At this moment, all his attention was focused on his back. He was so tired that he could barely stay awake and leaned against Xu Ningyan's back in a daze.
Xu Ningyan's head rested against his back, and the warm breath from his yawns enveloped his back, seeping through his shirt and vest, lingering on his skin, and seeping into his blood. This made him involuntarily swallow hard, and the veins on his hands gripping the bicycle handlebars bulged.
She maintained a composed demeanor: "Thank you for your concern, aunties! I have other things to attend to, so I'll be leaving now!"
After saying that, before the women could say anything more, he pushed off with his foot and said, "Excuse me, please make way—" and quickly drove out of the compound gate.
A group of people were left watching Gu Zhiyuan and Xu Ningyan's retreating figures with regret. This Gu family boy was too slippery; he hadn't even told them what had happened to the Gu family yet.
But it didn't matter. The group exchanged glances and headed towards the Gu family's house together, intending to keep watch nearby and hopefully catch one of the Gu family members to come out and find out the truth.
Gu Zhiyuan had no idea that these aunties were so eager to hear gossip, nor did he care how much of a commotion the news of Gu Yong's divorce from his biological mother would cause in the compound. In any case, he was not expected to return to this place.
The moment the bicycle left the compound, Gu Zhiyuan felt a lightness in his body, as if some invisible shackles that had been binding him had been completely shattered.
He couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth slightly. Now that he had dealt with the Gu family and Gu Yong, he could pursue his own happiness with peace of mind.
And happiness at this moment is riding a bike with your beloved back home!
The more Gu Zhiyuan thought about it, the more energetic he became, pedaling the wheels of his car so hard that he quickly returned to his small courtyard house.
Back in the courtyard, Xu Ningyan was too lazy to wash up. She climbed into bed and fell asleep immediately.
She vaguely heard some noise, but didn't pay much attention, turned over, and fell asleep again.
When she woke up, it was already afternoon.
The courtyard was quiet.
Xu Ningyan got up, yawned, and opened the door.
But in the living room, Gu Zhiyuan was sitting upright, flipping through a book. Hearing the noise, he looked up and said, "Awake? Go wash your face and have some breakfast."
Xu Ningyan went to get some water and washed her face, which made her feel more awake.
Gu Zhiyuan also got up and followed him to the east wing, knocking on the door: "Get up, dinner's ready—"
From inside came Gu Zhixing's still sleepy voice: "I know!"
A moment later, the door creaked open, and Gu Zhixing walked out, rubbing his eyes.
Upon seeing Xu Ningyan, he immediately flashed a big smile: "Sister-in-law, you're awake!"
She also took a towel and went to Xu Ningyan's side to get water. She politely wet the towel, lathered it with soap, washed her face carefully, and rinsed the towel several times before wringing it dry and hanging it on the clothesline. She made sure to stretch the towel flat before nodding in satisfaction.
The two walked into the living room, where several open lunchboxes were on the coffee table.
One dish of braised pork and eggplant, one dish of sweet and sour pork tenderloin, one dish of stir-fried pork intestines with green peppers, and one dish of tomato and egg soup.
Next to it was a small bamboo basket containing about a dozen large steamed buns made with old dough.
The food was only slightly warm, but it was perfect for the hot weather.
The three of them hadn't eaten breakfast and were starving. Without any pretense, they each grabbed a large steamed bun and started eating.
After finishing his meal, Gu Zhixing was kicked by his older brother to wash the lunchbox.
Gu Zhiyuan brewed another pot of jasmine tea, took out a watermelon that had been hanging in the well for half a day, cut it open, revealing the emerald green rind and bright red flesh, sliced it, arranged it on an enamel plate, and brought it over.
Take a bite of a piece; it's cool, refreshing, and sweet, instantly dispelling the summer heat.
When Gu Zhixing finished washing the lunchbox and came over, the three of them sat around eating watermelon and chatting, and that's when Xu Ningyan found out.
It turned out that Gu Zhiyuan and she had just returned to the courtyard, and she hadn't been asleep for long, when Gu Zhixing brought a truck and hauled all the things over.
There was too much stuff, but luckily the west wing of Gu Zhiyuan's courtyard was empty, so the things that weren't needed were temporarily piled up in the west wing.
The east wing had been prepared beforehand, as Gu Zhiyuan had already planned to leave it for his mother and younger brother.
It's fully furnished; you can move in right away.
Gu Zhiyuan and Gu Zhixing both took the day off from work today. Now, having eaten and drunk their fill, they are relaxing on the sofa.
Gu Zhiyuan and Gu Zhixing were worried about Jiang Yuan, and Xu Ningyan also felt a bit listless and didn't say anything. Fortunately, the atmosphere wasn't awkward; on the contrary, it was relaxed and comfortable.
Gu Zhixing adapted well; compared to the stifling atmosphere at the Gu family home, he felt much more relaxed here.
After eating another slice of watermelon and wiping his hands clean, Gu Zhixing couldn't contain himself and looked around the yard: "I wonder how things are going with Mom—"
Before he could finish speaking, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.
Gu Zhixing scurried to open the door, and Jiang Yuan walked in unhurriedly. She looked around the small courtyard and showed a hint of satisfaction.
Gu Zhiyuan and Xu Ningyan welcomed Jiang Yuan in, asked her to sit down, poured her tea, and asked if she had eaten.
Jiang Yuan waved her hand, indicating that everyone didn't need to bother: "You all sit down, I've already had lunch!"
Everyone then sat down.
Jiang Yuan took a sip of tea, looked around the house, and nodded: "This courtyard is nice. I didn't expect you to like this kind of house, Zhiyuan. Is it rented? When the lease expires, Mom will have two more courtyards under her name. You and Zhixing can each have one and move to your own courtyard to live more comfortably."
Gu Zhixing looked at Jiang Yuan in surprise: "Mom, you have a house? My dad, no, I don't know about the Gu family?"
Jiang Yuan frowned when Gu Yong was mentioned, and said casually, "He doesn't know."
He said, "Take out the things I gave you first."
Gu Zhixing hurried to his room to get his luggage bag, while Gu Zhiyuan looked at Jiang Yuan with concern: "Mom, did the divorce proceedings go smoothly?"
Jiang Yuan's lips twitched as she recalled the scene from that morning.
She and Gu Yong left the Gu family gate one after the other in the morning. Gu Yong was holding his anger in his heart, so he didn't say anything and just walked forward with his head down.
Jiang Yuan wasn't in a hurry. She had already called Gu Yong's orderly and asked him to drive over and pick them up to go to the headquarters.
Just as Gu Yong was about to walk out of the courtyard with his head down, Jiang Yuan caught up from behind in a jeep.
The orderly quickly stopped the car, got out, saluted Gu Yong, and opened the car door for him.
Gu Yong, holding his breath, was caught in a dilemma, and sat down with a sullen face.
Although the couple were both sitting in the back seat, they were clearly separated, especially Jiang Yuan, who was practically pressed against the car door, as if the words "Don't touch me" were etched on her forehead.
The orderly didn't dare to breathe. Although he didn't know what was wrong with the commander and his wife, even a fool would know that at this moment, it was best not to speak up and rush in to become cannon fodder.
The train carriage was silent on the way to the headquarters; it didn't feel like people were going to work, but rather like they were going to a funeral!
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