AYLS – Chapter 67

When they returned, they hardly had any luggage, but on the way back, they were loaded with all kinds of bags. Luckily, they had sleeper tickets, and there were quite a few friends seeing them off, all enthusiastically helping them onto the train.

In an era when most communication relied on letters, it was easy to lose contact. Especially for Gu Huayuan and his childhood friends, who were all in the military or government—it was common for them to be transferred and lose touch.

So this parting was especially emotional for everyone.

A few brothers stood aside to say their goodbyes, and Lin Qiao also bid farewell to her new friends, inviting them to visit the Northwest whenever they had the time. They could come and try the chickens she raised.

It wasn’t until the train was about to depart that Lin Qiao and Gu Huayuan hurried aboard, waving goodbye through the window.

Watching the young people on the platform, Lin Qiao couldn’t help but feel sentimental. In this era, travel was so slow. In the future, a plane could take you there in an instant.

If worse came to worst, they could always do a video call.

She worried that Gu Huayuan might feel sad, so she comforted him, “It’s alright, Gu Huayuan. I’ll keep you company. There are so many friends we know in the Northwest.”

Gu Huayuan had actually long been accustomed to this kind of life. It was normal for young people to travel across the country for construction work.

But as Lin Qiao spoke her comforting words, he naturally chose to go along with it, saying, “Comrade Xiao Qiao, let’s make a good life together from now on.”

“I will, I will! I’ll make sure our life is especially good,” Lin Qiao promised. The key was, it couldn’t just be good—it had to be excellent, so they’d have the chance to go back someday.

This time, Lin Qiao and the others hadn’t notified anyone in advance, so no one in the Northwest compound knew they were coming.

They spent several days on the train, and when they arrived at the provincial capital, no one came to pick them up. To avoid rushing, they rested for a day in the provincial city before heading toward Suiyuan County.

Once on the county-bound bus, Lin Qiao finally felt more at ease. Luckily, they were almost home and wouldn’t have to travel so much anymore.

Traveling in this era was truly exhausting. She especially admired those who bought regular seats—it must be grueling to sit like that for days.

Gu Huayuan arranged the luggage and handed Lin Qiao some sunflower seeds to keep her occupied.

Lin Qiao was too lazy to shell them herself, so Gu Huayuan shelled them for her.

Next to them sat a mother and daughter.

Watching Lin Qiao and Gu Huayuan interact like that, they couldn’t look away. Could a man really treat a woman like that?

Lin Qiao, being perceptive, noticed someone staring at her and looked over.

And, oddly enough, the elderly woman looked vaguely familiar.

Before Lin Qiao could say anything, the woman asked, “Comrades, you’re wearing military uniforms. Are you soldiers here too? My son is also in the army, here to join the Construction Corps.”

Curious, Lin Qiao asked, “Also in Suiyuan County?”

“Yes. It’s been two years since he’s been home; we came specifically to see him. Oh, he wasn’t like this before—he changed after getting married.”

Clearly, she was trying to blame her daughter-in-law.

Now that Lin Qiao herself was a daughter-in-law, she wanted to tell the elderly woman that a son’s filial piety has little to do with his wife.

Li Ermie was impressive—yet even she couldn’t stop Instructor Chen from sending money home.

Lin Qiao wasn’t interested in asking who the son or daughter-in-law was.

After all, the corps was huge; she didn’t know everyone. At most, she was familiar with the families in her own battalion.

The elderly woman, however, got friendly quickly and asked about their positions.

Gu Huayuan said, “Ma’am, it’s not that we won’t tell you, it’s just that we can’t discuss matters from inside the unit outside.”

“Oh, so there are rules. No wonder my son never talks about it at home. But his position, that I can say—he’s now a company commander.”

Company commander? Lin Qiao and Gu Huayuan exchanged a glance. There was a chance they actually knew him. After all, there weren’t that many company commanders in the corps.

“My son’s name is Xu Yuanzheng. Do you know him?”

Hearing this, Lin Qiao nearly choked on a sunflower seed.

This… was way too coincidental.

Lin Qiao and Gu Huayuan smiled at her. “What a coincidence! We actually know him. Ma’am, you can travel with us.”

Madam Xu was delighted. “Oh, that’s wonderful! Are you in his company?”

Gu Huayuan said, “Comrades-in-arms.” He didn’t want to talk much about military matters since the train was full of people, and no one knew who was who.

He quickly changed the topic, asking Madam Xu about life back home.

This opened the floodgates. Madam Xu began complaining about the hardships of life in her hometown. Among Xu Yuanzheng and his siblings, he was the most accomplished.

After bragging about Xu Yuanzheng, she couldn’t resist mentioning her daughter-in-law, Su Weizhen, implying that she wasn’t good enough.

Lin Qiao couldn’t stand it anymore. “Ma’am, she’s really a good person. Please don’t speak badly of her. Ah, the bus is almost here. Gu Huayuan, shouldn’t we start getting ready?”

Gu Huayuan said, “It’s still early. Let’s take a break first.” He meant he wasn’t planning to continue chatting. “Madam, you rest too. I’ll call you when we arrive.”

Seeing the couple act this way, Madam Xu and Xu Xiaomei weren’t pleased.

They didn’t think Gu Huayuan was at fault; they just felt that this woman had a bad attitude. Thinking back to how she had men wait on her just now, they concluded she was no better than that other woman, Su Weizhen—certainly not a good daughter-in-law.

Then they looked at Gu Huayuan, the tall young man, and sighed: such a good man, and yet wasted on this kind of woman.

Lin Qiao, meanwhile, was silently complaining in her mind. The heroine was really unlucky—how could she have ended up with such a mother-in-law?

Fat Cat said, “It’s not necessarily the mother-in-law’s fault. Maybe Su Weizhen is just that kind of person. Player, you should help these two persuade Su Weizhen and try to make her family harmonious.”

Lin Qiao rolled her eyes. “No way. I think she’s very likely to cut ties with me entirely.”

If she thought seriously about it, her so-called mother-in-law had only been spreading rumors about her former maid experience and the fact that she liked to sleep in. Lin Qiao couldn’t stand that—and much less a mother-in-law who tarnished her daughter-in-law’s reputation to anyone outside the family.

Lin Qiao wasn’t the type to preach generosity or advise others to be magnanimous.

She simply couldn’t do it herself!

“These two weren’t exactly good characters in the original plot either,” Lin Qiao asked. “By the way, did they even appear in the original story?”

“According to the plot, they should appear… anyone opposing the heroine naturally sides with the antagonists. But they weren’t that bad in the end; their fates turned out well.” In the original story, Li Ermei caused the heroine a lot of trouble with the help of these two, making them a key part of the main plot. So their roles were actually quite significant.

Lin Qiao: “…” She strongly suspected it was a forced happy ending.

Su Weizhen didn’t look like someone without a temper, either.

Fat Cat didn’t go on about these two; he thought they could still be useful, maybe later.

He hoped Lin Qiao could cooperate with them to deal with Su Weizhen and give her a hard time.

If necessary, it would even be fine if these two ended up giving Lin Qiao a hard time instead.

He was way too low on energy right now!

When they reached the county, Gu Huayuan went to unload the luggage. Two big bags, and he just slung them over his shoulder.

Lin Qiao only needed to carry her small bag.

She didn’t feel embarrassed—she was doing what she could. She was small and really couldn’t help with heavy lifting.

Madam Xu started lecturing again: “Why aren’t you helping your man? Men work so hard outside. You just sit there doing nothing. Xiaomei, go give a hand to the PLA comrades.” Xu Xiaomei blushed and hurried over. Gu Huayuan quickly stepped aside. “I can carry it myself. Let’s go; it’s still a bit of a walk to the military camp.”

Madam Xu said, “We’re not afraid. We work hard in the countryside; no distance is too far for us to walk.”

Then she looked at Lin Qiao. “You two came from the city, right? No wonder this young lady looks so delicate.”

Gu Huayuan’s expression darkened. “Madam, my wife is not delicate. She’s hardworking and enduring; the leaders in the unit have praised her. She isn’t working because I won’t let her—I care about her.”

Madam Xu and Xu Xiaomei: “……”

Lin Qiao was very satisfied with the display; it lifted her spirits considerably.

After that, Lin Qiao and Gu Huayuan hardly spoke to them.

Neither of them liked seeking trouble for themselves, nor would they endure unpleasantness just for appearances.

Walking in silence, they moved much faster. When they reached the military camp, Gu Huayuan went straight in with Lin Qiao, leaving Madam Xu and Xu Xiaomei behind.

“We’re with them. My son is a company commander inside,” Madam Xu shouted.

“Comrade, you can vouch for us!”

Gu Huayuan looked back. “Madam, I’d like to believe you, but we didn’t know each other before. I can’t guarantee your word. So let’s follow procedure. Xu Yuanzheng should be inside the unit; someone will notify him to come pick you up. Just wait patiently.”

Then he walked in with Lin Qiao.

Once inside the compound, Lin Qiao checked that no one was watching from behind and relaxed. “Finally, we’re apart. Phew, otherwise I’d be furious.”

She told Gu Huayuan, “You go home first. I’ll check if Su Weizhen is at home. I need to give her a heads-up in advance.”

With that, she dashed toward Su Weizhen’s house.

Luckily, it was Saturday, and Su Weizhen was resting at home.

Lin Qiao wasn’t in the compound, and Su Weizhen was too lazy to go out, so she worked from inside.

Hearing Lin Qiao calling outside, Su Weizhen quickly came out, happily opening the door. “Xiao Qiao, you’re back!”

“Yes. I even bought gifts for you and Ermei.” Lin Qiao entered and realized the gifts weren’t on her. “They’re with Gu Huayuan. I told him to go straight home. By the way, I have important information for you.”

Su Weizhen: “…???”

“Guess who we ran into on the way back in the car today?”

“Who?” Su Weizhen asked.

“Your mother-in-law and sister-in-law!”

“……!!!”

Su Weizhen’s eyes widened—clearly more shocked than happy… basically no happiness.

Lin Qiao continued, “They’re still by the main gate. Someone has probably notified Xu Yuanzheng to come pick them up. Honestly, they don’t look friendly. You’d better be prepared.”

Su Weizhen already knew her mother-in-law and sister-in-law weren’t friendly.

After marrying Xu Yuanzheng, she had left immediately—not just to be with him, but also because she knew life with the Xu family wouldn’t be easy.

Fortunately, Xu Yuanzheng understood his family, so he never forced her to get along with them.

“You should go back first. Otherwise, when they arrive, it’ll be awkward for you,” Su Weizhen advised.

Lin Qiao nodded. “I’ll go tidy up. You handle it yourself. If they give you a hard time, come to me. You can sleep at my place.”

Su Weizhen laughed, “If I’m going. Where is Gu Huayuan going to sleep?”

“…” Lin Qiao blushed for a moment, then said confidently, “Of course, he’s going back to the dorm to stay.”

Hearing Lin Qiao’s answer—whether it was true or not—Su Weizhen felt a sense of relief. She also no longer felt so tense about her mother-in-law and sister-in-law arriving.