Chapter 48
As darkness fell, the lights inside the house came on.
Gu Xi sat to the side, watching Shen Mingzheng open the large package he had brought back today.
This package was sent from Beijing before their wedding. They sent several packages in a row, and this is the first one. More will arrive in the coming days.
The package was large, and inside were all their wedding items, including bedding, new clothes made for her, and some small items.
Shen Mingzheng took out the duvet covers and heard Gu Xi say, "Big brother, take advantage of the good weather now and wash these duvet covers so we can use them to make the bed when it gets cooler."
He responded and put the bedding aside, intending to wash and dry it the next morning.
He washes the dirty clothes that the two of them take off every day, and he does this kind of work very conscientiously.
Gu Xi bent down to help tidy up, but he stopped her.
He said, "You can just sit here, you don't need to do anything."
Gu Xi said somewhat helplessly, "Big brother, I'm not that fragile."
She still has that much strength.
Shen Mingzheng glanced at her, worried she might be bored, so he slipped a book into her hand to help her pass the time, and then continued packing, sorting the contents of the package into categories.
Seeing his insistence, Gu Xi had no choice but to sit there, idly flipping through a book, her gaze involuntarily falling on the man tidying up under the lamplight.
Even though he was sitting, his figure still looked very tall and solid, giving people a great sense of security.
His calm and focused demeanor, coupled with his excessively handsome appearance, made him resemble a vintage oil painting, captivating viewers without them even realizing it.
Shen Mingzheng finished packing the things in the package and turned to look at her. He saw her sitting there, her head nodding, too sleepy to keep her eyes open.
He paused, then got up, went over, and picked her up.
When I hold someone in my arms, they always feel too light, and I want to fatten them up a bit.
"Big brother..."
She regained some clarity and mumbled a call.
Shen Mingzheng hummed in agreement, carried her to the bed, patted her head and said, "Sleep if you're sleepy, don't stay awake."
Gu Xi was indeed very tired. She originally thought that she would not be able to sleep at night because she slept too much at noon, but she was so exhausted after taking the pregnant woman to the health station that she felt completely drained. Now she just felt tired and sleepy.
As I lay in bed, waves of fatigue washed over me.
But she stayed awake until he got into bed and lay down next to her. She snuggled into his arms until he held her close. She gently placed her hands on his body and called him "Big Brother" again, as if she felt safe in that way.
The sound was like a kitten's, whimpering and making one's heart soften.
Shen Mingzheng held the person in his arms, his chin gently brushing against the skin on the side of her neck. He could feel her body temperature, which seemed a little cooler than usual.
"Gu Xi," he called her name.
"Hmm..." Gu Xi struggled to stay awake and asked indistinctly, "Big brother, what's wrong?"
Shen Mingzheng gently inhaled her scent and asked, "Were you frightened today?"
Although she didn't say it, he could sense her panic and fear. She must have been frightened by what happened to Chief of Staff Gao's wife. The bloodstains on her clothes were shocking. She must have been terrified when she took the person to the clinic.
The room was quiet, with only the soft breathing of the two people.
After a long pause, her voice rang out, low and soft: "A little... she lost a lot of blood, and was in so much pain that she couldn't even make a sound. I was so afraid something would happen to her. I hope she and her baby are alright..."
Life is so fragile; it can vanish so easily.
Life is so precious. She cherishes all living beings and hopes everyone is well, at least in the places she can see.
She hopes to live a good life, and she also hopes that the people around her can live a good life.
Shen Mingzheng's heart softened, and he said, "Don't worry, she'll be fine. My sister-in-law said she's already been sent to the military hospital. The doctors there are very skilled; they'll definitely be able to save her and her child."
He gently patted her back, soothing her frightened heart and coaxing her to sleep.
She's too sensitive; it's no wonder she was frightened when faced with something like this.
Under his comforting words, Gu Xi finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep.
She slept very soundly, and when she woke up, it was already broad daylight.
Gu Xi sat up, yawned, and drowsily turned her head to look at the empty seat next to her. She realized that she had slept so soundly that even the shouts hadn't woken her up, and she had no idea when Shen Mingzheng had gotten up.
However, the sufficient sleep did help her body recover a lot, and she was no longer as weak and powerless as she had been yesterday.
Gu Xi got up and tidied herself up, then went to the kitchen to take out the breakfast that had been left for her in the pot.
She couldn't get up in the morning, and he had to do morning exercises, so they ate breakfast at the army canteen. When Shen Mingzheng came back from morning exercises, he would go to the canteen to bring her breakfast and keep it warm in a pot.
Today's breakfast is an egg pancake and a boiled egg.
Gu Xi made a cup of malted milk powder and served it with an egg and scallion pancake.
One pancake was enough to fill me up, and I really couldn't eat the boiled egg, so I saved it to give to Shen Mingzheng when he came back at noon.
These days, any breakfast she can't finish is saved for Shen Mingzheng to eat at noon, so it's not considered a waste.
It has to be said that Shen Mingzheng is a very easy man to take care of. He is not picky about food and will eat anything you give him.
After breakfast, Gu Xi put her hands on her hips and looked around the yard. She noticed that the washed bed sheets were already hanging on the clothesline, and the vegetable garden was still a little damp, obviously someone had watered it that morning.
She couldn't help but wonder how early he had to get up to finish all these tasks.
They are really quite diligent.
Gu Xi thought for a moment, then went to get a bowl, put some peach shortbread and pastries in it, and went out.
She knocked on the door of the Miao Regiment Commander's house next door, and the door was quickly opened from the inside.
Ye Fenghua was washing clothes at home, her hands were wet. When she saw Gu Xi, she was exceptionally warm, "Gu Xi, what brings you here? Come in and sit down."
Gu Xi carried the bowl in and said shyly, "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry to bother you. Just call me Gu Xi." Then she added, "Sister-in-law, are your children home? Here are some peach shortbread and pastries for them to try."
Ye Fenghua quickly waved her hand, "Why are you sending things over again? Just keep them for yourself, it's no trouble!"
Gu Xi laughed and said, "It's okay, I still have some at home. If I buy too many, they'll spoil if left for too long."
Under Gu Xi's insistence, Ye Fenghua had no choice but to accept it. Feeling a little embarrassed, she said, "School started yesterday, and all my mischievous kids went to school. They're not home yet."
Her children, the oldest being twelve and the youngest six, are all of school age.
Gu Xi suddenly realized that she had been busy traveling and settling things in these past few days and had forgotten that the students had already started school, and Shen Mingrong should have started school as well.
Ye Fenghua invited her to sit down, poured her a glass of water, and asked, "Gu Xi, how are you feeling? Are you alright?"
Thinking about how pale her face was yesterday, and how colorless her lips were, I couldn't help but worry about her.
Anyone with eyes can see that her health may not be very good.
Gu Xi smiled sheepishly, "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry to have worried you. I'm fine now; I was just tired yesterday."
Ye Fenghua looked at her carefully. Although her complexion wasn't rosy, it was much better than yesterday. She said, "It's good that you're alright! Don't overwork yourself again. Your face was so pale back then, it was heartbreaking to see! When Commander Shen came back and saw you, his expression was really frightening. He must have been scared by you too."
After exchanging a few words, Gu Xi asked, "Sister-in-law, how is Chief of Staff Gao's wife?"
She came here to ask about this too; it's been on her mind. A whole night has passed; there should be some news by now.
Ye Fenghua said, "I was just about to tell you about this. I heard about it this morning. Luckily, she was taken to the health station in time and gave birth in the middle of the night. Both mother and daughter are safe! However, Chief of Staff Gao's wife suffered a lot this time and is quite weak. She will be under observation at the hospital and will not be back for a few days."
Gu Xi finally let out a long sigh of relief.
That's wonderful!
Even in the future, a pregnant woman falling would be quite dangerous, let alone in this era when medical technology was not so advanced. Thinking back to that time, it's possible that when she fell, Chief of Staff Gao's wife consciously avoided her belly, preventing a serious fall and ensuring the safety of both mother and child.
Ye Fenghua chatted with Gu Xi while washing clothes.
Last night, a kind-hearted sister-in-law helped cook soup and delivered it to the military hospital. She waited there for news and then told everyone when she got back. This morning, when everyone went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy groceries or took their children to school, they all gathered together and talked about it, which is how we were able to find out about Chief of Staff Gao's wife's situation in time.
"They were saying they wanted to come and chat with you," Ye Fenghua said with a smile. "They heard what you did yesterday and were very curious about you, so they all wanted to come and see you."
That's how it is in family residential compounds; even the slightest disturbance will attract a lot of attention.
Gu Xi did a good deed this time, and everyone was very interested in her. People who had never seen her thought she was a tall, strong, and powerful woman. Otherwise, how could she carry a pregnant woman to the health station?
"But considering you didn't look well yesterday, some of the women stopped us from bothering you," Ye Fenghua said with a smile. "This morning, when we saw Commander Shen bringing breakfast back from the canteen, some people asked him about you. They found out you were so tired yesterday that you went to bed early, so they didn't want to disturb you."
Gu Xi smiled slightly, a little embarrassed, "I didn't do anything."
The thought of many of her sisters-in-law coming made her scalp tingle, and she instinctively wanted to hide.
Perhaps because she's been a ghost for too long, she's still quite socially awkward and not very good at dealing with strangers. One or two is fine, but if a whole bunch of them came, it would be terrifying to even think about.
After sitting with Ye Fenghua for a while, Gu Xi got up and left so as not to disturb her work.
When she got home, she went to the room next to the master bedroom, which they had set up as a study.
Although it's a study, there aren't many books or other items in the room. There's a table by the window with some books, ink, paper, and pens on it.
Gu Xi opened the drawer, took out some stationery, and began to write a letter.
She first wrote to her two younger sisters in Xujiatun Commune, telling them her address so they could send things to the military base in the future; then she wrote to her cousin Jiang Shuyin, also telling her the address of the military base; finally, she also wrote to Zhou Huaiying in the military compound, having promised her that they would keep in touch by letter, just like pen pals, so they could chat about life...
A whole morning was spent writing letters.
After writing the letter, she sealed it, affixed a stamp, and planned to ask Shen Mingzheng to deliver it to the mailroom when he went to work in the afternoon.
At noon, Shen Mingzheng returned, and Gu Xi had already prepared lunch. The two sat down to eat together.
She told him that Chief of Staff Gao's wife and daughter were safe and sound, and said happily, "That's great, the mother and daughter are both fine, they will be alright from now on."
Shen Mingzheng nodded and said, "I've heard about this too! They all say it's fortunate that you took Chief of Staff Gao's wife to the medical station in time; you're a hero this time."
Gu Xi felt awkward.
She felt that she had only done the right thing, nothing special, but people kept talking about it, even he said it, it was very embarrassing.
What made Gu Xi even more embarrassed was that someone came to her door right after she finished eating.
The woman who came was the women's director of the military unit. She also had another identity: Chai Shuyi, the wife of the division commander, who was the leader of the military unit.
Upon seeing Gu Xi, Chai Shuyi smiled and said, "I'm sorry to bother you! You must be Gu Xi. You are indeed a beautiful woman. Xiao Shen is so lucky to have married you."
Gu Xi quickly invited her in, and Shen Mingzheng poured her some water.
Chai Shuyi had a gentle smile, perhaps because she was a women's director; her demeanor was capable yet approachable.
She came here today specifically to see Gu Xi, to express her gratitude for Gu Xi taking the pregnant woman to the health station yesterday, and to present a thank-you gift.
Gu Xi was a little confused, wondering why she had come to thank her in person, when she heard Shen Mingzheng say, "It's only right. We're all neighbors, so we should help each other! Gu Xi heard that something was wrong next door and went to check, which allowed her to get the person to the clinic in time."
Chai Shuyi said, "I still want to thank Gu Xi. Thanks to her, Xiao Hui and the baby were saved." Seeing Gu Xi's bewildered expression, she smiled and said, "Chief of Staff Gao's wife is my cousin's daughter. I wasn't at the unit yesterday, so I didn't know she was in trouble. If something had really happened to her, I really wouldn't know how to explain it to my sister..."
Gu Xi finally realized that Chief of Staff Gao's wife, Qiao Hui, and Chai Shuyi had such a relationship.
No wonder she brought the gift herself.
However, it seems that the military personnel are unaware of this relationship between the two. When I chatted with Ye Fenghua today, she didn't mention it, so they are unaware of it.
Chai Shuyi sat for a while, thanked Gu Xi, and then got up to leave so as not to disturb their rest.
Gu Xi and Shen Mingzheng personally escorted her out.
After seeing the guests off, Gu Xi turned to ask, "Brother, did you know that Chief of Staff Gao's wife is the niece of Division Commander Xi's wife?"
"I don't know." Shen Mingzheng shook his head. "Many people in the military are unaware of this."
If they knew, it would have spread by now.
Gu Xi gave an "oh" and didn't take it to heart. Looking at the thank-you gift Chai Shuyi had brought, she said with some distress, "Shouldn't we have accepted it? Why don't you return it?"
She doesn't know how to handle interpersonal relationships well; she's not tactful enough.
Shen Mingzheng said, "It's alright. The chief's wife just sent a ham and some canned goods to thank you for helping her niece. You can accept them."
Hearing him say that, Gu Xi stopped worrying.
As she carried the things to the kitchen, she turned to him and said, "We just arrived, so it seems we don't need to buy many groceries. Everyone has already given us a lot."
Her brother and sister-in-law sent her a large piece of cured pork, which could be kept for a long time. The division commander's wife also sent over a ham, which could also last for a long time. In addition, Ye Fengyi sent vegetables and fruits, so she didn't need to buy groceries for several days.
Shen Mingzheng could see that her eyes were sparkling and he could feel her good mood. The kindness of others gave her the most direct comfort.
He rarely smiled and said, "That's because you did a good job. They appreciate you and want to be kind to you."
Gu Yuanyang, as her older brother, genuinely wanted to be good to her.
These words sounded like they were being used to comfort a child, and Gu Xi couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
Does he treat her like a child?
**
After waking up from her usual afternoon nap, Gu Xi was sitting there enjoying the breeze when she heard a knock on the door.
She yawned, went to open the door, and found several military wives standing outside. She recognized them as the women who had accompanied her to take Chief of Staff Gao's wife to the health station yesterday.
The women laughed and said, "Gu Xi, how are you feeling? We came to see you."
"We didn't want to disturb your rest in the morning, so we came over in the afternoon."
"I'm bringing you some vegetables that we grew ourselves. They're very fresh. You and Commander Shen can have a taste."
"..."
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