Chapter 273 Ming Style
Nan Zhiyi was a little embarrassed by his question, "What I prepared... is very simple, not as good as yours..."
Gu Xiao pulled her closer to him, wrapping her tightly in his trench coat. "Nonsense, even a blade of grass from my wife is a treasure to me. Tell me, what is it?"
Coaxed by him like that, Nan Zhiyi honestly confessed: "In that bag in the car... there was a watercolor painting that I painted... I was planning to give it to you tonight."
Gu Xiao adored her obedient little face, gently patting her back reassuringly with his large hand, "Wife, I love you so much...you're so good..."
These words sounded incredibly familiar to Nan Zhiyi. Suddenly, she remembered that he often said this at night, and she couldn't help but reach out and lightly pinch his side, protesting softly, "Don't try to coax me like that..."
Gu Xiao felt a tightness in his waist and abdomen from her pinch, let out a muffled groan, and indeed stopped talking, but a deeper smile appeared in his eyes.
"Hmm, let's not talk about that now. Let's take a look at our new home. Do you like Ming-style furniture? Like... a canopy bed?"
He observed her expression and continued, "I still have some money on hand, so we can start arranging for the furniture to be delivered in the near future. We'll arrange it according to your preferences."
Nan Zhiyi was both surprised and delighted, and looked up at him.
How could he even know that?
She never explicitly said it, but she did have a preference for Ming-style furniture.
"Fifth Brother, how do you... know everything?"
Gu Xiao chuckled softly, his fingertips gently tracing the corners of her slightly reddened eyes once more. "If you put your heart into it, you'll definitely know everything."
Nan Zhiyi's heart was filled with emotion, and she could no longer hold back. She stood on tiptoe and hugged his neck tightly, "Fifth Brother, I'm so happy..."
Gu Xiao caught her steadily, but then whispered earnestly in her ear to correct her, "I think... I'm happier than you."
For him, the greatest happiness is being able to make her laugh like that, to give her a stable home of her own, and to be a part of her every future plan.
His words almost brought tears to Nan Zhiyi's eyes again.
Gu Xiao noticed and immediately kissed her cheek lightly, changing the subject: "Okay, okay, let's not talk about this. Qin Fen helped me contact someone who specializes in buying and selling used furniture. I heard they have some good stuff, and they're legitimate. Shall we go take a look on Sunday? I've measured all the dimensions of this house, so you can just pick out what you like."
He then offered her another option: "Or, if you don't like the old one and feel awkward using it, we can find a skilled carpenter to make a new one. It's just that good wood is hard to find these days, so we might only be able to use some common pine or elm. What do you think?"
He handed over all the choices and preferences to her.
Nan Zhiyi leaned against him and nodded gently: "Yes, let's go take a look at the old furniture first."
On Sunday, while Sister Zhang took Xiaoman out for a walk, Gu Xiao and Nan Zhiyi also got ready to go out.
"Let's go pick up Qin Fen first." Gu Xiao started the car.
"Mm." Nan Zhiyi nodded.
Last night, Gu Xiao mentioned to her that Qin Fen was quite knowledgeable about antique furniture, was worldly-wise, and had a keen eye for quality. Asking him to help take a look would save a lot of trouble and prevent her from being ripped off.
As the car drove out of the army compound, Nan Zhiyi leaned against the window, watching the street scenes rushing by outside. The bare tree branches drew sparse lines against the gray-blue autumn sky.
She recalled the classmates who had disappeared without a trace before summer vacation, and her younger sister Zhang Yueran who mentioned that a classmate in their department had dropped out of school, according to the teacher.
She had asked Gu Xiao about it then, but Gu Xiao didn't go into details. He only said, "Qin Fen said that once the matter is investigated, justice will be served. However, it involves a wide range of people, and it will take time to process. This is also to protect the children who actually got in through the exam. The new student registration will be properly resolved when they enroll in the fall."
Zhang Yue later told her that Comrade Qin Fen had come to the school to see her once, not only praising her for upholding the truth and daring to report the situation, but also giving her a notebook with the word "award" printed on it and a pen. He also solemnly asked her to keep the matter a secret.
"Comrade Qin said that dark clouds cannot block out the sun, and the stolen life will surely be returned to its rightful owner. He reassured me and said that the students who are supposed to come this autumn will definitely come."
Zhang Yueran remarked at the time, "Sister, I never expected that Comrade Qin, such a high-ranking official, would be so approachable and speak so kindly."
When Nan Zhiyi heard this, she laughed and teased her, "Isn't Fifth Brother quite approachable too?"
Zhang Yueran immediately made a face, grabbed her books, and ran towards the library: "How can that be the same? I'm going to study!"
Recalling all this, a faint smile appeared on Nan Zhiyi's lips.
Soon, the car stopped at an intersection, where Qin Fen was already waiting.
He opened the car door, got into the back seat, and greeted the two women with a smile: "Old Gu, sister-in-law, long time no see."
Gu Xiao nodded to him, "Thank you for your hard work today."
"It's not hard work at all. I'm happy to be of help."
Qin Fen smiled gently and nodded to Nan Zhiyi.
Nan Zhiyi quickly turned slightly to the side, returned the smile, and said with great respect, "Minister Qin, thank you for making this special trip."
She had heard Gu Xiao mention that Qin Fen had been promoted again recently.
Qin Fen: "Sister-in-law, don't be so polite, it's too formal. Just call me Lao Qin, like Lao Gu does, it's more friendly."
Nan Zhiyi glanced at Gu Xiao subconsciously and saw him nod almost imperceptibly before she readily gave a soft "hmm," but did not immediately change her mind.
Qin Fen didn't mind and naturally got to the point, beginning his introduction:
"The place we're going to today is in the suburbs. The owner's surname is Zhou, and people in the trade call him 'Old Zhou from Shanxi,' not because he's from Shanxi, but because he's 'shrewd' at spotting things, has a sharp eye, and actually has some really good stuff hidden away."
"The boss's ancestors ran a woodworking business. He himself learned carpentry when he was young. Later, by chance, he started collecting antique furniture. In the past few years, when the situation was tight, he was bold and knowledgeable. He secretly collected a lot of good items that had been leaked out, some of which were even from the former Qing Dynasty princes' mansions and princes' mansions. He carefully hid them in a warehouse in the suburbs."
Now that the policies have loosened, he dares to release a few items sporadically. The goods are truly excellent, and the prices are reasonable, but this man has a bit of a temper; it depends on fate, he doesn't sell to just anyone.
Qin Fen explained in detail, clearly knowing this Mr. Zhou very well: "His things are mainly Ming style, made of solid materials and with exquisite craftsmanship. Many of them are made of huanghuali, zitan, and old rosewood. When you take a look, if you find anything that catches your eye, feel free to examine it closely. The price will definitely be reasonable."
Nan Zhiyi nodded earnestly.
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