Chapter 378: Chapter 378: The Bond is Broken
Han Jingyi was a little calmer, since he had, after all, heard his cousin mention that Lin Yu fellow before.
But Xiao Rui had only just heard about it, so his legs went weak with fright.
In any case, they never imagined that a spy had managed to infiltrate their compound. This was outrageous.
When Gu Jiaojiao saw the two boys standing there dumbfounded, she thought they hadn’t heard her, so she kindly repeated herself.
"Lin Yu is very likely a spy." But the more she spoke, the paler the two boys’ faces became.
Xiao Rui was still in shock, but Han Jingyi was wondering if he should tell his older cousin. ’He needs to arrest that spy immediately, or else we and Great-Aunt will be on edge all day.’
"Come on, let’s go! We’re going to be late for class," Gu Jiaojiao urged, looking at the two boys who were still in a daze.
Her urging snapped them out of it, and they mechanically followed her toward the school gate, looking completely bewildered.
"Haha, I watched a movie with my husband last night, and the spy in it was so cunning. I was just spouting nonsense just now. You didn’t actually take me seriously, did you?"
Seeing the two boys’ terrified expressions, Gu Jiaojiao glanced back to offer a quiet explanation, then quickened her pace toward her classroom.
Han Jingyi instantly breathed a sigh of relief. "Great-Aunt, you scared me to death! I actually believed you for a second."
Xiao Rui also recovered from his fright. "How were we supposed to know Great-Aunt tells jokes?"
Xiao Rui and Han Jingyi looked at each other, seeing that their Great-Aunt was already almost at her classroom door.
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, they could only shake their heads with wry smiles and run toward their own classroom. The two of them were in the same class.
「At the Gu family home」
The notice for Gu Jinghua’s new appointment arrived early in the morning. The family members just looked at each other, all of them dumbfounded.
Old Sir Gu glanced at the appointment notice, then simply patted his eldest grandson’s shoulder and advised him softly.
"Jinghua, Grandpa is old. I can’t offer you much advice. After you leave home, you’ll have to rely on yourself for everything."
"Thank you, Grandpa. You must take care of your health," Gu Jinghua said gratefully.
Mr. Gu never dreamed that his son would be unwilling to stay in the Imperial City. ’Isn’t it good for the family to be together, whole and complete?’
But as a father, he couldn’t very well force his son’s hand. Most importantly, the official appointment notice had already been issued.
He couldn’t force him even if he wanted to, unless he went to ask for favors again to get his eldest son transferred to a different unit.
He had already used up his best connections. Asking for more favors wouldn’t guarantee his son would stay, so Mr. Gu quickly came to terms with it.
He said in a heavy, meaningful tone, "Jinghua, wherever you want to go, your father will support you. But I don’t manage the money, so I don’t have anything to give you. Dad wishes you success in your work. If you need money, ask your mother and your brother."
After speaking, Mr. Gu picked up the briefcase his daughter had given him and drove Old Sir Gu to the school.
Seeing that her father-in-law and husband had left without even trying to persuade him, Mrs. Gu took it upon herself to earnestly reason with her son.
"Son, you’ve only recently recovered from a serious injury. Your constitution suffered greatly from malnutrition during your growth years.
Jiaojiao said you still need to nourish your body properly. Why don’t you want to stay in the Imperial City? You have Grandpa, your parents, and your younger siblings here.
I’m really not trying to force you, but I really don’t want you to go to a place like Qing City. I also don’t want you to throw away your bright future just because of a personal preference."
"Mom, please don’t say any more. Grandpa and Dad have already agreed," Gu Jinghua said, desperately trying to find an excuse.
He knew his family was all in the Imperial City, but the Imperial City was a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons; there was no room for him to prove himself.
He just wanted to realize his own worth. In the same type of unit, he would only be a lowly prison guard in the Imperial City.
Years from now, the most he could hope to become would be a minor squad leader or a mid-level captain.
But if he went to Qing City, he would be second-in-command right from the start. In a few years, he might even become the one in charge.
By then, if he returned to the Imperial City with experience as a top leader, it wouldn’t just be beneficial for him personally.
It would also allow the unit leaders to see his achievements. Wouldn’t a promotion be a natural progression at that point?
’My grandpa and dad are so understanding. Why can’t Mom understand me?!’
Gu Jinghua hadn’t yet realized that his grandfather and father had misunderstood his intentions.
They thought he was going to Qing City for Sheng Yueyue, which was why they didn’t even want to try persuading him.
Seeing her eldest son so resolute, Mrs. Gu shook her head and sighed. She didn’t know who her son got his stubbornness from.
"Jinghua, be good. I don’t care what you’re thinking. In short, you must stay in the Imperial City," Mrs. Gu said, her tone uncharacteristically firm.
"Mom, my appointment notice has already arrived. I have to take the train today," Gu Jinghua said, standing up.
Second Brother Gu had been sitting to the side listening to their conversation, his brow furrowed.
He never knew his older brother could be so stubborn. "Brother, are you doing this for Sheng Yueyue?"
Gu Jinghua’s expression stiffened. "Second Brother, I... I..."
Mrs. Gu cut Gu Jinghua off. "Jinghua, don’t say anything else. Just go. I don’t want you to live with regrets. Tell me how much you need for the train fare, and I’ll give it to you now."
After speaking, Mrs. Gu took out the wallet her daughter had given her and placed two hundred yuan on the table.
Gu Jinghua hesitated for a moment before clenching his jaw and saying, "Mom, thank you. Your son has been unfilial. You and Dad, please take care of yourselves."
With that, he went upstairs to pack his luggage and left the house. He had always wanted to go back to Qing City, and not just for the work experience.
It was also because of that adopted sister. He wanted to know if she was doing well now, after she had cut ties with them so resolutely back then.
’It’s true that I’m doing this for my career, and it’s also true that I want to know if my adopted sister is happy. The two don’t conflict. I’m not in the wrong.’
"Sigh..." Mrs. Gu let out a heavy sigh as she watched her eldest son’s retreating back.
Gu Jingtai walked his older brother to the door. "Brother, I’ll give you another two hundred yuan. From now on, don’t come to me for anything. Once you walk out this door, it’ll be hard for us brothers to ever go back to the way we were."
Gu Jinghua was speechless. ’Do you really have to be like this?’
Still, Gu Jinghua left home without looking back. He wasn’t a fool; the train ticket to Qing City this time cost less than a hundred yuan.
But his mother had given him two hundred. He naturally guessed this was her way of hinting that she wouldn’t be looking after him anymore.
Just now, his second brother had all but told him outright that their brotherly bond was broken and that he wanted nothing more to do with him.
And his grandfather’s and father’s words were also clear. He was only going to Qing City for work.
He could still come back for the New Year holidays, yet they acted as if he would never return.
He didn’t say goodbye to Jiaojiao in person, planning instead to call her once he was settled in Qing City.
Little did Gu Jinghua know at that moment that after this trip to Qing City, he would never have the face to return home again...
「The days passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was Friday.」
That Friday was the day of the assessment for all the students in the clinical medicine program.
