Chapter 267 Time Flies Like a Shuttle

Chapter 267 Time Flies Like a Shuttle

It wasn’t until winter vacation that Gu Xiang finally got to see the two brothers he had "longed to see."

The twins were very curious about this older brother, gazing at him with their wide, round eyes and giggling. If not for their bulky winter clothes, they would have definitely kicked their brother.

Don’t underestimate these two little ones; when they kick, they really pack a punch. From Gu Heng down to Gu Nian, everyone in the family had been kicked by them at some point.

Gu Nian sidled up and asked, "Do you know who’s the older brother and who’s the younger one?"

Gu Xiang pointed to the baby with a small mole under his eye and said, "This is Xiao Zhan, and this is Xiao Wei."

Testing me?

Mom had already filled him in through her letters.

Gu Nian was disappointed. "If it weren’t for that mole, you definitely wouldn’t be able to tell them apart!"

Gu Xiang replied, "If you can tell, why wouldn’t I?"

Gu Nian nodded at first, then realized what he meant and said, "What’s that supposed to mean? Are you implying you’re smarter than me?"

Gu Xiang replied smugly, "Isn’t that obvious?"

Gu Nian was so mad she wanted to smack him, but Gu Xiang picked up Xiao Zhan and ran off.

The little baby didn’t know what his brother was up to, but he thought it was fun and giggled, his toothless mouth wide open.

Meanwhile, Xiao Wei, abandoned in the rocking chair by his older siblings, cried out, "...Ah!...Wah wah!"

...

Time flew by like an arrow, and before they knew it, the twins were three years old. Gu Xiang and Gu Nian also graduated from university that year.

Unsurprisingly, Gu Xiang joined the military right after graduation and started as a platoon leader in the field.

As for Gu Nian, she chose to join the cultural troupe over staying at the university.

Storm clouds were gathering, and in June of that year, a newspaper article announced the abolition of the college entrance examination system, arguing that it served to groom successors for the bourgeois class.

Once the article was published, universities announced delayed admissions.

Even the college entrance exam was scrapped, so staying at the university was clearly not a good choice.

Even intellectuals were branded as an unwelcome group.

During these years, due to the kids, Su Zhaozhao had been juggling work and rest. It wasn’t until the twins turned three that she gradually returned to her normal work routine.

In just a few short years, there had been some shifts and reshuffles in personnel within the supply and marketing cooperative.

Deputy Director Hu got transferred out, and Hu Jia left with him.

Lu Haoran was reassigned to the Sea City Cooperative, finally ending his long-distance separation with He Fang.

Section Chief Xie got bumped up to deputy director, and Yang Yuanzheng became the new head of the purchasing and sales department.

The cooperative saw its share of comings and goings, but fortunately, the leadership remained largely the same.

Su Zhaozhao took Xiao Zhang to a meeting at the Sea City Supply and Marketing Cooperative. The moment they entered the city, they sensed a shift in the air.

On the streets, people wearing Bragi or Lenin-style suits were almost nowhere to be seen. Everyone dressed as inconspicuously as possible, with military green having become the most 'fashionable' attire of the era.

Otherwise, it was just a sea of blue and gray.

Su Zhaozhao and Xiao Zhang had just stepped off the bus when a group of particularly excited younger folks rushed past them like a whirlwind.

Xiao Zhang asked, "What's going on?"

Su Zhaozhao looked away and said, "It's none of our business, let's go."

The atmosphere in the Sea City Supply and Marketing Co-op office was slightly tense. Just before Su Zhaozhao and her colleague arrived, a leader from another department in the building had been taken away.

The meeting originally scheduled for the afternoon was moved up, and they didn't even have time for lunch.

The entire meeting focused on studying the documents issued from above. The meeting didn't end until 5 PM, with everyone nibbling on a bun in the conference room during the meeting.

After the meeting, Su Zhaozhao's stomach was growling from hunger.

Xiao Zhang was also hungry, and her hand was sore from writing.

During the meeting, the younger folks were eager to jot down every word the leader spoke, and writing so much naturally made their hands sore.

Su Zhaozhao didn't bother finding a place to fill her stomach; she decided to head back first.

When she got home, Gu Nian had already picked up her younger brothers from the daycare.

The two little ones saw their mother and pouted, wanting her to pick them up.

"Where did Mommy go?" Xiao Zhan asked.

Xiao Wei looked pitiful and said, "Mommy didn't come to see us at lunchtime."

Every day during lunch, Su Zhaozhao would go from work to the daycare to have lunch with them and play, then return to work in the afternoon. Today, she had to attend a meeting and missed lunch with them.

Su Zhaozhao kissed each of them and said, "Mommy went to the city for a meeting today and really didn't have time. Tomorrow, Mommy will definitely have lunch with you."

The two little ones generously forgave their mother and asked, "Promise?"

Su Zhaozhao smiled, "Promise."

Gu Nian collapsed on the sofa, exhausted, and said, "These two little ones are so demanding. They were just fussing about going to pick you up from work."

Hearing their sister call them demanding, the two little ones climbed onto the sofa to pester her.

"Sister, sing for us."

"Sister, play the piano for us."

Gu Nian said, "No singing! No playing!"

The two little ones whined, "Sister~~"

Gu Nian held her forehead and said, "...This is really too much."

At that moment, she envied her brother...

...

The Red Star Farm.

Teacher Bai was jolted awake by the sound of the door opening. He sat up and called out to the shadowy figure at the door, "Where are you going?"

The person at the door let out a couple of chuckles, "To the latrine, are you coming?"

Teacher Bai shook his head and lay back down. He hadn't slept and noticed that the person who went out hadn't returned even after a quarter of an hour.

He put on his clothes and walked out the door.

Behind the field of Red Star Farm, there was a scattered clump of trees. Not seeing Old Hu at the latrine, Teacher Bai headed towards the grove.

"You're here after all."

Old Hu was standing on a pile of stacked stones, struggling to slip his neck into a noose hanging from a tree.

Hearing the voice, Old Hu didn't stop, "Old Bai, if you care for me, don't try to stop me."

Teacher Bai sat down on a tree stump, "I won't stop you. Death is the end of everything, but if you're not afraid of death, why can't you wait a little longer to live? Everything comes to an end, and we will see that day."

Old Hu gave a bitter laugh, "I can't wait anymore, you know, my wife is gone, I'm completely alone now."

Teacher Bai was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Old Bai, don't stop me."