Chapter 162 Rest and Recuperation
Nan Zhiyi took the food, picked up a piece of green vegetable, and found that it was indeed more refreshing than the food in the military family canteen.
Xiaoman was sleeping soundly in the crib next to her, breathing evenly.
Gu Xiao said, "The grain ration will be settled next week, and the quota for refined grains will be more than before. Your and Xiaoman's household registration and grain ration will also need to be transferred."
"Mm." Nan Zhiyi swallowed her food. "I don't know much about these things, so you can arrange it."
Gu Xiao put a piece of meat into her bowl. "This house has two floors, so it's hard to clean. Xiaoman can't be left alone, so we need to hire someone to help."
Nan Zhiyi paused with her chopsticks.
During the Jian'an period, there was a woman named Wu Ma in the family.
Once we got here, everything started from scratch.
This big house will need to be furnished with even more things in the future, including the living room, kitchen, and bathroom downstairs, and this second floor... It's really difficult for her to manage everything by herself.
Not to mention that Gu Xiao now holds a higher position and probably has frequent interactions with colleagues, so his home can't be too shabby.
"Wouldn't that be too flashy?" she asked hesitantly.
Gu Xiao understood her concerns: "Many families with two working parents have invited them, and the organization understands. I'll talk to the administration office and find a reliable and hardworking person from the service center. They can come during the day, cook dinner, and then go home; they won't live here."
He noticed her brow was still furrowed, and patted the back of her hand. "Don't worry, I'll handle it."
Nan Zhiyi's anxiety was soothed.
She nodded and touched the base of his thumb with her fingertip: "Okay."
After finishing his meal, Gu Xiao packed up his lunchbox and went downstairs to wash it.
Before long, Xiaoman started crying.
Nan Zhiyi went to change Xiaoman's diaper, but the child was whimpering and not behaving properly.
When Gu Xiao came up again, Nan Zhiyi was sitting on the edge of the bed breastfeeding.
His little head was buried in her chest as he ate eagerly.
Hearing footsteps, she didn't look up: "You smell of sweat, go wash up."
Gu Xiao stood at the door, his gaze lingering for a moment on her lowered neck and slightly open collar before moving away.
"Um."
He turned around, took out a change of clothes from the closet, and strode into the bathroom.
Nan Zhiyi gently patted her son in her arms, listening to the faint sound of water in the bathroom, her cheeks felt a little hot.
She tugged at her clothes.
Nothing was said that night.
When Nan Zhiyi woke up, there was no one beside her.
The sky outside the window was bright, and the cicadas were chirping louder and louder.
When she carried Xiaoman downstairs, Gu Xiao was standing at the door, dressed in a crisp military uniform.
"Awake?" He turned around. "The cafeteria gave me soy milk, fried dough sticks, and two tea eggs. Eat them while they're hot."
Gu Xiao took Xiaoman and placed her on the stroller next to the dining table, letting the little one play by herself.
"I'm going out to finish some chores and I'll be back at noon."
As Gu Xiao spoke, he gave her a warm hug before letting go.
Nan Zhiyi escorted him to the gate of the courtyard.
"It's sunny outside, come inside quickly."
He strode towards the jeep outside the courtyard. A young guard was standing by the car. When he came out, the guard opened the back door.
After the car drove away, Nan Zhiyi carefully looked around.
Several rows of gray brick buildings are neatly arranged, with ample spacing between them, and each building has a small courtyard in front of it, all in an orderly manner.
She closed the courtyard gate and went to the kitchen.
The cabinets were old, but they were clean.
The rice, flour, and cooking oil she brought from the Gu family were piled up in the corner, but there was no oil, salt, soy sauce, or vinegar. The stove was cold, just like when she first went to the military family compound there, waiting for its owner to fill it with life little by little.
The living room is spacious and furnished with several solid wood pieces, which is quite complete. However, the sofas are all bare solid wood, so we need to find some cotton fabric to make some cushions to make them more comfortable.
The bathroom on the first floor has a toilet, sink, and shower, which is sufficient.
The study contained only two rows of empty bookshelves and a desk and chair.
There is also a small bedroom next door.
As she looked around, she gradually felt more at ease.
The house is already in excellent condition, with bright and clean windows and a well-proportioned layout.
The dirt ground in the courtyard was level.
On one side, you can plant some roses, impatiens, or even some vegetables.
On the other side, she thought, "Let's build a grape trellis, and when he's a little older, we can build a swing, a small slide, and a sunshade in the summer..." As she imagined the lively scene to come, a smile crept onto her lips.
Just as she was having a good time, she heard Xiaoman's protest and hurriedly ran to serve that little tyrant.
Around noon, Xiaoman fell asleep.
Nan Zhiyi had just put him in the crib when she heard the sound of a jeep.
She tidied herself up and went downstairs.
The jeep was parked outside the yard. Gu Xiao got out first, his forehead covered in sweat, and a small patch of his military uniform shirt was wet on the back.
The bodyguard behind him, Xiao Liu, unloaded large and small bags from the car.
Gu Xiao and Xiao Liu carried those things into the house together.
"Deputy Division Commander, Sister-in-law, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now?"
Gu Xiao said, "Drive the car back to the team. I'll make my own arrangements this afternoon."
"Yes, Deputy Division Commander!"
Xiao Liu saluted, turned around and left.
Gu Xiao loosened his collar, walked to the sink, and splashed water on his face.
"I'm going to the cafeteria to get food."
Fearing that Nan Zhiyi would get hungry, Gu Xiao left the courtyard again without stopping for a moment.
When he returned with two lunchboxes, Nan Zhiyi was squatting on the ground tidying up the pile of things.
Aside from kitchenware, Gu Xiao bought almost everything he could think of, from household necessities to anything his wife and children needed...
Seeing Gu Xiao return with a lunchbox, his head covered in sweat, she quickly went to the bathroom to wring out a cold towel to wipe his sweat.
Her nose felt a little sore, "Look how hot you are..."
Gu Xiao rarely enjoyed her service, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a wide smile. "It's alright."
After Nan Zhiyi wiped him a few times, he took the towel and went to the tap to wash himself.
She followed him, saying, "Why did you buy so much? You could have added more gradually..."
"I have to go to work tomorrow, and I'm afraid I won't have time if I get busy. Can you see if there's anything else I need? I'll go check it out this afternoon."
"We really don't need any more."
"good."
Gu Xiao pulled her hand and led her to the tap, saying, "Wash your hands and eat."
Two hands, one black and one white, intimately rubbed each other under the tap for a few moments before holding hands and heading to the dining table for a meal.
He opened the lunchbox; inside were scrambled eggs with tomatoes and braised pork, with the rice packed tightly together.
"I spoke with the administration office this morning, and the service center will bring a few people over this afternoon. You can see which ones are suitable."
Nan Zhiyi hummed in agreement, feeling somewhat uncertain.
She's not good at picking people.
Around 3 p.m., Nan Zhiyi had just woken up from her afternoon nap when she heard a knock on the courtyard gate.
Gu Xiao sat by the crib, looking at Xiao Man who had just woken up, and gave her an encouraging look. "It should be the service center staff who have arrived. You can pick one."
Nan Zhiyi tidied her hair, went downstairs, and opened the courtyard gate. She saw a woman in uniform leading three women around forty years old standing outside the gate.
"Are you related to Deputy Division Commander Gu?" the woman asked with a beaming smile. "My surname is Wang, and I work at the service center. Deputy Division Commander Gu told us about these three comrades; they're all family members of our compound, have clear backgrounds, and are hardworking. Would you like to take a look?"
The three women were somewhat reserved, unsure of what to do with their hands and feet.
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