Chapter 45 What does it mean to prepare for the New Year outside of principles?
This is the first New Year for the family of four. Not only are they looking forward to it, but the two little ones are also very excited. For children, the New Year means not only new clothes to wear and lucky money to receive, but also lots of delicious food. So, children look forward to the New Year the most.
School hadn't even started winter break yet, but some classmates had already bought new clothes for the New Year. Gu Chen'an's deskmate was one of them, so after school he asked Ji Wei curiously, "Mom, when are we going to buy our new clothes for the New Year?"
"Let's have a holiday this week. We'll go buy it after you finish your classes." Ji Wei glanced at him after saying that, it seemed he wanted to celebrate the New Year.
"Great! Quite a few people in the class have already bought new clothes, and I want to buy some too, and new shoes too." Gu Chen'an's eyes were full of anticipation.
"Okay, you can choose whatever you like then." Thinking of the cashmere coat Gu Zhiyuan brought back, Ji Wei decided that she wouldn't buy any other new clothes for the New Year.
"Can I buy a dress?" Lulu saw some of her classmates in kindergarten wearing winter dresses, and she wanted one too.
"If you see something suitable, then go for it." Ji Wei smiled and gently rubbed Lulu's little face. She remembered that Lulu, even after growing up, didn't like wearing dresses at all and always preferred a cool and stylish look.
"It will happen," Lulu nodded vigorously.
"Lulu, I'll help you pick out some flowers, and I'll also buy you new ones." The flowers Gu Chen'an mentioned were Lulu's hair ties and hair clips. Ji Wei found it amusing to see the two of them imagining the New Year. She hadn't looked forward to the New Year for a long time, but this time was different.
The two little ones were discussing their new clothes for the New Year. When they finally got home, they pointed to the gate of the yard and said to Ji Wei, "Mom, we also need to buy lanterns to hang here."
"Okay, I'll do as you say," Ji Wei said with a smile, agreeing to their suggestion.
However, the final exams came even earlier than the New Year. Gu Chen'an was a little nervous. Could he get a perfect score in math again? Would he improve in Chinese? Compared to his nervousness, Lulu was much more relaxed, since there were no exams in kindergarten.
Seeing his nervousness, Ji Wei gently comforted him, "Don't be nervous, just perform as you usually do. Remember what I told you before? One exam doesn't mean anything."
Gu Chen'an glanced at her, hesitated, and said, "My deskmate said that if he does well on the exam, he will receive more New Year's money. I also want more New Year's money."
His words made Ji Wei chuckle. Meeting his expectant eyes, she reached out and patted his shoulder: "Then good luck!"
Gu Chen'an watched her departing figure, wondering whether she had agreed or not. But regardless of whether she agreed or not, he had to do well on the exam; he couldn't let her down.
Gu Zhiyuan usually works during his fixed rest time, but occasionally he will choose to switch shifts with his colleagues if he has something to do at home. Like this time, he switched shifts with someone else in advance so that he could take Gu Chen'an to school for his exam.
After nearly a year of spending time together, the father and son had developed a very close relationship. On the way to school, Gu Chen'an made a request to Gu Zhiyuan: "Dad, if I improve in Chinese this time, can you grant me a request?"
"Okay, but only if it doesn't violate the family's principles." Gu Zhiyuan glanced at him, hoping he would make his request directly.
"What are the principles of family?" Gu Chen'an asked, somewhat puzzled.
“Anything your mother doesn’t agree to is outside of her principles,” Gu Zhiyuan concluded after thinking for a moment.
Gu Chen paused for a moment, then understood what he meant and said happily, "Don't worry, Mom definitely won't object."
"That's fine then." Gu Zhiyuan nodded in agreement.
"Yes, I will definitely do my best on the exam today." Gu Chen'an clenched his fist to cheer himself on.
"Go ahead, I believe in you." Gu Zhiyuan stood at the school gate and watched him enter the classroom. He ran a couple of steps and then stopped, probably because he ran into a classmate. The two chatted and laughed as they walked towards the classroom. At this moment, Gu Chen'an was confident and poised, completely different from the timid Gu Chen'an he had seen when he returned at the beginning of the year. Gu Zhiyuan thought that his change was all thanks to Ji Wei, so when he used this as an excuse to give her the gold jewelry he had bought this time, she probably wouldn't say he was wasting money, right?
Ji Wei had to proctor exams today, so she arrived at school early. She was unaware of his ulterior motives. Although the second graders' final exams were over today, their teachers' work wasn't finished yet. Once she had her holiday, the Lunar New Year wouldn't be far off, and she could take the two children to prepare for the holiday. However, it seemed there wasn't much to prepare. Gu Zhiyuan always brought back local delicacies from his trips, especially in the month leading up to the New Year. Besides cooked food and snacks, he would also buy dried goods. Her taking the two children to prepare for the New Year was simply to let them experience the festive atmosphere.
After the final exams, the two little ones went to school with Ji Wei every day. While she and the other teachers were grading the papers, the siblings would play games together, such as beanbag toss or cat's cradle. As for jump rope, Lulu wanted to try, but neither of them knew how, so they had to switch to skipping rope instead.
Zhou Xiuzhen had approached her privately, saying she was busy and could send the child to their place so she could look after her. Ji Wei knew this was a way out; if she agreed, it would mean all the previous friction was over. She also knew that Zhou Xiuzhen's willingness to "soften" herself wasn't because she cared about her daughter, but because of Ji Shengzhou. Their factory's performance was deteriorating, some people had already been laid off, and the whole factory was in a state of panic, everyone afraid of being next. Ji Wei had always disagreed with the saying that it's better to be a little oblivious, that being too serious isn't good, but unfortunately, she was a serious person. This time, she calmly said to Zhou Xiuzhen, "Mom, go back. I can't pretend what happened before didn't happen. If you're willing to cover for Ji Shengzhou, that's your business, don't drag me into it. I have my own life and my own future."
For some reason, seeing Ji Wei's calm attitude, Zhou Xiuzhen had a bad feeling. She would rather Ji Wei question them like before or bring up old grievances. The calmer Ji Wei was, the more panicked she became. She tried to explain, "Weiwei, do I have ulterior motives for everything I do? I really want to help you this time. I have no other purpose. I've been keeping an eye on Xiao Cong anyway. Whether I'm watching one or three, it makes no difference."
“No need, I can take good care of them.” Ji Wei shook her head and refused again. She believed that Zhou Xiuzhen could be sincere to her at times, but once such sincerity involved Ji Shengzhou’s interests, she would always be the one to be abandoned. She was satisfied with her current life and no longer needed to seek that pitiful love from them.
Zhou Xiuzhen wanted to say something, but seeing her calm face, she couldn't say anything. She knew clearly that Ji Wei had been pushed away by them.
Zhou Xiuzhen came in a hurry and left just as quickly. Ji Wei was completely unmoved by this little incident. She was even thinking about the things Gu Zhiyuan brought back, those flashy but impractical things that they didn't like. She would sort them out and send them to their family as gifts. In any case, she wouldn't give anyone a chance to find fault with the proper etiquette, especially in the first year of their marriage.
The brother and sister were both very well-behaved at school and made new friends. After all, many teachers, like her, chose to bring their children to school. By the time school was completely closed for the holidays, it was already the 26th of the lunar year. Ji Wei planned to take them to the city to buy New Year's goods the next day.
"Mom, can I buy some spicy strips?" Gu Chen'an asked.
"Mommy, can I buy bubble gum?" Lulu still loves all kinds of bubble gum.
"Anything is fine, but not too much." A childhood without junk food is incomplete. Rather than letting them sneakily eat those things, it's better to just buy them and bring them home for them to eat.
"And there are apples, oranges, and bananas," Gu Chen'an listed the fruits his family loved to eat.
"Think about what you want to buy. Your dad is coming back tomorrow. If you miss this opportunity, I won't be able to carry all this stuff next time." Ji Wei told them to make a list of what they wanted in advance so they wouldn't forget anything tomorrow.
Lulu can't write many words, but the little one is very clever. She drew everything she wanted on a piece of paper and then asked for praise.
"You draw so well!" Although Gu Chen'an was usually a fanboy, this time his praise was genuine. He felt that Lulu drew even better than him.
"That's really great, Lulu is amazing." Ji Wei also praised her. It seems that what Teacher Li said last time was right, Lulu really is talented. She decided to ask Lulu if she wanted to take an art class when she got a little older.
The next day, when they arrived in the city, they saw Qiao Xiaoxue and Lü Song waiting for them at the station. They had arranged to prepare for the New Year together. Of course, the most important thing was that it was the end of the year and the freight business was due to settle accounts. Today, they could not only prepare for the New Year but also receive dividends. Just thinking about it made it a wonderful day.
Because they had prepared a list in advance, Ji Wei and her group quickly bought what they needed. Qiao Xiaoxue and her son, on the other hand, were still picking and choosing. Qiao Xiaoxue was surprised by their speed: "How did you guys get here so fast?"
"I wrote down what I need to buy in advance, so I won't be overwhelmed by all the choices today," Ji Wei explained.
"That's a good method, I'll try it next time." Qiao Xiaoxue looked eager to try it.
Just as Qiao Xiaoxue finished buying, Lü Shuangcai and Gu Zhiyuan arrived. With them there, Ji Wei and the others didn't need to carry anything. Lü Shuangcai drove his van and took both families back to the warehouse garage, where two offices were also reserved in addition to the dormitory.
Upon arriving here, before they could even unload the New Year's goods from the car, Lü Shuangcai shooed them to the office. Looking at the various receipts on the desk, Ji Wei felt a headache coming on. Did he have to do the accounting on the spot?
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