It was past 3 p.m. when Gu Wei returned to the 85th team.
There were no customers in the shop. Gu Jianguo and his group were sitting around a table on the side, folding gold foil paper ingots.
There were also two fertilizer bags piled up on the ground, each filled with more than half a silver ingot.
Gu Wei knew that Qingming Festival was just a week away.
Both sets of parents have passed away many years ago. Although they live here and cannot go to the cemetery, they will definitely do what they did during the Lunar New Year: find a crossroads, draw a circle, burn paper money, and send it to the deceased.
"Gu Wei is back. Did you sleep well last night after staying out?"
Gu Jianguo's hands didn't stop moving, but his eyes were fixed on Gu Wei. He couldn't possibly be worried about the child not coming home last night.
But he's a grown man who travels all over the country, so nothing should happen to him.
"I slept pretty well, but I didn't watch The Legend of the Condor Heroes. What happened last night?"
When this was mentioned, Gu Jianguo and Zhao Zhengying got really excited and eagerly told him the plot.
Gu Wei had already seen several versions, so how could he not understand them? He listened with a smile on his lips.
At the same time, he pulled over a stool and sat down to Gu Jianguo's right, naturally stacking his hands on it.
Lin Yu glanced at those long, slender hands with distinct knuckles, then lowered her eyes to hide the emotions in them.
The others were busy chatting and didn't notice her little gesture.
When Li Guizhi saw the finished product Gu Wei had made, she smiled and praised him, "You're really good at everything! You fold ingots so quickly and well."
Gu Jianguo added, "Yes, this child is skillful and quick to learn."
Gu Wei's feelings were somewhat complicated.
He has been folding paper ingots since he was a child, following his grandfather to fold them for his grandparents and parents. He has more than ten years of experience in this craft.
Afterwards, Gu Hongjie returned home from school with his schoolbag on his back.
Gu Wei followed them back to the back room.
Gu Hongjie asked far more questions than Gu Jianguo about why Gu Hongjie hadn't come home last night.
However, Gu Wei liked the way her father cared about her and was concerned about her, so she answered patiently and then cleverly steered the conversation towards the TV series.
Gu Hongjie's attention was successfully diverted, and he even performed martial arts moves of his favorite hero, Guo Jing, for him.
On a whim, Gu Wei went back inside to get his camera and took some more photos of Gu Hongjie.
For dinner that evening, Gu Jianguo made sauerkraut with boiled pork, stir-fried potato slices, tofu with scallions, and stir-fried pork with cucumber slices.
It was just a simple home-cooked meal, but Gu Wei ate it with great relish, finishing two heaping bowls of rice before finally putting down his chopsticks.
Gu Hongjie was at the age where he was growing, and he ate even more than him, still shoveling food into his mouth.
Gu Jianguo and Li Guizhi also finished eating.
They stepped back behind the kang table, one rolling a cigarette and the other knitting a sweater, both watching their son eat with loving expressions.
Noticing Gu Wei's expression, which resembled that of an adult looking at a child, Gu Jianguo put down his cigarette and asked, "Gu Wei, when you came back from out of town the other day, didn't you say you'd show us photos of your girlfriend in a few days? Have they been developed yet?"
"The photos have been developed, but I forgot to show them to you when I got back."
As Gu Wei spoke, he got up, picked up the bag at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), and took out two carefully selected photos from it.
Among them is a solo photo of Zhou Wenyi, and a photo of the two of them together.
The background is a corner of an 1980s retro museum, with distressed yellow mud walls and an old-fashioned cabinet with a clock and a radio on it.
Gu Jianguo was the first to take it and hold it in his hand.
Li Guizhi and Gu Hongjie also joined him to watch.
Gu Jianguo squinted and looked closely before sincerely praising, "This girl is really beautiful, and has such a great presence, she's like a movie star!"
Li Guizhi nodded in agreement, "She's not only beautiful, but you can tell from her eyes that she's a kind and gentle girl."
The couple exchanged a glance, both understanding why Gu Wei hadn't ended up with that girl, Xiao Qin, but instead chose this girl surnamed Zhou.
While each is beautiful in its own way, the latter is slightly better in terms of sophistication and style.
In the other photo, the two people's poses and smiles inexplicably gave off a hint of a married couple's resemblance.
Gu Hongjie originally intended to watch it with a critical eye, but after watching it, he had to admit, "She is indeed quite good-looking."
Gu Jianguo was completely relieved and earnestly advised, "You're so beautiful and a college student, you must have many suitors. Now that you've agreed to date her, you must cherish it!"
Li Guizhi usually doesn't talk much about Gu Wei's affairs, but she couldn't help but say this time, "Especially since you live far away and can't see each other often, you should treat him even better."
"Don't worry, Grandpa and Grandma, I definitely will."
Although Gu Wei had anticipated his family's reaction, he was still genuinely happy to receive their praise and recognition.
Later, the neighbors who came to watch TV at home all noticed Gu Jianguo and his family's beaming faces.
However, because Gu Wei had said beforehand that it was not appropriate to publicize it for the time being, and they were also worried that someone would be jealous and cause trouble, they did not tell the truth no matter who tried to find out indirectly.
After the TV series ended at 10 o'clock, everyone went home.
They tidied up, wiped the kang (a heated brick bed), made up the quilts, and went to sleep.
Gu Hongjie soon started snoring softly.
Gu Jianguo and Li Guizhi lay in bed, but couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
The two of them took out the two photos again, admiring and discussing them with great satisfaction.
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