Chapter 5
The next day, Shen Zhongshan personally called Shen Mingzheng's unit, only to learn that he had gone on a mission and did not know when he would return.
Feng Min was very disappointed and had no choice but to give up.
Gu Xi was unaware of all this; she rested at the Shen family's house for three days.
I spent the last three days in a daze, feeling listless and unable to muster any energy. I slept most of the time, as if making up for the decades of sleeplessness I experienced as a ghost.
The Shen family was unaware of the situation and thought she was seriously ill, so they all told her to rest.
On the third day, Shen Mingrong returned.
The person who brought him back was Mr. Shen's bodyguard, who left after dropping him off.
Shen Mingrong walked in with a clatter, and when she saw Gu Xi sitting on the sofa drinking her medicine, her eyes lit up, and she happily rushed over: "Sister Xi, when did you arrive? If I had known you were here, I would have come back sooner."
Although it was fine at Grandpa's house, the old man liked to train the children in the same way the army trained soldiers, requiring them to have the same schedule as soldiers and to do physical training, which was really too painful for the children who loved to play and sleep in.
However, his grandmother loved him very much and would argue with his grandfather, which was somewhat comforting.
His cousin was also there to take him out and have fun, and he almost forgot all about home.
Gu Xi smiled at him and reached out to hug the boy who rushed towards her.
The ten-year-old boy was very strong and healthy. He ran exercises with his older cousin every day and rushed over like a small cannonball, which made Aunt Wang's heart jump.
Fortunately, Gu Xi held on tightly and was not knocked to the ground.
When Feng Min returned to her hometown to visit relatives, she brought her youngest son, Shen Mingrong, with her. The five-year-old boy was terrified when he saw his mother in trouble. Gu Xi stayed with him the whole time, comforting him, and he became very attached to Gu Xi.
It was Shen Mingrong who first brought up the idea of adopting Gu Xi, saying that he wanted an older sister.
Although they are not biological siblings, they have a very close relationship, just like siblings.
Aunt Wang brought out the cut fruit and couldn't help but find it amusing to see the two of them huddled on the sofa, chattering away.
Shen Mingrong was the one doing all the talking, while Gu Xi was the one listening.
Shen Mingrong was a chatterbox at a young age, sometimes so talkative that even his own mother found him annoying. Only Gu Xi never found it annoying, but instead loved listening to him talk.
"Sister Xi, Sister Xi, I found something good at Grandpa's house this time! Guess what it is?" Shen Mingrong asked excitedly, eager to share.
Gu Xi followed his words and said, "I can't guess, just tell me."
Sure enough, the boy's urge to confide was satisfied, and he chattered on and on: "Brother Cheng and Brother Qi took me to the shooting range in the suburbs, and I touched a big thing..."
Gu Xi was surprised, but seeing his flushed face, she understood somewhat.
Boys naturally have a fondness for weapons, not to mention families like the Shen family, where children are exposed to them from a young age, so it's normal for them to like them.
"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly, glancing at the boy beside her.
"No." Shen Mingrong pouted. "Brother Qi and Brother Cheng only let me touch them a few times, they didn't let me touch them. They said they would let me touch them when I'm as old as them."
The "Qi-ge" that Shen Mingrong mentioned is Shen Mingqi, the youngest son of the eldest branch of the Shen family, who is eight years older than Shen Mingrong.
Another brother, Cheng, was also a child of the compound, just like Shen Mingqi. His father was the political commissar of the brigade. These children grew up together and had a special relationship.
As the two were talking, Feng Min and her husband returned home from get off work.
When Shen Mingrong saw his mother, he rushed over like a light butterfly, gave her a warm hug, and said sweetly, "Mom, your favorite little son is back! Aren't you happy?" Then he smiled sweetly at his father, "Dad, your favorite little son is back."
Shen Chongshan frowned, his face serious: "Stand still, what kind of behavior is this?"
As for "my favorite youngest son" and such, I pretended not to hear it. I can't understand why this child can say such affectionate things all the time. It's too improper. I don't know where he learned it from.
Fortunately, he only talks about it in front of his family; he's quite proper in public.
Shen Mingrong quickly stood at attention and gave a military salute, looking quite professional.
However, as soon as Shen Chenshan turned around, he immediately revealed his true colors, lightly grabbing his mother's hand and chattering incessantly. His voice filled the entire room, giving Feng Min a headache, as if several bees were buzzing in her ears.
She patted her son's head and said, "Alright, alright, don't open your mouth, be quiet."
Shen Mingrong was disliked by his mother and immediately became unhappy. He snorted and ran to talk to Gu Xi.
Gu Xi smiled and patted his head, then went to the kitchen to help Aunt Wang cook. But she was chased out by Aunt Wang after only a short while.
"You're not fully recovered yet, go and rest, don't overexert yourself."
The Shen family is small, and Aunt Wang can cook all the meals by herself, so there's no need for her help.
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingrong looked up at Gu Xi with her small face.
The Shenyang couple were a perfect couple, and their child was also good-looking. Ten-year-old Shen Mingrong was already a handsome little boy, and all the girls in the compound liked to play with him.
He frowned and said, "Sister Xi, are you sick again?"
“Uh… actually it was almost healed,” Gu Xi emphasized, “it was just an accident.”
The boy sighed like a little adult, "Then you must take good care of yourself, and don't get sick again. Being sick is unpleasant, and you have to take bitter medicine."
Thinking of the bowls of dark, bitter medicine that Gu Xi drank, I looked at her with a mixture of admiration and pity.
Sister Xi was able to drink it without changing her expression; she's practically a heroine.
Even during the meal, Shen Mingrong's mouth didn't stop. She kept talking about what she did, played, ate, and met at her grandfather's house...
The couple didn't need to ask specifically; they just learned how their youngest son was doing lately from him.
After dinner, a group of people sat on the sofa and chatted.
Suddenly, Shen Mingrong said, "Mom, Grandma asked me when my brother is coming back?"
"What's wrong?" Feng Min asked casually. "Your grandma wants to see Mingzheng?"
Shen Mingrong said loudly, "Yes, Grandma said my brother is getting on in years and it's time for him to get married. Sister Xi has already graduated, is she going to marry my brother?"
Gu Xi choked on her medicine and coughed violently.
Feng Min quickly patted her back, glared at her youngest son, and told him not to talk about such things in front of a young lady, lest he embarrass her.
Young women are easily embarrassed; even if you bring it up, you can't be so direct.
Shen Mingrong looked bewildered by his mother's glare, scratched his head, and then looked at his father.
Shen Chenshan held up the newspaper, not wanting to pay attention to his youngest son who couldn't read the room.
Gu Xi finally recovered and quickly finished the rest of her medicine before returning to her room.
Downstairs, Feng Min was scolding her youngest son, telling him not to speak so directly in the future, as Gu Xi was too shy to ask him directly.
Shen Mingrong asked in confusion, "Isn't Sister Kexi and my brother engaged? They'll get married sooner or later!"
Feng Min pointed at him and patted her forehead helplessly.
This is why she prefers girls. Of her two sons, the older one is just like Lao Shen, even more cold and domineering. He has been headstrong since childhood, driving his own mother crazy. The younger one, though sweet-talking, is blunt and doesn't know when to speak, sometimes making people so angry they feel heartache.
Shen Mingrong, unaware of his mother's speechlessness, honestly conveyed the old lady's meaning: "My grandma said that my eldest brother is twenty-seven this year and it's time to consider marriage. She asked what your plans are. What are Xi Jie's thoughts on this? Should she continue her studies or get married?" At the end, he added, "It would be good if Xi Jie married my brother. Then she would be my sister-in-law, one of our family members, and wouldn't need to return to the Gu family."
These words struck a chord with Feng Min, who nodded and said, "That's what I was thinking too, but your brother is away on a mission and we don't know when he'll be back. I'll call him when he gets back and ask him to come back and get married."
Shen Mingrong clenched his fist and said with righteous indignation, "That's the kind of person my brother is. He's a staunch communist fighter. He'll do anything for the country if it needs him. We should understand him!"
Feng Min was amused by him and patted him on the back of the head.
**
Contrary to Feng Min's expectations, Gu Xi was not shy at all; on the contrary, she was quite calm.
Back in her room, she was still thinking about it.
Thinking back to her past life, after her death, Shen Mingzheng remained unmarried for the rest of his life because of her death, and she felt a pang of sadness.
When the marriage was arranged, Shen Mingzheng and his wife did not ask for his opinion.
In the past five years, she and Shen Mingzheng have only met twice.
Once was the day they got engaged, and another time was two years ago. Each time, Shen Mingzheng came and went in a hurry, leaving without staying at home for even one night.
To say they have any feelings for each other is definitely not true.
The men of the Shen family are all responsible and have impeccable character. It is precisely because of this that Shen Mingzheng felt guilty about her death and ultimately remained unmarried for the rest of his life, which is indeed normal.
Her health was poor, and she didn't know if she would die young. She definitely couldn't delay Shen Mingzheng any longer; this marriage should never have existed in the first place.
Actually, it would have been quite good if she had been adopted by the Shen family and become Aunt Feng's goddaughter back then; there would have been no need to sacrifice Shen Mingzheng's marriage.
It's a pity it was just a little short.
Although she was conflicted, Gu Xi didn't show it on her face because Shen Mingzheng hadn't returned.
After drinking Chinese medicine for several days, I felt better and prepared to leave.
"You want to go back?" Feng Min looked disapproving. "What's the point of going back? It's summer vacation anyway. Why not stay here and tutor Mingrong so he won't be playing around all day?"
Although she was annoyed by the Gu family's favoritism and wanted to go back with her to support her, she hoped that Gu Xi would stay here, away from those people, live her own life, and take good care of her health.
Gu Xi thought for a moment, "Then I'll go back and bring some luggage over." Although the Shen family has a change of clothes, she usually only stays here for a day or two, and if she stays for a long time, she won't have enough things.
"Sure," Feng Min said with a smile. "I'll take the day off tomorrow and go back with you."
"No need, no need, I can manage on my own," Gu Xi quickly refused.
Seeing her insistence, Feng Min had no choice but to give up and said, "Then go back and pack some things and come over. Take a break another day, and I'll take you to the hospital to see a doctor."
Gu Xi's health is not as good as that of a normal person, and she is prone to illness because she was not properly cared for as a child and needs to be properly treated.
Gu Xi hesitated for a moment and said, "I need to take care of something. I'll come back in a few days."
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