Seeing Xu Ningyan come out, he glanced at his watch. He had gone to bed late last night and hadn't slept well on the way. Now that he was finally in his own territory, with his beloved girl under the same roof, he was a little excited and overslept this morning.
He grabbed two steamed buns casually and headed out, saying, "Ah Ning, breakfast is on the table, eat slowly! I'm going to work now, I'll bring you lunch. After I've finished handing over my work, I'll take you to meet my mom and brother! I'm sorry you've had to go through all this trouble these past few days—"
He patted Xu Ningyan's head apologetically and hurriedly went out.
The alley was bustling with activity at this time, with people going to work and going to school all rushing to their destinations. The sounds of adults urging their children to hurry up and children crying and whining about not wanting to go to school created a lively atmosphere.
Xu Ningyan closed the courtyard gate, washed up, and slowly ate her first breakfast in the capital.
Gu Zhiyuan knew Xu Ningyan's tastes and didn't dare let her try things like douzhi (fermented mung bean juice). She had a bowl of zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste), a bowl of douzhi, and two steamed buns.
It was okay, nothing special, neither bad nor amazing.
After finishing her meal, Xu Ningyan had nothing to do. She washed the clothes she had changed out of yesterday and swept the yard, and then it seemed like she had nothing else to do.
After thinking for a moment, I went to the kitchen.
The kitchen contained some local specialties that they had brought back to Beijing from the Northwest Military Region.
In Gu Zhiyuan's words, there's no need to send them back to the Gu family. Even if they were sent back, Jiang Yuan and Gu Zhixing wouldn't get much to eat, and they might even have to listen to some sarcastic remarks. It's better to leave them here, cook them, and let Jiang Yuan and Gu Zhixing come and eat.
Therefore, Xu Ningyan packed all these things out.
Just as Sun Zhou had said, the kitchen was ready to start cooking; everything was complete, including several small empty jars and pots.
It looks like it was left by the previous owner. Sun Zhou didn't throw it away; he had it cleaned and kept.
After sorting and organizing these local specialties, I checked the time and realized it was almost noon.
Xu Ningyan looked at the scorching heat outside, thinking that Gu Zhiyuan would have to rush back after get off work at noon, and it was still very hot.
I couldn't bear to do it, and since all the utensils were ready, I simply cooked a pot of mung bean paste, added rock sugar, and made it sweet. I put it in a clean little jar, then used a rope to lower it into the small round well in the yard to chill it.
I steamed a pot of rice, topped it with a plate of cured pork from Northwest China, checked the cupboard for a few eggs, and saw some scallions in the flower bed by the kitchen door, so I stir-fried some scallion eggs.
As soon as Gu Zhiyuan carried two boxes of food into the yard, he smelled the aroma of cured meat and eggs.
He paused, his gaze softening further.
Since returning to Beijing from Jingshan County, he has been staying in his dormitory every day. Whenever he has a spare moment, he thinks of coming home from work and Xu Ningyan smilingly inviting him to wash his hands and eat. At that moment, his heart feels especially at peace.
He swallowed hard, then strode in and helped Xu Ningyan carry the food to the stone table, just as he had done countless times before in Jingshan County.
Xu Ningyan saw that his head and face were covered in sweat, and his clothes were soaked through, revealing his white vest underneath.
He gestured for him to wash his face and, while he was at it, to scoop up the mung bean paste from the well.
Upon hearing that there was mung bean soup, Gu Zhiyuan felt a bit less hot, even though he hadn't drunk it yet.
After washing my hands and face, I scooped out the mung bean paste. Although it wasn't cold enough, it already had a slight chill.
Gu Zhiyuan first drank a bowl of mung bean soup, and he immediately felt much more comfortable and had an appetite.
There were no rules about not talking while eating between the two, and Gu Zhiyuan took the opportunity to tell her: "When it's not so hot this afternoon, if you're really bored, you can go next door to find Aunt Wang and have her show you around the area. I've left the money and tickets on the coffee table, just take them with you. Buy whatever you like, don't worry about saving money for me. I've already called my mom and brother to tell them you've arrived in Beijing. Tomorrow is the weekend, and my mom wants us to come back for dinner."
"Don't be afraid, don't worry, don't feel guilty! You'll understand when you meet my mom and my younger brother; they're both very good people—"
Xu Ningyan smiled and said, "I'm not afraid, I'm not worried, and I don't have any psychological burden! But I think you should give your aunt and brother a heads-up in advance so they can be mentally prepared! Don't let me be too unrestrained at the Gu family and scare your aunt and brother."
Gu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "If you can really deal with those people in the Gu family, my mother might not say anything, but my brother will definitely be the first to jump out and support you!"
The two finished their meal while chatting and laughing. Gu Zhiyuan went back to his room to rest for less than half an hour before rushing off to work.
He usually eats and lives at his workplace, but today, although he was a little tired from cycling back and forth, he was full of energy and seemed to be in a very good mood.
When his colleagues saw him in the afternoon, they were all puzzled. Had Gu Zhiyuan, who was always expressionless, taken the wrong medicine?
Only Sun Zhou, who knew the inside story, and a few brothers who had gone down to Jingshan County with him knew that Xu Ningyan had come, and they winked and smiled at each other.
Xu Ningyan had nothing to do in the afternoon. After Gu Zhiyuan left, she thought about it and decided that if nothing unexpected happened, she would still want to study at a university in Beijing. Even if she didn't study at a university in Beijing, it would be good to acquire some property there.
Such old-style courtyard houses would fetch astronomical prices in later generations.
Although she can't buy it now, it doesn't stop her from finding out about the situation in advance, right? That way, she won't be completely clueless when she comes to the capital and have to rely entirely on Gu Zhiyuan.
Remembering Gu Zhiyuan's instructions to visit Aunt Wang next door whenever she had free time, Xu Ningyan got up, went to the kitchen and fussed around for a while, grabbed a bowl of red dates she had brought back from Ganzhou, went out of the yard, and knocked on the door next to her.
"Is anyone home?" I gently knocked on the door knocker of the yard gate twice.
Soon a voice came from inside: "Who is it?"
The door creaked open, and Aunt Wang looked at the unfamiliar young girl in the doorway with a puzzled expression.
Xu Ningyan smiled slightly: "Hello, Aunt Wang, I'm from next door. My surname is Xu. I just arrived yesterday, and my house was just tidied up. My husband, Brother Gu, said you're the most helpful person, and he'd appreciate it if you could show me around this alley! This is my first time visiting you, so I don't have anything special to offer. These are some red dates that Brother Gu brought back from his business trip. They may look unassuming, but they're quite sweet and good for replenishing blood! Please don't mind them, Auntie, have a taste—"
Aunt Wang suddenly remembered that this was the girlfriend of Mr. Gu, the handsome but seemingly intimidating neighbor. She never expected that Mr. Gu's girlfriend, who looked so cold and intimidating, would actually be such a sweet and obedient girl.
Moreover, he seemed like a cultured person at first glance and in his voice. He spoke so elegantly, calling it a "visit" when it was just a casual visit! This made her feel instantly more sophisticated.
Looking at the bowl again, it was full, piled high, with large, plump red dates—clearly a good find.
She was even happier, seeing Xu Ningyan as adorable no matter how she looked at her.
He quickly put on a smile: "Oh, it's Xiao Xu! Come in, come in and sit down!" He stepped aside, adding, "Look at you, so polite. Please sit down, let me get you some water—"
He led the people into the courtyard.
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