Chapter 156: Chapter 156: The Old Grandma Who Always Waited in Front of the Store for Her
Suddenly, Gu Qiaoqiao stood up, holding tightly onto the book, gritting her teeth, her eyes squinting dangerously.
There were no ifs, in her life, no more ifs!
Gu Qiaoqiao spent an entire evening writing a very sunny and bright reflection on her reading.
The insights were genuine, so was the admiration.
Although some opinions were hard to agree with, they could only be buried in her heart.
The book was indeed not read in vain.
Gu Qiaoqiao did learn something.
Though she had always felt that the only reliable thing in this world, which would never betray her, was herself.
But recent events had caused Gu Qiaoqiao to change her view.
In life, seeking help and showing weaknesses appropriately were not signs of incompetence and cowardice, but means to live better.
Moreover, most importantly, she definitely should not confine herself within a boundary she deemed safe.
Sometimes, friends were also an indispensable presence.
Of course, Gu Qiaoqiao did not want to ponder too much on other things. She was not a student, nor did she need to analyze paragraphs for their main ideas.
Being able to write a reflection was already quite an achievement.
At that time, Qin Yize still had not returned.
So it seemed, what Qin Yize had said was all true.
Being his wife was not so easy.
She could only blame her own delusion at the beginning.
In fact, strictly speaking, Qin Yize was also innocent. If it were not for her, perhaps Qin Yize would be even more carefree than he is now.
He was an heir to the prestigious Qin Family from the Imperial Capital, in charge of such a huge base, holding vast, unreachable resources in his hands, and he was sufficiently outstanding…
Gu Qiaoqiao’s lips curved into a bitter smile, then she stopped her wandering thoughts and went to wash up for bed.
Because she and Du Shuang had agreed to go to the county town the next day to buy some cooking essentials.
As for household supplies, there were plenty at Gu Qiaoqiao’s house, enough to last a year.
The next morning, Gu Qiaoqiao and Du Shuang followed the logistic vehicle of the base to the county town.
Her relationship with Du Shuang was the best at the moment.
She got along well with the others too.
Often, human nature was such that if you chose to be a soft persimmon, there would definitely be someone reaching out to pinch you.
If you became a hard piece of jade, then they would not dare to pinch you carelessly.
Take Zhang Yali, for example.
She did not dare to gossip about her behind her back.
When they saw Gu Qiaoqiao, they were all very polite.
Now several family members were sitting in the back of the Liberation truck, chatting and laughing.
They soon arrived at the county town.
Their first destination was still the grocery store.
Gu Qiaoqiao followed behind Du Shuang and got off the vehicle.
Just as she steadied herself, she heard an old and surprised voice in front saying, “Girl… girl, I’ve… waited for you…”
Gu Qiaoqiao was stunned.
Following the voice, she saw an old lady with a walking stick, squinting her eyes at her, then hurriedly walking toward her.
At first, Gu Qiaoqiao was a bit dazed, but she quickly remembered.
It was that old lady who had grabbed the wooden doll from the child, not very clear-headed, but today she seemed much more alert.
Still, her squinting eyes were a bit cloudy, and her gaze still dull.
The other family members were all watching Gu Qiaoqiao.
Du Shuang quickly asked Gu Qiaoqiao what was going on.
Gu Qiaoqiao briefly explained the incident from that day to Du Shuang, and Du Shuang suddenly understood, looking at the approaching old lady, she said, “This old lady must have mistaken you for someone else.”
“Maybe you’re right. Sister-in-law, why don’t you go ahead inside.” Gu Qiaoqiao said as she walked toward the elderly woman.
Du Shuang nodded. “Be careful not to get too involved and unable to extricate yourself.”
“Don’t worry, her daughter will come to find her soon.”
“That would be best. I’ll go in and do the shopping first, but hurry up!” Du Shuang advised with concern.
Gu Qiaoqiao smiled and by then had reached the elderly woman. She was just about to speak when the old woman began again, “I… recognize you, but Niuniu told me I shouldn’t… recognize you, so I’ve been waiting here, wanting to ask… girl, do you recognize me?”
The elderly lady spoke much more fluently today.
Gu Qiaoqiao looked up at the blazing sun in the deep blue sky and quickly assisted the elderly woman toward the shaded area by the shop.
It was much cooler there.
Helping the elderly woman sit on the concrete steps, Gu Qiaoqiao squatted down and looked at her carefully, confirming she had never met her in this lifetime or any previous one,
then she smiled and said, “Granny, I don’t recognize you. Today is only our second encounter.”
The old lady opened her mouth, examining Gu Qiaoqiao carefully, and murmured, “You resemble someone…”
“Who do I resemble?” Gu Qiaoqiao asked curiously.
The old lady squinted her eyes, seeming to think seriously.
After a long while, she shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Indeed, she was confused.
“Granny, do you know where your home is? Let me take you back, it’s quite hot today, and it’s not good for you to be outside.”
“I’m not going back, I recognize you…”
The elderly woman stubbornly muttered, her voice low, but Gu Qiaoqiao still heard her.
She helplessly stood up, looking around, not seeing the woman named Niuniu anywhere.
Perhaps she hadn’t arrived yet?
“Granny, where’s your daughter Niuniu?”
At the mention of Niuniu, the old woman’s eyes brightened, then she suddenly said, “Niuniu said she would come to pick me up at noon…”
It was still morning.
Gu Qiaoqiao was a bit worried.
Could she just leave?
But she really didn’t recognize her.
And she certainly couldn’t wait until noon.
Because the base’s truck was leaving soon.
At that moment, a woman hurried over and said to the old lady, “Grandma Yu, your daughter has been beaten, her leg is broken, and she’s lying at home right now—you should go home and see her!”
The elderly woman visibly froze and seemed utterly baffled, just staring with her mouth open at the woman in front of her.
The woman, about forty years old, wore lipstick and had thick face powder on her face.
There was no foundation for sale here, and young women wore face powder like flour, known here as “face powder.”
She wore a scarf and sunglasses.
Seeing the old lady’s lack of response, she shrugged, “Anyway, I’ve relayed the message. Even if you stay here till dusk, your daughter won’t be able to come fetch you.”
With that, she glanced at Gu Qiaoqiao and walked away.
This time, Grandma Yu understood and hurriedly stood up, leaning on her cane and heading in the opposite direction on the left.
She walked very fast.
Not paying attention to avoiding people or cars, she just stumbled forward, muttering, “Niuniu, Niuniu…”
Gu Qiaoqiao hesitated for a moment, it was too late to inform Du Shuang now, so she just gritted her teeth and chased after her.
Since the day they parted, Grandma Yu might have been coming here every day, waiting for her.
If she let her go back alone, Gu Qiaoqiao felt sure she wouldn’t be at peace.
She took hold of Grandma Yu’s arm and asked, “Grandma Yu, do you know where your home is?”