Chapter 78
At noon, Gu Xi took her two younger sisters to lunch.
After finishing our meal, it was almost time to leave, so we went back to the guesthouse, packed our things, and then checked out.
When checking out, Gu Xi slipped a bag of pastries and candies she had bought earlier to Sister Zhong as a thank you for taking care of her over the past two days.
She said, "Next time we come to the city, we'll have to trouble you to take good care of us, Sister Zhong."
Sister Zhong couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to accept it. Although they hadn't spent much time together, she knew that this girl was very polite. If someone treated her well, she would repay them three times over. She was beautiful and had a good personality. No wonder Comrade Shen liked her so much.
Seeing that they had a lot of things, Sister Zhong wanted to help them take them to their car.
Gu Xi thanked her, saying that they didn't have as much stuff this time as last time and could carry it themselves, so she didn't ask for her help and left with her two younger sisters.
Gu Xi and her two younger sisters, carrying their luggage and the things they had bought over the past two days, headed to a nearby designated waiting area for the bus.
The car hasn't arrived yet; they'll have to wait a while.
The temperature was a bit colder than yesterday. As the three of them stood on the street waiting for a car, gusts of cold wind blew, making them feel chilly all over.
The sky was overcast, and it looked like it was going to snow.
Gu Xi held the hot water bottle she had filled at the guesthouse in her hand, looked at her two younger sisters beside her, took off the scarf around her neck, and tied it around Xu Huaisheng's neck.
She habitually took extra care of her youngest sister.
"Big sister, wrap it around yourself, don't get cold." Xu Huaisheng quickly took off the scarf, stood on tiptoe and wrapped it around her sister's neck again. "I'm healthy and fine, don't get sick."
The fact that the older sister was carrying a hot water bottle shows how sensitive she is to the cold.
Although she also felt quite cold, she was not nearly as afraid of the cold as her older sister.
Xu Yuansheng also said, "Big sister, you can wrap yourself up, no need to give any to Huaisheng, we're not cold."
It's not even snowing yet, and she's already so sensitive to the cold; it's clear her health isn't very good.
Xu Yuansheng always felt that his eldest sister's complexion was not good, and she looked pale.
Back in Xujiatun, because her older sister had dark skin, she only noticed that her older sister was very thin. Since her older sister was so capable, she didn't think much of it.
Now that her skin has turned white, it's easy to see that her complexion is pale and bloodless.
Perhaps it's because Xu Yuansheng is getting older and understands more that he finally realized that his older sister's health was actually not good at all. She had to work endlessly, didn't get enough rest, and suffered from hunger and malnutrition year after year. How could she possibly be healthy?
Back then, there were no other options, so even when her older sister wasn't feeling well, she usually just endured it.
What can I do if I can't bear it? Who will care?
Thinking of this, Xu Yuansheng felt a dull ache in his heart.
Ultimately, this is something the Xu family owes her.
Although the Xu family had nothing to do with the baby being switched at birth, they did not take good care of her and even greedily took so much money after she left.
Seeing their insistence, Gu Xi had no choice but to re-tie the scarves and said, "I bought some nice-colored yarn at the department store today. I'll knit a scarf for each of you when we get back."
She noticed that her two younger sisters hadn't brought scarves.
When the topic of scarves came up, Xu Huaisheng suddenly became sullen.
When Gu Xi asked her, she pouted and said aggrievedly, "Last winter, my eldest sister sent us a scarf. Later, when we weren't looking, Mom took the scarf apart and knitted it into a sweater for Xu Baosheng."
Xu Baosheng is the only son of Xu Dagui and his wife, and is the family's precious darling.
When Xu Huaisheng discovered that the scarf her older sister had sent them was gone, she couldn't help but cry.
Gu Xi hadn't expected this. Although it had been a long time, she remembered that after she learned to knit in her previous life, she did knit sweaters, woolen pants, and scarves for the people around her. She had knitted sweaters and woolen pants for the Shen family and the Gu family, and she even sent two red scarves to her two younger sisters in Xujiatun.
But they didn't tell He Guihua that the scarf had been unraveled into yarn.
Gu Xi was about to comfort her aggrieved younger sister when she heard Xu Huaisheng say, "My second sister was furious when she found out about this. She took scissors and cut off the sweater that Mom had been knitting halfway." She looked at Xu Yuansheng, "Mom was so angry about this that she even hit my second sister with a carrying pole."
Gu Xi was startled. She knew that when country folk got angry, they would really pick up a carrying pole and beat people, even breaking their skulls.
She hurriedly asked, "Yuansheng, were you hurt? Why did you take the scissors to cut it? Couldn't you have just thrown it away secretly and not let them know? You would never have done such a silly thing before."
Xu Yuansheng was shrewd and knew how to read people's expressions from a young age. Knowing that he couldn't go against his elders, he always did bad things in secret.
Just like Xu Baosheng, who was the most pampered boy in the family, and always got the best of everything, Xu Baosheng developed a domineering and selfish personality. He didn't treat his older sisters as human beings at all, as if they were servants or slaves in the family, and he bullied them a lot.
Xu Yuansheng didn't have any feelings for Xu Baosheng. Sometimes when Xu Baosheng went too far, she would bully him back, but only in private. Otherwise, if Xu Dagui and his wife saw it, she would inevitably be beaten.
Xu Yuansheng pursed his lips. "I was too angry at the time and forgot."
Seeing that the scarf her older sister had sent them had been torn into yarn and then used to knit a sweater for Xu Baosheng, who had everything he needed, she couldn't stand it anymore and lost her temper.
Gu Xi patted her two younger sisters' heads and comforted them, "It's okay, I'll knit you new ones. I'll knit you one every year from now on, so you'll have a new scarf every year."
These words instantly made both younger sisters smile, dispelling the shadows in their hearts and all their grievances.
Xu Huaisheng said, "Elder sister, it's too wasteful to weave them every year. We can't wear that many."
“Then we can take turns wearing them,” Gu Xi said with a smile, her expression relaxed. “If they get old and we don’t want to wear them anymore, we can give them to someone who needs them. It’s not a waste.”
Xu Huaisheng said, "I can't bear to part with it. My eldest sister knitted it for me, and I'll wear it for the rest of my life."
As the three sisters were chatting and laughing, a large truck drove up and stopped by the roadside.
This was a large truck used for military procurement. The door opened, and two young soldiers jumped out and asked, "Uh... are you going back to your unit?"
Those waiting here are usually military dependents who want to return to their units.
Gu Xi went over, took out the letter of introduction, and said, "Hello, I am the wife of Regiment Commander Shen Mingzheng, and these two are my sisters. We are going back to the unit, and we are sorry to trouble you today."
Commander Shen's wife? The two young soldiers looked over, and were startled when they saw her face.
"Sister-in-law, what happened to your face?"
The face that came into view was so beautiful that it made the scar on her face look even more hideous, which made people feel a sense of regret. It would be such a pity if it left a scar.
Gu Xi said somewhat embarrassedly, "Yesterday when I went to the station to pick someone up, I encountered a child trafficker trying to snatch a child. I was in such a hurry to save the child that I was accidentally knocked down by the trafficker and fell."
Upon hearing this, the two young soldiers were filled with respect and asked, "What happened next? The child wasn't taken away, was he?"
"No, the child has returned to his mother."
The two young soldiers breathed a sigh of relief; they couldn't stand such things and were filled with admiration for Gu Xi.
Her willingness to stand up for what she was in shows that she is a very courageous woman.
Such a thin and frail sister-in-law, you really can't judge a book by its cover. No wonder Commander Shen values his wife so much. Which young man in the army hasn't heard about what Commander Shen did back then?
The two young soldiers enthusiastically helped them carry their belongings onto the vehicle.
After unloading the items, Gu Xi and her two younger sisters climbed into the back of the truck and sat down with the supplies.
There were limited seats in the driver's cab, so there wasn't enough room for them. However, one of the soldiers specifically asked Gu Xi, who was injured, to sit in the driver's cab, but Gu Xi wanted to stay with her two younger sisters and declined.
Perhaps because there were too many things in the carriage and the air wasn't circulating well, luckily the weather is cold now, so it doesn't feel bad. If it were summer, it would be very uncomfortable to be huddled in the carriage like this.
Gu Xi finally understood why Shen Mingzheng had let her ride in the military's special car; riding in a special car was indeed more comfortable.
She comforted her two younger sisters, saying, "Just bear with it, you'll be at the army base in three hours."
Xu Yuansheng and Xu Huaisheng didn't feel anything was wrong. Although the carriage was swaying a bit, there were supplies behind them to keep them steady, so it wasn't too uncomfortable. Besides, the carriage wasn't cold, and the three sisters were quite comfortable huddled together.
They chatted quietly about the past five years, all the way back to the military, without getting bored at all.
**
In the afternoon, a couple arrived at the guesthouse with bags and packages.
Upon seeing Sister Zhong at the counter, they approached and asked, "Excuse me, does Comrade Gu Xi live here?"
Sister Zhong looked at them suspiciously and asked, "What do you want with Comrade Gu?"
Upon confirming that Gu Xi was staying at this guesthouse, the couple were immediately overjoyed and quickly explained their purpose.
They were Mo Xuezhi's parents, who had come specifically to find Gu Xi to thank her for saving their grandson yesterday.
Mr. Mo sighed, "Actually, we should have come yesterday, but the child was terrified, and we weren't paying attention when the traffickers snatched him. When we took him to the hospital, they found injuries on his body, and he quickly developed a fever..."
At this point, Mr. and Mrs. Mo were both angry and heartbroken.
No wonder the child kept crying; he was injured.
Upon hearing this, Sister Zhong angrily began cursing those heartless human traffickers, and hurriedly asked, "Is the child alright?"
Mother Mo said, "He was fussy all night, but his fever finally broke this morning. He's still in the hospital, but he's much better now."
Sister Zhong noticed that the couple looked haggard, guessing that they had stayed at the hospital all night, and couldn't help but sigh.
"We came here specifically to thank Comrade Gu," Mr. Mo said. "May I ask which room Comrade Gu is staying in?"
Sister Zhong said regretfully, "Comrade Gu left two hours ago and should be on his way back to the unit now."
Upon hearing this, the couple were greatly disappointed, not expecting that they were too late.
The two had no choice but to leave the guesthouse with their belongings. They then discussed whether they should wait until their grandson recovered before taking their daughter and grandson to the military base to thank Gu Xi.
They couldn't just leave empty-handed after someone saved their grandson.
When they went to the hospital to deliver food to their daughter and grandson, the couple discussed the matter with her.
Mo Xuezhi agreed without hesitation.
Looking at the child who had been soothed to sleep beside her, she was still terrified when she thought about what had happened yesterday. She said, "If it weren't for Comrade Gu, the baby would definitely... I need to go and thank her in person."
**
Upon arriving at the military base, after the vehicle was parked, two young soldiers helped them unload their belongings.
Noticing they had quite a lot of things, we asked, "Sister-in-law, can you carry all this? Do you want us to help you take it over?"
"No need," Gu Xi thanked them. "You can go ahead and do your work. We can take it ourselves."
After seeing them off, Gu Xi carried her belongings in both hands and led her two younger sisters, who were also carrying luggage, towards the family compound.
It's afternoon now, and there's still some time before I get off work or school, so there aren't many people on the road.
Gu Xi gave her two younger sisters a brief introduction to the surroundings and said to them, "When you have time another day, I'll take you out for a walk. When I first came here, your brother-in-law personally showed me around, and I quickly got used to it."
Upon entering the family compound, one could see a group of military spouses sitting in a pavilion not far from the compound gate.
Despite the cold weather, it seems to have little effect on these military wives. Every afternoon at this time, quite a few people still gather here, chatting and working at the same time.
This place is quite a hub for gossip. Gu Xi had been here once before and heard a lot of gossip.
As Gu Xi led her younger sister into the residential compound, a sharp-eyed woman spotted her and greeted her, "Gu Xi, where are you going? Where did these two girls come from?"
The others also looked over curiously, their eyes wide.
Gu Xi is considered a celebrity in the family compound, and people are quite curious about her.
Gu Xi brought her two younger sisters over, greeted them, and introduced them: "Good afternoon, sisters-in-law. I'm back from the city. These are my sisters, Xu Yuansheng and Xu Huaisheng."
Xu Yuansheng and Xu Huaisheng greeted them nervously, their faces tense, afraid of embarrassing Gu Xi, and dared not say anything.
The women were about to speak when they suddenly saw Gu Xi's face clearly and were greatly surprised.
"Gu Xi, what happened to your face? How did you get hurt like this?"
"Ouch, such a big wound, won't it leave a scar?"
"..."
Several of Gu Xi's sisters-in-law, who were familiar with her, were extremely worried and quickly put down their work to come over and check her face.
"This wound is huge, it's a bloody mess, it's terrifying to look at! Hurry up, go to the hospital and get a doctor to prescribe some scar-reducing medicine, we can't let it leave a scar."
"Our Gu Xi has such a beautiful face. It would be so heartbreaking if she had a scar."
"How did you get like this? Does it hurt?"
A group of women surrounded Gu Xi, chattering away and pushing Xu Yuansheng and Xu Huaisheng aside, completely forgetting about them.
The two sisters didn't mind, and watched this scene with surprise, discovering that their eldest sister was quite popular here, and they were very happy for her.
The eldest sister has always been rather dull and doesn't talk much. He Guihua used to scold her a lot for being a silent type, saying things like, "You can't get a word out of her until you've hit her three times."
I didn't expect so many people here to care about her and have a good relationship with her.
Gu Xi hurriedly said, "I've already been to the hospital and gotten the medicine." Then she added, "It was an accidental fall, it's nothing really..."
She could tell the truth to those two young soldiers.
But when it comes to these older women, I feel it's best not to say those things, lest I scare them. Mainly, I don't like being asked too many questions.
After her sisters-in-law finished inquiring about the injuries on her face, they finally remembered the two sisters who had come with Gu Xi.
One of the women asked in confusion, "Gu Xi, is this your sister? How come she has a different surname from you and Commander Gu?"
A person nearby chimed in, "They don't even look alike."
"But Gu Xi and Commander Gu don't look alike."
These two younger sisters don't look like Gu Xi at all. Although they have thick eyebrows and big eyes and their features are not bad, they are far less beautiful and eye-catching than Gu Xi.
Of course, there are very few girls as beautiful as Gu Xi. When Gu Xi first came to the family compound, everyone who saw her couldn't deny how beautiful she was. How could a girl in this world be so beautiful? She was so beautiful that it seemed unreal.
Gu Xi said, "They are my younger sisters from my hometown. They came here specifically to see me."
Hearing that they were from their hometown, everyone assumed they were cousins or something, and didn't say anything more.
After saying goodbye to them, Gu Xi quickly left with her two younger sisters.
After leaving the pavilion, she said to her two younger sisters, "Most of the women in the family compound are very nice and easy to get along with. You'll see later."
Xu Huaisheng nodded, grinning innocently, "They have a very good relationship with my eldest sister, and they all care about you."
Xu Yuansheng thought to himself that most of his sisters-in-law were quite nice, but some were not so good and he had to be wary of them.
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