Chapter 27 – The Female Supporting Character in the Confession Book

The Gu family members were all familiar, but those who hadn’t been met before, including Gu Xiuqi’s husband, children, and parents-in-law, were all introduced in the evening. Everyone’s attitude towards Wen Xin was very friendly. Wen Xin had expected some mocking or disdain, but none of that was present.

Their wedding was set for July 6th, to take place at a high-end restaurant near the military district compound.

Two days before the wedding, the Wen family also arrived, bringing along both children. They had grown up during the half-year since they last saw each other. Wen Liangchen could now call people by name, though his pronunciation was still unclear. His aunt often ended up being called “Dudu” instead.

The Wen family was arranged to stay at a guesthouse near the military family compound. Yanqing was the capital, and the guesthouse, built near the compound, was very luxurious and high-end. Wen Xin and her family of nine were assigned four rooms to stay in.

Since arriving in Yanqing, everyone’s eyes were wide open. When Sister-in-law Wen looked at the room’s facilities, she clicked her tongue in astonishment. “My goodness, this really lives up to being the capital! This guesthouse is way better than the ones in our county.”

Zhang Xiuying was also impressed. Hearing her daughter-in-law’s words, she replied: “This is the capital; how could our little county compare? Alright, everyone, put down your luggage, find somewhere to freshen up. Didn’t Xin Xin buy new clothes for all of you? Change into them later, and make sure you don’t let the in-laws look down on us.”

Before the holiday, Wen Xin had returned home and bought a set of clothes for each family member. She had also bought a lot of fabric for Zhang Xiuying to make clothes with, for when she got married.

Zhang Xiuying, who was usually frugal, didn’t think that Wen Xin had wasted money this time. Compared to being looked down upon by Wen Xin’s future in-laws, spending a little extra money didn’t seem like much.

Zhang Xiuying’s skills in making clothes weren’t very good, and neither were Sister-in-law Wen’s, but Second Sister-in-law Wen’s hands were incredibly skilled. The clothes meant to impress the family were all made by her.

To allow her to focus on making clothes, the household chores were taken away from her, and she was even told not to go outside.

“Got it, Mom.” said Wen Xin’s other sisters-in-law in unison.

Everyone went to their respective rooms to unpack. Every floor of the guesthouse had its own restroom and bathroom. Wen Xin took her family over, showing them where everything was and what each thing was used for.

The Wen family, who hadn’t seen much of the world, were gaining a lot of new knowledge.

Second Brother Wen came out of the bathroom, saying: “Wow, this toilet is so clean. It’s even cleaner than our bedroom!”

Second Brother Wen’s comment successfully earned him a collective eye roll from everyone.

Everyone queued up to take a shower. After everyone had come out of the bathroom, Wen Xin called Zhang Xiuying and her two daughters-in-law into the room she was staying in. Wen Xin took out three sets of lingerie.

“Mom, Big Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, these are lingerie. In the city, everyone wears this, and it’s so comfortable. You should try it.”

Zhang Xiuying and her daughters-in-law looked at the lingerie Wen Xin had brought out, and their faces turned red. Zhang Xiuying cleared her throat, pretending to be serious. “Why did you buy this? It’s so inappropriate.”

Lingerie hadn’t become widespread yet, and most women still made their own undergarments, like bellybands or simply wore vests. Those didn’t offer much shaping support, and when worn, they would sway around with any movement.

It was fine for flat-chested women, but those who were more developed often had the burden of dealing with back strain.

“This isn’t inappropriate at all.” Wen Xin replied. “In the city, women with a bit of financial ability all wear this. Look, I’m wearing it today. Don’t I look a lot more refreshed?”

Zhang Xiuying and her two daughters-in-law looked at Wen Xin. They hadn’t paid close attention before, but now that they were looking, she really did look good.

Sister-in-law Wen, who was well-developed, immediately grabbed the largest set. “Xiao Mei, can I try this on?”

“Of course, this was bought for you. Just put it on directly.” Wen Xin replied.

Sister-in-law Wen, with her straightforward personality, immediately took off her clothes and, under Wen Xin’s guidance, put on the lingerie and then her clothes. She was delighted, saying: “It really is a lot more comfortable.”

Second Sister-in-law Wen was also quite tempted after seeing the change. She picked out the set that suited her best. Zhang Xiuying looked around but was hesitant to try them on. Wen Xin and the two daughters-in-law tried to convince her, but she still wasn’t willing. “I’m so old, I don’t need to wear this. The little vest I made myself is good enough.”

“Oh, come on, just wear it. Even older women in the city wear this. What if someone makes fun of you at the banquet tomorrow?” Wen Xin used her trump card.

This struck a chord with Zhang Xiuying, as she was worried about embarrassing her daughter at the wedding. After a moment of hesitation, she gritted her teeth and changed into the lingerie.

Seeing that they had all put it on, Wen Xin was happy as well.

That evening, Wen Xin took her family to the Gu family’s house for a meal, and then they returned to the guesthouse to sleep.

The next morning, after breakfast, Gu Xiuqi came to the guesthouse to find Wen Xin. He took her to the best nearby hair salon to have her hair done. Afterward, they had a meal, and by the time they returned, it was already past seven.

As the bride, Wen Xin was not allowed to sleep that night, so her family stayed up with her. At four in the morning, Wen Xin got up and changed into the bridal gown that Ye Xianya had specially arranged to be made for her. By seven o’clock in the morning, Gu Xiuqi arrived.

This time, their meeting was much more pleasant than the last time.

At nine o’clock, Gu Xiuqing came to pick up Wen Xin, and everyone headed to the restaurant.

Today, Gu Xiuqing was the main character, as they needed to stand at the entrance of the restaurant to welcome the guests. They smiled so much that their faces felt stiff by midday.

Finally, they were able to eat inside at noon. They hadn’t eaten much when they had to go around the tables to toast the guests. After finishing the toasts and returning, the food had already cooled. When they were finally able to eat, the guests who had already finished their meals were starting to leave, so the couple had to see them off.

After the last guest had left, Wen Xin was so exhausted she didn’t want to move.

Seeing how tired she was, Zhang Xiuying felt heartbroken. The capital truly was different. The wedding banquet held by city people was nothing like those in the countryside. The constant stream of guests and the delicious food, she thought, must have cost at least five or six hundred yuan per table.

Just thinking about it made her heart ache.

But the more she felt for her daughter, the more she rejoiced. The bigger the wedding banquet, the more it showed how much they cared for their daughter.

The family happily returned to the guesthouse.

That night, after they got back, Gu Xiuqing prepared a basin of hot water for Wen Xin to soak her feet and then squatted down to massage them.

Both of them were so tired that they just collapsed onto the bed, not wanting to move. “Planning a wedding is really exhausting.” Wen Xin said.

As the groom, Gu Xiuqing had been busy while accompanying the bride’s family. Today, things had finally settled down, and he let out a sigh of relief.

“You’ve worked hard, you’ve worked hard.” Gu Xiuqing said, pulling Wen Xin into his arms.

Due to all the wedding preparations, the couple hadn’t had much time to talk. Now that everything was finished, there was so much they wanted to share.

Neither of them knew when they had fallen asleep.

The next day, Gu Xiuqing borrowed a car and took the Wen family on a tour around the capital, visiting various scenic spots and taking photos along the way.

Travel was certainly tiring, but it was a type of exhaustion that everyone could bear. Outside the scenic spots, there were always photography shops. Zhang Xiuying waved her hand and instructed the photographer at the shop to take a picture of them all.

On the day they were to return, they received all the photos. Zhang Xiuying carefully put them away, as these would be great material for bragging in the future.

Wen Xin and the others returned with the Wen family, as there was another wedding to be held at her maternal side. This time, her paternal family didn’t go along, since everyone had work to do and was quite busy.

Weddings in the countryside were not as lively as the ones in Yan Jing. As the newlyweds, Wen Xin and the others didn’t need to make many appearances, leaving everything to Wen Yuejun and Zhang Xiuying.

Both weddings were completed, and Gu Xiuping’s leave had come to an end. Wen Xin was also about to return to school.

When school started, Wen Xin went back to school. Just after she left, Gu Xiuping was summoned to the Colonel’s office.

Gu Xiuping hurried over, and when he entered, there were already two or three people standing in the office.

Colonel Bai saw that everyone had arrived, took a document from the table, and handed it to them.

“Take a look at this information. The situation on the southwest border is becoming increasingly unstable, and with tensions escalating, it is likely that a major conflict will arise next year. Our military district needs to send an advance team over. Each of you will lead a company. Choose your people and start training them. You will depart in the middle of the month.”

Gu Xiuping and the others exchanged glances, stood at attention, saluted, and took the documents before leaving the office.

They were all from the same regiment, so everyone was familiar with each other. After a brief discussion downstairs, they parted ways.

Choosing people for a company was easy. Once they had selected, the real challenge was the intense training. Just as they were past the initial adjustment period, the departure day arrived.

Gu Xiuping had already told Wen Xin in advance about the task he would be undertaking. On August 13th, Wen Xin took leave to stay home for two days.

The day Gu Xiuping left, both he and Wen Xin woke up early. After Gu Xiuping finished washing up, he was ready to leave.

Before leaving, Gu Xiuping held Wen Xin tightly: “Wife, this time I’m leaving, and I don’t know when I’ll be back. While I’m away, you need to take good care of yourself. Don’t go hungry, don’t get cold, understood?”

Wen Xin obediently nodded: “When you’re out there, you need to take care of yourself too. Make sure to stay safe. I’ll be at home waiting for you to return.”

Wen Xin also kept up with the news at school, and the newspapers reported the conflicts at the southwest border. Gu Xiuping was likely heading to the battlefield.

Wen Xin took the copper coin from around her neck and placed it around Gu Xiuping’s. 

This copper coin had been given to her by Zhang Xiuying after she had woken up from the water incident. Over time, the coin had absorbed some of her own aura, and perhaps it could protect Gu Xiuping from harm on the battlefield.

Gu Xiuping tucked the coin into his collar: “It’s almost time to gather. I’m leaving now, don’t see me off. It rained last night, the roads are slippery.”

He cupped Wen Xin’s face and kissed her firmly before turning around and walking out briskly.

“Remember to write back.” Wen Xin called out as she ran to the door.

Gu Xiuping didn’t turn around but waved his hand.

After he left, Wen Xin stood by the window.

Outside, the light rain still fell. Wen Xin watched the soldiers gather on the training field, and then saw them board the military vehicles, one by one. The vehicles drove off, each disappearing into the distance.

Wen Xin’s nose tingled, and tears began to fall. The rain that day seemed to pour straight into her heart.

With Gu Xiuping gone, the days suddenly felt so long. Every weekend, Wen Xin found herself feeling empty, unable to find a sense of peace.

Wen Xin grew more and more silent with each passing day. Gei Wei couldn’t stand it anymore and took her to join the campus newspaper that they had started in the Literature Department. Wen Xin was doing well in her major courses, thanks to the memories of the original person, and her writing was excellent. After publishing a few articles, she gradually gained some recognition in the school.

In early September, Wen Xin received a letter from Gu Xiuping. In the letter, he wrote that he had arrived in the southwest and would soon be going into battle. He described many of the beautiful sights of the southwest in the letter.

Through his words, the land, the mountains, and the waters of that place came alive in Wen Xin’s mind. Wen Xin wrote him a letter in return, telling him about her articles being published.

The letters Wen Xin sent out went unanswered. She grew anxious, but there was nothing she could do but wait.

In the endless waiting, Wen Xin fully understood what it meant to be a soldier’s wife. She also came to realize why soldiers often told their wives: “Half of my military achievements belong to you.”

The next letter Wen Xin received came after the National Day holiday. This one was much shorter than the previous letter, and the handwriting was much more hurried, as if it had been written in a rush.

Wen Xin grew even more worried. It wasn’t until December that she finally received a reply to her letter.

A reply meant he was safe, and Wen Xin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In January, when school was on break, Wen Xin went back to her maternal family to celebrate the New Year. Her family knew that Gu Xiuping was on a mission, so when she returned alone for the New Year, no one said anything. Before the New Year, Wen Xin sent some special products from Ji Province to Gu Xiuping’s family. A few days after she sent them, Ye Xianya also sent something to Wen Xin, along with a letter.

The letter was filled with words of comfort.

In February, when Wen Xin returned to school, she saw the news that a full-scale war had broken out between the southwest border and Country Y.