Chapter 43: Second Post

Chapter 43: Second Post

By the end of the year, Qin Yao finished handling her leave procedures at the hospital. During the year-end period, many people were requesting leave like her, but there were limited slots, and the head nurse was worried sick.

“I haven’t been back for a few years; I should be allowed to go home for the New Year this year.”

“Xiao Zhang has some issues at home and has to go back……”

……

Qin Yao’s leave was approved, though not without some tension. She wasn’t in an important position at the hospital—her job was more of a temp gig—so she wasn’t required to be on duty. There were quite a few nurses from their batch who were willing to stay at the hospital for the New Year, such as Tian Shuyun.

Tian Shuyun wasn’t married and was in a relationship. She didn’t want to go home—not for her boyfriend’s sake, but because she hated the cold and loved the winter weather here. Every winter before, she’d get chilblains, her hands and ears covered in painful sores, itching and aching, her hands even cracking. And still, she had to work in the freezing cold.

Here, she didn’t get chilblains, and during the day, she could enjoy the sun. There was no biting cold wind, just bright sunshine, flowers blooming by the roadside, fresh and beautiful.

At this time, sugarcane ripened in batches on the island. If you went to help cut sugarcane at a nearby farm, you could get some farm subsidies. The real draw was the sugar tickets and industrial coupons, which Zhang Yufei went to help collect by cutting sugarcane at the farm.

She gave Qin Yao several sugarcane stalks and a bag of traditionally boiled brown sugar.

Qin Yao invited her to stay for a meal and called over Chen Baozhen. With the men gone, the three of them grilled fish and boiled rice wine in the yard. They had traded for the rice wine from a village aunt. They added water, ginger, and brown sugar, letting it bubble away. They drank it straight, sweet and a little spicy with a touch of alcohol—it was so good.

Qin Yao could knock back three bowls in one sitting.

Qin Yao had tried wine-brewed tangyuan and wine-brewed eggs in stores before, but the wine in most places was always too weak, lacking that strong alcohol flavor. Homemade wine had a much richer flavor. The rice wine the village aunt made was super good.

Chen Baozhen drank happily and said, “Yaoyao, this is really good to drink, it’s great even without sugar, and it’s so rich.”

“Let’s boil a bit more.”

The three of them barbecued in the yard, huddled together, happily singing along with the rice wine. Even though the rice wine had a low alcohol content, they all got drunk.

The next day, after finishing everything, Gu Cheng, now officially on leave and full of energy, returned home, expecting to see his wife. But when he opened the door, the yard was a mess, no one was on the first floor, and no one was in the master bedroom on the second floor. In the guest bedroom, three women were sprawled on the bed and floor.

Zhang Yufei lay on the bed, while Qin Yao and Chen Baozhen slept on the floor.

Gu Cheng stood at the door expressionless, arms crossed, staring at his beloved wife who was sleeping soundly, spread out in a most comfortable position—only she was lying on top of another woman.

Chen Baozhen, who was underneath, woke up first.

“Yaoyao! Yaoyao!” Chen Baozhen pushed the person on top of her. No wonder she had felt chest pressure last night; it was as if a mountain was on top of her. It turned out to be Qin Yao sleeping on her.

Qin Yao mumbled in response but didn’t wake up.

Gu Cheng ran to his wife, squatting in front of her, and patted her face. Qin Yao opened her eyes groggily, recognized Gu Cheng’s face, and gave a naive, content smile. She spoke in a coquettish tone, “Husband, I still want to sleep.”

Her hair was a mess, framing her small, delicate face. Her innocent smile and coquettish tone melted his heart.

Gu Cheng couldn’t help but smile brightly.

Zhang Yufei and Chen Baozhen, upon seeing Gu Cheng’s smile, reacted in shock—one fell off the bed, and the other hit her chin, both letting out successive “Ah!” screams.

Qin Yao finally sobered up.

Caught with a hangover.

Zhang Yufei didn’t even eat; she grabbed her coat and headed out. Chen Baozhen, feeling embarrassed, followed her out, leaving the Gu household like she was making an escape.

"The man of the house isn’t here, and you women are holding a big meeting," Gu Cheng said, his face stern.

His own wife had fallen asleep on someone else.

"Gu Instructor, let’s let it slide this time, alright?" Qin Yao yawned, not wanting to argue.

Gu Cheng shook his head and pointed at his cheek. Qin Yao walked up and gave him a kiss. Ever since they’d been intimate, kissing felt as natural as drinking water.

The two of them packed up; they were leaving the island by boat the next day to head back to the capital.

Last time they came to the island, Qin Yao had hauled in tons of snacks. This time, as they left, she had lots of seafood, dried fruits, and winter gear. Qin Yao didn’t buy any winter clothes for herself but grabbed two of Gu Cheng’s military coats. One of them was more than ten years old, a souvenir from his military academy days, and it fit her like a glove.

Gu Cheng brought along a few extra winter pieces. "Your mom wants to see a 200-pound son-in-law, so I’ll just dress to make it look like I’m 200 pounds."

"Throw on some weight bags, and I could hit 300 pounds," he added.

Qin Yao, sipping on hot water, chuckled. "No need to be so phony."

"Gu Captain, mind if I see your cadet photos?" Qin Yao tugged at his sleeve.

Gu Cheng found a few old pics from his military academy days and handed them over. In the black-and-white pics, Qin Yao instantly recognized him. A young Gu Cheng, handsome and refined, looked even more youthful than he does now.

He had been the youngest in his class but stood at the back, tall and thin like a slender bamboo stick.

"You used to be so thin!" Qin Yao said.

"It’s because I’m tall," Gu Cheng replied, exasperated. Though he had never been light, his long limbs made him appear slender to others.

Qin Yao knew it was because of his good head-to-body ratio. People back then, though thin, often wore baggy clothes, giving a "puffy face" and "top-heavy" appearance. Under the clothes, they were all skin and bones.

"Like a little brother," Qin Yao remarked.

"Talking nonsense," Gu Cheng said.

The island’s winter wasn’t the rainy season but the dry season. Without typhoons, the sea was calm. The ship they boarded left on schedule and arrived in Yang City at eight in the evening.

There was a small incident along the way. As they crossed the Qiongzhou Strait, they encountered a patrolling warship. Dozens, maybe even hundreds, of dolphins accompanied the ship. Qin Yao, using her binoculars, counted over sixty, though Gu Cheng claimed there were eighty.

A lovely little escort squadron.

Qin Yao was thrilled, but Gu Cheng remained unmoved.

Teasing him, Qin Yao said, "Captain Gu, maybe you’re just unlucky? Last time we drifted at sea for so long, and we didn’t catch a ride with any dolphins."

They had, however, encountered seabirds pooping plenty of times.

Gu Cheng’s right hand rested on his sleeve, unable to hold back a smile. "Even if they were, you didn’t see them, but I did."

"Don’t say things just to annoy me."

"We’ll go see them again if we get the chance," Gu Cheng said.

Qin Yao bit her tongue, holding back her words. Life at sea was truly hard, and she felt for the man in front of her. But as much as she pitied him, she had a pact with Chen Baozhen: while they drifted at sea, the women would share a bed.

After a night at a Yang City guesthouse, they took a train north. Unfortunately, the weather changed the night they left, and Qin Yao, wrapped in a military overcoat, boarded the train. They had sleeper tickets, with Qin Yao in the top bunk and Gu Cheng in the lower.

The train became colder as it traveled further north, with passengers getting on and off and snowflakes drifting outside the window. Qin Yao shivered from the cold, wishing she could sleep on a heated kang.

She climbed down from the upper berth and felt Gu Cheng's hand. Though he was dressed more lightly, his hands were pleasantly warm.

Gu Cheng wrapped her in his coat, and they sat together on the lower berth throughout the night.

Gu Cheng chose not to inform his family to come and pick them up. Instead, he said he would first accompany Qin Yao to her home, then take his wife to his own. Qin Yao called her family to let them know, and her mother, Shen Guixiang, said she would come to the station to meet her.

They arrived at the station at 10 a.m., with fine snow drifting outside.

After getting off the train, Qin Yao jumped a few times on the platform. "Let me take some of the luggage. I need to move to stay warm. It's so cold!"

Within days, they had gone from a summer island to a winter chill.

Finally, the atmosphere felt festive, like New Year’s. Hurried travelers passed by, and the floating snowflakes resembled grains of white rice scattered across the air.

Gu Cheng bought her two steaming hot buns for her to hold and warm her hands. Qin Yao ate half and offered him the other.

As they exited the station, they met Qin Yao's mother, Shen Guixiang, and her fourth brother, Qin Xueguan. Qin Yao was the youngest of five, with four older brothers. The fourth brother and she were twins, but they had been very different since childhood.

Tall and thin, Qin Xueguan had always been lean and struggled to gain weight. Shen Guixiang hadn't felt much achievement with him, but her daughter Yaoyao was different. She had a hearty appetite and grew up fair and chubby, lovable and doted on. Shen Guixiang loved to bring her daughter along when going out.

"Mom, Fourth Brother!" When Qin Yao called out, she felt a bit embarrassed at first, but her heart soon raced.

Shen Guixiang was astonished to see her daughter before her. This fairy-like girl was her daughter?

Then she looked at Gu Cheng beside her and was even more stunned, unable to react for a long time.

Were they always this thin? Shen Guixiang's eyes welled up with tears. Were the conditions on the island that harsh?

"Mom, I'm Gu Cheng." Gu Cheng's palms felt warm, having put on two extra sweaters when getting off the train, to the point where his palms were sweating.

Wow, this son-in-law, though a bit thin and small-faced, was incredibly handsome. He and their Yaoyao were a perfect match, made for each other.

Shen Guixiang pulled Gu Cheng into a warm conversation, asking about his well-being.

Qin Xueguan, on the other hand, spoke to Qin Yao, "Little sister, you've got to save me."

Qin Yao asked, "What's wrong?"

"Dad's trying to kill me."

Qin Yao: "?"

Shen Guixiang sighed, "It's about your brother's job. Your dad used his connections and begged people to get him a job at the neighborhood office, hoping he'd become the neighborhood director one day."

Qin Xueguan sneered, "It's just a job supervising street cleaning."

Director? What a joke.

Qin Yao asked, "Then what happened?"

Shen Guixiang said with some annoyance, "Let your brother tell you."

Qin Xueguan answered, "The zoo."

Qin Yao's brain didn't quite catch up at first. "Can you really transfer between the street office and the zoo? That's a bit of a stretch. But I guess the zoo is a government job after all."

Shen Guixiang added, "Now instead of sweeping streets, he's scooping animal poop. Your dad can't wrap his head around it."

Qin Yao was speechless.

"I'm a zookeeper. I take care of pandas, you know?"

Qin Yao was stunned.

"Oh my god! Pandas! Xizhimen's Crown Prince!"

Shen Guixiang added, "The little pandas."

Qin Yao was dumbfounded.