Chapter 109: Teaching the Son

Chapter 109: Teaching the Son

Gu Heng coughed lightly, "But in that situation, you had a better option. Rescuing people is an adult’s responsibility, not something a child like you should undertake. You could have called for help and let an adult handle the rescue instead of acting alone out of blind bravery."

"I understand that you're young and might not have thought things through. In a moment of urgency, you only wanted to save the person. I just hope that in the future, when faced with a similar situation, you'll think first instead of rushing in immediately."

"Do only what you are capable of. Overestimating your abilities will only put you in danger."

"On the battlefield, if you don’t remember this, you’ll not only put yourself in danger but also endanger your comrades."

"Dad, I get it." Gu Xiang straightened his back, "This time, I made a mistake. In the future, I’ll think first before acting and won’t rush in."

When he was almost exhausted in the water, he was scared. When he saw his dad swimming towards him, he regained his strength.

He felt some regret. He feared that if things had gone as his mom said, what would happen to his mom? What about his sister?

Gu Heng felt reassured. His son was quick to understand and took advice well. Other children might have felt wronged, especially since he had acted as a 'little hero' but received criticism instead of praise.

"Good boy! Dad still needs to praise you! You’re a kind-hearted child. In Dad’s eyes, you’re a hero. Go on, hero, what do you want? Anything you want can be your reward!"

Gu Xiang held his back straight, his face glowing with Gu Heng's praise!

"I don’t want a reward. I don’t want anything."

"Are you sure you don’t want anything?"

"I don’t..."

Su Zhaozhao gave the father-son pair a disapproving look. At first, they were doing well, but the moment the word 'hero' came up, Gu Xiang might start thinking about saving more people in the future.

She understood that people of this era, especially soldiers, had different views from ordinary folks like her.

She just wanted her child to grow up healthy. She didn’t need him to be a hero, at least not at the risk of his own safety.

But the word 'hero' inherently carries danger.

She wanted her child to prioritize his own safety.

However, Gu Heng’s approach to education was the mainstream thought of this era, and her thoughts were, in a way, considered selfish.

Su Zhaozhao didn’t say anything more. Seeing the dishes were served, she placed a piece of meat in Gu Xiang’s bowl, "Eat."

Gu Xiang grinned, "Thank you, Mom!"

As they had planned to take a family photo, after finishing the meal, the family headed to the photography studio.

The door of the studio was open, and Su Zhaozhao and the others walked in. Upon entering, they realized the photographer was dozing off at the counter, resting his chin on his hand.

"Comrade." Gu Heng tapped on the glass counter.

Su Zhaozhao glanced down and saw various photos, ID photos, and portraits, pressed under the glass.

The walls of the studio were also adorned with many larger black-and-white photos.

The photographer woke up groggily, yawned slowly after looking at them, "Taking photos?"

"Yes, photos."

"Come in." The photographer stood up and walked inside, lifting a curtain and entering the shooting area.

This was a room neither too large nor too small. A curtain hung on the wall at the front of the room, and a camera covered with a black cloth stood by the door, with only the lens visible.

"What kind of background do you want? Tiananmen, the Great Wall, or another background?"

Another option is a red curtain, which doesn’t show much color in the photograph and is typically used for ID photos.

"Tiananmen," Gu Heng said.

The photographer then walked to the wall, pulled a rope hanging from the wall several times, and a curtain showing Tiananmen slowly dropped down.

Chairs were available in the room, so they could choose to sit or stand for the photos.

They took two family portraits. In one, the parents were seated with the two children standing behind them. In the other, everyone stood with the children in front.

After the photos were taken, Gu Heng pulled Su Zhaozhao aside. "Let's take one of just the two of us."

"Sure," she replied.

The two stood in front of the curtain depicting Tiananmen, adjusting their poses and smiling as the photographer guided them.

"Yes, smile a bit."

"That's it, perfect..."

As the photographer pressed the shutter, Su Zhaozhao slipped her arm through Gu Heng’s, a bright smile on her face.

Tsk, tsk!

The photographer clicked his tongue in his mind several times. Among all the photos he had taken, few people were as bold as her to link arms with their partner. Most people felt too shy to even stand close.

But not these two. She put her arm through his, and he immediately hooked his arm around hers. Tsk! How mushy!

"Don't want to take any more?"

"Let's take one more."

Su Zhaozhao motioned for Gu Xiang and Gu Nian to stand in front of the curtain. "Let's take a photo of the siblings."

The photographer ducked back under the cloth.

After the photos were taken, they paid and received a small slip to collect the photos.

"Come back in a week to collect them."

Su Zhaozhao asked, "Can you mail them?"

The photographer waved his hand, "Our studio doesn't offer that service. If you don't have time, you can ask someone else to pick them up for you. Just bring this slip, and they’ll be able to collect them for sure."

Alright.

Gu Heng said, "We’ll come back again then."

In truth, it would be easy for them to ask someone to pick up the photos. People from the Supply and Marketing Cooperatives often went into the city, and there were many military personnel around. With just a word, they wouldn’t need to go themselves.

But this was a photo of them with their arms linked. Nowadays, no one paid attention to the word 'privacy.' Once the photos were picked up, people would definitely take a curious glance. And once they saw it, the news of "Captain Gu and his wife took a photo with their arms linked!" would spread quickly through the military.

Both Su Zhaozhao and Gu Heng understood this, so they had no intention of asking someone else to pick up the photos for them.

After leaving the photography studio, they went to the department store for a leisurely walk. Even though Gu Xiang hadn't asked for a reward, Gu Heng bought him one anyway.

Gu Heng chose a Guoguang brand harmonica.

"I can't play it."

"It's simple. Just experiment with it, and you'll pick it up in no time."

Upon hearing his father's words, Gu Xiang held the harmonica tightly and was fascinated by it all the way home.

Once they were home, Su Zhaozhao called Gu Xiang into the room, closing the door while Gu Heng and Gu Nian observed.

Gu Nian looked at her father, "Dad, is Mom still upset?"

Gu Heng pondered for a moment, "Mom isn't upset. She just needs to talk to your brother."

Gu Nian nodded and then added, "Mom is incredible! She performed CPR on the little girl, and the girl woke up."

Gu Heng: "She really is amazing."

She was not just amazing; it was extremely professional, even surpassing military training. She executed the entire procedure flawlessly.

She had rushed to the little girl’s aid before him, without hesitation and with complete confidence.

Gu Heng doubted he could have done as well.