AYLS -Chapter 176

Lin Qiao immediately expressed a warm welcome. Then she told Gu Bicheng that they had just slaughtered a pig at home, so there was plenty of meat to eat, and invited him and Aunt Zhang to come over and stay long-term. After all, they were both retired and had plenty of free time.

If Gu Huayuan knew about this, how happy he would be!

After hanging up, she was overjoyed and immediately ran home.

This kind of news had to be shared with the family.

She also needed to tidy up the house with them, preparing to welcome the two elders.

“My dad and mom are really coming back, Sister-in-law? Is it true?” Gu Huayin jumped up excitedly.

Gu Huarui was equally thrilled. “Sister-in-law, this is really true, right? It must be true. You wouldn’t lie to us.”

Lin Qiao smiled, “Of course it’s true. Even if I lied, I couldn’t lie about this.”

The family happily cleaned up the house and prepared some good dishes.

As for picking them up, the army had arranged people to do that.

Gu Bicheng, after finishing the call, packed his luggage with Zhang Wenjuan and headed to Lin Qiao’s place.

There were also comrades helping to buy tickets and see them onto the train.

After a few days on the train, they arrived directly at the provincial train station where Lin Qiao was. From there, they followed the soldiers assigned to meet them back to the barracks.

Since they were riding in a car, they traveled faster than Lin Qiao and the others normally would. They arrived just in time for lunch.

Su Weizhen helped prepare a table full of dishes and then left, not wanting to disturb the family reunion.

Lin Qiao went to the courtyard gate with her brother-in-law and sister-in-law to greet them. Seeing the two of them, she happily ran over to help with their luggage.

Gu Huarui and his sister’s eyes turned red.

Dad’s hair had turned much whiter, and Mom’s hair was white too.

They had truly suffered.

Gu Bicheng, however, looked happy. Glancing at Xiao Qiao and then at the two children, he said, “Everyone’s grown up well.”

Zhang Wenjuan also looked at her two children in surprise—they had not suffered. Huayuan and Xiao Qiao were both good kids.

Gu Huarui choked up. “We’ve eaten well and had it easy here, of course we grew well. But look at you all…”

“What about us? We’ve earned our labor,” Gu Bicheng patted him on the back. “Stop talking nonsense. Let’s carry our things home and eat. Everyone’s hungry.”

Then he asked Lin Qiao with a smile, “Xiao Qiao, is there food at home?”

Lin Qiao replied, “Yes! Plenty, all delicious!”

“Then let’s go, let’s go, let’s hurry to eat.”

Su Weizhen’s cooking skills were excellent, and Lin Qiao had prepared abundant ingredients, so the dishes naturally tasted wonderful.

Gu Bicheng and Zhang Wenjuan couldn’t stop eating, repeatedly praising the food.

It had been a long time since they had eaten something this good.

Watching them, Gu Huarui felt even more heartbroken, realizing how much they had suffered.

“Who’s suffering? There are plenty of people suffering more than us,” Gu Bicheng said.

He took a sip of wine. Now that he was full, he became talkative, especially seeing how different the children were now—more mature. He felt particularly gratified.

“How have they been living here? Causing no trouble?”

“No trouble. They’ve been very obedient, even helping me raise pigs and chickens.”

Gu Huarui and Gu Huayin immediately boasted about all the work they had done here, and how many skills they had learned.

Gu Bicheng listened and repeatedly praised them. “Labor is necessary. Only those who have suffered know how hard life is, and can understand the difficulties of the common people.”

He couldn’t help feeling emotional. “We fought wars for so many years, but even we have started forgetting the days when we were just ordinary laborers. You young people need to work and experience it. We must not forget our roots. Back then, your old man here was a real laborer, skilled at farming. In the future, if any of you become officials, you must remember to protect the laborers’ interests and not let anyone bully them.”

Gu Huarui said, “Dad, how could I ever become an official? If anyone, it would be my brother.”

“No ambition,” Gu Bicheng rolled his eyes, looking down on his son.

Then he looked at Lin Qiao. “Shitou has been gone for a long time, right?”

“He left during the New Year. It’s already spring and he hasn’t returned.”

Gu Bicheng said, “That’s hard on you. Being a soldier is like that—you don’t control your time. If there’s a mission, you must go.”

Lin Qiao said, “It’s not tiring. I’m busy with my own work anyway. I just worry about him.”

“No need to worry. Our Gu family is tough. Back in the day, I came back from the brink of death many times.” Gu Bicheng was bragging when suddenly an alarm sounded in Lin Qiao’s mind.

It was Fat Cat ringing.

“Something’s happened, something’s happened! Your local friend is in trouble.”

Lin Qiao jumped up in shock, startling everyone at the table.

Gu Bicheng asked, “Xiao Qiao, what’s wrong?”

“I… I have something to do. I need to step out for a moment,” Lin Qiao said, hurrying outside.

Her mind was in chaos; hearing that Gu Huayuan was in trouble made her panic.

Outside, she immediately asked Fat Cat what had happened.

Fat Cat anxiously said, “I’ve been keeping an eye on your person. He has my mark, so I can sense when something happens to him. I just sensed it. He’s very weak. I went to check and found he’s injured and being carried by someone.”

“You… you’re not lying to me, right?” Lin Qiao’s voice trembled with urgency.

She was both afraid it was true and afraid Fat Cat was playing tricks again, as he had tricked her before for energy.

Fat Cat excitedly said, “It’s true! If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you!”

“Yeah, I can see it.”

Lin Qiao slapped her forehead—caring too much was making her flustered.

She quickly had Fat Cat show her what was happening with Gu Huayuan.

The moment she saw it, Lin Qiao almost broke down in tears.

Gu Huayuan was indeed injured.

These past few months, he claimed to be doing reconnaissance work, but in reality, he was leading a team on a very difficult mission.

Because the mission was so challenging, he was leading a group of battle-hardened veterans.

The enemy had good weapons and were skilled fighters. They had trained intensively for a month, building team coordination before moving out.

But the opponents were not easy to deal with. The key issue was that their personal weapons were excellent.

This made Gu Huayuan realize the gap in capability. When he returned, he planned to write reports and specifically form a true special forces unit.

Using his knowledge of the local terrain, Gu Huayuan managed to engage the enemy, taking them down one by one.

But his own side was also in trouble. The enemy snipers were experienced and had been concealed for a long time. Even though they were alert, one still found an opportunity.

Gu Huayuan sensed it and instinctively pushed a targeted comrade out of the way, but he was hit from behind. He thought the shot hadn’t hit his heart—otherwise, he would have been gone—but the severe injury almost made him lose consciousness.

There were many things he wanted to tell Xiao Qiao.

But realizing now that he hadn’t said them was actually fine.

That way, when Xiao Qiao returned, she wouldn’t be overly worried about him. Still, thinking about it made his heart ache more. He wanted to leave a memory so Xiao Qiao would still think of him later.

Gasping heavily, Gu Huayuan told the comrades nearby to make sure the will he wrote before the mission reached his wife, Xiao Qiao. After giving these instructions, he lost consciousness.

The terrain was complicated. To pursue the enemy, the accompanying communications officer had fallen behind, and no one knew what had happened to them.

The team carried a few wounded and important documents, moving through the forest.

Lin Qiao watched the unconscious Gu Huayuan, tears streaming uncontrollably, feeling unbearably distressed.

“Fat Cat, Gu Huayuan won’t die, right?”

“That’s hard to say. Human bodies are fragile.”

“I’ll find someone to save him now.”

Wiping her tears, Lin Qiao ran home to find Gu Bicheng. She knew her father was a commander; if she told him, he would immediately send someone to rescue Gu Huayuan.

“How will you convince them to believe you?”

Lin Qiao cried, “I’ll just say I have a system—I know everything.”

“You’re crazy. Whether they believe you is one thing, but aren’t you afraid of revealing your secret?”

“I’m not afraid. I can’t let Gu Huayuan die.”

Right now, Lin Qiao had only one thought: save him.

Fat Cat watched the progress bars on either side jump forward rapidly and chose to remain silent.

Lin Qiao ran home and didn’t see Gu Bicheng.

She quickly asked Zhang Wenjuan, “Where did Dad go?”

Seeing her like this, Zhang Wenjuan was surprised. “The regimental commander Sheng just took him away. What’s wrong, Xiao Qiao? Why are you crying so badly?”

Lin Qiao couldn’t speak and just shook her head, then chased after them.

She knew they must be talking about Gu Huayuan.

Her frantic, tearful run caught the attention of passing army wives.

Everyone asked what had happened, but she didn’t answer, only asking repeatedly where Commander Sheng was.

It was Sister-in-law Sheng who pointed the way, saying he was in the office.

After Lin Qiao wiped her tears and left, the others asked Sister-in-law Sheng, “What’s wrong with Xiao Qiao? What happened?”

Sister-in-law Sheng shook her head but had a suspicion.

Her husband hadn’t mentioned it at home, but he had been returning late and seemed preoccupied. Combining that with Xiao Qiao’s state, she feared…

Hopefully, nothing serious.

Commander Sheng contacted Gu Bicheng about the incident. Naturally, he was referring to Gu Huayuan’s situation.

As soon as something happened to Gu Huayuan, they received a telegram.

The regiment immediately arranged people to assist, sending a military doctor along. But knowing that Gu Huayuan’s father, Gu Bicheng, was also coming, Commander Sheng thought it best to inform this veteran in advance.

Gu Bicheng was nervous, but years of experience with troops quickly steadied him. He hurriedly asked for details.

Upon learning that arrangements had already been made, he calmed slightly. All they could do now was wait for news.

While the two were discussing, a bodyguard came to say Lin Qiao had arrived.

They exchanged a glance and allowed her in.

Commander Sheng asked, “Should we tell Lin Qiao everything?”

Gu Bicheng shook his head. “Let’s find the person first. Without results, it will only cause unnecessary worry and panic.”

Unfortunately, Lin Qiao entered crying. “Dad, Commander Sheng, Gu Huayuan’s in trouble! We need to go save him immediately!”

Both men were shocked. Commander Sheng asked, “Who told you that?”

“I know, I know he’s in trouble. He’s seriously injured. We have to get to him immediately.”

Gu Bicheng asked, “Xiao Qiao, where did you hear this from?”

“Dad, trust me. I really know. I know where Gu Huayuan is. Let’s save him first, and I’ll explain everything after.”

Commander Sheng knew Gu Huayuan was injured and was in contact with the team, but how did Xiao Qiao know?

He said, “We’ve already sent people. Don’t worry.”

“Do they know where Gu Huayuan is? Can they find him and treat him quickly?”

“Yes. Our communications team has sent the telegram and confirmed the route. Xiao Qiao, don’t get upset.”

Lin Qiao was startled and then glared angrily at Fat Cat. “You lied to me again!”

“I’m not lying to you. He really is injured, and his condition won’t hold until help arrives.”

As it spoke, it showed Lin Qiao another video.

In the video, the military medics and reinforcements hadn’t arrived yet, but the soldiers around Gu Huayuan were all shouting for him.

Lin Qiao could only see Gu Huayuan’s pale lips.

She ran out immediately.

Gu Bicheng, anxious, called out, “Xiao Qiao, where are you going?”

“I’m going to find Gu Huayuan.”

Tears poured down Lin Qiao’s face.

She wanted to go to him and tell him that she didn’t want to leave this world at all.

“Gu Huayuan, I don’t want to go. I want to stay. I want to have a cute baby with you.”

She remembered Gu Huayuan’s uneasy instructions before he left.

She regretted not giving him a definite answer at that time—promising that next year, they would celebrate the New Year together.

Not just next year, but the year after, and the year after that—every year, celebrating together.

But why did she feel so tired now that she couldn’t even lift her legs?

I still have to go find Gu Huayuan.

Fat Cat watched the progress bar surge to the final point. The moment it filled, a chime rang out: “Congratulations, player, you have completed the trial and fulfilled the mission. In ten seconds, the player will be returned to the real world.”

Going back… no, no, she couldn’t—she hadn’t seen Gu Huayuan yet.

Lin Qiao’s heart resisted, but her body could no longer be controlled. Slowly, her consciousness seemed to peel away.

The last impression she had was that the entire world stopped. Her body was still collapsed on the ground, but the people around her didn’t move—they were completely frozen.

Until her body vanished, and the world resumed its normal rhythm.