Chapter 455 Emotions

The next morning, the jeep pulled up in front of the courtyard. The driver, Xiao Wang, was in his early twenties, burly, and with a ruddy complexion.

He busied himself helping Sister Zhang load the items onto the car.

Nan Zhiyi wore a dark gray wool coat and a beige scarf.

Gu Zhao wore a navy blue corduroy jacket over a white shirt with a red sweater collar. Her hair was neatly combed, and her leather shoes were polished to a shine.

The little guy was so excited about going out that he jumped up and down.

Nan Zhiyi pulled him into the car.

Uncle Zhao lives in the innermost building of the General Logistics Department compound.

The person who opened the door was his little granddaughter, with two pigtails. A bodyguard followed behind her.

Nan Zhiyi and Gu Zhao were led into the living room.

Grandpa Zhao was practicing calligraphy in the living room when he saw Nan Zhiyi arrive, so he put down his brush.

"Hello Uncle Zhao, Happy New Year in advance!"

Gu Zhao greeted Grandpa Zhao respectfully, and the old man smiled and patted his head.

Where is Gu Xiao?

"There's a meeting at the ministry." Nan Zhiyi handed over the calligraphy copybook. "Take a look, is this the rubbing you're looking for?"

The old man put on his reading glasses, flipped through a few pages, and nodded: "It's it. It's kind of you to remember."

After sitting for a quarter of an hour and drinking half a cup of tea, Nan Zhiyi got up to take her leave.

He left all the gifts behind, but took away a bag of pumpkin seeds that Zhao's family had roasted themselves.

He visited three more places in a row, all of which Gu Xiao had instructed him to visit personally.

Gu Zhao was well-behaved at first, but later he became listless and leaned against the car window to look outside.

Xiao Wang drove very steadily the whole way, but he would brake suddenly every time he stopped, forcing Nan Zhiyi to hold onto the back of the seat in front of her.

We had lunch at an old restaurant in Xisi.

Nan Zhiyi requested a small private room and ordered several of their signature dishes.

Xiao Wang initially refused to sit down, saying he could wait in the car. Nan Zhiyi said it was an order, so he blushed and sat down on half of the stool.

Gu Zhao was starving and ate half a bowl of rice before she could recover.

"Mom, how many more places do we need to go?"

"Four restaurants this afternoon. I'll take a nap in the car after I eat."

Nan Zhiyi felt a pang of heartache seeing her son looking so dejected.

But there was really no other way. These families hadn't been in touch for a long time, and their relationships were intricate. Behind every gift was a web of favors or a pair of watchful eyes.

When returning a gift, one must do so skillfully, without appearing cold, arrogant, or conceited.

When giving gifts, one should think twice and consider the options carefully.

It's really not an easy task.

For the first time, she felt so clearly that Gu Xiao's position brought not only glory and convenience, but also this omnipresent constraint.

In the afternoon, I visited two other places where Commander Gu had old connections. I left my things there, exchanged brief greetings, and handled the situation with perfect tact.

Nan Zhiyi always wore a polite smile and spoke thoughtfully, leaving no room for criticism. People could only feel that Minister Gu's lover was indeed polite, courteous, and considerate.

Only she knew that with each door she knocked on and each greeting she exchanged, the tension in her heart tightened a little more.

The subtle probing in words and the speculation behind smiles must be carefully dealt with; one must not make a mistake.

I'm mentally exhausted.

Gu Zhao, on the other hand, became quite lively when he arrived at Qin Fen's house in the afternoon.

Yao Yao, with her hair in two little buns, was also very excited to see Gu Zhao and pulled him into the inner room to see the goldfish tank. The two children leaned over the crystal glass tank, counting the fish with their fingers, one, two.

Gu Zhao didn't find it boring and patiently coaxed her to play.

Li Xiaoxuan brought over a box of pastries, which contained peach shortbread and animal crackers.

Gu Zhao took a small horse-shaped piece and handed it to Yao Yao first, then took another one for himself.

Li Xiaoxuan smiled at Nan Zhiyi: "This kid is quite good at taking care of people; he won't have trouble finding a wife in the future..."

Nan Zhiyi leaned back on the sofa, and upon hearing this, she almost dropped her teacup: "Isn't it too early to talk about this now?"

...

The last one is the Meng Family General's Mansion.

Zhou Anping was knitting a sweater in the living room when he saw Nan Zhiyi arrive. He put down his needle and thread and walked over to greet her.

As the car pulled up to the gate of the compound, Nan Zhiyi glanced at the sky and said to Xiao Wang, "Let's stop here. You go back and rest, and we'll walk home ourselves later."

Xiao Wang hesitated for a moment: "The minister instructed that it's cold today... and..."

"We're all in the same compound, it'll be fine." Nan Zhiyi had already opened the door and gotten out of the car. "I can take Gu Zhao for a walk."

Xiao Wang could only nod, watching Nan Zhiyi lead Gu Zhao into the Meng family's general's building before turning around and leaving.

Nan Zhiyi and Gu Zhao knocked on the courtyard gate, and the maid, Sister Zhao, opened it.

Upon seeing her, Sister Zhao quickly turned around and called out with a smile, "Mrs. Gu is here!"

"You've finally arrived! You called a couple of days ago saying you were coming, why did you wait until now..." Zhou Anping greeted them warmly and pulled Nan Zhiyi and the other woman into the living room.

Nan Zhiyi smiled and gestured to the gift boxes in her hand, "It's just that we haven't found anything good, so we didn't dare to come."

Zhou Anping shook his head: "Fine, I can't argue with you."

"Mom, Zhiyi is here!"

She turned around and called upstairs, "Lele! Mengmeng! Come down quickly, Brother Xiaoman is here!"

Mencius' mother came out from the inner room, wearing a dark purple cotton-padded jacket with her hair neatly combed.

Nan Zhiyi placed the gift boxes she was holding on the coffee table and took out a gift box wrapped in kraft paper.

“Aunt, I heard from Anping that you have been practicing the Lingfei Jing recently. This is a rubbing that I asked someone to find for you. It is from the late Qing Dynasty. Please take a look and see if you can use it.”

Mencius' mother took it, tore open a corner to look at it, and smiled: "Thank you for remembering. I was just worried about not being able to find a good notebook."

She carefully placed the rubbing on the coffee table, then looked at Gu Zhao, "It's been a while since I've been here. Xiaoman has grown so much..."

Gu Zhao obediently greeted, "Hello, Grandma Meng."

"Good boy/girl."

Mencius' mother touched his face and grabbed a handful of assorted candies from the coffee table drawer for him.

Lele and Mengmeng came downstairs. Lele said she wanted to show Gu Zhao her new toys, and the three children ran upstairs together, making a lot of noise.

Watching her children run off, Meng's mother smiled and led Nan Zhiyi to sit down on the sofa, beginning a conversation about the *Lingfei Jing*...

Not long after.

Zhou Anping came out of the kitchen with a tea tray and handed Nan Zhiyi some flower tea.

"Qingshan hasn't started his holiday yet?" Nan Zhiyi took the teacup and warmed her hands.

"The department is doing its year-end summary, so we'll be busy until New Year's Eve." Zhou Anping sat back down on the sofa, picked up a sweater and started knitting. The bamboo needles made a soft tapping sound as they clattered together. He also asked, "Zhiyi, when are you going back to Jian'an?"

"The second day of the Lunar New Year. Fifth Brother will be on duty until the first day of the Lunar New Year this year."

Zhou Anping nodded, knitted a few stitches, and then said, "Qingshan and I plan to go back on the first day of the lunar new year. My brother will be back earlier, on the twenty-ninth. He can spend more time with my parents then..."

When she said "my brother," her hand movements slowed down a beat.

Nan Zhiyi watched the knitting needles weave through her fingers, not replying, only giving a soft "hmm." She hadn't thought of Zhou Zhengping for many years; those memories remained in Jian'an.

Now, all she can see is Gu Xiao.

The two chatted about everyday matters, occasionally exchanging pleasantries with Meng's mother. After sitting for more than half an hour, Nan Zhiyi got up to take her leave.

Zhou Anping escorted her and Gu Zhao to the door.

"See you in Jian'an. We'll have a good talk at Gu Yan's wedding."

"good."

Nan Zhiyi led Gu Zhao out of the courtyard.

The sky was a grayish-blue, not quite dark yet. The streetlights weren't on yet, but warm yellow light was already shining from the windows of each house.

A thin layer of ice had formed on the road surface, making a soft crunching sound when stepped on.

Gu Zhao's hands were warm, and they were held in hers.

After walking for a while, he suddenly said, "Mom, Lele said his dad taught him how to shoot a gun."

"Yeah."

"Really!" Gu Zhao looked up at her. "With a wooden gun."

Nan Zhiyi hummed in agreement.

Gu Zhao then asked, "When will Dad teach me?"

"When you're a little older."

Gu Zhao noticed that her mother was in a bad mood, so she stopped talking and focused on leading the way for her mother.