Chapter 338 - 340: Self-Reliance
Hong Xing thought of how much Liu Haiguo and his sister coveted the position of team leader, and his heart paused. He reflected on the current muddle caused by Liu Haiguo and his sister within the Red Star Production Team and fell silent.
Gao Jiaxing and Xia Xiao did not say much more, knowing that Hong Xing had taken their words to heart. The Hong Family was a major family in the production team, and if Hong Xing were so inclined, the Hong Family members would undoubtedly support him, even if it meant replacing Liu Haiguo.
Now, both Gao Jiaxing and Xia Xiao had a strong distaste for Liu Haiguo and his sister. However, Gao Jiaxing still gave a reminder, "Be careful of Wang Xueyong."
Hong Xing nodded, responding, "I won’t overlook him."
After Hong Xing left, Xia Xiao said, "Brother Gao, let’s go back."
Gao Jiaxing nodded, his mind no longer on wandering about. He was preoccupied with where Ge Lai might be and whether Ge Liang had truly been taken away by him, but Gao Jiaxing had no way of finding out the answer.
Xia Xiao didn’t know how to discuss Ge Liang’s situation with Gao Jiaxing and decided not just keep it to himself. Together, they headed home.
When they got home, to their surprise, the door was locked. Xia Xiao was puzzled and remarked, "Did mom, dad, brother, and Sister Yuhua go out? Why is the door locked?"
In the countryside, doors are usually locked only at bedtime.
Thus, if the door was locked now, it meant no one was home.
Xia Xiao snuggled into Gao Jia’s embrace and said, "It’s quite dark and there’s no light, it’s normal not to see clearly." Then added, "Tonight, even the moon hasn’t come out."
Gao Jiaxing said, "We have a horse lantern and oil lamps at home. If you find it too dark and can’t see the road, just light one up. When going out, if you can’t see the road, carry the horse lantern with you, and don’t try to save money on this, alright?"
"But dad and mom might need it when they go out," Xia Xiao replied, recognizing that the family only had one horse lantern.
Gao Jiaxing said, "If the horse lantern is at home, and you need to go out, definitely take it with you. My parents and brother are used to walking at night; they rarely use the horse lantern."
As he spoke, Gao Jiaxing set Xia Xiao down, walked over, and lit the oil lamp. Pointing to the horse lantern that sat on the table, he said, "See, the horse lantern is here at home. They all find the oil too expensive, so they’re reluctant to use it."
Xia Xiao nodded, thinking to herself that it would be nice to have a flashlight.
"I’ll save up some money and buy a flashlight; it’s more convenient," Xia Xiao said.
Gao Jiaxing nodded, also taking the matter of the flashlight to heart.
Suddenly, Gao Jiaxing extinguished the oil lamp, plunging the room into darkness. Xia Xiao asked, "Brother Gao, why did you put out the oil lamp? I can’t see anything now."
"All right, but this time I’m going to a small island. Sending letters might not be as convenient as before; it might take longer," Gao Jiaxing believed that communication wouldn’t be a problem, just a matter of time.
"That’s okay, but we must keep in touch, otherwise when the time comes, I won’t know how to find you, and I’ll worry," Xia Xiao said.
Gao Jiaxing responded, "But when you write to me in the future, try to be as meticulous as possible, as all letters in the military are subject to inspection."
Xia Xiao nodded, "I already know that." Aware that their letters were screened, Xia Xiao dared not write anything inappropriate.