Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Almost a Dual Military Family
Qingmei said, "Me?"
"It's you." Gu Qingzhou placed the man on a chair, placed the towel in his hand on the washbasin rack, and continued, "You were the first to discover the problem with the enemy spy."
Seeing him pouring hot water, Qingmei took off her shoes and socks and dangled her feet while waiting. "It doesn't matter who finds us first. What matters is that we catch all the enemy spies in one fell swoop."
Gu Qingzhou smiled and said, "Look, you have the temperament of a soldier when you say this."
Qingmei was even more puzzled: "I am a military wife, and you are the one who gave me some military temperament."
Gu Qingzhou then turned the conversation to the main topic: "The seven captured enemy spies have been escorted to Jing City. We have intercepted a batch of valuable intelligence. ... Commander Wang asked me this afternoon if you are willing to join the army."
Qingmei was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth: "What do you mean by soldiering? I'm a soldier?"
Gu Qingzhou smiled and said, "Who else could it be? Who allowed you to achieve so many remarkable feats and master so many practical skills like driving and foreign languages?"
Qingmei was about to throw her head in confusion: "I don't want to be a soldier. I'm used to being lazy and can't stand the constraints of the barracks. Besides, I can't be a soldier like this. I'm already married."
"Our independent division has a quota for local talent every year. Getting married is nothing, and having children is no problem. We'll form a dual-military family and elevate our spiritual and material well-being to a higher level."
Qingmei's hands were almost making shadows, and she refused to agree no matter what: "If you scare me like this again, I'm going home to find our mother."
Gu Qingzhou got a satisfactory answer. He held her little face and kissed her, then brought the foot basin over and grabbed Qingmei's feet to put them in.
He felt the water temperature was not high enough, but Qingmei felt it burned her feet, and the two struggled for a long time.
Gu Qingzhou was ultimately defeated. He grabbed his wife's foot and looked at her radiant white toes. Her nails were neatly trimmed into a beautiful crescent shape. He cupped her foot and kissed it.
Qingmei wanted to shrink, but Gu Qingzhou smiled and said, "What are you afraid of? It's not like we haven't kissed before. Besides, she doesn't smell bad. My wife smells sweet everywhere."
Qingmei said: "Of course I don't stink, yours does."
Gu Qingzhou had just finished his shower and raised his feet for Qingmei to smell. Qingmei looked at his feet, as if seeing a giant's feet, so huge compared to hers: "No, take them away quickly."
Gu Qingzhou made a hurt expression and muttered, "I thought you loved me too. You didn't even want to smell my feet. Not only do I smell your feet, I also kiss them. Believe it or not, I can even peck them a few times."
Qingmei raised her foot and pushed it against his forehead, trying to distance the two of them: "I don't have this kind of fetish, please stay away from me."
Gu Qingzhou grabbed the ankle above his head with his left hand and tried to grab the other foot with his right hand. Qingmei dodged and dodged, and in anger, she simply stepped both feet into the hot water.
Gu Qingzhou didn't mind that his plan had failed. He sat down next to Qingmei with a towel on his knees and whispered in her ear, "Commander Wang wants to see you tomorrow. First, he wants to praise you in person for your discovery. Since it involves enemy spies, he can't praise you publicly, but he should give you some material rewards. Second, he wants to ask if you are interested in joining the army."
Qingmei snuggled in his arms and said softly, "Actually, I don't want anything, and I don't want to be a soldier. I've already got everything I wanted, and I'm a contented person."
Gu Qingzhou smiled and said, "But you are ambitious. You are still studying on your own and waiting for the college entrance examination. I don't know how the college entrance examination will turn out."
The first exam after the resumption of the college entrance examination was held at the end of the year. The announcement came suddenly, and although the news of the college entrance examination was widely spread, many people still took a wait-and-see attitude.
She heard that only two educated youth from Donghe Village had signed up, and the others were waiting to register for the second college entrance examination in the spring. Qingmei also wanted to register for the college entrance examination in the spring.
We also need to drag Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan into the exam together. If Xiaoyan works hard, it shouldn't be a problem for her to get into university, but Zhao Xiaoxing's goal of getting into a junior college is probably a bit uncertain.
However, Qingmei thought about the difficulty of the current college entrance examination, which mainly relies on mathematics and English to score high. Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan have special tutors for these two subjects, so they might get good grades.
Qingmei was determined to apply to the best university. At the end of 1978, Beijing Beiyan University would establish a northeastern campus in Xinghai City, where programs in philosophy, language and literature, and sociology would be offered.
Qingmei's original graduate major was computer-related. After struggling here for a long time, she became interested in studying the relationships between people and various social phenomena and problems in the future of society. She wanted to apply for the sociology major.
She had originally wanted to register for the first Gaokao, but because of the rescue mission, she missed the deadline. Everyone's attention wasn't focused on that. Even some people, including Mr. Guo, couldn't believe the Gaokao had actually begun.
Qingmei's eyes lit up. After the Chinese New Year, reform and opening up were about to begin, and opportunities were everywhere. She turned to Gu Qingzhou with a smile and said, "The most important time node in our country that I told you about is about to arrive. Do you know what I have to do besides the college entrance examination?"
"Tell me about it." Gu Qingzhou really didn't know what earth-shattering things were going on in his little wife's head.
Qingmei said, "State-owned small and medium-sized ports need to be privatized." Qingmei stood in the basin of water and waved her little hand, "I want to buy the port."
Gu Qingzhou never expected that his young wife had such great ambitions. Without saying anything, he said, "You can use our family's money as you please. You don't need to ask me for permission."
Qingmei now has several thousand yuan on hand, which is of course not enough. She smiled and hugged Gu Qingzhou's neck and kissed him, saying: "Of course I know that I can use our family's money. What's yours is mine, and everything you have belongs to me."
Gu Qingzhou expressed his satisfaction and said with relief: "I'm just worried that you don't know how to spend your money."
Qingmei chuckled: "I know better than anyone else."
Xinghai City's port will be even more powerful than a money-printing machine. As long as they enter the inland from the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea, Xinghai will be the only northern city besides the southern coastal cities! As long as she owns a port, she can make a lot of money from the port's entry and exit fees.
You should know that the port of the most famous Ma Strait in the world charges a one-time fee of hundreds of thousands to millions of US dollars for a giant cruise ship to pass through.
China would eventually become one of the world's largest trading nations, and Xinghai City would become the most important port city in the north, with comprehensive, professional ports and docks. For Qingmei, this was a great opportunity to earn money while staying at home.
"If reform and opening up are truly possible, purchasing a port in Xinghai City would be the best option."
"Trade will definitely open up." Gu Qingzhou thought for a moment and said, "Resources that are related to the national economy and people's livelihood but are in short supply will be industries with excellent development prospects."
Qingmei didn't expect him to say such a thing, so she asked, "Then what other industries can I try?"
"Our country is vast and rich in resources. If we don't export large quantities of grain and instead invest it in meeting national needs, then food will not become a primary issue in the future."
Gu Qingzhou said, "In my opinion, the most important thing should be housing. I have been to other countries, and their living conditions are quite good compared to ours. The most urgent thing is that ordinary people will want to improve their living standards. Although I don't know whether private development, land acquisition and property sales will be allowed in the future, I think this is also an excellent opportunity."
Pa pa pa.
Qingmei couldn't help but applaud Gu Qingzhou. It was true that talented people would shine no matter what industry they were in. With just the four words "reform and opening up," Gu Qingzhou was able to identify a future blue ocean industry. His vision was truly sharp.
"Then let me tell you something: the private development, land acquisition, and sales you mentioned will actually happen, and it will happen very soon."
Gu Qingzhou asked: "Is it the same as across the strait?"
Qingmei said: "It's different. Our land will always be in the hands of the country."
Gu Qingzhou nodded and said, "That's good. This way we won't be like some countries where the rich have more and more land, while the poor have less and less, and end up without a stable place to live."
Qingmei smiled and said, "That will mean we have to defeat another group of people. We want common prosperity."
"That's right." Gu Qingzhou said softly, "I'll pick you up."
After saying these words, the water in the basin was about to cool down.
Gu Qingzhou wrapped Qingmei's feet and carried her to the bed.
Qingmei reached out and touched the quilt. He had already placed a hot water bottle inside, and the quilt was warm.
At night, Gu Qingzhou slept obediently with Qingmei in his arms.
The next day, the young couple had a rare chance to sleep in.
Gu Qingzhou got up first to boil water. When he turned around, he saw his little wife with disheveled hair lying on the bed, wrapped in a thick quilt, like a little snail.
The warm golden sunlight outside the window sprinkled on the top of her hair. She curled her hands and stroked her hair bit by bit, her movements slow and lazy.
This feeling of bond was faintly visible in the air, and the love between lovers seemed to still linger on their fingertips. Every day, he was fascinated by her beauty.
Gu Qingzhou had made noodles that morning. The noodles, with pickled mustard greens and shredded pork, weren't particularly bad, but his cooking skills were truly average. But a man willing to cook got a lot of points, so Qingmei enjoyed the meal.
Qingmei slurped her noodles, secretly glancing at her man. She thought everything about him was perfect. He had a great body, knew how to handle heat and cold, was a good person, and had a great body... Forgive her for saying it twice. She couldn't get enough of him.
Gu Qingzhou made noodles and served them to Qingmei. After eating, Gu Qingzhou went to the bathroom to wash the dishes.
He noticed that many men came to wash dishes today, chatting with each other. In the corner, there were even officers washing their own uniforms.
Gu Qingzhou felt a vague sense of crisis. He had always been outstanding in this aspect. Why were there suddenly so many men competing with him to be a good husband?
Qingmei dozed off in bed when she was woken up by Gu Qingzhou, who had just finished washing the dishes. "Get ready to go. Commander Wang is a bit impatient. Here, put on this coat."
The cotton-padded jacket Gu Qingzhou made for Qingmei was a long coat, similar to a military coat, covering her from head to ankle. It was a very fashionable style in Shanghai, with a stylish metal buckle belt and rippling hems.
The best part is that the cuffs are screw-on and elastic.
I used to feel the tightness of my wrists and neck when I wore clothes with screw-neck sleeves. But after spending some time here in the cold winter, I realized that the cold air seeps in through the seams of clothes. The most important thing about wearing cotton clothes is that they keep the wind out. Screw-neck sleeves perfectly meet this requirement, and they also make it easy to put on cotton gloves.
Gu Qingzhou dressed Qingmei in new clothes from head to toe, and she felt very conspicuous when she went out.
The most common clothes worn by military wives were military coats, followed by the calm and elegant black and navy blue. Only she wore a light gray coat with a bright red scarf tied around her neck.
Gu Qingzhou walked beside him with a smile in his eyes.
In his eyes, his young wife was like a child who had put on new clothes before the New Year, even though he had forced her to wear the clothes.
The two of them walked slowly to the office building, and many people who recognized Gu Qingzhou greeted him.
Qingmei followed him all the way to the top floor and arrived at Commander Wang's office.
Commander Wang waited for the whole morning and finally got them when it was almost time to get off work.
"Comrade Qingmei, it's cold outside, come and sit by the stove." Commander Wang said, pointing to the sofa.
There was another leader on the sofa, whom Qingmei had also seen. He was Chief of Staff Chen, who had presided over their wedding.
She greeted the leaders one by one.
She didn't know last time that Chief of Staff Chen was actually Chen Lili's father, nor did she know whether her old leader knew about the love-hate relationship between her and actor Chen.
Anyway, when she came over today, Chief of Staff Chen smiled at her very kindly.
Gu Qingzhou took her coat and took it to the door to shake off the snow, then hung it on the hook at the door. Then he took off his military coat and put it over her clothes.
Commander Wang couldn't bear to watch it, thinking that this guy would find every opportunity to show off that he was married.
Old Chief of Staff Chen still had a smile on his face, and there was no sign of him showing any signs of getting high blood pressure at any moment when dealing with Chen Lili.
"Xiao Gu should have told you everything." Commander Wang personally made a cup of tea for Qingmei. The emerald green tea stems floated on the water, standing up one by one.
Qingmei said shyly, "I don't want to join the army. I think this is good."
Commander Wang laughed and said, "Gu Qingzhou took my joke seriously again."
Gu Qingzhou said from the side: "So you don't want her to join the army?"
Commander Wang glanced at Political Commissar Chen, then turned to Qingmei and said, "You don't need to start as a grassroots soldier in your situation. With your special abilities, the highest position you can get is company commander."
Company commander?
officer?
Female officer?
Qingmei's eyes suddenly lit up. She remembered her driving in a military coat, and many people said she had the demeanor of a female soldier. Now it seemed that she could be more than just a soldier, she could also be a cadre!
Gu Qingzhou looked at Qingmei with a forced smile, his eyes sweeping back and forth across her happy little face, but she didn't notice, and was completely immersed in the great joy of becoming an officer.
It was a good idea to get vaccinated in advance.
Gu Qingzhou pressed the corners of his lips and looked at the shrewd Commander Wang. "That's amazing!" Others' families follow the troops, but you let my family go directly to the barracks.
The 014th Independent Division already has a lot of tasks to do, so the dual-military families can't expect to see each other more than twice a month.
Gu Qingzhou kept a straight face and did not interfere with his young wife's choice.
After a long silence, Qingmei looked up at the patiently waiting Commander Wang and said, "Thank you, Commander Wang, but let's forget it. I have so much to worry about. I have my grandmother, my mother-in-law, and two close friends at home. I've finally grown a hundred chickens in the backyard, but I still haven't eaten any eggs. And the fruit trees have only borne fruit once, and I'm still not satisfied. I need to go to town to learn how to maintain the tractor allocated to me by the village, and then I'll teach everyone..."
Qingmei felt that her words were too petty. She looked up and saw Teacher Wang sitting across from her with a smile on his face. Qingmei said softly, "I still want to go to university."
"It's a good thing to have ideals and ambitions," Commander Wang said to her kindly, "Many people know how to live, but few know how to live well. I think you not only know how to live well, but also how to live it to the fullest."
When Gu Qingzhou heard Qingmei's refusal, he breathed a sigh of relief, but when he looked up, he met the gaze of Political Commissar Chen, who said, "You have come to this day, too."
Gu Qingzhou: "..."
Since Qingmei refused, Commander Wang did not force her.
She has a family and so many concerns, so it's better not to join the army.
Commander Wang stood up and walked behind his desk, opened the drawer, and took out a wooden box and an oversized envelope.
"If it weren't for you, seventeen soldiers would probably have died in this rescue mission. The people buried in Wangjia Village would not have escaped death." Commander Wang solemnly opened the wooden box, and a metal medal with the national emblem was placed on the velvet cloth.
Qingmei stared at it in a daze, unable to believe her eyes.
"This is the medal awarded to Gu Qingzhou by the superiors. Although it was not stated explicitly, we all know that this medal of military honor is—"
Qingmei said casually: "It's half of his and half of mine."
Commander Wang: "...Yes."
Gu Qingzhou was amused. Seeing Qingmei's face flush, he quickly said, "Since military wives can't be awarded medals directly, this medal is equivalent to something you earned. Don't say it's half, it should be said that it all belongs to you."
Qingmei also said, "No, no, no, I just thought of a lyric, there's no other meaning. I was just giving you a reminder, just a few words. The follow-up work is all done by the troops, and Captain Gu's contribution is indelible."
Political Commissar Chen said with a smile, "Don't refuse. We're all family after all. Take it home and cherish it. It's a very meaningful medal."
Qingmei looked at the glittering golden medal, touched it gently with her little hand, and smiled sweetly at Gu Qingzhou.
Gu Qingzhou has won many medals, but he has never been as happy as he is today.
Political Commissar Chen was right. This was a medal of unique commemorative significance to the couple. It would remain unchanged decades later, just like the feelings between them.
Before leaving, Commander Wang handed the envelope containing the bonus to Qingmei and insisted that Qingmei accept it.
After coming out of Commander Wang’s office, Qingmei’s excitement wore off and she started to feel shy.
"Am I too shameless?" she muttered. "Why did I just say that? It's like asking for credit."
Gu Qingzhou carefully helped her step over the small stream and said with a smile, "It makes a big difference. I would be happier if I could give it to you directly."
Qingmei carefully felt her pocket and found the small wooden box was still there. She reminded herself to keep it well and not lose it.
"I haven't counted the prize money yet."
"Go to the post office and count them slowly."
"What are we going to the post office for?" Qingmei's thick new cotton shoes made a crunching sound as she stepped on the snow.
Gu Qingzhou said: "Check the deposits and transfer them all to your name for convenience."
Qingmei stopped and said, "What?"
Gu Qingzhou repeated, "After we got married, you should have been the one managing the household. The financial power should have been handed over to you long ago. You kept delaying it, and I had to drag you into it."
Qingmei asked, "Why transfer it to my account?"
Gu Qingzhou said: "I asked you to buy a port."
Qingmei was immediately touched: "I just said something casually, what if I lose money after buying the port?"
Gu Qingzhou said: "I will support you and provide you with good food and drink."
Qingmei said, "You don't care about money."
Gu Qingzhou said, "I feel sorry for you more. You should have an idea of how much money our family has, so that you don't get too worried if you don't have enough. If things really don't work out, I still have a yard in Beijing that my grandfather left me. I should be able to sell it for a few thousand yuan."
Qingmei was shocked: "A courtyard in Beijing? A large courtyard? A quadrangle?"
Gu Qingzhou said: "Siheyuan, my father used to live there, and later moved to the compound in the Beijing area."
Qingmei swallowed, opened her eyes wide and said, "Listen to me, don't sell the Siheyuan under any circumstances. If anyone is in trouble and wants to buy a Siheyuan, you must buy it once you know the news."
Seeing his wife's urgent tone, Gu Qingzhou said, "I just happened to know that two uncles and aunts are going to go out of town with their children, and there's no one to clean up their yards."
Qingmei said one word: "Buy!"
Gu Qingzhou smiled and said, "Okay, if we wait until the end of the year to open the transaction as you said, I will definitely buy it."
Qingmei looked at Gu Qingzhou with a smile and said, "You didn't even ask me what I bought it for?"
Gu Qingzhou said: "Will it be valuable in the future?"
Qingmei was surprised by his sharpness and said with a smile, "Super, super, super valuable. It's the most valuable land in the country, and it's worth billions."
This figure was still far from Gu Qingzhou's reach. In Beijing, some courtyard houses were currently sold privately for a few hundred to a thousand yuan. He was secretly shocked to learn that these could fetch over 100 million yuan in the future.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Qingmei asked, "Do you believe it?"
"letter."
He waved his hand, urging Qingmei to follow him. Gu Qingzhou reached out and wrapped her scarf tighter, saying, "No matter what you do, just believe that I support you."
Qingmei looked around and saw people walking home from work for lunch. They were all walking headfirst on the snow, and a few family members were standing on the concrete path in the middle, clearing away the accumulated snow.
If there wasn't someone around, Qingmei would definitely take a good bite of Gu Qingzhou.
The man who paid money to support a wish without saying a word is so handsome.
She is not a materialistic person, but it is inevitable that she is moved.
Arriving at the post office, Gu Qingzhou took out the envelope from his military coat. Inside was his personal savings, bonuses, mission allowances, and so on.
Qingmei sat beside him and watched obediently.
I was still thinking to myself that she could still be well-behaved.
Especially when she saw the deposit of more than 30,000 yuan, Qingmei was dumbfounded.
Gu Qingzhou had already become a millionaire so early! She had thought the six thousand yuan she had saved was a staggering sum. This was also due to two bonuses. If she had worked diligently to earn work points, she wouldn't have been able to save that much money in her lifetime.
"I've been in the army for almost ten years, and I've barely spent any money. I can save almost four figures a year. My mother gave it to me before we got married, and asked me to find a chance to give it to you."
Gu Qingzhou didn't mind her pretending to be good. He pushed the passbook to her and said, "Take a look at the bonus I just gave you and deposit it together?"
Qingmei then remembered that she had won another bonus, which was a huge sum of money in her pocket.
She pulled out the envelope and pulled out the prize money inside, which had been tied up with a yellow rubber band in advance.
The envelope was a bit larger than usual, so she thought it didn't contain much money. As she was hesitant to accept it, Gu Qingzhou helped her take it and stuffed it into her pocket. When she took it out, she was shocked: "Five thousand yuan?!"
Gu Qingzhou smiled and said, "It should be that Commander Wang gave you an extra 2,000 yuan. The reward from the higher-ups was only 3,000 yuan."
Qingmei asked, confused, "Why did you give me a bonus?"
Gu Qingzhou said, "Because those seventeen soldiers were all from Unit 014, and they were all soldiers under Commander Wang. They saved lives. If it weren't for you, they wouldn't have died on the battlefield but in the conspiracy of the enemy spies. Their deaths were miserable. Commander Wang is grateful to you on their behalf."
Qingmei was silent.
She came here knowing that when soldiers join the army, they must remember that from the moment they become soldiers, their lives belong to the country and the people, not to themselves.
So in their destiny, if there really comes a day of sacrifice, as Gu Qingzhou said, they would choose to end it on the battlefield.
Seeing Qingmei was motionless, Gu Qingzhou lowered his eyes to look at her: "What's wrong?"
Qingmei's eyes were slightly red. She looked at Gu Qingzhou and said, "Did you really avoid that mission?"
Needless to say, Gu Qingzhou also knew that Qingmei was talking about the mission for which he sacrificed himself in his previous life.
"This time, the enemy spies are also connected to that mission. Although it's just a clue, it can also serve as a clue for me to catch the mastermind behind this."
Gu Qingzhou lowered his voice, patted Qingmei's hand gently and said, "I have you now, I can't bear to die."
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