Chapter 43
The family compound was already bustling with activity by evening.
Smoke rose from every household's chimney, the aroma of food lingering in the still-sultry evening air. The setting sun blazed across the sky, and people gradually made their way home from get off work. Lively children played and darted about in various parts of the residential compound.
Gu Yuanyang's house is also a bungalow in this area.
It wasn't that he couldn't get an apartment; rather, he didn't participate in the lottery and gave the opportunity to someone below him, for which he received praise from the organization.
For Gu Yuanyang and his wife, living in an apartment building or a bungalow is the same; both of them are quite open-minded.
Shen Mingzheng and Gu Xi carried their things and headed towards the house where Gu Yuanyang was.
They encountered some family members on the way. Since the two were strangers, no one took the initiative to greet them. They just stared at them for a while, and when the two looked over, they gave each other a smile as a greeting. Their attitude was relatively friendly.
But to himself, he thought, "This couple is so good-looking, especially the military wife. She's so beautiful it's dazzling."
Gu Xi noticed that there were quite a few residents in this area.
It's fine during the day, but in the evening, when people go home, the whole residential compound becomes noisy and full of life.
Gu Yuanyang lived quite a distance from their home, which meant crossing most of the residential compound and walking a long way to get there.
When they arrived, the gate was open, and it was quiet inside. There was a little girl playing in the sand in the yard.
The little girl was about five years old, with fair and delicate skin. She had two slightly crooked pigtails and was facing the door.
When Gu Xi and Shen Mingzheng came in, the little girl looked up at them with a blank expression, her dark eyes wide open, and then she let out a soft "Ah!"
The little girl stood up and called out in her sweet, childlike voice, "Daddy, Mommy, Auntie and Uncle are here!"
As the little girl's voice rang out, Gu Yuanyang and a pretty woman came out of the kitchen.
Upon seeing them, Gu Yuanyang smiled and said, "Sister, brother-in-law, you've arrived."
The pretty woman looked at them in surprise and greeted them, "Sister, brother-in-law, please come in and sit down."
The two walked over to the main room and handed over the gifts they had brought.
Gu Yuanyang said, "It's enough that you're here, why did you bring anything?"
In his view, his sister and brother-in-law coming over for dinner was like his own home; they were all family, so there was no need to be so polite.
Gu Xi looked at the little girl tugging at Ji Ya's clothes, meeting her chubby, round face, and said, "These are some snacks for my little niece."
Hearing her say that, Gu Yuanyang no longer stood on ceremony and introduced them: "Sister, this is your sister-in-law Ji Ya! Aya, this is my sister Gu Xi."
Ji Ya poured them water, smiled and greeted Gu Xi, saying, "Then I'll call you Xi Xi from now on."
Gu Xi nodded and looked the woman up and down.
Although my sister-in-law was pretty, she was tall and slender, with the figure of a modern-day model. Her temperament was gentle and composed, giving people a very steady and reliable feeling, which suited her profession perfectly.
In Gu Xi's memory, many doctors, like Ji Ya, were calm and composed, speaking slowly and deliberately, which could calm patients' anxiety without them even realizing it. It seemed to be a special skill of doctors.
Ji Ya asked Gu Yuanyang to talk to the two of them while she went into the kitchen to continue cooking.
She said to them, "Xixi, Commander Chen, please sit for a while. I'll go cook first, and we'll be able to eat in a little while."
Gu Yuanyang looked at the fair-skinned and beautiful younger sister in front of him and unconsciously rubbed his hands together.
The brother and sister had hardly anything to talk about when they first met.
He was a rough man who had spent over a decade surrounded by men, and he rarely encountered a girl as delicate and beautiful as Gu Xi. She looked so gentle and frail that he was afraid of scaring her if he spoke too loudly, and he didn't quite know how to get along with her.
His sister and his wife Ji Ya are clearly different types of women.
When he was injured, he met Ji Ya in the hospital. Ji Ya gave the impression of being independent and confident. He was unconsciously attracted to her, pursued her, and then the two got married and had children.
He knew how to get along with women like Ji Ya, but he really didn't know how to get along with girls like his sister.
However, this is his own sister. As the eldest brother, Gu Yuanyang is willing to accommodate and take care of her no matter what she is like.
He tried to strike up a conversation: "Xixi, are you adjusting well here?"
Gu Xi looked at him speechlessly, "I just arrived today, so there's nothing to worry about."
We'll have to wait until she stays there for a while to find out if she's comfortable.
"Haha, you're right." Gu Yuanyang wasn't angry at her teasing and continued, "Actually, the environment here in our unit is quite nice. It's far from the hustle and bustle of big cities, the air is fresh, and there are mountains and rivers. It's a great place to live..."
Ji Ya, who was eavesdropping in the kitchen, was speechless.
What are you saying?
Women who come from the city usually complain that this place is in the mountains, remote, and inconvenient to buy things, so why would they think it's good? It's a wonder that Gu Yuanyang could say that, and he genuinely believes it too.
Gu Yuanyang tried his best to have a few awkward conversations with his sister, which made Gu Xi feel exhausted.
This guy clearly doesn't know how to chat with women.
Fortunately, Shen Mingzheng was there. He took over the conversation, and the two started talking about military matters, finally managing to avoid any more awkward small talk.
Gu Xi watched them chat, her gaze falling on the little girl next to her father, and waved to her.
Little Gu Tuantuan looked at her, seemingly a little shy, but didn't refuse.
When Gu Xi took out a White Rabbit milk candy and handed it to her, the little girl smiled, revealing her adorable baby teeth.
"What's your name?" Gu Xi asked in a soft voice.
"Auntie, my name is Gu Tuantuan." Gu Tuantuan said shyly, "This is my nickname, my real name is Gu Wei."
Gu Xi nodded, "Gu Tuantuan is a very nice name, it's a very cute name."
After chatting with the young girl for a while, Gu Xi looked around the house and found that the layout was similar to theirs.
It should be said that the layout of the bungalows in the family compound is pretty much the same.
There's a grapevine against the wall in this part of the yard. Its roots are quite old, clearly indicating it's been around for a while. A trellis has been erected in a corner for it to climb, creating a shady patch. There are also some vegetables and herbs planted in the yard. The vegetables aren't growing very well; their leaves are turning yellow. The herbs, however, are thriving, clearly having been carefully tended.
With nothing else to do, Gu Xi got up and went to the kitchen to prepare a meal for Ji Ya.
Ji Ya was stewing braised pork trotters, and the kitchen was filled with a rich aroma of meat. She added a few peeled hard-boiled eggs, which soaked up the broth from the braised pork and tasted very good.
Seeing Gu Xi enter, she was somewhat surprised, "Xi Xi, what brings you here?"
Gu Xi said, "Sister-in-law, is there anything I can help you with?"
Ji Ya quickly said, "No need, no need. Please go outside and sit down. The food is almost ready. Just stir-fry some vegetables." She smiled and said, "It's hot in the kitchen. Be careful not to get too hot. You should go outside."
Gu Xi looked around and found that there was really nothing she could help with.
However, she didn't go out. Instead, she stood there, finding things to do herself, assisting her, and helping to hand things over.
Seeing this, Ji Ya stopped urging her to leave and chatted with her while she was busy, saying with a smile, "I heard you graduated from high school this year. What are your plans for the future?"
In her view, girls also need to find a job so that they can live freely.
There are very few job opportunities in the military, since there are too many people and many family members are unemployed.
Gu Xi said, "I don't have any plans right now. I'll settle down in the army first, and then see what kind of job is suitable for me." After thinking for a moment, she added, "My health is still being adjusted, so I can't do any strenuous work."
If she doesn't get enough rest, her body gets tired easily. She wants to live a good life and is willing to take care of her health.
I need to find a job, but before that, I should focus on getting better.
Upon hearing this, Ji Ya carefully examined her face.
When she first met Gu Xi, she noticed that Gu Xi's complexion was pale and gave off an unhealthy feeling, as if she was born with a deficiency or had not taken good care of herself.
“That makes sense.” Ji Ya nodded. “Then let’s not rush. Let’s take our time to recover. Anyway, Commander Shen’s salary is enough to support the family. You don’t need to rush to work and earn money.”
She had heard from her husband that Commander Shen was from Beijing and came from a very well-off family. His parents were both officers in the military region and did not need to subsidize the family. Even if they spent money extravagantly, it would be no problem at all.
The two chatted casually as Ji Ya neatly stir-fried the last dish of vegetables, which Gu Xi took and served out.
Seeing this, Gu Yuanyang and his companion, who were chatting in the main room, also came over to help serve the dishes.
Dinner was plentiful, including braised pork trotters, chestnut chicken soup, garlic eggplant, stir-fried greens, and noodles and rice as staple foods.
Ji Ya said, "I don't know what you like to eat, so I've made some rice and noodles. Please eat whatever you like."
Gu Xi said, "Either is fine." She loves both noodles and rice.
Shen Mingzheng also said that he was fine with anything and wasn't picky about food.
The group sat down at the table, and Shen Mingzheng first served Gu Xi a bowl of chicken soup, then added a few chopsticks of noodles to the soup, turning it into a bowl of chicken noodle soup.
Ji Ya and Gu Yuanyang saw this and couldn't help but laugh.
It seems the two have a very good relationship.
After dinner, Gu Yuanyang cleared the dishes, Ji Ya cut a plate of fruit, and everyone sat in the main room chatting.
The weather was still very hot at the end of August. There was no fan in the house, only a hand fan to cool down.
Shen Mingzheng held a palm-leaf fan and fanned Gu Xi, while Gu Xi sat there eating fruit and the group chatted casually.
When it was almost time, Gu Xi and Shen Mingzheng got up to say goodbye and leave.
As she was leaving, Gu Xi gave little Gu Tuantuan a red envelope and said, "This is a gift from your aunt. May little Gu Tuantuan grow up healthy and happy."
Hearing this, Gu Yuanyang and his wife no longer refused and patted the little girl's head.
The little girl politely said, "Thank you, Auntie and Uncle!"
After seeing the two off, Gu Yuanyang and his wife began cleaning, chatting as they went.
“My sister has a very good personality,” Ji Ya said, “but her health isn’t very good. She looks a bit frail and needs to be taken good care of in the future.”
Gu Yuanyang frowned, his voice slightly soft, "I heard she didn't have a good life in the countryside before..."
The couple were aware that Gu Xi had been switched at birth and raised in the countryside.
However, they only knew about this incident; having never met her, they were truly unaware of Gu Xi's situation. They didn't know what kind of life she led before returning to the Gu family, nor what her life was like after she did. The only reason they knew she wasn't doing well in the countryside was when Jiang Huijun casually mentioned it during a phone call to tell him about the baby swap.
Both of them had their own jobs, and since the Gu family didn't communicate with them much, they were really unaware of what was happening in Beijing.
It wasn't until Gu Xi was getting married and the Gu family hadn't informed them that they vaguely realized that perhaps the Gu family didn't value Gu Xi that much.
Gu Yuanyang was somewhat annoyed.
He wiped the table and said, "I always thought that my sister was a family-oriented child. Even if Mom and Dad were reluctant to send Yuanxiang away, they would still treat her well..."
Back then, he insisted on enlisting in the army, which caused a great deal of unpleasantness with his parents.
Later, his parents unilaterally cut off contact with him and treated him very badly. However, there was no deep hatred between relatives, so he didn't think the worst of his parents.
Until the incident of the Gu family switching babies occurred, he insisted that his parents send Gu Yuanxiang away, believing that it would be better for both children to return to their respective places.
To his surprise, this enraged his parents, who scolded him for lacking sibling affection and became even more hostile towards him, rarely contacting him. He was also busy in the army and never had time to go back.
When Gu Yuanyang first met Gu Xi, he could sense her resistance towards him.
He might feel awkward and reserved with a biological older brother he's never met, rather than being resistant for no reason. There must be a reason. Considering the attitude of his family, he probably understands something.
It seems that Gu Xi has not been doing well since returning to the Gu family, and her relationship with her family members is not good.
If he had been able to take some time to go back over the years and found that his parents weren't treating Gu Xi so well, perhaps he, as her older brother, could have done something for her to make her feel more comfortable in the Gu family.
Regardless, as the eldest brother, it is his duty to take care of his younger siblings.
Gu Yuanzheng and Gu Yuanhui are both boys and don't need his care much. Gu Yuanxiang has been loved by her parents and brothers since she was a child and doesn't need him much either. Only Gu Xi, her younger sister who came back halfway, needs him.
Ji Ya comforted her, "Don't overthink it. There's nothing we can do about it. These past few years have been your busiest time, so you wouldn't have thought about those things."
As a soldier, Gu Yuanyang has many responsibilities that are beyond his control, making it difficult for him to take care of his family.
Not to mention returning to Beijing, sometimes he would be away from home for ten days or half a month. The longest time was more than half a year without seeing him. If Ji Ya hadn't been strong enough, going to work and raising her daughter, she probably would have been so worried that she couldn't eat.
She also couldn't quite understand why her in-laws didn't care about their daughter who had suffered and returned home.
If it were her daughter who had been switched at birth and suffered hardship before returning home, she would definitely love her even more, after all, she carried her for ten months and gave birth to the child she had always hoped for.
Even if you can't bear to part with your adopted daughter and have feelings for her, surely you don't love your biological daughter as much?
The military base is too far from Beijing, and they don't know what the situation is like there, but Ji Ya can't understand why the Gu family doesn't dote on Gu Xi.
In the past, when they sent things back home, they would prepare a copy for everyone, including Gu Xi.
Unfortunately, we haven't received any news from them, nor have we been able to contact them by letter, so there's really no way to find out.
Ji Ya said, "I think my sister is easy to get along with. With her around, I won't be bored. I can go and talk to her from time to time."
At this moment, Gu Tuantuan said, "Mom, I like Auntie."
The couple both looked at their daughter who was sitting there eating candy.
Ji Ya laughed and said, "You like your aunt because she gives you candy?"
"No, that's not true!" little Gu Tuantuan shouted. "Auntie is pretty, I like Auntie!"
Children can distinguish between beauty and ugliness, and will naturally be drawn to good-looking people, not to mention that Gu Xi seems to have a very good temper and is very patient with children.
Children know who treats them well.
Ji Ya and her husband couldn't help but smile at each other.
This is a good start; Gu Xi's arrival made them feel quite good.
**
By the time I got home, it was already getting dark.
Shen Mingzheng went to the kitchen to boil water for a bath. Although it was hot, it was better for the woman to take a hot bath, especially since she was already weak and would easily get sick if she took a cold bath.
After boiling the water, he carried the hot water to the bathroom and let Gu Xi take a bath.
Lights were installed in the bathroom and toilet, so there was no need to worry about accidentally slipping and falling in the dark.
Gu Xi was very satisfied with this. Although she had also experienced hardship, she had high requirements for the hygiene of her living place, especially the toilet, which had to be kept clean and free of odors.
Shen Mingzheng fulfilled all of these requests for her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
