Chapter 388: Chapter 350: I’ve Come to Inspect
After Gu Qili returned to the winery, the plum trees were being pruned for winter, and she put on gloves to help out.
Winter pruning is very important for a vineyard; if all the vines are allowed to grow unrestrained, it would only reduce the average quality of the grapes, so the task was to keep the branches deemed good and cut all the others.
After a busy day, having only a quick bite for lunch, Gu Qili went back to the office and rested her head on the desk.
Recently, she found it particularly easy to become exhausted, had a poor appetite, and sometimes felt listless; she even suspected she might be starting menopause.
Just as Gu Qili was resting on the desk, someone suddenly knocked on the door; rubbing her eyes, she sat up.
Last week they posted a job opening online for a winemaker, presumably someone was here for the interview; indeed, she heard Accountant Wang say outside: "Manager Gu, it’s someone for the interview."
Gu Qili quickly tidied her hair and checked herself in the mirror, making sure nothing was amiss before saying, "Come in, please."
A person pushed the door open and entered; the familiar face made Gu Qili pause momentarily before saying, "A-V?"
A-V walked over and sat down in the chair opposite her, smiling, "It’s been a long time, Qili."
"How did you find this place?" Gu Qili hurriedly got up to pour him a glass of water, "You saw the job posting I put up online?"
A-V shook his head, took a sip of water, and then said, "Professor Luo only agreed to treat Chenchen because of you, right?"
Gu Qili chuckled and rubbed her nose. How had he figured it out?
"It was just a guess. Professor Luo happened to be in the ward that day, so I casually asked and it turned out to be you." A-V looked at her somewhat helplessly, "Why didn’t you look for me when you got back?"
"I’ve been busy!" Gu Qili asked, "How is your girlfriend’s illness?"
"Professor Luo said she doesn’t have much time left, probably less than a year." A-V’s demeanor dimmed talking about it, he had become thinner and darker. Compared to the man full of fashion flair, looking like an artist when they first met, he now seemed more domesticated, more like an ordinary boyfriend.
Gu Qili didn’t know how to console him, so she just sighed. Birth, old age, sickness, and death are natural, when it comes, no one can stop it.
"Does the winery need a winemaker now?" A-V composed himself and asked seriously.
"A-V, you don’t have to work at the winery just because I found Professor Luo for you. I helped you because I wanted your girlfriend to get better, and you really should focus on taking care of her now, especially since... she doesn’t have much time left. I can find someone else for the winery, really, you don’t have to be polite with me," Gu Qili couldn’t help feeling emotional, "I will find someone else for here."
"Chenchen and I broke up years ago because I was obsessed with winemaking and neglected her, then shortly after, she fell ill. When I found out, I was full of regret. If I had taken better care of her, paid more attention to her while we were together, maybe she wouldn’t have gotten sick. Since then, I vowed to quit winemaking, but a few days ago, she suddenly told me that next year on Qixi, she wanted to sit under the grapevines and drink wine that I made." As A-V reached this part, his eyes reddened, "She knows that being a top winemaker has always been my dream, so she said this as a way to get me to pick up my winemaking tools again."
Gu Qili’s eyes also reddened just like his.
"Recently, people from Feihe Winery came looking for me, but the temperament of their young lady was too arrogant for me to serve. I was not planning on getting back into the business, but after hearing about you from Professor Luo, and after checking your winery’s information online, I found out you’re hiring a winemaker." A-V put down the cup in his hand, "Qili, if you don’t mind that I am a novice who hasn’t made wine in seven years, I would like to give it a try. May I?"
The surprise was so sudden that Gu Qili was too happy to even know what to say. She had dreamed of bringing A-V on board; his reputation as the number one winemaker in Aus City remains unsurpassed to this day.
"Sure." She laughed excitedly, unable to close her mouth, "A-V, that’s really great."
"However, I might still need to take care of my girlfriend, so I can’t always come over."
"Is your girlfriend still in the hospital?"
"She’s come back home now. Professor Luo said that staying in the hospital wouldn’t make any difference, it would be better for her to recuperate at home, it might even help her recovery."
"So, where do you live?"
A-V hesitated, seemingly embarrassed to say it out loud, and after a long pause finally spoke, "We haven’t found a place yet; we’ve already posted a rental request online."
Gu Qili knew that to treat Chenchen’s illness, Ah V had spent all his savings and borrowed a lot of money. He also sold the house he previously lived in, and now that he’s left the hospital, he had nowhere to go.
"Ah V, if you don’t mind, you and Chenchen can come and stay at the winery’s dormitory. It’s not big, but it’s definitely enough for two people. Plus, it’s in the suburbs with beautiful scenery, perfect for calming the mind. Most importantly, Uncle Fan makes delicious dishes, and we often have game meat," Gu Qili said, as she saw Ah V hesitating and immediately reassured him. "The dormitory is meant for the winery’s staff, so it won’t be a bother at all. We’re all like one big family here, so please don’t be polite with me anymore."
Ah V did not hesitate anymore; for him, this was the best option.
"Thank you, Qili."
Gu Qili chuckled: "You’re welcome."
In the evening, Gu Qili personally drove to bring Ah V’s girlfriend Chenchen over. Because she had been tormented by illness for a long time, she had become so thin she was hardly recognizable, bearing no resemblance to her former appearance.
Ah V’s meticulous care for her impressed everyone.
After settling in Chenchen, Ah V went to inspect the equipment in the winemaking workshop. These new pieces of equipment were just installed, and there were many aspects he didn’t understand. Zhu Ping brought the instruction manuals and the vendor’s documents over,
Just after Zhu Ping had finished washing up, someone knocked on the door. She thought it might be Zhu Ping or Meizi, but upon opening the door, she was surprised to find Mu Shuoqian in his overcoat, still carrying the chill of the night air.
"Why did you come over?"
"It’s so late, and dark out, why did you come here?"
"Ungrateful brat." Mu Shuoqian leaned back and nestled into her arms to enjoy a massage from his belle, feigning a doze with eyes closed, "I haven’t had dinner yet."
Hearing his aggrieved tone, Gu Qili immediately felt sorry for him and kissed his forehead for comfort, "Wait for me, I’ll go make you some noodles."
"Mm." Gu Qili pulled her legs away, and Mu Shuoqian took the opportunity to lie down on the bed, hurrying her with his words, "Make it quick."
"Got it." Gu Qili opened the door and went downstairs to the kitchen to make noodles. When she brought them back up, Mu Shuoqian had already fallen asleep on the bed, his breath steady, but his eyebrows furrowed taut.
Lately, there had been a lot of work at Feihe Winery, with year-end matters piling up like a mountain for him to resolve. Despite being so busy, he still made the trip over, knowing it took a two-hour drive from the city to the estate.
Gu Qili grew even more sympathetic toward him. She set the noodles aside and then carefully took off his shoes and socks, squatting in front of the bed. She then grabbed a blanket to cover him.
Mu Shuoqian was genuinely exhausted and slept all the way until seven in the morning when he woke up to see Gu Qili by his side, resting her chin in her hands and admiring him like a lovestruck fool.
Meeting his slightly bleary waking eyes, Gu Li smiled and bent her eyebrows, teasingly poking his nose, "You big lazy bug."
"I’m so hungry." Pulling her hand, he touched his stomach, "It’s protesting."
"We’ll go down to eat in a bit, Uncle Fan should have made breakfast by now."
"Mm. Do you want to know about your sister?"
Gu Qili was about to go and freshen up when she heard this, turning to him with a look of surprise, "You know where my sister is?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
Meeting her gaze:
"You?" Gu Qili was stunned by the news, "You know my sister?"