The capital city.
Gu Zhiyuan was initially happy to receive the long-awaited letter and package slip from Xu Ningyan.
But when he opened the letter, his upturned lips disappeared. The letter was full of polite thanks from the young girl, saying that the things he sent were too expensive and that he didn't need to send any more, as she had plenty of food and clothing in the county town.
However, the last few lines did somewhat improve his mood. The letter ended by saying that she had also sent some things to Gu Zhiyuan, but the county town was small and the things were not as good as those in the capital.
She only prepared some food, but because of the hot weather, it was difficult to send other things. She only prepared fried noodles, beef sauce, and dried meat, which are easy to preserve, and sent them over. She told Gu Zhiyuan to remember to pick up the package from the post office in time so that it wouldn't spoil.
If we were to say what Gu Zhiyuan missed most after leaving Jingshan County and Xu Ningyan, besides Xu Ningyan herself, it would be her cooking.
Just looking at those few things written on the paper makes my mouth water.
I couldn't sit still any longer. Aning was right. These things had been sent all the way from Jingshan County. What if they got spoiled if they were delayed for a few more days?
The spy case at the machinery factory has been mostly resolved in the past few days, so things can finally settle down a bit for him.
I took a day off to pick up the package and went home for a visit.
Aside from returning home on his first day back in Beijing, he hasn't been home since and doesn't know how his mother and younger brother are doing.
Gu Zhiyuan was a man of exceptional initiative; he immediately went out to find his superiors and asked for a day off.
The leaders also know that Gu Zhiyuan and his team have suffered a lot for this case over the past few years, and they haven't even had time to go home since they returned almost a month ago.
Now that the case has been finally closed, the authorities have not only agreed generously, but also given Gu Zhiyuan two extra days off so that he can rest and spend time with his family.
Gu Zhiyuan had a three-day holiday. After thinking about it, he went back to his dormitory, packed two changes of clothes, and rode his bike to the post office.
Upon arriving at the post office, I presented the parcel slip, and a parcel was quickly placed on the counter.
The package wasn't big, it was square, and it was wrapped very securely.
Gu Zhiyuan didn't take it too seriously. He tried to hook it with his finger but couldn't budge it. The female staff member at the counter smiled and said, "Your package doesn't look big, but it's quite heavy. Young man, you should carry it!"
Gu Zhiyuan listened to advice, nodded to the woman, and easily picked up the package and left the post office.
After tying the package to the back seat, Gu Zhiyuan lowered his head and rode into the courtyard.
Fortunately, the compound wasn't too far away. Although it was a bit hot in the morning, it was bearable. However, by the time I got home, my back was soaked with sweat.
The Gu family's house is a three-story building with a courtyard outside.
Before, when only Jiang Yuan, her two children, and Gu Yong lived there, the yard was surrounded by flowers and plants, and two plots of land were reserved as vegetable gardens.
Ever since the Gu family patriarch and patriarch, along with Fang Dani and her son, moved in, all the flowers and plants in the yard have been removed and replaced with vegetables.
Grandpa and Grandma Gu were busy tending their small vegetable garden, watering it and weeding.
Upon seeing Gu Zhiyuan enter the courtyard, the two men's expressions darkened.
Grandpa Gu threw the water ladle in his hand into the bucket, snorted coldly, and went into the house with his hands behind his back.
Grandma Gu rolled her eyes and muttered, "Why are you back again!"
She followed the old man into the house, and as soon as she entered, she went into the kitchen and busied herself with something for a while before coming out with Fang Dani.
Although Fang Dani's life at the Gu family's house wasn't exactly luxurious, it was still much more comfortable than her life in the countryside.
She used to have to buy groceries and cook, but now that there are more people in her family, she went back to her hometown and asked a distant relative to come over. The relative was supposed to help take care of the children, but in reality, the relative was a nanny who took over the grocery shopping and cooking.
All she had to do each day was help look after things in the kitchen and chat with Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu.
Life was leisurely and comfortable, and Gu Yong provided for the household expenses. With money in hand, she also learned to dress up by being influenced by the people around her.
He looks younger and more energetic than he did back in the countryside.
Seeing Gu Zhiyuan enter, she smiled and adopted the air of the lady of the house: "It's Zhiyuan! You're a rare guest, it's not easy for you to come! Why didn't you tell the family beforehand? You could have let Aunt Fang prepare. You came so suddenly, and the family wasn't prepared at all, there wasn't even any meat. Wouldn't that be neglecting you?"
She turned to Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu and said, "Dad, Mom, please sit down. I'll go to the logistics department to see if there's any meat left. I'll buy some meat! This child hasn't been home for years, and he looks so thin. We need to nourish him."
Meanwhile, she was also about to call Gu Yong: "I'll call his dad and tell him that Zhiyuan is back, so he can come home early for dinner and see the kids."
Grandpa Gu said sternly, "He's just a junior, and all these years he just says he won't come back! Even if he does come back, is he some kind of precious person? He eats whatever we eat, is he more precious than us elders? We can eat it, but he can't?"
Grandma Gu chimed in, "It's good enough that there's food to eat. His father has to support such a big family all by himself, and life is very tight. It's good enough that he can eat his fill. If there's meat, it should be saved for the children. He's a grown man, does he still crave a few bites of meat?"
Fang Dani looked at Gu Zhiyuan with a troubled expression, as if she was caught in a dilemma.
Gu Zhiyuan chuckled. Fang Dani had been using this trick for over ten years and still wasn't tired of it.
When I was young and hot-blooded, I would always get angry at Fang Dani's actions and we would end up arguing. Then Gu Yong would jump out and accuse me of disrespecting my elders and accuse Jiang Yuan of not teaching the child well.
Fang Dani pretended to be magnanimous again, speaking well of them and their son.
She herself had been fooled before, and when she confronted Fang Dani for pretending to be kind, she would be met with another round of scolding from Gu Yong.
Then the Gu brothers jumped out and lamented their misfortune, saying they shouldn't have stayed in the Gu family and should have left long ago.
Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu cried and wailed, saying that since this family could not accept them, they would leave together, and that dying outside was better than suffering at home.
Then Gu Yong would force him and his biological mother, Jiang Yuan, to apologize to them.
At this point, Jiang Yuan would argue fiercely with Gu Yong again in order to protect her brothers.
In the end, the ones who always benefit are Fang Dani and Gu Dajun and his brother.
During these arguments, Gu Yong realized that Gu Dajun and the others were the weak ones who were constantly being bullied and couldn't do without his protection.
Then he felt that Jiang Yuan was unreasonable and could not understand or support him, and he also felt that the two brothers, Gu Zhiyuan and Gu Zhiyuan, had no brotherly affection for their two elder brothers.
Later, after he started working, he wasn't blind to Fang Dani's tricks, but he was probably still angry about Gu Yong's favoritism, or perhaps he still had expectations of Gu Yong, so they would still argue, feel disappointed, and get provoked.
But now, after that incident, his last bit of hope for Gu Yong has completely vanished.
Looking at Fang Dani and the old man of the Gu family now, the old lady's back-and-forth banter only seems ridiculous.
If it weren't for his mother and younger brother still living there, he probably would never have set foot in that house again in his life.
He gave Fang Dani a cold look, and that one look sent a chill down Fang Dani's spine, causing the provocative words that were on the tip of her tongue to get stuck in her throat.
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