Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng

Chapter 372 Did Father Gu Know We Were Coming?

Xiao Tian led them into the house, saying, "Sister-in-law, you and Zhiyuan should rest for a bit. I'll go get you some food."

Lin Qingping was stunned for a moment.

This moment feels familiar.

"What's wrong, sister-in-law? Is there anything else you need?" Xiao Tian asked, noticing her strange expression.

Lin Qingping snapped out of her reverie, smiled, and said, "No, thank you, Xiao Tian. You can go ahead and do your work. I'll just make myself something to eat."

Xiao Tian was a little embarrassed. "It's no trouble at all, sister-in-law. Master Gu has nothing here."

Well, Lin Qingping could see it too. The things in this room were extremely minimalist: a bed, a table, a chair, a wardrobe for clothes, and that was it.

When she comes here now, only one of them, Zhiyuan and she, has a chair to sit on; the other has to sit on the bed!

Lin Qingping looked at Zhiyuan. Zhiyuan had been excited ever since he got off the train, and now, standing in this almost empty room, he was still overjoyed.

She couldn't help but ask, "Are you so happy to come to your father's place?"

Zhiyuan's smile vanished immediately. "Mom..."

Lin Qingping snorted, "Want to eat first and then start working with me?"

"What...what kind of work can we do?" Zhiyuan looked around, wondering what kind of work could be done in this empty space.

When Xiao Tian brought them their food, Lin Qingping ate while asking Xiao Tian a bunch of questions, borrowing some tools, and making a list of things she needed to buy.

Actually, it wouldn't be wrong for her to take a boat out to buy it herself, but this is a military base, and she's new here and doesn't understand the rules. It's better to let Xiaotian make the arrangements.

Xiao Tian glanced through the list and nodded, saying, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. After you finish eating, take a nap. I'll bring the things over this afternoon. These are easy to obtain."

Lin Qingping and the others did not get a good rest on the train. After eating, they wanted to sleep, but found that there was no place to take a shower in the room. There was a toothbrush cup, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a towel next to the sink in the kitchen.

Even so, I still can't fall asleep!

Lin Qingping decided not to sleep and took out a notebook from her bag, where she began to write and draw.

In the afternoon, Xiaotian delivered what she had asked for: wood, woodworking tools, paint, painting tools, a stove, a kettle, and so on.

There were also several young soldiers, and they were all placed in the yard, a whole bunch of them.

Xiao Tian meant that if Lin Qingping needed to do anything, she should leave these young soldiers behind to help.

Lin Qingping naturally declined, fearing it would delay their business. After politely seeing Xiaotian and the young soldiers off, she and Zhiyuan got busy.

She needs to make some furniture.

When they established their first home in the capital, Gu Juncheng did all the housework. Actually, it wasn't that she was incapable, but why would Gu Juncheng let her do such heavy work back then?

But what hasn't she done?

In her past life, she ran a restaurant. She went from making a profit to losing everything, and then made a comeback. To save on renovation costs, she did the painting and renovation herself. Apart from hiring a plumber and electrician, she did everything else herself.

This empty house still needs a lot to be filled, but she doesn't have time for that now; she has to focus on the important things first.

While she was busy, Xiaotian brought another group of people to deliver things. This time, they brought a bed, two cabinets, a square table, and even toiletries, coal, an iron pot, bowls, chopsticks, plates, two fish, and some vegetables. The two fish were brought in basins.

Xiao Tian was very thoughtful; with these pieces of furniture, Lin Qingping's workload suddenly decreased significantly.

This room has a typical structure of a work unit apartment from the 1980s: a small living room, two bedrooms, and a kitchen. Fortunately, there is a bathroom, so you don't have to go to a public toilet.

The kitchen is quite large.

Lin Qingping then got busy, starting with making a sofa frame.

But she hasn't done this kind of work for decades, so her efficiency is really low. And she's afraid of wasting wood if she messes it up, so her efficiency is even lower.

Even by evening, there hadn't been much progress, though Zhiyuan was helping her carry the planks.

Her neighbors noticed her and were secretly observing her, but when she tried to greet them in a friendly manner, they backed away.

Lin Qingping could only smile, put down her tools, and go back to her room to prepare dinner.

Actually, she could still eat at the cafeteria, but the two fresh fish she kept in the basin made her want to cook them herself.

This island is surrounded by the sea, so seafood is easier to find than meat. These two fish are both groupers, which Xiaotian brought in a basin with them, so they must have been raised in seawater.

An empty stove needs to be lit.

In the afternoon, the wood shavings from planing the wood were perfect for starting a fire. After lighting them, we threw them into the stove, then added coal, and soon the coal was glowing red.

Lin Qingping then set up a pot, first cooking rice in it, then calling Zhiyuan in to wash scallions, peel garlic, and wash vegetables. She cleaned the two fish herself, preparing to steam them simply.

The vegetables Xiaotian brought even contained chili peppers, so she chopped the chili peppers and garlic into minced pieces, made a raw chili and garlic dipping sauce, and stir-fried some leafy greens. That was enough for her and her son.

The square table that Xiaotian brought was used as a dining table by her. It was placed in the kitchen, which was big enough for her, but it was a bit hot, so she would need to add a fan.

As she ate, she thought to herself, "Steamed fish dipped in raw chili and minced garlic, how appetizing and delicious that would be!"

Seeing that she was eating like this, Zhiyuan also dipped his food in chili sauce. This greedy little guy was not afraid of any kind of food and did not feel spicy at all. He ate with great appetite and sweated profusely, eating three bowls of rice.

"Don't overeat!" Lin Qingping said to him.

"I know!" He ate the last grain of rice.

The mother and daughter ate every last bit of the two fish.

Lin Qingping found it amusing and started boiling water in a kettle on the stove. After a busy day, feeling sticky and exhausted, she could finally take a nice bath.

While she was boiling water, a guest arrived—Lei Sufang.

Lin Qingping was overjoyed to run into an acquaintance on the island.

Lei Sufang brought her fruit: pineapple and watermelon.

"Old Chen came with Master Gu, and he just told me you were here," Lei Sufang said warmly. "These men, they really kept it a secret!"

Lin Qingping smiled and didn't say that she had asked them to keep it a secret, but she didn't expect it to be kept so well hidden.

After sitting for a while, Lei Sufang got up and left, afraid of disturbing their rest. She also told her that if she needed anything on the island, she could just come and ask her. As for what vegetables she wanted to eat, she had them in her garden, so she could just pick them. She lived at the far east end of this row of houses.

"Okay!" Lin Qingping accepted Lei Sufang's enthusiasm and kindness without hesitation.

After Lei Sufang left, Lin Qingping and Zhiyuan took a hot shower one after the other. Although it wasn't as convenient as in the capital, they felt much better after being thoroughly cleansed. They then cut up the watermelon that Lei Sufang had brought, opened the door to enjoy the breeze, and ate the watermelon, completely washing away the day's fatigue.

Zhiyuan sat in the chair, his eyes bright, and asked her, "Mom, did Dad not know we were coming?"