Chapter 25 Are you truly ignorant when you make baseless accusations?
The family of four stared at each other in the room. Just as Ji Wei was feeling the atmosphere was getting a little awkward, Gu Chen'an spoke up: "Dad, did Grandma mean that after getting married, we have to sleep together?"
Thinking that his uncle and aunt were sleeping in the same room, Gu Chen'an felt a pang of guilt. It was all because of him that they had to sleep separately. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, saying, "I will bravely learn to sleep by myself from now on."
Upon hearing this, Lulu, who was standing nearby, quickly hugged Ji Wei tightly and shook her head: "Mom, I don't want to sleep alone."
“Okay, Mom will sleep with you.” Ji Wei said, lowering her head to smooth the stray hairs on her forehead. Both she and Chen An had lacked a sense of security since childhood, so whether it was sleeping in separate beds or separate rooms, it had to be done gradually. She looked at Gu Chen An and said softly, “Chen An, you are already very brave.”
Gu Chen'an didn't say anything. Only he knew that he wasn't brave at all.
"I'll go ask my older brother to bring up the wire bed from underneath," Gu Zhiyuan said, looking apologetically at Ji Wei.
"I'll go get it." Ji Wei understood what he meant, but at this moment, she completely understood him. Who doesn't have a few troublesome family members? She even felt a sense of balance at this moment, realizing that she wasn't the only one with terrible family members!
"No need, my mother isn't worried about tiring my older brother, so I naturally don't need to worry either." Gu Zhiyuan said, then went out leaning on his cane.
The couple in the other room were discussing how to get Gu Zhiyuan and the others to back down tomorrow. Li Yanmei snorted, "This Ji Wei is obviously not someone to be trifled with. She even dares to talk back to Mom. If you ask me, we should just let Mom stay here and let them take care of Da Bao. She'll ask for money, but if Mom stays here, she won't have the face to ask for money, right?" Chen Cuie is not easy to get along with. Ji Wei's personality needs to be taught a lesson.
"Do you think the second son is still the same as before? I feel like he's started to resent everyone in the family." This time, the second son also found out about Fang Qing's past, so he resents everyone in the family.
"He agreed to get married in the first place, so who can you blame?" Li Yanmei sneered. No one forced him to get married back then.
"That's what they say, but what if he really makes a scene?" Gu Zhilian didn't finish his sentence, but Li Yanmei understood what he meant. If Gu Zhiyuan really made a scene, the family would be quite afraid of him.
"Are we just going to let it go like this?" Li Yanmei's tone was full of resentment; they had spent a lot of money on this trip.
"Let's see what Mom says tomorrow." Gu Zhilian didn't approve of coming from the beginning. They had just gotten married, so they definitely wouldn't agree. It was the two of them who insisted on coming, so he had no choice but to come along.
"Gu Zhilian, all you think about is tomorrow. If Dabao stays in the countryside, he'll definitely be no match for that kid Gu Chen'an in the future. You—" The knocking at the door interrupted Li Yanmei's nagging. Gu Zhilian got up and opened the door. He was somewhat surprised to see who was outside: "Second brother, what brings you here?"
"Brother, could you please bring up the wire bed downstairs for me?" Gu Zhiyuan stated his purpose directly.
"Are you going to sleep in separate beds?" Li Yanmei immediately perked up.
Gu Chen'an said in a calm tone: "You've taken up two children's rooms, so Chen'an will have to make do there for the night."
"Pretentious." Li Yanmei snorted lightly. In the past, when he came back on vacation and there wasn't enough room at home, the four of them would squeeze into one bed.
Gu Zhilian glared at her, then looked at Gu Zhiyuan and said, "Fine, I'll go downstairs and get it for you. Or should we have Chen An come and sleep with us?"
"I won't trouble you." Gu Zhiyuan shook his head.
Soon, the wire bed was back in the room. Ji Wei made it up again, glanced at his physique, then looked at the wire bed, which was less than a meter wide, and hesitated before asking, "How about I sleep here?"
"No need, I'll sleep here. I'll have them leave tomorrow," Gu Zhiyuan said with a hint of apology.
"Would they be happy to return empty-handed?" Ji Wei didn't think they were so easy to please.
"You have to be willing whether you want to or not." He used to think that since he was away from home most of the year, his older brother and the others had to take care of the family, so it was no big deal for him to contribute a little more. Later, he realized that his self-righteous filial piety was nothing but a joke in their eyes.
"It's good that you have a solution." Ji Wei said, looking at the two little ones, patting the bed to remind them it was time to sleep.
With the addition of the father and son, Ji Wei put on two more thin blankets. The four-piece bedding set that her colleagues had given her last time came in handy. She put the blankets on the wire bed, and Gu Zhiyuan, who was next to her, said, "Just use whatever you have. No need to bring new ones."
"This is all we have right now, so let's use this one." Gu Chen'an will use the other bed for changing. There's still one set left in the school dormitory, so we can't just give him the ones she and Lulu originally used, can we?
"Red looks nice," Lulu said, pointing to the new quilt cover. Children love bright colors.
"We'll use that next time. Go to sleep now. Do you still want to go to the city tomorrow?" As soon as she said this, the two little ones immediately shut up and closed their eyes to indicate that they were asleep. Ji Wei chuckled and then closed her eyes as well. She only slowly opened her eyes when the two breathing sounds next to her became even.
This was the first time the two had been in the same room since their marriage. The light bulb overhead emitted a warm yellow glow, adding to the cozy atmosphere of the room. Thinking about tomorrow's plans, Ji Wei slowly said, "Tomorrow I plan to take them to the Children's Palace to have a look and choose a special class that they like."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work tomorrow." Gu Zhiyuan had heard his colleagues at work mention that their children were learning special skills during the holidays, some were dancing, some were playing musical instruments. Nowadays, almost all children are only children, and everyone is paying more and more attention to their children's education.
“I already told you not to be so polite. Did your mother and the others come here just because of your older brother’s child?” Ji Wei asked him.
"Not entirely. They probably also wanted to confirm my work address, since I haven't been back since I transferred back from the military." Most importantly, Gu Zhiyuan hasn't sent any money home in the past three months.
"So, was your talk of terminating the lease just a way to scare them away?" Ji Wei asked, puzzled. If so, wouldn't it be easy for them to see through the lie when they came back next time?
"No, that's not it. Uncle Qin came by this morning. He said they plan to go to Nanshi to stay with their son, and they're going to sell this house. I forgot to tell you about it at noon," Gu Zhiyuan explained.
"They want to sell?" Ji Wei immediately perked up.
"Yes, do you have any ideas?" Gu Zhiyuan asked, noticing the excitement in her tone.
"Why don't we just buy it?" Once the city develops, the land here will be very valuable.
"You want to buy this place?" Gu Zhiyuan asked, somewhat puzzled. Didn't she say before that she wanted to go to the city center?
Noticing his confusion, Ji Wei explained to him, "Buying a house in the city and buying one here are not mutually exclusive." No matter how many apartments in the city are there, they are not as comfortable as a detached house like this.
"But we probably only have enough money to choose one option," Gu Zhiyuan subtly reminded them.
"Did Uncle Qin say how much this house costs?" Ji Wei asked.
"I didn't ask about that. If you've really made up your mind, I'll ask about it tomorrow." Gu Zhiyuan hadn't even considered buying it at that time, so he didn't ask about the price.
"Okay, go ask about it tomorrow." As for buying a house in the city center later, Ji Wei didn't worry about it at all. She could get a new house with zero down payment.
“Okay.” Gu Zhiyuan nodded. The savings account he had given her was originally intended for buying a house, but he would probably have to borrow money from Brother Lü. At this moment, Gu Zhiyuan pondered Lü Shuangcai’s suggestion again. After all, Ji Wei’s plan was far-reaching, and if he relied solely on his monthly salary, he probably wouldn’t be her ideal partner.
Although the house purchase was sudden, Ji Wei didn't want to miss this good opportunity. Thinking about the money, she couldn't help but sigh. It seemed she needed to speed up the process of making money. She would buy a lottery ticket in the city tomorrow and try her luck.
Both of them were preoccupied with their own thoughts, and their breathing was faster than usual. For a moment, only their breathing could be heard in the room. The overhead light kept Ji Wei awake; she didn't like bright light when she slept. She sat up in bed: "Will you be okay if I turn off the light?"
"I'm fine with anything." Gu Zhiyuan's tone remained as calm as ever.
"Then call me if you need anything at night." Ji Wei reminded him not to get up by himself, in case he fell and caused further injury.
"Hmm." Gu Zhiyuan thought to himself that they had also done night marches during the military training exercises before, so he should be fine.
As soon as the light was turned off, the room quickly became dark. In the darkness, people's senses were amplified, and their breathing became more and more obvious. Ji Wei even felt a nameless restlessness, and she couldn't help but turn over.
The person on the wire bed made a noise whenever they moved, so they remained in the same position until the noise from the bed next to them made them speak up: "You have to take them to catch the train early tomorrow morning, why don't I go to the next room?"
"It has nothing to do with you. I'm just too excited about buying a house to sleep," Ji Wei said, half-jokingly.
"Really?" Gu Zhiyuan clearly didn't believe him.
“Of course, once we buy it, we can redecorate this place without any worries. We won’t have to put in the effort only to have to move out. Once we buy it, we’ll have a real home.” What was originally just a casual excuse turned into a genuine emotional outburst from Ji Wei. In her previous life, she missed the opportunity in 1995 and hadn’t bought a house since. Initially, she wanted to wait for houses to become cheaper before making a purchase, but with prices rising every year, she could no longer find a suitable opportunity.
The words "real home" resonated deeply with Gu Zhiyuan. For him, nowhere felt like home. As the second child in his family, he had always been the neglected one. Even after marriage and children, the room his family assigned him couldn't really be called a home. Later, the rented apartment Fang Qing and Chen An moved into was also unfamiliar to him. It seemed he had never truly had a home of his own. Now, Ji Wei's words stirred a new kind of warmth within him, and he even began to yearn for a home that truly belonged to him.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Ji Wei turned her head to look at him, but unfortunately she couldn't see anything in the darkness. The only thing she could sense his presence was his breathing, which was slightly faster than usual: "Gu Zhiyuan, do you have any other opinions about buying this place?"
"No, I just think what you said is very good. Once we buy it, we can rearrange the house." He hasn't touched the furnishings in the house much yet. Back then, he thought that since they would move out sooner or later, why bother with all that work? But now he suddenly thinks that maybe the yard could be completely converted into a cement floor so that Lulu and Chen'an can play there. They can also make use of the vegetable garden in the backyard.
“I also think we can move the dining table on the first floor, and we can also find a carpenter to make a few more new chairs. We also need to redo their desks, and we need to run a new water pipe outside and build a new laundry area.” Ji Wei became more and more excited as she spoke. It was only at this moment that she realized there were so many places that needed to be changed.
Noticing his silence, Ji Wei suddenly felt a little embarrassed: "Don't you think I talk too much, and some parts don't seem to need to be changed?"
"No, I think the changes you mentioned are very heartwarming, and they make it feel more like home." Gu Zhiyuan's tone was gentle, even to his own surprise.
"So, is there anything you'd like to change?" Ji Wei asked.
"Let's replace the TV in the main room later," Gu Zhiyuan said softly.
“Okay, then when we have time, let’s each write down what we want to change, and we can make changes together slowly. Also, let Chen An and Lulu decorate their own rooms; maybe we can get them assigned rooms sooner.” Ji Wei yawned after saying that. She was a little sleepy. She couldn’t sleep earlier and felt like her territory was being invaded, but now his presence seemed to have merged into her territory, and she no longer felt any sense of rejection.
Ji Wei's sleep schedule is always very regular. Feeling sleepy, she quickly fell asleep. Before falling asleep, she didn't forget to say to Gu Zhiyuan, "I'm going to sleep now."
Gu Zhiyuan was somewhat surprised by the time she fell asleep. The sound of her long, even breathing reached his ears, and Gu Zhiyuan unconsciously raised the corners of his lips. For the first time, he felt that breathing could be so pleasant.
The next morning, Gu Chen'an was the first to wake up. He was again woken by Lulu's "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Kicks." He rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. Noticing the empty space on his side, Lulu quickly rolled over, completely taking over the spot where he had been sleeping. Gu Chen'an moved a little further over, then looked at Gu Zhiyuan, who was already up, with a rather aggrieved expression: "Dad, when are Grandma and the others leaving? I don't want to sleep with Lulu anymore; she keeps kicking me."
"Didn't you previously insist on sleeping with them?" Gu Zhiyuan laughed at him.
“That’s different. I’ll sleep in your bed.” Gu Chen’an said, rubbing his arm. Lulu looked small, but she was quite strong.
"Let's try to go back to our room tonight," Gu Zhiyuan said, looking at him.
“I think I can sleep by myself now. You and Mom don’t need to sleep separately for us.” It was Chen Cuie’s words last night that reminded Gu Chen’an that when he was in his hometown, his uncle and aunt slept together. And if he slept alone, he could sleep with the lights on. Thinking that they were in the next room, he didn’t seem so scared anymore.
Gu Zhiyuan was about to say it wasn't for them when Ji Wei on the bed woke up: "What time is it?"
As soon as Ji Wei opened her mouth, she realized that her voice was terribly hoarse. The person on the other end had already answered her question: "Six-thirty."
"It's time to get up." Ji Wei said, yawning, then patted Lulu's little bottom next to her: "Lulu, it's time to get up."
"I'll go see if my older brother and the others are up yet?" Gu Zhiyuan said, not forgetting to take Gu Chen'an with him when he left.
Waking up angrily, Gu Zhilian went to open the door and said speechlessly when he saw the father and son outside, "Isn't it the weekend? Why are you up so early?"
"Brother, could you please carry me downstairs? And could you also ask your wife to get up and make breakfast? Ji Wei is taking the children to the city." Gu Zhiyuan explained his purpose.
"This is the first time I've ever seen a guest cook for someone else," Li Yanmei, who was also woken up inside, said sarcastically.
"Didn't my sister-in-law say yesterday that we were family? Now she's a guest again?" Gu Zhiyuan said calmly.
"Let me carry you downstairs first. Isn't Chen'an already eight years old? How come he can't cook? When Da Niu was his age, she could have cooked for the whole family long ago." Gu Zhilian said meaningfully.
"As you know, I've always felt indebted to Chen'an over the years. Now that he's finally back, I'm too busy doting on him to bear seeing him do these things."
“But this isn’t the way to pamper a child.” Gu Zhiyuan said, glancing at Gu Chen’an walking ahead. Yanmei was right; this kid was living a life of luxury in the city. Thinking about how he had a child in the countryside, he felt it was very unfair.
“I remember Da Bao and Chen An are about the same age, so Da Bao must be able to cook, right?” Gu Chen An asked him.
"With Da Niu here, it's okay if Da Bao doesn't know how," Gu Zhilian said with a smile.
"It seems you brothers also love your child very much," Gu Zhiyuan said in a calm tone.
"Every family loves their children." After saying that, Gu Zhilian looked at the person in front of him and said, "Chen An, help your dad a little, I'm going upstairs to change my clothes."
"Okay, Uncle, tell Aunt to come down and cook quickly, otherwise Grandma won't have anything to eat when she gets up," Gu Chen'an reminded her.
"Got it." Gu Zhilian snorted inwardly as he went upstairs. He could tell that this father and son were both troublemakers.
Inside the room, Li Yanmei remained curled up in bed, refusing to move. They were dreaming if they thought she'd cook breakfast. Gu Zhilian, having changed her clothes, looked at the person in bed: "Get up quickly. Even if we ignore them, we still need to eat breakfast, right?"
"The second son's temper has become even more eccentric since he left the military. And you, Gu Zhilian, the second son doesn't want his wife to be tired, but you keep pushing your wife towards the stove." Li Yanmei glared at Gu Zhilian. They were born of the same mother, so why is there such a big difference? When Fang Qing was around, Gu Zhiyuan would protect her. She married a stupid idiot who wouldn't protect her.
"Instead of wasting time talking about this, you should get up and think about how to get the second son to back down when he urges us to go back later," Gu Zhilian said, glaring at her.
While the couple was in the room, Ji Wei had already taken the two children to the bus station. When they came downstairs, they only saw Gu Zhiyuan sitting in the courtyard. Gu Zhiyuan stepped forward and asked him, "Zhiyuan, did Ji Wei and the others go out?"
“Yes, the earliest appointment I got at the hospital.” Gu Zhiyuan nodded.
“I was just saying I’d have her take Mom to the city center for a good look around later. Mom doesn’t get many chances to go to the city center,” Gu Zhilian said, looking at him reproachfully.
"Then you and your sister-in-law can take her to the city center for a stroll before going back," Gu Zhiyuan said indifferently.
"Are you trying to send us back?" Chen Cuie, who had just come downstairs, walked up to him with an unhappy expression.
"No, I'm just worried that Dad can't take care of the family by himself." Gu Zhiyuan remained calm in the face of Chen Cuie's accusations.
"You don't need to worry about that. Your older brother and sister-in-law bought train tickets for the day after tomorrow. I'll go back after they leave," Chen Cuie waved to him.
"Brother and sister-in-law are going to work without any luggage?" Gu Zhiyuan directly exposed her lie.
"Are you determined to send us back?" Chen Cuie didn't expect him to be so direct.
“I’m not working right now. Chen’an and I are both supported by Ji Wei. She can’t possibly support you two as well, can she?” Gu Zhiyuan said expressionlessly.
"You spent all your salary from the past few months?" Chen Cuie asked incredulously.
“Yes, settling down here requires buying everything, and all of that costs money. Oh, Mom, I remember you said you would save the money I sent back every month before I got married and give it to me when I got married. You didn’t give it to Fang Qing before. When is it convenient for you to give it to me? Ji Wei and I need money right now.” Gu Zhiyuan looked at Chen Cuie.
"I gave the money to Fang Qing." Chen Cuie thought that Fang Qing wasn't here and there was no way to verify it.
“When we got divorced, Fang Qing denied having this money. Why don’t we go and talk to her about it?” Gu Zhiyuan kindly suggested.
"You know where she is?" This time it was Li Yanmei's turn to be surprised.
"Don't you know, sister-in-law? You even kept Fang Qing and Tie Yanfei's affair a secret, how could you not know where they went?" Gu Zhiyuan said slowly.
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the three people present changed. Chen Cuie looked at Li Yanmei with a cold face: "Is what Zhiyuan said true?"
"Of course not, how could I possibly know about Fang Qing and Tie Yanfei's relationship? Second brother, if you don't want to help, fine, but why make false accusations?" Li Yanmei said, wiping away tears.
“Yes, second brother, are you misunderstanding something? Your sister-in-law isn’t that kind of person.” Gu Zhilian also began to defend his wife.
"Whether it's a misunderstanding or not, only my sister-in-law knows best. Only she knows what she got from Fang Qing through this. To be honest, this can be considered extortion." As Gu Zhiyuan finished speaking, Li Yanmei's face turned completely pale.
Instead of stopping there, Gu Zhiyuan walked back to the couple and asked, word by word, "Brother, are you really completely unaware of these matters?"
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Author's Note: [Heart]
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