He ran all the way to the riverbank before stopping. He washed himself quickly, scrubbing the mud off his hands and feet, and then splashed some water on his face to make himself look more refreshed. He took a deep breath, went up the slope, and opened the door.
As soon as the courtyard gate opened, an overwhelming aroma of meat wafted out, and Gu Zhiyuan's stomach immediately rumbled in agreement.
Hearing the noise, Xu Ningyan poked her head out of the kitchen and greeted Gu Zhiyuan with a smile: "Brother Gu is back! Go wash your hands and get ready to eat!"
In that instant, all Gu Zhiyuan could see was that smiling face. His previously empty heart seemed to settle back into its place, and he felt completely at ease.
His heart was beating a little fast, but he quickly came to his senses, smiled, and agreed, "Okay."
He went to fetch water and carefully washed his hands with soap.
Turning around, Xu Ningyan had already laid out the food under the camphor tree.
The table was laden with three large bowls of dishes: a large bowl of braised pork with pickled vegetables, a large bowl of stir-fried red amaranth with garlic, the bright red broth looking incredibly tempting, and a bowl of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, the red and yellow colors contrasting beautifully, sprinkled with a little chopped green onion. You could mix this broth with rice and easily eat a whole bowl in one go.
Although Gu Zhiyuan was extremely hungry, he could tell at a glance that the plates and bowls used to serve the food were all new, and although they were made of coarse porcelain, they were extremely rare in the countryside.
Even the rice bowls were replaced with large bowls, filled to the brim with rice, pressed very tightly.
Gu Zhiyuan picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth. The pork was marbled with fat and lean meat, and it was fatty but not greasy. It melted in his mouth and the pickled vegetables, which had absorbed the meat juices and oil, were fragrant and had a bit of chewiness. One bite was enough to make him eat several mouthfuls of rice.
Once you pick up your chopsticks, you can hardly stop.
He'd been making do these past few days, just enough to fill his stomach and keep him from starving, and he missed Xu Ningyan's cooking every day.
When he ate it again after a few days, he couldn't control himself for a moment.
Xu Ningyan mixed a bowl of rice with tomato and egg soup and braised pork soup for the lackey and placed it on the table. The lackey had been waiting for a long time and couldn't wait to start eating.
Xu Ningyan was also hungry, and for a moment the yard was silent except for the sounds of the people and dogs working hard to eat.
The two people and the dog devoured all the food on the table, leaving not a single scrap.
After eating and drinking his fill, Gu Zhiyuan's energy returned. Without Xu Ningyan saying anything, he was already used to it and silently got up to clean up the dishes and wash them.
After washing, she cleaned the pot and prepared tea for tomorrow, as well as bathwater for Xu Ningyan.
The firewood was burning in the stove, and Gu Zhiyuan only needed to go in and add more firewood every now and then.
He walked out, and at that moment, half the sky was ablaze with fiery clouds, half a magnificent sunset, and half a blue sky.
Xu Ningyan sat under the camphor tree, quietly watching the sunset. Her hair and face were made to look like a figure in a painting by the sunset.
Gu Zhiyuan was stunned for a moment, not knowing whether it was because of the sunset or the person.
Night gradually fell, and the sunset faded away.
Xu Ningyan came to her senses and, seeing that it was still early, went inside, lit the mosquito-repelling herbs, and took the rest to the yard to light them.
A gentle mountain breeze blows in the evening, and the daytime heat slowly dissipates.
The two of them had eaten too much for dinner and didn't feel like moving around much. They sat there, enjoying the breeze and talking.
Xu Ningyan told Gu Zhiyuan everything she had done in the county town these past few days, except for switching from reselling supplies to buying them, and the matter of Xu Zhenzhu and Lu Kai. She didn't hide anything else and told him everything in detail.
Gu Zhiyuan showed no impatience whatsoever. Instead, he listened quietly, holding his teacup, before offering his opinion: "You're still young, so it's normal that you haven't thought things through. I understand your thoughts—wanting to achieve something so that the production team will be more lenient with me. However, Comrade Li Jianguo's concerns are valid; in our current situation, stability is paramount!"
"As long as we stay put and don't give anyone a chance to find fault, the production team will be begging and flattering you! For your sake, they'll at most just ignore me! That's good!"
"Please don't take any risks because of me. If you get implicated or something happens to you because of me, my family background will make things even harder without your protection, Aning! So, for my sake, please be extra careful, okay?"
At this point, Gu Zhiyuan made a rare joke, but before he could finish speaking, the tips of his ears turned red.
Xu Ningyan really wanted to explain that she had become arrogant. Maybe it was partly for Gu Zhiyuan, but it was mostly for herself.
I wanted to tell Gu Zhiyuan not to overthink things!
But seeing the tips of his reddened ears and hearing his rare joke, I swallowed my words of explanation.
What a joke! The fact that Gu Zhiyuan can joke with me proves that he trusts me more and that our relationship is getting closer.
If there were a rating system for this, it would increase the favorability rating by at least five points, right?
She must be stupid to explain!
Moreover, she did indeed think of Gu Zhiyuan. Although it wasn't much, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was all for him!
Xu Ningyan quickly convinced herself.
Of course, her expression was still somewhat unnatural, so she slightly avoided Gu Zhiyuan's eyes, raised two fingers to her ear as if swearing: "Yes! I'll listen to you! I'll definitely protect you from now on!"
After saying that, she gave Gu Zhiyuan a fawning smile.
Gu Zhiyuan then noticed that Xu Ningyan, whose face had become a little fuller, had two tiny dimples the size of grains of rice when she smiled.
The little girl's smile is sweet and endearing, and her eyes seem to sparkle with starlight.
For a moment, Gu Zhiyuan didn't dare to look anymore. He awkwardly turned his gaze away, cleared his throat, and changed the subject: "You said you brought back a lot of good things from the county. What were they?"
Xu Ningyan got excited when this was mentioned.
Women, after a shopping spree, naturally want to show it off when they get home.
The new bowls and chopsticks are already in use, so there's no need to show them.
She took out a new set of clothes, a new pair of rubber shoes, a new pair of cloth shoes, and two pairs of socks that she had bought for Gu Zhiyuan: "These are for you! No coupons needed! They're defective items bought from the warehouse! With this kind of benefit, this job is worth it!"
"Don't worry, from now on, you'll be living the high life with me!"
Whether it was because of these words or because he saw that Xu Ningyan had gone out and bought so many things for him, Gu Zhiyuan rarely showed a brief smile.
He even chimed in, "Alright, I'll follow you from now on!"
After exchanging a few jokes, Gu Zhiyuan noticed that Xu Ningyan looked tired and quickly said, "The bath water is ready. Wash up and get some rest! Don't rush to work tomorrow morning. Go talk to the brigade leader and the party secretary about the situation in the county and wait for their arrangements."
Xu Ningyan nodded obediently, fetched hot water, went back to her room to wash up, and fell asleep as soon as she lay down on the bed.
Gu Zhiyuan, on the other hand, cleaned up the mess in the kitchen and returned to his room. Looking at the things spread on the bed, something was silently churning in his eyes.
However, he quickly regained his composure, rubbed his temples, and fell into a deep sleep.
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