Gu Shoufou pondered for a moment before speaking, "You didn't mention the third son's wife, did you?"
"Seeing her state, she must be feeling awful too, and besides, this wasn't something she wished for, so why would I say anything to her."
Gu Shoufou nodded, "The children have their own plans, especially that couple, they understand things better than we do. With the third son fighting in the south, Li Shu is already feeling down. As the saying goes, sons and grandsons have their own blessings; don't worry about them too much in advance."
"That's true, but I still feel uneasy in my heart."
"I think you're just too idle," Gu Shoufou turned his head towards Li Xiulan's direction. "Look at those families in the village whose children are unfilial, driving out their elders for a little gain. Don't even mention others, just look at the Liu family in the west courtyard. You'll be content if you are satisfied."
Though she knew Gu Shoufou couldn't see, Li Xiulan couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. "You're very clear in educating me, don't you feel bad yourself?"
Gu Shoufou replied, "Calculate how many grandchildren you have. Are you lacking one from the third son's family? The third son hasn't said anything, do you really want to see two good children divorce because we meddled in between? Besides, I think the third son's wife is raising Ruirui very well. Even if, hypothetically, they truly can't have more children, that child won't be any worse."
"You're so open-minded, making me sound like a stepmother. I can't argue with you, I'm going to sleep!" Li Xiulan turned her body away from Gu Shoufou and lay down. Although she still couldn't let go of her worries, talking to Gu Shoufou made her feel much better. She soon fell asleep.
"This old woman, she wakes me up and then sleeps so soundly." Listening to Li Xiulan's even snoring, Gu Shoufou stared at the dark rafters for a long time before gradually closing his eyes.
The next day, when Chen Lishu woke up, Ruirui was sleeping soundly beside her. Perhaps it was because the heated kang was too warm and the quilt was too thick, his little face was flushed from sleep, and his long, straight eyelashes cast a faint blue shadow on his lower eyelids.
The winter morning window was covered with beautiful pictures carved by nature. Looking at the different scenes on the glass, Chen Lishu's mind suddenly recalled that all-too-familiar figure. She wondered if he had woken up yet and what he was doing at this moment.
At this very moment, a thousand miles away, Gu Xingdong and his team of twelve men had been traversing the jungle for an entire night. The soldiers chosen for this mission were all those who were agile and excellent marksmen on the training grounds.
The twelve men were divided into three groups, with each group no more than ten meters apart, communicating solely through hand signals.
Because Gu Xingdong possessed extremely rich experience in jungle warfare, his small team, consisting of Li Weimin, Wang Dazhu, and another soldier, led the way.
They gripped their guns tightly, advancing rapidly and orderly. Compared to the nervousness and discomfort they felt upon entering the jungle, the soldiers had adapted significantly after a few small-scale engagements.
The air in the jungle in the early morning was not yet too stuffy. It was the period after the sun rose higher until sunset that would be the most agonizing for the soldiers, who were accustomed to the cold and dry climate of the north.
As they advanced swiftly, Gu Xingdong suddenly made two quick hand gestures, glanced around cautiously, and then slowly crouched down.
Upon seeing the hand signals, Li Weimin and the others also halted their advance and gradually converged towards Gu Xingdong.
"Everyone, be careful!" Gu Xingdong said, picking up a discarded shell casing from the ground. "We must have entered the enemy's operational area."
Li Weimin took it and examined it closely. The caliber of the shell casing was indeed different from what they were using, and his expression immediately turned vigilant.
When a person's mind is highly concentrated, their hearing far surpasses normal. Suddenly, he heard a slight rustling in the grass behind him. His expression changed slightly, and he spun around, about to pull the trigger. However, a hand suddenly grabbed his gun from behind, stopping his action.
Gu Xingdong shook his head at him. "Don't worry, it's not a person."
Indeed, as soon as he finished speaking, a small head poked out from the grass. Its beady eyes quickly darted away, and with a whoosh, it disappeared back into the foliage upon seeing Gu Xingdong and his group.
"I say, Weimin, you're clearly being overly cautious," Wang Dazhu chuckled and lowered the rifle he had been holding.
"It's right to maintain high vigilance on the battlefield at all times."
Gu Xingdong patted Li Weimin on the shoulder before saying to the three of them, "Since we have entered the enemy's operational range, we must be extremely careful with our movements and watch out for traps around us."
The other three nodded, and soon the group continued forward.
"Battalion Commander."
Wang Dazhu soon discovered something and beckoned to the group. "There's a trap here."
Wang Dazhu pointed to a very finely crafted trap not far away. The soil and turf covering it were almost indistinguishable from the surroundings, making it difficult to spot unless one looked closely.
"These little tricks can't fool this old man's eyes?" Wang Dazhu said, casually picking up a wooden stick nearby. He aimed at a spot and struck it with precision and force. Soon, the covering layer of the trap disappeared, revealing sharp, pointed barbs inside.
The group did not rush into action. Wang Dazhu pulled a not-so-conspicuous wire buried nearby. With a slight tug, a wooden board with nails attached shot out from a tree opposite them with a 'swoosh.' The momentum was incredibly fast. If they hadn't discovered it beforehand, even if they avoided the trap, accidentally touching a hidden wire nearby would have certainly caused them considerable trouble.
"Damn it, it's a booby-trapped sequence," Wang Dazhu clapped his hands and stood up, striding forward arrogantly.
"Careful!"
Reflected by the sunlight, Gu Xingdong suddenly saw a glint of silver in the grass and immediately called out a warning. However, it was too late. With a loud 'boom,' a wave of heat mixed with flying dust surged towards them.
Fortunately, Li Weimin and the others reacted swiftly. When Gu Xingdong issued the warning, they immediately took action, but their arms and backs still sustained injuries of varying degrees.
"Wang Dazhu!"
Ignoring the pain, Gu Xingdong and Li Weimin rushed to the vicinity of the explosion, where they saw Wang Dazhu lying on the ground not far away.
"Dazhu, how are you? Wake up!" Li Weimin anxiously slapped Wang Dazhu's cheeks. When his gaze fell upon his blood-soaked leg, his entire mind went blank.
Gu Xingdong also saw his wound, his eyes darkening. He quickly took a tourniquet from his backpack and began a quick, simple bandaging.
"Cough, cough..."
Finally, amidst Li Weimin's unremitting calls, Wang Dazhu coughed twice, his heavy eyelids slowly opening. He said weakly, "Your hands are really heavy. I might not have been killed by the blast, but you've almost beaten me to death."