Chapter 25.3

That afternoon, when Gu Sui returned to the Qingxi Brigade, everyone who crossed paths with him could feel his unusually good mood. 

Yang Guozhu couldn’t help but ask, “What’s the good news?” 

“What’s going on?” 

“You should go look in the mirror and check your face. Your grin is practically stretching to your ears.” 

Gu Sui let out a laugh. “Is it really that exaggerated?” 

Yang Guozhu gave him a once-over. “Does this have something to do with Guan Yue?” 

Gu Sui didn’t answer directly. Instead, he waved the letter in his hand and said, “My parents sent me a letter. Tomorrow morning, I’ll need to take some time off to go to town and mail a reply.” 

“Go ahead. There’s not much happening at the brigade anyway. It’s fine if you’re gone for half a day.” 

“Alright.” 

The first day after confirming their relationship, Guan Yue felt a little awkward. But in the days that followed, she quickly got used to it. And once she got comfortable, she became even more bold about bossing Gu Sui around. 

“Gu Sui, I want to eat an orange. Peel it for me.” 

“I’m busy right now. How about I cut it with a knife instead?” 

Guan Yue pouted. “No way. Cutting it makes your hands sticky with juice. It’s uncomfortable. I want it peeled, piece by piece.” 

Sighing, Gu Sui put down what he was doing and went to peel an orange for his little princess. 

A little while later: 

“Gu Sui, I want to eat preserved eggs.” 

“They’re not ready yet. Still raw.” 

“But I want to eat them now.” 

“How about I roast one for you?” 

“Alright!” 

A little while later: 

“Gu Sui, I want to…” 

Gu Sui walked out and interrupted her. “Just say it. What else do you want? Say it all at once.” 

Guan Yue grinned sheepishly. “I want to sleep. Carry me to bed.” 

Gu Sui really couldn’t do anything about her. He carried Guan Yue to the bed, but as he was setting her down, he suddenly flopped onto the bed as well, pinning her in place so she couldn’t move. 

The previously smug and bossy Guan Yue stammered nervously, “W-what are you doing?” 

“What am I doing? Don’t you know?” 

Guan Yue swallowed hard, her nerves showing. “If you don’t say it, how would I know?” 

Gu Sui leaned down, his gaze fixed on her lips. Guan Yue, overwhelmed with tension, instinctively shut her eyes. 

He held himself back, his breathing growing uneven as he wrestled with his thoughts. Finally, with visible effort, he forced himself to stand up. 

Turning his back to her, his voice came out low and raspy. “You really are a little troublemaker.” 

Gu Sui walked out, leaving Guan Yue hugging the blanket and rolling around on the bed. What’s going on?

Why is this different? Why is he different from her parents?

Back at home, her parents had always interacted like this: whatever her mother said, her father would do. But Gu Sui was different. The way he pinned her down just now was so… assertive! 

When it came to their relationship, it looked like Guan Yue was the one in charge. But in reality, most of the time, it was Gu Sui who quietly took the lead. 

No matter how much of a fuss she made, he always knew how to calm her down with just the right words. 

In Gu Sui’s eyes, her little tantrums weren’t a problem. They were just part of the fun between them. 

After all, the girl he had chased for so long now liked him back. This mutual affection filled Gu Sui’s heart with so much joy that he couldn’t hide it even if he tried. 

With the autumn harvest wrapping up, Gu Sui found himself going to Daqing Mountain more and more often. It didn’t take long for a few observant people to sense that something was up. 

One day, as Gu Sui was preparing to head out, Li Tao blocked his path. “Hey, aren’t you and Guan Yue dating now?” 

Raising an eyebrow, Gu Sui replied, “Yes, we are.” 

“I knew it!” Li Tao said, grinning. “Yesterday, when I went to bring something to Guan Yue, she kept asking about you.” 

“Oh?” Gu Sui asked with interest. “What did she ask about me?” 

“She asked if the Educated Youths at the brigade ever ganged up on you or bullied you because they outnumbered you!” 

The smile on Gu Sui’s face grew wider and wider. 

Li Tao glanced at Gu Sui. “You’ll marry Guan Yue, right? You won’t leave Guan Yue behind once you return to the city, will you?” 

“We’ll get married and always be together.” 

Hearing this, Li Tao felt reassured. “That’s good. You two are actually a great match. When I get married next month, please come together to attend my wedding.” 

“Alright, congratulations in advance.” 

After learning that Guan Yue had been asking others about him, Gu Sui felt particularly cheerful on his way to Daqing Mountain. 

When he arrived at the entrance to the valley of Qingxi Village, he saw his older brother getting out of a car. 

Gu Sui was surprised. “Brother, why are you here?” 

Gu Ci chuckled. “Well, I’m on vacation, so I thought I’d come visit you.” 

Gu Sui didn’t believe him. “If there’s something you need, just say it.” 

Two people stepped out of the car’s back seat. One of them was Wang Tiejun, whom Gu Sui recognized. Back in Qingchuan City, Guan Yue had treated him for an illness. 

The other person seemed off to Gu Sui. His gaze was somewhat dull, but his posture reminded Gu Sui of the special forces soldiers he had seen in the military. 

An elite soldier! This type of person was instantly recognizable just by their presence. 

Wang Tiejun nodded at Gu Sui. “Hello, Dr. Gu. We’re here to find Dr. Guan.” 

Gu Sui turned to look at Gu Ci, his expression becoming serious. 

Gu Ci explained, “I didn’t come to bother Guan Yue on purpose. Wild Bee is just too important to us.” 

Wild Bee was a member of a special military unit. During a mission, he had been discovered by the enemy and fell from a height while retreating, injuring his head. Although his comrades had saved him, he had lost all his memories. 

Gu Ci continued, “We’ve tried every possible method, but in the end, Dr. Deng Weimin suggested that we might be able to try acupuncture with Guan Yue.” 

Gu Sui couldn’t make decisions on behalf of Guan Yue, so he said, “You’ll have to ask Guan Yue for his opinion yourselves.” 

“Alright, alright. Could you lead the way for us?”

Gu Sui said, “Guan Yue is up in the mountains.” 

He led Gu Ci and the others into the valley. Gu Ci noticed rows of houses at the foot of the mountain on the left, but there wasn’t a single person in sight. 

“In the summer, there were two flash floods that flooded the valley. Everyone in the valley moved out after that.” 

After the floods, the stream in the valley became clogged with silt. Later, members of the Qingsong Brigade cleared the silt from the stream, restoring it to normal. 

The land on both sides of the stream, however, was left unattended. Weeds grew wild, and among them, a few surviving corn stalks could be seen. Their leaves had grown old now. Just two days ago, Gu Sui had picked two ears of corn, ground them into flour, and made corn porridge for Guan Yue. 

Gu Sui guided them past Xiaoqing Mountain. When they reached the cliff on the Daqing Mountain side, Gu Ci finally saw a wooden house hidden among the trees. 

“So Guan Yue is living here all alone?” 

“Yes.” 

“She’s a brave girl, huh?” Gu Ci commented. “Even a grown man would think twice about living alone in an isolated forest like this.” 

The forest during the day was one thing, but at night, it was completely different. It wasn’t just about ferocious wild animals—if a rabbit suddenly jumped out in the dark, it could scare someone half to death. 

When Guan Yue saw Gu Sui coming, she ran over with joy. 

Gu Sui reached out and held her hand naturally. “My brother is here.” 

“I saw him.” 

Gu Ci’s eyes fell on their joined hands. “What’s going on here?” 

Gu Sui replied, “We’re dating. I’ve already written to let our parents know.” 

Gu Ci slapped his thigh in mock exasperation. “Why didn’t you write to me about it? Last time, Colonel Yan’s orderly told me it was all a misunderstanding.” 

Guan Yue immediately understood what Gu Ci was referring to and said awkwardly, “At that time, I didn’t realize I liked Gu Sui.” 

Gu Ci drew in a sharp breath. This girl was something else! Bold enough to openly admit she liked his younger brother right in front of outsiders? 

Tsk tsk, incredible! 

To change the subject, Gu Sui said, “Let’s not talk about this. Brother, weren’t you here for something important with Guan Yue?” 

At the mention of serious matters, Gu Ci became solemn. He introduced Guan Yue to the man beside him. “You know Wang Tiejun. Let me introduce you to this man—his codename is Wild Bee.” 

“Codename?” Guan Yue asked. His real name wasn’t being revealed, which meant he was no ordinary soldier. 

Guan Yue invited them to sit down nearby, while Gu Sui went to the kitchen to prepare a meal. 

Gu Ci carefully selected which details he could share with Guan Yue, telling her everything he could in the hope that she could help Wild Bee regain his memory. 

Guan Yue became intrigued. She had never encountered a patient like this before. 

“Stretch out your hand so I can take your pulse,” she said. 

Wild Bee obediently extended his hand without hesitation. At this moment, he was remarkably well-behaved. 

After checking his pulse, Guan Yue confirmed that his body was in excellent health. However, the issue with his brain couldn’t be determined through pulse-taking. 

Guan Yue asked, “Do you mind if I try using acupuncture?” 

She directed the question to Wild Bee, who nodded in response. 

Whether he fully understood or not, no one could be sure. 

Guan Yue went into the house and brought out a box containing her acupuncture needles. From it, she took out an especially fine and long silver needle. 

If Wang Tiejun still remembered, he would have realized that this was the same needle Guan Yue had once inserted into his own brain during a treatment. 

Gu Ci and Wang Tiejun both watched intently, ready to witness a miracle. They had seen this process once before, and familiarity bred confidence. Guan Yue began channeling her unique energy through the silver needle, bit by bit, stimulating Wild Bee’s brain. 

As Guan Yue worked, she tried to recall the anatomy lessons her father had once taught her. Where exactly was the part of the brain responsible for memory? 

Gu Ci grew so nervous that he stood up. Damn it. This needle is so long. One wrong move, and Wild Bee could turn into a complete fool.

At least in his current state, though a bit dull, he still seemed relatively normal. 

When Guan Yue had treated Wang Tiejun with acupuncture, he had woken up so suddenly that he hadn’t even noticed the length of the needle. Even after spending a long time in the military hospital, he had only heard secondhand accounts of how he had been brought back to consciousness. 

Now, seeing with his own eyes how such a long needle was inserted into someone’s brain, Wang Tiejun took a step back in fright. 

Guan Yue carefully controlled the depth of the needle’s insertion with precision. When she felt it was enough, she began to slowly withdraw the needle, millimeter by millimeter. 

Suddenly, Wild Bee passed out. 

Gu Ci rushed forward in just a few strides to catch him. “Brother, what’s wrong? Wake up! Wake up!” 

Guan Yue took Wild Bee’s hand and checked his pulse. “Don’t worry, he’s fine. Just find a place for him to rest for a while.” 

“Are you sure he’s okay?” Gu Ci asked anxiously. 

“She’s fine. Press his philtrum and check if he’s still breathing,” Guan Yue said calmly. 

Breathing wasn’t the real concern here. Gu Ci was worried that Wild Bee’s brain had been damaged by that long needle. 

However, Guan Yue had full confidence in her acupuncture skills. Gu Ci remained skeptical but decided to wait and see how Wild Bee was after he woke up. 

Meanwhile, Gu Sui had boiled water and was getting ready to cook. After Gu Ci and Wang Tiejun helped Wild Bee to a room to rest, Gu Ci headed to the kitchen to find his brother. 

“Well, not bad! Looks like you’ve got some real cooking skills,” Gu Ci teased. 

Without even glancing at him, Gu Sui continued working. 

Unbothered, Gu Ci sat down by the stove. “Make something tasty, and I’ll help keep the fire going.” 

Gu Sui wasn’t having it. “Stop yapping. Just eat whatever I make.” 

“Do you talk to Guan Yue in this same deadpan way?” 

Gu Sui shot him a look—do you even deserve to be compared to my girl?

Gu Ci instantly understood the unspoken message. With a smirk, he muttered complaints about how his little brother had no respect for his elders and had completely forgotten about him now that he had a girlfriend. 

Annoyed by the noise, Gu Sui snapped, “Do you want lunch or not?” 

“I do!” 

“Then shut up!” 

Guan Yue appeared at the kitchen door. “Gu Sui, don’t be so fierce.” 

Gu Ci glanced at his unruly younger brother, then at Guan Yue standing in the doorway. 

Heh, guess there’s always someone who can rein someone in. Perfect balance, like brine curdling tofu. 

With that, the brothers stopped arguing. Guan Yue turned and walked out, leaving them to chat about their parents. 

The northeastern region where their parents lived was too far away, and Gu Ci didn’t have enough vacation time to visit them. However, Gu Sui planned to visit their parents during the New Year. 

He also intended to take Guan Yue along and let her see more of the world. 

Gu Ci lowered his voice and asked, “Have you thought it through? When are you planning to get married?” 

Gu Sui nodded. As for the next steps, that would depend on her. 

Gu Ci’s expression turned slightly sour. “You’re really lucky. Sent to such a remote place, and you still managed to find true love.” 

Gu Sui gave a faint smile. His handsome face, bathed in the misty steam of the kitchen, seemed more alive than ever. 

Perhaps this was what they called fate.