bookbashuk Chapter 214 Goodbye
Chapter 214 Goodbye
This separation won't last for a few days or months; it could very well last for a year or two, or even several years.
His unit was thousands of miles away from Beijing, a journey that took five or six days by train, and no one knew when they would see each other again.
At noon, after lunch.
Qin Yunzhou should leave.
He said goodbye to Xu Sui, their two children, and his parents and elders. Carrying a bag of luggage, he left home and headed to the train station, watched by his whole family.
He didn't have much stuff, so he declined his parents' and older brother's offer to see him off and left alone.
Xu Sui lay in bed, unable to even catch a glimpse of him through the window, because their window didn't face the front yard, so she couldn't see his departing figure. She felt a little depressed.
No sooner had Qin Yunzhou left than the two babies in the cradle began to wail loudly, their fair little faces flushed red from crying, and no matter how Du Mei and Grandma Qin tried to soothe them, they couldn't calm them down.
Finally, they were taken to Xu Sui's side, where their mother held and comforted them, feeding them and humming lullabies until the two children gradually stopped crying.
Seeing this, Grandma Qin sighed and whispered to Du Mei, "I guess it's a father-son bond; the two children sensed their father was leaving and are reluctant to part with him."
These days, while they take care of the baby, Xu Sui is in her postpartum period. She no longer hides from her family when she studies and prepares for exams; instead, she openly does her homework in bed.
Xiao Fen even came to ask her privately if Xu Sui was planning to retake the college entrance exam.
She neither said yes nor no, since Xu Sui hadn't said anything yet, so it wasn't appropriate for her to say anything.
However, everyone in the family is quite perceptive; they're likely to produce another college graduate from this family.
Once Xu Sui gets accepted into university, both the second wife and her husband will be college students, and their future will be incredibly bright.
Xiaomei is definitely on the right track by staying by Xu Sui's side.
The first day Qin Yunzhou left.
That night, Xu Sui felt empty and lonely with no one by her side. She felt very uncomfortable and couldn't help but reach out and touch the cold pillow next to her. She also felt a little empty inside.
By now, he should have already left Fengyang County by train.
With that one person suddenly gone, I feel like nothing in this room is right, and I can't even concentrate on reading anymore.
Xu Sui didn't force herself. Since she couldn't bear to watch anymore, she decided to take a night's rest and adjust her emotions.
Sleeping alone this night, I was initially unaccustomed to it, but gradually got used to it.
She only took one day.
In the days that followed, Xu Sui studied harder and harder each day. She practically wore out those books. She could do almost all the problems, and for some, she could even calculate the answer in her head after just one glance.
More than two months have passed, and her postpartum body has almost recovered. Compared with before giving birth, she looks a bit rounder and plumper.
However, she doesn't look fat at all. On the contrary, she looks more in line with the aesthetics of this era. She is still pretty and beautiful, with fair skin, a slender waist, and a graceful figure that makes people dazzled.
The first day after I finished my postpartum confinement period, there were less than ten days left until the college entrance examination.
Xu Sui took a rare, comfortable bath and changed into her pre-pregnancy dress and brand-new leather shoes.
The leather shoes were sent by Gu Shuang before. They were brand new and hadn't been worn yet. The size was right, and the style was popular in Beijing. They weren't sold at all in Fengyang County, a small place.
The light blue dress accentuated her red lips and white teeth, making her look bright and beautiful. She had a slender waist and long legs. The dress fit her perfectly in every way except for the chest area, which made her look a bit plump.
Xu Sui looked at herself in the mirror from the side. Fortunately, it fit her fairly well, and she still looked good in the mirror.
She had originally intended to change her outfit, but seeing that she didn't need to anymore.
Someone wanted to buy her job today and invited her to a nearby teahouse to discuss the price.
Just then, Du Mei's voice came from outside the door.
"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, my cousin has written a letter! Come out and see!"
It was a letter from the military. Along with the letter came a money order and a package.
This was the first letter Qin Yunzhou sent back after returning to his unit.
Xu Sui was inevitably happy to hear the news. She quickly went out and soon saw the letter, package, and remittance slip on the table.
She first picked up the letter and opened it. The letter described his daily life after returning to the army, his concern for his family, and his greetings to her and the children.
The emotions conveyed in the letter were subtle and restrained, without any very direct words. However, most of the questions in the letter concerned her and her two children, making it clear that Qin Yunzhou missed them.
Before leaving the army, Qin Yunzhou had just been promoted to regimental political commissar, with a monthly allowance of 141 yuan, not including other subsidies. In those days, his monthly allowance was equivalent to almost half a year's income for an ordinary worker, more than enough to support his wife and children.
In this family, apart from Xu Sui, no one knew that he received such a large monthly allowance. The Qin family all thought that he probably received sixty or seventy yuan a month, which was already considered a very high salary for most people.
He sent back 100 yuan this time. The package contained some cloth coupons, national grain coupons, cotton coupons, and a trendy dress, a set of high-end face cream, some canned meat, and several cans of baby formula.
National grain coupons do not expire; they can be used even in Beijing.
Xu Sui carefully put everything away, then thought for a moment and said to Du Mei, "Xiao Mei, go and change the two children into some festive clothes. I want to take them to have a couple of photos taken later and send them to the army."
She had been thinking about sending photos to Qin Yunzhou from the beginning.
However, she was still in her postpartum period at that time, so she couldn't move around too much.
Now that she's finally out of confinement and the two kids are a bit older, it's time to take them to a photo studio. She even dressed up a bit today.
Du Mei nodded. "Okay, sister-in-law, I'll head over now."
"Okay, go ahead."
Xiao Fen came out of the house, and as soon as she came out, she couldn't help but stare at Xu Sui from head to toe, her eyes filled with amazement.
"Sui Sui, are you out of your postpartum confinement period today?"
"It's been a long time since I've seen you dressed up so beautifully. The dress looks great on you, but you look even more beautiful."
Look at that tiny waist, so slender it looks like you could snap it in half with one hand, and those breasts, that bottom... most importantly, that beautiful, fair face, it's dazzling.
If she goes out and no one tells her, who would know that Xu Sui is already a mother of two?
However, Xu Sui is not very old; she is not even twenty years old yet.
Xu Sui smiled and said, "Yes, I've been resting at home for two months now, and my body has recovered enough. It's time to finish my postpartum confinement."