Chapter 124 - 114: Get It Done
Chapter 124: Chapter 114: Get It Done
East Wind Restaurant—a name very typical of the times.
It was quite spacious; the main hall was about two hundred square meters. There were no luxurious decorations, just whitewashed walls and cement floors, keeping the environment clean and bright. A dozen or so round tables were laid out, and in the very center was the counter where you ordered and picked up your food. Along the walls on both sides, two "VIP booths" were partitioned off with light blue fabric screens. The Gu brothers had taken one of them.
After ordering a table full of dishes, Gu Shaojun placed a few of the most tender morsels of chicken, duck, and fish into Zheng Shaolian’s bowl. With a perfectly straight face, he said, "Shaolian, this is your favorite. This is your favorite, too. And this one... eat up!"
Zheng Shaolian’s eyes reddened. He bit his lip, holding back his emotions, then snatched up a chicken wing and took a fierce bite.
The other men all lowered their heads. Gu Shaozhen’s shoulders shook violently with suppressed laughter. Even Gu Shaofeng’s lips twitched, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.
Xiao Man was completely baffled.
She didn’t know that this was something Old Mrs. Gu often said. Over the phone, she had specifically instructed Gu Shaojun and Gu Shaofeng to take good care of their cousin. By repeating their grandmother’s words, Gu Shaojun was showing that he was acting on her behalf, which also served to soothe Zheng Shaolian.
The brothers, Zheng Shaolian and Zheng Shaojin, were the Gu family’s nephews, and more importantly, they were the apple of Old Mrs. Gu’s eye. Gu Shaozhen had actually come from the Capital City on her orders to check on how Zheng Shaolian was doing and whether he was suffering or being mistreated. He had also brought along plenty of supplies for him, from food to daily necessities, all personally prepared by their grandmother.
Zheng Shaolian had provoked Gu Shaofeng, who had tied him up and thrown him into the army. If their grandfather, Mr. Gu, hadn’t stepped in to smooth things over, Gu Shaofeng would never have escaped the wrath of Old Mrs. Gu.
Zheng Shaolian sat to Gu Shaojun’s left and Xiao Man to his right, effectively separating them. Zheng Shaolian couldn’t even put a single piece of food on Xiao Man’s plate. Gu Shaofeng, who wasn’t the type to serve others, sat on Xiao Man’s other side. However, Gu Shaozhen, seated next to Gu Shaofeng, kept reaching past him to add food to Xiao Man’s plate, chirping, "Sister, eat this," and, "Sister, this is delicious!" This infuriated Zheng Shaolian, who could only glare.
Gu Shaofeng didn’t stop him. He could tolerate Gu Shaozhen’s boisterousness, but he couldn’t stand Zheng Shaolian’s fussiness. Seeing Zheng Shaolian puffing up with anger, he remained expressionless, but inwardly, he was quite satisfied.
Zheng Shaolian didn’t dare reach past Gu Shaojun—not because he was afraid of upsetting him, but because Gu Shaojun would simply block his chopsticks.
Gu Shaojun watched Xiao Man quietly serving herself, ignoring the small mountain of food piled on the plate before her. He shot a glance at Gu Shaozhen, who instantly behaved himself and stopped adding more.
After they finished eating, Gu Shaojun said to Gu Shaofeng, "We already sorted out Shaolian’s situation over the phone, but since we’re here, we should still go meet with the people from the military subcommand. Zhen Ting and I can take care of it. You and Qing Wan just arrived at the Provincial Military District yesterday, competed in the tournament this morning, and then rushed all the way here. You’ve used up too much energy. Why don’t you go to the guest house and rest for a bit?"
Gu Shaofeng glanced at Zhang Qingwan and said, "We’re fine. I was the one who asked Qi Yongyuan to get Shaolian stationed here, so if there’s any trouble, I should be the one to talk to him. Don’t you have other things to attend to? You go ahead. We’ll head back to the provincial city in an hour, tops."
Gu Shaojun replied, "It’s nothing urgent. Xuanxuan heard I was coming to Wancheng and asked me to swing by our family home in the compound to pick up a few things for her."
"That’s still something that needs doing. Let’s go. We’ll split up."
Gu Shaofeng was decisive. He gestured for Zhang Qingwan to join him, and the two of them left ahead of the others.
Gu Shaozhen muttered, "Aren’t they going to sort out Shaolian’s issue? Why didn’t they take him along?"
’With this kid around, everything’s a hassle. It’ll be hard to whisk my new sister away now!’
Wei Zhenqing smiled. "It was all sorted out on the phone last night. Shaolian is officially on leave today."
"So boring!" Gu Shaozhen sighed.
Zheng Shaolian gave him a playful punch. "If you want fun, go find it somewhere else! No one asked you to come!"
"Hey! Who do you think I came all this way for? Go take a look at that car full of stuff! You think it was easy for me? Zheng Shaolian, you’re so ungrateful! You deserved to be kicked by our second brother!" Gu Shaozhen was getting angry too.
"I don’t want the stuff, I want money!"
"You’re a soldier now, what do you need money for? Are you planning to desert? There’s nowhere for you to spend money in the barracks!"
"Who says there’s nowhere? I have to provide for my sister!"
Gu Shaozhen was speechless.
Everyone turned to look at Xiao Man. She froze. ’How is this about me again?’
She waved her hands frantically. "Don’t look at me! I’m not his sister. I never agreed to that!"
Zheng Shaolian’s face fell. "Mo Xiaoni, can’t you just play along a little? I’ll give you half of the money I get! It’s a huge score for you. Are you stupid?"
Xiao Man was speechless.
’You’re the stupid one! You just said it out loud in front of them. Who’s going to give you money now?’
Wei Zhenqing snorted with laughter, while Gu Shaojun and Gu Shaozhen were both at a loss for words.
As they walked over to the car, Zheng Shaolian’s face scrunched up as he spoke to Xiao Man. "I can’t go back. I have to stay in this godforsaken place for at least two years. The base is on the outskirts of Wancheng. See that big mountain over there? It’s right at the foot of it. You said you’d come visit me, so don’t you forget!"
Xiao Man nodded, her gaze shifting to Gu Shaojun.
Gu Shaojun was also gazing at Xiao Man.
There was something strange about the girl. At first glance, she just seemed innocent and cute. But on second and third glance, the more he looked, the more familiar she felt—like a childhood toy or a book he had read, one he couldn’t bear to throw away and had sealed at the bottom of a trunk. Finding it again by chance was like meeting an old friend, filling him with an intense feeling of closeness.
’But this was clearly the first time they had ever met. And she was so young, seemingly even younger than Xuanxuan. Why on earth did she give him this strange feeling?’
"Brother Gu, can I have a word with you?"
They were about to part ways, and Xiao Man’s heart ached with reluctance and sorrow. ’We’ll probably meet again,’ she thought, ’but who knows when that will be? It could be forever from now. They’re in big cities, in the army, they’ll even go to battlefields. But I’m stuck here because of my age, growing up slowly in the countryside. It’s not like I can just pack up and go find them whenever I want.’
’So, I have to get it done today!’
Gu Shaojun nodded. "Go ahead."
He followed Xiao Man over to a large banyan tree, only for the other three to trail right behind them.
Xiao Man looked back at them, her gaze full of silent complaint. ’Could you be a little more respectful and give us some privacy?’
Zheng Shaolian glared back. ’That’s my cousin, you know! Are you crazy? Trying to get all friendly with him the second you meet! What are you up to? Besides, you’re just a little kid. What privacy could you possibly have?’
Wei Zhenqing and Gu Shaozhen took two strides over to a concrete block under the tree and sat down, looking around innocently. ’Ah, this spot is so quiet and the air is so nice. We just finished eating. It’s the perfect place to relax!’
Having no other choice, Xiao Man decided to ignore them. She pointed to the concrete block, gesturing for Gu Shaojun to sit.