Bai Jiu had no idea what he was thinking. If she did, she really would have thanked him. She hadn’t wanted to stay in Gaocun Village to begin with. If it hadn’t been for the news that he might still be alive, she would have settled down in the city a long time ago. However, after spending these past few days with him, his proposal to take them away wasn’t unacceptable to her. It just depended on where they were going. Having inherited everything from the original owner of this body, she didn’t want to stray too far from her parents. They were loving, devoted parents.
Seeing his father-in-law’s attitude noticeably soften, Gao Zhijun’s tense heart finally relaxed. Since there were few people at lunch and Father Bai’s health was poor, Bai Jiu didn’t let him drink much alcohol. As a result, Father Bai threw a brief tantrum. He really was like an old child.
"You two go get some rest. Your room is already prepared," Mother Bai said, ignoring her husband and directly settling her son-in-law in.
"Mother, don’t fuss over this," Bai Jiu said. "This is my home. I know the way, so I’ll just take him there. Leave these chores for now; I’ll come back and clean up with you later." Since Gao Zhijun had drunk some wine at noon and woken up early that morning, Bai Jiu wasn’t entirely unreasonable. "Come with me," she told him.
She led him into the original owner’s previous maiden bedroom. Bringing a man into her own territory truly brought about a unique sense of emotion. After entering, Gao Zhijun observed the entire room. He realized that he had truly wronged her over all these years.
"I’m sorry. I’ve made you suffer all these years," he apologized sincerely.
"That’s enough. You’ve been saying sorry ever since you came back," Bai Jiu replied, having no time to entertain his melancholy. "There’s nothing to be sorry about. You have to finish the path you choose, even if you have to crawl on your knees." She still had to go help her mother clean up. If her mother did all the work alone, she would be exhausted, and she still had to cook dinner. Since it was a rare day off, she needed to let her mother get some proper rest.
Mother Bai shared her sentiments. She didn’t want her daughter to work the moment she returned. Bai Jiu had suffered enough at her marital home; she should be able to rest when she came back to her maiden home.
"Okay, I won’t say it anymore," he promised, deciding to prove it with his actions instead.
"Just go to sleep," Bai Jiu said. "Your clothes are all placed over here. Change into them yourself if you want to. I’m going to help my mother." After speaking, she turned around and walked out.
Gao Zhijun didn’t say anything else.
In the kitchen, Mother Bai had almost finished packing everything away. All that was left was the washing up.
"Mother, just leave the dishes to me," Bai Jiu said, rolling up her sleeves to help. "Go get some rest."
But how could Mother Bai bear to let her do that?
"It’s fine. It’s just this last bit, so don’t get your hands dirty," Mother Bai insisted. "If you aren’t tired, just keep your mother company and chat with me." She desperately wanted to know how her daughter had been doing lately.
Faced with the resolute attitude of her esteemed mother, Bai Jiu was powerless to resist. She could only stand by her side and chat.
"Mother, just ask whatever you want to ask," Bai Jiu said. Back at the dining table, she could tell that her mother had been holding back a question. She probably couldn’t hold it in any longer.
"Is Zhijun treating you well?" As a mother, she just wanted to know if her child was happy.
"He’s alright," Bai Jiu replied. Looking at it from an outsider’s perspective, he had shown a sense of guilt toward the original owner these past few days. However, Bai Jiu herself found it difficult to accept his kindness.
"Good is good! What do you mean by ’alright,’ you silly child?" Mother Bai grew anxious. "Don’t lie to me. If something is wrong, you must tell your family. Don’t always keep things bottled up inside." Knowing her daughter’s temperament, how could she not worry?
Bai Jiu was speechless. Wasn’t she being obvious enough? Was she the type of person to let herself suffer?
"Then he’s good," she concluded. It should count as good, right?
"As long as you two are doing well, I can be at ease," Mother Bai sighed. "Back then, if your father and I hadn’t been afraid that you’d be forced to go down to the countryside, we never would have been able to bear marrying you off." Thinking back on the past, she felt quite resentful. Fortunately, the bitter days were finally over.
From the original owner’s memories, Bai Jiu knew all about what had happened back then. If it had been her, she wouldn’t have rushed into a marriage. She would have gone up and beaten the crap out of them instead. People with foul mouths were just asking for a slap. A few good smacks and they would fall right in line. However, everyone had their own choices, and she couldn’t negate the decision the original owner had made.
"What’s past is past. Mother, don’t think about it anymore," Bai Jiu said comfortingly. "Isn’t our family doing great right now?"
After chatting for a while, both mother and daughter felt at ease.
Father Bai emerged from who knows where and once again brought up Gao Zhijun’s plan to take their family away.
Bai Jiu couldn’t have been happier. "This is a good thing," she said. "I never wanted to stay in the village anyway. It’s not that the village is bad, but the people in Gaocun Village are just..." They made her hands itch too much to slap them. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hold back and would end up doing something drastic.
"I understand what you mean," Father Bai said. "But hasn’t Zhijun told you about this yet?" He could tell that his son-in-law hadn’t briefed his daughter on this at all.
Bai Jiu shook her head. "Not yet."
"Since he mentioned it today, I’m sure he’ll discuss it with you. Leaving is for the best."
At the thought of his daughter traveling so far away, Father Bai felt deeply crestfallen.
"Don’t be so sentimental, old man," Mother Bai scolded, unable to stand her husband acting like this. She immediately swatted him a couple of times. "Our son-in-law is successful and taking his wife and children to live a good life. Don’t you dare bring bad luck right now."
When Bai Jiu returned to her room, Gao Zhijun was still awake.
"You’re not sleeping?" she asked. Having cooked a meal, she wanted to grab some clothes and take a bath; she disliked the smell of cooking fumes.
"No, I’m not tired. Just lying down for a bit is fine." Gao Zhijun’s gaze hadn’t left her since she walked in.
"I need to tell you something," he said. Since he had already brought it up today, he needed to discuss the matter with her.
"Is it about us leaving?" Bai Jiu put down the clothes in her hands and sat down on a nearby chair. "Where is your unit located?"
The original owner had never known where he served in the military. In fact, aside from meeting him a few times, she had known absolutely nothing about her own husband. Everything she knew had been heard from the mouths of the Gao family.
"I was previously stationed at a classified base," Gao Zhijun replied, saying only what he should and withholding even half a word of what he shouldn’t. "But after coming back this time, I have two choices. It depends on where you want to go. One is my original unit. It’s remote, and the living conditions are about the same as the village. If you want to go to the county seat, you have to take a bus for two or three hours." It couldn’t be helped; confidential units were simply that hidden.
"However, my teacher has now returned to Beijing City," he continued. "He wants me to go over and help him. So, both of these places are options. Where do you want to go?" He would listen to her completely.
"Is the work the same at both places?" Though she didn’t know much about his unit, she was aware that during this era, it was likely easier to climb the ranks at the classified base. Yet he was letting her choose? Did he trust her that much?
"What if the place I choose is different from what you would choose?" Bai Jiu chuckled softly.
"I’ll listen to you," he replied. It didn’t matter to him; either place was fine.
Bai Jiu smiled, and this time, it was a genuine smile from the bottom of her heart.
"If we leave with you, will our household registrations be transferred over as well?" This point was crucial. One must know, in the future, transferring a household registration into Beijing City would be monumentally difficult.
"Yes, they’ll be under my unit," he confirmed. Naturally, their household registrations would follow him.
"Then I choose Beijing City." Bai Jiu didn’t dawdle. Since they were moving out, why not choose the best place?
In her eyes, Beijing City was the capital of Blue Country, making it undoubtedly the best place in the entire nation. Plus, with her memories of the future, if she could pick up a few overlooked antiques in Beijing City, she would be set for life.
Hearing her answer, Gao Zhijun smiled, as if he had already known she would choose Beijing City.
"What are you smiling at?" Bai Jiu asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the sight of his smile. "Were you going to choose that place too?"
"Yes. My teacher has returned to Beijing City, and my knowledge is still lacking. It would be good to study under him for another two years." Although he had succeeded in developing the engine this time, he had done so by standing on the shoulders of giants. If he were asked to develop one completely on his own, he truly lacked the ability.
"Oh, since that’s the case, then Beijing City it is."