Chapter 54
In the evening, Gao Wenbin returned home and went inside to see his daughter first.
Seeing the child sleeping soundly in bed, with a fair and tender little face, so cute that it melts your heart and makes you want to reach out and touch him.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Qiao Hui angrily slapped his hand away. "Don't you see how dirty you are? What if you get her dirty and she gets infected and gets sick?"
Gao Wenbin retorted, "I washed my hands!"
He would never touch a child with dirty hands.
"But your clothes are dirty. Go take a shower right now and change into clean clothes before you're allowed to touch her!"
Qiao Hui glared at him, keeping a close watch on him. The baby was so small and premature. She was worried even about taking the baby out of the room to get a little air out. How could she let a dirty, smelly man get close to her?
Gao Wenbin muttered something to himself, adjusted his glasses, and obediently went to find clothes to take a shower.
Sister Zhu brought in the freshly cooked pig's trotter soup and, seeing this scene, almost laughed.
This happens almost every day.
Every day when Chief of Staff Gao returned home, the first thing he did was rush to see his daughter. When he saw her little face, he would become so engrossed that he would try to touch her, which would make Qiao Hui angry and scold him, sending him off to take a shower.
Gao Wenbin returned quickly, covered in sweat.
Qiao Hui was drinking soup when she said, "It's only been a few minutes! Are you clean yet? If you're not clean, don't touch her!"
“It’s all clean!” Gao Wenbin said, raising his hands. “It’s still hot, so I used cold water, which is very convenient and quick.”
He wiped the water droplets off his face and hands with a towel, and was finally able to hold the child on the bed.
The baby had already had milk and was sleeping soundly, undisturbed by his father.
Gao Wenbin sat next to his wife, holding his daughter in his arms. He touched her little face and her clenched fist, showing his deep affection for her.
After touching her for a while, his gaze fell on his wife, who was leisurely drinking her soup.
Suddenly, he asked, "Are you in a good mood today?"
During this period, Qiao Hui was in postpartum confinement. According to Sister Zhu, it is best to complete a full two-month confinement period, as this is better for the body.
Women in postpartum confinement are confined to their rooms all day, and there are so many taboos, this can't be done, that can't be done. Even the most composed person would feel uncomfortable. Qiao Hui's mood was inevitably affected as well. Sometimes she would even give her husband a hard time and kick him out of the room.
Gao Wenbin was used to her temper, which was unpredictable. According to the doctor, she was frightened by what she had experienced and might have postpartum depression, so he was advised to pay more attention to her.
She seems to be in a bad mood these days.
But today, she was in a better mood, her eyebrows and eyes were full of smiles, and she couldn't hide her happiness. Even when she scolded him earlier, it was mostly playful scolding, not real anger.
Qiao Hui glanced at him and noticed that he wasn't wearing his glasses. Without the lenses to conceal it, his fox-like eyes were slightly narrowed as he looked at her, giving her the feeling that this man was up to no good and was plotting something.
She was annoyed with him and snorted.
However, she was indeed quite happy and couldn't help but want to share it with someone. The man in front of her was the best person to share it with. After all, she didn't have anyone she could talk to in the family compound. The only people she could talk to now, besides Sister Zhu, were this man.
Qiao Hui cleared her throat and said calmly, "Gu Xi came to see me today."
Gao Wenbin hummed in agreement and casually asked, "Is she feeling better?"
A few days ago, I overheard her chatting with Sister Zhu while we were eating. She said that Gu Xi was not feeling well and was resting at home, so she couldn't come to see her, which made her quite worried. She even asked Sister Zhu to make some soft and sweet rice cakes for Gu Xi to try, showing how thoughtful she was.
“Of course!” Qiao Hui said, “If it weren’t for her, how could she come to see me? I’m in postpartum confinement now and can’t go out…”
In the end, she glared at him fiercely, her eyes full of disdain.
Gao Wenbin remained silent, letting her glare at him, while gently rocking his daughter in his arms.
Yes, yes, he got her pregnant, he caused her to give birth, and now she can only stay in her room to recover after childbirth.
It's all his fault anyway! He'll suffer the consequences!
Qiao Hui said, "Gu Xi is such a nice person. She comes over to talk to me and even compliments our daughter on how pretty she is, saying she's inherited all our good looks and will definitely grow up to be a great beauty..."
"Comrade Gu has a great eye!" Gao Wenbin said happily. "Our daughter will definitely grow up to be a great beauty like her mother."
As he spoke, he lowered his head and gently touched the little face of his daughter in his arms.
Qiao Hui paused, finding his appearance unbearable to look at, and continued, "She also praised me for being beautiful, radiant, elegant, intelligent, and polite. She said that no woman could compare to me when I stood there..."
As for Gu Xi's praise of her husband, she didn't mention it; it wasn't worth mentioning.
She slightly raised her chin and looked at him with a proud expression. Gu Xi was so beautiful, and to be praised by such a beautiful girl, it seemed that she herself was not bad either.
Chief of Staff Gao finally understood why she was happy.
He chuckled to himself, thinking to himself that Commander Chen's young wife was quite the opposite; she seemed quiet and shy, but he was surprisingly good at praising people. No wonder she was so happy.
Being praised by a beautiful woman is far more pleasing to her than receiving recognition from a man of the opposite sex; most women would be happy about that.
Gao Wenbin chimed in, "Comrade Gu is right, she has great insight."
It seems she and Gu Xi have a good relationship. It's rare that she finally has a friend she can talk to in the family compound, and he's happy about that.
Since Qiao Hui came to live with the military, she has been unable to integrate into the family compound and doesn't even have anyone to talk to.
To his surprise, Qiao Hui looked disgusted when she heard him say that: "Forget it, don't say anything against your conscience. I don't feel happy at all hearing you say that."
As she finished speaking, her expression turned cold.
Gao Wenbin was baffled. "Wasn't I just praising you?"
Why is she suddenly unhappy?
"Your compliments are completely insincere." Qiao Hui put down the soup bowl, walked over, and took the daughter from his arms. "Get away from me, don't come near my daughter!"
Gao Wenbin: "...Isn't this my daughter too?"
"I gave birth to her with great difficulty!" Qiao Hui said coldly. "If Gu Xi hadn't found out I was in trouble and taken me to the clinic, your wife and child would both be gone! In the end, I struggled to give birth to her. She is mine alone!"
Gao Wenbin felt a headache coming on when he saw her glaring at him.
here we go again!
I don't know why, but whenever the topic of that day comes up, she gets very emotional and starts arguing with him, always saying that if it weren't for Gu Xi, she and her daughter would be gone, and she couldn't count on him at all. Every time he tries to defend himself, she says that he would definitely have come home late that day, and maybe she and her daughter would have died there without him even knowing...
What can Gao Wenbin do?
His wife had gone through a lot to give birth and was still in her postpartum period, so he certainly couldn't blame her or hold a grudge against her. He had to comfort her to avoid getting too angry, which would be bad for her health.
Gao Wenbin leaned closer and put his arm around her to comfort her: "Huihui, don't be angry. You're still in your postpartum period, and getting angry too much is bad for your health. Our daughter is still young and needs your care, so don't hurt yourself by getting angry. If there's anything I've done wrong, just point it out, and I'll definitely correct it. If you're still upset, I'll write you a letter of apology..."
Qiao Hui's anger subsided, she pursed her lips, and gave him a complicated look.
This man is flexible and decisive; if he notices she's angry, he'll apologize or comfort her and try his best to resolve the issue without delay.
But she just felt uneasy; she'd felt uneasy for a long time.
Looking at the child in her arms, Qiao Hui suddenly asked, "Did you call your parents?"
Gao Wenbin nodded, "I called a long time ago. Mom said she'll come to see you and your daughter when things aren't too busy over there."
"They didn't say anything?" Qiao Hui bit her lip, then said, "No matter what they say, I don't care. Even if I give birth to a daughter, which isn't what they wanted, I will still love her."
If her in-laws dislike her daughter because she gave birth to a daughter, she will dislike them in return!
Gao Wenbin said, "Don't worry, they didn't say anything! This is my daughter. I'm so old, and it's not easy for me to have a daughter. What can they say? It's better than me not having any children at all."
Qiao Hui stared at him for a long time before deciding to believe him.
Regardless of whether it's true or not, we'll know their attitude once my mother-in-law arrives.
**
The next morning, Gao Wenbin ran into Shen Mingzheng, who was doing morning exercises, and greeted him.
"Commander Shen." He patted Shen Mingzheng on the shoulder warmly and said with emotion, "Your wife is really good at talking and praising people. In the future, have your wife praise my wife more often and make her happy."
Shen Mingzheng looked at him, puzzled, and remained silent, unsure of what was happening.
Gao Wenbin knew he wasn't a talkative person and didn't mind his silence, so he continued, "My wife is in her postpartum period, and I've heard that women in this period are often in a bad mood. It's kind of your wife to go and talk to her, and I'm very grateful to her..."
After listening for a while, Shen Mingzheng finally understood.
It seems that Gu Xi and Chief of Staff Gao's wife have a good relationship and have become friends.
During lunch, Shen Mingzheng looked Gu Xi up and down and asked, "Have you been going to Chief of Staff Gao's house to see his children often lately?"
"Yes!" Gu Xi nodded. "The child is quite cute, he changes every day, he's growing so fast."
Seeing her praising other people's children with such a joyful expression, if he hadn't talked to her about having children later in life, he probably would have thought she envied other people having children and wanted to have one as soon as possible.
Shen Mingzheng calmly picked up a slice of lean meat for her.
"But Qiao Hui is a really nice person. She's good-looking, has a good personality, and is an intelligent and polite person," Gu Xi continued. "She also has a lot of books at home and has lent me some to read."
If she had to choose between her two lifetimes, Gu Xi would cherish books and the knowledge she could acquire most.
Perhaps it was because she had always envied those who could read since she was a child that she became so persistent about reading and cherished all kinds of books.
Qiao Hui had many books. Knowing that she liked reading, Qiao Hui lent her some books, saying that she could get any books from her whenever she wanted.
Shen Mingzheng smiled faintly, "It seems you two get along very well."
Gu Xi nodded, "Yes, we can be considered friends now."
That's how relationships between people work. After spending time together, if you find that you both have good personalities, then you can become friends.
**
The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Shen Mingzheng returned with a package.
The package was sent by Feng Min. It contained food and other necessities, including dried goods, dried meat, cheese, and milk powder. The milk powder was specially sent to her so that she could make it and drink it to supplement her nutrition.
In this day and age, most people believe that milk powder is for children, and few people have the concept that adults should also consume it.
Gu Xi was very touched. Although they had only been here for a short time, Feng Min had already sent several packages. In addition to her own things, she also sent food and other necessities, just in case they lacked food and drink while they were here.
There were also several photos in the package, family photos taken before they left Beijing.
The photos have been developed, and they are all in color.
Gu Xi looked at the photos and said to Shen Mingzheng, who was tidying up beside her, "Brother, look at the photos, they're really well taken!"
Shen Mingzheng glanced at the colorful family photo and nodded.
Gu Xi placed one of her favorite family photos in a frame and put it on the table.
She admired the scenery for a while, then went to discuss it with Shen Mingzheng: "Brother, tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. I'm going to the market in town. Let's go to Commissar Xu's house later and tell Sister-in-law Xia. We can also bring them some dried goods. And we should also bring some to Qiao Hui and Sister-in-law Ye next door..."
Shen Mingzheng naturally listened to her.
After dinner, the two went to deliver things to the two houses on either side.
The Miao family was having a lively meal, and when they saw them arrive, they warmly invited them to eat.
"No need, we've already eaten." Gu Xi smiled at Ye Fenghua. "Sister-in-law, tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Isn't there a market in town? I'd like to go to town to buy some things. Would you like to go tomorrow?"
Ye Fenghua said, "I was just about to tell you about this. Everyone will definitely be going to the market in town tomorrow to buy some food and supplies to celebrate the festival..."
Although there is no holiday for the Mid-Autumn Festival, people are quite traditional and still want to celebrate the festival properly and have a good time.
The supply and marketing cooperative in the military base has limited stock, so during holidays we still have to go to the town market to buy things. Although it's just a town, the market has a lot of things, and we can even find some villagers who have come to the town specifically to go to the market to buy a chicken or duck to take back home and add a meat dish to our family.
Gu Xi said, "In that case, why don't you come with me, sister-in-law? I have a bicycle, I'll give you a ride!"
"Is this...is this okay?" Ye Fenghua was very tempted, but looking at Gu Xi's thin arms and legs, she was a little scared. What if she got tired?
Unfortunately, they didn't have a bicycle, and she couldn't ride one either.
"Sure!" Gu Xi patted her chest. "Don't worry, sister-in-law, I'm strong enough, I won't hurt you!"
Ye Fenghua thought to herself that everyone in the family compound knew that Gu Xi was strong, after all, she had carried a pregnant woman all the way to the health station.
And it's not that I'm afraid she'll fall and hurt herself, it's that I'm afraid she'll get tired!
After agreeing with Ye Fenghua, Gu Xi and Shen Mingzheng left to go to the house of Chief of Staff Gao next door.
Gao Wenbin was also at home. When he saw the couple come over to deliver things to them, he thought they were very polite.
He smiled and said, "Director Chai had some mooncakes sent over to us today, and I was just thinking of sending some over to you as well."
Shen Mingzheng and Gao Wenbin stayed in the main room to talk, while Gu Xi went inside to talk to Qiao Hui.
She smiled and asked, "Qiao Hui, we're going to the town market tomorrow. Is there anything you want to buy? I can bring it back for you."
"No need, there's nothing I need to buy." Qiao Hui said gently, carefully instructing, "I heard it takes half an hour to cycle from the army base to town. If you feel tired, remember to stop and rest..."
She heard that Gu Xi was so exhausted when he took her to the clinic that he almost collapsed, and his face looked terrifying.
After they became acquainted, she learned that Gu Xi had insufficient blood and qi and was physically weak, not as healthy as a normal person. She knew that he couldn't overwork himself, or it would become very serious.
She was several years older than Gu Xi, and in her heart, Gu Xi was not only a friend, but also like a little sister.
Gu Xi smiled and said, "Don't worry, I know!" Then she said with great interest, "How about I see what kind of fabric the supply and marketing cooperative in town sells? If there's any good stuff, I'll bring some back for you to make clothes for Nannan."
Since we have bicycles to haul things, we can buy more without worry.
Hearing her say that, Qiao Hui did not refuse.
She only has this one daughter, and it's a time when maternal love is overflowing. She loves her deeply and wants to give her the best. Even though the child is still young, she wants to make her beautiful clothes.
If I can't wear it this year, I can wear it next year.
The two chatted for a few minutes, then left soon after, as they still had to go to Political Commissar Xu's house.
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