“Both times we met, despite it being the dead of winter, the siblings were dressed in thin, shabby clothes…”
Qin Zhihong and Du Lan listened carefully to Gu Jianing’s account. From the very beginning, their brows furrowed in concern.
They had sent money home.
So why did their two children have to gather herbs in the mountains and rely on selling them just to buy food for the winter?
They knew how bitterly cold winters could be in the northwest.
Yet their children were wearing threadbare clothing.
Where had the money they sent gone?
And to make matters worse, Grandma Qin had contracted tuberculosis!
Qin Zhihong’s heart sank.
That was his mother. He knew that leaving home for eight years without a word of contact was unfilial.
But between duty to the nation and duty to family, he couldn’t have both.
He had hoped to complete his project as soon as possible, return home in glory, and bring honor to his mother.
But if something had already happened to her, then… then…
Tears streamed down Qin Zhihong’s face, his heart filled with guilt.
It wasn’t until Gu Jianing mentioned visiting their home and personally curing Grandma Qin’s tuberculosis that the couple’s emotions stabilized somewhat.
But when Gu Jianing revealed that Qin De had colluded with postal workers to intercept the money they had sent home, their hearts sank again.
And when they heard that Qin De had even plotted to sell their son, Tian, their faces twisted in grief.
Qin Zhihong and Du Lan had never imagined that the salaries they had faithfully sent home every month for over eight years had never reached their family.
With the elderly and the young at home, how had they survived all these years?
No wonder, no wonder Tian and her brother had to gather herbs in the mountains in the dead of winter.
No wonder Grandma Qin had fallen ill without money for treatment.
“I’ve failed in my filial duties. I don’t deserve to be a son, nor a father.” Qin Zhihong was consumed by self-blame.
Du Lan, too, felt she was unworthy of being a mother.
When they left, the siblings were only two years old. How could she have been so heartless as to abandon them?
“Dr. Gu, thank you, thank you.” After processing everything, Qin Zhihong and Du Lan stood up and bowed deeply to Gu Jianing.
They knew that without her help, by the time they returned, they might not have known what would have become of their mother and children.
Grandma Qin might have died of tuberculosis.
With her gone and their son sold, their daughter’s fate would likely have been just as tragic.
They thought—if their family were gone, what meaning would their years of sacrifice even hold?
So Gu Jianing was their savior.
Grandpa Sang hadn’t expected that by simply inviting two exceptionally talented young colleagues from the Northeast to his home as guests, his granddaughter-in-law would share such a profound connection with them.
This was fate at work.
To ease Qin Zhihong and Du Lan’s worries, Gu Jianing updated them on the current situation of Tian and her family.
Learning that the stolen money had been recovered, the culprits arrested and sentenced, and the Qin family’s life improved, the couple finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Dr. Gu, I heard you’ll soon be returning to the Northwest Military District. Could my husband and I trouble you to deliver a letter to our family?” Du Lan pleaded.
Though she and Qin Zhihong were now in Beijing, they were there for a project at the Beijing Weapons Research Institute.
As long as the project remained unfinished, they couldn’t contact their family, let alone return home.
But the couple believed that, at most, it would take another six months before they could finally go back.
“Of course.” It was just a small favor, so Gu Jianing had no reason to refuse.
She imagined that Tian, Qing, and Grandma Qin would be overjoyed when they received the letter.
Qin Zhihong and Du Lan stayed at the Sang residence for a long time, carefully writing their letters, handing them to Gu Jianing, and giving her detailed instructions before finally leaving.
“Ningning, when you return to the Northwest Military District, try to look after the Qin family when you can,” Grandpa Sang reminded her.
“Grandpa, I will.”
Grandpa Sang was deeply moved by the Qin family’s situation.
He wanted Gu Jianing to care for them for two reasons.
First, as a fellow researcher, he understood the sacrifices Qin Zhihong and Du Lan had made. He knew how difficult their work was—and how much their family had suffered in their absence.
Qin Zhihong and Du Lan were contributing to the nation, and their family, as their emotional support and motivation, deserved to be well taken care of.
Second, the couple was young and exceptionally talented. They were leading this current project.
Once it was completed, the higher-ups would surely reward them generously.
The Qin couple had a bright future ahead.
For Gu Jianing, maintaining a good relationship with them would only bring benefits, not harm.
Gu Jianing carefully stored the letter Du Lan had given her.
Holding it, she couldn’t help but sigh.
There was no doubt that Qin Zhihong and Du Lan were remarkable people. But in this lifetime, if not for her intervention, Tian, Qing, and Grandma Qin would have met the same tragic fate she had glimpsed in those fleeting future visions.
By the time Qin Zhihong and Du Lan returned in glory, all they would have found were three graves.
Gu Jianing couldn’t imagine how devastated the couple would have been.
But…
She thought that, if it were her, the word “grief” wouldn’t even begin to describe it.
Especially in this life—Gu Jianing valued family more than ever.
She couldn’t fathom how she would react if anything happened to her loved ones. She’d probably lose her mind.
“Maybe I’m just a selfish person after all.”
Selfish enough to only care about her own small family, to want nothing more than for her loved ones to live well.
As for greater contributions…
Those could only come after ensuring her family was safe and secure.
She didn’t consider herself a noble person. Things like selfless dedication or sacrificing personal love for the greater good—Gu Jianing admitted she wasn’t cut out for that.
“Ningning, Xiaoxi is on the phone!”
Just as she was lost in thought, Grandma Sang’s voice came from outside, snapping her back to reality.
Finally! She had been waiting all day for Sheng Zexi’s call.
“Coming, Grandma!”
After tucking the letter away, Gu Jianing hurried out of the room and picked up the phone.
Sheng Zexi’s deep, magnetic voice came through the receiver. He sounded slightly breathless, as if he had rushed over—perhaps from running.
In the quiet of the phone call, his breathing was especially audible, especially… stirring.
It reminded Gu Jianing of certain nights.
Her ears burned.
“Ningning, did you need something?” Sheng Zexi asked on the other end.
As soon as training ended, he had rushed back, only to be told by the communications office that Gu Jianing had called twice and asked him to contact her immediately upon his return.
He knew she wouldn’t have sought him out so urgently unless it was important.
That worried him.
So instead of going home, he had dashed straight to the communications office to call her.
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