Chapter 13: Arrival at the Destination

Chapter 13: Arrival at the Destination

Upon reaching the roadside, Su Zhaozhao took out the address and was about to ask someone for directions when a jeep screeched to a halt nearby. A young man in military uniform stepped out of the vehicle.

The young man, with long limbs, ran past Su Zhaozhao in a flash, taking two steps as one.

"Comrade! Military comrade!" Su Zhaozhao hurriedly called out to him.

The young man stopped, turned around, and pointed at himself, "Are you calling me, ma'am?"

It was the first time Su Zhaozhao had been called "ma'am," and she was speechless for a moment, "…"

"Yes, comrade, you came to the station…?"

The young man looked at Su Zhaozhao and then at the two children who were eagerly watching him, realizing the situation, "I'm here to pick someone up. Ma'am, could you be Comrade Su Zhaodi?"

Ma'am Su Zhaozhao chuckled, "What a coincidence, that's me."

The young man broke into a wide smile, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, "Oh! It really is you, Sister-in-law!" He then looked at Gu Xiang and Gu Nian, "These must be Captain Gu's kids! They look so much like him! Come on, come on, get in the car."

He enthusiastically took the wicker box from Su Zhaozhao and the cloth bag from Gu Xiang before the latter could react.

He pushed Gu Xiang and Gu Nian into the car, and once Su Zhaozhao was seated, he closed the door for her, "I'm really sorry, Sister-in-law. I left late and almost missed you."

"Not too early, not too late, just right." Sitting in the car, Su Zhaozhao felt a wave of relief; it was better this way since she didn't have to find her way there herself, especially with her limited funds.

"Our Captain Gu is truly blessed! You wouldn't believe it, Sister-in-law, but I only found out I was coming to pick you up just before I left. When they said I was to meet Captain Gu's wife and children, I was quite surprised! After all, Captain Gu is known in the army as a bachelor…"

Su Zhaozhao thought to herself that if she hadn't come, their Captain Gu would have married a new wife before the New Year.

"Has your Captain Gu returned yet?"

"Not yet."

"Then when do you think he'll be back?"

"I don't know, Sister-in-law. I'm just the driver; we don't know about the leaders' affairs."

The car left the city and headed towards the suburbs.

While driving, the driver kept sneaking glances at Su Zhaozhao and the children through the rearview mirror. He had a lot of questions in his mind—how did Captain Gu suddenly have a wife and children?

Not only was he puzzled, but others were as well.

"What? Gu Heng has a wife and children?" Yu Huixin shot up from the sofa, "Isn't he a bachelor? Where did he get a wife and children from?"

Yan Guang took off his hat and hung it up, "He married many years ago. The village was attacked by bandits back then, and everyone thought they were dead. Who knew after all these years, they'd be found again. They even gave birth to twins for Laogu, and the kids are almost ten years old now."

Yu Huixin frowned deeply, "Why now, of all times? What about Shulan?"

Yan Guang glanced at her and sat down at the dinner table, "Don't mention it again in the future. Fortunately, it hasn't been officially arranged. If we had seen each other and established a relationship, Laogu would have made a mistake."

Unaware that Laogu's wife was still alive, Ye Shulan was certainly a fine match, and he was willing to help bring them together. But now that the wife has come looking, it's natural that the original couple would be better.

"Laogu's daughter-in-law has had a tough time these years, raising two children on her own without remarrying. It's unexpected that they could get back in touch after all these years."

Yu Huixin handed him the chopsticks and bowl, "Why did you suddenly get in touch?"

"A few years ago, didn't Laogu make the newspaper? I saw it there..." and then shared what he knew, "It's quite a challenge, the commander knew someone was coming to visit relatives and even arranged for a car to pick them up."

Yu Huixin abruptly put down her bowl, "Are you saying she's almost here?"

Yan Guang glanced at her, "They said they'd arrive today. I sent Xiao Fang to pick them up this morning; they should be here soon."

She was also instructed, "When they arrive, you should go over and help greet them. After all, they are in a completely unfamiliar environment and don't know anything yet. Laogu hasn't come back either. Given our relationship with Laogu, you must get along well with them."

Yu Huixin waved her hand, feeling extremely agitated. How was she supposed to explain this to Shulan?

It was agreed that as soon as Gu Heng returned, they would arrange a meeting for him. In preparation for this event, Shulan had even made her own clothes for the blind date.

Yu Huixin was so annoyed that she didn't even feel like eating. She picked at her food a couple of times before putting down her chopsticks. Once the person arrived, she was determined to see what they looked like.

The male protagonist's troop is stationed in the suburbs of the city, quite far from the urban area of Sea City. As one exits the city, residential buildings gradually become less visible. On both sides of the road are fields planted with crops, and after traveling a while, one might see an old farmer leading an ox along the roadside. The local people here seem to be in better spirits than those in their village.

"Comrade Xiao Fang, how much longer until we arrive?" The car had been on the road for nearly an hour, passing through a small town along the way. From the look on the driver's face, it seemed like it would still be quite some time before they reached their destination.

"Almost there, just half an hour left. I'm sure you must be hungry, sister-in-law. Once we arrive, I'll take you to the dining hall for a meal. Don't be put off by our remote location; we have everything here—dining hall, Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, market, and bathhouse. It's just as good as the city," Xiao Fang, the driver, quickly listed the benefits of the military base, fearing his sister-in-law might disdain the remoteness.

"Our base is quite close to the nearby village. Whenever we need something like farm-raised chickens or ducks, we can easily purchase them from the locals..."

Su Zhaozhao nodded as she listened, recalling from her readings that there were military-run schools for the children of military personnel, so she didn't have to worry about the education of Gu Xiang and his sister.

If there were no schools, one would have to go to the village or town to study.

After another half an hour of driving, the silhouette of the military base finally came into view, which oddly resembled a small town.

The car glided through the traffic and came to a stop outside a two-story cottage.

"Sister-in-law, we've arrived."

Su Zhaozhao and the two children got out of the car, "Where is this?"

Glancing up, the words "Guesthouse" were brightly illuminated at the entrance.

Comrade Xiao Fang brought down the luggage, "This is our military's guesthouse. You can put away your luggage first, wash your face, and then I'll take you to the dining hall for a meal."

The room was on the second floor. After seeing them to the room, Comrade Xiao Fang went downstairs.

The room was simply furnished, with two iron-framed beds, a desk, and a washstand, while the restroom was located at the end of the hallway.

A thermos sat on the table. Su Zhaozhao poured half a pot of water into the washbasin, took out a facecloth, and the three of them washed their faces properly.

Since getting in the car, Gu Xiang and Gu Nian hadn't spoken a word, but now they started chatting.

"Mom, this little building is so new," Gu Nian ran to the window and looked down.

"Of course it's new; it must have been built just in the past year or two."

"Will we be living in a house like this in the future?" Gu Xiang asked.

"Maybe not for now..."