Chapter 38 The Gift Insults Us as Country Bumpkins

Ji Wei was still dawdling in the kitchen, regretting her subconscious action just now, when she heard footsteps outside. She knew immediately who it was from those footsteps, and she quickly patted her cheeks, trying to calm herself down.

"Ji Wei, can they eat lychees now?" Gu Zhiyuan asked as he came in carrying two bags of fruit.

"In half an hour," Ji Wei said, taking the bag from his hand and preparing to cut the mango into pieces. She wasn't allergic and wanted to enjoy the mangoes at this time of year.

"Okay, you haven't tried mangoes yet, are you not allergic?" Gu Zhiyuan racked his brains for a topic to discuss.

"Yes, I've had it at a colleague's place before, and I'm not allergic," Ji Wei said, cutting the remaining mango into pieces and placing them on a plate.

“They haven’t had any unusual reactions so far, and they shouldn’t be allergic.” Gu Zhiyuan said, his gaze falling on the bag of lychees. Remembering Wu Wenquan’s words, he added, “Xiao Wu said that you shouldn’t eat too many lychees at once, as they can cause internal heat.”

"Okay, I understand." This reminded Ji Wei that the lychees wouldn't be fresh if left any longer, and she really needed to finish them first.

"Then I'll go check on them." Seeing that she had her back to him, Gu Zhiyuan thought that what had just happened was probably too embarrassing and she needed time.

The footsteps faded into the distance. Ji Wei lowered her head and began to eat the plate of mangoes. The mangoes were very sweet, even sweeter than she had imagined.

As soon as Gu Zhiyuan came out, the two little ones immediately surrounded him: "Daddy, can we eat?"

"Not now, we can eat later." Gu Zhiyuan shook his head at them.

The two little ones looked disappointed. Seeing this, Gu Zhiyuan took out a pair of butterfly hair clips from his backpack and handed them to Lulu, asking gently, "This is a gift I brought back for you. Do you like it?"

The butterfly's wings fluttered in the wind, looking incredibly beautiful. Lulu nodded quickly, "Beautiful, I like it."

"I'm glad you like it." Gu Zhiyuan said, awkwardly clipping the hair clip into Lulu's hair. After he finished, Gu Chen'an reached out to him, his eyes full of expectation: "Dad, what about mine?"

"Here, this is for you." Gu Zhiyuan handed him a fountain pen. He had learned from Lü Shuangcai that he would have to change to a fountain pen in the third grade.

"A fountain pen?" Gu Chen'an frowned as he stared at the gift in his hand.

"Don't you like it?" He had limited time in Ning County and looked around but couldn't find a suitable gift for Gu Chen'an, so he chose a fountain pen.

"No, could you bring me a digital watch next time?" Gu Chen'an asked him.

"You want a digital watch?" Gu Zhiyuan looked at him with some surprise.

“Yes, with a digital watch, I can know the time anytime, anywhere,” Gu Chen’an nodded.

"Okay." Gu Zhiyuan nodded to indicate that he had remembered.

"Oh right, Mom told me to borrow the third-grade textbooks. Let's go to Uncle Lü's house tomorrow. Brother Lü Song should still have his textbooks." Gu Chen'an hadn't forgotten about borrowing the books.

"Aren't we going to play badminton tomorrow?" Gu Zhiyuan remembered that tomorrow was the day to go to the city.

"Go ahead and fight, we can fight first and then go." Gu Chen'an's tone was full of confusion. Shouldn't these two things not conflict?

“Okay, then we’ll go to your Uncle Lü’s house after your classes at the Children’s Palace.” Gu Zhiyuan made the decision quickly, and at the same time, he spotted the person coming out of the kitchen.

Ji Wei was carrying two plates, one with sliced ​​mangoes and the other with lychees. She invited them to come and eat the fruit, and reminded the two little ones to eat less lychee.

"Dad, what's Mom's gift?" Gu Chen'an's mouth was still full of mango, and his voice sounded a little muffled.

"Chen An, what did you say?" Ji Wei indicated that she hadn't heard clearly.

Gu Chen'an took out his pen and pointed to the hair clip that Lulu had taken off her head and was playing with: "This is a gift that Dad brought back for us."

"Do you like them?" Ji Wei thought both gifts were quite practical.

"I like it, Daddy, what about Mommy's?" Gu Chen'an asked again.

"You're quite impatient." Gu Zhiyuan's tone was full of helplessness. He originally planned to give it to Ji Wei privately, but with the two little ones watching him closely, he had to take out the gift he had prepared in advance.

"The shop assistant said this is a rose, and I think you might like it." Gu Zhiyuan said, taking out a bracelet and handing it to Ji Wei. It was a silver bracelet with several small flowers on it, strung on a thin chain, and it looked very delicate.

"It's quite pretty." These bracelets are considered very well-made by today's standards, but did he spend all his money on them? Ji Wei then voiced her question.

"Not entirely. I just happened to have some money on hand, and since it was my first time driving, I wanted to bring back something as a souvenir," Gu Zhiyuan said, making up an excuse.

"Don't buy any more next time, otherwise, given how often you drive, won't all your money be spent on this? How about taking a few days off this time?" Ji Wei asked him.

"It usually takes two days." As Gu Zhiyuan spoke, he glanced at the bracelet out of the corner of his eye. Did she not like it?

"Two days is just right." And so, after three days of separation, the courtyard returned to its usual liveliness, and Ji Wei's lips unconsciously curled up in a smile.

That night, Ji Wei felt completely enveloped by Gu Zhiyuan's presence, a feeling that brought her peace. She slept much better than the previous nights. The person beside her was the opposite; having driven at night and slept during the day for the past three days, Gu Zhiyuan showed no signs of sleepiness. In these three days apart, he had come to understand the taste of longing. Even now, without sleep, lying in a familiar place brought him peace. He could hear the familiar breathing of the mother and daughter beside him, and a smile flickered in his eyes before he too closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Gu Zhiyuan took the two children to the city, while Ji Wei stayed home to attend classes. This was the first time she had been home alone, and she felt a little uncomfortable.

*

Although it wasn't their first time going to the city, the two little ones were still very excited, staring out the window nonstop. Gu Zhiyuan was a little puzzled as he was adjusting Lulu's pants: "Don't we go every week? Why are you still so happy?"

"I'm just happy." Lulu didn't know how to explain it, but she just felt happy.

"Yes, I'm happy." Gu Chen'an nodded in agreement.

Looking at the two little ones' cheerful expressions, Gu Zhiyuan asked, "If you were to move to the city in the future, would you be reluctant to leave Wu'an?"

"Is Mom coming with us too?" Gu Chen'an frowned and quickly asked the most crucial question.

“Of course, she’s with us too.” Gu Zhiyuan nodded.

"As long as our family is together, I'm happy no matter where we go. Actually, I don't like Wu'an that much." This was the first time Gu Chen'an had revealed his feelings to Gu Zhiyuan. He didn't like Wu'an; he always thought of that woman when he was here.

“I don’t like it here either.” Although Lulu is only three years old, she already longs for the hustle and bustle of the city. More importantly, Ji Cong is not in the city. She has encountered Ji Cong several times at kindergarten, and he is really annoying.

Gu Zhiyuan was somewhat surprised by Lulu's words. He thought Lulu would be the one who would miss her the most, since she had been born in Wu'an. Perhaps she didn't understand the true meaning of moving to the city. But no matter what, Ji Wei had already made this plan, and he had to try his best to keep up with her.

"Did Ji Cong bully you again?" Gu Chen'an asked Lulu nervously.

"What bullying? Chen An, tell me what you know." Gu Zhiyuan frowned. Was Lulu being bullied at kindergarten?

"Lulu said that Ji Cong snatched her candy at kindergarten." Lulu has pocket money. Once, she bought something at the store, and Ji Cong saw her. When he asked her for it, she refused, so he just grabbed it. Three-year-old Lulu was obviously no match for Ji Cong. In the past, Lulu would have felt wronged by such things, but now she only felt ashamed, so she only told Gu Chen'an.

"Does Mom know about this?" Gu Zhiyuan frowned as he looked at them.

"I don't know, but I've already taught Ji Cong a lesson." Gu Chen'an's tone was full of smugness.

"When?" Gu Zhiyuan was surprised.

“I went to the kindergarten during the long break. I had Lulu trick him into coming to the school gate. This is a secret between Lulu and me, Dad, you mustn’t tell Mom.” Gu Chen’an asked him to keep it a secret.

"Okay, I won't go to her, but if something like this happens again, you must tell me, okay?" After Gu Zhiyuan finished speaking, he confirmed with Lulu again whether Ji Cong had bullied her in any other way besides stealing her candy.

"I'm not afraid of him." Lulu said, showing him her fist. Last time, Ji Cong had taken the candy, but he had also gotten punched by her.

"Lulu is great. If it happens again, just tell me, and I'll go find him and make sure he never dares to come looking for you again, okay?" Gu Zhiyuan originally wanted to tell Ji Wei about this, but remembering that he had already promised to keep it a secret, he reminded Lulu that if it happened again, he would come and solve the problem at its root.

"Okay." Lulu nodded without any hesitation.

Ji Wei's tutoring classes gradually got on track, and she instructed them to borrow the third-grade textbooks in advance, as they would be used later.

After all the students who came to class in the afternoon left, the three of them still hadn't returned. Ji Wei glanced at her watch; it was four o'clock. Had they been kept for dinner by Lü Shuangcai's family?

After she tidied up the tables and chairs in the yard, the tightly closed gate was opened. Hearing the sound, Ji Wei went out to greet her: "You're back?" After saying that, Ji Wei realized that the atmosphere was a bit strange. All three of them looked unhappy. She couldn't help but frown: "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Something did happen." Gu Zhiyuan said, looking at Lulu, but the little girl had already run to Ji Wei with teary eyes, seeking comfort: "Mommy."

"Mom's here, what's wrong?" Ji Wei picked up Lulu and looked at the father and son.

“Some people called me and Lulu country bumpkins,” Gu Chen’an replied, pouting.