After hearing what Gu Xiangyi said, Zhan Aiping had a very bad feeling.
Zhan Aiping was stunned and said: "... You two can't do that?"
She immediately thought of someone and the joke she had made before.
Gu Xiangyi pretended to be dumbfounded and said, "Sister-in-law, our two families are even closer."
Zhan Aiping: “?!!!!”
"Sister-in-law, I will be your sister-in-law—" Before Gu Xiangyi could finish her words, she ran away.
Zhan Aiping stayed where she was. She was so shocked that she couldn't recover. Things were getting serious.
Zhan Aiping did not go to find Gu Xiangyi, but went back to talk to Gu Sheng. She was very sad: "It's over, Gu Laowu, it's over... Do you know who my younger sister is looking for?"
Zhan Aiping instinctively felt that this annual meeting was very exciting.
Gu Sheng acted as if nothing had happened: "My little sister is dating your little brother?"
Zhan Aiping: "… Why do you know?"
"I guessed it from your performance." Gu Sheng didn't have any special feeling in his heart. It was not difficult for him to accept that his brother-in-law became his brother-in-law.
Since the two families know each other well, I feel more at ease. At least I don’t have to worry about my younger sister being cheated.
If they get along well, they can be considered a perfect match.
Zhan Aiping blinked her eyes: "Now that you have guessed it, why are you not anxious?"
Gu Sheng smiled and said, "Wife, there is no need to worry. Our two families are even closer than before."
Zhan Aiping: “…”
If you think about it carefully, there is really nothing to worry about. We are all family, there is nothing wrong.
She doesn't have to worry about her brother being deceived and finding a troublesome wife; Gu Sheng doesn't have to worry about her sister being deceived and finding a scheming husband.
Zhan Aiping: "It saves us trouble if they are together."
"Yes, that's right, just relax."
Zhan Aiping: "When they quarrel, it's over. As both a sister and a sister-in-law, I don't know which side to stand on..."
Gu Sheng: "Stand over there."
Zhan Aiping: “…”
"Okay, okay, let them do whatever they want."
Gu Sheng smiled slyly: "Yeah, I'll let you worry less."
Zhan Aiping: “…”
Gu Sheng rubbed his cheek and savored it carefully: "I really want to see the expression on Old Gu's face..."
After thinking about it, he still felt a little unsatisfied.
Zhan Aiping: "It's not easy for your father-in-law to have a filial son like you."
This New Year reunion is as colorful as an oil painting.
She really wanted to see the expressions of Zhanbo and Zhu Jiaorong.
Zhan Aiping coughed: "Ahem—"
She is also a filial daughter.
The next day, Zhan Aiping called Zhan Mingzhao. Zhan Mingzhao did not avoid the call and answered the phone honestly, "Sister—"
Zhan Aiping bluffed: "My younger sister has already told me everything."
Zhan Mingzhao said: "Yes, we are dating."
Zhan Aiping: "…Really? Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Zhan Aiping: "That's perfect. Let's go home together for the New Year. If you two want to be serious, then prepare for the wedding and meet each other's parents."
“…Isn’t that a bit too fast?”
Zhan Aiping: "Is this considered fast? It was faster when I married your brother-in-law."
Zhan Mingzhao: "Okay then—By the way, sister, I will retire first and then get married."
"You should retire, you should retire." Zhan Aiping said, "It just so happens that I want to see you wash clothes, cook and take care of the children with my own eyes."
"What's the big deal?" Zhan Mingzhao laughed shamelessly: "I learned from my brother-in-law."
Zhan Aiping asked, "What do you want to do after you retire from the army?"
Zhan Mingzhao said: "I will go to the tea factory and be a glorious worker!"
Zhan Aiping: “…”
Go go.
*
It's the end of the year again. Zhan Aiping has been working in the military hospital for more than a year. Her training is almost over, and she will return to Yanxin Health Center after the New Year.
Dean Xu kept trying to keep her, but Zhan Aiping decided not to stay.
Before going on vacation, Zhan Aiping compiled a set of materials and sent them to the county medical school. Although the surgical techniques she had written before were not officially published, they were kept in the medical school as teaching materials.
In the past two years, she has published a number of training materials.
"Xiao Zhan, when you come back, this dean position will be yours."
Yes, she is going back to be the dean, and she is also preparing to build a five- or six-story building for medical staff and their families.
*
It was the end of January in 1975, and the Chinese New Year had not yet arrived. It was in the second month of the lunar calendar. January here was not too cold, with only a few days of drastic temperature drops. It was still hot when the sun came out at noon on a sunny day.
The brother and sister, Guobaorou and Xiaotangyuan, are over three years old. The puppy Zongzi at home has also grown stronger. The sunlight is good in the morning, and Zongzi lies on the steps in front of the yard to bask in the sun.
The sweet and sour pork brother and sister surrounded it, and they stretched out their little paws in a naughty way, one holding the front legs of the zongzi, and the other holding the hind legs. The two people and the dog held their paws happily.
Gu Sheng stood in the yard watering the flowers at home. In addition to red roses, they also planted several kinds of roses. The temperature was not high at this time, comparable to spring in other places, and it was the best time for the flowers to bloom.
"It's because Zongzi has a good temper that he doesn't find you two annoying." Gu Sheng looked at the three little ones in the family with a smile.
Their yard is very lively.
His child's crying is so penetrating that whenever he starts crying, the whole house is filled with the child's voice and he doesn't know where to hide.
But when it came to the neighbor's house, he couldn't hear it anymore.
"I dance for my dad!"
Little Tangyuan was very keen on dancing. Gu Sheng and his brother Guobaorou picked two flowers and put them on her head. The little girl spun around and danced conceitedly. Gu Sheng held one of her hands and asked her to spin around in place.
Sweet and sour pork stood aside very calmly.
He doesn't like standing too close to his sister because his sister is taller than him. You can't tell if you don't look carefully, but if they stand close, you can tell at a glance that his sister is taller than him.
Captain Luo couldn't help but say, "Your daughter dances beautifully."
He envied other people's daughters.
When Zhang Lirong was pregnant, he hoped that she would give him a son. Now that he has a son, he envies other people's daughters.
Gu Sheng said: "I envy you for having another child."
Captain Luo shook his head: "No, no, I'm afraid my daughter will look like her mother."
Gu Sheng: “…”
“My daughter looks like me.”
Captain Luo: "It's not possible for me to be like me."
Before Captain Luo could finish his words, Zhan Aiping came back from afar. She brought a lot of ham and canned ham. She was popular. Zhu Hui gave her canned ham, and Doctor Zhou's wife, Aunt Meng, always remembered to bring her some ham from her hometown every year.
"Children, come out and get the meat!"
The sweet and sour pork brother and sister ran out happily.
Zhan Aiping said, "We're going to eat meat tonight. Let's eat early. We're going to go to the movies in the evening. My uncle will be in the movie today."
There was an open-air movie being shown in the compound today, and it happened to be the one filmed by Zhan Mingzhao. As an elder sister, Zhan Aiping was eagerly waiting to watch the movie starring her brother.
"Look at uncle!"
"Look at uncle eating meat."
Gu Sheng: "I helped Guo Bao Rou cut his hair before I went back to my husband's house."
"Yeah, my son's hair is a little longer." He trimmed his hair in the twelfth month to avoid having to get a shave in the first month of the year.
In the evening, they watched a movie starring Zhan Mingzhao outdoors in the family compound, and Gu Xiangyi also watched the same movie in the military hospital.
There were not many movies available in the country at that time, and when a new movie finally came out, it was shown everywhere.
If we talk about the number of moviegoers, movies from the 1960s and 1970s definitely had the highest number of moviegoers.
Gu Xiangyi sat with the nurses in the hospital, all watching the movie seriously. Until the farmer played by Zhan Mingzhao appeared, all the girls in the military hospital became excited.
"Is that Dr. Zhan's brother?"
"Dr. Zhan's younger brother, I heard he doesn't have a partner and isn't married yet. He came to our military hospital before, during the Chinese New Year last year."
"He's so handsome!"
Gu Xiangyi looked at the handsome man in the movie. She was very excited, but she did not show it. She remained silent and did not join in the discussion of the women around her.
"He must be related to Xiangyi."
Gu Xiangyi said: "We grew up in the same courtyard, so we can be considered childhood sweethearts."
When she said this, she was in a very happy mood. Look, she also found a childhood sweetheart.
"Childhood sweetheart?"
"It's a pity that you two are not destined to be together."
Gu Xiangyi: “?!!”
"Xiangyi will definitely not like this. Zhan's younger brother is dark and thin."
"Xiang Yi likes white!"
Gu Xiangyi retorted in her heart: Who said she likes white skin? This kind of dark skin is also very good-looking.
What's wrong with her liking little black guy
Her taste has changed now, she doesn't like pretty boys!
*
When Zhan Mingzhao came back, he went to his sister and brother-in-law's house first. Because he was preparing to go home for the New Year, Zhan Mingzhao prepared a lot of things.
This time, he wanted to go back to the Zhan family. He hadn't been back for several years. He had never been home since he became an educated youth.
"Sister." Zhan Mingzhao called Zhan Aiping in the yard.
When Zhan Aiping saw him, she was shocked. Her younger brother Zhan Mingzhao had glowing white skin under the gentle winter sunshine.
He turned into a young boy with red lips and white teeth, wearing a white shirt, army green trousers, and a coat draped over his arm.
Zhan Aiping thought to herself: What a typical pretty boy.
The skin type of the brother and sister is similar. They tan easily but also whiten easily. If they take good care of their skin, it will be a creamy and glowing white.
As a woman, Zhan Aiping can still accept her skin quality, but when her brother came in front of her with a tender face.
Zhan Aiping was really shocked!
"Sister? What's wrong? Are you not used to it?" Zhan Mingzhao has taken good care of his skin over the past six months. As a senior friend of women, he knows many girls' skin care secrets.
Zhan Mingzhao thought that Gu Xiangyi liked white skin, so he patiently made his skin whiter, planning to give her a surprise at the end of the year.
The skin is white and tender, like fresh coconut milk.
He himself is a little uncomfortable with it.
But this is a good thing. Since the movie was released, he became a big celebrity. Of course, it's just his name. Now that he has become white, no one can guess that the skinny dark boy is him.
Zhan Aiping said: "You are like a completely different person."
After Zhan Mingzhao turned white, the skin color of the brother and sister became similar. The closer their skin color was, the more it could be seen that although they had similar eyebrows and eyes, they actually looked very different.
Zhan Aiping's facial features are more beautiful, bold and aggressive; her younger brother Zhan Mingzhao's eyebrows and eyes are softer and more restrained.
Xiao Guobao obviously looks more like his uncle!
Zhan Aiping was shocked: "?!!!!"
Will her little Guobao grow up to be such a lovable pretty boy
(End of this chapter)