Qiao Yu slept for another hour before emerging from the Spatial Dimension.
When Gu’s mother saw her up, she showed no sign of blame. She knew the journey from Shanghai to the island took over ten hours by train, so sleeping in was understandable.
“Xiao Yu, you’re awake? Come have breakfast.”
Qiao Yu felt a bit embarrassed; she had been too exhausted to get up earlier. “Auntie, did I sleep too late?”
Gu’s mother smiled warmly. “Not at all! Shao Yuan said he’s already submitted the marriage report, so you can rest easy.”
Qiao Yu nodded and picked up a corn bun.
She took a bite—it was a bit dry and hard to swallow. Fluffy white steamed buns were much tastier.
Thinking of this, she returned to her room and brought out a small bag of flour. “Auntie, I still have some flour here. You can use it to make noodles or steamed buns.”
Gu’s mother looked at the bag of flour in surprise. Since arriving on the island, she hadn’t used flour to make noodles in a long time.
Those who went out for supplies only brought back coarse grains. Last night, she had cooked rice with the rice she had saved for a while, just to leave a good impression on Qiao Yu.
“Xiao Yu, carrying so much flour along with your luggage must have been exhausting, right?”
“It wasn’t tiring.” After all, she had the Spatial Dimension.
Gu’s mother had initially worried that Qiao Yu might struggle to adapt to island life. Last night, she deliberately asked Shao Yuan to accompany her on a walk to familiarize her with the island’s surroundings.
Now, it seemed Qiao Yu was serious about building a life with Shao Yuan.
“Good! At noon, I’ll make noodles for you!”
After finishing the corn bun, Qiao Yu realized only she and Gu’s mother were left at home.
“Where did everyone go?”
Gu’s mother replied, “Shao Yuan is leading a patrol, Old Gu went to chat with his old comrades, and Ling’er and Cuicui joined the group fishing trip.”
“We live off the mountains when we’re near them, and off the sea when we’re by it. Living on an island, we don’t get much meat, so we mostly eat fish.”
Gu’s mother stayed home to wash clothes and cook. In her free time, she chatted with other women or mended fishing nets.
Qiao Yu understood. “Is there anything I can help with?”
Gu’s mother chuckled. “You? After you and Shao Yuan get your marriage certificate, the most important thing is to hurry up and have a chubby baby.”
“The sky outside looks so blue. I’ll go take a look.”
Hearing this, Qiao Yu quickly made an excuse and slipped away.
Parents of this era all thought this way. Older folks loved liveliness and hoped their daughters-in-law would bring more children into the family.
Qiao Yu couldn’t stand it. She was a modern woman.
In her original world, although she had lost both parents, she made a decent living translating novels and lived quite comfortably.
Qiao Yu decided to visit the island market.
As she reached the beach, she spotted two familiar figures not far away.
Gu Shaoyuan’s tall stature made him hard to miss.
Standing in front of him was Liu Cuicui.
Qiao Yu was puzzled. Didn’t Gu’s mother say Liu Cuicui had gone with the group to work on the fields? Why was she with Gu Shaoyuan now?
Driven by curiosity, Qiao Yu stealthily crept closer and hid behind a coconut tree.
She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she could see Gu Shaoyuan’s stern profile, expressionless and intimidating.
Liu Cuicui’s face was as red as a monkey’s bottom, and she was fidgeting awkwardly, as if pouring out her girlish feelings.
“Shao Yuan, I really don’t think Qiao Yu is suitable for you. You’re so busy—what you need is a wife who can understand you, someone virtuous and gentle, not a pampered Shanghai socialite like her.”
“We’ve known each other since childhood, so I understand you best. You definitely wouldn’t like someone like her, right?”
Gu Shaoyuan frowned deeply. “Liu Cuicui, I believe I’ve already told you that you have no right to interfere in my affairs. Qiao Yu is my fiancée, and you shouldn’t casually discuss her.”
Hearing his words, Liu Cuicui was so angry she dug her fingernails into her palms.
But she still had to maintain a gentle and kind image in front of Gu Shaoyuan, forcing a smile.
“I was just reminding you, not trying to interfere.”
Gu Shaoyuan knew it was inappropriate to spend too much time alone with Liu Cuicui and didn’t want to say more. He turned to leave.
As soon as he took a step forward, his sharp eyes caught sight of a pair of glistening almond-shaped eyes behind a coconut tree.
Those beautiful eyes could only belong to Qiao Yu.
Gu Shaoyuan strode toward her. Qiao Yu instinctively wanted to run, but the man quickly caught up and grabbed her hand from behind.
This was their first physical contact.
Qiao Yu looked down at her slender wrist, held firmly in his rough, large hand.
It felt as if with just a little more force, her wrist might break.
Gu Shaoyuan’s deep eyes fixed on her, his voice low. “Why are you running?”
Qiao Yu frowned slightly. “You’re hurting me.”
Gu Shaoyuan glanced down and saw that his light grip had left a clear red mark on her fair wrist.
So delicate.
He loosened his grip slightly but didn’t let go of her hand.
Qiao Yu glanced behind Gu Shaoyuan and saw Liu Cuicui craning her neck to watch them. Calmly, she gave him a meaningful look.
“Liu Cuicui has feelings for you.”
Her fiancé had sharp features, deep-set eyes, and high cheekbones—handsome enough to attract attention, which was hardly surprising.
Gu Shaoyuan paused. If even Qiao Yu had noticed, he couldn’t possibly be unaware.
But he had no interest in Liu Cuicui whatsoever.
“I’ve already made things clear to her. Don’t worry—once the marriage report and family housing application are approved, we can move into the family housing complex.”
Then no one would be able to interfere with them.
Qiao Yu’s eyes widened. “You applied for family housing? What about the house Uncle Gu and your mother are living in now?”
She had assumed they would be living with Gu Shaoyuan’s parents, never expecting he had secretly applied for family housing.
Gu Shaoyuan pursed his lips. “I’m stationed here year-round. They moved to the island because they were worried about me. The house was allocated by the higher-ups. My father has trouble walking, so they’re staying there temporarily.”
The island was remote, and many family housing units were vacant.
For ordinary soldiers, family housing consisted of four units per building, two on each floor.
Given Gu Shaoyuan’s rank, applying for a separate building for his parents to stay in temporarily was approved by the higher-ups in less than a day.
Once the temporary stay period ended, the Gu family would have to move out of the family housing complex.
He had already arranged for someone to find a house nearby, and Gu Jianhua and the others could move in next week.
Gu Shaoyuan looked at her steadily. “Once the family housing is ready, we can choose a building we like and move in.”
Qiao Yu’s eyes lit up, already planning how to decorate the family housing.
“Then I want one with a yard. I’ll plant flowers and plants in the yard and set up a swing.”
Gu Shaoyuan felt a sudden softness in his heart when he saw her eyes sparkling as she envisioned their future home.
“Alright.”
Listening to Qiao Yu’s endless chatter, Gu Shaoyuan thought to himself that she was a young lady from Shanghai, accustomed to living in Western-style houses with gardens.
For her to come to the island and marry him was truly a hardship for her.
Gu Shaoyuan lowered his gaze to look at her. “I have time this afternoon. I’ll take you to the service center to buy some furniture and daily necessities.”
“Once we’ve bought everything, and after the housing assignment comes down from above, I’ll have my subordinates move the items over.”
Qiao Yu suddenly remembered the furniture she had stored in her Spatial Dimension. When the time came, she could take it out and arrange everything nicely.
“Alright.”
After speaking, Qiao Yu’s gaze drifted down from his handsome face and settled on her own wrist.
“Regiment Commander Gu, can you let go of my hand now?”