Ending (Part 2)
"I kiss you goodbye, in the deserted street, letting the wind laugh at me. I can't refuse; I kiss you goodbye in the wild night, my heart is waiting to welcome sadness—"
In 1993, Jacky Cheung's song "Kiss Goodbye" became popular all over the country. You could always hear this song when you passed by any record store on the street.
Wen Nuan looked at Lele, whom she hadn't seen for nearly four years, and excitedly hugged her in her arms: "Lele, my baby Lele is finally back."
Gu Wanyue also hugged Wen Nuan tightly and choked up, "Mom, I miss you so much. I can't wait to go home to see you as soon as I get off the plane."
"Me too, I missed you too. Why didn't you tell your parents when you came back?" Wen Nuan hugged her and said, "If we knew you were coming back, your father and I would have gone to the airport to pick you up. Are you cold today? Did you wear enough clothes when you came back?"
Gu Wanyue nodded: "You are all dressed up. I specially gave you a surprise. If I tell you, it won't be a surprise. Mom, do you like this surprise?"
Wen Nuan's eyes were red, and she nodded: "I like you, of course I like you. Mom misses you every day, wondering when you will come back, and you are finally back."
In the past few years, Wen Nuan has had a bit of an ostrich mentality and doesn't think about when Lele will come back. If the child really wants to stay abroad and not come back, she will have nothing to say and will fully support her.
But only she herself knows that she still hopes her child can come back.
Gu Wanyue wanted to cry instantly, "I miss you too, mom. I miss you so much."
"Come, let me take a good look at my precious daughter." Wen Nuan slightly pushed Le Le away, then looked at her seriously and said, "Why have you lost so much weight? Are you not used to the food from abroad?"
Lele looks a bit like Wen Nuan, but probably because she ate and drank well in the past, she had an oval face. But this time when she came back, she became so thin that her face became as small as a palm.
She is beautiful, but as a parent, I always feel that she is being treated unfairly.
Moreover, Lele had all kinds of delicious food since she was little, and she herself had rarely been in the kitchen. She usually just went there to help, such as picking and washing vegetables.
Although she wrote or called to say that she cooked, Wen Nuan still didn't quite believe it. Even if she cooked, she probably wouldn't like it.
Gu Wanyue smiled and did not hide it: "Of course I am not used to it! In the past, I ate the love meals cooked by mom and dad. I can't eat them after going abroad. In the past few years, I have been dreaming about the braised pork made by you and dad!"
Wen Nuan dotingly pinched Lele's face and said with a smile: "Okay, this time when you come back, mom will cook for you every day and let you eat as much as you want. You are not allowed to say you are tired of eating!"
Gu Wanyue raised her hand and said with a smile: "I promise I won't!"
Gu Qinghan, who was standing by and watching the mother and daughter, said softly, "Then Dad will buy some more pork belly and ribs later and make you something delicious tonight."
Commander Lu at the side also said with a smile: "And the great grandfather's pickled fish, arrange it for our Lele tonight!"
In the second year after Lele went abroad, Commander Lu started to worry about when the child would come back. By last year, he had already prepared himself mentally for Lele to stay there.
Now, seeing the child come back suddenly was really a big surprise for him, and the smile on his face was particularly bright.
Gu Wanyue knew that her father and great grandfather were shy, so she went up to them and took their arms: "That's great, I can eat as much as I want tonight!"
Commander Lu smiled and said, "I'm most worried that you won't eat it, so I'll go get a bigger fish now. Lele, you just got off the plane, go and have some rest."
After saying that, Commander Lu took his precious fishing tools and went out again. Not long after he walked out, he heard Commander Lu calling Deputy Commander Shen and Uncle Li. The elders were enjoying this.
Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan looked at each other and said together, "Then let's change our clothes and go buy some food later."
Gu Wanyue said, "I'll go too. I haven't gone shopping with my parents for a long time."
Wen Nuan smiled and said, "Wait for us for a while. Your father and I haven't washed up yet. You're in such a hurry. I thought something happened to your great grandfather. It turns out that my baby is back."
Seeing that he was not wearing a warm coat, Gu Qinghan said, "Hurry up and go upstairs to put on your coat, otherwise you will catch a cold later."
Although he said so, Gu Qinghan still reached out and hugged Wen Nuan's shoulders, and went back upstairs with her.
Seeing this, Gu Wanyue said, "Then I'll wait for you downstairs."
.
Gu Wanyue's return instantly made the house lively. Even Lu Zhengqi, who loved to sleep in, was woken up. He ran out without even putting on his coat and shouted, "My dear sister, you are finally back. I missed you so much!"
Ever since Gu Wanyue went abroad to study, the house had become much quieter, and his father, who usually had little to do, would often tease him.
In the past, when his sister was at home, she would at least help speak up for the two brothers, but in recent years, not only did they lose their sister's protection, even the usually good-tempered Wen Nuan followed his father to pick on them.
Now, his dear sister is finally back, and he has someone to protect him from now on!
Facing her brother's enthusiastic hug, Gu Wanyue responded enthusiastically: "Brother Zhengqi, I miss you too. You've grown taller and more handsome, and look more and more like our dad!"
Lu Zhengqi smiled happily: "Oh my God, your evaluation is really high, I took it seriously!"
Everyone knows that their dad is the most handsome guy in the family. Now, it is a great honor to be compared with his dad!
"Really? I'm not lying to you. He's as handsome as our dad!" Gu Wanyue looked at her brother with a smile. Then she looked around the living room and asked, "Where's my brother Zhengyang? Why can't I see him? Has he joined the army? He didn't even come out to see me when I came back?"
Originally, Lu Zhengyang wanted to join the army directly a few years ago, but Wen Nuan insisted that he go to college first. It is estimated that joining the army will be a matter of two years. Could it be that he has really joined the army
As he said this, Lu Zhengyang came down from the second floor.
Lu Zhengyang has become more stable since entering university, but when he saw his sister coming back, he still hugged her excitedly: "Sister, welcome home."
Gu Wanyue saw her two younger brothers and smiled, "It's great to be home. Not only do I have family here, but even the air is familiar!"
Thinking back to when I was a kid in the kitchen in North City, Wen Nuan often cooked all kinds of delicious food.
So she had a picky taste since she was a child. In the past few years, she couldn't get used to the food anywhere she went. She just wanted to eat what Wen Nuan made, so after she finished the things in her hands, she flew back directly.
Fortunately, we made it in time and can celebrate the New Year together this year.
Lu Zhengqi raised his eyebrows and jokingly said, "You smell the aroma of our mother's cooking, right?"
Gu Wanyue did not deny it: "That's right, you don't know, when I'm busy, it's either hamburgers or sandwiches. Now I feel like vomiting when I see hamburgers."
However, when she complained to Cai Siling and Huahua, they actually said that they had been queuing up to eat at KFC and McDonald's almost every day recently.
But on second thought, she also liked eating hamburgers when she first went abroad, but this kind of thing was just not as good as Chinese food, and she would never get tired of Chinese food!
Lu Zhengyang shrugged: "Ever since the first McDonald's opened in Beijing two years ago, many people have been lining up to eat there. Maybe it's because it's new and novel. I don't think it's that delicious."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan came down from the building and asked, "What's delicious?"
Lu Zhengqi: "We are talking about McDonald's and KFC."
Gu Qinghan frowned: "What's so delicious about that thing? It's better to eat Roujiamo."
When Wen Nuan heard this, she pinched him and said, "Look at you, there is a generation gap between you and the young people. You should say less."
Gu Qinghan didn't think there was anything wrong with this at all, and said, "It's just Roujiamo, except that it's imported from abroad with meat sandwiched between bread."
Gu Wanyue walked up to Gu Qinghan and took his arm, saying with a smile: "There won't be any generation gap. I think Dad is right."
Gu Qinghan was so flattered by the child's words that he didn't hide the smile on his lips at all: "My daughter is still the best. Let's go out and buy some New Year's goods, have the New Year's Eve dinner early today, and make delicious food for my daughter."
Led by Gu Wanyue, the whole family went out and walked towards the vegetable market in a mighty manner.
Although their family moved into a villa area, they still came back to the courtyard to celebrate the Spring Festival, so many neighbors started chatting enthusiastically when they saw Wen Nuan's family out.
Wen Nuan told almost everyone she met: "Yes, my daughter is back. I'm going to buy some more food and go home to cook the New Year's Eve dinner later."
Gu Wanyue hadn't been back for several years, and many of the neighbors she met now were unfamiliar faces, so she had to follow Wen Nuan and say hello.
Wen Nuan was very happy along the way. When she went to the vegetable market, she bought a lot of vegetables, including organic goose, various seafood, lamb and beef... Anyway, there were a lot of meat and vegetables. After buying them, she went home without stopping to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.
*
Around two o'clock in the afternoon, Gu Qinghan took his three children to clean up the house and prepare to put up the couplets.
The couplets are still handwritten by Commander Lu. Although there are already many stalls selling couplets and window decorations on the streets, Wen Nuan still likes the whole family to do it together.
Wen Nuan feels that after the ban on fireworks, the festive atmosphere is less present, and preparing couplets and window decorations by herself will add to the festive atmosphere.
So Gu Wanyue watched Commander Lu write the couplet, and when he finished, she smiled and said, "Grandpa, your handwriting is getting better and better."
Commander Lu is already over 80 years old, with a full head of silver hair, but he is in good health in every aspect and is very energetic, you can't tell that he is already 80 years old.
Commander Lu picked up the couplet and blew on it, then said with a smile, "Really? It looks OK. Wanyue, give it to your father to paste on, and I'll help you cut window paper-cuts later."
"Okay, I'll take it now and let dad paste it." After giving the couplets to Gu Qinghan and Lu Zhengyang, Gu Wanyue went back to cut window flowers with Commander Lu.
After pasting the couplets and window decorations, Gu Qinghan went to the kitchen to help Wen Nuan.
Gu Qinghan heard his wife humming a song and seemed to be in a good mood, so he said, "Wife, I will help you prepare the New Year's Eve dinner."
Wen Nuan handed over the ribs and said, "Okay, then chop them up and make braised ribs later."
"Oh, by the way, Lele also likes to eat the steamed chicken with mushrooms. You can chop the chicken later and I will season it and then steam it."
"There are also beef balls and cuttlefish balls, beef tripe and duck blood... Let's make some for hot pot later. Your daughter loves hot pot the most."
Gu Qinghan rolled up his sleeves and saw that his wife's hair was a little messy from all the work, so he said, "You go and take a rest, I'll do it."
Wen Nuan looked at her husband and said with a smile, "It's okay, I'm not tired, I'm happy in my heart."
Wen Nuan talked to Lele on the phone during New Year's Day. At that time, Wen Nuan asked her when she would be back, but Lele said she didn't know.
I didn't expect the child to come back during the Spring Festival.
Gu Qinghan took out a chopping board and a big knife, and joked, "I can see that you are happy, and you have a few more wrinkles."
Hearing this, Wen Nuan responded with a sarcasm: "You're not much better. The corners of your mouth are bent up to the sky."
Gu Qinghan paused for a moment, then said, "I just don't know how long Lele will stay this time."
Wen Nuan turned her head to look at him and said with a smile: "Comrade Gu Qinghan, why do you think so much? When life is good, you should enjoy it to the fullest. Drink while you can and enjoy the present moment."
Gu Qinghan was not so sad about his two sons.
Lu Zhengyang is going to join the army. Gu Qinghan plans to train his son well. It is impossible for him to stay in Beijing. He just doesn't know whether he should go to southern Xinjiang or the border.
Wen Nuan tried her best to persuade Zheng Yang to go after the Chinese New Year, otherwise their family would not be able to reunite for the Chinese New Year this year.
However, Wen Nuan also understood Gu Qinghan's good intentions as a father. Since Lu Zhengyang chose to join the army, he must hone his skills well.
Gu Qinghan listened to his wife's words and smiled, "That's right, she's really going backwards as she gets older. Lele is actually very independent."
Wen Nuan was busy frying meatballs while she said with a smile: "That's right, actually the children have grown up. As parents, we should let them go and let them move forward. When the children need us, we should be their harbor."
"More often than not, we should let them charge forward boldly, and we just need to do our best to support them."
Gu Qinghan stopped washing the mushrooms after hearing what Wen Nuan said. He suddenly looked at Wen Nuan and smiled, "Yes, my wife is right. Being with you is the most successful thing in my life."
Wen Nuan met the man's gaze and said with a smile, "Stop talking so smoothly and get ready. We'll have dinner early and then go out for a walk with Grandpa and the kids."
The couple was busy in the kitchen for half a day and prepared sixteen dishes.
When the family sat down, Wen Nuan said, "To celebrate Le Le coming home today, let's have a drink."
Hearing this, Commander Lu's eyes lit up: "Since you are so happy, you should let Grandpa drink a few more glasses today, right?"
Ever since his blood pressure became high a few years ago, Wen Nuan has been forcing him to drink. One or two cups a day were not enough to moisten his throat. Now that he finally found the opportunity, Commander Lu was determined to drink a pound and a half of alcohol.
Wen Nuan smiled gently, looked at her grandfather and said, "You are so happy today, Lele, pour two glasses of wine for grandpa!"
Commander Lu: "Only two cups?"
Wen Nuan smiled and said: "Two cups is too much, Grandpa, you can't drink more."
It's not that Wen Nuan doesn't want to give it to him, it's just that Commander Lu is getting old now. Last time it was his birthday, he went to the cellar with Deputy Commander Shen to steal some wine and almost had a stroke.
So Wen Nuan will now restrict him from drinking, after all, health is more important than anything else.
Lele whispered to Commander Lu: "Grandpa, I'll get you a bigger cup."
Wen Nuan heard it, but didn't say anything. As long as he wasn't drunk too much, he would just turn a blind eye.
Before the meal, Commander Lu received a glass of rich and fragrant Erguotou, smiled brightly, and raised his glass: "Welcome home Wanyue, your great grandfather would like to wish you all the best and a happy life. I hope we can be reunited as a family next year."
Gu Wanyue also held a small wine glass and said with a smile: "Okay, we will be together as a family next year, cheers!"
After drinking, Lu Zhengyang, who was sitting next to Gu Wanyue, asked: "Sister, are you not going abroad?"
Gu Wanyue put down the wine glass in her hand, paused, and said: "Well, I won't go, I'll stay here from now on."
After she finished speaking, several people at the table looked at her in surprise and asked, "Really?"
Gu Wanyue picked up the chopsticks and picked up a piece of meat for Commander Lu and her parents, then slowly said: "If there are performances, I will still fly around, but as long as I have time, I will still stay at home."
Commander Lu clapped his hands happily: "That's great, I can see our Lele more often in the future."
Wen Nuan also smiled and said, "It's up to you to decide, but if you can stay here, Mom will be happier."
Gu Wanyue is now a well-known pianist. I heard that she is already preparing for her first solo piano concert, and she will inevitably go abroad at that time.
But she still understood what Lele meant. Unless she was working, she would stay in the country all the time.
Gu Wanyue nodded, took Wen Nuan's arm, and said, "Okay, then I will stay with my mother forever."
Commander Lu joked, "So you don't plan to get married?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Qinghan said with a straight face: "It's okay if you don't marry me. I can support you."
Wen Nuan & Commander Lu: "..."
Lu Zhengyang and Lu Zhengqi: "..."
Gu Wanyue smiled and said, "As long as dad doesn't mind, I will stay with you all my life."
Gu Qinghan smiled gently: "No problem."
After chatting and laughing for a while, everyone started to eat. Although there was a large table of dishes, no one ate much because the weather was cold. Hotpot was their favorite, and there were still a lot of other dishes left.
When they had almost finished eating, Wen Nuan gave some slices of beef to Le Le who was standing beside her and asked, "By the way, did Hua Qing come back with you? Or did he stay abroad?"
Everyone knew that Liu Huaqing and Lele went abroad together.
Wen Nuan has also contacted him several times, because his school and Le Le's school are relatively close, so they can take care of each other.
Gu Wanyue paused and said, "He went to Shenzhen to celebrate the Spring Festival with his uncle. I think he will come back to Beijing in a few days."
In fact, Gu Wanyue came back to Beijing with Liu Huaqing, but he did not stay in Beijing. Instead, he flew directly to Shenzhen. He probably has food to eat now.
Hearing this, Wen Nuan said, "He hasn't been back for several years. I'll contact Bai Rong later and have dinner together."
Shen Bairong and his wife were transferred back to the aviation headquarters two years ago. They would occasionally go to the base, but their main work was still concentrated in the headquarters.
Gu Wanyue shook her head: "I won't go. I want to get together with Siling and the others."
Moreover, it was a bit embarrassing to face Liu Huaqing.
Because Liu Huaqing suddenly confessed his love to her on his way back to China, she still hasn't recovered and is a little overwhelmed.
After all, in her impression, although Liu Huaqing was of similar age to her, when they got along, he was more like an older brother who was not only considerate but also responsive to her every request.
After knowing each other for so many years, Gu Wanyue didn't know whether the other party had become accustomed to her presence, or had mistaken this friendship that they had known each other since childhood as love, so she was not the only one who needed to think carefully.
She felt that Liu Huaqing also needed to think about it.
She couldn't tell her family about this, so she had to digest it slowly on her own.
However, she still avoided meeting the other party during this period to avoid embarrassment.
Wen Nuan didn't know about Gu Wanyue's concerns, so she smiled and said, "Okay, then you can get together with your friends. Si Ling and Hua Hua have been talking about you for a long time."
Gu Wanyue nodded: "I miss them too. I will go to see them in a couple of days."
*
The family had this New Year's Eve dinner until after seven o'clock.
Gu Wanyue was very considerate and was the last one to put down her chopsticks. She ate as happily as she did when she was a child.
Lu Zhengyang and Lu Zhengqi, who were standing by, looked at Gu Wanyue who had put down her chopsticks in satisfaction and asked, "Sister, have you not eaten all day and are just waiting for this meal?"
Gu Wanyue rolled her eyes at them and snorted, "Don't think I don't know how much you've eaten. Even if you eat fast, you haven't eaten less than me!"
Lu Zhengqi chuckled and said, "Isn't this the smell of our mom's cooking?! I haven't eaten her cooking for a long time. I was thinking of eating the last two pieces of braised pork ribs, but dad glared at me! In the end, he actually saved them for you, sister!"
"Our dad is still so partial!"
Gu Wanyue glanced at them and said unhappily, "You guys can come back every now and then to eat and drink for free, but what about me? I haven't been back for so many years, so what if you leave some delicious food for me?"
Lu Zhengyang pulled a chair and sat next to Gu Wanyue, sighing, "Sister, you don't know that our mother hasn't cooked for a long time. She only cooks on Mid-Autumn Festival Eve or Great Grandpa's birthday. Usually, it's our father or Aunt Huang who cooks."
Aunt Huang was the live-in auntie invited back by Wen Nuan. In fact, she was specially invited back to serve Commander Lu, but Commander Lu insisted on not having anyone to serve him, so Aunt Huang became the cooking auntie at home.
Lu Zhengqi curled his lips and said, "That's right, we haven't eaten our mother's cooking for a long time!"
Gu Wanyue frowned, thought for a moment, and asked, "Is mom very busy at work?"
Why did she have the impression that Wen Nuan liked cooking very much
Especially when she was a child at the Beicheng Air Force Base, Wen Nuan was the most popular person in the kitchen, and everyone said that the food she cooked was delicious.
Moreover, since she was a child, she has eaten countless warm and delicious foods.
Thinking about it, I really miss my childhood. Although the conditions were not as good as they are now, the warmth allowed me to cook vegetarian dishes in various ways.
Lu Zhengqi pouted and complained: "What is my mom busy with? Now my mom is ready to hand over all the work to me. I don't even have time to play basketball with others during this period of time."
Lu Zhengyang said, "I can testify that our mother is always with our father. Last time, I saw her in our father's office at around 3:00 p.m. I think she is preparing to retire at an early age."
Gu Wanyue was a little puzzled: "Ah? Mom, is she... okay?"
In Gu Wanyue's impression, her mother is omnipotent and full of energy. When she started her own business right after graduating from college, she was able to handle household chores while balancing her studies and career, and nothing could stump her.
I guess she is about to retire, but Wen Nuan still insists on staying at her post.
Thinking of this, Gu Wanyue's heart skipped a beat, and she was worried that Wen Nuan's health had been damaged over the years.
After hearing what Gu Wanyue said, Lu Zhengyang quickly explained: "Mom is in good health. Zhengqi and I said that Mom is going to retire and doesn't want to be in charge of the company's affairs anymore."
Gu Wanyue was surprised to hear this: "Really? Mom is only in her early 40s and is going to retire? That's impossible, right?"
Lu Zhengqi nodded seriously: "It's true. I think my mother is about to retire. She will only take care of the big decision-making issues, and throw everything else to me. She also arranged a lot of work for me, all of which are related to her hotels and real estate."
Lu Zhengyang added: "Besides, my mother became obsessed with collecting a few years ago. Now she loves to tinker with the antiques in her basement. I think retirement is real."
Lu Zhengqi had a headache: "The key is that I am not interested in real estate and hotels. I was planning to start a technology company, but my mother suddenly threw the stall to me. Now I have a headache too."
When Gu Wanyue heard this, she asked curiously, "Zhengqi, are you also planning to start a technology company?"
"???" Lu Zhengqi looked at her curiously: "What do you mean? Is there anyone else?"
Gu Wanyue was stunned for a moment, a figure flashed through her mind, and she said lightly: "No, it was a former classmate of mine."
Then she added, "If you want to start a technology company, why don't you tell your mother?"
Lu Zhengqi smiled bitterly: "Yes, my mother told me one sentence—"
Then Lu Zhengqi imitated a warm tone and said, "Then open it."
Gu Wanyue and Lu Zhengyang looked at each other, then burst into laughter at the same time, "Mom is right, then just drive!"
Lu Zhengqi: “…”
He came here to talk, not to make fun of others.
Gu Wanyue knew that her brother was serious, so she put away her joking expression and said, "Actually, what mom said is not wrong. Zhengqi, do you think this will work—"
"Didn't the country encourage medium and large enterprises to establish groups in the past two years? Probably one enterprise has many businesses, such as hotels, real estate, shopping malls, technology, etc..."
"If you want to start a company, just do it. Find a reliable person to manage the real estate and hotel business, and you can focus on the technology side."
As soon as Gu Wanyue finished speaking, Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan came back from the kitchen.
Wen Nuan said: "Your sister is right. I plan to set up a group that will have real estate, hotels, restaurants, and the technology you want to do."
Then Wen Nuan looked at Lu Zhengqi and said, "Zhengqi, I'll leave this matter to you. Mom really wants to take a rest."
Wen Nuan actually planned to step down a few years ago to realize her wish of retiring early, but Lu Zhengqi was not mature enough at that time, and he is still not mature enough now.
But Wen Nuan also decided to let go and let the child give it a try. After all, trying is much more important than just wishing.
Even if Lu Zhengqi can't handle it, she will be there to back it up in the end.
But Wen Nuan believes that her child can definitely do it, and that Lu Zhengqi will definitely be able to bring the company to a new height in the future.
Wen Nuan added: "Zhengqi, Mom believes in you, you can definitely do it."
Lu Zhengqi pursed his lips, looked at Wen Nuan, and nodded: "Okay, then I'll give it a try."
*
After the Chinese New Year, Gu Wanyue became busy in Beijing, preparing for her first solo piano concert in Country D in the second half of the year.
Wen Nuan also assisted Lu Zhengqi in establishing the group, and she handed over the real estate business to her former college classmate Xu Huilan.
Liu Chunyan is the general manager of the hotel industry. As for the restaurant, Wen Nuan did not plan to continue to develop it. She left the only restaurant in Zhengyangmen and planned to develop it in the direction of membership system to create a high-quality restaurant.
As for the technology company that Lu Zhengqi wants to start, it is still in the preparation stage. Wen Nuan no longer intends to intervene and will completely withdraw from the management.
However, Wen Nuan would sometimes give some advice on decision-making matters, but she no longer went to the company every day and no longer interfered in the affairs of the group, leaving it entirely to Lu Zhengqi.
Wen Nuan is now living a completely retired life. She gets up early to exercise and dance, makes nutritious meals for Commander Lu at noon, and tries various baked snacks after taking a nap in the afternoon.
In addition, she would sometimes go fishing with Commander Lu and other elderly people. In her free time, she would plant flowers and grow trees in the yard of the villa. Commander Lu reserved a small piece of land for growing vegetables.
Most of the time, Wen Nuan follows Gu Qinghan everywhere. When he goes on business, Wen Nuan goes traveling. The couple is very much in love, and their affection is enviable.
Nineteen ninety-five.
The group's technology company launched a flip phone, which became the best-selling mobile phone of the year. In the same year, it also began to develop home computers.
At the beginning of the millennium, Wen Nuan never expected that Gu Qinghan would sit in the position that Commander Lu once held, and even continue to rise.
Now that he has assumed a high position, he is busier than before. Wen Nuan is extremely grateful that she handed the company over to Lu Zhengqi, otherwise she wouldn't even have time to spend with Gu Qinghan.
That day, she came to Gu Qinghan's office door carrying a freshly baked cheesecake. The assistant came out and said softly, "Mrs. Gu, you are here. The chief just finished a meeting and is now tired and asleep. Please go in and wait for him."
If the assistant had not seen Wen Nuan before, she would not have believed that she was already in her fifties but looked like a lesbian in her early thirties.
Moreover, Wen Nuan has a great figure, sexy without a trace of fat, snow-white skin that is as white as cream and glows, and an exquisite face like that of a big star, which makes people unable to take their eyes off her.
Wen Nuan looked inside the office and nodded: "Okay, I'll go in and wait for him, you go and get busy."
The assistant gently closed the door for them. She and Gu Qinghan were the only ones left in the simple and exquisite office. However, Gu Qinghan still remained sitting in the chair with his eyes closed.
Wen Nuan walked over with light steps and wanted to put down the cheesecake in her hand, but was pulled by the man on the chair and fell directly into his arms.
Wen Nuan exclaimed "Ah--" and only breathed a sigh of relief when she sat steadily on Gu Qinghan's legs.
She frowned at the mischievous man and punched his shoulder from behind: "Comrade Gu, do you think you are still young? You scared me!"
Gu Qinghan opened his obviously sleep-deprived eyes, smiled and hugged his wife into his arms, kissed her temples, and asked, "Why did you come so early today?"
Usually Wen Nuan would come to pick him up after get off work, but he actually didn't have a fixed time to get off work. More often than not, Wen Nuan would accompany him to have dinner in the office.
Wen Nuan smiled and said, "I just made a cheesecake and I'm going to let you taste it and see what needs to be improved."
Gu Qinghan looked at the cake in Wen Nuan's hand and said with a smile, "I'm happy to serve you."
Hearing this, Wen Nuan stretched out her other hand to pry open Gu Qinghan's hand that was holding her waist, and said, "Then put me down first, and I'll take out the cake for you to eat."
Gu Qinghan's eyes were full of smiles: "Feed me like this."
After hearing the shameless words from the man, Wen Nuan subconsciously looked towards the door and said in a muffled voice, "There are people outside. It would be bad if they saw us."
When working, Gu Qinghan is always serious, stern and unsmiling.
But in private, the two are still like they were when they were young, kissing and hugging each other, and loving each other as always.
Gu Qinghan kissed his wife's bright red lips and said with a smile: "There's nothing wrong with it. You are my wife."
Wen Nuan tried harder to break it, but the man still didn't move. She had no choice but to compromise and sat on the man's lap to take out the cake.
Wen Nuan said: "I lowered the sugar ratio a bit, see if it turns sour."
Gu Qinghan hadn't even started eating when he smiled and said, "As long as it's made by my wife, it's delicious."
Wen Nuan: "Give me a serious try, or I won't let you do it again."
Gu Qinghan nodded, and then said: "Okay, feed me."
Wen Nuan rolled her eyes at him, but still picked up the small spoon, scooped a small piece and put it to his mouth, "How is it? Is it unpalatable?"
Gu Qinghan smiled contentedly and said, "It's delicious and sweet. It's sweet to my heart."
When Wen Nuan was about to scold him, she felt the man grab her hand and put a hard object into her fingers.
Wen Nuan lowered her eyes and saw that there was a ring on her ring finger that shone with a silver-platinum glow. The ring was embellished with low-key yet luxurious pink diamonds, shining with a dazzling light.
She vaguely remembered that Gu Qinghan had been often busy recently. When she asked him where he was going, he was so secretive. Did he polish this ring himself
"This—" Wen Nuan looked at the ring on her finger, feeling excited and happy. Then she held the man's face and kissed his lips.
"Qinghan, thank you for the beautiful ring."
Gu Qinghan held his wife's face and deepened their kiss. When the kiss ended, both of them were breathing slightly.
The two of them put their foreheads together, and Gu Qinghan whispered, "Wen Nuan, happy anniversary."
Wen Nuan smiled, then dug into the cake and took out a simple men's ring. She said, "Although I bought this, it's a token of my love. Qinghan, happy anniversary."
The two smiled at each other, and Gu Qinghan hugged her into his arms and said, "Thank you, I like it very much."
"I hope that on our 50th wedding anniversary, you and I will still be together."
This is their 30th wedding anniversary, simple but with a little surprise.
*
In 2021, Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan celebrated their golden wedding anniversary.
This year, Gu Qinghan retired, but his body was still strong and healthy, and you couldn't tell that he was already 75 years old.
On this day, Wen Nuan was watering the flowers in the yard. Gu Qinghan suddenly put down the newspaper in his hand and asked, "Comrade Wen Nuan, do you want to go on a big adventure with me?"
Wen Nuan, whose hair already had silvery white traces of time, perked up after hearing what his old man said: "Big adventure?"
Gu Qinghan nodded: "Yes, do you dare?"
Wen Nuan chuckled: "What's there to be afraid of? I'm an old man, I've seen all kinds of storms and waves."
Gu Qinghan reminded: "The place where we are adventuring is deserted."
Wen Nuan: "Now that you say that, I'm even more excited. Hurry up, when are we leaving?"
Gu Qinghan threw the newspaper on the coffee table beside him and said, "We can set off now. Come with me."
When Wen Nuan followed Gu Qinghan to the airport, she was stunned. "Comrade Gu, if we're going somewhere far, could you at least remind me to pack two sets of clothes?"
However, Gu Qinghan had already taken his wife's hand and said, "Since it is a big adventure, we must take the risk to the end."
Wen Nuan didn't know what the old man was up to, so she followed him onto the plane, only to find out that it was not a civilian plane.
It wasn't until Gu Qinghan walked into the cockpit that the warmth in his heart, which had just subsided, was lifted up again.
Wen Nuan asked: "Are you the one flying this plane today?"
Gu Qinghan turned around and looked at her: "What? You don't dare to sit?"
Wen Nuan chuckled: "If an old man like you isn't afraid, why would I be? Then can I sit in the cockpit? I want to watch you fly the plane."
When they were young, Gu Qinghan flew a fighter jet. Wen Nuan never had the chance to sit in one, nor did she see what he looked like when flying a fighter jet.
Now that she has this opportunity, she must seize it.
Another comrade in the cockpit politely asked Wen Nuan to sit down and said, "Mrs. Gu, please sit here."
Following the other party's guidance, Wen Nuan sat in a seat in the cockpit and fastened her seat belt. She said to Gu Qinghan when he was on a mission, "Qinghan, come back safely."
Gu Qinghan looked back at Wen Nuan, then called the airport ground traffic controller and requested to start the engine.
After a while, with a rumbling sound, their plane slowly climbed and then gradually rushed into the sky.
Wen Nuan has taken countless flights, but this is the only time she sat in the cockpit with Gu Qinghan.
This feeling is very strange, I have never felt such warmth before.
Until the plane slowly landed, the warm emotions became complicated again.
She saw the familiar training ground, the familiar terrain, the familiar...
everything.
This turned out to be the Beicheng Air Force Base which was cancelled ten years ago and has now become a runway for a civilian airport.
But no matter how it changes, when Wen Nuan sees all this, she will still remember that this is the familiar military compound where she and Gu Qinghan once lived.
After Gu Qinghan held Wen Nuan's hand and got off the plane, he said, "Come on, let's continue our adventure."
Wen Nuan held the other person's hand tightly and followed him forward: "Okay, let's move forward together."
Wen Nuan followed Gu Qinghan's footsteps and slowly walked towards the other end of the runway.
To walk from the airport runway to their former family compound, one has to pass through a birch forest.
It is the golden autumn season of October. The golden leaves on the birch trees are particularly eye-catching. The yellow, green and red grass on the hillside looks like an overturned palette, with rich and charming colors.
It was unknown how long they walked, but Gu Qinghan had already led her through the woods and arrived in front of the red brick townhouse.
That was the last yard. Now it was covered with grass and the roof was in tatters.
But when I stand here, those familiar scenes still flash before my eyes like a kaleidoscope.
She remembered many things, including the laughter of her children, and the figures of her sisters-in-law and comrades-in-arms...
This is North City.
It was the beginning of her story with Gu Qinghan, and also the most nostalgic memory in the deepest part of her mind.
At this moment, Gu Qinghan's voice sounded behind her: "Wife—"
Under the sun, Wen Nuan saw Gu Qinghan riding a Phoenix brand bicycle, sitting astride the seat, turning his head to glance at her, and said with a smile: "Get on the bike, I'll take you to the kitchen."
—End of text—