Chapter 288: “spoiled Habits”
After Meng Jiusi came out, Gu Chenghuai went in, also mailing a letter and sending an urgent telegram.
The communications clerk couldn’t help laughing.
Noticing his expression, Gu Chenghuai raised an eyebrow. “Did I make you laugh?”
The young communications clerk hurriedly shook his head. “No, no! I just think…”
He scratched his head, chuckled, and said, “You and Doctor Meng are not family, but you enter the same door.”
Gu Chenghuai, understanding the implication: “…”
Leaving the communications room, Gu Chenghuai glanced and saw Fourth Brother-in-law still there, so the two walked side by side.
“Before sleeping, don’t forget to change Zhaozhao’s dressing.” Meng Jiusi reminded him. “Don’t sleep too soundly, be careful not to press on Zhaozhao’s arm.”
Under the moonlight, Gu Chenghuai’s gaze was subtle. “…I know.”
Who was looking down on whom?
He wasn’t a lustful fiend; how could he be so reckless.
“Fourth Brother, you go back slowly. Zhaozhao is waiting for me at home; I’m heading off first.”
Leaving those words, Gu Chenghuai jogged away.
*
Lin Zhao slept deeply, or perhaps subconsciously knew that with Gu Chenghuai there, even the sounds of opening and closing the door didn’t wake her.
The bed shook gently, a cool breath approached, accompanied by a familiar crisp scent deep in the bones, and the person on the bed instinctively drew closer, draping her right arm over, murmuring drowsily, “Gu Chenghuai…?”
One word at a time, voice raspy.
Gu Chenghuai’s heart was gripped, collapsing again and again, brilliant flowers blooming in his heart.
His distinct-knuckled hand fell on Lin Zhao’s back, patting rhythmically for a while.
Once she was asleep, he stopped, pulled over Lin Zhao’s injured arm, unwrapped the gauze, and changed her dressing.
The wound was recovering well, but it was clear the injury wasn’t minor.
“…Those who hurt you will pay the due price.” Gu Chenghuai’s voice was icy.
In her sleep, Lin Zhao felt her arm wrapped by a vine, instinctively tugging back. The first tug didn’t move it, the second still didn’t, her patience exhausted, she suddenly opened her eyes.
Meeting a pair of gentle, affectionate black eyes.
As the saying goes, the more you look at a beauty under the lamp, the more beautiful she becomes; the same principle applies to looking at a beauty under the lamp.
The impatience on Lin Zhao’s face vanished instantly.
“Not sleeping in the middle of the night, staring at me for what? Scared me, and I’ll beat you properly.” She pretended to be fierce, making a biting face.
Gu Chenghuai chuckled lowly, his chest vibrating with full tension.
He controlled Lin Zhao’s freshly bandaged arm with one hand, leaned down his upper body, pressed against Lin Zhao, rested his head in her neck hollow, exhaling warm breaths.
Lin Zhao’s good arm moved up, hugging her man’s head, voice soft and raspy. “How long did I sleep?”
“Less than an hour.” Gu Chenghuai’s low voice sounded by her ear, making her heart melt.
“Not long.” Lin Zhao’s fair soft face rubbed gently against his cheek, feeling prickly, and complained, “It’s a bit scratchy. Didn’t shave?”
“I did.” Gu Chenghuai touched his chin. “It grew back.”
Seeing Lin Zhao didn’t mind, his laughter was delighted. “I’ll shave tomorrow.”
“Fine, but don’t come close to kiss me.” Lin Zhao laughed along, casually touching his prickly hair.
“Can’t not kiss.” Gu Chenghuai leaned down to kiss his wife’s face, eyes burning. “So good.”
Before the ending tone faded, he lay on his side, arm exerting slight force, avoiding Lin Zhao’s injured arm, and held her in his embrace.
Lin Zhao pursed her lips in a smile.
“…Planning to stay how long?” Gu Chenghuai held his wife, feeling utterly satisfied; the heart he’d been holding finally settled.
Like a weary bird returning to its nest, indescribably comfortable and at ease.
“More than a month, long enough?” Lin Zhao smiled, eyes curving.
“Not long.” Gu Chenghuai held her tighter. “How could it be enough…”
“Alright, be content. When conditions are right, I’ll bring the children to accompany the army, and we can see each other every day.” Lin Zhao coaxed the man softly.
Gu Chenghuai rallied. “Seeing each other every day might be hard; there are occasional field training tasks and missions to go out on.”
But by then, his missions wouldn’t be so frequent.
“No matter. Here, even if you’re not by my side, I feel at peace, because I know… you’re not far from me.” Lin Zhao sincerely felt proud of her husband.
Soldiers these days defended the home and country with their blood; each was a heroic pillar of strength. She never resented Gu Chenghuai’s absence; thinking of him always filled her with pride.
Gu Chenghuai cherished kissing Lin Zhao’s forehead.
“Tired?”
“Not tired.” Lin Zhao was spirited now. “Want to chat with you a bit.”
Gu Chenghuai was taciturn with comrades; one question got one answer. With Lin Zhao, he was the active one.
Wanting to ask everything, care about everything.
“Then chat a bit more, sleep later.”
The room light was on, dim yellow, not bright, casting a layer of gentle warm light on the people.
The couple whispered back and forth.
Gu Chenghuai heard his wife’s voice hoarse and asked, “Want water?”
Lin Zhao shook her head. “No need.”
Drinking too much water at night meant annoying night trips.
“Tomorrow go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy two mosquito nets; more mosquitoes in a few days, very annoying.”
Gu Chenghuai naturally had no objection.
“Is summer hot here?” Lin Zhao asked again.
“Pretty hot, but there’s a fan at home, makes it much better.” Gu Chenghuai said.
“Fan? Where? How come I didn’t see it?”
Gu Chenghuai pointed with his hand. “Under the cabinet. Weather isn’t too hot now; that thing was bought but not even unpacked.”
“Didn’t borrow money from anyone?” Lin Zhao lifted her head from his chest. “If money’s short, tell me; I’ll give you some.”
“Enough, even some left.” Gu Chenghuai ate and lived at the troops; aside from buying things for wife and kids, he had no place to spend money, so he wasn’t short.
“Home has so many new things added, and you still have leftovers. You’re too good at saving money.” Lin Zhao said admiringly. Without the lucky draw system, she couldn’t save.
“Not all added by me; Fourth Brother helped too!” Gu Chenghuai said honestly, not claiming all the credit.
“Fourth Brother? I heard Jing Mo say the hospital work isn’t very busy?” Lin Zhao asked casually.
“It is pretty busy; he sits clinic now and then, and squeezes time to develop new drugs, busy all day without a trace.” Gu Chenghuai thought Fourth Brother-in-law was a workaholic too, one with passion and patriotism.
No wonder military region leaders all appreciated him; who wouldn’t like a doctor with no selfish motives, wholeheartedly for the country and troops?
“Then today…?” Lin Zhao trailed off.
“You came; as her brother, he couldn’t not show up, took leave in advance.” Gu Chenghuai, fearing his wife overthought, added, “Fourth Brother has plenty of leave; you didn’t delay his real work. Don’t overthink.”
Lin Zhao wasn’t overthinking.
She was one to dodge work if possible, but that didn’t stop her from admiring those diligently climbing peaks and innovating at their job positions.
“With Fourth Brother’s work enthusiasm, he’ll go further and further.”
Gu Chenghuai said confidently, “I’ll go further and further too.”
“Of course; everyone in our family will go further and further.” Same old saying: original is right, copies won’t be wrong.
The little couple seemed to have endless words until lights out, the room pitch black.
Lin Zhao strained to open her eyes wide but couldn’t see Gu Chenghuai’s face. “So dark.”
“Lights out.” Gu Chenghuai pulled the thin blanket over her, voice gentle and patient. “Not early anymore; sleep. Up early tomorrow.”
Lin Zhao yawned, eyes misty, found a comfortable position, and closed her eyes.
Gu Chenghuai had been excited thinking of wife and kids coming last night, hadn’t slept a wink, nerves high all day; only now did drowsiness hit, closing his eyes and falling asleep.
…
Lu Family.
Su Yuxian rolled over, facing Lu Yizhou, suddenly saying, “Are you asleep? I can’t sleep.”
Lu Yizhou was thinking, nearly startled to death on the spot by her words.
Irritably turning his back, he snapped, “Can’t sleep, tell me for what? Want me to coax you?”
What was she thinking?
Su Yuxian glared at him.
She’d like him to coax her, but would he?
Lu Yizhou never treated her as wife; the three hundred yuan compensated to Meng Family was earned back by her working—a man without grace.
Pretending not to hear the mockery in his words, she said, “Lin Zhao brought the twins to accompany the army. Heard about it?”
“Came, so what? None of our business. Sleep.” Lu Yizhou’s tone was impatient.
After marriage, Lu Yizhou always treated Su Yuxian this way; she was used to it, didn’t take it to heart.
She scooted closer to Lu Yizhou, gently pressing against his back.
“Let’s have a child…”
Lu Yizhou sat up abruptly; in the dark, his eyes accurately landed on Su Yuxian’s face, sneering, “Have a child? Am I the one not wanting?”
“I gave you chances, but you’re no use.”
So many seeds, not one sprouted; wasted effort.
Su Yuxian’s face flushed pale then green, like a color palette, grumbling, “Last time back at the brigade, Mom took me to a doctor who said my body is fine, can have kids, as many as wanted.”
Lu Yizhou rolled his eyes, voice pitching up two degrees. “You can have them; can’t I? If I had issues, where’d Bao Zhen come from?”
He thought Su Yuxian did housework averagely, yet nagged a lot; marrying such a wife was eight lifetimes of bad luck.
Thinking of his rival’s happy family and smooth career, jealousy reddened his eyes.
Too bad Bao Zhen inexplicably lost her luck, or else…
Su Yuxian was speechless, fuming mad, not knowing how to retort.
She angrily turned her back, thumping the bed hard twice.
“Not sleeping, get out.” Lu Yizhou scolded rudely.
Before Su Yuxian could retort, he added, “Break the bed, you earn money to fix it!”
Su Yuxian: “…”
Scoundrel!
How did she end up with such a stingy scoundrel!!
These days weren’t smooth at all.
Lin Zhao came to the military region; family courtyard folks would know sooner or later they were from the same place, and then… easy to imagine, when those family members mentioned her, they’d mention Lin Zhao; mentioning Lin Zhao, they’d mention her.
Lin Zhao bore Gu Chenghuai four children; she’d been in Lu Family nearly two years, couldn’t even produce a money-loser!
Su Yuxian could imagine what those people would say about her.
The more she thought, the less she could sleep, tossing and turning, eyes wide awake.
She couldn’t help resenting Lin Zhao—what was she doing in the military region, deliberately against her? Oppressed her at Fengshou Brigade, now wanting to dominate here too. Hateful! Too hateful!!
She fell asleep that night harboring deep hatred for Lin Zhao; what pleased her was dreaming of getting one over Lin Zhao.
…
Sister Xia endured thirty-six hours of agony she didn’t want to recall, dying over and over, but she pulled through.
Not even three days, the one who got fat selling kids lost three or four jin.
The sly Sister Xia finally realized the root of her suffering was Lin Zhao.
On the train, she was forced to swallow something.
After that, this illness even hospital advanced machines couldn’t detect.
Moreover, she noticed something odd: whenever she started plotting how to make Lin Zhao suffer for life, her organs began to hurt.
Hurt, but not fatally.
She’d suffer terribly, but her body had no issues—not only no issues, but very good.
Finally, after another brush with death, Sister Xia found the jailer, negotiating, “I can confess, but I want to see the one who caught me!”
The cadre glanced at her. “Wait; I’ll report up.”
Dropping those words, turned and left to inform the leader.
After days of investigation, public security found Sister Xia a key figure in the crime group, with many downlines and numerous kids handled over years; prying her mouth open was crucial.
They’d threatened, tempted… every method tried, but she had hard bones and a hard mouth, not a word.
Now finally willing to talk?
The People’s Defense Group team leader finally breathed relief.
Poor kids got trafficked, leaders’ kids too. Learning a heavyweight human trafficker was caught, he got several pressure calls; his pressure was immense.
If unsolved, his butt would move positions.
“Grant it!” The People’s Defense Group team leader decided. “Find a way to contact that female comrade on the train.”
No other way; desperate measures, hoping the female hero could pry the criminal’s mouth.
“Director, that comrade seems to be a military wife…” The reporting clerk reminded.
“I know; contact first. Don’t abandon any hope.” The team leader said gravely.
Knew it was pushing someone, but… thinking of so many kids awaiting rescue, he ignored everything!
“Yes!”
The clerk sent an urgent telegram in the unit’s name to the military region the female hero went to, wording earnest.
Next day.
Gu Chenghuai woke on time, gently removed Lin Zhao’s arm draped over his waist and abdomen, checked her arm, saw no bleeding, and relaxed his brows.
Lightly and quietly changing dressing for his wife, he left the room.
As usual completing training tasks, about to go to Ning Family to pick up his son, learned there was a telegram for him.
He went to the communications room to retrieve it, about to leave, remembered not yet told hometown Zhaozhao and two treasures arrived safely, turned back, mailed a telegram home.
Gu Chenghuai read the telegram on the way, eyes deep and dark, inscrutable.
…Only willing to talk after seeing his wife?
His long strong fingers tightened slightly, crumpling the telegram.
The smile in the man’s eyes vanished, voice extremely cold. “Spoiled habit.”
