Chapter 32: The First Real Gift for a Wedding

When Zhou Xiuzhen came up to her, Ji Wei was a little confused: "Mom, what brings you here?"

"I'm asking you, did Xiao Gu resign?" Zhou Xiuzhen looked at her coldly.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Ji Wei was a little confused about where her displeasure came from, and of course she was even more curious about how she knew. After all, Gu Zhiyuan had just resigned, and the day hadn't even passed yet. How could they be so well-informed?

"Never mind how I know, where is Xiao Gu?" Zhou Xiuzhen found out about this because someone overheard Gu Zhiyuan resigning while doing business there. At first, she thought the other person was joking with them, but when she saw his serious expression, Zhou Xiuzhen finally couldn't sit still and came straight to their door.

"Mom, you were looking for me?" Gu Zhiyuan, who was inside, came out when he heard the voice.

"Xiao Gu, are you being foolish? How can you quit such a good job? Even if it's just to let Sheng Zhou take over his job, that would be fine." These words lingered in her mouth, but she didn't say them out loud.

"Even if what?" Ji Wei sneered. Don't think she doesn't know what they're up to. Do they really think the earth revolves around them? They used to have designs on her job, and now they're fantasizing that Ji Shengzhou can replace Gu Zhiyuan's job?

“When you went on that blind date with Weiwei, you said you had a respectable job. Now you’ve only been married a short time, and you want to quit? As your family, we certainly won’t allow it. Take advantage of the time and bring him back.” Zhou Xiuzhen knew that it was unlikely that Ji Shengzhou would take over the job, but she still didn’t want him to quit. He had such a respectable job, which would bring them honor, and more importantly, he could help Shengzhou and his wife in the future.

“All the necessary procedures have been completed, and I cannot withdraw my decision. Moreover, my decision to resign was made after careful consideration.” Gu Zhiyuan looked at Zhou Xiuzhen with a gentle expression.

“No way, our family doesn’t agree. You didn’t say that when you got married, otherwise we wouldn’t have agreed to your relationship with Weiwei,” Zhou Xiuzhen retorted directly.

"Mom, his resignation doesn't need anyone's approval, including mine, let alone yours. Besides, this decision was reached after we discussed it. If you don't have anything else to do, go back." Ji Wei directly shattered her last hope.

"Ji Wei, what do you know? I'm only thinking of you, aren't I? He resigned, so you're going to have to support the whole family? How could you be so stupid?" Zhou Xiuzhen looked at her with exasperation. This girl really favored outsiders, preferring to support unrelated people rather than let them take advantage of her, right?

“I’m happy to accept that, at least they can provide me with emotional value, unlike before when I spent money and didn’t get any appreciation.” Ji Wei’s “I’m happy to accept that” look left Zhou Xiuzhen speechless. She pointed at Ji Wei, too angry to speak for a long time.

"Mom, Dad, you're getting old, so just stay home and enjoy your retirement. You both said that a married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl, so don't worry about how we live. Don't worry, if we ever have to beg for food, I'll definitely stay away from your door." Ji Wei's tone was cold as she finished speaking.

"Ji Wei, I was trying to be kind to you, and you treated me like this. You'll regret this someday." Zhou Xiuzhen was very familiar with these words. They were all harsh words she had uttered when she and Ji Wei argued in the past, but now Ji Wei was returning them all to her. Zhou Xiuzhen felt that she had been provoked.

"You know best who you came here for today. Don't worry, I won't regret it. Do you have anything else to say? If not, you can go back now." Ji Wei directly dismissed him.

"I hope you always have this backbone," Zhou Xiuzhen said coldly.

"I'll say the same to you." Ji Wei looked at her expressionlessly.

Zhou Xiuzhen left in anger; you could feel her fury just by looking at her back. Gu Zhiyuan looked at the person next to him. She could have easily pushed the problem onto him; there was no need for her to be the bad guy. But she still stepped forward. This was the first time someone had stood in front of him to "protect" him. Gu Zhiyuan felt a soft spot in his heart.

"If they send more people to cause trouble, just ignore them," Ji Wei said to Gu Zhiyuan.

"Okay, trust me, I won't let us fall to that point." Gu Zhiyuan's tone was exceptionally serious.

Ji Wei was stunned for a moment before she understood what he meant. She smiled and asked, "You mean begging?"

"We will not end up in that situation," Gu Zhiyuan emphasized again.

"Of course, I was just telling her that it's none of her business how we live. Let's go eat, or the food will get cold because of her." Ji Wei invited him inside to eat. As they turned around, they realized that the two little ones were standing not far behind them, staring at the door. When they saw them go over, Lulu was the first to run over: "Grandma is so fierce."

Lulu was very afraid of Zhou Xiuzhen, so when she heard her voice, she grabbed Gu Chen'an's hand and asked him to stay inside with her.

"Don't be afraid, she's gone." Ji Wei patted her head to reassure her.

"She's really mean to Mom too," Lulu said, wrinkling her nose.

"Don't worry, Mom isn't afraid of her at all," Ji Wei said with a smile.

Lulu thought for a moment, then said loudly, "Then I'm not afraid of her either."

“Yes, we’re not afraid of her. Let’s go eat now. Lulu, don’t be afraid if you see her again, okay?” Ji Wei pulled Lulu’s hand and walked to the table, comforting her as she spoke.

＊

As soon as Zhou Xiuzhen returned, the father and son surrounded her, asking, "So, this isn't true, is it?"

"How can it not be true? He has already resigned." Ji Zhouxiuzhen, who was still fuming, glared at the two of them.

"Such a big thing, and my sister actually agreed?" Ji Shengzhou's tone was full of surprise. In his opinion, Ji Wei only agreed to marry Gu Zhiyuan because she was interested in his job. Now that Gu Zhiyuan has actually quit his job, Ji Wei still agreed?

"Ji Wei knows about this too?" Ji Dahai frowned. It shouldn't be like this.

“They’re a couple, how could they not know? They said whether they resign or not is their own business, and they told us to mind our own business. Even if they beg for food in the future, they’ll avoid our house.” Zhou Xiuzhen became angrier and angrier as she spoke. Ji Wei was really here to collect a debt; all she knew how to do was make her angry.

"Did my sister really say that?" Ji Shengzhou asked cautiously.

“Could it be fake? I’ve figured it out now. All she cares about now is her own little family. She doesn’t care about us anymore.” This is what makes Zhou Xiuzhen most angry.

"My sister is such a shrewd person, the fact that she agreed to his resignation means she probably has a better place to go. Mom, why don't you go and inquire about it again?" Ji Shengzhou smiled and leaned closer to her, thinking that if there was a good place to go, he could make plans in advance.

“Go if you want to. Your sister is right about something: your father and I are getting old and should enjoy our retirement. These things have nothing to do with us, and we’re too lazy to worry about them.” Zhou Xiuzhen kept thinking about Ji Wei’s words the whole way and felt that she wasn’t wrong.

"No, Mom, are you saying I'm a burden to you?" Ji Shengzhou looked at Zhou Xiuzhen with some displeasure.

"I didn't say that." Zhou Xiuzhen turned her face away. She did think that way in her heart. If he were more capable and didn't cause them any trouble, she wouldn't have gone there to be mistreated today. So she still harbored some resentment towards Ji Shengzhou.

"Isn't that what you meant? Besides, when I heard about Gu Zhiyuan's resignation, I didn't tell you to ask them. You went on your own initiative," Ji Shengzhou defended himself.

"Then who are we doing this for? Even if there's only a sliver of hope, we're still trying our best to get him to find a way for you, and now you're blaming me?" Zhou Xiuzhen was really angry this time. It was one thing for Ji Wei to talk back to her, but how could he say such things about her? Who was she doing all this for?

"You all say you're doing this for me, but actually, my sister didn't pay me her salary when she was at home. Anyway, you know best who you're doing this for." What Ji Shengzhou hated most was that they kept saying they were doing it for him, but were they really doing it for him?

"You," Zhou Xiuzhen listened to Ji Shengzhou's complaints and suddenly felt a chill in her heart. For the first time, she began to reflect on whether it was really worth it for her to mistreat Ji Wei all these years for him. Unfortunately, no one could give her an answer now.

＊

The small courtyard was filled with laughter and joy. The family of four seemed completely unaffected by the resignation. Ji Wei glanced at the two little ones playing in the yard and casually asked him, "Are you going to work tomorrow?"

“Go, you don’t need to go anymore once all the procedures are completed,” Gu Zhiyuan explained.

"It should be soon. Time flies, and their summer vacation isn't far off." It's already early July, and according to past practice, summer vacation usually starts in the early part of the latter half of the month.

"Are you going to start preparing for the summer program you mentioned before?" Gu Zhiyuan asked her.

“Yes, I forgot to ask Brother Lü last time he came if he could get a batch of cheap tables and chairs.” Ji Wei’s tone was somewhat annoyed.

"If you're in a hurry, call and ask later." Gu Zhiyuan calculated the time; this matter really should be arranged.

"Okay, I'll have to leave the task of going to the city center this weekend to you." Ji Wei gave him a heads-up.

"Yes, I also plan to go with you this week to ask Dr. Qin about Chen'an's current condition." Because of his leg fracture, he hadn't been able to check on Gu Chen'an's condition with Dr. Qin for over a month.

“He said last time that Chen’an is getting better and better, and if all goes well, he won’t need to go anymore after a few more visits,” Ji Wei relayed Dr. Qin’s words.

"That's really good news." Gu Zhiyuan raised the corners of his lips.

"Indeed, I'm taking Lulu for a nap. Are you going to work this afternoon?" Ji Wei asked casually.

"Go ahead and go to sleep." During the initial stage of recuperating at home after his fracture, Gu Zhiyuan felt like his bones had rusted from lying down, and he didn't actually have the habit of taking a nap.

Ji Wei's call brought the two little ones playing in the yard over. Lulu took her hand and they went upstairs together. Gu Chen'an said he was going to wash his feet at the well, but Ji Wei told him to wait and she would go upstairs herself.

Lulu is now used to sleeping in her crib, and even when taking a nap, she insists on sleeping alone. Ji Wei still remembers her plan to have her own room, so she gently asks her, "Is Lulu a big girl now?"

"I'm a big girl now," Lulu nodded in agreement.

"Now that she's a big girl, she should start sleeping in her own room. Is that okay, Lulu?" Ji Wei looked at the little bundle on the bed and felt a pang of emotion. In a corner she couldn't see, her little girl was quietly growing up.

Lulu hesitated for a moment after hearing this before saying, "Lulu is not a big child, Lulu is still a little child."

Ji Wei was both amused and exasperated. Trying not to be swayed by Lulu, she continued, "Then when will Lulu be a big kid?"

"The day after tomorrow," Lulu said uncertainly, as if she couldn't tell which day "the day after tomorrow" actually meant.

"Alright, then you can be a kid for two more days, and become a big kid the day after tomorrow, okay?" Ji Wei thought, it seems that getting a room isn't so easy after all.

"Okay." Lulu's tone was already a little confused. No matter what she said, she would say "okay" at this point.

A smile flashed in Ji Wei's eyes, but then she told herself that Lulu had only just turned three and was still young, so it didn't matter if they didn't have separate rooms.

And so, Gu Zhiyuan's resignation was settled. Apart from the time Zhou Xiuzhen came to make a scene on the first day, there was no further news from the Ji family. Before they knew it, it was the day Gu Zhiyuan was leaving his job, and everyone made plans to have dinner together that evening.

"Try not to drink alcohol," Ji Wei advised.

"Okay." Gu Zhiyuan said, handing over his salary for the day.

Ji Wei glanced at the money briefly; it was about three hundred. She wasn't sure how much his salary was, so she hesitated before taking the money and asking, "Do you want to keep some of it?"

“I don’t need to spend any money right now, and I have twenty yuan on me just in case,” Gu Zhiyuan said, taking out two ten-yuan bills from his pocket to show her.

Ji Wei took out a hundred yuan from her hand and gave it to him: "Aren't we going to have dinner together tonight? Take it with you."

"No need, we'll all chip in for this meal, twenty yuan each. Everyone has already given it to Yang Lin." Yang Lin organized this meal, and regardless of who paid, it's still a considerable expense, so splitting the bill is the best solution.

"Do you have enough for twenty?" To be honest, Ji Wei had no experience with taking her husband's salary. Before, when she married Xie Fei, he only gave her a portion of his monthly salary for household expenses, and he allocated the rest himself.

"That's enough. If it's not enough, I'll get more from you."

"Alright then." Although Ji Wei's tone was reluctant, the smile on her lips betrayed her good mood. It was at this moment that she suddenly realized that Gu Zhiyuan didn't seem to have any bad habits. He didn't smoke, and he rarely drank, only when guests came. Thinking about it this way, he really didn't seem to have any expenses. As soon as this thought came to mind, Ji Wei felt that she might have the potential to be a miser. Thinking of this, she looked at Gu Zhiyuan and said, "Then remember to tell me if you run out of money."

"Okay." Gu Zhiyuan nodded.

As summer vacation approached, the school became increasingly busy. Gu Zhiyuan, a man who couldn't stay idle, went to Rong County to meet up with Lü Shuangcai the day after completing all the formalities. Currently, the warehouse and garage are not yet completed, and they are still using the place they rented before. However, this time they listened to Ji Wei's suggestion last time. Qiao Xiaoxue started setting up a stall. In addition to fresh goods brought back from other places, she also specially obtained a tobacco license to sell cigarettes. They now have four drivers working for them, driving long-distance trucks, and they are all heavy smokers. In the past, others earned all the money, but now they are keeping the profits in the family. Although they don't earn much, Qiao Xiaoxue is already very satisfied and has told Gu Zhiyuan many times how much they owe Ji Wei.

"Ji Wei only made a suggestion; whether it's profitable depends on how well you sisters-in-law execute it," Gu Zhiyuan waved his hand, indicating he wouldn't take credit.

"Okay, Zhiyuan, you've become more and more agreeable since you married Ji Wei. You're going back today, right? Take these with you for the two kids." Qiao Xiaoxue said, handing him two large bags of candy.

"Sister-in-law, you don't need to take so much." Gu Zhiyuan glanced at the bag she had given him and felt that she was being too polite.

"It's not much. This is for the child, not for you. You can't refuse." Qiao Xiaoxue didn't give him a chance to refuse, and then asked, "How are you going to get back later? Why don't you wait for Lao Lü to come back and have him take you?"

"No need, I'll just take the bus back." He used to come here by bicycle, but now he's still too scared to put too much strain on his legs, so he chose to take the bus.

"It's good to go back early. You should protect your leg like this. As the old saying goes, it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. You should wait at least a hundred days before riding a bike or doing heavy work," Qiao Xiaoxue reminded her.

"I know, sister-in-law. I'll head back now and come back early the day after tomorrow." Tomorrow is the weekend, and he plans to take the two children to the city with Ji Wei. He wanted to make up for all the times he had missed before.

"Well, I won't be able to set up a stall tomorrow either. After Lao Lü came back last time, I also signed Xiao Song up for a table tennis class, and he really enjoys it." Qiao Xiaoxue felt that they still had a lot to learn from Ji Wei when it came to educating their children.

"Having a special skill is great; it also allows your brain to rest." Gu Zhiyuan strongly approves of these extracurricular classes.

"So, is it true that you're planning to give your child extra lessons during the summer vacation?" Qiao Xiaoxue continued to ask.

"Probably. Chen'an participated in that math competition before, but he didn't do well in the retest. He'll probably have to attend tutoring classes during the summer vacation," Gu Zhiyuan guessed.

Qiao Xiaoxue wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, she said, "Never mind, I'll talk to Ji Wei about it one of these days before making a decision."

"Okay, you're welcome to come anytime," Gu Zhiyuan said, waving goodbye to her.

Gu Zhiyuan had only been in Rong County for three days, but Ji Wei felt very uncomfortable. She comforted herself, saying it was normal to feel uncomfortable when one person was suddenly gone from the house, and she would get used to it in a couple of days. As she came out of the kitchen, about to call the two little ones for dinner, she heard Gu Chen'an's excited voice: "Daddy, Daddy, you're back!"

Then came Lulu's voice: "Daddy's back."

"Yes, Daddy's back." Gu Zhiyuan bent down, picked up Lulu who ran up to him, and spun her around. She laughed happily.

Gu Zhiyuan looked at Gu Chen'an and gave him an apologetic smile: "Chen'an, when Daddy's leg is healed, I'll carry you around in circles."

"No way! I'm an adult now, I need to be more dignified. This is a game only children like," Gu Chen'an said seriously.

Gu Zhiyuan chuckled: "Alright, you're a little adult now. From now on, you can just carry Lulu around and spin her around."

Gu Chen'an, who had just declared himself a little adult, noticed the colorful packaging peeking out of his bag and immediately became anxious again: "Dad, what's this?"

"So much candy!" Lulu exclaimed. "Are all of these candies?"

"Take this and share it with your sister," Gu Zhiyuan said, handing the bag to Gu Chen'an so he and Lulu could share the candies.

"Why did you buy so much for them?" Ji Wei asked, glancing into his pocket. She was starting to wonder if he had spent all his money on candy.

“I didn’t buy them. My sister-in-law asked me to bring them back for them. Brother Lü must have taken your advice to heart. My sister-in-law has set up a stall and even got a tobacco license. She said she can hire someone to run the shop once she finds a suitable location.” Gu Zhiyuan said as he walked to her side.

When Ji Wei saw him reach out to her, with a beige claw in his palm, she was a little surprised: "Is this for me?"

“My sister-in-law sells them at her stall. She said they’re all the rage now, and I think you should need one.” Gu Zhiyuan wasn’t really good at picking these things, but he noticed that many women in Rong County were using them, so he thought Ji Wei should have one too.

“You’re right, I do need it. It will be more convenient to have this.” Ji Wei said, clipping up her low ponytail and turning around to show him: “The weather is getting hotter and hotter, so this is becoming more and more useful.”

Her hair was clipped up, revealing her fair neck. Gu Zhiyuan realized for the first time how fair and long her neck was. It was also the first time he felt he hadn't read enough books and didn't know how to describe it. He quickly looked away and said, "If you find it useful, that's good."

"What a wonderful gift, I love it." Ji Wei looked at him with a smile, so did he spend all twenty yuan on them? This thought made Ji Wei's heart flutter.

"I'm glad you like it." Gu Zhiyuan thought that anyone would be happy if the gift he gave was liked. He was already thinking about what gift he should bring her next time he came back.

"Have you had dinner yet? Why don't you have some more with the kids?" Ji Wei asked him.

“Okay.” Gu Zhiyuan said, and went to the kitchen with her to help.

When they came out, they found a pile of wrapping paper around the two little ones. Ji Wei raised her voice and said, "Gu Chen'an, Xie Luyan, you two come here."

Lulu knew that being called by her full name was never a good thing, so she quickly swallowed the gummy candy in her mouth, turned around and walked towards Ji Wei, whispering, "Mom."

Gu Chen'an was a little confused, and he was still a little confused when Ji Wei asked them if they knew where they had gone wrong.

The two little ones looked at Ji Wei with blank expressions. Ji Wei felt like she was about to have a heart attack. She pointed to the packaging bags they had thrown on the ground and said, "We're about to eat. Is it okay for you to eat so much candy? Especially you, Xie Luyan, do you want to lose your teeth?"

Upon hearing this, Lulu quickly covered her mouth and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes."

"You can't eat so much candy at once next time, understand?" Ji Wei looked at the two of them with a serious expression.

"Understood." The two nodded in unison.

"Let's eat first," Ji Wei said, glancing at the culprit beside her before glaring at him and whispering, "I'll settle the score with you later."

Gu Zhiyuan, who had been standing aside, suddenly felt involved because of this sentence. He remembered that almost every time he saw other couples getting along, there was a similar scene, instead of the coldness between him and Fang Qing. This was the first time Gu Zhiyuan had a real sense of marriage.