Chapter 47 Fireworks - Are these for me?
Ultimately, he had the desire but not the courage. Ji Wei helped Gu Zhiyuan to take a shower, repeatedly reminding him, "I'll wait for you outside. Call me when you're done, okay?"
Perhaps because he was drunk, Gu Zhiyuan's movements became slow. He looked up at her, then slowly nodded: "Okay."
"Then hurry up and go wash up, I'll wait for you here." Ji Wei said, yawning. She hadn't rested all day and was really tired.
Gu Zhiyuan watched her yawn thoughtfully, then turned and went into the shower. Separated by only a door, Ji Wei quickly heard the sound of water. She thought, "This man usually seems so cold, but he's like this when he's drunk. Quite a contrast." Lost in thought, she didn't notice until the water stopped for a while. She knocked on the door in surprise, "Gu Zhiyuan, are you alright?"
"I'll be right there." Gu Zhiyuan's voice came from inside quickly. This time, his tone was much clearer than before. She was a little puzzled. Could it be that taking a bath had made him sober?
"Oh, then be careful." Ji Wei was a little surprised by his quickness, but she was relieved. She thought that perhaps he was a little uncomfortable in someone else's house, just like she was, who didn't plan to take a shower today and would wait until she got back tomorrow.
The inner door was quickly opened, and hot air rushed out with it, making him appear as if he were enveloped in mist. He even looked better than usual. It wasn't until Ji Wei noticed his dripping hair that she quickly suppressed her chaotic thoughts and handed him a large towel: "Quickly dry your hair." Remembering his obsessive-compulsive disorder, she quickly added, "Your sister-in-law said it's new, so don't worry about using it."
Gu Zhiyuan took the towel from her hand, and when he looked up at her, his eyes had gradually regained their clarity: "I'll be here for a while, you go to sleep first."
"Are you sure you can manage by yourself?" Ji Wei looked him up and down with some unease.
"You're almost sober now, go to sleep." Gu Zhiyuan smiled at her; he wasn't really that drunk to begin with.
"Alright then, be careful." Ji Wei didn't think he was lying, so she turned around and went back inside to sleep. However, perhaps because she was at someone else's house, she didn't fall asleep quickly despite being very tired. After some time, she heard a noise at the door. She knew it was Gu Zhiyuan, so she quickly closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. She felt his gentle movements as he pushed open the door, and his careful steps as he got into bed. Then she felt his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his embrace. After his shower, he no longer smelled of alcohol; instead, he had a familiar scent. Ji Wei couldn't help but reach out and clutch his clothes before slowly drifting off to sleep.
The next morning, the two of them woke up very early. When they got up, the two little ones were still asleep. At this time, Qiao Xiaoxue, who was busy in the kitchen, came out and saw them. She was a little surprised: "Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"
“You can’t fall back asleep after waking up, sister-in-law, let me help you.” Ji Wei said as she walked towards her.
"No need, no need, I've got everything ready. I'll go wake the kids and Lao Lü up." Qiao Xiaoxue waved her hand.
"Then I'll go see if Lulu is awake." Lulu slept with Lü Xiu last night.
"She's still not up. She must have been too tired from playing yesterday." Lu Xiu usually gets up very early.
"I guess so, they don't usually play as wildly as they did yesterday." Their exercise levels yesterday were definitely excessive.
After breakfast, Ji Wei and the others said their goodbyes. Because of the New Year's goods they had bought, as well as a large bag of things that Zhou Meiyun and the others had given them the day before, Lü Shuang finally decided to drive them home. Ji Wei was a little embarrassed and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Lü."
"It's no trouble at all, don't be so polite next time." Lu Shuangcai said as she helped them get their things into the car. Lulu, on the other hand, clapped her hands happily. She liked the car and wished Ji Cong knew that she had come back in this car. He would be very envious.
Rongxian is not far from Wu'an. After sending them back, Lü Shuangcai waved goodbye to them and invited them again, "Come to our house anytime. Your sister-in-law and I don't have much to do at home."
"I'll definitely come when I have time," Gu Zhiyuan replied with a smile.
"Wow, did we buy so much stuff yesterday?" Gu Chen'an asked in surprise as he saw the things laid out in the yard.
“Yes, you picked them all out yourselves. Come on, let’s move them into the main room.” Ji Wei waved to the two little ones to help them move the things inside.
Most of these things are food, and Gu Chen'an couldn't help but say, "I really wish tomorrow was New Year's Day."
"I want to too," Lulu nodded in agreement.
"No rush, the New Year will be here soon." Ji Wei could tell they were craving food, so she smiled and tapped their foreheads.
"I love Chinese New Year the most," Gu Chen'an said with a hint of excitement.
As the Lunar New Year approached, the days became increasingly leisurely. These past few days, the family of four had been staying home, and the yard had long been occupied by them. They were either jumping rope or playing with beanbags. Gu Chen'an would occasionally drag Gu Zhiyuan to play badminton with him, and they'd also tried table tennis. They spent their mornings doing homework and their afternoons playing in the yard. Time flew by, and it was New Year's Eve. Ji Wei and Gu Zhiyuan were busy in the kitchen early in the morning. Gu Zhiyuan was the head chef that day, and she was only responsible for assisting. Although there were only four of them, the New Year's Eve dinner was naturally to be very lavish.
The table full of food made the two little ones very excited: "Wow? So much delicious food!"
Although there were many dishes, everyone had limited appetites, so many dishes were left uneaten. When Gu Chen'an was helping to clear the dishes, he happily said, "I know, this is called 'May you have abundance every year'."
“Yes, this is what it means to have abundance every year.” Ji Wei’s lips curled up again as she thought of the red envelopes she had prepared last night.
"Should I send those things over first thing the day after tomorrow?" Gu Zhiyuan gestured towards the main room, where Ji Wei had prepared holiday gifts.
"Hmm, don't send it over too early. We need to make sure everyone sees it, so no one will gossip about you." Ji Wei didn't plan to go with him; she told him to send it over that day and come back.
“Your brother will probably go back to his wife’s parents’ home that day, so let’s go to the city center,” Gu Zhiyuan suggested.
"Okay, there should be people in the city on the second day of the Lunar New Year." According to Ji Wei, the bus station is only closed today.
“There are people there. I reckon quite a few shops are open. I’ll take them to the park then.” Gu Zhiyuan observed her emotions as he spoke.
"Then it's decided." When Ji Wei looked up and saw the pile of gifts she had prepared, she still decided not to go back and upset herself.
In the afternoon, the two little ones played with the neighborhood children while the two of them watched TV in the main room. Come to think of it, they haven't had much time to spend together like this since they got married. Seeing that she was watching intently, Gu Zhiyuan looked down and played with her fingers, then casually asked, "What are the plans for the family next year?"
"Work hard to make money and move as soon as possible?" Ji Wei said, then began to reminisce about what had happened around her in 1994. It was only then that she realized that she was starting to forget things that happened in her past life. All she could remember were things related to herself and Lulu. She couldn't help but frown.
"What's wrong?" Gu Zhiyuan asked, reaching out to smooth her furrowed brows as he spoke.
"It's okay." Ji Wei shook her head. She thought that it was better if her memory was blurry. Sometimes the helplessness of wanting to help others but not being able to was also very painful. From now on, she would just follow her plan from last year.
“At this rate of earning money, we should be able to move to the city center soon,” Gu Zhiyuan said, glancing at her.
“That’s true. The profits from freight are even higher than I expected. What are your thoughts now?” Ji Wei remembered that he had mentioned before that this might be a transitional period for him.
"I'll save up some money first, then look for suitable industries. I'm quite optimistic about the construction industry. There are many old houses in the city now, and high-rise buildings are all the rage. I might go in that direction," Gu Zhiyuan told her, outlining his plans.
“That’s true. More and more people will move to the city in the future, so the existing houses will definitely not be able to meet the needs of these newcomers, and new houses will need to be built.” Ji Wei then thought of the zero-down-payment house she missed in her previous life.
“Yeah, just the other day Brother Lü was telling me that if we get another chance to get land and build houses, we’ll definitely make more money.” Gu Zhiyuan said, and then told her about what they saw every time they drove to big cities. He was certain that the old houses in the city would be demolished and rebuilt.
"It seems you and Brother Lü have the same idea. Go for it! I'll support whatever you decide." Ji Wei thought to herself, their foresight is far superior to hers. She shouldn't try to show off her skills in front of an expert. She should use this time to properly plan her tutoring business. The tutoring classes during the winter break are only ten days each. Although she was a bit tired from these two holiday tutoring classes, she still felt very accomplished seeing their progress.
In the evening, it was time for the kids to set off firecrackers. Gu Chen'an bought snap pops and sparklers. Lulu was too scared to play with those, so he bought sparkler-like fireworks instead. Ji Wei got playful and looked at Gu Zhiyuan next to her: "Let's go buy some to play with too. It's also a way of wishing us all a prosperous year ahead."
Gu Zhiyuan raised the corners of his lips, then said gently, "Alright, let's go buy it now."
Tonight is Lunar New Year's Eve. Every household has its lights on, and the streets are bustling with activity. There are stalls selling fireworks everywhere. Ji Wei remembered that you need a permit to sell fireworks and firecrackers. She turned to the people next to her and asked, "Which ones have permits? Let's go buy some from the ones with permits."
Gu Zhiyuan had the same idea, so he named two or three shops in a row. Ji Wei looked at him in surprise: "You have a really good memory." It's been almost half a year since he left his job.
Gu Zhiyuan smiled and accepted her praise. The two quickly bought fireworks and sparklers and went back to the yard. When they arrived, the two little ones were watching the fireworks in the sky. Lulu was the first to notice what they were holding and ran over happily: "Mom, did you buy this for me?"
"No, this was bought for Mom to play with, but you can ask her to share some with you." Gu Zhiyuan actually bought some for them when he bought it.
"Can Mom play with this too?" Lulu was a little surprised; she thought it was something only little kids played with.
"Of course, not only can Mom play, but I can play too." Gu Zhiyuan thought that they didn't pay attention to playing these things when they were young, so today he could make up for the regret of his childhood.
The family of four spent the rest of the time playing with the fireworks in the yard. As they burned out, more fireworks rose into the sky, looking absolutely beautiful. At that moment, Ji Wei handed them the New Year's money she had prepared: "Happy New Year!"
The children's expressions quickly turned to excitement as they examined the New Year's money in their hands. A fleeting smile crossed Ji Wei's eyes, but when she turned her head, she saw Gu Zhiyuan handing her a red envelope. She was somewhat surprised: "Is this for me?"
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