AYLS -Chapter 168

When Lin Qiao arrived, Gu Huayuan had just come out of the company’s communications office.

After all, this was a big matter. Even if his aunt hadn’t informed him, others would have.

This situation was completely outside Gu Huayuan’s expectations. Based on the timeline, it shouldn’t have happened this soon.

But after thinking it over, he understood the reason.

History never specified exactly when his father’s incident occurred.

Given his father’s fiery temper, he was probably the first to rush forward.

And the recorded time in history was definitely not the actual beginning of the event.

With a heavy expression, he stepped out of the office and saw Lin Qiao waiting anxiously outside. He walked over and said, “I already know.”

Lin Qiao asked urgently, “Then what do we do now? Should we go back to the capital to see Dad?”

“No need,” he replied. “He’s probably already going to be sent away from the capital.”

“Going where?” Lin Qiao asked worriedly.

“I’m not sure. Higher-ups will make arrangements.”

Gu Huayuan wasn’t that worried. After all, in the end his father lived to a very old age, safe and sound.

“What about Aunt Zhang? Is she going to get into trouble? She entrusted the kids to us—doesn’t that mean something happened to her too?”

“Aunt Zhang will be fine. But she’ll probably be affected to some extent. Dad wants to divorce her, but she doesn’t want to. She’s probably choosing to share his hardships.”

Lin Qiao: “…”

Alright then, she would never get mad at Aunt Zhang again in the future.

…

In the capital, Gu Bicheng looked utterly defeated, tinged with irritation.

At this moment, what he wanted most was to cut all ties with his family.

For example, with Comrade Zhang Wenjuan.

Zhang Wenjuan was a cadre. If she maintained family ties with him, she would be affected.

For once in his life, he had tried speaking gently and reasonably to her, yet this woman still wouldn’t listen.

She even secretly entrusted their two children to someone and had them sent to Shitou and his wife.

When Gu Bicheng found out, he was so furious he nearly jumped around the house.

“A huge matter like this and you don’t even discuss it with me! The kids still have their mother, and you send them to Shitou’s place? Those two are practically children themselves—how can they take care of kids!?”

Listening to him, Zhang Wenjuan didn’t throw a temper like before. Instead, she said stiffly, “They still have their father, don’t they? Why aren’t you thinking about taking care of the kids?”

“I—I’m not in a convenient situation right now,” Gu Bicheng said, feeling a bit guilty. After all, with things turning out like this, he held a huge part of the responsibility.

“Well, I’m not very convenient either. My husband is going to be sent to a farm—shouldn’t I go with him?”

“I, Zhang Wenjuan, am not the kind of person who abandons her family in times of crisis!”

“…”

Once again, Gu Bicheng felt there was no way to reason with women.

He sighed. “Wenjuan, these years we’ve lived together, I haven’t treated you well… things between us haven’t exactly been harmonious. Why keep going like this? Let’s just take this opportunity… and separate.”

“I won’t. I just won’t.”

The usual iron-willed woman now had reddened eyes. “I did it willingly. I’ve been happy. My man is a great hero.”

“…”

The only sound left in the room was Zhang Wenjuan’s quiet sobbing. After a long while, Gu Bicheng sighed again. “Alright… pack up. See what we can bring. We should get ready to leave.”

…

Lin Qiao and Gu Huayuan continued waiting for news from the capital.

When they learned the two had been assigned to a farm under the Construction Corps for reform, they both let out a breath of relief. At least they had acquaintances there. They could look after them if anything happened.

They didn’t rush over immediately—after all, they were still busy finishing the history textbook. Just a bit more, and it could be submitted.

And they also had to wait for the two children to arrive. They couldn’t not be there when the kids were delivered.

The capital was far, but by train, it only took a few days.

Both took leave and went to the provincial station to pick them up.

The person who brought the kids back was an old soldier returning home to visit family. After handing the children over to Lin Qiao, he left.

The two children looked terrified and uneasy.

When they saw Lin Qiao, they rushed over and hugged her, crying, “Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law, what do we do? We don’t have parents anymore!”

“…Don’t say nonsense. They’re perfectly fine.”

“But my mom said this is the last time we’ll see her. She even stuffed money into my pocket.”
Gu Huarui didn’t care about the setting and started reaching into his clothes.

Gu Huayuan pressed his fingers to his forehead and stopped him. “Eat first.”

“…Okay.”

The kids were only a little over ten and not yet adults.

Growing up in a good environment in the compound, playing around with other children there, they were far less mature than kids from ordinary families in this era.

Caught in sudden upheaval, they struggled to adapt.

While eating, they cried as they ate.

After the meal, they found a guesthouse to stay for the night. Lin Qiao took Gu Huayin to wash up, while Gu Huayuan took Gu Huarui.

Gu Huarui didn’t really want to follow this big brother but had no choice. He kept his head down and trailed behind obediently.

After finally getting washed, he immediately ran off to find Lin Qiao again.

Faced with the two children’s fragile reliance, Lin Qiao couldn’t help but feel a bit like a mother.

“‘An elder sister-in-law is like a mother.’ It really is true,” Lin Qiao sighed.

Gu Huayuan: “…” He absolutely did not want to take in these two silly kids.

Inside the room, Gu Huarui once again took out all the money and stuffed it into Lin Qiao’s hands.

This was all arranged by Zhang Wenjuan.

She said she was afraid that if the two children came to rely on them, they might be disliked. So she divided the family’s savings into two parts.

One part was to be given directly to Lin Qiao, so that—out of consideration for the money—she would treat the two children well and not look down on them.

The second part was to be kept for emergencies later. Or for schooling. Or for their future marriages.

Of course, Lin Qiao refused. She told them to keep it themselves, saying their household didn’t lack that money.

Gu Huayin cried, “I told her my sister-in-law is a good person. My mom just wouldn’t believe it. She insisted on giving it.”

Lin Qiao: “…” Auntie Zhang really could hurt people’s feelings.

The two children then began asking Lin Qiao and the others what exactly had happened at home.

Why had their parents suddenly abandoned them and sent them away? Why had they said this was a final farewell?

Gu Huarui asked if a war was about to break out. Had the Japanese devils returned?

“My dad is already so old—why don’t I go replace him instead?”

“If anyone goes, it should be me,” Gu Huayin said. “Mulan took her father’s place in the army. Mulan was a girl.”

Lin Qiao said, “Stop talking nonsense. There’s no war. Everything is fine.”

“Then what’s wrong with my parents?” Gu Huayin asked, eyes red.

Lin Qiao really couldn’t explain all of this. It wasn’t something easy to talk about—and the kids wouldn’t understand all the twists and turns anyway.

So she gave a simple explanation: Their father had a mysterious and extremely difficult mission. It was tough and bitter, and he might not return for a long time. Aunt Zhang was worried, so she chose to go with him. That was why they sent the children out.

Gu Huayin said, “I understand. My mom chose love.”

Gu Huayuan tapped her on the head. “What are you reading every day?”

“I’m not reading anything. I realized this on my own. Anyway, my mom made her choice.”

Once they interpreted it this way, the two children no longer felt sad. Since their parents had gone off in pursuit of love and left them behind, they could only rely on themselves—oh, no, rely on their brother and sister-in-law.

That night, Gu Huayin slept with Lin Qiao.

She couldn’t sleep, so she lay beside Lin Qiao whispering questions about life here. Whether things were good, whether there were friends to play with.

Lin Qiao felt this child was probably just like she herself once was—never having suffered hardship, and not understanding what effort truly meant.

Lin Qiao said, “It’s great here. There’s food, drinks, and fun. The kids here live very fulfilling lives—busy and lively every day. There are lots of children on this side. You’ll understand once you go. You’ll get along with them very well.”

She had already thought it through: once they arrived, she would immediately send the two to school. No matter what happened, their education could not be wasted. After school, they would follow her to learn how to raise pigs and chickens. In these times, you couldn’t survive without skills—you needed a trade.

The next morning, Lin Qiao and Gu Huayuan took the two children back to the unit.

The kids wanted to look around a bit, but as soon as Gu Huayuan pulled a stern face, the two didn’t dare make a sound. They obediently carried their luggage and followed along.

At first, they were fascinated by the new place. They looked here, touched there—even a wildflower by the roadside seemed novel.

But once they reached the mountain trail, they realized how tough it was.

They were panting heavily from exhaustion.

“Brother, sister-in-law, can we rest? It’s so far.”

“Yeah, why aren’t we riding in a car?”

Gu Huayuan said, “A car? You think any vehicle would be willing to come out here?”

Normally, Lin Qiao herself found the road hard, but now that she was a “mother-like sister-in-law,” she suddenly felt a sense of responsibility and lectured them: “Those who eat bitterness become people above others. This bit of hardship is nothing. I’ve walked this route who knows how many times. You need to get used to it. The kids here aren’t afraid of hardship. It won’t do for you to be the odd ones out.”

“It’s not that we fear hardship—just not used to it. We’ll get used to it,” Gu Huarui said.

Gu Huayin did not want to get used to it at all, but she knew resisting was useless.

Finally, when the siblings were about to collapse, they caught sight of their destination. Tears of relief streamed down their faces.

When they reached the compound, they were greeted with warm enthusiasm and hospitality.

A group of compound kids had even picked fresh flowers and stood at the gate to welcome them, placing the flowers around their necks.

Someone even offered them snacks.

The kids invited them to do homework together later, and to come play.

They truly had no ulterior motive—they simply heard that the younger siblings of Sister Xiao Qiao were coming, so of course they wanted to show friendliness. And they’d also heard the two were from the capital. That was a big city. City kids must be excellent students—they wanted help with their studies.

Holding the flowers and snacks, Gu Huayin and Gu Huarui were both nervous and excited.

The people here were so kind.

It seemed life here was going to be pretty good.

Su Weizhen, with her big pregnant belly, smiled and invited them over to her home for a meal—to welcome and refresh them.

The siblings glanced at Lin Qiao; when she smiled and agreed, they happily accepted.

They were now full of confidence about their future life.