Gu Yijia was rarely a little stunned.
The man before her had deep features, handsome looks, and brow ridges as sharp as a sword just drawn from its scabbard, his whole body exuding an aura of iron and blood, smoke and gunpowder. At a glance, he was clearly no ordinary person.
Especially his eyes, deep and cold. Being looked at by him gave one the feeling that all the secrets hidden in one’s heart were laid bare before him, making one uneasy without realizing it.
Gu Yijia’s nerves trembled slightly. Her gaze shifted, and only then did she notice the green military uniform on him. She could not help looking up at his face again and discovered that he was extremely tall.
In the southern region, it was rare to see someone this tall.
Her older brother, Gu Mingcheng, already counted as quite tall. This man was probably a little taller than Gu Mingcheng. Her sister-in-law, Chen Aifang, was also a rare tall woman, about 1.7 meters, and the couple were both very tall.
Compared with them, the original owner might have been in poor health since childhood, and her height simply could not catch up. That made her seem somewhat petite, especially in front of this man, where she looked even smaller and more delicate.
Gu Yijia subconsciously wanted to move farther away from him.
The man gave her a faint look, and his gaze moved with her slightly shifting figure.
At this moment, Jiang Jinwang, who had been knocked silly from the fall, jumped up from the ground and shouted in羞 anger, “Who are you? What are you doing!?”
Being suddenly grabbed by the shoulders and flung out to fall like that, no man would be happy.
It was just that when he met that man’s highly oppressive gaze, he inevitably felt a little weak.
Seeing Gu Yijia beside him, Jiang Jinwang also felt that being frightened like this made him lose face, and he grew even more angry. He said sharply, “Even if you are a Liberation Army comrade, you can’t just lay hands on someone in the street, can you?”
Before the man could speak, a public security officer in his thirties came over with a young man.
“What happened?”
The older public security officer first glanced at the man in uniform, then looked toward Jiang Jinwang and Gu Yijia. When he saw Gu Yijia, he could not help but pause for a moment, then quickly moved his gaze away as if nothing had happened.
As for the young public security officer, he was dazzled by Gu Yijia’s face for a moment, then felt it was improper and hurriedly withdrew his gaze.
The commotion here also drew the attention of many people on the street, and they all stopped in their tracks to look over.
At this moment, the man in uniform spoke. His voice was like the aura around him, especially cold, with not a trace of extra emotion. “He sexually harassed this female comrade!”
Who? Who was sexually harassing someone?
The two public security officers subconsciously looked at Jiang Jinwang, then at Gu Yijia, and immediately understood.
The young public security officer thought that with a female comrade as good-looking as this, it was no wonder she would attract some men with twisted intentions to sexually harass her. Of course, it was not the female comrade’s fault. How a person looked was given by their parents. One could only blame those men for being worse than animals and unable to control themselves.
At once, the young public security officer stepped forward, grabbed Jiang Jinwang’s hand, and yanked him farther away. He said with a cold snort, “Sexually harassing someone, huh? I’ll let you do enough of that in prison!”
He hated men who sexually harassed other people’s girls the most, and if he saw one, he would catch one.
Jiang Jinwang said furiously, “I did not sexually harass anyone! Do you know who I am? Let go of me right now!”
The young public security officer was full of blood and vigor, feeling that he was doing a righteous thing. How could he care who Jiang Jinwang was?
“I don’t care who you are. Sexual harassment is just wrong!” Saying that, he was about to escort Jiang Jinwang back to the public security bureau.
Jiang Jinwang realized that this young public security officer was simply a hotheaded fool, and in his desperation, he blurted out, “I did not sexually harass anyone. This is my girlfriend!”
Hearing this, the four men present all looked toward Gu Yijia.
The two public security officers had questioning expressions, the man in uniform was expressionless, and Jiang Jinwang looked full of hope, believing that Gu Yijia would not be so heartless as to really let him be taken away by the public security officers on a charge of indecent assault.
Gu Yijia’s face was pale, and she looked extremely fragile. Leaning against the bus stop sign, she said weakly, “I’m not his girlfriend. I’m not familiar with him. I’ve only met him a few times…”
She silently lowered her head, looking fearful and embarrassed.
People in the world all have a sympathetic instinct toward the weak. Just by looking at her like this, the surrounding crowd had already filled in the picture of a beautiful girl being harassed, and quite a few accusing looks immediately turned toward Jiang Jinwang.
“This male comrade looks quite decent. How could he do something like this?”
“That’s right. The female comrade already said she’s not familiar with him, and he still sexually harassed her in broad daylight.”
“This little girl is really beautiful. You can’t exactly blame this male comrade for doing such a thing… but sexual harassment is indeed wrong. If you meet a pretty female comrade you know and just sexually harass her, how would those female comrades even dare to go out?”
“Tch, you can’t tell what a person is like from their face. Who knows how filthy these respectable people are on the inside.”
…
The crowd watching pointed and criticized, and Jiang Jinwang’s face turned green and white as he listened.
Of course, what hit him hardest was Gu Yijia’s words.
He was shocked and angry, and did not want to be taken away by the public security officers in front of so many people, so he hurriedly said, “Comrade Gu, I really did not sexually harass you! I sincerely want to marry you. If you are not satisfied with the betrothal gift, we can still discuss it. Is one thousand enough…”
Hearing his words, the people around could not help looking toward Gu Yijia, thinking that she was dissatisfied with the betrothal gift and unwilling to marry this male comrade.
Whether Jiang Jinwang said this on purpose or not, instantly, both public security officers developed a sense of disgust.
Was he not putting that girl on the fire to roast? How would others look at her? Could it be that she really would not marry because she was dissatisfied with the betrothal gift? Or even falsely accuse him of sexual harassment?
Gu Yijia’s face grew even paler, looking as if she were about to faint from anger.
With indignation, she said, “It’s not the betrothal gift. I’m really not familiar with you, and I don’t want to marry you either! Who decided that after only meeting once, I have to agree to marry you? I already refused the matchmaker’s proposal, and my family didn’t agree either. I hope Director Jiang won’t keep saying things like this that make people misunderstand, and also won’t lay hands on me again!”
As she spoke, her body swayed, making the people around her tremble with fear.
Was this female comrade about to faint from anger?
Anyone with eyes could tell that her health was not good. Not only was her figure too slender, even her face did not have the rosy health and vitality that girls of the era usually had.
Her complexion was pale, her lips very light, which made her black brows and eyes seem even more ink-dark, like a painting. The whole person looked like a white porcelain doll, exquisite and fragile.
The suspicious looks from the crowd could not help withdrawing.
Since the female comrade herself had said so, there should be no mistake. Moreover, just now someone had indeed seen that the male comrade had been the first to lay hands on the girl.
The young public security officer was furious in his heart. Seeing Gu Yijia like this, he was even worried that she might not be able to take it and collapse.
So he would not let Jiang Jinwang ramble on any longer and directly grabbed him. “Come, follow us to the public security bureau!”
Jiang Jinwang naturally refused to go, but he was just an office worker who lacked exercise, so how could he be the opponent of this young man who often patrolled and trained? He was easily dragged away by the young public security officer.
Seeing Jiang Jinwang being taken away by the young public security officer, the surrounding crowd also dispersed on its own.
Only the older public security officer and the man in uniform remained at the scene, along with Gu Yijia leaning against the bus stop sign.
The older public security officer said concernedly, “Little sister of the Gu family, are you all right?”
Gu Yijia gave him a weak smile. “Thank you, Bureau Chief Wei. I’m fine.”
She held onto the bus stop sign. Although she looked weak, she actually did not seem like she was about to faint.
At the commune brigade, when dealing with those troublemakers, she could just faint directly. The effect was better than stepping in herself; however, in this county town, surrounded by strangers, fainting was actually the worse choice. She still knew in her heart when to do what.
This older public security officer had the surname Wei. He was the director of the county public security bureau, and also an old comrade-in-arms of Gu Mingcheng. Later, due to injury, he stepped down and chose to transfer to civilian work. Two years ago, he was transferred here from the provincial capital and became the director of the county public security bureau.
When Gu Mingcheng had returned home to visit relatives before, he had brought his wife, daughter, and younger sister to visit Bureau Chief Wei. Gu Yijia had met him once before.
Bureau Chief Wei felt that she did not look fine at all.
He had also heard from Gu Mingcheng about the health of this younger sister of his comrade. It was said that when she was little, she took more medicine than she ate food, and living to this day was truly not easy.
He had not expected to meet her on the street today, and she had just happened to be harassed by someone. If Gu Mingcheng knew about this, he would probably explode with anger.
Thinking of this, Bureau Chief Wei secretly decided that no matter who that guy was just now, since he had fallen into his hands, he could not be allowed to have an easy time.
Nothing else aside, sexually harassing a female comrade was just wrong.
Bureau Chief Wei said, “Little Gu, do you want to go to my house and rest for a while? Your sister-in-law is at home.”
Gu Yijia said gratefully, “No need. I still have to go to the department store to buy some things, so I won’t trouble Bureau Chief Wei and sister-in-law.”
Seeing her insistence, Bureau Chief Wei did not say anything more, only saying that if she felt unwell, she must go to the public security bureau or his home to find him.
After thanking Bureau Chief Wei, Gu Yijia finally looked properly at the man standing beside him.
“Comrade, thank you just now.” She said very sincerely.
The man lowered his eyes to look at her pale face, his gaze deep. He said, “No need to be polite.”
Just then the bus arrived. Gu Yijia hurriedly said, “Bureau Chief Wei, the bus is here. I’m leaving first.”
She quickly got on the bus, then turned back and looked at them again, waving goodbye to them as the hem of her skirt disappeared by the bus door.
The two of them still stood there, watching her get on the bus.
Through the bus window, Gu Yijia subconsciously looked again at the tall man in the green military uniform by the street. She suddenly met his dark, cold gaze, and her heart gave a slight tremor.
Although this comrade soldier was good-looking, the aura around him was simply too fierce. He was like an iron-blooded, cold machine that had fought its way out of war and fire. That smoke-and-gunpowder atmosphere seemed as if it had been soaked in blood and battle, making people not dare to look straight at him.
However, without question, a soldier like this was also worthy of respect.
It was precisely because of people like them, silently guarding their country in places unknown to others and carrying heavy burdens forward, that the common people could have the peaceful life they had now.
Watching the bus disappear ahead on the street, Bureau Chief Wei turned to look at the tall man beside him and smiled. “Feng Lin, long time no see! When did you come to Nanhua County?”
Feng Lin’s cold expression softened a little. He said in a deep voice, “On a mission.”
Hearing this, Bureau Chief Wei tactfully did not ask further and changed the topic. “That matter just now, thanks to you. Otherwise, Old Gu’s sister would have been bullied by someone.”
Feng Lin’s eyes moved slightly as he asked casually, “She’s Old Gu’s younger sister?”
“It’s her!” Bureau Chief Wei said with a smile. “You’ve heard Old Gu mention her too, right? Isn’t it surprising? We all know Old Gu has a very treasured younger sister, but who would have thought she’d be so beautiful. My wife says she’s like a fairy from the sky, right?”
His wife had even muttered that maybe because she was a fairy from the sky, the mortal world could not contain her, and she would eventually have to be taken back.
Feng Lin did not say anything. He went with him to the public security bureau and, as he walked, said, “Old Gu knew I’d be passing through here on this trip south and asked me to bring some things to his family.”
“Oh, I see. Leave them with me. I’ll help you deliver them.” Bureau Chief Wei said considerately.
He knew what kind of person Feng Lin was, like a killing machine, with no private feelings in his heart, only the army and the battlefield. He did not put anything else at all in his heart.
Asking him to help deliver things for someone was actually making things difficult for him.
Hearing him specially bring this up, Bureau Chief Wei thought that he wanted to hand the things to him and have him help deliver them.
Who knew Feng Lin would say, “No need. There aren’t many things. I’ll just go myself.”
Bureau Chief Wei: ?????
Bureau Chief Wei looked at him in astonishment, suspecting that he had changed personality.
Before he could speculate, he heard Feng Lin say, “As for that person just now, no matter what his identity is, check him thoroughly.”
The implication was that if it was found he had done anything illegal or disorderly, he absolutely could not be let off.
Bureau Chief Wei understood what he meant. “Of course. I’m not afraid of those people from the committee… Old Gu’s younger sister is my younger sister too. She absolutely cannot be let off easily.” Then he clicked his tongue again. “I’m afraid Old Gu still doesn’t know that there’s actually a man who wants to marry his younger sister. If he knew…”
At this point, he shook his head again.
Old Gu had once told him that with his younger sister’s body like this, she was not suited to marriage.
Because no man would be willing to marry a girl who was frail and sickly and might die of illness at any time. Perhaps because of Gu Yijia’s good looks, there really might be men willing to marry her, but marrying her did not mean they would treat her well.
It would be better not to let his younger sister marry at all, and for him to support her for life.
Looking at that man just now, it was obvious he had taken a fancy to Gu Yijia’s beauty. I’m afraid once he got her in hand, he would not treasure her properly.
Feng Lin said nothing. His gaze stayed fixed ahead, his eyes extremely dark and heavy, like a wolf lying in wait in the dark, ready to pounce viciously on its enemy at any moment and fight.
Bureau Chief Wei was also used to his manner and quickly changed the subject.
After Gu Yijia arrived at the department store, she found a place to sit and rest.
After waiting for about half an hour, Huang Pingping finally arrived.
“Jiajia, sorry to keep you waiting, right?” she said apologetically, first looking at Gu Yijia’s face. Her spirits seemed fairly good, and she immediately felt relieved.
Gu Yijia shook her head. Knowing that they were doing work for the commune, naturally they could not rush. She smiled and said, “Sister Pingping, let’s go buy things.”
Huang Pingping answered with a good and pulled her into the department store together.
Upon arriving at the department store, Gu Yijia looked around without blinking, finding everything novel.
Although she had the original owner’s memories, memories were only memories. How could they compare to experiencing it herself?
The department stores of this era naturally could not compare with later supermarkets. It only had three floors. Even on a workday, there were still quite a lot of people. Looking all around, the goods were dazzling and abundant, making one dizzy just from looking.
Gu Yijia tried hard not to act like someone who had never seen the world before, and asked, “Sister Pingping, what do you want to buy?”
Huang Pingping said, “First buy some cloth, then buy a thermos, and also a pair of leather shoes…”
As she spoke, Gu Yijia noticed something and could not help looking at her.
Huang Pingping felt embarrassed under her gaze and said softly, “Jiajia, in a few days I’m going on a blind date. If it goes smoothly, I should get married by the end of the year.”
Gu Yijia widened her eyes and asked in surprise, “Who is it? Do I know him?”
Huang Pingping shook her head. “You don’t know him. He’s a technical worker from the provincial machinery factory. Last month, when I came to the county town for study, I met him teaching in the study class, and I felt that we got along well…”
Gu Yijia said oh, “So the two of you already have mutual feelings and are just missing the blind date process, right?”
Huang Pingping nodded shyly.
Used to Huang Pingping’s usual image of being sharp and capable like an older sister, seeing this rare girlish shyness from her, Gu Yijia felt fresh as well as emotional.
Actually, Huang Pingping was not old. This year she was only twenty-two.
But in the eyes of rural people accustomed to early marriage, she was already an old maid.
Although Granny Huang had come from the old times, she was an elder who had insight and was open-minded. She never had any demands regarding her children’s marriages, nor did she urge them. As long as they took a liking to each other and the other party had no problems with their character, she would happily accept it.
It was precisely because of such a grandmother that Huang Pingping was able to grow up so outstanding.
Huang Pingping was the commune’s scorekeeper and also a middle school graduate, so whenever the commune had anything to do, they would send her out. That was also because she was meticulous in her work and strong in ability, which was why she could secure it.
Girls as capable as Huang Pingping were wanted by quite a few young men in the commune, and many elders also regarded her as the ideal daughter-in-law.
But Huang Pingping had never been in a hurry to marry. First, she had not met anyone she fancied; second, she preferred her current life and did not want, after marriage, to be busy serving her husband’s family’s old and young. She was unwilling to live such a life where the end could be seen at a glance.
Although wives in this era were all like this, Huang Pingping was someone with her own ideas and did not like it.
Gu Yijia first accompanied Huang Pingping to buy her things.
Because the target was clear, the shopping went quickly as well. In less than half an hour, Huang Pingping’s things had already been bought in full.
“Jiajia, what do you want to buy?” Huang Pingping asked while carrying big bags and small bundles.
Actually, Gu Yijia had come to the county town today with another purpose, and buying things was secondary.
Besides sending things to her brother, she also wanted to see whether she could run into Jiang Jinwang and then make him look bad, making him give up the idea of marrying her.
This method was also very simple. Just like just now, shout sexual harassment in the street and make him lose face.
Although she had only met him twice, Gu Yijia could already tell from Jiang Jinwang’s manner and behavior that he was a vain man, and also someone who held himself in high regard and had a bit of arrogance.
Otherwise, when someone came to propose on his behalf, he would not have shown up in person. He probably thought that she, this country woman, had no experience, and as long as he sent someone, they ignorant country people would eagerly agree.
Even if they refused, it would be because they wanted to raise the betrothal gift.
Even if Jiang Jinwang took a fancy to her face, in essence he still regarded her as an uneducated country woman and did not really respect her.
With such an unequal relationship, Gu Yijia could imagine that if the original owner really had no choice but to marry him, she would probably still not live more than a few years.
Gu Yijia’s purpose in coming to the county town had already been achieved, and there was not much she needed to buy.
She casually bought some candy and also bought a pair of rain boots for her sister-in-law and Baoshan.
Spring and autumn in the Nanhua County area were both rainy seasons. Her sister-in-law and Baoshan had to go to school, and their shoes would always get wet. It was better to buy them a pair of shoes in advance so they would not have to rush around buying them later.
The money for the shoes was something the original owner had earned before.
The original owner ate and lived at home and did not spend much money. Even the medical expenses for seeing a doctor were paid by her brother and sister-in-law, and the money she earned from making clothes for others had all been saved up. It was quite a lot, actually, amounting to several dozen yuan.
After buying the things, the two of them went to the state-run restaurant to eat.
It happened to be mealtime, and the state-run restaurant had many people. Just as someone who had finished eating was leaving, Huang Pingping cleverly went to claim a seat, first putting the things on the seat, then arranging Gu Yijia properly, and then rolled up her sleeves.
“Jiajia, what do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it.”
Gu Yijia looked at her as if she were going to the battlefield, and could not help wanting to laugh. However, seeing the crowded situation over there, she also knew that this kind of time really was like going to the battlefield.
“I’ll eat whatever Sister Pingping eats. I’m not picky,” Gu Yijia said.
Her voice was soft and gentle, containing a certain special tone, as if it had been nourished by the water towns of the south of the Yangtze River. It was especially pleasing to the ear.
Even though Huang Pingping was used to hearing it, she still could not help feeling a slight stir in her heart.
She glared at the men around who were looking over, and said, “Then I’ll go order a bowl of cold mixed rice noodles for the two of us to eat together. It’s hot weather, so cold mixed rice noodles are best. I’ll also get you a serving of duck blood soup.”
The duck blood soup was to replenish Gu Yijia’s blood.
Gu Yijia nodded.
The food at the state-run restaurant in this era was indeed very good, and the portions were generous.
When a bowl of cold mixed rice noodles and a large bowl of duck blood soup were brought over, Gu Yijia knew that one bowl of cold mixed rice noodles really was enough for two girls.
Huang Pingping specially asked for another clean bowl and divided the rice noodles into two portions.
“Sister Pingping, that’s enough, I can’t eat that much,” Gu Yijia hurriedly said.
She really did not eat much. Her body was not good, and her appetite was small, so she ate like a kitten.
In the past she ate even less. Recently her body had improved a lot, and her appetite had finally grown somewhat, but compared with other people, it was still ridiculously small.
Huang Pingping had no choice but to take some back out of her bowl. Seeing that she still said she could not finish it, she took some more.
In the end, there was not much rice noodle left in Gu Yijia’s bowl.
Gu Yijia smiled and said, “There’s still duck blood soup. The duck blood soup here is pretty good.” Actually, she felt that just drinking the soup would be enough to fill her up.
Huang Pingping glanced at her beautiful face, then at her slender body, and muttered, “Eating so little, no wonder you’re so skinny.”
However… this chest is not skinny.
Huang Pingping felt a little envious in her heart. Women, aside from looks, do care quite a bit about certain things.
By the time they got home, it was already afternoon.
The weather was hot, and people were also prone to fatigue. Gu Yijia only felt exhausted to the point of not being able to go on. Her eyes were dim, and even her feet felt as if they were floating.
Sure enough, although this body had been nursed to some improvement recently, it still could not bear too much fatigue. Once it got overly tired, it would start to spin around, ready to collapse at any moment.
Huang Pingping quickly put down the things and personally sent her and Baohua home. Only after watching Gu Yijia wash her face clean, change into clean clothes, and lie down on the bed to rest did she leave, still uneasy.
Before leaving, she also reminded Baohua, “If anything seems wrong with your little aunt, come find me.”
Baohua nodded. She moved a stool and sat in front of her little aunt’s room, stuffed a piece of candy into her mouth, and quietly listened to the cicadas in the trees outside calling nonstop.
Gu Yijia slept until the sky turned dark.
When she woke up, Chen Aifang and her son had already come back. They had even eaten dinner, and the dinner left for her was sitting in the pot.
Chen Aifang carefully looked at her tired face and asked worriedly, “Jiajia, are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” Gu Yijia forced a smile at her. “Sister-in-law, I feel like my body has gotten much better recently. Look, I ran around outside for most of the day today, and after coming back I’m only a little tired, not fainting. That proves I’m improving.”
Chen Aifang’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Gu Yijia practically wanted to swear an oath so she would believe her.
Chen Aifang believed it too, and was overjoyed. She silently hoped that the little sister-in-law’s body would get better, and even if it could not be as healthy as a normal person’s, it should at least not be like before, where she would faint or get sick at the drop of a hat.
After dinner, Gu Yijia thought it over and told her sister-in-law about meeting Jiang Jinwang in the street today.
“What?” Chen Aifang was furious. “He actually dared to come harass you?”
This was what she could least tolerate. Her little sister-in-law had already clearly rejected Jiang Jinwang, and this matter should have come to an end. Anyone with face would understand that it was best not to keep entangling with no purpose, so as to avoid making both sides ugly. More importantly, with Jiang Jinwang’s status, what kind of girl could he not find? There was no need to relentlessly cling to a woman who had rejected him several times.
Gu Yijia coughed lightly and, looking innocent, told her the aftermath.
Chen Aifang: “…”
Chen Aifang stared dumbfounded at her little sister-in-law, not expecting that she would do this, yelling sexual harasser in the street and having the public security officers take Jiang Jinwang away.
Then she said, “Good job!”
If anyone dared to harass her little sister-in-law, being detained by the public security officers would already count as a light outcome. If she had been there at the time, she would have directly slapped him. But such violent behavior could be done by herself. Her little sister-in-law’s frail body could not do it.
A slightly embarrassed smile appeared on Gu Yijia’s face. “Actually, I was terrified at the time. Luckily Bureau Chief Wei appeared with the public security officers… and there was also a soldier comrade. It was he who helped steady me at the time, so I didn’t fall.”
Actually, the moment she shouted “sexual harasser,” she had already been prepared for Jiang Jinwang to fly into a rage and make a move.
When she was about to fall, she was also mentally prepared. At worst, she would just faint directly and make Jiang Jinwang’s charge of sexual harassment even more concrete.
In this era, sexual harassment was a very serious crime.
After hearing this, Chen Aifang was very grateful. “Another day when we have time, let’s go to Bureau Chief Wei and thank him, and also that soldier comrade… It’s a pity we don’t know who he is. If we ever meet him later, we should also properly thank him.”
Gu Yijia nodded. That was how it should be.
However, judging from that soldier comrade’s attitude, he probably had not taken this matter to heart, right?
After dinner, Gu Yijia sat for a while, then went to wash up and sleep.
Although she had slept for several hours in the afternoon, she still felt utterly exhausted, as if her body were warning her not to keep tossing herself around.
She lay in bed, and not long after, her consciousness sank into darkness.
This sleep still was not peaceful. In the middle of the night, Gu Yijia felt so tight-chested that she could not breathe properly, and she woke up coughing.
After her body eased up, she fell back into a groggy sleep.
When she woke again, the sky outside was already bright.
Gu Yijia woke up coughing, fumbled to get out of bed, picked up the thermos on the table, and poured herself a cup of warm water to moisten her throat, only then suppressing the dryness in her throat.
Her head was dizzy and hazy, and her awareness was still somewhat unclear. Gu Yijia sat for quite a while before finally becoming a bit more awake.
Every day when she got up, she had to sit blankly like this for a long time, as if only then did her body truly belong to her.
Gu Yijia sighed. She had crossed over more than two months ago already, and two months was still too short.
She did not know when this body would be nursed back to being a little better.
She even worried somewhat whether she could get her body well again.
Thinking that she might have to live dragging this sickly body until the day she died, Gu Yijia felt that the future was bleak and wanted to slack off again.
Only after having experienced a healthy body in the past did one know how precious health was. It was something one would not even change for peerless beauty.
“Little aunt, are you awake?” Baohua’s voice sounded from outside.
Gu Yijia answered, “Awake.”
After breakfast, Gu Yijia’s spirits finally improved a little. Although she still felt somewhat unwell, she did not want to interrupt her daily exercise, so she picked up an umbrella and prepared to go out for a walk.
All the way, she slowly walked to the old peach tree at the village entrance. Just as Gu Yijia sat down, she heard children’s cheers.
“A car is coming over.”
“What a grand car!”
“That car looks so good!”
“…”
The elderly people under the old peach tree all turned their heads to look. They found that it was a military jeep.
Although Nanshan Commune was not far from the county town, it was very rare for such a grand car to drive over. For a moment, quite a few people leaned out to look, not knowing what kind of person had come.
The car drove in and stopped in the open space by the village entrance.
The village roads were not suitable for driving farther in.
Then the car door opened. First came a pair of long legs wrapped in green military trousers, then a narrow but powerful waist, and finally a broad chest…
By the time the person in the car got out, everyone was staring blankly at him.
This was a very handsome man, but his aura was too strong. Just standing there, he intimidated everyone. Even the children were frightened into not daring to make a sound, secretly hiding behind the adults.
The man glanced around, his eyes passing through the crowd and landing on Gu Yijia, who was sitting among a group of grandfathers and grandmothers and was especially eye-catching.
The summer sunlight passed through the dense treetops, leaving only dancing specks of light, which fell lightly on her.
The girl sitting under the peach tree was so beautiful she seemed to glow. Her porcelain-white skin and delicate features made her look like a jade doll, completely out of place with the surrounding villagers, like a fairy who had strayed into the mortal world.
Gu Yijia was also a little surprised. She had not expected to see him here.
She stared blankly at him until the man strode over with his long legs and stopped in front of her, and only then did she belatedly realize that this soldier comrade seemed to have come looking for her.
Could it be about Jiang Jinwang’s matter?
Gu Yijia was muddle-headedly thinking this, until the other party spoke. “Comrade Gu, my name is Feng Lin. I am your brother Gu Mingcheng’s comrade-in-arms. He asked me to bring some things to you all.”
Hearing this, Gu Yijia instantly came to her senses and understood, her eyes widening.
He was actually her brother’s comrade-in-arms?
The people around also reacted. Their gaze toward him instantly became very warm. “So you’re Mingcheng’s comrade-in-arms!”
“This young man is really good-looking!”
“Who knows whether he’s married or not.”
“Oh dear, hurry and go notify the brigade leader!”
“…”
While speaking, someone had already run off to find the brigade leader.
These simple villagers naturally had a warmth and reverence for soldiers. Not to mention that this one had come driving a car, so his status must be unusual, otherwise he could not afford to drive such a car.
So they became even more reverent and subconsciously wanted to call the brigade leader over.
The brigade leader happened to be nearby and came very quickly.
Upon learning that this was Gu Mingcheng’s comrade-in-arms, he could hardly wait to drag the man home immediately and treat him well, so that the other side could feel their brigade’s hospitality.
Feng Lin politely refused, “No need. I’m here to deliver things. I’ll leave after I’m done.”
The brigade leader showed disappointment, but did not insist. He said to Gu Yijia, “Jiajia, make sure to properly entertain this soldier comrade.”
Gu Yijia blinked and nodded. “Okay.”
Baohua ran over, took Gu Yijia’s hand, and looked up at Feng Lin.
Although the iron-and-blood aura around Feng Lin was too frightening, after shrinking a little, the little girl still mustered her courage to look at him.
Because her father was a soldier, she had a natural fondness for soldiers. After knowing that the uncle in front of her, who looked very fierce, was a soldier, she was no longer afraid at all.
Baohua asked, “Soldier uncle, are you really my dad’s comrade-in-arms?”
Feng Lin lowered his head to look at the little girl and gave a slight nod. “Yes. Hello.”
Baohua’s face lit up with joy, and she said brightly, “Hello, uncle. My name is Gu Zhimo, and my nickname is Baohua. You can also call me Baohua.”
Feng Lin nodded very seriously. “Comrade Gu Zhimo, hello.”
Watching the conversation between the big and the small, Gu Yijia suddenly felt that this man did not seem as fierce as he looked on the outside. She lightly coughed and said, “Comrade Feng, come back home with me first.”
Since someone had come such a long way to deliver things, they should at least be invited in for a cup of water and a rest.
Feng Lin nodded, turned and walked toward the car, took quite a few things out of the trunk, and then walked back in front of Gu Yijia. “We can go.”
Gu Yijia held Baohua’s hand, held up an umbrella, and led Feng Lin back home.
Feng Lin had long legs, one step equaled three or four of theirs. After walking for a while, realizing something, he slowed his pace.
Gu Yijia secretly glanced at him, sighing that this soldier comrade, just with this appearance alone, was practically the ideal male god. Add that iron-blooded smoke-and-gunpowder aura on top, and he was even more the man among men.
The soldiers of this era were truly reliable and inspiring.
Baohua was a child who never kept her mouth idle. Along the way, she kept talking to Soldier Uncle, her little mouth babbling nonstop.
“Uncle Feng, is my dad okay now?”
“Okay!”
“Uncle Feng, my brother is called Gu Zhiyan, and his nickname is Baoshan. You can call him Baoshan.”
“Okay.”
“Uncle Feng, you’re so tall, just like my dad. Mom and brother said my dad is this tall…”
“…”
At this point, even Gu Yijia could not help glancing at Baohua, secretly thinking that this Uncle Feng was a little taller than your dad if her memory was correct.
Even if her memory were wrong, based on her memories of her brother in her past life, it would definitely not be wrong.
In both lifetimes, her brother was called Gu Mingcheng, and she knew better than anyone how tall Gu Mingcheng was.
Amid Baohua’s nonstop chatter all the way, although Gu Yijia did not speak with Feng Lin, the atmosphere did not feel awkward.
When they got near the house, they met quite a few people, especially those aunts. It was rare to see such a handsome soldier comrade, and their eyes instantly lit up.
“Jiajia, this soldier comrade is…”
Baohua loudly said, “Uncle Feng is my dad’s comrade-in-arms!”
“Oh, oh, oh, so he’s Mingcheng’s comrade-in-arms! This soldier comrade came this time…”
“He’s here to deliver things to us. Dad asked Soldier Uncle to bring things for us.” Baohua said proudly, her face full of joy as she shared her father’s love with them.
The aunts looked enviously at the things in the soldier comrade’s hands. Some were in bags, so one could not tell what they were, but they could still recognize the can of malted milk.
They already knew that Gu Mingcheng was capable and often had people send back things from the provincial capital, so that did not need to be said.
The aunts’ gazes shifted to the soldier comrade, and the more they looked, the more satisfied they became.
If they had not just met him, they would have been dying to ask this soldier comrade whether he was married.
This soldier comrade looked quite young. He should not be married, right? If they introduced him to someone, would he be willing? Their daughter/niece/niece by marriage was beautiful and capable, and would suit this soldier comrade very well.
How could Gu Yijia not see the matchmaking intentions of these aunts?
There were not many people from the surrounding villages in Nanshan Commune who served in the army. One Gu Mingcheng was enough to make these people feel that being a soldier was very promising, and they all wanted to find a military son-in-law.
This soldier comrade was her brother Gu Mingcheng’s comrade-in-arms. Presumably, his position in the army should not be low, right?