Chapter 11

The next morning, Gu Qingsong, who had just finished his night shift, returned home and Zhao Wuzhu who was still in bed, was shaken awake by him.

He had initially been full of confidence.

Once Gu Qinghan returned home, he planned to quickly settle the matter of the bride price so that he could bring Meizhi home as his wife.

Who would have thought that his brother would actually disagree?

Moreover, Gu Qinghan likely wouldn’t stay at home for long, so he had no choice but to seek help from his mother.

Gu Qingsong had been restless all night, having been scolded by the director twice. Now, he was filled with pent-up frustration.

“Mom, you have to help me think of a way! If you don’t help me, your son’s wife is going to fly away!”

Zhao Wuzhu didn’t have to cook these past few days, so she enjoyed sleeping in. After hearing Gu Qingsong’s series of complaints, her head buzzed with confusion.

“Hey, Second son, what are you yelling about so early in the morning? If you’re not going to sleep, at least let others rest! This is your own marriage you’re talking about, not mine! Look at you, now that you two are already discussing marriage, who else would Lin Meizhi marry if not you? In other words, who else would want her?”

Zhao Wuzhu was never worried about this marriage falling through. Although Lin Meizhi was quite good, her son was no slouch either. He was tall and handsome, had a stable job, and many girls in the neighborhood liked him.

Besides, since the young couple was already discussing marriage, how could they possibly call it off?

Which girl doesn’t cherish her reputation?

Upon hearing his mother say this, Gu Qingsong felt that it made a bit of sense.

Moreover, he and Meizhi truly loved each other and genuinely wanted to build a good life together. She didn’t wish to deplete his family’s resources since they would both suffer in the end.

However, thinking about Meizhi’s parents made Gu Qingsong feel somewhat intimidated.

Even though his relationship with Meizhi was strong, he knew her parents had always been somewhat dissatisfied with him. If he couldn’t come up with the bride price, they would look down on him even more in the future.

Gu Qingsong, anxious, jumped up and said, “Mom, you don’t want me to be unable to hold my head high in front of Meizhi’s family. The bride price has already been agreed upon. I can’t come up with the money now; how will her parents view me later? Besides, I asked my older brother for help yesterday. He clearly has money, but he wouldn’t help me at all!”

Zhao Wuzhu’s mind finally cleared a bit when she heard Gu Qingsong mention that Gu Qinghan had money.

She asked, “Your older brother has money?”

Gu Qingsong nodded firmly. “I asked Old Yang from the army, and he said that my brother had made contributions before and was promoted to deputy regiment commander. He even received a bonus. He definitely has money!”

Then Gu Qingsong sighed again. “I told my brother that I would borrow the money from him and that I would pay him back later, but he wouldn’t lend it to me! Mom, do you think my brother has given the money to someone else?”

Initially, Gu Qingsong didn’t want to say this, but ever since they were young, Gu Qinghan had always done his utmost to help him solve any problem. Now, when it came to such an important matter regarding his future, his brother was suddenly being unhelpful. It simply didn’t make sense.

He couldn’t help but recall the scene he had seen that day at the supply and marketing cooperative, where Wen Nuan was with his brother. It was no wonder he had such thoughts.

Zhao Wuzhu immediately furrowed her brow and, following Gu Qingsong’s words, let out a sneer. “Who else could he give it to? Besides that lazy bum, who else is there?”

“Look at the eldest! Now that he has a wife, he’s forgotten his mother. With a bit of money, he’s hiding it away. Am I supposed to rely on him to support me in my old age? What an ingrate!” She said this as she was about to get out of bed to find him.

Gu Qingsong quickly stopped her and said softly, “Mom, Brother isn’t home. I heard from the people in the courtyard that he left early this morning.”

“Don’t get too worked up. You know how Brother is; he responds better to a soft approach than a hard one. If you keep making a fuss like this, he’ll just resent you more.”

Zhao Wuzhu huffed, “I don’t believe he can really turn against us!”

However, Gu Qingsong had a point.

Zhao Wuzhu knew her eldest son’s temperament well. If she confronted him forcefully, it would likely only anger him.

Besides, the family was currently relying on Gu Qinghan’s allowance to get by, and she didn’t want to upset him over this matter.

Zhao Wuzhu couldn’t help but pinch Gu Qingsong’s arm and scolded, “You’re so useless! If you bring home a good-for-nothing who just eats and sleeps, then don’t call me Mom anymore!”

Gu Qingsong yelped in pain, rubbed the spot where Zhao Wuzhu had pinched him, and then hugged her. “Mom, I promise, Meizhi will definitely treat you well!”

Zhao Wuzhu had always doted on this son. Seeing him cry out in pain, she softened and gave him a gentle rub. “Alright, alright, I’ll wait to drink that cup of new wife tea!”

—o—o—o—

Meanwhile, Gu Qingsong had gone to the post and telecommunications office early that morning to queue up and make a phone call.

Because the situation had arisen suddenly, Wen Nuan had requested to accompany the troops, but he hadn’t applied for this with the army beforehand. Plus, he still needed to buy a couple more tickets at the train station.

Fortunately, his military registration was still within the province, so he didn’t have to transfer the call too many times. After waiting for about half an hour, the call finally connected.

When Zheng Wei received Gu Qinghan’s call, he was a bit surprised, even though he had previously asked if he wanted to bring his wife and child along with the troops.

Gu Qinghan rarely joked around; if he said he wouldn’t do something, he typically meant it.

So when he heard Gu Qinghan mention that he wanted to submit an urgent report to bring his wife and child to the Northern Military District, Zheng Wei was still somewhat taken aback.

However, he couldn’t help but tease him. “What’s this? Are you saying you can’t bear to part with your wife? You’re admitting it!”

Through the phone, Gu Qinghan paused slightly, and a rare hint of embarrassment crossed his face. “It was the child’s mother who suggested it.”

Zheng Wei let out a hearty laugh. “Come on, you’re a passionate young man! Who wouldn’t want their wife and child beside them? Don’t worry; I’ll take care of this. Once you arrive in the Northern Military District, I’ll make sure everything is ready for you.”

Gu Qinghan responded with a soft, “Mm,” and said, “Thank you, and sorry for bothering you.”

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zheng Wei asked with concern, “By the way, the Northern Military District is extremely cold, and I’ve heard it has already snowed. Have you prepared warm clothes and bedding for the child?”

Gu Qinghan furrowed his brow and fell silent.

Zheng Wei chuckled lightly. “It’s alright. When you head to the Northern Military District, you’ll stop in Jing City for a night. You can buy what you need there.”

“Okay, thanks for the reminder.”

“Since you’ve decided to bring your child and wife along with the troops, you should focus on building a good life together. If you encounter any difficulties, you can report them to the organization. We will do our best to support every soldier.”

“Yes.” Gu Qinghan stood at attention, his gaze sharp and focused. After a brief pause, he added, “I happen to have a request.”

“The child is still too young, so I need a sleeper ticket for the train.”

By the time he exited the post and telecommunications office, the sun was already rising.

—o—o—o—

On the way home, Gu Qinghan stopped to buy some meat, realizing that the child seemed to enjoy pork-filled dumplings.

When he returned to the compound, many people were already awake. Someone squatted by the door with an enamel cup, brushing their teeth and spitting loudly.

There were also sounds of couples arguing and parents scolding their children early in the morning.

For some reason, he felt that this time, the noise of the compound didn’t bother him as much as it used to.

As soon as he entered the house, Wen Nuan came out with the child in her hand. Both of them looked sleepy, the child limply resting on her shoulder, letting out a big yawn.

Wen Nuan, although not very familiar with Gu Qinghan yet, thought that since they would be living together in the future, they couldn’t remain as silent as they had been before.

So she took the initiative to ask, “Where did you go so early?”

As she spoke, she glanced at the pork he was carrying. Had he gone out to buy meat so early?

“I went to the post office to make a call and bought some meat on the way back.” Gu Qinghan replied, placing the meat in a bowl on the eight-immortals table and then washing his hands.

Wen Nuan, slowly realizing, thought about the situation with the military, estimating that Gu Qinghan had called back to report.

She then asked, “When are we leaving?”

“Tomorrow.” Gu Qinghan said.

Wen Nuan breathed a sigh of relief; she could finally leave this place.

Then, knowing the answer already, she asked, “It should be snowing in the Northern Military District now, right? Will it be very cold?”

Gu Qinghan paused his movements, then replied with a simple “Hmm,” and asked her, “Do you and the child have warm clothes?”

“I made two cotton jackets for the child a few days ago.” Wen Nuan replied, downplaying the situation, not mentioning that she hadn’t prepared her own clothes yet.

The winter in the south wasn’t very long, but it could still be damp and chilly at times. She had two cotton jackets from before; they were just a bit old, but they could still be worn.

She wasn’t sure if Gu Qinghan had really listened, as it took him a while to respond calmly. “Alright.”

Wen Nuan didn’t know what else to talk about, so she used the excuse of needing to go back to pack her things and took the child back to her room.

While packing, Wen Nuan heard the sound of Gu Qinghan leaving again but had no idea where he was going.

It was strange that even Zhao Wuzhu and Gu Qingsong weren’t home so early in the morning.

Since she had made up her mind to follow Gu Qinghan to the military, many of her belongings had already been packed into a wooden box.

In this era, there was a shortage of everything, so there wasn’t much she needed to bring.

Before Gu Qinghan returned home, she had bought two novels at the Xinhua Bookstore but hadn’t had the chance to read them yet. At least they would keep her from feeling too lonely on the train.

Wen Nuan placed the larger items into a nylon net bag. It was small but could hold a lot of things.

Wen Nuan placed some clothes and diapers into a military-green duffel bag that Gu Qinghan had emptied, stuffing it so full that it seemed ready to burst.

Although she didn’t have many things, it surprisingly took her the entire morning to pack.

—o—o—o—

By noon, Zhao Wuzhu and Gu Qingsong finally returned, chattering away as they discussed the latest gossip from the family compound.

Wen Nuan didn’t enjoy spending time with them, so after finishing her packing, she stayed in her room to play with the child.

Before long, Gu Qinghan returned as well. Upon seeing Gu Qingsong, he said, “Doesn’t your soy sauce factory usually distribute soy sauce and cooking oil? Get me some.”

Zhao Wuzhu frowned and asked, “What do you need those things for?”

Usually, Gu Qinghan never brought anything back to the army from home, so why did he suddenly need something for his trip to the Northern Military District this time?

Gu Qinghan answered succinctly, “To take to Northern Military District.”

He then looked at Gu Qingsong. “Get me a bit of everything.”

Feeling inexplicably guilty, Gu Qingsong hid behind Zhao Wuzhu and said, “Brother, we don’t have any left at home.”

Because he was dating Lin Meizhi, going to the movies or eating at state-run restaurants required money.

So Gu Qingsong sold the salt, oil, soy sauce, and vinegar he received from the factory every month to the people in the family compound to make some extra cash.

Zhao Wuzhu naturally knew that Gu Qingsong had sold the things, so she said, “Qingsong gets so much from the factory every month that we can’t finish it. We’ve given it away a long time ago; why didn’t you say something earlier?”

“And besides, you eat at the military cafeteria every day. What do you need those things for?”

After saying that, she shot Gu Qingsong a look, signaling him to stop talking.

Before Gu Qinghan could respond, Zhao Wuzhu asked, “By the way, I heard you received a bonus when you got promoted to deputy regiment commander. You should take out some money; Mom needs it.”

Gu Qinghan paused in his steps toward the kitchen, his brow furrowing slightly. He replied calmly, “That money is for my own use.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wuzhu couldn’t contain himself any longer and said unhappily, “What use do you have in the army all day? Everything you eat and use is from the military; why do you need so much money? There are many places at home that need money right now, and Qingsong is about to get married. You should at least help your brother out a bit. You…”

Before Zhao Wuzhu could finish his sentence, Gu Qinghan interrupted, “I want to take Wen Nuan and the child to the Northern Military District.”

As soon as he said this, the entire room fell silent.

Zhao Wuzhu and Gu Qingsong’s eyes widened in shock as if they had seen a ghost.