Previous
Fiction Page
Next
Font Size:
Chapter 24: Arrival
Old Sixth Gu carried a small cloth bag on his shoulder and had been wandering around the military district’s family compound for half a day, unable to enter.
When he arrived, he hadn’t sent a letter to his son. His wife had just gotten off the train and was pulled away by her old friend for a chat.
To keep himself occupied, he decided to head to the family compound to deliver the little trinkets he had brought for his eldest grandson.
The guards at the military family compound were like chives—cut one batch down, and another would sprout up.
The guard on duty this time didn’t even recognize him, and he felt too embarrassed to boldly say that he was Gu Xichao’s father.
So, in the middle of the afternoon, Old Sixth Gu sat under a crooked old tree several dozen meters from the compound’s entrance, where he could still find shade from the sun.
Er Gouzi pushed a metal ring with his hands, his short legs bouncing along as he ran, dripping with sweat.
While running, he turned his head to look back but accidentally bumped into something and suddenly stumbled back a few steps.
When he looked up, he saw a pair of somewhat murky eyes with a hint of a smile staring directly at him. Er Gouzi shivered and plopped down onto the ground, the metal ring rolling away, leaving only the iron rod clutched in his hand.
With the small cloth bag draped over his shoulder, Old Sixth Gu looked at the little turnip head who had collided with him. The boy’s entire face scrunched up and wrinkled like a steamed bun.
He placed the bag on the step beside the road, unsure how to comfort the child. When his eldest and second sons cried and wailed back then, he had let them be. Now, this little kid was so delicate that a mere bump would set him off into tears.
Old Sixth Gu looked at the child curled up like a steamed bun and felt the urge to hug him. As he leaned in closer, the boy burst into tears.
Old Sixth Gu stood in the middle of the road, unsure whether to move forward or stay put. He pressed one hand on his knee and slowly squatted down, rummaging through his bag.
From a distance, Gu Xiaobao spotted Er Gouzi squatting on the ground, crying, with an old grandpa beside him. That man’s hand kept reaching into the bag, seemingly searching for something.
Suddenly, Gu Xiaobao recalled what his mom had said. A vague sense of something being off crept into his mind.
He crouched down, scurrying forward with his short legs, mimicking the height of the bushes as he stealthily approached the uncle stationed at the gate. While running, he pinched his little nose, breathing through his mouth.
Just as Old Sixth Gu found something in the bag, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw a clean-looking young comrade dressed in military uniform.
Before Old Sixth Gu could say anything, the crying little guy suddenly darted out, hugging the young comrade’s leg, snot and tears streaming down his face as he clung on.
The freshly laundered uniform of the young comrade quietly absorbed the boy’s tears.
He looked over at the old man sitting on the steps, finding him increasingly peculiar.
This old man resembled a character from a stage play, and the more attractive someone was, the more sinister their inner nature seemed. Seeing the little boy bullied to such an extent made his heartache.
Gu Xichao had just finished training and had a quick errand to run back to the office when he heard someone shouting from far away.
Gu Xichao took off the jacket of his training uniform, holding it in his hand. He noticed a little head peeking through the crack in the door, and the more he looked, the more familiar it became.
Gu Xiaobao saw Gu Xichao and excitedly shouted, “Dad!”
Before Gu Xichao could respond, Gu Xiaobao ran over, trailing behind him, bragging about how he had found a bad guy that day.
Feeling that something was off, Gu Xichao opened the office door to take a look.
A person stood with their back to him, animatedly saying something.
“Dad!”
The voice suddenly stopped.
Even the little soldier sitting there didn’t know what to say.
No one had expected the meeting of three generations to be so dramatic.
Gu Xiaobao, trailing behind, held a small dog made of wicker in his arms. He looked at the person in front, feeling a bit confused. What was Grandpa like, he wondered?
By evening, Su Nianmei finally rushed back from her unit. The procurement office had just held a meeting, and she had to prepare for tomorrow’s county market trip and catch a ride to the county town to buy some things for the yard.
As she pushed the door open, she noticed the house was much livelier than usual.
A brightly dressed old woman immediately came up and linked arms with her, nearly making her step back in shock, wondering if she had walked into the wrong place.
Gu Xichao heard the commotion and came out of the kitchen, an apron draped over his chest. He took two or three steps to Su Nianmei’s side, casually resting his arm on her shoulder. “Mom and Dad came today to see us.”
Su Nianmei felt a bit awkward and managed to call out, “Mom.”
Mrs. Jin beamed at the call of “Mom,” her eyebrows jumping with delight. “Meimei.”
Gu Xiaobao popped out from somewhere, excitedly flailing his arms, playing with his new toy as he loudly exclaimed to Su Nianmei, “Mom, this is a new toy Grandma gave me!”
Su Nianmei freed one of her hands and gently pinched Gu Xiaobao’s little cheek. “Did you remember to thank Grandma?”
Jin Chunfen smiled, looking at her daughter-in-law with increasing satisfaction. This girl was quite nice. “Thank? What’s there to thank for? This is a gift for my eldest grandson. It’s been so many years since I’ve seen the child; it’s my fault as a grandmother for not being there. This is my way of making it up to him.”
Hearing this, Gu Xichao worried that they might spoil Gu Xiaobao. He exchanged a glance with Mrs. Jin. “Mom.”
Jin Chunfen, the spirited leader of the team, looked at her son with a more resentful gaze. She had only given the child a small toy, yet he had something to say about it. What kind of hardships was her precious grandson enduring?
No, she had to call Old Gu to give the grandson some more food.
That night, she would have to quietly ask Old Gu to hide the toys and snacks in the bag, making sure the child’s father wouldn’t find out.
Old Sixth Gu finished preparing the dishes and shouted outside to serve the food.
As Su Nianmei was about to go in to help, Jin Chunfen pressed her down. “Let the father and son handle the kitchen duties.”
The dishes were quickly brought to the table. Old Sixth Gu and Jin Chunfen sat on one side of the square table, while Su Nianmei and Gu Xichao sat on the other side. Gu Xiaobao took a seat at the end of the table.
Su Nianmei studied Old Sixth Gu.
Time had etched lines on his face, but it added a touch of softness to his originally stern expression. When Su Nianmei looked over, Old Sixth Gu’s first impression was—kind.
He was both imposing and benevolent.
After some pleasantries, the family began to eat.
Jin Chunfen kept serving dishes to Gu Xiaobao and Su Nianmei while Old Sixth Gu sat nearby, eyeing the large spread of food with a pair of chopsticks in his mouth, looking somewhat sulky.
Mrs. Jin cast a light glance at him and silently added a piece of meat to Old Sixth Gu’s bowl.
The former team leader of the thriving brigade’s expression softened.
Su Nianmei caught this scene, and a smile crept onto her face as she glanced at Gu Xichao.
Major Gu remained serious as he ate, undisturbed by the exchange.
Su Nianmei’s gaze returned to the table when suddenly someone pinched her little finger hanging below. She noticed two extra pieces of meat had appeared in her bowl.
Secretly, Su Nianmei poked Gu Xichao in the side, flashing two rows of bright white teeth.
Gu Xichao’s body stiffened, his ears turning warm, but he maintained his composure while serving himself.
Gu Xiaobao sat next to them, staring at the table full of delicious food and rubbing his little belly, which was stuffed.
Laughter and chatter filled the table, and the atmosphere was far from awkward. Comrade Jin Chunfen excitedly recounted the changes in the thriving brigade, her enthusiasm and seriousness surpassing any storyteller’s.
The three generations chatted about everyday life, covering topics from the South to the North and from the East to the West. At the same time, Gu Xiaobao lay on the table, listening with great interest.
After dinner, they tidied up, and Old Sixth Gu and Jin Chunfen took Er Gouzi into the room to play.
That night, Su Nianmei lay in bed, listening to the soft rustling sound of Gu Xichao flipping through pages as if it were happening in slow motion, cautious and gentle.
Gu Xichao was enrolled in a training school for the military, and Su Nianmei thought it might be similar to night classes. For the past few days, Gu Xichao had insisted on reading a few pages of a book before going to bed.
The book was wrapped in newspaper, making it look quite refined, but Su Nianmei felt disappointed that she couldn’t see the contents.
She turned to sneak a glance at him. Under the warm orange light, his long fingers delicately turned the pages, and the play of light and shadow perfectly outlined his resolute features.
Su Nianmei tilted her head slightly, her eyes squinting into a narrow slit, and her lips curled up.
How lucky she was to have crossed paths with such a handsome guy.
Gu Xichao caught a glimpse of her; his fingers paused mid-turning, and quickly closed the book.
Su Nianmei’s half-closed eyes immediately snapped shut.
She looked like a well-behaved child sound asleep.
Gu Xichao reached out to place the book on the bedside table, leaning back against the wall and extending his left hand.
He ruffled Su Nianmei’s hair a couple of times.
A gentle voice came from above her.
“Good girl, go to sleep.”
Su Nianmei pouted. Was he treating her like a Xiaobao?
The next moment, someone wrapped their arms around Gu Xichao’s waist.
Soft, delicate arms pressed against his abdomen, and warmth surged through him.
Laughter from Gu Xiaobao could be heard from the next room, prompting Major Gu to raise an eyebrow. He extended his palm to cover her eyes and turned off the light with a flick of his wrist.
His voice grew even softer, carrying a hint of hoarseness, deep and soothing. “Good.”
The person beneath his hand felt her cheeks flush red, her heart racing as if it would leap from her chest.
Previous
Fiction Page
Next
stillnotlucia[Translator]
Hi~ Lucia here! ✧(•̀ᴗ•́)✧ Please check the schedule of updates on the novel's page or Table of Contents. Chapters will be unlocked on time, but there may be a delay before they appear on NovelUpdates because I'm a bit busy and can't manually add them. 😔 What I mean is, you can go directly to Shanghai to access the chapters as they'll unlock automatically on the scheduled dates. 🤗💛