Chapter 79
Gu Xi returned home with her two younger sisters.
She took out her key and opened the door to her house. Xu Yuansheng and her sister followed behind her, curiously looking around the house.
Upon entering, you'll see a well-maintained courtyard. The two pomegranate trees against the wall on the left have lost many leaves, and next to them is a delicate little house, where two rabbits seem to live.
On the other side was a vegetable patch, where tender greens swayed in the cold wind, growing vigorously. Against the wall, some low-lying fruit trees and wild chrysanthemums were also planted, making full use of the land in the yard.
Upon seeing the courtyard, the two sisters felt a sense of warmth and familiarity.
Xu Huaisheng chattered on and on, "Big sister, do you manage this yard? You used to be very good at farming and working. The vegetables in our backyard are growing very well."
Gu Xi led them to the main room, put their things down, and then took out two cups and poured them water.
The thermos was full and still hot; it must have been filled with hot water this morning.
She smiled and said, "It's not just me who takes care of it; your brother-in-law helps too. He waters the trees every day before going to work, and if he has time on weekends, he catches bugs and weeds. Those fruit trees against the wall were transplanted from the farm..."
The two sisters, holding their cups, listened, somewhat stunned.
They remembered that this brother-in-law was Aunt Feng's son, a native of Beijing. How could he do this kind of work?
The two sisters grew up in the village and their impressions of city people came from the educated youth who were sent to the countryside. When the educated youth first arrived in the village, they were really bad at farm work and made all sorts of embarrassing mistakes, which made them think that all city people were the same, that they couldn't do farm work and didn't like doing it.
Who would actually enjoy working hard in the fields? It's just that you have to work to eat.
"He can do so many things," Gu Xi praised. "Not to mention his work, he can also do laundry, cook, clean, repair houses, and do carpentry at home... there's nothing he can't do." Whether he does the work well or not is another matter; the main thing is his attitude. He's willing to help, which deserves praise.
My two younger sisters must find partners who can help with chores, not the kind of men who stay at home doing nothing.
After thinking for a moment, she added, "Except for not being able to have children."
The Xu sisters were drinking water when they heard this and choked, coughing violently.
Gu Xi quickly patted their backs and said, "You're all so big now, how come you still choke on water?"
"Didn't you say those kinds of things?" Xu Yuansheng coughed until tears streamed down his face, accusing her with teary eyes.
Xu Huaisheng wiped his mouth. "Big sister, please don't tell jokes while we're eating or drinking in the future."
Gu Xi responded with an "oh," but whether she would actually change it was another matter.
Xu Yuansheng glanced at her, thinking to himself that his older sister and brother-in-law seemed to have a very good relationship.
Because when the eldest sister mentioned her brother-in-law, her expression was joyful, her eyes seemed to sparkle, and she looked very happy.
This is fine.
Then Gu Xi helped them carry their luggage into the guest room next to the kitchen.
The two sisters followed.
The rooms in the bungalows are all quite spacious, and this guest room is no exception. At least in the eyes of the Xu sisters, this room is unbelievably large, much larger than the room they stayed in in Xujiatun. Inside, there is a double bed, cabinets, shelves, a desk, chairs, and other furniture, all complete, but because the room is so large, it feels rather empty.
Even so, it still deeply moved the two sisters.
Gu Xi said, "This is the room we've set up for you. Take a look and see if there's anything missing. I'll go with you to buy it another day."
Xu Yuansheng glanced at it and said, "There's nothing leaking. It's already very good."
"We can't believe we're living in such a big room?" Xu Huaisheng said happily. "It's so much bigger than our room at home! Is this really my and my second sister's room?"
When the two sisters lived at home, they lived in the worst room, so it's hard to believe they could live in such a nice room.
Gu Xi patted her head and said with a smile, "It's yours, you can live here from now on."
While the two sisters packed their luggage, Gu Xi went to pack the things she had brought back from the city. She first took the books in the cloth bag to the study and put them there, planning to organize them later when she had time.
As she put down the book, she looked up at the roof beam and had already figured out a good place to store the book.
Then I went to pack up the other things.
The Xu sisters didn't have much luggage, so they didn't need to pack much; they just put the clothes from their bundles into the wardrobe.
When they opened the wardrobe, they found some new clothes folded inside. They picked them up, unfolded them, and looked at them, discovering that they were all winter clothes made to their approximate size.
Xu Huaisheng was moved to tears, "My eldest sister even prepared new clothes for us."
How much will this cost?
Xu Yuansheng lowered his eyes, a bitter feeling welling up in his heart.
From childhood to adulthood, her eldest sister always took care of them, always standing up for them in times of trouble. She was like a fool, never thinking of herself, preferring to suffer and be tired herself. Because of her eldest sister's protection, she and her younger sister didn't have a bad life growing up.
But if the eldest sister protects them, who can protect her?
Even now, despite having no blood relation to them, their eldest sister still protects them, taking them in and helping them avoid the deadly trap in their dreams.
Xu Yuansheng turned her head, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said to Xu Huaisheng, "From now on, you must listen to your eldest sister, okay?"
"I know!" Xu Huaisheng said without hesitation. "Of course I'll listen to my older sister. When I grow up, I'll protect her, and no one will be allowed to bully her!"
The eldest sister protected them as they grew up, and in return, they protected her future.
The two sisters composed themselves and went out to help Gu Xi pack her things, while also getting familiar with the surroundings.
Gu Xi explained the layout of the house to them, "That's the room where your brother-in-law and I live, the other room is a study, this is the kitchen and guest room, and there's a toilet and bathroom in the yard, as well as a hand pump well so you can pump your own water."
"That's great, we don't have to fetch water from outside anymore." Xu Huaisheng was very happy. "In the old house, there was no well, so we always had to go out to fetch water. My second sister and I couldn't carry it, so we had to lift it together... Later, after you and Aunt Feng left, Mom and Dad had the money Aunt Feng gave them, and when they built the new house, they had someone dig a well in the yard. At least we don't have to fetch water anymore..."
After packing her things, Gu Xi looked at the sky and asked, "What do you want to eat tonight?"
As she spoke, she went to the kitchen to see what dishes were inside. She discovered that there was a pound of pork belly and mutton with skin and bones. She guessed that Shen Mingzheng had specially ordered these from the logistics department because he knew that his two sisters-in-law were coming today.
Gu Xi said happily, "Let's have hand-pulled mutton rice today."
The Xu sisters didn't quite understand what kind of meal this was, but they knew it would be delicious with mutton, and they were both looking forward to it.
Due to limited resources, I can't make authentic hand-pulled mutton rice; I can only make a simplified home-style version.
However, you also need carrots to make hand-pulled lamb rice.
There were no carrots at home, so Gu Xi thought for a moment, then went to get some peach shortbread and sponge cake, and then took out two bottles of face cream. She said to her two younger sisters, "Come on, I'll take you next door to meet the people."
The two sisters obediently followed behind her.
Gu Xi went to the neighboring Miao Regiment Commander's house and knocked on the door. The door opened quickly.
When Ye Fenghua saw her, her eyes widened, and her reaction was similar to that of the others. She hurriedly asked what happened to her face.
Gu Xi then told her about encountering child traffickers at the train station. She didn't want to become gossip or a spectacle for others, nor did she have the mood to show off. It was fine to tell Ye Fenghua and the others, but she asked Ye Fenghua not to tell anyone, otherwise it would attract a crowd of onlookers, which she found really unpleasant.
Let her remain an unknown, socially awkward person.
Ye Fenghua was heartbroken and angrily cursed the heartless human traffickers, telling her to be careful and not to leave any scars.
Seeing that she had brought two young girls with her, and learning that they were her two younger sisters from her hometown, they quickly welcomed them inside.
Gu Xi handed over the things she had brought, saying, "Sister-in-law, this is face cream, I bought it for you. The peach shortbread and sponge cake were bought from a pastry shop in the city, they're delicious, you can try them."
Ye Fenghua didn't refuse, knowing she couldn't, so she might as well accept it generously and send her some good things in the future.
Neighbors can only live well if they give and receive each other like this.
Gu Xi introduced her two younger sisters to Ye Fenghua, "They are my two younger sisters from my hometown, Xu Yuansheng and Xu Huaisheng. They will be staying with me for the time being, so please take care of them, sister-in-law." Then, pointing to Xu Yuansheng, she said, "My second sister is a tailor from our hometown. She makes very beautiful clothes. If you want to make clothes, you can ask her."
Ye Fenghua exclaimed in surprise, "Really? That's amazing! Make some clothes for my two daughters another day."
Xu Yuansheng knew that her older sister was helping her attract business, so she readily agreed.
After chatting for a while, Gu Xi said, "Sister-in-law, I want to make hand-pulled mutton rice today, but I don't have any carrots at home. I'd like to come to your house to pick some carrots."
Ye Fenghua comes from the countryside and is very good at growing vegetables. She takes excellent care of her vegetable garden and grows a variety of vegetables, which grow better than the vegetables in Gu Xi's yard.
"What's the big deal? Go ahead and pick them." Ye Fenghua personally led them to pick carrots, specifically choosing the best ones for her, and even picked a few extra, saying she would feed them to her rabbits.
"Have your two rabbits had any babies yet? My two daughters are very fond of them and said they'd like to have two baby rabbits when they're born, as they want to raise them too." Ye Fenghua shook her head as she said this. "If you ask me, raising rabbits is easy. I can just go to town and buy two for them, but they say they only want the baby rabbits from my own rabbits, not the ones from outside..."
After chatting for a while, Gu Xi took the carrots Ye Fenghua had given her and went back with her two younger sisters.
Then she took her two younger sisters to Chief of Staff Gao's house to give Qiao Hui face cream and snacks, and introduced her to her two younger sisters.
Qiao Hui was playing with her child inside. It was cold, and she was worried that the child would get cold, so she spent most of her time at home with her child.
When Sister Zhu and Qiao Hui saw Gu Xi's face, their reactions were almost the same, and Gu Xi had no choice but to give another explanation.
"That was too dangerous." Qiao Hui sighed, holding her hand. "Be careful next time, and don't hurt yourself."
As a mother herself, she felt deeply for the woman who almost had her child taken away, and thought Gu Xi's courage was truly admirable, which was also what made her most respectable.
She liked Gu Xi very much; there were so many things about her that made her likable and admirable.
Gu Xi introduced her to two younger sisters and also specifically mentioned that Xu Yuansheng could make clothes, so that she could come to her sisters if she wanted to make clothes in the future.
Qiao Hui comes from a well-off family and is not short of money. She is willing to spend money on herself and her daughter. Once she has seen Xu Yuansheng's tailoring skills, she will probably not hesitate to ask her to make clothes for her in the future.
After delivering the goods and introducing two potential clients to her sister, Gu Xi took them home.
Back home, they started cooking dinner. After putting the mutton pilaf on the stove, all they had to do was watch the pot and wait for the rice to cook.
The three sisters sat in the kitchen, warming themselves by the fire and chatting as if they had endless things to say.
Shortly after, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and a person rushed in.
Gu Xi peeked out and saw that it was Shen Mingzheng who had returned. She quickly stood up to greet him.
"Big brother, you're back!"
Shen Mingzheng hurried over, and when he saw the shocking wound on her face, his heart skipped a beat.
He reached out and pulled her close, his arm around her waist. He cradled her chin in his hand, staring intently at the injury on her face. His expression was cold, his gaze deep, and he asked with restraint, "Where did this injury come from? Who did it?"
Knowing that Gu Xi was coming back today, and that there wasn't much to do at the regimental headquarters, he left work on time after finishing his tasks for the day.
Little did he know that as soon as he entered the family compound, he met some women who told him that Gu Xi was injured.
Upon hearing the news, he rushed home without a second thought, overwhelmed with worry and fear, terrified that something had happened to her and unsure of the extent of her injuries. Seeing the gruesome wounds on her face, so horribly distorted against her fair skin, made his heart clench.
Gu Xi could only explain again, finally emphasizing, "I really just did it accidentally, I won't hurt myself again!"
Shen Mingzheng didn't speak, staring at the wound on her face, his expression not good.
"Big brother." Gu Xi felt a little guilty seeing his face look so terrifying for the first time. "Actually, it's nothing. I got some medicine from the hospital, so it shouldn't leave a scar."
Shen Mingzheng's expression was somber. He restrained himself from reaching out and touching the intact skin near the wound, asking in a hoarse voice, "Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt." Seeing that he didn't believe her, she had no choice but to say, "Actually, it hurts a little, but it's bearable. I'm not very sensitive to pain, so I can tolerate this little bit."
She was glad that she wasn't the type of person who was sensitive to pain, otherwise she probably wouldn't have survived to adulthood.
Shen Mingzheng was in a bad mood, and his expression did not improve because of her words.
Gu Xi inwardly cried out in alarm, realizing she couldn't appease them, and hurriedly changed the subject, "By the way, eldest brother, second sister and youngest sister are here."
Shen Mingzheng paused, turned his head, and immediately saw the two girls huddled in the kitchen.
Xu Yuansheng and his two daughters were extremely embarrassed and wished they could just disappear on the spot.
Before meeting her brother-in-law, their impression of him was that of a soldier who protected the country, someone serious, reliable, and righteous, just like the people's impression of the People's Liberation Army.
Until now, when he came in, he affectionately put his arm around their eldest sister, examined her face, and cared about her injuries, completely forgetting everything else. Seeing the intimacy between the couple, the two unmarried girls couldn't stand it and blushed and hid away.
They never expected their brother-in-law to be like this.
He was very tall and handsome, with a cold and aloof expression, just like the soldiers they had imagined—exactly…
Gu Xi didn't care. Sometimes, she was surprisingly thick-skinned. She felt that she was at home and everyone present was family, so there was nothing to care about.
She generously pulled Shen Mingzheng along, called the two sisters out of the kitchen, and introduced them: "Big brother, this is my second sister Xu Yuansheng, and this is my youngest sister Xu Huaisheng." Then she said to the two girls, "This is your brother-in-law Shen Mingzheng."
The two girls glanced quickly at Shen Mingzheng and whispered, "Brother-in-law."
Shen Mingzheng hummed in agreement, his expression softening slightly, and asked, "Was the journey smooth?"
Xu Yuansheng said softly, "It went smoothly."
Xu Huaisheng nervously held his second sister's hand.
Shen Mingzheng said calmly, "From now on, you can stay here and let your eldest sister know if you need anything."
Noticing his two sisters-in-law's discomfort, he didn't stay. He squeezed Gu Xi's hand, glanced at the injury on her face, went to fetch water to wash his hands, and then turned back to his room to change his clothes.
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