Chapter 8 (Catching Bugs)
In a small courtyard on a street in the county town.
Ever since he met Gu Qing yesterday, the smile on the old man's face has never faded.
Gu Qing knew that his old man missed him after not seeing him for a long time, and he also missed him. But the old man insisted on staying here to retire, and they, the younger generation, had no choice.
But now that everyone is here, Gu Qing still can't help but want to persuade them.
"Grandpa, you are here without any likable younger generation around you. Why don't we go back to the capital? At least your son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter are all here."
Who would have known that the old man would instantly get furious when he heard this, and glared at him angrily without saying a word.
Wanyuan County is where the old man worked when he was young. It was also here that he met Grandma Gu Qing. When the situation was not good two years ago, he took the opportunity to retreat here. Now he is unwilling to go back even if he is asked to.
The old man was very happy to see his grandson coming to see him, but he lost interest when he talked about the situation in the capital.
He said angrily, "All of you guys never let me rest easy. You didn't even bother to give birth to a baby for me to take care of. What am I going to do back home? Just to watch those old men and women show off in front of me?"
Mr. Gu's tone was filled with resentment. When he hadn't lost his power, that group of people used this matter to make him angry, and now it would only be even more excessive.
He shook his head and lay in the rocking chair without saying a word.
The sunlight shone through the shade of the trees onto the old man, making him look very peaceful, but Gu Qing only saw that his grandfather was lonely.
Gu's family was not large, and he and his sister were too busy with work to think about their life-long affairs.
Not to mention the children.
Even though Gu Qing appears to be a man of his word with a stern face outside, he has no choice but to obey when he is in front of the old man.
"Grandpa, that's not what I meant. Wouldn't it be nice if you could go out for a walk and play with birds when you have nothing to do? With so many friends, how could you be bored?"
If you want to talk about boredom, then it is definitely more boring to stay here.
Gu Qing also knew that the old man was too lazy to bother and wanted to be alone, but everyone in the family was worried about the old man being here alone.
As the two were talking, there was a knock on the gate.
"Old Chief, hey, isn't this Mr. Gu?"
"Uncle Zhao."
Zhao Ming used to be a soldier under the old master, but he was injured and retired, so Gu Qing had no news of him. Gu Qing only knew that he was from the south, but he didn't expect him to be here.
Looking at the two of them, Zhao Ming said with a smile, "Did this make the old man unhappy?"
"Who said it wasn't true, Zhao Ming? I remember you have a daughter in your family. Let this boy be your son-in-law."
Gu Qing: “…”
"Old leader, you are a little late. My daughter got married a few years ago."
Both parties knew that this was just a joke.
Mr. Gu was so angry that he kept humming. He was really worried. People in their line of work need to have someone at home who understands their needs and takes care of them.
He only realized this in the past two years, but this brat doesn't understand.
Zhao Ming didn't dare to let his grandfather continue to be angry, so he quickly pulled Gu Qing to the kitchen to cook for his grandfather.
"Gu Qing, please don't be angry with me. If you have any good words to say, it won't hurt you. How are you doing lately?"
Zhao Ming looks about 60% similar to Zhao Tian. He looks particularly friendly when he smiles, making people completely defenseless.
This question is not only about Gu Qing's work but also about Gu Qing's personal issues.
Gu Qing felt helpless, as he felt that he was not too old, but everyone at home and in the army were urging him to get married, as if they were afraid that he would not be able to find a wife.
"Uncle Zhao, how can I be angry with my grandfather? I don't want to find a wife either. Isn't it just that I haven't met the right one?"
There were quite a few family members in the army who wanted to introduce him to someone, but he had never met anyone he was compatible with.
Speaking of this, he suddenly remembered the fierce figure he saw in the woods last night...
"How about I ask your sister Tiantian to introduce you to one? There is a textile factory near my home, and I know many of the girls there. I'm sure she can find you a suitable one."
Before Gu Qing could come to his senses, he heard the other party say, "You see, the old chief doesn't seem to be going back to the capital now. If your target is from this county, you can come and see the old man from time to time."
Gu Qing was somewhat tempted by these words, but he couldn't be looking for a wife to take care of his grandfather. Would that be fair to the girl?
Zhao Ming seemed to know what he was thinking and continued, "I'm not saying that you two should live apart. Given your current position, you must take your wife with you to follow the army. That way the old commander will be relieved. If you treat your wife well, her family will come to accompany the old commander often. And with me here, no one can bully the old commander."
These words hit the nail on the head, forcing Gu Qing to consider them.
He knew a long time ago that his grandfather trusted Uncle Zhao very much. When Uncle Zhao retired due to injury, his grandfather felt sorry for him for a long time. If the other party had helped, he would definitely not have let him down.
"Then... I'll trouble Uncle Zhao and Sister Tiantian to take care of it."
If getting married can make the family feel at ease, and as long as the other party really wants to live together, he will definitely treat the other party well.
As soon as he agreed, Zhao Ming hurriedly told his master.
The old man was also very happy and ate an extra bowl of lunch. After the meal, the three of them chatted under the tree for a long time. The atmosphere was finally not as solemn as it had been in the morning.
Zhao Ming planned to ask his daughter to help as soon as possible, so he took advantage of the rare free time to bring Gu Qing home for dinner and also made some requests to Tiantian.
Since they had agreed to find a partner, Gu Qing did not refuse, and the two of them returned to the steel factory together in the afternoon.
The Zhao family lived in the steel factory compound purely for Zhao Tian's convenience.
Zhao Tian was in poor health, but she didn't like staying at home, so Wang Lian quit her job to take care of her at home, and the family moved to the steel factory's compound. It was only in the last two years that her health improved.
When Gu Qing and his companion arrived at the steel factory, the sun was already setting.
The golden light shines brightly on the red brick wall.
The Zhao family lived on the third floor. The two grown men were long-legged and quick-footed, and they reached the door in the blink of an eye.
Zhao Minggang inserted the key into the lock and the door opened.
A thin man wearing a steel factory uniform came into view. He was slightly surprised when he saw Gu Qing, but the surprise in his eyes quickly disappeared. "Dad."
"Yu Ping is back. Come, let me introduce you. This is Gu Qing." The two people's work had no overlap in any aspect, so Zhao Ming did not introduce each other's work in detail. He just treated it as an ordinary introduction of the young people. In addition, Yu Ping was his son-in-law, and given his daughter's situation, he still hoped that Yu Ping would spend more time with his daughter.
Of course, if the other party can climb up, that is his ability, and Zhao Ming would not be so crazy as to ruin his future. But he himself is not an ambitious person, and he is very satisfied with working steadily in the factory.
"Mr. Gu, this is my son-in-law Yu Ping."
The two simply nodded in greeting, and Yu Ping only asked them to come in and sit down, then went to take a shower as usual.
As for his son-in-law's dull personality, Zhao Ming did not belittle him in front of guests by using modesty like many elders did. Everyone has their own personality, and it is reasonable for others to dislike his personality.
If Gu Qing was alienated from the Zhao family because of his personality, Zhao Ming felt that there was no need for him to be on good terms with him. After all, he wanted to help Gu Qing out of respect for the old leader.
However, the old chief's grandson naturally did not disappoint him. Even though he saw Yu Ping's predicament, he did not look down on him at all. Unlike those messy people, they often looked down on Yu Ping.
He didn't even bother with his son-in-law. Those nagging relatives in the family would probably ask him for help, but even if they did, he would not agree to any of them.
"Dad." Seeing the visitor at home, Zhao Tian immediately stepped forward and greeted him generously. Although she was enthusiastic, her eyes were clear. She was not like many girls who looked at Gu Qing like a big piece of fat meat. This made Gu Qing have a good impression of this sister.
And he didn't think the surplus just now was anything.
Gu Qing was used to living in the military camp. In fact, even if he was not wearing a military uniform, one could tell that he was in the army. He was brought back by his father-in-law, so he had no intention of trying to please anyone. Moreover, as a live-in son-in-law, he did not flatter his family members and had no ambition to rely on his wife to get to the top. Based on what Gu Qing had observed, he thought that Uncle Zhao's family was pretty good.
In addition, he thought Yu Ping looked familiar, but he was sure they had never met before.
Even if this thing didn't work out today, he wouldn't feel any regrets. He would just think of it as coming to a friend's house for a meal.
Thinking this way, I became more casual.
Over there, Wang Lian discovered the visitor and hurriedly stewed the remaining half piece of wild boar meat and some mountain products that Yu Yao brought.
While she was greeting Gu Qing warmly, she was also complaining to herself that Zhao Ming didn't tell her earlier that he was going to bring guests back, and she was not prepared.
The lively and bustling house was a novel experience for Gu Qing. After meeting his grandfather, his depressed mood was relieved a lot.
This feeling becomes even more obvious when it comes to dinner time.
Although Zhao Ming and his wife had been greeting him all the time, the natural feeling between pouring water and picking up dishes was something he had rarely seen at home before. Gu Qing's parents were both in the army, and they were both very busy all year round. They were affectionate when they were together, but most of the time they were separated.
As a soldier, he respected his parents' profession, but at the same time he envied the warm relationship between Uncle Zhao and his aunt.
"Mr. Gu, don't be polite. Try some of these mountain products. My husband's sister picked them from the mountains." Zhao Tian knew that Mr. Gu was the descendant of her father, the old leader, so she greeted him more warmly.
"Sister? When did your sister Yu Ping come? Why didn't you invite her to have dinner at home?" Zhao Ming frowned. He was somewhat dissatisfied with the relationship between the two families. This sister came to his house, so why didn't he treat her well?
Wang Lian glared at him and said, "Director Zhao, you are very busy. How can I wait for you? You came yesterday and just left this afternoon."
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