His bodyguards escorted him back to the compound, and after dropping him off at home, the bodyguards had to return to their unit!
The guard's expression wasn't good either. After all, he was associated with Gu Yong. With Gu Yong's dismissal and removal from office, his bright future was also ruined!
A few days ago, a leader came to talk to him about his demobilization and transfer to civilian work.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will likely transfer to civilian work and return to his hometown.
This was his way of seeing his former leader off on his final journey.
Gu Yong knew that this was probably the last time he would see his guard!
The car stopped in front of the Gu family's house. Gu Yong sighed, "I've dragged you all into this! I imagine someone has already spoken to you about transferring to civilian work! You should submit your transfer application as soon as possible, go back to civilian life, and do a good job!"
What could the guard say? He opened his mouth several times, wanting to offer some advice, but seeing Gu Yong's dejected and aged appearance, he ultimately swallowed his words.
He opened the car door for Gu Yong, watched him get out, gave him one last salute, his eyes red-rimmed, turned and got into the car, then drove away.
Gu Yong squinted as he stood at the entrance of the Gu family home.
I don't know if it's a matter of mood, but looking at the Gu family's three-story house, it's obviously not as good as before. It's gray and gives off a sense of desolation, just like Gu Yong at this moment.
He had lived in this house for over ten years, thinking he would spend his remaining years here. Who would have thought that things would turn out so unexpectedly, and that after tomorrow, there would be no place for him here anymore?
The vegetable garden in the yard was a mess; all the vegetables had been pulled up, and vegetable leaves were scattered everywhere.
Pushing open the door, the usually tidy house was in complete disarray, with large and small bags piled up in the living room.
Several children were in the living room, while upstairs they were crying and shouting.
Then there were Fang Dani and her two daughters-in-law's sharp voices: "What are you still dawdling about? What are you crying for? Instead of wasting time, why don't you pack some things? We're moving out tomorrow. Are you just leaving these things for someone else to take advantage of?"
The second son's wife's voice came through: "Mom, we've packed everything downstairs and on the second floor. Should we pack Dad's room on the third floor too?"
Fang Dani's voice came from the second floor: "Of course we need to pack! Hurry up and put away all the valuables and important things before he comes back! Also, stop calling him 'Dad'! What kind of dad is he to you? Have you forgotten that we published a notice in the newspaper severing ties with him? He's a drowning dog now, everyone wants to hit him with a stick. We're too busy distancing ourselves from him to have him. Are you out of your mind? Still calling him 'Dad'? Are you afraid your man won't be implicated?"
Then came Gu Daikui's furious voice: "Zhang Yanan, are you brainless? What time is it? If you can't speak properly, at least shut up! If you can't do it yourself, why don't you learn from your sister-in-law? What good are you? You can't do anything right. If you had even half of your sister-in-law's abilities, I'd be thanking my lucky stars—"
Zhang Yanan's shrill voice screamed: "Gu Da Kui, you heartless bastard! I'm already being lenient by not looking down on you at a time like this! And you still have the nerve to look down on me? You keep talking about your sister-in-law, what, are you the wife? You've been talking about your sister-in-law ever since you came back, do you want to dump me and your sister-in-law? You, Gu Da Kui, how come I didn't see it before? Did you have this idea all along? Now that your brother is in trouble, you've finally had your eye on him, haven't you?"
"What kind of time is this to be saying such things? Shut up, both of you! Second brother's wife, you're heartless to say such things! Your eldest brother only took the blame for the sake of this family. If it weren't for him, your husband would still be in jail! This is something you and the second brother owe the eldest brother's family. Your husband just lent a hand to your sister-in-law, so what nonsense are you spouting? Do you want our family to be in enough chaos already?" Fang Dani was furious.
Zhang Yanan, however, wouldn't have it, and with her hands on her hips, she argued back with Fang Dani: "Who's to blame for our family ending up in this mess? Isn't it all because of you, you old hag? If you hadn't been so ungrateful and insisted on becoming the army commander's wife, would we have ended up like this?"
"Back when you married your father-in-law, he got into trouble, but luckily he survived and joined the army; you remarried, and that man died within a few years! Your father-in-law was a stable army commander before, but because he married you, he's ended up like this! You're a jinx, a jinx! How dare you talk to me like that? Let me tell you, now that Commander Gu isn't backing you up! If you really push me too far, I'll divorce your son! Then let's see how your son manages to raise three children alone! Bah—"
These words struck a nerve with Fang Dani, who immediately lunged forward and slapped Zhang Yanan across the face: "You little bitch, you're spewing filth! You're the one who's causing trouble, you're the one who's bringing bad luck—"
Zhang Yanan can tolerate this. Now that Gu Yong is no longer the army commander, only she and Gu Daikui have jobs in the entire Gu family. The whole family depends on them for support, yet they still dare to lay a hand on her.
Without hesitation, he rushed over, grabbed Fang Dani's hair, and slapped her twice in return. The two then began to fight.
When the old man and woman of the Gu family heard something was wrong outside, they cautiously peeked out of the house. Before they could see what was happening upstairs, they saw Gu Yong standing in the living room.
The old man of the Gu family called out first, "Yong, you're back?"
The old lady of the Gu family rushed out, wailing and crying, and hugged Gu Yong, calling him "my son, my dear son" over and over again, her voice filled with heart-wrenching grief.
Gu Yong, however, remained expressionless, staring intently at the building above.
Hearing the commotion, the people upstairs looked down and, meeting Gu Yong's gloomy gaze, all showed a hint of guilt.
Gu Daikui hesitated for a few moments, but couldn't bring himself to call out "Father."
Fang Dani pushed Zhang Yanan aside, got up, dusted herself off, and looked at Gu Yong calmly: "Now that you're back, you should know! The children, our parents, and I have all published notices in the newspaper severing ties with you! Brother Dayong, don't blame us for being heartless. In the current situation, we have elderly people and young children at home. We can't let our whole family be implicated by you and sent down to the countryside with you, can we?"
"Don't get angry, don't blame the child! Dajun can't get out now, the family is counting on Da Kui, he can't be harmed in any way! I've heard that if he doesn't sever his father-son relationship with you, he might lose his job!"
"Old Gu, it's one thing for you to suffer! Sacrificing yourself to save so many of us is the only way! Don't you agree?"
Gu Yong looked at Fang Dani and felt completely unfamiliar with her. It was as if he had never truly known Fang Dani, his first wife.
At least I never knew Fang Dani had such a cold and decisive side.
After a long while, he finally found his voice: "Whose idea was this?"
Silence fell; no one spoke.
Whoever Gu Yong looked at would avoid his gaze.
Gu Yong looked at his parents one last time.
The Gu family patriarch and matriarch were also feeling guilty, and hesitated for a long time before saying, "It was Dajun's idea! He told Da Kui that our family has completely collapsed and can't get back up! There's no benefit in acknowledging you as our father, only harm! He told us that we have to sever ties with you to protect ourselves!"
“Yong, your parents have no choice. Your mother and I are getting old, and we won’t live for many more years. You don’t want us to suffer when we’re buried in the ground, right? Besides, we’re only severing ties with you in front of outsiders; we still consider you our son in our hearts—”
Gu Yong tugged at the corners of his mouth, trying to force a smile, but failed, so he simply gave up.
Looking up at Fang Dani upstairs, she said, "Father, Mother, I accept that Da Kui and the others have cut ties with me! But what about you? Didn't you say that you would follow me wherever I went, whether I was a military commander or a beggar? But what about now?"
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