Capítulo 4: Chapter 4: Leave of Absence
Yun Yuzhi whispered, "I bet she's been dragged off to Captain Xia's place for a meal, she's practically the Xia Family's future daughter-in-law now." After saying this, she saw Lu Jingqiu heading inside and added, "I had a talk with Jingqiu today. Jingqiu said she's come to terms with it and won't pester Gao Shu anymore."
"Really?" Li Yinger asked in surprise, then with a note of doubt, "She's not just agreeing to please you, is she? She chased him all the way from the city to here, for two years... No, they're childhood sweethearts."
"I think this time she's truly given up. She sounded a bit heartbroken when she spoke, even mentioned missing her parents. She said she wants to go back and see them after the farm work is done, she looked so pitiful."
Li Yinger breathed a sigh of relief, "Well, she can't exactly be happy after a breakup. That day she ran out and didn't come back until midnight, must have cried for a long time, and the next day, her eyes were still severely swollen from a high fever."
Actually, Li Yinger deeply sympathized with Lu Jingqiu. After all, it was sincere for someone to chase another from the city to the countryside. She somewhat disliked Gao Shu for his coldheartedness.
Yun Yuzhi knew it too, but both were concerned about Lu Jingqiu and didn't want to say anything that might make her feel awkward, "It's good she's letting go. Gao Shu is great, but his heart and mind are filled with Xia Lin."
Lu Jingqiu had no idea about the conversation happening outside. Once back in her room, she quickly rummaged through her small trunk, which held over a hundred yuan, and some cloth coupons and grain coupons, as well as brown sugar, malted milk, and milk—gifts sent by her parents and aunt.
They were worried she might be wronged here.
If only she hadn't spent so carelessly, she thought, she might have saved quite a bit of money.
Her parents doted on their only daughter fiercely, fearing she'd melt in their mouths, or fall from their hands. They both had decent salaries and spent their earnings on their daughter.
Having just one daughter was rare for the times. It wasn't that her parents didn't want more children; her father was unable to have more after an injury from the battlefield. Gradually, her parents gave up trying. Her father had no desire for a son over a daughter and always cherished her.
Yet, she failed to be a dutiful daughter, running off to the countryside for a man. In a letter from her aunt, she learned her mother cried a whole day and night, both angry at her disobedience and worried she might be bullied in the countryside, even her tough father's eyes reddened with worry.
Her uncle and aunt, who lived in the same complex, had no daughters—only two boys—so they were quite close and also treated her like their own daughter.
Her eldest cousin joined the military, and her second cousin worked as well, with four workers in the family. Her aunt, working as a head chef in a state-owned restaurant, got plenty of tasty food and sent many treats for the last two years.
She gave a lot to Gao Shu, but sadly, he avoided her, and in the end, Li Qian got them.
Now, thinking about her goodness lining someone else's stomach, she regretted it painfully, kicking herself for being so foolish.
Lu Jingqiu tidied up her things and took out a can of malted milk and a pound of brown sugar, planning to visit Captain Xia's home in a few days to ask for leave to visit her family.
As she finished up, Yun Yuzhi and Li Yinger came in. Li Yinger saw what Lu Jingqiu was holding and thought they were meant for Gao Shu, her expression one of exasperation, "You're not going to give these to Gao Shu as a wedding gift, are you?"
Lu Jingqiu actually regretted not getting to know them sooner. Sister Yuzhi, from the capital with several siblings, had a straight-shooting personality and was one of the most senior amongst the educated youth. Lu Jingqiu and another sister had come to the countryside, and everyone called her Sister Yuzhi.
Li Yinger arrived a year earlier and lived not too far away, also coming from a well-off family and being articulate, she was hired as a teacher at a primary school within a year.
When she had first arrived, Lu Jingqiu was rather spoiled and insensitive, which offended many. Hence, the two of them hardly spoke to her, not to mention Li Qian's duplicity left them even less inclined to like her.
Had it not been for the incident a while back where Li Qian had swindled their money, they probably wouldn't have paid much attention to her.
Though they didn't get all their money back, gaining two close friends wasn't bad either.
"I won't be as blind as before," declared Lu Jingqiu confidently, "The way I, Lu Jingqiu, like someone is open and aboveboard. It's fine to pursue someone before they're married, but now that they're about to get married, I certainly won't shamelessly become the third party. I concede defeat to Gao Shu, and there's nothing shameful about that."
It had been the same in her previous life, except for the time when she found out about Gao Shu's marriage to Xia Lin and got into a fight with Xia Lin. After that, she ran up to the mountains to play missing, and then many things happened. Until their divorce, she never interfered in their marriage.
Li Yinger said, "That's right, there's no shame in that. I would look down on anyone who tries to ruin their marriage. Jingqiu, although you were a bit willful before, you still had a sense of propriety in what you did."
Lu Jingqiu smiled, somewhat embarrassed, "Thank you for being willing to be my friends, I was before..."
Yun Yuzhi quickly interrupted her with a smile, "The past is the past. Who hasn't been seventeen or eighteen and made mistakes? We all grow from ignorance, and being able to change is our greatest progress."
Li Yinger nodded, "Yeah, right, you didn't do anything wrong, don't feel bad about yourself."
Lu Jingqiu felt the same, who hadn't been young once? She hadn't done anything outrageously against heaven and morality—just badmouthed Xia Lin at the Educated Youth Spot, went up to argue with her to assert her own "sovereignty", and warned her to stay away from Gao Shu.
In front of Gao Shu, she accused Xia Lin of being too close with the riff-raff in the village.
But it was true that Xia Lin hung around with those no-goods, and she had indeed heard those slackers confessing their liking for Xia Lin.
Of course, there had been a misunderstanding between the two because of a slacker, but after that was cleared up, they were as close as anything. Now, looking back, she felt like a jumping clown, making a spectacle of herself for others' amusement.
"I've got these and was thinking of visiting Captain Xia's house to ask for leave," she said. "Do you think he would agree to let me go back at a time like this?"
Yun Yuzhi and Li Yinger also hesitated; after all, it was a busy period.
Adding to that, Captain Xia was Xia Lin's father; Captain Xia knew about the several times Li Jingqiu had argued with Xia Lin and, being someone who doted on his daughter the most, he had even assigned the toughest tasks to Li Jingqiu as a lesson.
And the whole Ten-miles Village knew she liked Gao Shu.
Xia Lin liked Gao Shu too, and her biggest worry was that Captain Xia wouldn't grant her leave because of his daughter.
Yun Yuzhi said, "Try asking first; if Captain Xia doesn't approve, then we'll think of something else."
Li Yinger suggested, "I think you should wait until the wheat harvest is over before you go. A few days won't make a difference."
Lu Jingqiu nodded and then put her things away again.
Everyone hurried to take a break now, because they'd have to work through the night soon.
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