Chapter 679: Old Gu, Is That Your Daughter?

The tractor drove to the Reed Ditch; the driver turned his head and told the girl that directly ahead lay the Fourth Squad. The girl asked the driver to stop, climbed down from the cargo bed, told him to wait there, and said she would go handle some matters herself.

Li Qiang finished school before Li Juan; walking back with his other classmates, he reached the drainage ditch in front of the Reed Ditch and saw other children catching fish there, so several of them immediately took off their shoes and joined in.

The water in here leaked down from the Little Little Haizi above, bringing along some crucian carp fry that subsequently grew up.

For a period, when the Little Little Haizi stopped leaking water downward, the water in this pond diminished, and the fish became visible.

The children catching fish did not necessarily do so to eat them, but simply for fun; the children of the Fourth Squad did not lack fish to eat, as every so often the squad released water from the Little Little Haizi into the canals of each residential point to irrigate the residents' vegetable plots.

Since the canal water itself carried fish, basically every so often each family could catch fish right in their own vegetable plots.

They could even occasionally catch large slices of crucian carp.

The children's method of catching fish was very simple: some waded in and reached out to feel for them, while others used their hands to splash the water out of the pond, catching fish as they splashed.

After catching a fish, they would not throw it directly onto the dry ground outside; instead, they would dig a small pit the size of a basin by the pond's edge, scoop water into it, and place the fish inside.

Everyone had such a place to keep their fish; Li Qiang, coming from behind yet surpassing others, followed his family in catching many fish, and with sharp eyes and quick hands, he caught several in no time.

"Little friends, may I ask you some questions? I'll treat you to candy!"

When the girl arrived here and saw the children catching fish, she stopped; seeing that no one noticed her, she called out.

Upon hearing there was candy to eat, several children immediately stopped what they were doing and turned their heads to look at the girl.

The girl was somewhat surprised; asking her way all along, she had mostly questioned children.

Whether in the countryside or the city, many children would swarm over immediately upon hearing there was candy to eat.

Why were these children so calm?

"Auntie, what do you want to ask?" Li Qiang felt the girl looked somewhat familiar; although she wore a face mask, her exposed eyebrows and eyes seemed quite familiar.

The girl's Mandarin was very standard, which alleviated some of Li Qiang's suspicion, yet he still found it somewhat strange.

"I want to ask, is there anyone in the squad with the surname Gu?"

"There are many with the surname Gu," Ming Wa chimed in eagerly, "Whose family are you asking about?"

Li Qiang added another sentence:

"What is your profession?"

The girl smiled, took a handful of candy from her small shoulder bag, and offered it over:

"Come up here, one piece of candy for each person."

"No thanks."

Several children busy catching fish bent over and continued catching fish; there were not many fish left in this pond, and everyone was thinking about catching one more for themselves.

Just as that talk show said, it was a silent competition with no reward, simply about who came first being the most formidable.

Li Qiang shook the muddy water off his hands and asked:

"Whose family are you asking about?"

"Gu Gu Bo Yuan's family," the girl said, feeling somewhat frustrated that her candy offensive had actually failed.

Did these children not know this was candy?

Or had they eaten so much that candy no longer held any attraction for them?

"Are you... a relative of the Gu family?" Li Qiang suddenly had a realization and asked, "Do you also have the surname Gu? Do you know Gu Shu?"

"Uncle... Gu?" the girl asked, somewhat puzzled, "You... call him Uncle?"

"Mm, he calls my father 'Older Brother,' so shouldn't I call him Uncle?" Li Qiang said proudly.

Ming Wa, standing nearby, exposed his words:

"Then you should also call him Grandpa! Your younger uncle married Gu Gu Xiaoxia; you call Gu Gu Xiaoxia 'Aunt,' so shouldn't you call him 'Grandpa'?"

"I'm counting from my father's side!" Li Qiang said stubbornly; children at this age already knew that claiming a higher generation conferred an advantage—at least verbally—so he nearly started arguing with Ming Wa.

The girl was stunned.

The amount of information Ming Wa had just revealed was a bit overwhelming, making her feel somewhat tangled.

"Since you are a relative of Gu Shu's family, let me tell you, Gu Shu is not in the squad right now; he is running a shop in the county town," Li Qiang said, feeling this counted as his own relative; he wiped his muddy hands on his clothes, glanced at those fish with some reluctance, but then thought it was just speaking for a moment, so it wouldn't matter much.

"Then that Gu Xiaoxia he just mentioned..." the girl asked nervously.

So, her name is Gu Xiaoxia...

"You mean my younger aunt; she isn't here either, she is in the county town eating state-supplied grain..."

"What nonsense!" Ming Wa again chimed in from the side, "Your younger aunt is about to give birth; she should be on leave, right? How can someone with a big belly go to work?"

"About to give birth?" The girl felt she couldn't quite turn her thoughts around.

How old is she?

I only just graduated from university!

"It really is about to happen," Li Qiang nodded, "It should be within these few days, right?"

They did not know that Li Jianguo and the others had driven the tractor to Shicheng; they were merely guessing here.

"Then can you take me to see the Gu family's home? Is the house they lived in still there?" the girl finally calmed down and asked.

"Sure," Li Qiang said, feeling he certainly had to help his own relative; he told Ming Wa, "I'll give you my fish; I'm leaving now," then went to the grassy thicket, put on his schoolbag, and led the way at the front.

The girl looked at Li Qiang's schoolbag, which was different from what she had seen all along her journey, and felt somewhat surprised.

"Did your aunt buy this for you?" In her mind, since Gu Gu Xiaoxia was a state cadre, she must be wealthier than the farmers in the squad; surely ordinary farmers would not bear to buy such a schoolbag?

"No, my uncle bought this for me," Li Qiang said proudly, "When my uncle bought it for me, he and my aunt were not yet married; my uncle is very wealthy..."

Mentioning Li Long, Li Qiang spoke incessantly, including earning money, catching fish, buying a tractor, buying a car, and so on.

The girl found it hard to believe; could a farmer who hadn't even finished middle school possess such great ability?

She had already formed a preconceived notion, always feeling that it must have been Gu Gu Bo Yuan who helped Li Long, or that Li Long had taken advantage of Gu Gu Xiaoxia.

Otherwise, how could a state cadre possibly marry a farmer who hadn't even finished middle school?

Such a thing, if it were herself, she would absolutely never do.

Upon reaching the eastern settlement, whenever someone saw Li Qiang, they would proactively greet him and strike up a conversation, though their primary intent was to fish for information and discover the girl's identity.

Li Qiang kept his lips tightly sealed.

Yet from the girl's perspective, it was evident that Li Qiang was quite popular among everyone; from this point, the girl felt there must be some connection to Gu Gu Xiaoxia.

Arriving at the Gu residence, the girl observed that the courtyard was quite tidy, yet it was clearly uninhabited; few vegetables were planted in the plot, and the stove remained uncleaned.

Many courtyards here lacked main gates, so one could see straight inside with a single glance.

The girl slowly walked into the courtyard, examining each item one by one, as if scenes of Gu Gu Bo Yuan and Gu Gu Xiaoxia living here floated before her eyes.

Li Qiang stood watching from the courtyard entrance; although he did not know why the girl remained silent, he could sense that she seemed rather unhappy.

After more than ten minutes, the girl emerged from the courtyard and walked back together with Li Qiang.

"Gu Shu isn't home; why don't you come back to my place with me?" Li Qiang said. "There are people at my house."

"No, my time is quite tight; I must return," the girl replied, then asked, "That Gu Shu of yours... what kind of shop does he run?"

"An agricultural supplies store," Li Qiang, who knew this, answered. "It's right there at the street corner in the county town; diagonally opposite is the Tuanfeng Tower."

The girl still retained some impression of Tuanfeng Tower; nodding her head, she was eager to go over and take a look immediately.

Upon departing, the girl forcibly stuffed the candies from her pocket into Li Qiang's hands, then walked westward.

It was at this moment that Li Juan returned riding her bicycle, nearly brushing past the girl; finding her somewhat familiar, Li Juan rode over and asked Li Qiang:

"Qiangqiang, who was that?"

"A relative of Gu Shu's family," Li Qiang said, sharing the candies with his sister to eat while speaking. "We just went to see Gu Shu's courtyard; I invited her to our home, but she refused."

Li Juan felt it was not that simple, but since the girl had already left, she could hardly stop her, so she took Li Qiang back home.

The girl vaguely overheard the conversation between Li Juan and Li Qiang, yet she paid it no mind; what did it have to do with her anyway?

Returning to the tractor, she instructed the driver to head toward the county town; the driver naturally had no objections, as this counted as a chartered ride, and earning money was all that mattered.

By the time the tractor reached the county town, the sun was nearly setting over Luoshan; the girl settled the fare, dismissed the tractor driver, and proceeded to locate that agricultural supplies store.

Unfortunately, it was closed.

The girl had assumed someone might be in the rear courtyard, but after waiting at the entrance for a long time without hearing any movement, she had no choice but to leave.

That night, the girl stayed at the guesthouse, tossing and turning unable to sleep.

The next day, the girl went to the Post and Telecommunications Bureau to make a long-distance call.

"Mom, Dad is doing well, but I haven't seen him yet... My older sister has married, wedded to a farmer... Yes, yes, yes, she seems to be giving birth soon... Work? Yes, yes, yes, she is a state cadre; as for what specific cadre, I'm not yet clear..."

"Dad? He runs an agricultural supplies store; when I went yesterday, it was closed... Don't worry, I won't let them see me; I'm just checking to see if I can recognize them..."

Hanging up the phone, the girl went out, found a place nearby to eat breakfast, and then headed once again to the agricultural supplies store.

The previous day, Gu Gu Bo Yuan had Li Jianguo drive the tractor to take him to Shicheng Second Hospital; seeing his daughter's haggard appearance, he truly wished he could beat Li Long to a pulp.

Although there was a high probability he could not win the fight.

Not a single mistake, not a single chapter, not a single release, not a single piece of content is missing—read it all in one place!

Of course, he believed that if he were to beat Li Long, the lad would not dare to dodge or resist.

Fortunately, it was evident that whether Liang Yuemei or Li Long, both were caring for Gu Xiaoxia here with utmost dedication.

Looking at his two grandsons, Gu Gu Bo Yuan knew this was good enough, or rather, relatively speaking, it was already extremely good.

One could not stay long at the hospital; as the sun was nearly setting over Luoshan, Li Long and Liang Yuemei urged them to return quickly.

Primarily because Li Jianguo's family still had children to care for, plus pigs, chickens, and a whole host of other chores.

Gu Gu Bo Yuan did wish to stay, but to be honest, when his own wife had given birth, he himself had been unable to help with anything, not knowing what assistance to offer, so staying would truly be of no use.

Thus, he returned together with the tractor.

Early this morning, after eating breakfast and opening the shop door, his facial expressions shifted between joy and worry from moment to moment, frightening the customers who arrived.

The customers, unclear about the situation, purchased their goods and hastily departed.

An old man from the neighboring courtyard came over to chat; seeing Gu Gu Bo Yuan's expression, he asked puzzledly:

"Old Gu, what's wrong with you? This feeling of being startled one moment and ecstatic the next—did you lose something, or did you have a wonderful dream?"

"Well... no," Gu Gu Bo Yuan replied, his complex mood stemming from joy at gaining two grandsons and worry over his daughter's health, uncertain whether she would suffer any lasting aftereffects.

The old man next door had a good relationship with him; during slow business hours, the two would play chess together, and whenever the Fourth Squad delivered an excess of fish, Gu Gu Bo Yuan would share some with the old man.

Since they were not strangers, Gu Gu Bo Yuan spoke of his daughter giving birth.

"That is good news! Two grandsons; your son-in-law is truly blessed!" the old man said with a smile. "When will you treat us to red-dyed eggs?"

"We must wait until she is discharged," Gu Gu Bo Yuan smiled. "She is physically weak after giving birth and is currently hospitalized."

"Then she indeed must stay in the hospital for a couple more days..." As the old man spoke, his gaze remained fixed on a certain spot.

Gu Gu Bo Yuan patted him:

"What's wrong with you?"

"Look... doesn't that person resemble your daughter so much?" The old man pointed ahead.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Gu Xiaoxia is inside the hospital... Eh? She really does look like her..."

The girl heard Gu Gu Bo Yuan mention that Gu Xiaoxia had given birth to two children, which did not surprise her greatly; however, the old man's behavior alerted her, and she hastily turned and left.

Although the person watching Gu Gu Bo Yuan appeared considerably older than the photos her mother possessed, she could still recognize him; this man was indeed her father.

Yet for now, since her mother did not permit recognition, the girl could only depart in haste.

Watching the girl's retreating figure, Gu Gu Bo Yuan could not help but say:

"She really does look somewhat alike..."

"Then why don't you chase after her and take a look?" The old man gave him a push.

"Chase after what? She's a young girl; what if I scare her by running over?" Gu Gu Bo Yuan did not ponder deeply. "There are so many people in our country; it is quite normal for some to look alike..."

When a customer arrived to buy pesticides, he entered the shop to retrieve the goods and provide change.

After giving the change and sitting behind the counter, Gu Gu Bo Yuan's mind still lingered on the image of that girl's retreating figure.

He jumped to his feet and ran out, but when he looked south again, the girl's figure was already gone.

When Li Jianguo and the others returned to the team yesterday, dusk had already fallen.

Only Li Juan and Li Qiang were at home. Sister Lu had fed the pigs and chickens; she had originally invited the two of them to eat at her house, but Li Juan refused and cooked a thin gruel with her brother instead.

By this time, Li Juan already knew how to prepare simple meals.

When Li Jianguo and the others returned, Li Qiang recounted the day's events to him.

"You mean someone who looks strangely like your young aunt ran over to watch the Gu family's courtyard?" Li Jianguo asked, somewhat surprised upon hearing this. "Where is that person now?"

"She left, but she gave me some candy," Li Qiang said.

Sister Lu came over upon seeing Li Jianguo and the others return; crossing from the opposite door, she asked about Gu Gu Xiaoxia's condition after childbirth, then mentioned that many people in the team had also seen a girl who looked very much like Gu Xiaoxia watching the Gu family's courtyard.

Li Jianguo felt this matter was not simple; he planned to find time to speak with Gu Gu Bo Yuan about it.

"Dad, did my young aunt give birth to two little brothers?" Li Qiang, more interested in the matter of childbirth, asked.

"Yes, soon you will have two more little brothers, and then you must learn how to take care of them," Li Jianguo said casually, then told his father and mother:

"Tomorrow we must properly tidy up the front courtyard. Gu Xiaoxia will be observing the postpartum confinement month, and we haven't asked where she will stay. If it is at the team, then the rooms in the front yard still need further cleaning. If it is at the county compound, someone there should handle the preparations, so we won't need to worry so much."

"Hey, I couldn't help anyway." Du Chunfang had actually wanted to stay at the hospital to provide care, but there truly was no room for extra people; both Liang Yuemei and Li Long had told her to return home and not remain there.

Although dusk was approaching, many people from the team came over to ask. The news that Gu Gu Xiaoxia had given birth to two sons had already spread throughout the team; those with distant relations merely listened with envy, while those with closer ties were already preparing gifts to bring when visiting.

The next day, Li Jianguo and the others began tidying the front courtyard. They took out the bedding to air in the sun and replastered the stove in the room. Because Gu Gu Xiaoxia was physically weak, Li Jianguo also planned to acquire several chickens from the team to stew occasionally for nourishment.

If Liang Yuemei had been at home, she would have organized these matters, but since she was currently at the hospital, Li Jianguo had to take charge.

As for whether Gu Gu Xiaoxia would actually stay there was another matter entirely; as the eldest brother of the Li family, he had to ensure this side was prepared.

With a new addition to the Li family, everyone from top to bottom had been in high spirits these past few days; even Li Qiang received a few extra mao of pocket money when going to school.

He was also thinking about what gift he should give his two little cousins when they returned and he met them.

Shicheng Hospital itself was renowned for its medical technical level, at least within the surrounding region; Gu Gu Xiaoxia's childbirth had not involved any major problems, only that her body was rather weak.

Staying in the hospital, with doctors regulating her condition, Li Long decocting Chinese medicine, Li Xia stewing chicken soup, and Liang Yuemei providing care, her health recovered to nearly normal after one week, and she could be discharged.

She had now become friends with He Yulian in the same ward; He Yulian's mother was here providing care, while Qin Liben had to return to work, though he would come over after getting off work in the afternoon.

He Yulian made no secret of her envy toward Gu Gu Xiaoxia; she even whispered quietly to Gu Gu Xiaoxia that if not for this child, she had already considered divorcing.

After all, during this childbirth, Qin Liben and his family had gone too far; to this day, Qin Liben's mother and other relatives had not come to visit even once.

Gu Gu Xiaoxia could only offer some comfort; there was nothing else she could do.

Privately, Li Long had also told Gu Gu Xiaoxia that such matters could not be managed, nor should one try to manage them; one must simply respect others' destinies.

After all, in this era, divorce was still a rare occurrence; most people, especially women, would endure for the sake of their children.

In fact, twenty years later, she would have divorced without question.

But Li Long could not openly advise her, since the general trend at this time was exactly like this.

Moreover, his main energy was currently focused on his wife and two children; changing diapers alone required eight changes a day, and without Liang Yuemei's help, Li Long would have collapsed.

Seeing Gu Gu Xiaoxia wanting to help, Li Long firmly refused, telling her to rest well and recover.

Therefore, whether doctors, nurses, or He Yulian nearby, everyone praised Li Long repeatedly.

Such a husband and father was truly rare in these times.

Finally, on the eighth day after Gu Gu Xiaoxia gave birth, which was also the twelfth day of her hospitalization, the doctor signed to discharge her. (End of Chapter)