Chapter 212: Leaving Qing City
Mr. Su, Su’s mother, and Su Qinchun planned to sell liangpi in the compound one last time, while Mr. Gu and Second Brother Gu were selling jianbing guozi from their stall.
Gu Jiaojiao was driving with Su Shuochi in the passenger seat. Grandpa Gu, Eldest Brother Gu, and Mrs. Gu were in the back.
She was someone who valued relationships deeply, but that also meant she wouldn’t easily grow attached to people she’d just met.
But after spending so much time with them, Gu Jiaojiao had gradually come to see the Gu Family as her own dearest family.
Seeing how sad her mother was to see her go, Gu Jiaojiao had to find something to talk about to distract her.
"Mom, with us moving out in such a hurry, won’t Sheng’s mother think we’re scared of her?"
Sure enough, Mrs. Gu exploded. "We’ve wanted to move ever since we saw the house! What does it have to do with her?"
"If you hadn’t gotten into a fight with her, it naturally wouldn’t have anything to do with her. But now, it looks like we’re running away right after the fight..."
Gu Jiaojiao wasn’t deliberately teasing her mother. She was just worried and hoped her mother would learn to stay calm instead of resorting to fights at the drop of a hat.
After all, her mother was in poor health from years of malnutrition; she couldn’t take a punch like most people.
"Mom, you actually got into a fight with Sheng’s mother?" Eldest Brother Gu was stunned.
"I didn’t want to fight her! Sheng Yueyue framed Jiaojiao, so I went to reason with her mother. But Ren Cuiping came out and just started pulling my hair without a second thought..."
Mrs. Gu poured out her story, sounding more and more aggrieved until she was on the verge of tears again.
"Mom, that can’t be true," Eldest Brother Gu said, still unable to believe his adopted sister could be so malicious.
"Your mother never lies. Sheng’s mother was the one in the wrong. Her daughter made a mistake, and yet she had the audacity to attack your mom."
Grandpa Gu said angrily, shooting his eldest grandson a fierce glare.
"I believe what my mother-in-law says is true. When Jiaojiao was driving back, we saw a crowd gathered at the Sheng Family’s home. We stopped to eat a bag of chicken feet, and by the time we went over, the fight was already over."
Su Shuochi glanced back coldly at Eldest Brother Gu. The facts were staring him in the face, yet he still refused to believe them.
"I thought they would just yell at each other for a while and be done with it. Who knew they would actually start fighting!" Gu Jiaojiao said with some frustration.
"It’s a good thing you weren’t there, Jiaojiao. That ungrateful wretch Sheng Yueyue came out and ganged up right on me."
"Sigh, that Sheng Yueyue is really asking for it. Does she really enjoy having everyone curse her behind her back?"
Grandpa Gu sighed softly. "I just can’t believe it. She used to be as timid as a mouse. How did she become so arrogant and reckless?"
"She feels emboldened to act like this now because her grandfather and father are both high-ranking officials," Mrs. Gu said scornfully.
Eldest Brother Gu didn’t say another word for the rest of the drive. He just listened silently as his grandfather and mother listed Sheng Yueyue’s faults. No one knew what he was thinking.
Gu Jiaojiao, for her part, only wanted to distract her mom from the sadness of their impending separation, so she didn’t comment much on Sheng Yueyue.
What she didn’t tell them was that if Sheng Yueyue kept pushing her luck like this a few more times...
...the Sheng Family themselves would no longer be able to stand it. They would gradually abandon her, which would solve the Sheng Yueyue problem at its root.
When they arrived at the new house, Gu Jiaojiao showed Grandpa Gu and Mrs. Gu to their respective bedrooms.
The rooms were pristine, with new desks, large beds, and freshly washed new bedding.
While her grandfather and the others were happily inspecting their new bedrooms, Gu Jiaojiao used her space to move everything from the car into the living room.
Grandpa Gu came out of the bedroom to find the living room piled high with their things. "Jiaojiao, you’re way too fast!"
He was especially surprised because Su Shuochi was still sitting in the car’s passenger seat and hadn’t gotten out.
"Well, we’re in a hurry! Goodbye, Grandpa. I’m not going to say goodbye to Mom—I can’t stand to see her cry."
With tears in his eyes, Grandpa Gu urged her, "Jiaojiao, no matter what happens, you have to put yourself first. Remember that you have a husband and family who love you."
"I know, Grandpa. Don’t you worry. If you keep going, you’re going to make Shu Ci start crying, too!"
Grandpa Gu instantly broke into a tearful smile. Seizing the moment, Gu Jiaojiao revved the engine with a RUMBLE and drove off.
After looking at her room, Mrs. Gu went to inspect the kitchen. It was stocked with rice, flour, and all kinds of meat in the refrigerator.
’This is our very own home. It’s so wonderful.’ It should have been a happy occasion, but Mrs. Gu couldn’t bring herself to feel happy.
Her daughter was leaving for a faraway place. By the time Mrs. Gu came outside, Gu Jiaojiao’s car was already far down the road.
It was only natural to be heartbroken, but her daughter was gone. All she could do was lean against the courtyard gate and cry in silence.
Gu Jiaojiao drove the car into a nearby alley, helped Su Shuochi get out, and then stored the car in her space.
She changed into the fashionable attire of Divine Doctor Su Gu, pushed the wheelchair out of the alley, and had barely taken a few steps onto the main street before she heard Xi Guodong’s voice.
"Divine Doctor Su Gu! It is truly an honor to see you again."
"Yes. Bring the car over. We’re departing," Gu Jiaojiao said coolly.
As Xi Guodong jogged over to get the car, Gu Jiaojiao turned to Su Shuochi and reminded him gently.
"I’ll call home as soon as I arrive. Dad and Mom will surely want to stay in the new house, so you and Su Qinchun can stay at the old compound. And when you have time, apply to get a phone line installed at the new house..."
Gu Jiaojiao rattled on with a flurry of reminders, and Su Shuochi just listened quietly.
Her eyes, shimmering with affection, were so full of honeyed sweetness it felt like you could wring it out like water as she gazed silently at Su Shuochi.
Out on the street, Su Shuochi had to restrain the urge to pull his wife into his arms. He said nothing.
He had already said everything he needed to say moments before, while Gu Jiaojiao was changing her clothes.
Xi Guodong respectfully opened the car door, inviting Gu Jiaojiao to get in. Su Shuochi watched with yearning eyes as his wife entered the car and it sped away.
Through the car window, Gu Jiaojiao watched as her man sat in his wheelchair on the long street, waving to her under the scorching sun.
His silhouette was solitary and upright, his profile sharp and handsome. Beneath his long brows, his eyes were filled with deep affection.
The car sped out of the city and onto the muddy suburban roads, causing the vehicle to jostle a bit.
From the moment Su Shuochi’s figure disappeared from view, Gu Jiaojiao had kept her eyes closed, resting. It was the first time she had ever experienced such a heart-wrenching farewell.
Meanwhile, Xi Guodong, sitting in the passenger seat, gazed at her, utterly mesmerized, through the rearview mirror.
She wore a sharp suit of some unknown fabric that perfectly accentuated her exquisite figure.
Her eyes, usually like twinkling stars in the night, were closed. Her red lips were slightly pursed, her face had the radiance of the moon, and her skin looked so flawless it seemed it would break at the slightest touch.
’She’s an absolute goddess.’
He only dared to steal glances, not wanting to profane the goddess in his heart.
Upon arriving at a heavily guarded military airport, Xi Guodong took out his credentials. The guards’ attitudes immediately became respectful; they snapped to attention and saluted.
The car drove directly onto the tarmac. "Divine Doctor Su Gu, we’re at the airfield. Please exit the car to board the aircraft."
"Yes."
The helicopter was already starting up. Its rotors spun faster and faster, creating a powerful downdraft that made it difficult to stand steady.
Xi Guodong hopped in first and then reached out a hand to help Gu Jiaojiao, but she simply turned sideways and vaulted aboard in one fluid motion.
She even gave a cheerful wave to the soldiers below, forcing an embarrassed Xi Guodong to withdraw his hand.
The helicopter ascended high into the sky, rapidly leaving Qing City behind as it flew toward the southwest.
Gu Jiaojiao gazed down at the shrinking buildings below. This wasn’t her first time in an aircraft, but she still felt a strange and wondrous sensation in her heart.