Chapter 70: First Update

At the port, boarding had not yet begun, and the line of people waiting in front had already formed a long, winding dragon. Men and women stood with cotton bags and suitcases at their feet. The men mostly wore white and dark blue clothes, while the women's attire was more flamboyant, with polka dots and floral patterns, fluttering in the sea breeze.

A man like a "bear" stood at the very end of the line. Those ahead of him in the line kept turning back to look at him, not because he was handsome, but because he was tall, standing at nearly six feet tall, towering over everyone like a giant. His towering and robust build, along with his thick, bushy eyebrows and a circle of beard on his chin, made him scarier than the police patrolling the port.

The man's appearance was ordinary, but his towering figure and fierce demeanor made him intimidating. Even those around him dared not speak loudly.

Qin Xuecai had been in the countryside for many years and hadn’t returned home in a long time. Even his mother, Shen Guixiang, had only recently realized that her third son had grown into this "bear-like" figure. After joining the rural work team, he spent his days catching fish and mud loaches in the fields, never starving himself, growing rapidly like the bamboo on the hill behind the village.

Having stayed in the village for so long, Qin Xuecai didn’t care about his looks. He wasn’t good-looking anyway, and his beard grew fast. He was too lazy to shave, letting his body hair grow wildly.

The villagers were rough, and everyone in the village "deferred" to Qin Xuecai because of his intimidating presence.

"Qin Manzi, take these. Give them back to me after you get off the boat. If you lose them, you’ll be in big trouble," said a petite girl in red clothes as she approached the mountain-like Qin Xuecai and handed him a bag of receipts, along with two meat buns.

"You—" Qin Xuecai widened his eyes, "I said not to—" He wanted to scold her but dared not make a sound, mindful of the line ahead.

This girl had secretly gone to the black market to do business again.

He warned her in a low voice, "Don't do this again in the future."

"Do you think I’m as dumb as you?" The beautiful girl raised her charming phoenix eyes and curled her lips in sarcasm, clearly not taking the man's words seriously as she bit into her steamed bun.

Xie Hongni had been assigned to the same village as Qin Xuecai. She was a little younger than Qin and was strikingly beautiful but had a fiery temper. Her family background was controversial; her father was a doctor at the city hospital, had studied abroad, and her mother was the daughter of a capitalist. Their family had been through tough times.

Her father had endured much, but he was an outstanding doctor. After being suspended from work for a period, he was quietly reinstated because he was the only one who could perform certain surgeries.

Xie Hongni’s background was complicated, yet she was so beautiful that she was often bullied when she first arrived in the countryside. Her fiery personality made her grit her teeth and choose to live alone. But she was still a young girl, and one night, several men dragged her to the ground, intending to assault her. Qin Xuecai saved her.

At that time, Xie Hongni had been heartbroken, thinking that Qin Xuecai was no better than those men. In her despair, she gave up and began to undress, but Qin Xuecai, covering his eyes, told her to get dressed. Since then, the two had formed a complicated bond.

Qin Xuecai knew he was plain-looking and not particularly capable, certainly not good enough for Xie Hongni. He never considered courting her, only wishing to marry a hardworking and simple countryside girl.

He was naturally kind, tall, and muscular, and enjoyed helping others. After that, he often took care of Xie Hongni, ensuring she wouldn’t suffer such incidents again.

Xie Hongni was disgusted by his "self-sacrificing, asking for nothing in return" personality, like an old ox. Qin Xuecai could do the work of three people but only took one person's work points. Whenever another female educated youth couldn’t handle the work and asked for his help, he never refused.

"Are you an idiot? She's faking illness. She's clearly using you as a beast of burden. Don't help her!"

"It's just something I can do easily. I still have the strength."

"You idiot, do you have a problem in your head? You're really like an old ox!"

"Aren't you treating me like one too? I've finished the fieldwork for you."

Every time she talked to this ox of a man, the sharp-tongued Xie Hongni would be half-dead with anger. But she had to admit, with Qin Xuecai's help, her life in the countryside became much easier. She could hand over all the dirty and tiring work to him.

Qin Xuecai's parents were both factory workers, and his family background was excellent. He was hardworking and never lazy. He had many opportunities to return to the city, such as transferring jobs or enlisting in the army, but he gave them up for others.

The third Qin was worried that if he joined the army, no one would take care of Xie Hongni. She was too bold, beautiful, and just like her capitalist mother, knew how to "do business." Qin Xuecai had warned her several times, but Xie Hongni always said it was fine.

He really couldn’t bear to leave her behind if he joined the army.

This time, when signing up to go to the island farm, since it was considered a remote and challenging area, Xie Hongni, who came from a poor background, was able to sign up as well. Qin Xuecai decided to bring her along, hoping his sister could find a suitable match for her.

Preferably someone with a bad temper, controlled by a domineering mother-in-law, in a family that could tightly control Xie Hongni.

"Don't do those kinds of things anymore, or who would dare to marry you?"

"What's it to you? I’m not marrying you."

"I would never marry you." Qin Xuecai quickly clarified, feeling extremely guilty. He wouldn’t marry this ancestor even if his life depended on it. "After we go to the island, I’ll have my sister find you a good family."

After saying this, Qin Xuecai felt even more uneasy. Xie Hongni was beautiful, but her personality was so bad—who would dare to marry her?

There were also many people with poor backgrounds at the island farm. Since the island was remote, certain things weren’t as serious there. He hoped to find a good home for Xie Hongni.

Qin Xuecai was worried about this. Only after seeing Xie Hongni married off could he feel at ease to join the army.

Qin Laosan didn’t have many thoughts about the future. He lived day by day, as long as he had food and drink every day; his desires were minimal. Now, his brother-in-law was an officer, and his parents hoped he would join the army, so he decided to enlist.

"Let me tell you, my standards are high. He has to be tall, handsome, and cultured..." Xie Hongni said, glaring hatefully at Qin Xuecai. This bastard just wants to get rid of her and join the army to pursue his bright future.

Her background was bad. Who would have a good future marrying a woman with such a bad background?

Xie Hongni hated him to the core.

Don’t think it’ll be easy to get rid of her.

The two took a boat to the island. Qin Xuecai followed the map, with the introduction letter in hand, and brought Xie Hongni to the family apartment. At the door, Qin Xuecai claimed he was looking for his younger sister and brother-in-law, with the introduction letter as proof.

A duty medic was very enthusiastic and offered to lead him inside, recognizing from his Beijing dialect that he was from the north.

"Who's your brother-in-law?"

"My brother-in-law has a gentle and easy-to-bully personality." Qin Xuecai scratched his head, having forgotten his brother-in-law's name. He had only casually heard it from his mother, Shen Guixiang, and hadn’t paid much attention.

At home, the term "brother-in-law" was just used casually, and Qin Xuecai only remembered that his brother-in-law had a gentle and easy-to-bully personality, forgetting everything else at the moment.

"Oh, oh, oh." The medic opened his mouth, making several oh-oh sounds, a sudden realization. He had been on duty at the family apartment for a long time, and with this description, he immediately matched the name.

This brother-in-law was definitely referring to Gao Jianguo. His wife, Chen Baozhen, was from the north. Chen Baozhen was the tallest woman in the entire apartment, and her brother was also ridiculously tall.

"I know whose family you are from. You siblings look very alike." The medic meant that both siblings were tall.

Qin Xuecai was confused but said, "Indeed, indeed."

Does my younger sister look like me? Did she gain weight after getting married for a few months? His sister Yaoyao had been a chubby girl since childhood.

Xie Hongni was puzzled: "?"

Hadn’t she heard that Qin Xuecai’s sister was very pretty? Qin Xuecai, with his bushy beard and bear-like appearance, didn’t seem to match the word "pretty" at all.

"Is your surname Chen?"

"Surname Qin."

The medic had another sudden realization. He guessed this might be Chen Baozhen's older cousin. Chen Baozhen's grandfather's surname was Qin, the same as Qin Yao's. The medic had all this information precisely.

The group walked a few more steps, and the medic suddenly saw a tall man in military uniform standing ahead. He wore a white military uniform, with a cold aura, and was frowning as if deep in thought.

Gu Cheng stood by the roadside, knowing there were guests at his home but hesitating about whether to rush back.

He needed to accept that yesterday morning when he left, he was "quite disheveled," with eyewitness Sister Zaohua and young eyewitness Zhou Guagua.

Why run? What was there to run from? He should have firmly rejected that woman and, this time when he went back, given her a good scolding, then handed over that bag of oatmeal to Chen Baozhen's family, letting Comrade Gao Jianguo enjoy some good fortune.

For the past two days, Gu Cheng had been regretting his cowardly actions. He shouldn’t have acted so weakly yesterday. He needed to make it clear to that woman who was really in charge of the household.

If she kept up her strange antics, he would definitely give her a stern lecture.

Despite his firm resolve to go home and teach his wife a lesson, why weren’t his legs moving him home now?

The more he despised his own indecisiveness, the colder and more unpleasant Gu Cheng’s expression became, like a block of ice, radiating a coldness that couldn’t be ignored.

The medic greeted him seriously and then whispered, "This is Teacher Chen's older brother from her maternal side. I’m taking him to the Gao family."

"Both siblings are quite tall."

Teacher Chen? Chen Baozhen?

"I’ll take him over." He was never one to help others, but occasionally doing a good deed to pass the time was not out of the question.

He had delayed going home due to important matters.

"Alright." The medic didn’t ask further. Everyone in the compound knew that Chen Baozhen and Qin Yao were close, so when Gu Cheng offered to help, the medic wasn’t surprised.

"Thank you, Comrade. You people are really helpful." Upon learning that this enthusiastic comrade was Captain Gu and also lived in the family apartment, Qin Xuecai couldn’t help but ask about his sister and her husband, "How is the relationship between my sister and her husband?"

Gu Cheng: "It’s okay. They used to argue a lot when they first arrived."

"Quarrels, huh? That’s fine too. My mother told me that my brother-in-law has a gentle personality and is easily pushed around, always indulging my sister. She asked me to come and have a good talk with her."

Gu Cheng was amused and looking forward to the drama: "Indeed, a talk is needed."

Chen Baozhen had a bad temper, and Gao Jianguo was really spineless in front of his wife. Gu Cheng blamed this poor example for his own lack of authority in the household.

How pathetic, why didn’t he dare to stand up to his wife and fight back?