Read Novel Full Chapter 530: Father and Daughter Meet Again
Chapter 530: Father and Daughter Meet Again
Jiang Ning’s mind went blank.
When she decided to come to Fengcheng, she had imagined meeting Gu Tinglin countless times and even thought about what kind of situation it would be and how to greet him casually.
But when she finally saw him, she couldn’t say a word.
He was older, thinner, and even had a few strands of white hair on his temples, but he seemed to be in good spirits.
Years of military career had made Gu Tinglin calm and restrained, but he still couldn’t control himself and hugged Jiang Ning. “How are you doing?”
He had tried every possible way to find her, but had never been able to.
But now, here she was, alive and standing before him.
Gu Tinglin was so nervous it felt like his heart was shutting down. He’d seen her in his dreams so many times, and every single time, it was a bloody nightmare.
After waking up, he kept his eyes open until dawn.
Aside from Huo Yishen, this was the first time Jiang Ning had been hugged like this by someone else.
His shoulders were thick, and his arms were broad.
The feeling was completely different from the romantic embrace Huo Yishen gave her.
Was this what a father’s embrace felt like?
Jiang Ning was a little confused and felt lightheaded all over.
Gu Tinglin let go of her and looked at her carefully.
As expected, she had taken good care of herself.
Compared to their last meeting, he seemed much more enthusiastic, which was a bit uncomfortable.
Jiang Ning took a deep breath and calmed down for a long time. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine, it’s just that I couldn’t find you sooner.”
Gu Tinglin had been ill several times, and each time it had been quite serious. Every time, he felt that he might not survive.
He had done his best to complete the task given by the country, and he had lived up to his mission.
At the critical moment of life and death, his biggest regret in life was that he had never taken care of his own daughter for a day.
He thought he would close his eyes with this regret, but he didn’t expect that there would be a chance.
In the face of life and death, he never flinched. But when it came to his daughter, he was afraid of rejection, his voice tinged with guilt and self-blame. “Jiang Ning, I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me most.”
Jiang Ning wanted to say it was fine, since she had stopped needing it a long time ago.
But when she saw the white hair at his temples and thought about his life of sacrifice, the words got stuck in her throat.
When she asked herself honestly, she really didn’t hate him.
As a survivor who had benefited from the efforts of China, she even felt grateful and respectful toward him.
Secretary He was still with Gu Tinglin. Seeing that the atmosphere between father and daughter was a little awkward, he quickly tried to smooth things over. “Chief, it’s getting late. Comrade Jiang and her friends have traveled a long way, so let’s go back to the city to rest.”
Gu Tinglin came back to his senses, feeling both excited and nervous. “Yes, we’ll go back first.”
Jiang Ning refused, “There’s no need. We’ll stay here for the night and enter the city tomorrow.”
“It’s no trouble.” Secretary He was very sensitive and quickly picked up Jiang Ning’s bag. “The chief’s house is a little more spacious. We have reserved a room for you from the beginning. There is no need for family members to be so formal.”
Gu Tinglin invited her, “Let’s go, just stay for one night first. If you’re really uncomfortable, I will find another place for you.”
Jiang Ning still wanted to decline, but he spoke again, “Jiang Ning, there are many things I want to tell you.
You don’t have to feel burdened. Just treat me as an ordinary person. Whether it’s the rare metals for the base or the medicine you leave for me, I’m grateful and I want to repay you. I hope you can give me this opportunity.”
At this point, Jiang Ning couldn’t say no, but looked at Huo Yishen and Doudou.
Since it was about the father-daughter relationship, neither of the siblings disagreed. Huo Yishen even hoped she would give Gu Tinglin a chance to make up for things.
He understood her. If she truly had no feelings, she wouldn’t have reacted so strongly when Kos mentioned Fengcheng.
Apart from the symbolic meaning of the city itself, Fengcheng was also the signal Gu Tinglin had released to the outside world in his search for her.
With very little fuel left, even though Gu Tinglin was a high-ranking officer, he wouldn’t usually use a motor vehicle unless there was a special situation.
After getting the news from the reception, he was worried that Jiang Ning would leave, so he drove here overnight.
Secretary He almost drove the car to fly, but Gu Tinglin still thought it was too slow.
Even when the land was sinking, he could command the base to retreat in an orderly manner without showing a hint of emotion. But when it came to his daughter, he was so nervous that his palms were sweating.
Seeing Jiang Ning agree to go back with him, the distinguished officer actually found himself walking with a strange, almost awkward step.
Secretary He bit his lip, not daring to say a word.
When they found Jiang Ning, the heavy weight in the leader’s heart finally lifted.
Secretary He was with him the whole way and truly understands his struggles. Without his strong belief, the leader might not have been able to make it through.
After putting their things in the trunk, Secretary He drove, Gu Tinglin sat in the passenger seat, and Jiang Ning and the other two squeezed in the back seat with Bai Xue and Coke.
The dirt road was bumpy and shaky all the way.
It was also dark all around, and weeds grew on both sides of the road, probably a soil and water conservation project.
The father and daughter met, but they didn’t know what to say to each other, so the car was extremely silent.
After driving for several kilometers, a dilapidated area with old cars could be seen, and it looked like people were living in it.
Secretary He tried to lighten the mood, “This continent has only been rising for less than two years. During the first year, yellow dust was everywhere. Many survivors didn’t even have a place to stay and had to find old cars or scavenge wood, metal sheets, or plastic from the seaside to make simple homes.”
“Now the situation is much better. We found several sticky yellow mud. We refined it and mixed with hay to make mud bricks to build houses. We also brought back a lot of stones…”
He introduced the situation in Fengcheng to Jiang Ning, clearly worried she and the others might find it unpleasant. “Under the leadership of the chief, we recently tried to find a way to burn red bricks. The base will only get better and better in the future.”
Secretary He has been with Gu Tinglin for more than 20 years. He has seen everyone and has long developed a pair of sharp eyes. How could he not see that Jiang Ning and her friends are living well?
Even the wolf and dog were fat and healthy, which made one’s mouth water just by looking at them.
Of course, he was just thinking about it, but he didn’t dare to have any improper thoughts.
The car continued to move forward. After about 20 minutes, brighter lights came from the distance. There were rows of neatly arranged houses and armed soldiers on duty at the security posts.
A little further away, there were rows of solar panels.
Secretary He continued, “This is the military’s administrative area.”
The large military green tents in the distance should be where the soldiers live.
After the land sank, the reestablishment of human civilization was no easy task.
Solar generators, tents, and anything with a little bit of technology should be the supplies brought by the army when it evacuated.
Everything around was wasteland. Without being near the sea, feeding tens of thousands of people would have been impossible.
It is true that Fengcheng has a food factory, but who could guarantee that the fish cakes made there were safe to eat?
But there’s no choice.
The natural disaster seems to be over, but humanity’s trials were ongoing.
Maybe for ten years, fifty years, a hundred years, or even more…