Chapter 57 - First Part

The day they departed was bitterly cold, but there was no snow. The train station was crowded. Liu Shuqin, accompanied by her sister-in-law and Miaomiao, and Shen Guixiang, along with her son, daughter-in-law, and a large group of people, came to the station to see them off.

"Yaoyao, take good care of yourself."

"Xiao Cheng, look after your wife well..."

...

While packing her luggage, Qin Yao hadn’t felt much sorrow. But now, as sadness surged in her heart, tears welled up and spilled over, and a deep sense of reluctance churned inside her.

As the train started moving and the people grew more distant, Qin Yao could no longer hold herself back and threw herself into Gu Cheng’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Gu Cheng, who had been feeling a bit melancholic, now found it amusing.

It was the first time he had seen Qin Yao crying so much, like a little bundle of tears.

He had long known that the woman in his arms looked lovely when she cried—her red-rimmed eyes, her nose slightly pink, tears fell like pearls, one by one, making him wonder what those tear-drops might taste like.

Qin Yao wiped the corners of her eyes and met the smiling face of the man next to her, which immediately infuriated her.

Did this man lack empathy? What was there to laugh about?

Qin Yao gave him a kick.

"What’s so funny?" Her hoarse voice was filled with sobs.

Gu Cheng stifled his laughter. "It’s as if your mother sold you to me, and I’m taking my child bride south."

Qin Yao sniffed and calmly said, "Xiao Cheng, you’re too relaxed now. Do you remember our neighbor, Political Commissar Zhou? Go tell him what you just said."

Once he returns to the team, his image will crumble.

Gu Cheng leaned against the carriage, arms crossed, and said calmly, "Call me Captain Gu."

Qin Yao coldly spat out two words, "Kid."

Gu Cheng: "?"

Qin Yao wiped her tears and thought of Shen Guixiang and Liu Shuqin, who had cared for her so much. She felt upset once more—she had finally found so many loving family members, and now she was about to be thousands of miles away from them.

She clung to Gu Cheng's arm and cried for another two stops, soaking Gu Cheng's chest with her tears.

Gu Cheng was resigned. He found that women were truly creatures of emotion. She wasn't sad when packing her luggage and had been preparing to return to the island without a care in the world. But when the moment of parting came and her emotions hit, she cried as if the world was coming to an end.

That was fine too. In the future, when he returned from sailing, she could cry more tears in his arms.

Qin Yao's tears flowed like a tap.

Qin Yao's emotions came quickly and left quickly. By evening, she realized her period had arrived early, which explained why her emotions were out of control. Traveling long distances during her period was uncomfortable, and she lay in her berth all day, feeling listless.

Gu Cheng felt sorry for her and made her some ginger brown sugar tea.

After what seemed like an eternity of sleep, they finally managed to arrive at their stop. They rested for a day at a guesthouse in Yangcheng and then caught a "favorable wind boat," reaching the military port.

Before disembarking, Qin Yao, eager with anticipation, stood on the deck. Gu Cheng was behind her, now dressed in a snow-white military uniform with a hat, his expression indifferent.

That morning, Qin Yao had fastened the collar button for him and called him, "Captain Gu."

Gu Cheng nodded stiffly. "Nurse Xiao Qin."

Once the formalities were over, they shared a quiet kiss.

Chen Baozhen stood on the dock, eagerly awaiting her best friend's return.

"Yaoyao! Yaoyao! Yaoyao!"

Qin Yao smiled and waved from the ship.

After disembarking, the two women hugged tightly, leaving the two men to stand awkwardly, exchanging glances.

Gu Cheng stood with his arms crossed, giving Chen Baozhen a cold stare.

Teacher Chen gritted her teeth, thinking this man hadn't changed a bit even after marriage. None of the other men, like Doctor He or Officer Zhao, were as bad as Gu. Yaoyao marrying him was like a lamb to the slaughter.

Gao Jianguo stood by and smiled, nodding almost imperceptibly. Sure enough, it was still the familiar Gu Cheng.

Getting married hadn’t affected anything.

The real married life of these two was just beginning; it would be interesting to see how things unfolded. He remembered how he and Chen Baozhen had taken a long time to adjust when they first got together.

No matter how wonderful their relationship had been when they started dating, the daily grind had worn them down.

Qin Yao and Chen Baozhen walked ahead, while Gu Cheng and Gao Jianguo carried the luggage. Gao Jianguo marveled, “Why so much stuff? How did we end up with so much?”

Gu Cheng calmly replied, “It’s the love from both mothers.”

Gao Jianguo: “?”

“Yaoyao is quite popular. Her mom stuffed a lot of things, and my mom did too, along with a few of my sisters-in-law,” Gu Cheng said, casting a subtle glance at Gao Jianguo.

Gao Jianguo felt a twinge of annoyance. Gu Cheng seemed to be showing off how well-liked his wife was. The women hadn’t even started comparing their husbands yet, but this guy had already begun comparing wives.

Gao Jianguo entered competitive mode faster than he expected.

So he replied with a strategic tone, “So many people gave these? That doesn’t seem like too much.”

Gu Cheng nodded. “There’s another big batch. My elder brother asked someone to bring it; it’ll take some time.”

Gao Jianguo: “……”

Gu Cheng continued, “Yaoyao is very likable. My older brother, sister-in-law, and niece all dote on her.”

Gao Jianguo was instantly furious, but after the anger passed, he thought of something and smugly said, “But Qin Yao likes Baozhen the most.”

Gu Cheng: “……”

“She likes me the most,” Gu Cheng said proudly, lifting his head and carrying the luggage as he walked forward.

After being away for a month, their home was still vibrant. Their neighbor, the Zhou Political Commissar’s wife, known as Jujube Tree Sister, had taken excellent care of the vegetable garden. The trellis was hung with cucumbers, long beans, and eggplants.

Entering the house, Gao Jianguo and his wife helped them clean. Soon, voices were heard from outside.

Qin Yao went out and found it was Jiajia, the daughter of the Zhou Political Commissar next door. She was somewhat surprised to see Qin Yao and said, “Sister, my mom asked me to pick some long beans and eggplants.”

Zhou Jiajia was accustomed to the neighboring house being unoccupied. Before the Gu family moved in, it was her mother who watered the vegetable garden in this yard. Her mother often told her to come over and pick vegetables, and she got used to it, treating the garden as if it were her own.

Qin Yao allowed her to pick vegetables but felt somewhat uncomfortable. When they had just moved in, the vegetables in the yard were well-tended, thanks to the care of Neighbor Sister Zaohua. They were used to coming over to pick vegetables, and since it was their first time moving in, Qin Yao didn’t say anything. After all, it was being taken care of by someone else, so it was fine to let them pick as they pleased.

However, it couldn’t continue like this forever. It was her yard, after all, but the neighbors were the ones managing it, and they could pick as they wished, which made it awkward for her to stop them.

What she feared most was being criticized by the neighbors for picking things, accused of picking too early or too late. Although these were minor issues, they were annoying to hear.

After Jiajia finished picking the vegetables and left, Qin Yao returned to the house. Gao Jianguo, admirably envious, said, "Captain Gu, you have a great neighbor. Neighbor Sister Zaohua is hardworking, and the vegetables in your yard look splendid."

"Unlike when Baozhen and I first arrived, there was nothing in front of the house. We even had to ask other neighbors for a handful of scallions."

Chen Baozhen, in her usual carefree manner, said, "Now that my sister-in-law has come, let her take care of it."

During Qin Yao's absence, Gao Jianguo’s younger sister, who was also Chen Baozhen’s sister-in-law, had arrived. This sister-in-law was a hardworking person, and Chen Baozhen was happy to let her take charge.

At this moment, Qin Yao gave Chen Baozhen a surprised glance. It seemed that the situation with her perfect best friend had passed, and now it had shifted to the perfect sister-in-law. Judging by Chen Baozhen’s reaction, they were getting along fine.

Qin Yao thought, In the story where Bai Qiuling is the female lead, the sister-in-law was lazy, but Chen Baozhen’s sister-in-law is hardworking. They form a contrasting pair. Bai Qiuling managed to win over her lazy sister-in-law, while Chen Baozhen was tormented by her hardworking and critical sister-in-law.

Qin Yao said, "I don’t like it when people from other neighbors come to pick vegetables in my yard."

"I don’t like it either," Chen Baozhen expressed understanding. Whenever others saw her yard, they would criticize her gardening. Chen Baozhen found it annoying—it wasn’t for them to eat, so why complain?

"Yaoyao, you should talk to the neighbors. Now that you’ve moved in, you should manage the yard yourselves. Each neighbor should manage their own yard."

Gao Jianguo frowned and said, "There’s no need to talk about this. It might cause disharmony. They’re just picking a few things; it’s not worth much money. They’ve put in effort to help manage the yard. We should be grateful."

"Captain Gu, what do you think? Tell us about your wife."

Gu Cheng, holding a rag in his hand, said without changing his expression, "Let’s clear everything and start anew."

He felt increasingly uncomfortable with neighbors coming to pick vegetables. Gu Cheng had a strong sense of territory. He was like a male tiger that had marked its territory. Only his beloved mate could share his space; everyone else had to stay out.

Especially this "Chen Baozhen."

Qin Yao agreed, "Let’s clear it all, and we can discuss how to redesign the yard this evening."

Gu Cheng nodded, "You can decide how you want it to look."

Gao Jianguo sighed, "What a shame to dig them up. The eggplants are growing so well."

Qin Yao said, "It feels awkward to pick vegetables that someone else planted."

Gao Jianguo paused, then thought, "He’s right." It was their yard, but the vegetables were planted by the neighbors, making it inconvenient whether they ate them or not.

"When you talk to the neighbors, be careful not to cause offense or misunderstandings," he added.

Gu Cheng said, "Put all the blame on me."

Gao Jianguo and his wife, Chen Baozhen, left. In the evening, Qin Yao spoke to their neighbor, Sister Zaohua, "Sister Zaohua, Captain Gu and I plan to till and clean up the yard. If there’s anything you still want, feel free to take it."

Sister Zaohua was surprised, "Why dig it all up? Everything is growing well."

Qin Yao explained, "We want to plant everything ourselves."

"Isn’t what I’ve planted good enough? Why do you need to plant it yourselves? Did I—"

After talking with Sister Zaohua, Qin Yao realized she had been thinking too simply. It was her yard, but the neighbor felt Qin Yao was criticizing her, wondering if she had done something wrong.

Sister Zaohua said, "Then let’s keep everything as it is. The eggplants are growing well, why change it?"

"Xiao Qin, just leave the yard as it is. Don’t worry, I’ll help take care of it."

Qin Yao shook her head, "Sister Zaohua, that won’t work."

The two women pushed and pulled for a while, until a voice interrupted them.

"Not a single thing will stay; we’re digging everything up and planting anew," Gu Cheng walked over and said coldly, "Sister Zaohua, I want to develop her abilities."

Sister Zaohua was speechless.

Qin Yao was speechless.