Chen Lishu tried to calm herself for a while before realizing belatedly that she hadn't done anything wrong. Besides, people looked at a face because it was meant to be seen.
Thinking this, she cast her gaze back at the man. It was as if he had a radar device installed on him; the moment Chen Lishu's gaze fell on him, his eyes met hers.
Chen Lishu swallowed and managed to pull up the corners of her mouth into a friendly smile. "Comrade, your backpack looks quite heavy. Why don't you put it on the vehicle?"
It was out of the question to invite him to sit inside. Seeing how tall and large the army-green bag he was carrying was, Chen Lishu kindly suggested.
After speaking, she immediately explained, fearing any misunderstanding, "My husband is also a soldier."
The man froze upon hearing her words, and then his tense expression softened considerably. His gaze was no longer as cold as before.
"Thank you, it's not heavy." His voice was deep and magnetic.
The man spoke the truth. For someone like him who often ran with a sixty-kilogram load, such a bag was nothing.
Seeing his persistence, Chen Lishu had no choice but to give up.
The man walked with steady steps, maintaining a distance not too far and not too near from the tricycle. Chen Lishu sat in the back. The man's gaze was too penetrating. Chen Lishu felt his eyes occasionally sweep over her, and she instinctively straightened her back, her hands half-clenched into fists, stiffly placed on her knees.
The man quickly noticed her awkwardness and couldn't help but slow his pace, gradually widening the distance between himself and the tricycle. Chen Lishu let out a quiet sigh of relief, her tense body finally relaxing.
She couldn't help but think to herself that if someone lived with a person who had such an imposing aura, they would surely be suffocated.
Although the tricycle wasn't as fast as a bicycle, its speed was similar to that of a horse-drawn carriage. Soon, they arrived at the doorstep of her home.
Chen Lishu got off the vehicle and was directing the driver to place the sewing machine inside when she looked up and saw the man she had met on the road walking towards her from a distance. He eventually stopped at her doorstep.
"Comrade, who are you looking for?"
Chen Lishu subconsciously asked. As soon as the words left her mouth, she thought of something, her almond-shaped eyes widened, her cherry lips parted slightly, "You, are you Gu Xingdong?"
She had wondered why the man looked so familiar earlier. Although the other Gu brothers weren't as refined as the man before her, they were generally similar in appearance. There was at least a four or five-point resemblance.
Gu Xingdong nodded.
Before he could ask who she was, the girl opposite him suddenly turned and ran away quickly.
Gu Xingdong: "..."
The delivery driver grabbed the towel around his neck and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Looking up and seeing the girl run off, he quickly shouted, "Hey girl, you haven't told me where to put the things yet!"
"Driver, wait for me to come back before putting it down," Chen Lishu hastily called back, her figure turning as she disappeared without a trace.
Connecting the events, Gu Xingdong suddenly had a bold guess. This clumsy girl was likely the 'third sister-in-law' mentioned in his younger sister Gu Xingping's letter.
Although he hadn't looked closely on the road earlier, he knew she was a very beautiful girl. She had even kindly offered to help him with his bag. What had she said at the time?
"My husband is also a soldier."
Yes, it should be her.
Chen Lishu really didn't intend to run off and leave him. It was just that Gu Xingdong's appearance was too sudden, leaving her no time to react.
Not knowing how to face him, she now focused on running to the fields to call Gu Shoufu and Li Xiulan. After all, with them around, she would feel more at ease.
"Dad, Mom—" After running all the way to the field where Li Xiulan and the others were working, Chen Lishu spotted them and started shouting loudly.
"Xiulan, look at the edge of the field, isn't that your third daughter-in-law waving at us? Something must have happened at home," Li Maicai's wife reminded her kindly, having happened to look back and see Chen Lishu in the distance.
Li Xiulan turned and saw that it was indeed her third daughter-in-law. Why had she run back from the town? She looked quite anxious.
Li Xiulan's heart skipped a beat. Had something happened?
"Old man, let's go and see. The child is here, don't let anything happen at home."
Gu Shoufu also stopped what he was doing and walked quickly towards the field with Li Xiulan.
"Dad, Mom, Xingdong is back," Chen Lishu said anxiously as they approached.
"What? Who's back?" Li Xiulan thought she misheard and asked again uncertainly. Her heart, however, couldn't help but pound.
"Mom, Xingdong is back. I met him on the way back, and he's at home now."
"Oh my, the third one is back!" Li Xiulan, now sure of the news, became overjoyed and ran towards home.
"Wife, don't run, you'll fall," Gu Shoufu was also happy, his steps didn't stop, but he still reminded her, "How old are you? Slow down."
"Dad, Mom, I'll go call Big Brother and Sister-in-law," Chen Lishu said, and before they could agree, she turned and headed towards another field.
...
By the time Li Xiulan and Gu Shoufu arrived home, Gu Xingdong had already moved the sewing machine into the house and paid the delivery driver.
"You child, you finally know to come back." Li Xiulan, who had been running all the way with a heart full of joy, had her nose sting and tears uncontrollably flow upon seeing her son's tall figure as she pushed open the door. She raised her hand to hit his back hard to vent her feelings, but ultimately couldn't bear to. The blow landed more like a comforting pat.
Li Xiulan looked directly at her son, her voice trembling, "You've gotten darker, and thinner."
He was only eighteen when he left home. Seven years had passed in a flash. Looking at the wrinkles and the few white hairs on Li Xiulan and Gu Shoufu's faces, Gu Xingdong also felt his throat tighten, "Dad, Mom, I'm back."
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back." Gu Shoufu looked at his son's resolute face and nodded with relief.
By the time Chen Lishu had called back Gu Xingguo and his wife, Gu Xingmin and his wife, and Gu Xingye, Gu Xingdong had already heard Li Xiulan intermittently recount the events that had happened at home over the past few years.
The room was suddenly crowded with so many people, especially since Gu Xingdong's aura was so strong. Sitting up straight, the air around him seemed to be compressed.
Chen Lishu stood obediently by the door, listening to everyone talk happily.
"Lishu, come here quickly."
Li Xiulan finally remembered her third daughter-in-law and beckoned her over.
Gu Xingdong was sitting next to Li Xiulan. Upon hearing Li Xiulan's words, his dark eyes looked over. Chen Lishu's heart trembled under his gaze, and she instinctively shook her head, refusing.
"Mom, this is such a happy occasion with Xingdong back. How about I go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some vegetables and make a good meal tonight?"
After speaking, Chen Lishu, fearing that Li Xiulan would ask her to come over again, turned and went out.
Gu Xingdong's eyebrows subtly lifted at her action. His dark eyes became even deeper.