Chapter 32 – Su Qingyi Is Leaving

No matter what was going on with them over there, it had nothing to do with her. Gu Qiangwei didn’t concern herself with other people’s business.

She only hoped that in this lifetime, they would all pay the price for what they did to her in the last one.

After taking a stroll through the space, Gu Qiangwei went to sleep.

Su Qingyi, on the other hand, tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

He didn’t know why, but no matter how many times he shifted positions, the image that kept appearing in his mind was Gu Qiangwei lighting the fireworks earlier today.

She had smiled like a child.

Just thinking about that scene made the corners of Su Qingyi’s lips curl up involuntarily. He thought she looked beautiful when she smiled, and he couldn’t help but smile along with her.

But after smiling for a moment, he suddenly realized something was off.

How could he be thinking about a female comrade like this in the middle of the night? That was way out of line!

And yet, even after reminding himself, the next second, his mind drifted back to Gu Qiangwei.

She was pretty, her cooking was delicious, she made money with his sister—clearly very sharp and capable.

A woman like that—there probably weren’t many men out there who were worthy of her.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt he was being ridiculous.

Even if no one could match Gu Qiangwei, what did that have to do with him?

Why was he overthinking this?

His thoughts were a mess. He had no idea what time he finally managed to fall asleep.

The next day.

Su Qingyi got up early, washed up, and was about to go for a run when he saw Gu Qiangwei already waiting at the door.

“Let’s go, come run with me!”

She beamed as she spoke, jogging off ahead. “I’ve gotten used to running every morning. It feels great afterward.”

“Once I build up enough stamina, I’ll start practicing those self-defense techniques you taught me. Then I can go to and from work with Xiaoshuang safely!”

Her cheerful tone and smiling face made Su Qingyi think again of how he’d been lying awake last night thinking about her.

And now, here she was again, first thing in the morning.

Su Qingyi felt his heart race.

“Okay.”

He didn’t even dare look directly into Gu Qiangwei’s eyes as he replied. Then the two of them continued running together.

By the time Su Qingshuang woke up, the two had already finished their run and come back with groceries.

“Wow, big bro, Qiangwei—you two are so diligent! You’ve already run and bought groceries? Are you trying to make me look lazy?”

“You guys are acting like you’re the married couple here—running errands and cooking breakfast for me, the little sister!”

Su Qingshuang rubbed her sleepy eyes. She liked sketching designs late into the night, often riding a wave of inspiration.

So she didn’t know how late she’d gone to bed, and naturally couldn’t wake up early.

Half-asleep, she muttered those words—causing both Gu Qiangwei and Su Qingyi to instantly flush red.

“Don’t talk nonsense! Go wash up and join us. We’re making lunch together today, and I’m leaving tomorrow after the reunion meal!”

Su Qingyi’s face turned red all the way to the tips of his ears. He immediately fled to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. Only then did he feel somewhat better.

When Su Qingshuang became more awake, she was confused.

“Why are you washing your face with cold water this early? What if you catch a cold?”

Su Qingyi looked at his sister speechlessly.

Wasn’t she the one who just teased him?

And now she was pretending to be all concerned.

For lunch, Gu Qiangwei cooked again, with Su Qingyi and Su Qingshuang helping her out.

He Xiulan sat in a chair, moved. “If only every day could be like this… I’ve felt so happy these past few days.”

“I’ve heard from friends that once kids grow up, they just bring you trouble. Like when it’s time to find a girlfriend, they won’t even bother.”

“But now I think, when the time is right, fate will bring the right person along naturally.”

She couldn’t help but think—if her son ended up with Gu Qiangwei, that would be wonderful.

If the two of them could live harmoniously together, they’d definitely be happy in the future.

She’d wanted to help matchmake them a little, but considering this was only their first meeting, she decided it was best to wait.

Anyway, Gu Qiangwei would be staying with them in the future.

They’d have plenty of opportunities to see each other—
Plenty of time for feelings to grow.

The more He Xiulan thought about it, the happier she became.

Su Jianbin sat beside her reading the newspaper and casually chimed in, “I feel like this is all a dream.”

“Just think—those three are in the kitchen cooking, and we just sit here waiting to eat. Isn’t that amazing?”

“It’s great. Of course it is!”

While the parents chatted outside, inside the kitchen, Gu Qiangwei was guiding Su Qingshuang on how to make tomato scrambled eggs. This time, the eggs weren’t burned.

They tasted just right.

Su Qingshuang happily brought the dish to the table. “It tastes great! This is the first successful dish I’ve ever made. I didn’t think I could cook something so tasty with Qiangwei’s help.”

Besides the tomato scrambled eggs, Gu Qiangwei also made sweet and sour pork ribs, boiled shrimp, and a clear lamb stew.

The rest were all vegetables.

These were dishes Su Qingyi hadn’t tried before. Since he was leaving tomorrow, Gu Qiangwei wanted to make something special today.

The sweet and sour pork ribs, in particular, were delicious—tangy and sweet. Su Qingshuang alone ate more than half the plate.

As Su Qingyi ate, he couldn’t help but reflect.

Looks like his thoughts last night weren’t wrong—
Gu Qiangwei really was an outstanding girl. No one could match her.

His mind drifted again.

Not many dishes were left on the table, so Su Qingyi quickly started eating more.

After lunch, they all gathered in the living room to chat—just like before.

Tomorrow morning, Su Qingshuang and Gu Qiangwei would take Su Qingyi to the train station. After sending him off, they’d go to the shop to clean up.

They planned to officially reopen on the morning of the ninth day of the New Year.

The spring clothing they had ordered from the factory had already arrived. After tidying up the place, they could hang everything up and start the new year’s business.

They still had lots of leftover sunflower seeds and candies from the New Year. Gu Qiangwei and Su Qingshuang discussed packing them into cute little gift bags.

For the first three days after reopening, every customer who bought clothes would get a bag.

It was a small promotion but would bring a festive feeling to customers—like a good omen to start the year.

After resting a bit, He Xiulan and Su Jianbin began packing things at home.

They gathered a bunch of items that couldn’t easily be bought on base and prepared them for their son.

Su Qingyi looked at the pile and laughed wryly.

“You’re giving me so much—I can’t carry all of this. We need to cut some things out!”

“No need to pack so much meat.”

“If I can’t finish it, it’ll just spoil on the way. That would be a waste of your efforts and the food.”

The couple had wanted to send some good food with their son, but meat really wasn’t practical to transport.

Gu Qiangwei thought for a moment. “Let me take care of it. I’ll turn the meat into jerky. If we dry it tomorrow morning before he leaves, it’ll be ready to eat and last a lot longer without spoiling.”