Chapter 13 Bathroom

Nan Zhiyi had a poor appetite and put down her chopsticks after a few bites.

Gu Xiao frowned: "Eat more. You'll be hungry tonight."

Nan Zhiyi paused for a moment, then gave a soft "hmm," and forced herself to take a few more bites.

When you really can't eat anymore.

Gu Xiao naturally poured the leftover rice into his own bowl and finished it off in a few bites.

Nan Zhiyi felt her face flush as she watched his smooth and effortless movements, and quickly looked away.

When she played with Zhou Zhengping and the others, they would sometimes eat their leftovers, but she didn't mind at the time.

But the person in front of them is Gu Xiao... the fifth brother they have looked up to since childhood.

Watching him eat the food she had spit on without batting an eye, she felt inexplicably flustered, as if she had done something blasphemous, and she didn't know what to do with her hands and feet.

Gu Xiao seemed oblivious to her embarrassment, picked up the empty lunchbox, and took it to the kitchen to wash.

Nan Zhiyi stood up instinctively: "I'll do it..."

"Please sit down." Gu Xiao took the bowl and chopsticks into the kitchen.

A cheerful female voice came from outside the courtyard.

"Commander Gu, the new bride has arrived?"

Nan Zhiyi was startled by the sound and instinctively looked at Gu Xiao.

Gu Xiao frowned slightly, but still put down the enamel basin in his hand and went over to open the courtyard gate.

Two women entered.

A man of about thirty-five or thirty-six, with a round face, dark red skin, wearing a blue cloth jacket, and short hair that reached his ears, looked very capable. He was carrying a small bundle of spinach and scallions.

The one on the right is younger, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with two thick braids, a gentle and shy face, and is holding a few fresh, green cabbages.

"Oh, so pretty!" The round-faced woman's eyes fell on Nan Zhiyi as soon as she came in. "I'm from the Zheng family next door, you can just call me Sister Wang. This is Sister Liu."

She pointed to her companion beside her.

"Hello, sisters-in-law." Nan Zhiyi greeted them with a polite smile, though she was a little flustered.

"I know you've just arrived and are short of everything." Sister Wang placed the scallions and spinach she was holding on the kitchen floor. "They're freshly picked from our own garden, so crisp and tender! It's just a small token of my appreciation, please don't mind them."

“That’s right,” Sister Liu also put the cabbage on the ground by the door. “Commander Gu used to live in the dormitory alone. Now that he has a wife, he can have a warm meal. If you need any help, just let me know. Don’t be shy.”

Nan Zhiyi was a little flustered and kept saying, "Thank you, sister-in-law, thank you, sister-in-law."

Gu Xiao didn't say much, he just nodded in response.

His aura of "keep away" was so obvious that his two sisters-in-law only said a few polite words like "come visit after you've settled in" before leaving.

The courtyard gate closed again, and Nan Zhiyi quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Xiao said, "Their husbands are the deputy battalion commander and company commander in the camp."

Nan Zhiyi said "Oh".

Turning around, she saw that Gu Xiao had already started tidying up the bedding, so she quickly went over to help.

The two of them worked together to move the heavy bedding into the bedroom and then took apart the sheets and duvet covers.

Hanging curtains is a skill. Gu Xiao is tall, and with Nan Zhiyi handing him nails, he quickly nailed the rod and hung the blue curtains on it.

With the curtains drawn, the room instantly gained a warmer feel.

"Take a break." Gu Xiao looked at the things that were basically put away and said to Nan Zhiyi, "I'm going to the dormitory to move the rest of the things over."

Nan Zhiyi nodded.

After Gu Xiao left, she didn't rest. She put the newly received towels, soap, toothbrush, and toothpaste into the wooden shelf in the bathroom.

She carefully placed two enamel mugs with the double happiness symbol printed on them on the kitchen windowsill. Their bright red color added a touch of joy to the simple house.

Gu Xiao returned quickly, carrying only a slightly worn military bag and a wooden box containing a change of military uniform, some books and documents, and simple toiletries.

He had an astonishingly small amount of belongings.

Nan Zhiyi watched as he put the neatly folded military uniforms into the wardrobe, which took up a small corner.

It looked a bit out of place hanging among her colorful clothes.

Nan Zhiyi didn't want to use the newly bought bed sheets and duvet covers, which hadn't been washed yet.

She took out the sheets, duvet cover, and pillows she had brought and began to make the bed.

As she picked up the pillow to put on the pillowcase, she suddenly stopped.

She looked at the wooden bed that took up most of the bedroom space.

There's only one bed!

I was busy tidying up and didn't think about it carefully.

Now that everything is in order, the most pressing issue is laid bare before us.

Are they going to sleep in this bed tonight?

Nan Zhiyi's heart raced.

The large bed, at this moment, felt incredibly oppressive to her.

Gu Xiao noticed her sudden change in demeanor and walked over, his voice soft: "Are you tired? Go and rest, I'll do it."

Nan Zhiyi glanced at him, then quickly lowered her gaze: "No, no, I'm not tired."

Gu Xiao pulled her wrist and made her sit on the chair, while he began to make the bed himself.

Nan Zhiyi's face flushed, her mind a jumbled mess.

She would occasionally glance up, but her gaze would always quickly sweep over Gu Xiao, not daring to linger on his face.

What should we do tonight?

Gu Xiao looked at her, her head always lowered, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

She was afraid of him.

This realization made him feel a pang of bitterness.

Nan Zhiyi sat for a while, then couldn't help but yawn slightly, her eyes becoming a little red.

Gu Xiao tidied the bed. "Sleepy?"

"Hmm... a little."

"I'll go boil some water."

Gu Xiao walked to the kitchen door. "We don't have any firewood at home. I'll go borrow some from next door."

He offered an explanation, then turned and left.

Nan Zhiyi then realized that this was not the city, and there were no readily available hot water taps.

You need to boil your own water to take a bath.

Gu Xiao returned quickly, carrying a bundle of chopped firewood.

"Tomorrow I'll go to the logistics department to get some firewood coupons and buy some more. The logistics department provides rations of coal briquettes and firewood; it's very convenient to just go and get more when we run out. I'll also get all the kitchen supplies ready."

Nan Zhiyi stood at the kitchen doorway, watching him squat in front of the stove adding firewood. The firelight illuminated his focused profile, creating a strange and indescribable scene.

She had never seen her fifth brother like this before.

She responded softly, "Mmm."

The water has boiled.

Gu Xiao used a gourd ladle to scoop hot water into a brand-new tin bucket, then added some cold water from the water tank next to it to test the temperature.

He said, "Go get your clothes."

Nan Zhiyi hurriedly returned to her bedroom, first changing into the slippers she had brought, then taking out a change of underwear and a set of old pajamas, before following Gu Xiao into the bathroom behind the bedroom.

This layout is very convenient; the bedroom is right next to the bathroom.

Gu Xiao poured hot water into the bathtub: "Make do with this. Be careful, the floor is slippery."

After giving his brief instructions, he turned and left.

The cramped space was filled with water vapor and a faint smell of soil and cement.

She looked at the bucket of steaming hot water on the ground, then at the simple squat toilet in the corner and the basic faucet on the wall.

She bit her lower lip.

It's difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

But she chose this path herself, and no matter how difficult it is, she has to learn to live it.

Perhaps guessing that there wasn't enough hot water, Gu Xiao knocked on the bathroom door again and brought over two buckets of hot water.

When Nan Zhiyi came out wearing her pajamas, her hair was still wet.

Gu Xiao found a dry towel and started wringing her hair: "Wash it during the day next time. It's cold, so it'll dry slowly."

Nan Zhiyi nodded obediently, "I was in a car today, it was very dusty, I'll be more careful next time."

He changed two towels and dried her hair before going to the bathroom to wash up.