Section 4

Alright, Guixiao has bypassed this issue. I will handle the procedures in Beijing, and once the certificate is issued, the file transfer can be processed directly. Someone is needed here to manage the subsequent procedures.

Hmm?

Gui Xiao felt along the switch, pressing it repeatedly, as the light extended from the bedroom to the bathroom. In the end, he was completely exhausted, leaning against the sink, turning on the faucet, but there was no hot water, only cold.

Lu Yancheng squinted his eyes, calculating how much longer it would take to wake up and send away a few of them inside, while recalling that day

By around five o'clock, the wind and snow intensified, and the people inside quieted down. Some gathered in small groups, weakly continuing their idle chatter, while others lay down, dozing off into a deep sleep. He remained leaning in the distance, attempting to blow out a faint, small smoke ring in the strong wind.

"Let's talk about it now." He was quite blunt

Hearing the footsteps, he glanced over and said: "Pack your son's things. On the day after tomorrow, Guixiao will take him to fly to Beijing first. She is probably worried that it will be too late for us to send the child over."

He leaned against the car door, snow clinging to his shoulder, facing her. Her gaze was devoid of any emotion, yet his posture in speaking became increasingly humble: "Do me a favor"

"It's over." Lu Yancheng stated and hung up.

Lu Yancheng stood still with both hands in the pockets of his long pants next to the security check, while countless people walked in, he remained motionless. ... She suddenly had a bad premonition, fearing that he would, as he had said when they first met, remain in Erenhot forever

In the past, when recruiting individuals into the team, he often sat with his legs crossed on the edge of the table, sifting through the mountain of personal resumes, most interested in each person's weaknesses. No one is invulnerable, including him.

Two days later, Xiao Cai and several others went to Ulaanbaatar

She ran over and said, "I'm freezing to death"

This sentence left Gui Xiao momentarily stunned

He looked at her flushed face, which was red from the effort of riding all the way, and said: "Come in if it's cold."

Moreover, we are not in a romantic relationship, so once the apology has been made, that should be sufficient

She was astonished: "Now?"

Gui Xiao was surprised: "Buying a house? Haven't you moved your household registration back yet? I can help you rent a house."

As the sound faded away, the call was connected... Yet, she seemed at a loss for words, unsure of how to begin.

Returning to the hotel, Gui Xiao had not yet come to her senses, leaning against the headboard in a daze

She murmured beautifully, "I want to marry a local boss in the future..."

Fortunately, the child who actively held her hand was reminding her with their body heat that there was still a living person here

Waking in the middle of the night, Gui Xiao always hears the sound of the wind, unable to distinguish whether it is a dream or the outside world.

He self-mockingly said: "I am not a teenager anymore, what do I have to offer? I have taken off my military uniform, I have no money, no house, no car, and after leaving Beijing for over ten years, I hardly have any friends. There are a bunch of troubles at home, am I supposed to drag others into the fire pit?"

Gui Xiao opened the book to check and found that Qin Xiaonan had just turned seven, truly a precocious child

Crossing over half of Erenhot, it is still that small restaurant

She watched the water flowing for a long time, her mind filled with the task he had entrusted to her, and no matter how she calculated, the time was too tight.

Let me talk to a few friends first to see if I can reduce the amount I need to pay

During those days, apart from returning to my aunt's house to sleep at night, I spent my days in that chilly room at his auto repair shop, or squatting beside the suspended car, watching him lie underneath fixing it, handing him tools... Often, my hands and arms were covered in thick black oil, and I would emerge from under the car still bare-chested

If he does not have ... . ... it is also fine to cover for him first

Return to dawn

This truly embodies the principle of "helping others to the end"

Before long, a tall and slender figure emerged, carrying a silver wrench. The cold wind howled, yet he was dressed only in a shirt

The result was still that he spoke first: "Aren't you asleep yet?"

Fortunately, with a beautiful face like Zhang's, no matter how much one goes through, it still looks pleasing to the eye

Clearly dressed in pajamas, with a thin layer of fabric, the neckline, and even the lower back and instep felt the chill. Yet, she was reluctant to burrow back under the comforter in her room, fearing that even the slightest movement would cause the call to drop due to poor signal.

Gui Xiao took a taxi to the airport alone, waiting for them at the check-in area. At exactly 3:00, Lu Yanchen appeared, carrying a black travel bag. He had always been somewhat unruly and flamboyant, and with his height advantage, after eleven years in the military, he appeared even more upright. Just a few steps were enough to leave ordinary passersby far behind, making it hard not to notice him.

Let me think, "Lu Yancheng did not give a definite answer, he will tell you in a couple of days"

She wore a plain white shirt without any patterns, dark red shorts, and beige canvas shoes. Her pointed face, with her sideburns dampened by sweat, caught the attention of all the boys in the room as she walked in. It reminded him of his childhood, when he would go barefoot by the river to catch fish, searching for those rare translucent little shells in the scorching sun and stream, clean and beautiful, washed by the water until they were spotless

I will return to Beijing the day after tomorrow, she tightened her grip on the steering wheel and softened her tone, this matter is not as simple as you think, we need to discuss it in detail. Please bring the child to Beijing as soon as possible, let's take care of it during the winter break, so as not to delay his classes

Buying a house in Beijing is not that easy

It was still the same small table. Qin Mingyu rolled up the curtains that hung down to the floor, tied them, and stuffed them into the gap between the heating pipe and the wall, making it somewhat tidier. Lu Yancheng changed his earlier attitude and personally pulled a chair over for Gui Xiao.

Ke Lu Yan Chen still has urgent matters to attend to here, and Qin Ming Yu has not yet been discharged from service, so he cannot just move around casually

Once again, there is a prolonged silence

Solve it yourself? He hasn't been back for eleven years, and it seems that resolving his own issues will take quite a bit of time.

In the dead of night, Lu Yancheng was probably biting on a cigarette, his words not very clear, "Aren't you afraid of catching a cold while taking a shower?"

We have almost finished discussing, but there is one matter that remains unresolved, which is the timing for taking Qin Xiaonan to Beijing. Gui Xiao's opinion is that since the New Year is approaching, it is essential to take her there before the holiday to facilitate a meeting with the principal. The formalities can be handled after the New Year.

Qin Mingyu had already followed along and seized the opportunity to speak: "Yes, right now. You see, you have helped so much, it should be me, as the father, thanking you. Why don't you come in for a drink? The team won't be drinking tonight; he will take you back!"

"I helped Xiao Cai with this last year," which is why Xiao Cai was able to say immediately that she has connections. "Your situation is different from hers. Without the guardian's household registration transfer certificate, and without proof of the guardian's job transfer, and moreover, you are not even the guardian. Give me some time; you need to first find him a family address."

She groggily got out of bed and felt her way to the window. It was a raging storm outside, with all the streetlights extinguished, and only the treetops swaying in the wind. After watching for a while, she found herself unable to fall back asleep

She was embarrassed: "I told you, you will freeze to death wearing so little."

This was her first time taking a child on a plane, and she was afraid of losing him, so the first thing she did was grab the child's hand. Qin Xiaonan was fidgeting, constantly glancing at Lu Yancheng, who couldn't be bothered to pay attention to the child's "shyness". After Gui Xiao completed the check-in procedures, she escorted them to the security checkpoint and said, "I will return to Beijing after the New Year"

"Um," she rubbed her eyes, "Please help Qin Xiaonan pack her things. I will take him back first. The flight is at 4:20 PM the day after tomorrow. I will get him another ticket shortly. Make sure to send him over by 3:00 PM, don't let him miss the flight—"

More than ten years have passed, and one cannot keep regressing in life, still sulking with him as if it were the past.

He sat across on the chair, leaning against the corner formed by the wall and the glass door, silently smoking one cigarette after another

The wind stings the eyes, likely due to a whole night of smoke exposure

As dawn broke, Xiao Cai also regained his senses and went to speak on behalf of Lu Yancheng, saying, "Just consider it as helping me; this note is on my account."

At the moment the call connected, the howling background noise on the other end seemed to pull her back to a few hours earlier, in the space where she sat face to face with him. With her eyes closed, she could still imagine his appearance and those pitch-black pupils that seemed to be soaked in ice water

Qin Xiaonan immediately understood the spirit and offered both hands to Gui Xiao

Lu Yancheng came to a halt, set down his travel bag, and pulled Qin Xiaonan, who was behind him, forward: "Passport"

This biological father is coming; I will inform the principal in advance and have someone take him over at that time. Qin Mingyu took the initiative to volunteer.

The timing of their initial relationship was quite unfortunate; she was facing the high school entrance examination while he was preparing for the college entrance examination. Not long after, she went to a key high school in the district, while Lu Yancheng left for another province to attend university

Only the sound of flowing water remains

Gui Xiao nodded

Whenever he goes in, he encounters people who smile and ask: Is she your girlfriend? He takes it as a given

He will definitely return

The two of them had just started a long-distance relationship, and since they couldn't see each other, they could only rely on phone calls. Sometimes, she felt truly wronged. After enduring it for a long time, she finally found countless excuses to return to the town where she had attended middle school during the winter break. That night, as soon as she arrived at the courtyard, she wanted to surprise him without telling him in advance. Late at night, she rode her bike to the auto repair shop to find him, and when she arrived, she still had to ask the gatekeeper to call him out.

Really?! Lu Dui, your first love is quite something!" Qin Mingyu sat down on the steps, next to Lu Yancheng's feet, "I asked around, and it turns out that Gui Xiao is not married. Since she is helping you so much, she must still have feelings for you. Just go for it.

He glanced at Gui Xiao and said, "I will handle it."

Not long after the winter vacation ended, Lu Yancheng enlisted in the military

Since then, no matter where they are, even making a phone call feels like a celebration. Even if she encounters something very distressing, he doesn't even have time to listen to her cry. When she complains too much, he becomes impatient as well. They are both in their teenage years, a time when one is most reckless; who doesn't have a temper? Originally, opportunities to talk on the phone are already scarce, and when they do manage to speak, they are always arguing. Thinking about it, it truly cannot be considered beautiful.

After some back and forth, Guixiao was persuaded by everyone to return.

He opened the back door, pulled out a chair and tossed it into the corner, then sat down in the draft that swept through the hallway

She is optimistic, thinking that at least there are winter and summer vacations every year, isn't it just three years of high school? It will be fine once she gets to university

She recalled the times in her youth when she would talk to him on the phone, holding the receiver, easily hearing each other's breathing amplified. As mobile phones became more advanced, that whispering breath sound seemed to have disappeared.

Does that mean we need to buy a house first

I haven't taken a shower. Guixiao stared blankly and turned on the faucet

A long silence ensued, and neither of the two spoke.

Later, the two of them did not speak much. After passing through security, she quietly glanced over while pretending to organize her laptop bag

... ...

Especially at that moment when she saw herself, her teeth lightly bit the edge of her lower lip, and the corners of her mouth lifted. So beautiful

I thought about it and still felt it was wrong, so I called his mobile phone

He briefly explained the background of the situation. Since Qin Mingyu is still far from retiring and Qin Xiaonan is studying in Erlianhot alone without supervision, which is quite pitiful, he intends to bring the child back to Beijing for a few years of schooling

However, these things seem to have nothing to do with her, at least the attitude of Lu Yancheng is quite clear

It was as if he had become a different person, forgetting how just over ten minutes ago he had harshly spoken to her in the small restaurant, even his apology was perfunctory and stiff