Bab 15: Chapter 15: Are You Still Coming Back?
Editor: virtual group
Wang Guiying gave Guo Xiang the envelope of the letter that Gu Zhennan had written. On it was his detailed address.
Guo Xiang took a glance and memorized it.
"You should rest early tonight. I'll go prepare some things to bring to Zhennan tomorrow when you go," said Wang Guiying.
"Okay."Guo Xiang nodded. She was a little depressed. If she divorced Gu Zhennan, would she have to leave this house? To be honest, she was a little reluctant to leave.
For the past two months, she had been spending so much time with Guiying and Guo'er and they really felt like a family. She had almost forgotten that she was only the daughter-in-law of the Gu family and not the daughter.
However, she was still Gu Zhennan's wife. It wouldn't be easy to get along with him. She did not want a husband who she would treat as her older brother.
Therefore, this marriage had to end.
However, she did not expect the end to come so soon.
While she was sleeping, Guo'er held Guo Xiang's hand, and her little face rubbed against her arm, "Guo Xiang, I don't want you to go."
"It's not like... I won't come back..."
In the darkness, Guo Xiang blinked and sighed in her heart. It was really likely that she would not come back. Perhaps the next time she came back would be when she would divorce Gu Zhennan. She wondered if Guo'er would be sad.
"Guo Xiang, how long will you be gone for?" Guo'er asked again.
"I don't know..."Guo Xiang said softly.
"Mom said that you will come back when you are pregnant. Is that true?" Guo'er hugged Guo Xiang's arm tightly.
"..." Guo Xiang did not know how to answer. Not to mention that she was going to get a divorce, even a normal couple could not get pregnant just because they wanted to.
"If you don't get pregnant in a year, will you be gone for a year?" Guo'er sat up and looked at Guo Xiang. "The daughter-in-law of Grandpa Liu's family in the East Village was married for two years before she gave birth. Does that mean you will be gone for two years?"
Guo Xiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "That's not something you should worry about. Your task is to study hard and take care of your mother."
"Then... Guo Xiang, come back as soon as you can. I'll miss you," Guo'er lay back down again.
Guo Xiang hugged Guo'er and patted her back. Her voice was a little muffled, "Yeah, I'll come back as soon as I can... go to sleep!"
The next day, Guo Xiang got up early. Wang Guiying was already making breakfast.
"Why don't you sleep a little longer?" Wang Guiying asked.
"I need to go see Doctor Ji and tell him that I'm leaving," Guo Xiang said.
"Right, right. I forgot about that. You should go now, but there's no rush. I asked Zhendong. He said the train is in the afternoon," Wang Guiying said. "By the way, when you come back from Doctor Ji's, you need to go to the village committee to apply for a reference letter. You can't go out without a reference letter."
Guo Xiang nodded and walked to the clinic.
Ji Changlin was surprised to see her, "Why are you here so early today?"
"Doctor Ji, I'm here to say goodbye to you," Guo Xiang said.
"Where are you going?" Ji Changlin was surprised.
"I'm going to find Gu Zhennan..."
"You..." Ji Changlin saw that Guo Xiang didn't look happy at all. He knew what she was thinking, "You want to tell him everything?"
Guo Xiang nodded, looking a little melancholy.
"Zhennan is actually quite a good guy. You can try to get along with him..."
Before he finished, Guo Xiang shook her head, "I haven't even met him once. How can we have feelings for each other? I cannot make do with somebody when it comes to marriage."
"You can still develop feelings for one another," Ji Changlin said.
Guo Xiang stood at the door and looked into the distance. She said leisurely, "I never wanted to get married. It was never part of my plan. It was just a coincidence... and this marriage fake anyway. He must hate me for it," Guo Xiang smiled bitterly.
Ji Changlin was stunned. Looking at Guo Xiang's current expression, she didn't look like a twenty-year-old girl at all. Instead, she looked like an old man who had seen through the affairs of the world. He couldn't quite understand her.
Moreover, there were very few people who stayed unmarried in this era. A girl who did not marry will become the talk of the town. Did she suffer from any trauma? She was still so young...
He wanted to ask but felt that he was meddling too much. This was her private matter.
"Then, will you come back?" Ji Changlin asked.
After spending two months together, he really felt that Guo Xiang was made for studying medicine. It would be a pity if she did not study Chinese medicine because of Gu Zhennan.
Although she could still come to study even after the divorce, it would be very awkward if she came across the Gu family.
Guo Xiang was silent. She had learned a lot in the past two months and had become interested in Chinese medicine. However, she could not guarantee that she would be able to come back.
"Follow your heart!" Ji Changlin sighed. Perhaps they were not meant to be master and disciple.
"However, didn't you lose your memory? If you divorce Zhennan, where will you go?" Ji Changlin asked.
"I don't know," Guo Xiang shook his head. "I'll take it one step at a time."
"Then... you have to be careful when you go out..." Ji Changlin really didn't know what to say.
"You take care too!" Guo Xiang looked at Ji Changlin and bowed deeply to him. "Thank you for your teaching these two months. I have learned a lot."
Ji Changlin's eyes were a little red. He nodded and couldn't say anything.
Guo Xiang went to the village committee to apply for a reference letter. When she got home, Guo'er and Gu Zhendong also got out of bed. Wang Guiying happily organized a bunch of things that she wanted to give to Gu Zhennan.
Guo Xiang looked at them. They were all local specialties of Xiangnan. Sweet potatoes, dried sweet potatoes, sweet potato powder, sour beans, chopped chili, dried radishes, and dried cowpeas. They were all home-grown. Although they weren't worth much, they represented Wang Guiying's love.
"Mom, you've prepared too much. Guo Xiang won't be able to carry them all," Gu Zhendong complained softly.
"Aren't you taking her to the train station? It'll be fine once she gets in the car. She won't have to carry it all the time," Wang Guiying rolled her eyes at him.
Seeing Guo Xiang's troubled expression, Wang Guiying said quickly, "Xiangxiang, I hope this isn't too much for you. These are Zhennan's favorite foods. He rarely comes home so he seldom gets to eat homemade meals..."
"It's okay, Mom. It's not heavy at all. I'm strong," Guo Xiang replied. She knew that Wang Guiying had misunderstood her. She looked a little troubled because she was reluctant to leave.
"When you get to the station, call Zhennan and ask him to pick you up. The phone number is written on the envelope," said Wang Guiying.
"Okay," Guo Xiang nodded.
Wang Guiying pointed at the boiled eggs and sweet potatoes on the side and said, "You can eat these on the train. Meals on the train are expensive..."
"Mom..." Gu Zhendong felt embarrassed for Wang Guiying. She was so stingy.
Wang Guiying took 20 yuan and a few food coupons and stuffed them into Guo Xiang's hands. "You can buy some if you don't like the food I made, but save as much as you can... I've asked Zhendong about it, the train tickets cost around ten yuan or so. You can spend the rest yourself."
"Okay," Guo Xiang nodded. Of course, she didn't mind. She had been living in the Gu family for free for the past two months. She felt extremely grateful.
Wang Guiying took out a green bag and handed it to Guo Xiang. "Put your things in here. Make sure you take care of your money. Be careful when you go out. Don't trust others easily. When you get on the train, put your things in the luggage rack..."
Wang Guiying went on. Guo Xiang didn't mind and listened quietly. Very soon, she may not hear her voice ever again.
"Maybe Zhendong should go with you on the train. I'm worried," Wang Guiying said in the end.
She was scared that somebody would kidnap her beautiful daughter-in-law.
Guo Xiang did not know whether to laugh or cry, "Mother, don't worry. You've forgotten that I'm educated and I know kung fu. What are you afraid of? I'll take care of myself. If Zhendong comes with me, that's one extra ticket and more money."
"You're right," Wang Guiying nodded. The fare for two people was more than thirty yuan. It was the monthly salary of an ordinary worker, and Zhendong would need return tickets too.
"You should get going after you finish breakfast. You still have to go to the village centre to take a bus to the county town. There are many people around during the summer vacation. If you don't go early, you might not be able to buy tickets," Wang Guiying reminded her again.
Guo Xiang nodded. During the 80s, they couldn't purchase tickets online and could only buy tickets on the spot, so they had to go early.
After breakfast, Guo Xiang tidied up her things. There was only a set of clothes, a towel, and a toothbrush. There was nothing else. After living here for two months, she didn't even leave a trace. It was as if she had never been here before.
Guo Xiang looked at this room that she had lived in for two months. It was highly likely that she wouldn't come back after this. She felt a little sad.
She picked up the small mirror on the table and stuffed it into her bag as a souvenir.
She considered it for a while and took out the marriage certificate from the drawer. Perhaps she would need it this time.
-- Hadiah diterima