Chapter 59, the final chapter: The future will only get better.
Ji Wei couldn't quite understand Gu Zhiyuan's sudden emotions, but she also inexplicably understood his feelings. She thought that, to some extent, they saw each other as mirrors, which is why they always tried their best to be nice to each other, as if that would make up for their past shortcomings.
After he calmed down, Ji Wei asked him, "Do you think there's anything special about this outfit?"
Gu Zhiyuan glanced down at his coat, quickly recalling the one he had brought back for her from his last business trip. His tone was uncertain: "The two coats seem almost identical except for the color?"
"Yes, I specifically chose this one because the styles were similar. Do you like it?" Ji Wei didn't forget to look at the person opposite her while speaking. The tall figure paired with the black coat made her wonder whether the person complemented the clothes or the clothes complemented the person. But no matter what, she had struck gold.
"Of course I like it." This joy reminded Gu Zhiyuan of the feeling he had when he was a child, when he finally had new clothes of his own, a feeling he hadn't had for many years.
"If you like it, that's good. Your job is different now than before, so you can keep those clothes at home. I'll buy you a few more things next week when you have a holiday." This time, afraid of buying the wrong thing, she only chose one coat.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Teacher Ji." He remembered that his sister-in-law was also in charge of managing these things at Brother Lü's house. This was a family relationship that he had once envied, and now he had it too. He felt a sense of satisfaction.
"Of course." A husband's appearance is a wife's glory. Since it concerns her own glory, Ji Wei naturally cares about it. Moreover, seeing him wearing the clothes she bought gives her a strange sense of accomplishment.
"Don't just buy things for us, remember to buy some for yourself too." After saying that, Gu Zhiyuan took off his new coat and put on his old clothes, which he planned to wear when he went out tomorrow.
"Okay, it's getting colder and colder. Let's soak our feet tonight." Ji Wei said, pulling her coat collar tighter. The temperature had dropped a bit too quickly this time.
"Where are Chen'an and Lulu?" Gu Zhiyuan only then remembered to ask the children.
"They're doing their homework inside. I'll have them soak their feet before they go to sleep, so they'll be warmer when they sleep." Ji Wei said, feeling the temperature outside by the window, and decided to put on another layer of clothing tomorrow.
A fleeting smile crossed Gu Zhiyuan's eyes: "I'll go check on them and then go boil some water."
Although the weather was getting colder, the family's hearts were together, and this winter didn't seem so difficult. Ji Wei was getting more and more used to the experimental primary school, and the principal even asked her to become a homeroom teacher starting next semester. Fortunately, Ji Wei was used to this job, so she didn't find it too tiring, but she didn't forget about the tutoring classes.
She finally saw the design drawings for Jinxiuyuan. The first floor was designed as shops, and she immediately reserved two rooms with Gu Zhiyuan: "Let's buy these two rooms later."
"You're planning to open your tutoring center here?" Gu Zhiyuan thought about it and thought it was a good idea, at least it's close to home, which coincided with his previous plans.
"Yes, that's the plan for now." Ji Wei nodded. This year, he had been working hard to generate more income for the family, while she had become complacent.
“Then I’ll talk to Brother Lü in advance tomorrow. He’s also planning to reserve two storefronts for your wife, and he’s thinking of expanding the business from Rong County to here as well,” Gu Zhiyuan said to her.
"That's great. If the occupancy rate of Jinxiuyuan is high, we won't have to worry about the flow of people at all." Ji Wei felt that there was a reason why they were able to make money.
"That's true. Brother Wang and the others are also planning to reserve two rooms for rent." Actually, they were worried that they wouldn't be able to sell them later, so they were absorbing them internally in advance. Of course, there was no need to tell Ji Wei about this and make her worry.
"So it seems that even if I hadn't said anything today, you would have already been planning to reserve two rooms?" Ji Wei looked at him with a smile.
"I was planning to discuss this with you tonight." Gu Zhiyuan smiled; she really knew him.
Ji Wei understood the meaning in his eyes and smiled in response.
Since the weather suddenly turned cold, Ji Wei felt as if time had been sped up. By the time she realized it, it was already the New Year. This year, the family of four spent New Year's Eve in their rented apartment in the city. When Gu Zhiyuan handed her the New Year's money bag, he asked, "Are you going back to Wu'an the day after tomorrow?"
"I don't want to go back," Ji Wei said honestly.
"If you don't want to go back, then you don't have to. I'll drive back, deliver the holiday gifts, and then come back," Gu Zhiyuan replied decisively.
"Okay, then thank you for your hard work." Ji Wei didn't stand on ceremony. She believed that she had already repaid her parents' kindness in raising her in her previous life, so in this life she planned to live more freely and no longer be afraid of moral coercion.
"This is nothing. Take them both out for a stroll the day after tomorrow." Gu Zhiyuan hadn't told his family back home about his job change, only sending money back during holidays. They received the money on time and didn't inquire about his family's affairs, which he was quite satisfied with. Just like now, he understood Ji Wei's feelings. He didn't want to go home and face those so-called relatives either. The two of them shared the same opinion on their families of origin, so they rarely disagreed. Even if they did, it always ended with Gu Zhiyuan agreeing with Ji Wei's ideas.
Compared to last year's New Year, the whole family was much more at ease this year. After the brother and sister came back from playing with fireworks, they looked at the two of them expectantly, their meaning was all too clear.
This time, Ji Wei and Gu Zhiyuan both prepared lucky money bags. The siblings received double lucky money bags, and they couldn't hide their smiles. Lulu even said happily, "I love Chinese New Year."
"I also like Chinese New Year." Gu Chen'an squeezed the red envelope in his hand as he spoke. With this money, he could buy a lot of badminton shuttlecocks. Just thinking about it made him happy.
Lulu, now a year older, hadn't grasped this yet; she was wondering how many Ooh-Ooh milk candies she could exchange for the money in her New Year's bag. Looking at their carefree eyes, Ji Wei also felt happy.
After the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, it was time to go back to school. After a semester of adjustment, both the brother and sister and Ji Wei were becoming more and more familiar with the city environment. Moreover, Ji Wei discovered that there were already competition classes in the city, so she enrolled Gu Chen'an in one as well.
"Mom, aren't you going to teach me anymore?" Gu Chen'an asked, sounding a little downcast after learning that she had enrolled him in a class.
"Of course not, I'm sending you to be an 'undercover agent' and summarize other people's experiences for me," Ji Wei quickly explained her original intention.
"I understand. I will definitely do my best and not let you down." Upon hearing the word "undercover agent," Gu Chen'an's previous disappointment vanished, replaced by thoughts of how to be a good "undercover agent," and various images flashed through his mind.
“No need to be so serious, let’s just take this as a reference. After Jinxiuyuan is completed, my tutoring class will start. Which teacher do you like the most?” Ji Wei asked. At that time, the relevant regulations were not so strict, and many teachers were tutoring outside during the holidays.
"Which one do you like the most?" Gu Chen'an felt that all the teachers were pretty good, and he couldn't decide for a moment.
"Yes, my favorite subject?" Ji Wei planned to take the math herself and ask another teacher for the Chinese subject.
"My Chinese teacher, I guess," Gu Chen'an said after thinking for a moment.
"Okay, I understand." Ji Wei had a list of invitees in mind.
"So, does your tutoring only cover Chinese and math? Can't it be like the Children's Palace, which covers both?" Gu Chen'an asked.
"Let's take it one step at a time. I'm not familiar with arts and sports." Ji Wei didn't brush him off just because he was a child; instead, she explained it to him earnestly.
"If we have both, Lulu and I can play badminton and dance here with you," Gu Chen'an said, expressing his expectations.
"Then I'll try my best." Ji Wei chuckled, surprised that his ambitions were even greater than hers.
"If it's too hard, we can hire other teachers, right?" Gu Chen'an belatedly realized that this would be too much of a burden for her.
Ji Wei couldn't help but chuckle and reached out to ruffle his hair: "Don't worry about this for now." She wasn't the type to suffer in silence.
"Then you should hire more teachers and be the boss." In the child's mind, the boss is the most powerful.
“Okay, then you and Lulu will be little bosses.” Ji Wei said to him seriously, suppressing a smile.
"Yes, then Lulu and I will be little bosses, hehe, I'm going to tell Lulu." Gu Chen'an finished speaking and quickly ran to tell Lulu the good news.
A smile spread across Ji Wei's eyes. Since moving to the city, the atmosphere at home had become more and more relaxed. When Jinxiuyuan was completed and handed over in May, Ji Wei and her family began to prepare for the renovation.
The villa was three stories high. Ji Wei let them design their own rooms. Lulu's drawing skills had improved significantly in the past two years, and she drew a princess-style room. Gu Chen'an, who was standing next to her, was very envious and asked her to draw the room he wanted. Not only in terms of design, Ji Wei also gave them complete freedom in choosing their rooms. She took them to the unfurnished rooms to choose their own rooms. In the end, Gu Chen'an chose a room on the second floor, while Lulu chose a room on the third floor. In her words, princesses always live on the top floor.
Renovating is no easy task. Ji Wei not only had to communicate with the children but also with the renovation team. Fortunately, all the hard work was worthwhile. After five months, their long-awaited new home was finally completed. Everyone felt involved in this new home project. When the rooms on the blueprints became real rooms, the siblings shouted with joy. Gu Chen'an, in particular, quickly calmed down and looked at Ji Wei earnestly: "Mom, thank you and Lulu for coming. You've given Dad and me a real home."
His earnest look reminded Ji Wei of the day she returned. Twenty-eight-year-old Gu Chen'an was pushed away by Zhou Xiuzhen without hesitation before danger struck, and eight-year-old Gu Chen'an mustered up the courage to tell her, "Teacher Ji, if you can be my mother, my father and I will treat you well."
The two Gu Chen'an from different times and spaces overlapped at this moment, becoming the person with the eyes. Ji Wei's tone also became serious: "This family is something that we all worked hard for. No one can be missing. Life will be better in the future. Let's work hard together."
The seriousness in Gu Chen'an's eyes was replaced by a smile, and his tone became lighter: "You're right, the future will only get better."
Ji Wei turned her head to look at Gu Zhiyuan beside her. The two smiled at each other. Yes, the future will be better and better. This is just the beginning.
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