Chapter 8: Was he really that easy to fool when we went to the city?
A moment of silence fell over the room after Gu Chen'an's words. Gu Chen'an looked cautiously at Gu Zhiyuan: "Dad, did I say something wrong?"
"No, some things are in the past and that's it. Just don't bring them up in front of others in the future." Gu Zhiyuan said calmly. As for the hatred for Fang Qing in Gu Chen'an's tone, he didn't correct it. Only Chen'an himself knew how she had treated him over the years, and he had no right to persuade Chen'an to forgive her.
"I understand," Gu Chen'an nodded as if to assure her.
"Go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow," Gu Zhiyuan said, patting him through the thin blanket.
"Oh." After a while, Gu Chen'an, who kept turning over, couldn't help but ask him, "Dad, are you going to buy these for Teacher Ji?"
"So, can you go to sleep now?" Gu Zhiyuan was both amused and exasperated by his words. Was this the very issue that had kept him tossing and turning for so long? He had thought it was because he was thinking about Fang Qing again that he couldn't sleep.
"Okay, okay, I'll go to sleep right away." Gu Chen'an's voice rose a couple of times as he said this. He tossed and turned in bed a couple more times, and soon his long, even breathing could be heard. Gu Zhiyuan couldn't help but chuckle. This kid is really something!
The culprit was asleep, but Gu Zhiyuan couldn't sleep. He had to admit that those words had really affected him. No one likes betrayal. For Chen An's sake, and for his own guilt for not being by their side, he had fulfilled all of Fang Qing's reasonable and unreasonable requests. But he never expected her to treat Chen An that way. He could overlook her betrayal, but he could not forgive the harm she had caused to Chen An.
Gu Zhiyuan didn't sleep well that night. The next day, he was woken up by Gu Chen'an, who was looking excited: "Dad, wake up, or there won't be any more buses."
"It's still early." Gu Zhiyuan got out of bed, trying to remain calm.
"It's getting late, almost seven o'clock. Let's go pick up Teacher Ji and Lulu so we can have breakfast together," Gu Chen'an urged.
Urged on by Gu Chen'an, the father and son arrived at the school gate at just seven o'clock. Gu Zhiyuan waited for him at the school gate, while Gu Chen'an rushed straight into the teachers' dormitory. When he arrived, Ji Wei was tying Lulu's hair.
"Teacher Ji, my dad and I have come to pick you up." Gu Chen'an ran up to them.
Seeing her turn around and look behind him, he quickly explained, "My dad is waiting for us at the school gate."
"Okay, I'll be done right away." When Ji Wei was cleaning her dorm room last night, she found two ten-yuan bills in her notebook in the drawer, which came in handy today.
It was still early, and there were hardly any people at the school gate. After leaving the school, Gu Zhiyuan asked them for their opinions: "Shall we have breakfast here or go to the city?"
"Let's go to the city to eat. I heard there's a KFC there, is that okay, Dad?" Gu Chen'an had heard his classmates talk about KFC and that it was delicious, but he had never tried it before.
"Is Lulu okay?" Although Gu Zhiyuan didn't know what KFC was, he would usually fulfill any request Gu Chen'an made. However, now that Lulu was involved, he naturally had to ask for her opinion.
"She's not picky." At this time, Lulu didn't have any obvious preferences; she liked anything to eat.
They barely reached an agreement and went directly to the station. It only takes half an hour to get from Wu'an to the city center, which is quite cheap. Lulu rarely goes to the city center. Along the way, she looked out the window almost the entire time, and the corners of her lips never fell. Ji Wei also raised her eyebrows.
There were many taxis waiting to pick up passengers near the station, and many people were also waiting for buses at the bus stop across the street. Gu Zhiyuan said, "Let's take a taxi. We don't know where the shop is."
"I'm fine with anything." Ji Wei replied absentmindedly. Her mind was still filled with images of the city twenty years in the future. Suddenly seeing the various buildings from twenty years ago that had a sense of age, she felt a bit disappointed.
KFC is truly a paradise for children. The two kids enjoyed their breakfast the most, and even as they were leaving, Lulu pointed to the door and said, "I want to eat here again next time."
"Okay, I'll take you guys to eat again next time." As Lulu grew up, she rarely made demands of her, so Ji Wei cherished this stage of her life.
"What are you planning to buy?" Gu Zhiyuan had suggested coming to the city to buy things, so Ji Wei naturally asked him what he needed to buy today.
Gu Zhiyuan didn't forget the list Gu Chen'an had given him: "Let's go buy clothes first. We need to get a new outfit for the wedding."
Ji Wei had already planned to buy summer clothes for Lulu, so she nodded upon hearing this: "Okay, let's go buy clothes first."
They went to the largest department store in the city. Gu Zhiyuan stepped into the women's clothing section first. When the sales clerk asked him something, he pointed to Ji Wei next to him and said, "She can choose for herself."
The four of them standing together were mistaken for a family of four. Neither of them explained. Gu Chen'an looked at Ji Wei with great satisfaction. The mother he had dreamed of was about to become his mother. How could he not be happy?
Ji Wei thought that since it was a wedding after all, she chose a watermelon red dress. Her skin was already very fair, and the dress made her look even fairer. She looked at herself in the mirror and then asked Gu Zhiyuan for his opinion: "Isn't it a little too flashy?"
Compared to her previous shirt and trousers, this dress showcased her best features. Gu Zhiyuan was already a head taller than her, and when she leaned closer, his ears subtly turned red. Then he raised his gaze and said, "No, it looks great and suits you very well."
"Really?" Ji Wei was a little skeptical, mainly because she hadn't worn these colors in a long time, and she felt they looked a bit strange.
"It's beautiful, gorgeous," Gu Chen'an affirmed, holding Lulu's hand.
“Young lady, you look really good in this dress. Your husband and kids all think so too.” The saleswoman next to her chimed in.
"Wouldn't it be too flashy to wear normally?" Ji Wei was still a little hesitant.
"What's so bright about this? This color is lighter than bright red and more dirt-resistant than pink. It sells very well; it's the most popular color right now." The saleswoman was enthusiastically promoting the dress.
"Then I'll take this one." Ji Wei thought for a moment and quickly made a decision.
Seeing that she was pulling Lulu and Gu Chen'an towards the children's clothing section, Gu Zhiyuan stopped her: "Aren't you going to pick out a couple more items?"
"Let's leave it at that for now." It wasn't that Ji Wei didn't want to buy anything, it's just that she didn't like many of the current styles. She'd look again later.
Gu Zhiyuan hadn't forgotten what the brat had said about him being stingy, but he stubbornly insisted, "Then let's choose another set, at least we'll have a change of clothes, or how about that one?"
Ji Wei followed his gaze and saw a beige cotton dress. So he liked this?
"If you don't think it's suitable, pick another one yourself?" Gu Zhiyuan could tell at a glance that she didn't like it, even though he just randomly pointed to one item, since in his eyes they all looked pretty much the same.
"Then let's choose trousers, they're more convenient for everyday wear." Seeing his insistence, Ji Wei also thought about the custom, as everyone usually chooses even numbers when buying things.
Upon reaching the children's clothing section, Gu Chen'an asked in surprise, "Should I buy something too?"
“Of course, go pick what you like.” Ji Wei patted his head, then pulled Lulu along to give him advice. Boys this age don’t have high requirements for clothing, so Gu Chen’an simply let Ji Wei choose for him.
"How about a set of long pants and a set of short pants?" Ji Wei asked for his opinion.
"I'll listen to Teacher Ji." Gu Chen'an smiled as he took the two sets of clothes she handed him and went to the fitting room to try them on. This was an experience he had never had before. In the past, all his clothes were bought directly by that woman, and they were always too big so that he could wear them for a long time.
As for Lulu, Ji Wei directly chose two dresses for her. The weather is still a bit cool now, so she can just wear tights and a jacket. She can wear dresses directly in the summer.
"Let's go pick out shoes next," Gu Zhiyuan suggested after they had all finished choosing.
"Aren't you going to buy it?" Ji Wei turned to look at the man beside her.
"No need, I have my uniform." Gu Zhiyuan shook his head. Besides his uniform, he had brought back all his military clothes, which was enough for him.
"Really, no need. Didn't you say you should buy a dress for your wedding?" Ji Wei continued to ask.
"I really don't need it, I can't even fit all the uniforms in." Gu Zhiyuan shook his head again in refusal.
"Okay, then let's pick out a pair of shoes later. There probably aren't many sandal styles available right now." Although Ji Wei didn't say the words "expensive and ugly" aloud, strangely enough, Gu Zhiyuan felt that he understood them.
"I'll do whatever you say." Gu Zhiyuan repeated the same words. Others might have thought it was just a perfunctory response, but as a business partner, Ji Wei felt that these words were like heavenly music.
It was already noon when they came out of the department store. Looking at the bags the two of them were carrying, Ji Wei didn't expect that it would be noon just from buying these things.
"Let's find a place to eat first, then we'll find a place to take pictures," Gu Zhiyuan said.
"Aren't we going to take the photos when we get back?" Ji Wei looked at him with some confusion.
“The photos are better in the city, and I heard they even offer makeup services. Since we’re here, why not give it a try? You can have my shuttle bus bring you back later; my colleague knows a driver.” Gu Zhiyuan knew her concerns and offered a solution directly.
"Alright." Since they could get the photos without having to make a trip, Ji Wei naturally had no objections.
Ji Wei was having rice for lunch when she noticed Gu Zhiyuan asking for more rice for the third time. She suddenly remembered that he had only asked for more rice once when he ate at the Ji family's house that day. She frowned. Did he not eat enough that time?
Noticing her movement of putting her food on his bowl, Gu Zhiyuan explained, "I used to have to do training exercises every day, so I ate a lot. I haven't changed that yet."
"Then when you came to my house last time, didn't you eat enough?" Ji Wei said, glancing at him.
"I'll eat until I'm seven-tenths full," Gu Zhiyuan said hesitantly before speaking frankly.
"Why?" Ji Wei was puzzled as to why he would make himself suffer.
"It was my comrade's suggestion. He said that when visiting someone's home for the first time, you should pay attention to your image. He said that his first blind date fell through because he ate too much when he visited," Gu Zhiyuan explained.
"It shouldn't be that bad." Ji Wei thought this was his comrade's excuse to fool him, but what surprised her was that he seemed unapproachable, but was he really so easy to fool in private?
A note from the author:
----------------------
[Rabbit head with upright ears] Rolling around and begging for the author's favorites! Still 20 random red envelopes, mwah!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com