Chapter 316 Thoughts
The wedding banquet officially began, with an exceptionally lavish spread of dishes, including chicken, duck, fish, and meat, as well as several seasonal fresh vegetables and delicate desserts, demonstrating the care and attention the Qin family had put into this marriage.
Nan Zhiyi placed a piece of stir-fried shrimp on Zhang Yueran's plate. "Yueyue, try this? It should taste good."
Zhang Yueran snapped out of her daze and smiled at her sister.
Her mind was in turmoil; the throbbing in her heart, which she couldn't even explain herself, made her unsure of where to begin, and she felt it was difficult to speak to her closest sister.
She did as instructed, putting the shrimp into her mouth and chewing mechanically, but couldn't taste any freshness.
She ate the entire meal absentmindedly, her eyes constantly drifting to that aloof figure before quickly looking away.
Nan Zhiyi carefully observed her sister's expression and, seeing that although she seemed somewhat dazed, her emotions were relatively stable, she didn't press the matter further. She always respected other people's feelings, and relentlessly asking questions was not her style.
After a lively wedding banquet, the host saw the guests off, and everyone enjoyed themselves.
Qin Fen deliberately pulled Gu Xiao aside, "Old Gu, not bad, another promotion? You have a bright future ahead of you!"
Gu Xiao remained expressionless, patted his arm, and smiled helplessly, "You're well-informed. I haven't even received any official notification myself, but you already know."
Qin Fen laughed and flattered him a few more times: "With your abilities and qualifications, it's only a matter of time!"
On the other side, Li Xiaoxuan also warmly held Nan Zhiyi's hand and exchanged pleasantries, then bent down to tease Xiaoman.
"Sister-in-law, Xiaoman is growing more and more beautiful. She's so lovely and charming. It's easy to like her. Let's get together for a game of mahjong or go boating in the park on weekends when we're free. Let's keep in touch."
Nan Zhiyi naturally smiled and agreed, "Okay, let's keep in touch."
Zhang Yueran stood quietly beside her sister, a faint smile on her face.
When Li Xiaoxuan spoke to her, she nodded and replied with a few words, her gaze uncontrollably following Zhou Xingzhi's figure.
Until they saw him walking towards Qin Fen and his wife, preparing to say goodbye.
As he approached, Zhang Yueran felt her heart skip a beat.
She subconsciously lowered her eyelashes, staring at the tips of her shoes, not daring to look at him again, afraid that any slight movement she made would seem abrupt.
Zhou Xingzhi walked closer, nodded slightly to Qin Fen and Li Xiaoxuan, and said in a clear and detached voice: "Minister Qin, Comrade Li, congratulations, you're leaving now."
Qin Fen was used to his mannerisms and laughed, "You go ahead with your work, we'll get together again next time."
Zhou Xingzhi nodded to Gu Xiao and Nan Zhiyi again, then turned and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the surging crowd at the door.
Zhang Yueran felt empty inside; perhaps she would never see him again... she thought.
After exchanging pleasantries with the host, Gu Xiao got into the car with his wife, children, and sister.
He asked Nan Zhiyi, "Where should we go first?"
Nan Zhiyi then turned to Zhang Yueran in the back seat and asked, "Yueyue, where do you want to go..."
Zhang Yueran had composed herself, trying to keep her voice natural and calm, and even managed a slight smile.
"Sis, no, I want to go straight back to school. Professor Chen has assigned a new task, and it's quite urgent. I need to go back and get it done quickly."
Upon hearing that it was about academic matters, Nan Zhiyi naturally couldn't persuade him to stay any longer, so she said to Gu Xiao, "Then let's take Yueyue back to school first."
Gu Xiao turned the steering wheel, and the car headed towards Peking University.
Xiaoman, sitting in the back, noticed that her aunt was in a bad mood. She snuggled into Zhang Yueran's arms and cupped her face with her soft little hands. "Auntie, are you unhappy?"
He cupped her in his little hands, and Zhang Yueran hugged Xiaoman close, kissing him on the cheeks. Her tone became light and cheerful: "Auntie isn't unhappy at all. Auntie is so happy to see our Xiaoman..."
Xiaoman felt ticklish from her kisses and squirmed in her arms.
The two played around for a while, and before the car even reached the school gate, Xiaoman fell asleep in Zhang Yueran's arms.
Upon arriving at Peking University, Nan Zhiyi moved from the passenger seat to the back seat and took the sleeping Xiaoman from Zhang Yueran's arms.
Zhang Yueran reluctantly squeezed Xiaoman's warm little hand and said to Nan Zhiyi, "Sister, I'm going back to school now. When I get my scholarship, I'll buy you and Xiaoman some nice things."
Nan Zhiyi tidied the stray hairs by her temples: "Okay, let's wait for our Yueyue."
Zhang Yueran greeted Gu Xiao again before opening the other car door and walking into the school without looking back.
Nan Zhiyi seemed thoughtful. "I have a feeling that Yueyue is acting a little strange today, like she's hiding something?"
Gu Xiao looked at her in the rearview mirror and skillfully shifted gears to start the car.
"When you were her age, didn't you have your own worries?"
Nan Zhiyi pretended to be deep in thought, then smiled and looked at him.
"Hmm... When I was Yueyue's age, I was thinking about how to marry Fifth Brother."
She generously fed him a sweet candy: "Maybe... you're thinking about Fifth Brother all day."
These words really hit a nerve with Gu Xiao. He couldn't help but smile and chuckled, "Really?"
Nan Zhiyi retorted seriously, "I'm just telling the absolute truth."
Gu Xiao felt a surge of heat in his heart, pressed the accelerator slightly harder, and looked straight ahead: "We'll talk about it when we get home."
"Okay, let's go home first." Nan Zhiyi adjusted her posture and hugged her son. "It's quiet this afternoon, so I can write some articles."
Gu Xiao: ......
He wouldn't let his wife bury herself in her work.
Since the wedding banquet that day, Zhang Yueran has indeed thrown herself into her studies, keeping herself so busy that she has become completely silent.
Before she knew it, it was the day before Xiaoman's third birthday. She still couldn't find the time, so during her lunch break, she rushed to the library and found Nan Zhiyi.
"sister."
Zhang Yueran, her forehead still damp with sweat and her breath slightly ragged, shoved the small box into Nan Zhiyi's hand, lowering her voice.
"Our lab has taken on a new project, and Professor Chen is very demanding. I've had to work overtime with my seniors these past few days to do testing. This is a birthday gift for Xiaoman, and I really can't make it tomorrow."
Nan Zhiyi accepted the gift and noticed the faint dark circles under her eyes.
"Okay, okay, studies are important. You don't need to think about preparing a gift next time. Don't you understand your feelings?"
The library was quiet, and the two spoke in hushed tones.
Nan Zhiyi then gave her a few more detailed instructions, such as eating on time, getting enough rest, and being careful during field tests.
Zhang Yueran agreed to everything and left in a hurry without lingering.
When Xiaoman returned home from school in the afternoon, Nan Zhiyi greeted him first, "Son, your aunt brought you a gift."
Xiaoman took the box and said, "Thank you, Auntie." Then she asked, "Mommy, can I open it now?"
Nan Zhiyi naturally agreed.
The mother and son worked together to open it, and it turned out to be a set of assembly toys, which was quite novel and interesting.
Xiaoman sat on the carpet and began to study slowly, while Nan Zhiyi took a book and sat down next to him to read.
Gu Xiao had some matters to attend to at his unit that evening, so he returned home later than usual.
Nan Zhiyi first coaxed Xiaoman to sleep. She lay on her side, gently patting her son's little bottom. Looking at his well-behaved and peaceful sleeping face, her heart melted.
She was a little dazed; time had flown by, and in the blink of an eye, the little guy was already three years old.
She still clearly remembers when he was born, he was such a tiny, soft little bundle, his cries were like a kitten's, but he held her fingers with great strength.
How come in the blink of an eye, he can run and jump, clearly express his likes and dislikes, and even hug her neck and act cute?
The thought that he would one day grow up, have his own world, and no longer be so dependent on her as he was now filled Nan Zhiyi with melancholy.
Just as I was in a daze, the bedroom door was gently pushed open, and Gu Xiao walked in.
He had just taken off his military jacket when he saw Nan Zhiyi get up from the bed, run over barefoot, and throw herself into his arms.
Gu Xiao supported her thighs, lifted her off the ground, and held her firmly in his arms like a child.
"I miss you as well."
Nan Zhiyi muttered stubbornly, "Who missed you... I was just thinking that Xiaoman is three years old now. He's growing up so fast, he'll have to leave home someday..."
Gu Xiao carried her to the sofa and sat her down, letting her sit on his lap, his arms tightly around her.
"Xiaoman will grow up and have his own path. But Zhiyi,"
He lifted her face, making her look into his eyes, and said, "I will always be with you. Home is wherever you are."
This simple promise put Nan Zhiyi at ease.
"Gu Xiao, I will always be with you."
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