The original plan was to visit grandmotherâs house the next day, but after agreeing with Liu Yating and Yang Yunhai, Gu Lingling discussed with Gu Chunhai to postpone the visit by a day.
Early the next morning, Gu Chunhai was supposed to accompany Gu Lingling to the military base, but just as they stepped out, they saw a military vehicle approaching. "Are you Comrade Gu Lingling? Our captain asked me to pick you up."
Li Hongjun, with his dark face, smiled at Gu Lingling, revealing a small dimple when he did.
"Thank you so much." Gu Lingling hadnât expected Yang Yunhai to be so considerate. In fact, she wanted to say she could easily walk there herself, walking is exercise and sheâs not worried about the cold at all.
But since there was a car, and it saved time, why not?
Seeing that there was someone to pick her up, Gu Chunhai felt relieved and went back home to tidy up the house. With the New Year approaching, there is a tradition of cleaning in rural areas. With his daughter not at home today, he could clean the house inside and out by himself.
Gu Lingling was directly taken to the Special Teamâs meeting room.
There was a large table inside, with writing materials already prepared. Gu Lingling glanced at it and noticed the brush and ink were much better than what they had at home.
The paper hadnât been cut yet, as they werenât sure what style Gu Lingling wanted.
Gu Lingling felt very satisfied with this arrangement. Although Yang Yunhai hadnât come, he had assigned her two soldiers to assist her â anything she needed, she just had to say the word.
The meeting room had heating, which was much more comfortable than home. No matter how many couplets she wrote, her hands wouldnât get cold.
Yang Yunhai planned for Gu Lingling to write couplets for the entire Special Team.
He had great confidence in Gu Linglingâs calligraphy and had the couplets posted on his own houseâs door first thing in the morning.
When Liu Xiaoqin came out, she specifically asked the young soldier, "Who wrote the spring couplets for our captainâs house? The handwriting is really good."
The young soldier didnât know who it was, but had heard that the person who wrote the couplets would be invited to the base to write today.
And so, the news quickly spread throughout the community residences.
The families of the Special Team loved the couplets as soon as they saw them, and a few of them discussed, "Why donât we quietly go to the base too? See if we can get some couplets written for our homes?"
Most of these military wives were not very literate, so they especially admired someone who could write such beautiful characters.
Besides, with the couplets posted at the captainâs house, if their own couplets were still written haphazardly by kids like in previous years, wouldnât that be a disgrace to the Special Team?
Indeed, finding excellent calligraphy skills in the military wasnât easy, so every year the couplets at home were written by kids who had learned brush writing for a few days.
But now it was different â they heard that the Special Team invited someone to write couplets, and they were also part of the Special Team. Just four or five familiesâ couplets to write, shouldnât be too difficult, right?
After their discussion, they happily decided on the plan.
"Should we go and buy some red paper?" someone asked weakly.
"Why buy it? Does the base need our few sheets of red paper?" Liu Xiaoqin said scornfully.
"Iâve already bought red paper at home, Iâll go get it," Mo Hongying said with a smile.
What she couldnât stand the most was Liu Xiaoqinâs petty attitude â a few sheets of red paper wouldnât cost much, is it right to take advantage of the base like this?
"I also have red paper at home," said Zhang Lanfang, who got along well with Mo Hongying.
Their husbands had just been transferred to the company as commanders this year, and the two men had joined the army in the same year, so their families were closer.