Gu Yuan received a brand new military uniform. At this time, Gu Sheng also came in with his little daughter Gu Mian. Only his brother Gu Chen was still outside.
Gu Sheng took a camera and took a few photos of the three of them.
Zhan Aiping was surrounded by her daughters. She is 40 years old this year. Her daughters are 17 and 13 years old respectively. Gu Yuan is slightly taller than her, while Gu Mian is slightly shorter. The three of them, mother and daughters, standing together have outstanding looks, which attracted many people to watch.
"The mother in the middle is still the best looking."
"The one on the left is a little too tender."
"Short hair makes you look dashing..."
Listening to the people around him talking, Gu Mian was very dissatisfied, "I'm not naive!"
Compared with her mother Zhan Aiping and her sister Gu Yuan, her face is rounder and more delicate, very pure and lovely.
Gu Mian hated her own cute and adorable appearance. She longed to be as beautiful and outstanding as her mother and sister.
Gu Sheng said: "You are not young, come here and help me take a photo with your mother."
Brigade Commander Gu pays great attention to cultivating his youngest daughter's photography skills. Gu Mian had participated in the filming of a TV series before and has a very good understanding of photography. Except for her brother, she has the best photography skills in the family.
What Xiao Mianhua didn't expect was that after her brothers and sisters went to college, she was left alone at home and gradually became her parents' mobile photographer.
Gu Sheng walked to Zhan Aiping, put his arm around her shoulders, and the couple stood together for photos.
Little Mianhua acted as a diligent photographer: "Mom, please change your position."
The three of them had a lot of fun taking photos.
Gu Yuan was speechless beside him: "Have you forgotten that you are here to send me to school?"
Gu Mian: "Sister, you should take the initiative. Who told you to just stand by and watch?"
Gu Yuan changed into a new military uniform and a military cap. She looked at herself in the full-length mirror and vaguely saw her mother's youthful appearance through the clear mirror.
*
The children all went to school, and the house suddenly became quiet and empty. Without the usual noise of the children, it seemed a little lonely. Zhan Aiping sat in the living room and only then felt that the house was too big.
Now we are a family of three living in a two-story building.
Zhan Aiping said: "With fewer people, the wind has become stronger."
It was suddenly so quiet that she felt a little sad and missed her. Gu Yuan was in a military academy, under strict supervision, and had to wait in a long line before she could call home, so she started sending letters to her family.
My elder brother Gu Chen has more freedom. He holds a mobile phone and calls home from time to time.
After the TV series "New Life" was broadcast, Gu Chen immediately called back to congratulate his mother: "Mom, I saw the show, it was filmed so well!"
"Everyone in the streets is talking about it."
Zhan Aiping smiled and said, "Not bad, your little sister's singing is also nice."
Gu Chen: "My little sister's singing voice has become famous."
The TV series was a big hit, and Gu Mian, who was still in junior high school, sang the ending song and interlude, which attracted widespread attention. At the end of the year, a local TV station even invited her to sing at the New Year's Eve party.
Xiaomianhua went to record the show.
Gu Sheng and Zhan Aiping were the only ones left at home. When Zhan Aiping had nothing to do, she learned to knit. When Gu Sheng came home, he saw her sitting on the sofa, having fallen asleep while knitting.
Gu Sheng: "The children are not at home. Do you miss them?"
Zhan Aiping: "When my child is not around, I always feel like something is missing."
I feel lonely and sad. The children have grown up and left, and the couple has become an empty-nest couple. After a few more years, when they are old, they will become empty-nest elderly people.
Gu Sheng held her in his arms: "The children are not here, and I am here, so it's just right for the two of us to spend some time together."
Zhan Aiping hugged his face and sighed: "Brother, you really are not tired of me. We have been married for almost 20 years, and we are not tired of each other yet?"
Gu Sheng: "Now that the children have left, we are entering a new phase and we can start over."
Zhan Aiping hugged his neck and said, "You are right. We are going to start our retirement life."
Gu Sheng: “… ?!” Brigadier General Gu, who is in his early forties and still feels that he is in his prime, is thinking about retirement at all.
"Wife, I'm not old. Why don't you give it a try? Now is a good time to be free while the children are away."
The children are not at home, and it's just the two of them in a big house. What a happy thing it is. They can kiss wherever they want and do happy things wherever they want without worrying that the children will notice any movement.
When Zhan Aiping woke up from the sofa in a daze, the TV in the living room was still playing silently. She could only see the changing pictures but could not hear any sound.
Her cheeks were flushed, she looked unwell, and she was covered not only with a blanket but also with someone’s military coat, the ranks on it gleaming in the light.
—The quality of the leather sofa at home is really good.
"Wife, you're awake."
Seeing that she woke up, Gu Sheng went to the kitchen and brought her a bowl of warm century egg and lean meat porridge, which was sprinkled with freshly chopped green onions, looking green and tempting.
Zhan Aiping threw a pillow at him.
Gu Sheng took the pillow with a smile, threw it aside, walked to her side, put on his coat, and held her in his arms again. The couple ate while hugging each other.
After the children left, their meals became simpler and simpler.
Zhan Aiping loves to eat century egg and lean meat porridge. Sometimes when she is alone at home and is too lazy to cook, she eats porridge with side dishes for three meals a day. As she gets older, her appetite has become smaller.
She said, "Eat a few more bites."
Gu Sheng: "I've eaten. The porridge was originally prepared for you. After the children left, your appetite has become smaller and smaller, and you don't exercise enough. I need to give you more."
"Look at you, aren't you eating very happily now?"
"Just do more exercise."
Zhan Aiping: “…”
She bit Gu Sheng's shoulder, leaving a red tooth mark. "Comrade Gu, the organization is seriously warning you not to let your children take advantage of your absence and act disrespectfully towards the elderly."
"I don't mean any harm. I mean well. Wife, look in the mirror. Where are you old?"
Zhan Aiping buried her head in his shoulder. Ever since her daughter Gu Yuan went to college, her mental state has indeed not been very good. She is lazy and unwilling to move. Her two little daughters, who usually love to pester their mother and chatter, are no longer around.
She wants to cheer up!
That day was like opening Pandora's box, and once it was opened, there was no way to clean it up.
Zhan Aiping has thought it through. The children will eventually grow up, spread their wings and leave their parents. And her and Gu Sheng's marriage status will also enter a new stage, and they will enjoy their own world as a couple.
So, after letting go of my mindset, the days of joy and carefree living began.
When they first got married, Zhan Aiping liked to sleep in, but now that she is older, she wakes up early. When they get up in the morning, the couple are both in bed. They are not in a hurry. They just cling to each other and kiss each other good morning.
If sparks accidentally fly, then just make it as sweet as honey. The closer the contact, the deeper the feelings. Zhan Aiping also began to think about finding some new fun for the couple's retirement life.
When the three children came back for the Chinese New Year, they had not yet noticed that their parents' relationship had changed.
Gu Chen was busy starting his own business; Gu Yuan had become darker and more stable, looking through her mother's medical books at home; Gu Mian was so excited after appearing on TV that she indulged herself in listening to music and practicing singing in her room.
The "old couple" over there are busy discussing "dating".
Gu Sheng: "We didn't date for a few days before we got married. Now that I think about it, isn't it a bit of a loss? Nowadays, young couples have so many things to do, such as going to parks, zoos, amusement parks, watching movies, dancing in dance halls, eating Yuanyang hotpot, KFC..."
Zhan Aiping: "You can make up for it now."
“This means getting on the bus first and paying the fare later.”
*
In March 1989, the children went to school and the social atmosphere became tight again. Suddenly, there was a strict crackdown on tax evasion, especially among private factories and small self-employed individuals.
A lot of tax evasion and tax avoidance were discovered, causing an uproar in public opinion and affecting all aspects of the industry.
The hotel, teahouse, hotpot restaurant and grilled fish restaurant opened by Zhan Aiping have all been inspected several times, but there was no tax evasion in her restaurant, so she was not affected.
Many other self-employed shops were closed down, causing panic among the people.
One of her colleagues at the medical school, Teacher Yuan, also runs an oil tea shop in her spare time. It was recently investigated and closed for a few days. She was terrified at home. "Many shops have been closed and their business licenses have been revoked."
"Teacher Zhan, do you think we will go back to the way we were before?"
Zhan Aiping shook her head: "No."
Teacher Yuan: "I'm a little worried. Teacher Zhan, aren't you afraid?"
Zhan Aiping said: "I have not evaded taxes, nor have I engaged in any speculation. I am operating legally. What do I have to be afraid of?"
"Let's close this shop. You see, the newspapers have been reporting on this these days. Many people have donated their factories. Let's donate ours too. We can live a down-to-earth life as teachers in the future."
After Teacher Yuan closed the store, she often kept an eye on Zhan Aiping's movements. Although she closed the store and destroyed the business license, she was still reluctant to do so.
That day, she came to Zhan Aiping anxiously and said, "Teacher Zhan, someone has reported you."
"The requirements from above are strict now. They are conducting a thorough investigation. People with work units are not allowed to do small business privately."
Zhan Aiping was invited to have tea by Director Yan: "You only have three choices. One is to stay in school honestly and not do anything else; the second is to take a leave of absence; the third is to resign and go into business."
Zhan Aiping: "I understand."
Director Yan had a kind face and said, "All the students in the school like your class very much. No student wants you to leave. You are a good teacher... Of course, I know you will not be willing to give up. The school can arrange for you to take a three-year unpaid leave. As long as you think it through and are willing to come back, you can come back."
Zhan Aiping had already made up her mind: "Director, I plan to resign."
It is not uncommon to quit your iron rice bowl at this time, but you must act with caution, because there have been too many changes in recent years, and maybe in the future we will return to the planned economy. It would be terrible if you lost your iron rice bowl.
Director Yan was surprised: "Are you really going to resign?"
Zhan Aiping nodded.
She had wanted to quit her job a long time ago. Perhaps she had been passionate when she was young and wanted to work hard in her job. However, after experiencing decades of free and unfettered life in her previous life, Zhan Aiping did not really like the days of punching in to go to work every day.
She would rather be a free person and not be under the pressure of one leader after another.
Now that private clinics are open, as a doctor, she prefers to open a private Chinese medicine clinic and live a free working life.
Zhan Aiping resigned. She went home and announced to Gu Sheng loudly: "I, your wife, have decided to retire from now on."
I am taking a one-year break now and will open a Chinese medicine clinic in 1990.
In the future, I will be my own boss, sleep until I wake up naturally every day, and do whatever I want.
Gu Sheng: “…”
Zhan Aiping laughed and said, "You still have more than 20 years to live with someone. Just wait and see. I envy you to death."
Gu Sheng laughed: "I'm so envious!"
Zhan Aiping squinted her eyes: "It doesn't sound sincere at all."
After no longer having to go to work, Zhan Aiping spent many days as a happy "free man". Not working makes her physically and mentally happy. Besides, the children have grown up, and Xiao Mianhua will have to wait a few years before taking the college entrance examination. Now she is carefree.
Comrade Xiao Zhan fell in love with the art of flower arranging. She also went fishing and had more leisure time to cultivate her sentiments. She even took Gu Sheng to dance ballroom dance at home.
"Our little Tangyuan is so talented in dancing, which means that I, her mother, also have some talent in dancing." Zhan Aiping used to envy those people who had artistic talents. Now that she has given birth to two daughters who are good at singing and dancing, she began to think that maybe she herself can be saved.
There is really no way to save yourself from being tone-deaf and singing out of tune, but dancing a simple folk ballroom dance should not be a difficult challenge to accomplish.
So the hall on the first floor of their house was converted into a ballroom dancing venue, and it was equipped with very good sound equipment. It was definitely because of the poor students' abundant stationery.
It’s a small detached house, so he can dance at home without worrying about disturbing others. Whenever Gu Sheng has free time, he will dance with his wife at home.
When they were kids, they had great tacit understanding when fighting, and now they also have great tacit understanding when dancing. At least they don't step on each other's feet, and their dodging skills are maxed out.
When we get tired of dancing, we just hug each other and kiss each other, or go a step further, which is very enjoyable for both body and mind.
Afraid that he would feel weak, Zhan Aiping would make soup and medicinal food at home when she had free time to nourish the bodies of both of them. The couple also exercised together, not only the 400-meter obstacle course, but also the single and double bar sets. In the evening, the couple ran five kilometers together, did push-ups, and pressed dumbbells. Gu Sheng maintained the good figure of his youth, with increasingly obvious abdominal muscles. Comrade Zhan also developed a six-pack, firm muscles, and a pair of straight and slender long legs.
In the past, you were not allowed to wear short skirts and shorts, but now Zhan Aiping wears denim shorts, a white shirt, denim shorts, and a beige sun hat. Whenever she goes out, people ask her to be a model.
Zhan Aiping declined due to her advanced age.
The old couple is in love with each other, and people are in high spirits when they are happy. Now Gu Sheng goes out with a rosy face, as if he is enjoying a second spring in his life.
He now has a steady slicked-back hairstyle, his hair is very dense, without any other color, black and thick, with sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, and a high nose bridge. He wears a new military uniform with two bars and four stars on his shoulders, looking extremely handsome and dazzling.
Every time Wang Youli saw him recently, he wanted to take a detour, but he had to face him.
They got married one after the other, and now they look very different. "This old Gu really cares too much about his image, doesn't he?"
Wang Youli secretly cried with hatred in his heart. His hair was already thinning, and yesterday he asked his wife to pull out three gray hairs. It was not easy.
Gu Sheng said calmly: "What do you mean by paying attention to your image? Now is the time when a middle-aged man is the most attractive."
Wang Youli: "… You are an old man, you go out with such great charm every day, you want to flirt with young girls? Do you have any shame? Those young girls nowadays are really blind, they all like mature old men like you. I just heard a few nurses talking about you, and they didn’t think about how old your daughter is. They are only a little older than your daughter."
Gu Sheng: "None of these affect my charm."
Wang Youli: "I'm warning you, don't make a mistake of principle."
"My wife and I have a good relationship." Gu Sheng's peach blossom eyes were full of affection and smile, "Don't be envious of the relationship between childhood sweethearts."
When mentioning his wife, Gu Sheng became happy and walked away humming a song.
Wang Youli went home and wondered, he said to Shen Liqing, "Do you think this kid will change so much after entering college?"
Shen Liqing sighed: "Next year our child will be taking the college entrance exam, and we will still have troubles."
Wang Youli: "After the exam, can we be as relaxed as Lao Gu? Look at how he shows off every day."
Shen Liqing: "They have a good relationship with each other."
Wang Youli is jealous and dismissive: "Who can't tell yet that their husband and wife are in a good relationship and they are running together with their daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law, so that all the female soldiers go to see the brigade every day for running, and they all want to marry someone after shouting their admiration — I can't tell, it's disgusting, they didn't see the bare stick that Lao Gu had beaten before they got married."
Shen Liqing: "Old Gu is a good man, a face of the military region, he has a successful career, a good relationship with his wife, and raises his children well. He is well-known far and wide, and everyone praises him when they hear about him. He is a positive image of a soldier that is worth promoting."
Wang Youli: "He has to be alert. Don't let him fall from grace one day. If he really has a second love affair with some girl, his reputation will be ruined."
Shen Liqing: "Can't you just hope for the best for others? How has Lao Gu ever let you down?"
Wang Youli: "It's not that I don't hope for the best for him, but now he is too exaggerated. The military uniforms are nice now, so who wouldn't look good in the military dress? The military ranks on the shoulders are shining brightly. I just can't stand it when an old middle-aged man attracts young girls more than when he was young."
"Those young and good-looking ones don't have as many stars and bars as he does."
"There are temptations all around him. Can he resist?"
"Look at him, pretending to be affectionate with a treacherous face. Let's see how long his affection can last."
The relationship between Zhan Aiping and her husband changed, and the person who was most affected was not anyone else, but 14-year-old comrade Gu Mian. Her parents were so sweet to her, and she was just an unnecessary third party.
It was fine when her brother and sister were at home. The three of them were lively and noisy, and the feeling of being an "outsider" was not that strong. Now that her brother and sister are away at college, she has become the other person outside the relationship between husband and wife.
It seems so redundant!!!!
The two of them danced ballroom dancing at home and she sang along.
They were taking pictures and she was following behind with the camera.
Gu Mian called his brother Gu Chen:
"I often feel like I'm a little fly around my parents."
(End of this chapter)