Chapter 184 Ice Skating

The first day of the Lunar New Year passed by in a blur.

The next morning, as Gu Xiao and Nan Zhiyi were coaxing Xiaoman to eat breakfast, Wu Ma led the second and fourth families to the entrance hall to count the gifts.

Aunt Wu pointed to the pile of cardboard boxes on the ground, "They were all prepared by the Commander: two cases of Xifeng liquor, four cartons of Zhonghua cigarettes, and four boxes of Daoxiangcun pastries. They were all divided equally."

Second sister-in-law Zhang Xiufen's eyes were still swollen. She stepped forward, picked up her share, and the whole family walked out in silence.

Gu Jianjun walked to the door, then suddenly turned back and mumbled towards the dining room, "I'm leaving."

Zhang Xiufen kept her head down the whole time, and the two children timidly followed their parents out the door.

Wang Juan was still going through the gifts, smiling sweetly, "Dad goes to such lengths! He's so thoughtful every year."

She nudged her husband, "Weimin, quickly say goodbye to your eldest brother and fifth brother!"

Gu Weimin nodded towards the dining table: "Then we'll head back now and come back in a couple of days."

Wang Juan called out to the kitchen again, "Third Sister! Eldest Sister-in-law! When the weather clears up, let's take the kids out to play together!"

The older sister-in-law came out wiping her hands and replied, "Okay! Take care on the road."

The third sister responded by waving a spatula in the kitchen.

Nannan ran over and touched Xiaoman's woolen hat: "Goodbye, little brother!"

After the two families left, Nan Zhiyi sighed softly.

Gu Xiao fed the last spoonful of steamed egg custard to his son: "Shall we go ice skating this afternoon? Let Lao Liu drive us."

Nan Zhiyi's eyes lit up: "Can you take Xiaoman with you?"

"Just wrap him up thickly, boys are tough." Gu Xiao wiped the rice grains off his son's chin.

Nan Zhiyi walked to the kitchen doorway. "Sister-in-law, Third Sister, let's go ice skating together? The kids are so bored at home."

The children watching TV in the living room all heard it.

Gu Yong had already started shouting, "Go, go, Dad, Mom, I want to go!" Gu Meng also shouted along.

The eldest brother then made the decision, "Go, everyone go."

The third sister initially wanted to refuse, but seeing her daughters' expectant eyes, she agreed.

The twins jumped up and down excitedly.

The third sister instructed Gu Yong and Gu Meng, "Xiao Yong and Xiao Meng, please take good care of the younger sisters." She wasn't feeling well and was very sensitive to the cold, so she wasn't going.

Li Xiuqin: "Third sister, I'll keep an eye on things. You just stay home and rest."

When Gu Yan woke up and came downstairs, upon hearing that they were going to the ice rink, he perked up: "Then I'll change into a pair of bell-bottoms! The latest style from Guangzhou, guaranteed to dazzle those country bumpkins!"

The atmosphere at lunchtime was exceptionally good, with everyone crowding together at the dining table.

Gu Yong invited Commander Gu, "Grandpa, let's go ice skating this afternoon, would you like to come?"

Commander Gu chuckled and said, "Grandpa's getting old, you guys go ahead. Boss, you drive the jeep with them, be careful."

The elder brother replied in a deep voice, "Yes."

Gu Yan winked and said, "Dad, you used to refuse to admit you were getting old, didn't you?"

Commander Gu lifted his eyelids and said, "I was driven crazy by some rascals."

Gu Yan immediately wilted and focused on eating.

The sun was shining brightly after lunch, and two cars drove through the snow toward the outskirts of the city.

Gu Yan's secondhand Toyota was filled with laughter and chatter, with the twin sisters huddled in the back seat, vying for the frost flowers on the window.

"Fifth Uncle and Fifth Aunt, look!" Da Shuang suddenly pointed out the window, "The lake looks like a giant mirror!"

The ice rink was indeed bustling with activity, as men, women, and children of all ages glided around in colorful cotton-padded coats.

The shoe rental area was a simple shed, and the children ran over quickly.

Soon, the group had rented ice skates.

Gu Xiao handed Xiao Man, who was wrapped up like a cotton ball, to Gu Yan, who was already wearing ice skates.

Gu Yan took his nephew and slid away in a flash.

Nan Zhiyi sat on the bench while changing shoes and shouted loudly, "Gu Yan, be careful!"

Over there, the older brother's family is skating skillfully.

Gu Yong and Gu Meng darted across the ice like two little deer, occasionally returning to hold their twin sister's hand and glide slowly.

The eldest sister-in-law slowly walked forward, holding onto the railing, watching the children with a smile, while the eldest brother glided out in a standard military-style straight line with his hands behind his back.

After Gu Xiao put on his ice skates, he squatted down to help Nan Zhiyi tie her shoelaces and helped her up.

Nan Zhiyi steadied herself by holding onto his arm, tried to slide forward a few steps, swayed slightly, and was immediately held firmly by him.

"Wow! It's been so long since I've skated, I'm so rusty."

"I'll take you."

Gu Xiao took her hands in his and slid backwards to lead her into the ice rink.

He lowered his eyes, and the sunlight shone golden on his thick eyelashes.

Nan Zhiyi noticed that when he was focused on looking at someone, his right eyebrow would unconsciously rise slightly, just like now, as if she were the only person left in the whole world.

She suddenly remembered that lonely figure at the edge of the ice rink many years ago.

"Look how intently I'm watching," he noticed her gaze, a smile playing on his lips, "What are you thinking about?"

Nan Zhiyi was spun around a little, feeling a bit dizzy: "Thinking back... I rarely played with you. It's so nice that we're like this now."

"Yes, that's great." He gently scratched her palm with his fingertips. "You can skate at Beihai Park in Beijing too. When we get back to Beijing, I'll take you there."

From afar came the sounds of Gu Yan teaching the twins to ice skate, and Nan Zhiyi looked over to see that Xiaoman had already been moved to her sister-in-law's arms.

Nan Zhiyi leaned forward into his arms, her skates touching his skin: "Then it's a deal, when Xiaoman grows up, the three of us will skate together."

He lowered his head and rubbed his nose against her frostbitten earlobe: "Mmm. I'll teach our son to slide backwards later."

"Teach me first, then we'll talk."

She laughed and tried to dodge, but he grabbed her waist and spun her around on the ice.

In the midst of the dizzying chaos, all I saw were his piercingly bright eyes and the words he whispered in my ear: "I'd teach for a lifetime."

As the sun sets, the ice surface turns a golden-red hue.

As the group prepared to leave, the children were reluctant to part, having not yet had their fill of fun.

Gu Yong and Gu Meng kept asking Gu Yan, "Sixth Uncle, can you come again tomorrow?"

Gu Yan: "Ask your parents. I can't make that decision."

Gu Yong and Gu Meng didn't dare to ask their elder brother, so they could only quietly surround Li Xiuqin and whisper among themselves.

Back in the car.

Gu Xiao held Xiaoman in his arms as they sat in the front row. Xiaoman was fast asleep in her father's arms, her cheeks rosy.

Nan Zhiyi leaned against the window, watching the cedar forest rushing past outside.

The twin sisters next to me also fell asleep head to head in a short while.

Perhaps because she hadn't exercised in a long time, Nan Zhiyi slept exceptionally soundly that night, unaware of when Gu Xiao and Xiaoman got up.

She went downstairs and saw Wu Ma holding Xiaoman and feeding her rice cereal, while her third sister sat on the sofa knitting a sweater.

"They've all gone out to visit relatives for the New Year." Aunt Wu gestured towards the kitchen. "I've kept your breakfast warm. That kid Gu Yan sneaked off with a bundle without even eating."

Nan Zhiyi smiled, guessing that Gu Yan must have gone off to tinker with some new gadgets again.

She slowly sipped her porridge, watching the snow-laden bamboo branches outside the window. Her third sister's twins were practicing calligraphy on the coffee table, while Xiaoman was babbling in Wu Ma's arms.