CHAPTER 537: CHAPTER 539: A BATTLE

Xia Xiao and Gao Jiaxing had left when she said, "Gu Weiguo is really great; men like him are truly rare and hard to find."

Gao Jiaxing glanced at Xia Xiao lightly and said, "Praising another man in front of me, wifey, you’re gutsy."

Xia Xiao laughed, "I just think it’s rare that Gu Weiguo didn’t abandon his wife when the Huang Family went down. Nowadays, how many men have success and achievements and then abandon their wives and children? Some even kick their wives and daughters out of the house."

"So, marry a military man," Jiaxing said.

Xia Xiao raised her eyebrows, "Military marriages protect the military personnel first."

After speaking, Xia Xiao leaned closer to Gao Jiaxing, "Brother Gao, are you perhaps envious of those scum men? Look, they frolic in luxury, surrounded by beauty on all sides; aren’t you envious?"

"What are you talking about? Am I that kind of person?" Gao Jiaxing gave Xia Xiao a blank look, "I’m a military man with a sense of responsibility; I favor a house full of loving family, not those jerks."

Xia Xiao laughed, handing over a water bottle to Gao Jiaxing, "Come on Commander, don’t be mad, thirsty right? Have some water."

Gao Jiaxing took it, drank a couple of sips, and then said, "Question my integrity again, and I’ll deal with you when we get home tonight."

Xia Xiao glared at him, almost covering his mouth as she said, "There are a lot of people around, don’t talk nonsense."

Gao Jiaxing glanced around and said reassuringly, "Don’t worry, I know you are shy. I wouldn’t be careless."

Then he said, "Let’s go, let’s head back."

Xia Xiao nodded. It was indeed time to head back.

Back home, Xia Xiao and Gao Jiaxing went straight to sleep after dinner and only got up at midnight to watch the Olympics.

In the morning, full of energy, they climbed the Great Wall and unexpectedly ran into Gu Weiguo’s family again.

Gu Weiguo’s youngest son exclaimed, "One who hasn’t been to the Great Wall is not a true man, and one who has is a fool."

"I can’t anymore, I can’t. My legs are giving out," Gu Weiguo’s youngest son complained, unable to walk further.

Gu Weiguo and Ms. Huang felt the same, but then looked at Gao Jiaxing and Xia Xiao who kept moving forward.

Suddenly, Gu Weiguo felt his family’s physical strength was nothing compared to Xia Xiao’s, not to mention Gao Jiaxing’s.

Gu Weiguo quietly said, "Next year, consider applying for military school."

"Dad, didn’t we agree I’d study foreign languages? I want to study abroad," Gu Weiguo’s youngest son protested.

"With your weak legs, you’d get bullied abroad. The family doesn’t lack someone studying overseas. Just blend into the military school; whether you succeed or not is up to you."

As soon as Gu Weiguo finished, Ms. Huang said, "Listen to your dad."

"Mom, you always take dad’s side," Gu Weiguo’s youngest son protested, but facing his mother’s gentle gaze, he suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

By now, Xia Xiao and Gao Jiaxing had climbed quite a distance and, looking back, they could no longer see Gu Weiguo’s family.

But having climbed so far, returning wasn’t going to be easy.

"Brother Gao, I’m tired," Xia Xiao said as she looked back and realized how far they had walked.

"I’ll carry you back," said Gao Jiaxing.

"Others might see us, it’d be better if we rested a bit before heading back," responded Xia Xiao.

Gao Jiaxing sat down, taking out some egg sandwiches and water. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they took a few pictures with their camera and rested for a while before starting back on their journey.

Xia Xiao eventually ended up on Gao Jiaxing’s back. As for their backpacks, Xia Xiao carried them on her back. The backpack wasn’t heavy as it didn’t contain much anymore.

Gao Jiaxing carried Xia Xiao step by step on the way back, which made them both remember the past, when Xia Xiao had her first period while attending an evening event in the county and Gao Jiaxing had to carry her back to the production team.

They still remembered that year to this day. Xia Xiao sighed, "Brother Gao, you were born to be a soldier. You have such great physical strength. But if you ever get tired, you must tell me. I’m not that delicate."

Xia Xiao wrapped her arms around Gao Jiaxing’s neck, thinking to herself that Gao Jiaxing really wasn’t as young as he used to be and she feared that he might overexert himself.

Gao Jiaxing said, "Believe me or not, I can still make you beg for mercy tonight. Don’t underestimate me, I definitely won’t let you off tonight."

"What are you talking about, be serious and watch the road, or we’ll both end up falling," Xia Xiao no longer talked to Gao Jiaxing.

On the way, Xia Xiao asked Gao Jiaxing to put her down, but he refused. She stopped talking to conserve his energy, simply leaning on Gao Jiaxing’s shoulder and closing her eyes to rest, but soon she fell asleep.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw Gu Weiguo and his family. Seeing Xia Xiao being carried by Gao Jiaxing, Gu Weiguo asked, "Has Comrade Xia Xiao been injured?"

"No, she fell asleep, don’t wake her." As soon as Gao Jiaxing finished speaking, Xia Xiao woke up, "Brother Gao, put me down."

Xia Xiao felt embarrassed, not expecting to have fallen asleep, and what’s more, in front of Gu Weiguo’s family. She didn’t know how many people might have seen them on the road.

Gao Jiaxing then put Xia Xiao down. She quickly took out some water from the backpack and handed it to Gao Jiaxing, helping him wipe the sweat off his face.

Gao Jiaxing thoroughly enjoyed it while Xia Xiao wiped his sweat and fed him sandwiches.

Gu Weiguo watched the couple showing affection with a bit of speechlessness, but deep down, he felt a sense of loss yet also blessed them, seeming rather open-minded.

Ms. Huang couldn’t help but marvel internally. She had thought her own life was rather good since Gu Weiguo was fairly good to her. However, it was only after seeing Gao Jiaxing and Xia Xiao together that she truly understood what real love and affection between a couple meant.

By some twist of fate related to the Gu Family, Gao Jiaxing and Xia Xiao encountered this family again on their third day out.

The fourth day, Gao Jiaxing said he didn’t want to go out, and instead, he and Xia Xiao watched movies at home.

But the living room downstairs was too bright; they had already seen those movies, so Xia Xiao enjoyed a series of deceptive DVDs in their room.

However, after watching too much, she felt nauseous and turned on the TV to cleanse her viewing palate, "Brother Gao, we should get rid of these DVDs, it wouldn’t be good if someone saw them."

"We keep them in our room, who’s going to see them?" Gao Jiaxing was indifferent, thinking occasional viewing wasn’t so bad. He originally disapproved of Xiao Zhang buying these DVDs, but his recent days were so blissful that he didn’t bother arguing.

"What about when our grandson comes into the room and sees them? Better if you just keep them safely hidden," Xia Xiao said.

Gao Jiaxing nodded earnestly, "Hmm, I’ll get a safe to keep them."

Xia Xiao was speechless, "Whatever you want."

"Then wife, let’s have a dance," Gao Jiaxing put on some music and extended his hand invitingly to Xia Xiao.

Xia Xiao slipped her hand into Gao Jiaxing’s, and the two of them glided elegantly across the room in sync with the music.