Chapter 44 Dad's Embarrassed Anticipation

Ji Wei's previously calm heart was stirred again by his words, and her cheeks flushed red at a visible speed, her whole body temperature rising considerably. She looked up and glared at him fiercely; he really knew how to bring up the sore spot.

The person who received the eye roll laughed at the gesture, and laughed quite happily. Gu Chen'an, standing next to her, looked at Ji Wei with some concern: "Mom, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"No, that's not true. Let's eat first. We have to go to school later," Ji Wei said, changing the subject.

"Okay, you go first, Dad and I will go to the kindergarten to register Lulu." Gu Chen'an didn't forget what they needed to do today.

"I'm fine with anything. Just come back soon after you've registered," Ji Wei said, taking a sip of the now lukewarm porridge in front of her.

"Okay, Mom." Lulu said this because she was afraid that if her brother continued talking, their mother would find out about their plan, so she wanted to end the conversation quickly.

Ji Wei was the homeroom teacher and needed to arrive at school early to prepare. When she left, Gu Zhiyuan was clearing the dishes from the table, and the two little ones were following behind him, chattering away. He would occasionally turn around to respond to them. This scene made Ji Wei feel very happy. It was a scene she had longed for in her previous life, but she had never had the chance to realize it since Xie Fei passed away. Fortunately, she had the opportunity to make up for it in this life.

After Ji Wei walked away, Lulu looked up at Gu Zhiyuan and said loudly, "Dad, are you done? Ji Cong will be here soon."

The kindergarten children have a strange competitive spirit, including who gets to school first. She knows that her grandmother always sends Ji Cong to school early so that he can be the first one in the class.

“Okay, after I put these in the kitchen, Ji Wei and I will set off.” Gu Zhiyuan quickly agreed.

*

Lulu stood between the father and son, and saw Ji Cong from afar. By the time she strode over there with her head held high, Ji Cong had already jogged away. Lulu was a little unhappy: "He ran away."

"He's scared and backed down," Gu Chen'an said, staring at Ji Cong's retreating figure. His mother's mother was next to him, and if they really chased after him, she would definitely hold a grudge against his mother. So Gu Chen'an stopped Lulu from moving forward.

"He's such a coward," Lulu scoffed.

“You coward, you don’t need to be afraid of him at all. You’ve learned military boxing now. If he tries to steal your things again, just use the moves we practiced last night to fight him.” Gu Chen’an said, demonstrating for her.

Lulu waved her little fist, then nodded firmly: "I understand."

"Let's go, after paying the tuition we should go to my brother's school." Thinking of this, Gu Zhiyuan couldn't help but glance in the direction of the primary school. He wondered if Ji Wei was busy or if her stomach was still upset today. With that thought, he quickened his pace.

At that time, students paid their tuition fees in cash. Ji Wei was so busy after arriving at the school that she didn't have time to rest. Although it was already autumn in September, the weather was still quite hot. Coupled with her period, Ji Wei felt herself becoming irritable. She suppressed her emotions until she finished her work at noon and went home.

Lulu and Gu Chen'an were playing with bubbles in the yard. Lulu's little dress was covered in mud. At this moment, Ji Wei was like a firecracker that could be set off at any moment. Fortunately, she restrained her temper before Lulu rushed towards her and asked her gently, "Why are you playing with bubbles again?"

"Dad just washed clothes, there are so many bubbles." Lulu said, blowing another bubble with the bamboo tube in her hand. Only then did Ji Wei notice the clothes drying in the yard. Besides the clothes the children had changed out of yesterday, there were her clothes and the sheets on the bed.

"You're back?" The person who came out of the kitchen saw her and quickly told the two children to clear the table and prepare for dinner.

"I'm going to wash my hands." Ji Wei had been counting money all morning, and she felt that her hands were always dirty. When she finished washing her hands and went to the dining table, she realized that there was pig's trotter soup today. She looked up at the person opposite her: "You went to the market?" Today is an odd-numbered day, and it is also the day for market day in Wu'an.

"It wasn't really a market day, we just bought some vegetables. Would you like some soup first?" He originally wanted to buy chicken, but when they finished their school work and went to the market, there were no chickens left, so he could only choose pig's trotters.

Remembering the clothes hanging all over the yard earlier, Ji Wei sincerely praised, "You did quite a lot this morning."

"We also cleaned the yard with Dad," Gu Chen'an quickly added, as he and Lulu had both helped out.

"Great job!" Ji Wei gave him a thumbs up.

A smile flashed in Gu Zhiyuan's eyes as he placed the bowl of soup in front of her and asked, "Shouldn't Teacher Ji also praise me?"

"Daddy, you're so embarrassing." Lulu ran her hand across her cheek, clearly disapproving of his eagerness for praise.

"See? Even the kids think you're embarrassing." Ji Wei gestured towards Lulu with her chin.

Gu Zhiyuan chuckled, then looked at Lulu seriously and said, "Lulu, Daddy is fighting for his rights. Lulu, you should be just as brave in the future."

The little girl blinked blankly, finally only understanding the word "brave." She clenched her little fist and said, "Lulu is brave."

“Yes, our Lulu is the bravest.” Gu Zhiyuan said, patting her head, but his gaze remained fixed on Ji Wei.

For the first time, Ji Wei noticed how aggressive his gaze was; it felt hot wherever his eyes fell. She lowered her gaze and said somewhat perfunctorily, "You're great too!"

"Perfunctory." Although he said it with a look of disdain, the smile on his face betrayed him.

Gu Chen'an noticed something different about him today: "Dad, why are you so happy today?"

“I am happy every day,” Gu Zhiyuan emphasized.

“It’s different. I’ve never seen you laugh this many times before.” Gu Zhiyuan said, glancing at him again. He had laughed many times today.

"That's because you didn't notice. Hurry up and eat. Didn't you want to go out and play this afternoon?" Before Ji Wei came back, he had already promised to take them to the river to play later.

"Where are you planning to go this afternoon?" Ji Wei asked curiously. The registration was almost done in the morning, and going to school in the afternoon would be much easier than in the morning.

"Take them for a walk by the river. Are you going to be at school all afternoon?" Since they got married, they seem to rarely go out together except for trips to the city.

"Yes, I have to stay at school. There are still about ten students who haven't registered yet, and there's a lot of stuff to check." Ji Wei sighed as she spoke. Being a homeroom teacher is indeed quite demanding.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Gu Zhiyuan asked.

"I hope I'll come back this afternoon to find them clean; that would be the best help." Ji Wei pointed to the two little ones' clothes, knowing they'd probably get all dirty again when they went to the river later.

"Okay, I promise you'll see them clean when you come back," Gu Zhiyuan said with a smile.

After lunch, Ji Wei went upstairs to rest. The two little ones, taking advantage of the fact that they didn't have to go to school today, both said they wouldn't take a nap. Ji Wei let them be. When she woke up, she found that there was another person in the room.

Seeing that she was awake, Gu Zhiyuan felt a little embarrassed: "Did I wake you up?"

Ji Wei shook her head, yawned, and then slowly said, "No, I should get up too."

"Here's brown sugar water. Drink it while it's hot, and just leave it here after you're done. I'm taking them out to play now." Gu Zhiyuan planned to ask others at work how to alleviate her discomfort each month.

"Okay, you can leave it there for now, I'll drink it later." Ji Wei felt that her stomach was full of soup and liquid since lunch. When she was still living at her parents' house, no one ever cared about these things for her every month. She thought, indeed, people are emotional creatures, and no one can refuse care when they are vulnerable.

After Gu Zhiyuan left, he gently closed the door. Ji Wei glanced at the time; there was still more than half an hour before she had to leave for school. She decided against resting a bit longer and got up to drink the brown sugar water on the table in one gulp. When she finished tidying up and slowly went downstairs, the father and his two sons were no longer there.

The day after registration, Ji Wei took her two children to class as usual, while Gu Zhiyuan returned to his dormitory to prepare for his new trip. Before even setting off, he was already thinking about what gifts to bring them back. Gu Zhiyuan's monthly salary was paid on time, but the money they had invested would only be calculated as dividends at the end of the year.

After that night of close contact, their relationship progressed rapidly. Intimate contact really does promote a relationship. Later, the things he got back from the family planning office finally came in handy, and their relationship underwent a qualitative change. They could often understand each other with just a glance, and they officially entered the honeymoon phase.

As the weather gets colder, Gu Zhiyuan's trips become longer each time he goes out. What remains unchanged is that he always brings back some local novelties for them. For the two children, it's usually some food or toys, while for Ji Wei, he's keen on buying her all sorts of clothes. This time, he even brought back a cashmere coat for Ji Wei.

"This must be very expensive, right?" Looking at the coat in front of her, which would still be fashionable even in later years, Ji Wei once again believed in the saying that fashion is a cycle.

"It's not very expensive. I heard it's very warm to wear. I've seen a lot of people have them, so I thought I'd get one for you too."

"Why don't you buy one for yourself? It's cold driving at night." Ji Wei had already noticed that this man was extremely stingy with himself, but exceptionally generous to the mother and her two children.

"The military overcoat is very warm; I have several." Gu Zhiyuan shook his head, feeling that he didn't need one.

"Gu Zhiyuan, sometimes you should be kinder to yourself. Otherwise, people will think I'm exploiting you!" Ji Wei teased.

"I'm happy to be exploited by you." Gu Zhiyuan's lips curled into a faint smile.

She was the one who started it all, but she was also the one who first misunderstood. By the time Ji Wei sorted out the logic, the two of them were already in bed. Just as she was about to say something, the person behind her leaned in, resting his chin on the top of her head, and said in a very gentle tone: "The New Year is getting closer and closer. This year is the first New Year that our family of four will spend together."

Ji Wei was taken aback. Had she been back for more than half a year? She reached out and covered his hand on her waist, her voice full of anticipation: "Yes, this is our first New Year as a family!"