He clearly returned to the unit as promised, wrote letters, and sent money; it was she who vanished into thin air, Xinian! Why did she use the word “again”? Why did she say she wouldn’t “forgive” him?
Wasn’t their separation years ago a case of her abandoning him? Could it be… that there’s a truth hidden behind this, one he’s completely unaware of?!
Gu Beichen’s mind raced, but the person who had spoken had already disappeared at the laboratory door.
Gu Beichen could only squat down to be at eye level with Nian Nian: “Hello, my name is Gu Beichen!”
Niannian was clearly often separated from her mother, but she didn’t show any anxiety after the separation. She looked at Gu Beichen with her wet eyes and said, “Hello, Dudu, my name is Gu Niansu.”
Is Nian Nian’s surname Gu and given name Nian Su?
Hearing that name, Gu Beichen’s heart clenched tightly. Gu Niansu, Niansu, Susu…
Gu Beichen felt an overwhelming sweetness welling up inside him. This was the name he and Lin Su had chosen, and they had said that no matter whether they had a boy or a girl, they would call them this name.
He thought Lin Su wouldn’t let the child have this name, and that even his surname wouldn’t appear in the child’s name.
But the joy came so suddenly, the child’s name is Gu Niansu, Gu Niansu!
Gu Beichen’s eyes couldn’t help but well up with tears.Oh, this silly girl, this silly girl!
Gu Beichen reached out his hand to Niannian: “Niannian, come here, let me carry you out!”
Perhaps because Niannian grew up looking at Gu Beichen’s photos, she was not unfamiliar with Gu Beichen at all. Dada quickly took a few steps and rushed into Gu Beichen’s arms.
Gu Beichen was stiff all over. When he picked up Niannian, he felt like he was walking on a cloud.
Platoon Leader Zhan looked on, somewhat alarmed: “Regimental Commander, you’d better hold on tight, this is no joke!”
If Gu Tuan dares to throw the child, Comrade Gu will surely fight him to the death!
Gu Beichen was well aware of this, so he took a deep breath and then lifted his foot steadily.
Niannian sat on Gu Beichen’s arm: “Dudu, your hands are so hard!”
Gu Beichen switched Niannian to his other hand: “Is it hard? I don’t think it’s hard at all. If you don’t believe me, touch it. It’s soft!”
As he spoke, Gu Beichen raised his hand in front of Nian Nian.
Niannian grabbed Gu Beichen’s arm: “Dudu, your hands are so big, I can’t even lift you up. Unlike my mom, her hands are so small, and she still has to hold me.”
Niannian’s words made Gu Beichen’s heart ache. Yes!
Gu Beichen knew, of course, that Lin Su’s arms were very small. Lin Su had been spoiled by her mother since she was a child and was very good at acting cute and being spoiled. She was afraid of the cold in winter and the heat in summer.
But she gave birth to Niannian all by herself and raised the child so well. The hardships she endured were beyond his imagination.
Gu Beichen suppressed the bitterness in his heart and carried Nian Nian towards the cafeteria: “Let’s go eat!”
Gu Beichen ordered a special egg and minced meat soup for Niannian, along with a bowl of white rice.
Niannian is very independent and doesn’t need Gu Beichen’s help at all; she can eat spoonful by spoonful.
This left Gu Beichen, who wanted to help, somewhat disappointed, as the child was so big and he had never even fed her.
Niannian had no idea what Gu Beichen was thinking. She took a bite and squinted her eyes, saying, “So delicious, so incredibly delicious!”
Seeing Niannian like this, Gu Beichen couldn’t help but smile.
You could say that Nian Nian is a carbon copy of Lin Su. The old Lin Su was just like that; when she ate something delicious, she would squint her eyes and say things like “It’s so delicious!”
Unfortunately, after this encounter, he never saw Lin Su like this again.
The new base is located deep in the mountains, with even harsher conditions than the original base, but with an extremely high level of security.
After coaxing Niannian to sleep, Gu Beichen asked Platoon Leader Zhan to stay and then rushed off to set up the new security system. He spent almost the entire night without sleep.
But when he thought of Niannian, he felt an inexhaustible surge of energy.
That afternoon, he had just finished a round of patrols and was walking near the dormitory area when he heard a clear, childlike, yet well-organized voice, as if…reciting the periodic table?
He looked in the direction of the sound and saw Niannian wearing a red cotton-padded jacket and with two pigtails, sitting on a small stool at the entrance of the dormitory.
She pointed to the pictures in a thick, illustrated edition of “Basic Physics,” which was clearly beyond her age and cognitive abilities, and read it aloud word for word:
“…Therefore, when the U-235 nucleus is bombarded by neutrons, it undergoes fission, releasing enormous energy and even more neutrons…”
Gu Beichen froze in place.
That small figure, that focused profile, those familiar features in his eyes and brows…
She is his daughter, his and Susu’s daughter.
Just then, the little girl seemed to sense being watched and looked up.
Those were clear, bright eyes, almost identical to Lin Su’s.
She waved her hands at Gu Beichen: “Dudu, are you done with your work?! Have you eaten yet?…”
Niannian kept asking questions, but Gu Beichen, lost in thought, didn’t answer any of them.
Niannian sighed like a little adult, “Dudu, do you also think I have too many problems??!! Mom usually calls me ‘Little Trouble’ just because I have too many problems.”
Gu Beichen quickly waved his hand: “No, no, I didn’t think you had too many questions. I was just thinking about something else.”
As he spoke, Gu Beichen hesitated and asked, “Your… mother, is she usually very tired?” He asked cautiously, each word carrying immense weight.
Niannian put down her book, rested her chin on her hand, and thought very seriously: “Hmm… Mommy wants to read books, read lots and lots of words, and draw lots and lots of pictures.”
Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night and she would still be asleep at the table. Grandma Zhang would say, “Mom is just too tired.”
The “Grandma Zhang” she mentioned was probably the person who helped take care of her.
“And another thing,” Niannian continued in her childish language, describing the Xi Nian that Gu Beichen was absent from, “Once I had a fever, and I felt so uncomfortable. It was snowing heavily outside.”
My mother carried me for a very, very long way to see the doctor. Her clothes were soaked with sweat, and she was so cold…
As Gu Beichen listened, he felt as if his breath was carrying icy shards.
He could almost see that snowy night, his wife, alone, carrying their sick child, struggling along the muddy, cold road.
And where is he?
“Mom can fix water pipes too! Although the kitchen is always flooded after she fixes them,” Niannian said with a mix of pride and helplessness.
“She would also make me little dresses, though… the stitches were a little crooked, but I loved them the most!”
These trivial, everyday details, like countless fine needles, pierced Gu Beichen’s heart.
What he missed was not only the child’s growth, but also all the hardships and trivialities in Lin Su’s life that needed someone to share.
She went from being a girl who couldn’t even change a light bulb to a mother who could fix water pipes and take her child to the doctor on her own.
Overwhelmed by immense guilt and heartache, he was engulfed like a tsunami.