Chapter 745: Chapter 644: Mother and Son

Gu Shaojun pulled his mother out of the kitchen and helped her to a rattan chair in the shade of the courtyard. After the mother and son had spoken for a while, Gu Shaojun said, "Mom, why are you always cooped up in the kitchen? Whenever I want to find you, I know I can just head straight for the kitchen. It’s full of greasy smoke and heat in here. The aunties are even prepping vegetables outside. It’s so hot out, so please be careful. Don’t get heatstroke."

Zhou Huiyun smiled. "Since when is your mother so delicate? You know how our family is. There are so many people, and everyone has different tastes. The old and young alike are all particular and picky. Especially with Shaolian home these past few days, I have to be even more careful. If I make something that’s not to his liking and he eats a couple of bites less, your grandma will definitely not be happy. So, whenever it’s time to cook, she reminds me nonstop. How can I not stand here and supervise?"

"It’s hard to please everyone. Grandpa and Grandma’s diets are handled by a nutritionist. You’re always interfering, so they can’t even do their jobs. You don’t need to manage so much. Whoever doesn’t eat can just go hungry." Gu Shaojun paused. He realized that saying this was pointless. For years, his mother had been in charge of the entire family’s food and needs. It had become a habit. As long as she was around, no one else would volunteer to take on such a tiring task.

"Mom, why don’t you go to the military compound? You can live there with Dad and you can both take care of each other."

"There’s no need. I haven’t left the old mansion since I married into the Gu family over twenty years ago. Now your father is already in Beijing. It’s only an hour-and-a-half drive for him to come back to the mansion from the military district. It’s very convenient, and Grandpa and Grandma also hope to see him often. As the eldest daughter-in-law, I should be by Grandpa and Grandma’s side to take care of them. When your father and I got married, he made it very clear: a husband and wife are one. He serves the country as a soldier, and I stay home to serve his parents and fulfill my filial duties. This way, we achieve both loyalty and piety."

Gu Shaojun was speechless for a moment. His father’s words were too perfect; they were irrefutable.

For as long as he could remember, his parents had always been in this state—living in two different places, they were apart more than they were together. There were times his father wouldn’t come home for years, yet his mother managed this large mansion with dedication and conscientiousness, showing filial piety to his grandparents without any resentment or complaint.

He didn’t understand when he was little. Only after growing up did he realize what a great sacrifice his mother had made for her husband, her children, and the entire family.

But on second thought, he couldn’t blame his father either. His decision not to have his wife and children accompany him to his post was likely a considered one. For decades, the military units his father stayed in involved high-intensity training, missions, or even heading to the battlefield. None of these allowed for distractions. Even if families accompanied the soldiers, they couldn’t see each other often. Coming home once every three to five months, or even half a year, was considered normal. And not to mention the remote locations of the posts, the conditions were extremely harsh and difficult. His father probably truly couldn’t bear to and was unwilling to drag his mother along to suffer through that.

’Putting myself in his father’s shoes, I’d be even more reluctant. My sweet, delicate little wife... how could she endure the scorching sun of the high plateaus or the ravaging snowstorms of the Gobi Desert?’

Seeing her son spacing out, Zhou Huiyun guessed what he was thinking and patted him lightly.

"Alright, stop thinking about it. We’re in a new era now, and the world is changing every day. Your father and I can understand and accept it. Your grandparents aren’t old-fashioned either. They’ve already said it: in the future, you kids of the younger generation can do as you please. If you like, you can build your own little home outside, so you’re not all squeezed together, bickering every day. Although your and Manman’s wedding date is still far off, we should start preparing bit by bit. You have a seven-day leave this time, and I’m sure you have a lot to do, so you won’t be able to spare any time. Next time you’re back, you should look around and pick a new house you both like. It needs to be carefully renovated..."

Gu Shaojun nodded. "Manman said her friend has quite a few good properties on hand, and she’ll look into buying one when the time comes."

"You absolutely cannot use Manman’s private savings! Never mind that small salary of yours, the family deposits a sum for you all every year, and it will increase after you get married..."

"Mom, what are you saying? Your son can support a wife and children, and I can support my parents, too."

"Your parents don’t need you to worry about them," Zhou Huiyun said with a smile. "Alright, we could go on about this forever. Go find Manman. You two should get ready. We’ll have dinner a bit earlier, and then we’ll leave right after we finish. Remember to call the Tang Mansion when you get there. Your Grandma Tang mentioned it when she was leaving."

Gu Shaojun agreed, glanced at his watch, and got up to look for Xiao Man.

But Xiao Man and the others had gone to the back garden. Wu Xiangyun’s constitution wasn’t that strong yet, and she barely finished the third game of badminton before giving up. The little ball girl, Gu Shaoying, also breathed a sigh of relief. As a reward for her diligence, Xiao Man and Wu Xiangyun took her to pick balsam flowers, which they crushed into a juice to paint their nails. The little girl was cheerful and happy, not noticing her sister and sister-in-law whispering secrets behind her back.

Xiao Man told Wu Xiangyun that she and Gu Shaojun were going on a date later and couldn’t bring along a bunch of third wheels. Wu Xiangyun found it funny. "Who wants to be your third wheel? Shaoying and I don’t want to go. Don’t worry, I’ll look after Shaoying and play with her. Just don’t be too conspicuous when you two leave."

"Deal. I’ll bring you back some good snacks."

"Oh, yay! I want those sour and sweet wild strawberries!"

"Where am I supposed to find sour and sweet wild strawberries?"

"Hey, aren’t you guys going toward West Mountain? If there’s a mountain, there are wild strawberries. You can just pick some while you’re up there having fun."

Xiao Man was exasperated with her. "You think that mountain is our family’s backyard? ’Just pick some’... who knows how many people go up the mountain every day. Even if there were wild strawberries, there wouldn’t be any left for us. Don’t get your hopes up for that."

"Then what can I get my hopes up for?" Wu Xiangyun was a total foodie and insisted on getting an answer.

"I don’t know either. I’ll see if I come across anything fresh for sale on the way there and back."

"Alright then, you have to remember to buy something! We’ll be waiting for you!"

Xiao Man was speechless.

’I absolutely have to remember. With such a serious foodie, making an empty promise would definitely not work. I can’t afford to mess with her in the future.’

Aside from Grandpa Gu, Granny Gu, and Wu Xiangyun, very few people knew that Zhou Huiyun was taking Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man to the military compound. The three of them truly managed to keep a low profile. After dinner, Gu Shaojun drove off directly with his mother and Xiao Man.

Gu Shaozheng wanted to go out and play and was about to invite his siblings along when he heard from Wu Xiangyun that his mother had taken his older brother and little sister-in-law to see his dad. He couldn’t help but feel dejected and ran to his grandma to complain. "So what, am I not their real son? They’re having a family reunion and just left me behind?"

Being asked by her granddaughter and grandson morning and night if they were "her real flesh and blood," Granny Gu was exasperated. She raised her hand and smacked him on the back of the head. "If you’re not our real flesh and blood, why are you running around frantically looking for them? You’re a grown man, do you still want to cling to your mother for milk? Just you wait. Once your mother helps your brother bring his wife into the family, it’ll be your turn for her to watch over you!"

Gu Shaozheng rubbed his head and quickly jumped away. "She should just stick to my brother’s business and not bother me! I still need to recuperate. I’m definitely staying away from women for the next three to five years, much less getting married."

Those words didn’t sound right to Granny Gu. She chased after him, yelling, "What kind of problem do you have? Why are you staying away from women and not getting married?"

"Grandma, I don’t have a problem. I just can’t get married."

"How is that not a problem? Quickly... oh dear! This is an illness even Manman can’t treat. I’ll have your third uncle take you to the hospital tomorrow morning for a check-up!"

Gu Shaozheng was speechless. ’If she keeps yelling like this, she’ll yell a problem into existence even if there isn’t one.’ He scampered away.

Anxious, Granny Gu stomped her feet behind him. Thinking that her grandson having this kind of problem was a serious matter, she hurried off to tell the old man.

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