Chapter 113 Bonus
Aunt Wu was scooping the rock sugar bird's nest from the stewing pot into a small bowl, and then took out two steaming, plump, white, milky steamed buns from the steamer and placed them on a porcelain plate.
Zhang Xiufen's gaze lingered on the bowl of crystal-clear bird's nest for a few seconds, then she looked at the two fine grain steamed buns that were clearly prepared on purpose, and she felt uncomfortable.
She couldn't help but ask, "Aunt Wu, is this bird's nest for Fifth Brother's wife?"
Wu Ma continued working, replying, "Yes, Zhiyi is pregnant, and Commander Gu specifically instructed me to stew a pot of it every day."
Zhang Xiufen paused, "She's pregnant?"
That young lady doesn't look like she'd have a good fertility, so how come she got pregnant after only a year of marriage?
But that's not the point.
Her main question was, "This bird's nest, is it from Dad to the fifth son's family?"
Aunt Wu shook her head. "It wasn't given by the commander. Regiment Commander Gu brought it back himself."
Zhang Xiufen said "Oh," and forced a smile: "Fifth brother is so thoughtful."
Even if Gu Xiao is a soldier with a high allowance, how could he possibly get so much bird's nest?
Did you bring it back on purpose?
Who are you kidding!
It must have been the old man who secretly subsidized it; it's just that Aunt Wu wasn't telling the truth.
All the good things in the house, whether it's food or household items, are reserved for the fifth son's family!
Look at that bird's nest, then look at Zhiyi's new cotton-padded jacket that looks like it's made of very good material, and then look at how nervous Lao Wu is...
On what grounds?
Just because his fifth brother was the commander's most valued son, and he married a capitalist's pampered daughter?
Her son, Jianjun, was also Commander Gu's son. He was a secretary in the Agricultural Machinery Bureau and worked diligently. But when had the old man ever thought about their second wife?
Neither of the two children benefited much from their grandfather's influence!
Bird's nest? And you stew it every day?
She has given birth to two sons; she has never received such treatment before.
She pouted, a surge of resentment rising in her chest.
"This is so unfair..." she muttered under her breath, feeling indignant.
Aunt Wu pretended not to hear and silently placed the bird's nest and steamed buns on a tray to take upstairs.
Zhang Xiufen watched Wu Ma's figure disappear at the top of the stairs, then threw the rag in her hand into the basin and returned to the second-floor guest room with a sullen face.
Gu Jianjun was lying sprawled out on the bed, snoring and fast asleep.
Gu Gang and Gu Qiang were huddled together on the sofa in the corner, heads touching, engrossed in their comic books, unaware that she had even come in.
"Where did this book come from?" Zhang Xiufen asked curtly.
Gu breathed a sigh of relief and pointed to the book, saying, "My fifth uncle gave it to us! He was afraid we'd be bored!"
Gu Qiang nodded quickly: "Fifth Uncle told us to watch it, and said as long as we don't break it!"
The slight sense of imbalance that Zhang Xiufen had just suppressed suddenly surged up again.
Fifth!
It's the fifth one again!
She recognized the comic book at a glance as one of Gu Yan's old treasures, the cover of which was worn and frayed.
Gu Xiao specially found it out to show these two boys, wasn't it because he thought they were noisy and afraid they would disturb his precious wife?
That's so thoughtful!
Looking at her oblivious husband, Gu Jianjun, a surge of anger rushed to her head.
That straightforward guy!
They don't understand any of the intricacies!
The fifth brother is all the rage in front of the old man, and when his wife is pregnant, he treats her like royalty. But his own husband is all he does: eat and sleep!
She really wanted to slap him awake and ask him if he knew how much "grievance" his wife and children had suffered in this family.
But he stopped halfway through raising his hand.
She knew Gu Jianjun's fiery temper well. If she really angered him, he would start yelling and arguing without thinking, offending the old man or getting into a conflict with the fifth son. In the end, it would be the second branch of the family that would suffer.
She could only swallow her anger and resentment, her chest aching with tightness, and silently sat down at the table.
The atmosphere in the master bedroom upstairs was completely different.
Nan Zhiyi sat on the sofa.
Gu Xiao scooped up a spoonful of crystal-clear bird's nest with a small spoon, blew on it, and brought it to Nan Zhiyi's lips.
"Open your mouth."
Nan Zhiyi obediently opened her mouth and ate in small bites.
Gu Xiao patiently fed her, occasionally picking up a bit of bread crumb with his fingertips and handing it to her.
After eating the bird's nest and a few bites of steamed buns.
"Where did the bird's nest come from?" Nan Zhiyi asked.
Although the Gu family held a high position, Commander Gu was always frugal and did not usually keep such items at home.
Gu Xiao paused for a moment, placed the tray on the bedside table, turned around and sat down next to her, rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand: "I had someone else do it."
Nan Zhiyi wasn't so easily fooled. She looked at him with her dark, bright eyes and asked, "Who should we ask? This must have cost a lot of money and tickets, right?"
With a hint of worry, she asked, "Have you spent all your secret stash of money?"
Gu Xiao's allowance book was kept by her; the only money he could spend was his own savings.
Looking at her worried little face, he reached out and pinched her cheek: "No."
He finally explained simply, "This time... I got a little extra bonus for the mission."
Nan Zhiyi was stunned for a moment.
"bonus?"
She was somewhat surprised.
She roughly knew about the military's allowances and reward system; to be able to afford such a large amount of bird's nest as a "bonus," that task...
Her heart skipped a beat, and she gripped his hand tightly.
Gu Xiao rubbed her hand: "Don't overthink it. The mission went smoothly, and everyone is safe. It's just... the results were quite outstanding, so the reward from above was a bit too generous."
He avoided discussing the dangers and specifics of the task, emphasizing only the safety of the outcome and the reasonableness of the reward.
"It's good for you and the kids to get better health. Don't worry about the money, okay?"
The shock in Nan Zhiyi's heart gradually subsided.
She gave a soft "hmm," rested her cheek against his chest, and muttered softly, "Well... we can't be too extravagant."
Gu Xiao chuckled softly, gently stroking her still flat stomach with his other hand: "Don't worry, I can afford to take care of her."
"So...do you still have money to spend? Do you have enough tickets?"
“A housekeeper? We have enough.” He squeezed her slightly cool hand. “Don’t worry about that.”
"When you go back to your unit, I'll bring you some money and tickets..." Nan Zhiyi was still worried.
"Really, you don't need to. There's still plenty left. Just focus on recovering and don't worry about these things."
Seeing his insistence, Nan Zhi stopped talking, snuggled closer to him, and the two quietly nestled together.
Gu Jianjun's family had to go back to the Agricultural Machinery Bureau compound in the evening, so dinner was served earlier than usual.
Nan Zhiyi rested well in the afternoon and her appetite returned somewhat.
Aunt Wu was very thoughtful and specially made her a bowl of shredded chicken porridge, served with crisp pickled cucumbers, and two small vegetarian buns.
This is different from the food served to others.
Sitting opposite Nan Zhiyi, Zhang Xiufen looked at the "specially provided" food in front of her, and then at the same food in front of her that everyone else had. A sour feeling welled up in her heart again.
Both are daughters-in-law of the Gu family, but the difference is... She ate her rice in silence, feeling that even the braised pork in her bowl had lost its flavor.
After the meal, Gu Jianjun was telling his two children to put on their coats and get ready to go home when Wu Ma came over and said, "Secretary Gu, the commander has instructed that you come with me to the warehouse to move some things to take back with you."
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