Chapter 78: Chapter 78 Base Guesthouse
Gu Qiaoqiao’s eyes somewhat dodged, and she also shyly lowered her head.
Almost the entire little face was tucked into the large scarf.
That look once again reminded Qin Yize of that little squirrel.
He thought, Gu Qiaoqiao must have understood at this point.
Well, as long as she understood, that was good.
As for explaining, actually, he was not good at it at all.
The tall man had already walked briskly up to the two of them, first stretching his mouth into a smile.
Then they exchanged punches with their fists.
The punches looked very forceful.
Yet neither of the two men moved an inch.
Afterward, with a flash of nostalgia in their eyes, they reached out and gently hugged each other.
That brotherly camaraderie was more than obvious.
The man was a typical northerner, with sharp facial contours and bright eyes, appearing to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.
As soon as he spoke, Gu Qiaoqiao felt a sense of familiarity, “Ah Ze, this is the little sister-in-law, right?”
Qin Yize glanced at Gu Qiaoqiao, saw her politely extracting herself from the scarf, and also laughed, “This is my wife, Gu Qiaoqiao.”
Then, pointing at the man, he introduced him to Gu Qiaoqiao, “This is my colleague, Li Dazhi. You can just call him Brother Dazhi.”
Gu Qiaoqiao smiled slightly, “Brother Dazhi.”
After that, they didn’t engage in small talk, after all, the temperature here was already below minus twenty degrees, and with the wind picking up, it was exceptionally cold.
The jeep drove quickly, and in less than twenty minutes they arrived at the courtyard of the North Research Base.
This was a guesthouse specifically for catering to staff traveling between the Imperial Capital Base headquarters and the Border City Experimental Base.
The waitstaff were of excellent quality, all very adept at their jobs.
Cheerfully, they brought Gu Qiaoqiao hot water and a fresh towel, to which Gu Qiaoqiao thanked them beamingly.
Then she took the towel to wash up.
Although she had washed her face in the car, it was still not the same as washing up after arriving.
After Gu Qiaoqiao finished freshening up, she expected Qin Yize to come over, but when she came out, she didn’t see anyone in the room.
It seemed to be intended for entertaining superiors.
This place was also under military management.
So, the army green sheets were perfectly clean.
And so well-made that Gu Qiaoqiao did not dare to sit down.
She walked towards the living room, where the voices of the men could be heard talking.
Qin Yize and Li Dazhi were sitting on opposite sides of the sofa, unclear what they were talking about, with Li Dazhi’s head slightly bowed, his face expression not visible.
Qin Yize, on the other hand, was very composed, even pouring a cup of tea for Li Dazhi.
A moment later, Li Dazhi finally lifted his head, roughly wiped his face, and then picked up the tea cup and gulped it down.
After finishing, he wiped his face roughly again before bursting into loud laughter.
And Qin Yize remained impassive.
Gu Qiaoqiao felt Qin Yize’s gaze sweeping toward her, and she quickly turned to hide.
They hadn’t been discussing any secrets, had they?
But she hadn’t heard a single word.
Sometime later, Qin Yize came from the living room, and after washing up, he took her to the cafeteria.
The dinner was simple, but very comforting.
Pork belly stewed with sauerkraut, cabbage with glass noodles and large pork bones, two dishes of pickled vegetables, and a plate of large steamed buns.
Plus two bowls of hearty porridge, which Gu Qiaoqiao ate without even looking up.
Li Dazhi also learned that Gu Qiaoqiao was from the North, and seeing her unpretentiousness, he felt an affinity for her.
Gu Qiaoqiao gave Qin Yize a wink and quietly gave him a thumbs-up.
Qin Yize glanced at him, and smiled faintly.
When men get together, they always have to drink a few glasses.
However, since they were to visit his father-in-law tomorrow, they decided to drink just a small cup for the sake of politeness and switched to tea instead.
Gu Qiaoqiao watched them still chatting, their conversation ranging far and wide, touching on the local customs of various places, and although it was very engaging, sleepiness was still overwhelming.
Gu Qiaoqiao went back to her room first.
The bedding was as neat as ever, but she still plunged into it with intense drowsiness.
She slept deeply, not knowing when Qin Yize came back.
By noon the next day, Gu Qiaoqiao and Qin Yize stood at the entrance of the town.
This was a typical northern Chinese rural town.
Its name was Stone Town.
The town government was at the center of Stone Town.
Each household had its own courtyard, some still had mud houses, others had built houses with red bricks and large tiles.
And the Gu family’s home was on the west side of Stone Town, not far from the middle school.
It’s often said that the closer you are to home, the more reluctant you feel.
Standing there, Gu Qiaoqiao felt a bit nervous.
Her hands were clenched tightly, forcing herself not to think about the desperation and pain she felt during her last visit home in her previous life.
After that time, she never dared to come back!
Only on the anniversaries of her parents and sister’s death would she dare to kowtow in the direction of the North, crying loudly…
Qin Yize didn’t move either.
He just quietly watched as Gu Qiaoqiao buried her face in her scarf again.
He saw her desperately blinking, as if trying to hold back her tears.
He waited, waited for Gu Qiaoqiao to return to normal.
After a moment, Gu Qiaoqiao lifted her leg, heading towards the Gu family’s home somewhat impatiently.
Qin Yize, carrying three travel bags, followed leisurely behind her.
Although it’s called a town, it’s actually more like a large village.
The snow on the roads had never been cleared, but had been solidly compacted by horse-drawn carts and foot traffic.
Despite having passed the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the festive spirit still filled the village.
Occasionally, laughter and the faint sounds of firecrackers from children setting off small firecrackers could be heard.
At that moment, a group of teenagers ran towards them, the ones in front running desperately, with those behind in hot pursuit.
The boy in the rear seemed to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, holding something in his hand, shouting as he ran, “Qian Ergou, Sun Tiehua, you bastards, stop…”
Following him were two younger boys, each holding a wooden stick, also joining in the commotion.
And so, the group headed straight towards Gu Qiaoqiao and Qin Yize.
About seven or eight kids sped past Gu Qiaoqiao like a whirlwind.
Before Gu Qiaoqiao could get a clear view, the two kids in front turned back excitedly, jumping and hopping in front of her, “Sister Qiaoqiao, Sister Qiaoqiao, you’re back…”
Then they pointed at the few boys chasing behind them and tattled, “Sister Qiaoqiao, your brother is trying to hit me with a brick, you have to do something!”
Gu Qiaoqiao immediately spotted the red-faced, panting boy.
His wild sword-like eyebrows were tilted upwards at the ends, coupled with a straight nose, which only accentuated his rebellious demeanor.
This was her only younger brother—Gu Zishu.
Her last memory of him was of his peaceful, almost liberated, lifeless body, and now he was so vividly running towards her.
The sunlight seemed to dance in his eyes.
Before she had time to look closely, Gu Zishu hugged her tight, excitedly shouting, “Sister, sister, you’re back, why didn’t you let me pick you up?”
Then he turned to the smiling Qin Yize and greeted him warmly, “Brother-in-law!”
Without waiting for Qin Yize to speak, Gu Qiaoqiao pushed her brother away, pointing her trembling finger at the brick in his hand, she asked sternly, “Gu Zishu, what are you going to do with that brick?”