself together, and forge ahead.
**
On the way back, Feng Min also talked to Gu Xi about Gu Yuanzheng and Gu Yuanxiang.
"Your aunt said that Gu Yuanzheng and Gu Yuanxiang are not married yet. It seems that they encountered some very bad things when they went to the countryside..."
At this point, she couldn't help but sigh.
Although she didn't like the Gu family, she still felt a little sad when she heard about this. Some places in the southwestern mountainous areas were too poor and backward. As the saying goes, "bad people come from poor mountains and bad waters." The educated youth sent to the countryside were like outsiders who had wandered in, and it was hard to say what they would encounter.
The darkness that can be brewed in those poor, backward, and ignorant places is beyond the imagination of normal people.
Gu Xi said "Oh," and realized that Gu Yuanzheng was almost thirty and still unmarried, which was indeed unbelievable in this day and age.
As for Gu Yuanxiang... she seems to have finally come to her senses and stopped being love-struck. Perhaps she has indeed encountered something that has completely changed her.
The two chatted briefly and quickly put the matter out of their minds.
When she got home, Chen Zhuzhu gave the red envelopes she had received that day to her mother and said, "Mom, please save them for me."
“Okay.” Gu Xi smiled and said, “I’ll save all of Zhuzhu’s red envelopes for you, and use them as start-up capital when you grow up.”
Shen Zhuzhu asked, "What is entrepreneurship?"
"It means that Zhuzhu can do what she likes most..."
Shen Zhuzhu suddenly realized what he liked most. He had many things he liked: listening to his mother read storybooks to him, learning to read with his mother, drawing, reading picture books, doing arithmetic, playing chess, making kites... and so on.
Seeing his conflicted expression, Gu Xi couldn't help but laugh, patting the child's head, "Zhuzhu is still young, there's no need to rush to think about what you like, you'll understand when you grow up."
"When will I grow up?"
"Hmm... Zhuzhu grew up when she was as tall as her uncle."
After hearing this, Shen Zhuzhu ran to find Shen Mingrong. Under Shen Mingrong's puzzled gaze, she compared the two of their heights and looked dejected.
It seems like it will take a long time for him to grow as tall as his uncle.
After all this time, you should be able to figure out what he likes by now, right?
**
After the Lantern Festival, people finally returned to their normal work, and students were about to start school.
Two days before Gu Xi's school was to start, Shen Mingzheng returned.
He walked in, looking travel-worn, carrying his luggage. When he saw the mother and son playing with a Rubik's Cube in the living room, he couldn't help but smile: "I'm back."
"Big brother!"
"Daddy~~"
The mother and child rushed towards him like swallows returning to their nest, one throwing herself into his arms and the other onto his legs, hugging his long legs.
Although Shen Mingzheng was prepared, he was still knocked off balance by the superhuman strength of the mother and son, and had to bear a sweet burden that most people could not bear.
Shen Mingrong watched from behind with great admiration.
Sigh, Sister Xi and her little nephew are indeed quite strong, but my older brother used to be incredibly ruthless. Only someone as ruthless as my older brother could withstand this strong mother and son.
Gu Xi happily hugged the person and said, "Big brother, big brother, how many days will you stay this time? Why didn't you call us? Are you hungry? I'll cook you a bowl of noodles to fill your stomach... Zhuzhu, go get your dad a glass of water. Dad has worked hard."
Shen Zhu responded with a sound.
Shen Mingzheng was warmly received by the mother and son as soon as he returned home, and they doted on him.
As he took the water his son brought him, a smile played on his lips, and a tender feeling welled up inside him, a sense of peace and security washing over him as he finally returned home.
He held Gu Xi's hand and said, "This time you have a month's leave."
"So long?" Gu Xi's eyes lit up with joy. "Oh, then you can take me to university to register... Hehe, that's great."
She was overjoyed. Getting into university was one of the most important things in her life, and having him by her side felt like he was a part of her important moment.
When Aunt Wang saw Shen Mingzheng return at this time, she knew he must not have eaten yet, so she quickly went to make him something to eat to fill his stomach.
Shen Mingrong sat down opposite him and asked, "Big brother, I heard you got promoted and will be going south soon... Is your place close to Uncle and Aunt? Will you still be able to visit them often in the future?"
"It's not close, it's quite far, separated by a strait."
Shen Mingzheng spoke calmly, but what he didn't tell them was that his promotion this time meant he was being transferred to the front lines, living in the mountains, far from the city, and with inconvenient access.
He was relieved that Gu Xi had been admitted to a university in Beijing. With her parents and relatives by her side, she wouldn't have to worry about him. What if something happened to him in the future...
In the evening, when Shen Chenshan and his wife returned home from get off work, they were very happy to see their eldest son.
Feng Min said, "The day after tomorrow is the day Xixi goes to school to register. Mingzheng, go with Xixi and take a look at the nearby kindergartens to register Zhuzhu."
Shen Mingzheng nodded slightly.
That evening, Shen Mingzheng went to the study.
Heavy Mountain was already waiting for him there and asked, "I heard about the situation at the border... Your transfer there must be very urgent, so why did the higher-ups give you a month's leave?"
He had found it strange when his son told him that he had a month-long vacation after returning home.
Shen Mingzheng paused for a moment, then said, "There's a mission."
"A mission?" Shen Zhongshan was increasingly puzzled. What kind of mission could make him stay in Beijing for so long...?
In an instant, many thoughts raced through his mind, and he tentatively asked, "Could it be... related to Xixi?"
Shen Mingzheng gave a soft "hmm".
The details of the mission cannot be disclosed, but given his father's level, it would be easy for him to guess.
Shen Chongshan's heart sank, realizing that this mission was indeed indispensable to him. His face was extremely grim: "Is it related to what happened back then? Those people... found Xixi?"
"They probably haven't found out yet," Shen Mingzheng said coldly. "It's because of me... I'm the one who dragged her down."
As his wife, she would naturally become a target; they would use his wife and children to threaten him, or even use them to retaliate against him.
Shen Chenshan was furious. After his anger subsided, he looked at his son seriously and said, "Protect Xixi and Zhuzhu. Make sure they don't get hurt."
"I will!"
Shen Mingzheng said solemnly, "Those are my beloved wife and children, more important than my own life. I will absolutely not allow anyone to hurt them."
**
Tonight, Feng Min will sleep with her grandson.
The couple, having been separated for so long, certainly didn't want their child to disturb them. Fortunately, Chen Zhuzhu is a very easy-going and independent child; he's fine with sleeping with whomever he wants at night, as long as his mother tells him a story before bed.
Feng Min smiled and said, "I said back then that our Zhuzhu came to repay a debt of gratitude, and I was right."
Such an easy child to raise, isn't he here to repay a debt of gratitude?
After telling the story to the child and exchanging a kiss on the cheek, Gu Xi went back to her room.
She sat on the edge of the bed, absentmindedly reading a newspaper, waiting for Shen Mingzheng to return.
As soon as Shen Mingzheng entered the room, he caught the person who rushed towards him. The person in his arms stood on tiptoe and kissed him passionately. He couldn't resist the kisses and picked her up in his arms.
As the night deepened and all was quiet, the house finally fell silent.
Exhausted and drowsy, Gu Xi leaned against him and muttered, "Big brother, is there something you're hiding from me?"
Shen Mingzheng paused, looked down at her, and wanted to say something, but found that she had already fallen asleep against him, her face flushed, her eyes still a little moist, with a touch of rosy red, making her exceptionally alluring.
He lowered his head and nuzzled her face, his eyes turning cold as he thought of those filthy, rat-like creatures lurking in the shadows.
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