Two-in-one
Mr. Gu was talking outside until he was thirsty, so he came back reluctantly and drank a large cup of hot tea in one gulp, as if his whole body was steaming with heat.
The Gu family was very surprised, and Liu Shuqin was a little worried. The old man was too old, and they were afraid that his mood swings would be bad for his health. The winter in the north is like a gate of hell for the elderly, and they were afraid that the old man would make a mistake and not make it.
Many elderly people pass away every winter. Compared with others, the old man lived a long life. Many people passed away in their sixties. Many of Liu Shuqin’s husband’s peers passed away halfway.
Liu Shuqin called a doctor to take Mr. Gu's blood pressure and check his condition. Mr. Gu waved his hand and said, "I'm not sick. I'm in good spirits."
Qin Yao and Gu Cheng were at a loss whether to laugh or cry as they saw that the old man was almost taken to the hospital. After tossing and turning for most of the day, the old man was still lively and healthy, and he ate everything with relish. It seemed that the King of Hell was still far away from him.
"When you get older, you just need to live energetically. Only when you are energetic can you live longer."
Qin Yao also felt that the purpose of life is to have hope, to be attached to and attached to this world. Many elderly people living in the countryside grow vegetables and raise chickens every day. Even with their old bones, they still go up and down the mountains all the time, but they still live well.
After being taken to the city by his children to enjoy a good life, he died within a year or two.
If you don't do anything, anyone will feel that life is boring, you are useless and your spirit is broken. Once the spirit collapses, the body becomes a building block with no connections, which will break at the slightest touch.
The old man walked out of his past memories and rekindled his interest in life. His whole mental outlook was completely different.
Old Master Gu thought that he must see the story published, and he had to make a name for himself in front of those old guys.
"I'll tell you, there's nothing wrong with my body. I'm fine. Go to hell with your last breath. How long has it been? I'm fine now. People have been talking about it since this morning. How could I not know my own body?" Old Master Gu opened his coat slightly, with a smile on his face that he couldn't hide. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes became deeper, and his originally cloudy eyes became bright and showed his old age. The age spots on his face also faded a lot at this moment.
"We feel relieved knowing that you are in good health, old man." Liu Shuqin smiled.
"Don't worry, don't worry." Old Man Gu patted his chest, "My first task now is not to be too complacent, because pride will lead to failure; the second task is to assist and supervise Comrade Xiao Qin's work tasks."
Qin Yao: “?!”
"Granddaughter-in-law, I've read it. You wrote it very well, and it also shows the vitality and energy of the new generation of young people. How about this, I'll set a slightly challenging goal for you."
"This winter vacation, write 10,000 words a day. It's not too much to write 200,000 words before you leave, right? If you get inspired, write 15,000 words... I'll give you a trophy."
"Grandpa, I'm giving you all my pension from last year as a reward! As an encouragement."
Qin Yao was shocked: "Ah?"
What Grandpa Gu said... was probably just a joke. Grandpa Gu's annual pension is really not small, at least a four-digit number, which is considered a huge reward in this era.
But 10,000 words a day is too outrageous. Even future online writers don’t have to write 10,000 words every day. How can one write so fast? Those who could write 10,000 words before were in good shape.
For ordinary authors, they are not in a good state most of the time, and only in a few periods of time are they in a good state.
Liu Shuqin gave Qin Yao a look: Just play with this old naughty boy for a while, and he will calm down after he gets over the excitement.
Locking up his granddaughter-in-law at home and asking her to write ten thousand words every day, no sane old man would do such a thing.
That would make my hand break.
Old Man Gu took Qin Yao to write behind closed doors. Seeing how excited he was, Liu Shuqin couldn't help shaking her head and laughing, "What happened to our family? Everyone was a serious person before, but now the old man has become more and more childish, like an old child."
"There's no seriousness at all."
Gu Cheng, who was standing next to him, touched his nose and thought that he might not be that serious.
"Now it's just you and your brother. Smile more often. You're already so old, Xiaocheng, and you don't even have any smile lines around your eyes. You really should smile more."
Gu Cheng: “…”
Mr. Gu was a kind person, and he was sincere. In order to ensure Qin Yao's creative environment, he prepared the best study room on the second floor of the house for her, and prepared fragrant tea and snacks. "You should write well, from beginning to end."
"Let me take a look at the materials first, Grandpa. There's really no rush." Qin Yao picked up the materials in her hand. She didn't need to collect these materials related to the old man again. They had already been collected before and were all ready-made and more comprehensive than she had imagined.
Qin Yao took a rough tour and formed a rough outline in her mind, but this did not mean that she would be inspired to write like a god. The specific writing process still required long-term planning.
Qin Yao separated the materials from her mind and paid attention to the surrounding environment. There were two large windows in the study, which were windows that opened outwards. The view was very good and she could see far away. The dead branches in the snow were also one of the wonders in winter.
There were many bookshelves in the room, filled with all kinds of books. Hanging next to them were calligraphy and paintings, as well as fresh newspapers that smelled of ink. The table was like the office desks of the time, with newspaper photos underneath and a layer of glass on top. There were seven or eight black-and-white photos of the Gu family. There was even a solo photo of Gu Cheng when he was young, probably about seventeen or eighteen years old, and looked particularly immature.
Seeing that she was so absorbed in watching, Mr. Gu at the side took the initiative to ask, "Are you looking at Xiao Cheng's photo? This grandson is the one who looks the most like his real grandfather. Look carefully at my face. Are we made from the same mold?"
Qin Yao blinked her eyes: "Yes, they look quite similar."
"That's exactly the same." Mr. Gu pointed at the photo and emphasized, "I looked like this when I was young!"
"Look at my face more often. When Xiao Cheng gets old, it will be my old face. Look at it more often and get used to it in advance."
Qin Yao was silent: "..."
Gu Cheng, who was standing at the door at this time: “…” Grandpa, can you please stop talking nonsense!
It cannot be said that they do not look alike, but in fact, there are not many similarities either. If I have to say, Gu Cheng's older brother Gu Xing looks more like Grandpa Gu.
Gu Cheng walked in, holding a thermos cup in his hand, and said calmly: "Grandpa, do you want to take a look at the photos of my brother?"
"Go, go, go." Old Master Gu waved his hand at him, "Go outside, there is nothing for you to do here, don't come and disturb my granddaughter-in-law from doing her creative work."
Qin Yao sat on the bench, supporting her chin with both hands with a slightly melancholy look. There was nothing she could do. She couldn't write in her current state. With the old man staring at her, she couldn't get into the mood at all.
Inspiration is like this, it comes quickly and goes quickly. You may be in a good mood yesterday, but you may not be in the right mood the next day. For any author, every time you write is a fresh start.
If she can't write, will grandpa lock her up in a dark room?
"Grandpa, I want to take her out for a walk." Gu Cheng stood in front of the desk, pulled Qin Yao up, and looked at Old Man Gu. "She can't write if she stays in the room like this."
The two looked at each other for a few seconds, and it was Mr. Gu who gave in. After all, this was someone else's wife.
"You guys go out for a walk, and come back to write when you're ready."
Gu Cheng smiled slightly: "Grandpa, there is really no rush. My second sister's book alone took her half a year to write. For someone like you, it will take at least a year or two. You can't lose to my second sister."
"That makes sense. You're a good talker." Mr. Gu came to his senses and returned to reality. He knew that haste makes waste and that he couldn't write 10,000 words a day and he couldn't force it.
Gu Cheng and Qin Yao went downstairs and walked out of the yard. It was icy and snowy outside, and the dead branches were covered with snow. When they stepped on the snow, it made a rustling sound, a bit like the crunching sound of chewing potato chips, which made people want to grind their teeth.
It's okay to step on the snow, it's not slippery. The worst thing is that the melted snow water condenses into a thin layer of ice, which is a real ice rink. If you step on it without being careful, you will slip.
This kind of ice surface is usually found on downhill roads. Even the strongest warriors have to squat and wade through this road timidly.
Qin Yao and Gu Cheng walked side by side in the snow. After they came out, they felt the cold wind blowing outside. Qin Yao breathed a sigh of relief and felt liberated. She finally got out of the small dark room.
After walking a few more steps, I felt cold again, so I lowered my head and wrapped my scarf around my face, wishing I could cover my entire face, leaving only my eyes exposed.
Gu Cheng beside him, on the other hand, was walking forward steadily and with big strides. He was tall, walked upright, with his head held high and chest puffed out, as if he was walking in a square step, and there was nothing wrong with his posture.
In the snow, his expression became as cold as snow, as if he had returned to the second time they met at Chen Baozhen's house. He was so cold, without any emotion on his face, and his words made it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
Qin Yao suddenly felt a barrier appear beside him, separating him from outsiders. Only his profile was incredibly handsome, especially when he was silent. He had a high nose and thin lips, and his profile had clear and undulating contours, with a somewhat arrogant attitude.
Qin Yao turned her head to look at the two rows of footprints behind her, winding and side by side, one pair big, one pair small, like a long line of ants. She suddenly felt a little warm, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up.
It seems that people are so easily worried about gains and losses. Seeing him stick to her so shamelessly so many times, and now walking away coldly, she couldn't stand it in her heart.
hateful!
When he was shameless and clingy to her and teased her, she disliked him for being dishonest and annoying; now that he has behaved properly and returned to his old self, she feels alienated and lonely, as if a string of ants are crawling deep in her heart, making her feel itchy and uncomfortable, but she can't tell where she is uncomfortable.
I was so annoyed that I wanted to kick him into the snow pile, put on a cold face in front of her, kick him into the snow, make him into a snowman, and let him freeze outside for a day.
Qin Yao pulled her hat down angrily, buried her nose in her scarf, and hummed silently several times.
She felt depressed, as if her heart was filled with a mess. She couldn't figure out what she liked about Gu Cheng, and she was also wondering what kind of personality Gu Cheng had.
Is this cold look the real him? Was his greasy and talkative look before just to please her? This guy…his smile is never sincere enough, his peach blossom eyes never quite smile to the bottom, and it’s hard to tell what his personality is.
After Qin Yao was annoyed, she couldn't help but look up at Gu Cheng's profile. Tsk, it's true, this face was her favorite!
Gu Cheng turned his gaze to the side and immediately met Qin Yao's eyes full of stars, which were so bright and sparkling that it was hard to ignore them.
Every time he saw her like this, Gu Cheng would get a little angry with her. Did she like him as a person? Or do you like his face?
This stinky girl.
Gu Cheng believed that he did not fall in love with Qin Yao because of her face. He couldn't explain why he liked her, but it was definitely not just because of her face. If he liked her because of her face, wouldn't that be too superficial?
Maybe it was because of her lively and enthusiastic personality, or maybe it was because of her wild imagination, or maybe it was because of her... Anyway, it was not her face. Her current face was very different from the one she had when they first met.
But he still hasn't changed his inner love.
Gu Cheng could be sure that his love for her had not faded with the passage of time. Instead, it was like a fine wine that became more fragrant with age. He loved her more and more, and was more and more reluctant to let her go.
The best emotional soothing after returning to the shore was to see her sitting on the sofa and looking at him tenderly. When he saw her, it was like a wave that could smooth out everything.
This kind of attachment is so overwhelming that it cannot be stopped. When he is happy, he also wants to run around like a dog. He can't explain the complicated emotions, he just wants to spend more time with her and tease her.
In the three years of marriage, they didn't actually spend much time together, at least not as much time as he spent with his adjutant. Gu Cheng was always strong and capable at work, and there was rarely anything that caused him distress.
In this relationship between husband and wife, Gu Cheng unconsciously put himself in the position of the weaker party. As the years passed, he felt fear and worry in his heart. Qin Yao was still young, and he wondered if there would be a better-looking and more interesting person to attract her in the future.
Maybe he is not as confident as he imagined. The time he met Tang Runjie at the cultural center had a great influence on him. Although Tang Runjie is not as good-looking as him, he is younger and more energetic than him... Maybe one day in the future, Qin Yao will meet a man who looks like him and is younger. Will she like him?
There is no basis for this groundless speculation. If we analyze it rationally, the possibility is almost zero. However, human emotions cannot be judged rationally. The tension, worry, and fear deep in his heart shroud him like a ghost.
It's very awkward, as if one's head is out of control.
Breathing the cold air in front of him, Gu Cheng sighed subconsciously, and the next second, he felt a cool little hand touching his palm.
"Your hands are so cold?" Gu Cheng didn't care about anything else. He was only worried that the woman next to him would be frozen. It was cold outside and he shouldn't take her walking around in the snow like this.
"It's not that my hands are cold, it's that your hands are too hot, just like my son. We have three small stoves in our house. If you don't believe me, try it. My hands are really not cold--" Qin Yao smiled and tiptoed to touch Gu Cheng's face. His face was exposed and cold, like fresh meat in the refrigerator, and her slightly warm back of her hand was pressed against it. The strong temperature difference made Gu Cheng feel waves of warmth.
Holding her hand, Gu Cheng was reluctant to let go. He pressed down the corners of his mouth, complaining and distressed: "It's not cold, you just took the opportunity to touch my face, right? You just like this face of mine..."
At this point, there was actually a hint of bitterness in Gu Cheng's voice. An officer like him with a successful career, excellent work and a bright future would actually start to worry about his own face.
In the past, I would just expose my body to the sun on the deck, but now I try not to expose it to the sun, for fear that my lover will fall in love with someone else because of my old face.
“Hmm…” Comrade Xiao Qin, who was criticized for being obsessed with looks, felt a little guilty. Did she really only like Gu Cheng’s face? Not really. If Gu Chen was disfigured now, she would not divorce him. "If you become like Mr. Gu in the future, I will not leave you."
Gu Cheng: "That makes me happy, but your analogy... haha, you might as well compare me to an older brother." He didn't age that fast.
Qin Yao: "..." You have ill intentions towards your brother, Comrade Gu.
Qin Yao changed the way they held hands to holding Gu Cheng's arm. She felt that holding hands was a little flimsy, but holding the arm of the person next to her made her feel extremely at ease.
"I like you no matter what you look like. I like you as a person, the one and only you, Gu Cheng."
It was only then that Qin Yao discovered that Gu Cheng actually felt even less secure and less confident than she did. It might be because she had this favorability system that was not very useful, but actually made her feel very comfortable. Although she didn't use it much on weekdays, she knew that Gu Cheng and the children had a full favorability towards her.
On this point, she never doubted their feelings.
This reduces a lot of uncertainty. But for ordinary people, there is no so-called favorability system, and they can only judge based on their own feelings. It is natural to worry about gains and losses and to be suspicious.
Just like when you are dating, because of the lack of security, you always have to test again and again whether the other person cares about you, and you have to confirm again and again before you are willing to trust the other person's feelings.
It was during these repeated tests that their feelings for each other gradually wore away.
"You are my lover, my family, and my friend. I can't find anyone else like you in this world."
After saying this, Qin Yao felt emotional. She thought about when she first came through the book, she was still the Qin Yao who did not believe in true feelings in the world, did not believe in the so-called love, friendship and family affection, and only believed that this world was made up of material desires and interests.
For her, the man next to her has the most complex identity. They are lovers, friends, and non-blood relatives. They have been together for so many years and have had the most intimate relationship. They have long been infected with each other's unique habits.
It is said that when a couple spends more time together, they will become more and more like each other, which is more powerful than blood relationship and genetic genes. Some of Gu Cheng's occasional facial expressions and the tone of his voice are actually somewhat similar to hers. It's really magical.
Perhaps humans are natural learners and imitators.
She has to thank the man beside her. Thank you, you made me almost forget that I was once a person who didn't believe in love, friendship and family.
"You are indeed a writer who is good at speaking sweet words." Gu Cheng raised his hand and pinched her face lovingly, with a warm current flowing through his heart.
If this wasn't outside, I would really want to bend down and kiss her.
"When I get old and retire, I'll lock you up in the study room every day like my grandfather did..."
Qin Yao didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I'm writing an autobiography for you? Help!"
"Why write an autobiography? Don't overestimate yourself. You can't hold the pen anymore. I'll ask you to say sweet words to me every day until all your teeth fall out. Then let your son take you to get your teeth fixed and continue."
Qin Yao: "...You make yourself sound like a prison boss. To be honest, you look a lot like the old man."
"Tell me, are we being pretentious? Our child is already two years old, and we're still saying sweet words here, talking about whether we love each other or not, whether we care about each other or not. Even if we don't say these things, we're going to live our whole life together."
"Not pretentious." Gu Cheng was in a good mood. He took his wife to eat roasted sweet potatoes. In the middle of winter, eating roasted sweet potatoes with two little kids on his back was so delicious.
When he was a child, he loved to eat a snack called Mi Sandao, which is also a traditional handmade pastry. It is fragrant, crispy and soft, with an attractive color. The outside is honey sauce color and the surface is rolled with white sesame seeds. It tastes softer in summer and a little harder in winter. After eating it, there is still sweet oil in his hands, and he secretly licks his hands away from people.
Gu Cheng hasn't eaten it for a long time. He hasn't touched this kind of thing since he entered junior high school. He disliked it for being too sweet when he was a teenager. Now he felt a little nostalgic about his childhood, so he bought a big bag.
Qin Yao ate a few and said, "They are delicious. My dad can also make them."
"I didn't expect you loved eating this when you were a kid. Why didn't you grow up plump?"
Gu Cheng laughed: "Maybe... I move more?"
The couple went back carrying a bag of honey and ran into the eldest brother Gu Xing at the door. Gu Xing's wife was pregnant and he was very happy during this period. In the past two years, the couple had been living in harmony.
It's just that Big Brother Gu, like Old Man Gu, has aged a lot in the past two years. Gu Xing has gained weight, probably because he cooks frequently and makes cakes for his wife from time to time and eats them himself. He is also busy with his career and neglects exercise, so he has a bit of a pot belly. When he wears a uniform and has a solemn face, he looks very old.
"Little brother, sister-in-law." Gu Xing greeted them lightly. Seeing Gu Cheng holding a bag of honey three knives in his hand, he frowned slightly.
These are the things that young and naive people like to eat. Even if you buy them for your children, they are too sweet and will hurt their teeth.
Miaomiao had tooth decay when she was a child, and it was only after her teeth were replaced that she got better. At least she managed to save all her teeth.
"Brother." Gu Cheng was holding a bag of honey snacks in his hand. He felt that his image was a little unserious, like a young soldier who was eating snacks secretly.
He walked forward and said a few words to Gu Xing. Qin Yao followed behind them and said, "Let me walk behind. It will be easier to walk with the footprints on my body."
The three of them walked a few steps forward and met a man in military uniform. The man was surprised and said, "Commander, is this your son? He has grown so big?"
Gu Xing: “???!!!”
Gu Cheng: “…”
Qin Yao lowered her head and quietly moved away from the two brothers.
She quickened her pace, overtook the two brothers, and ran home like the fly. She was afraid that she couldn't help laughing, hahahaha.
Qin Yao returned home first. She passed a woman who was leaving in a hurry at the gate. After entering the house and going upstairs, she saw that her sister-in-law looked a little strange and was holding a box in her hand.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
