Chapter 411 Materialism
Nan Zhiyi's eyes welled up with tears, and she couldn't help but kiss him again.
This time, feeling her passion, Gu Xiao finally let go of the force he had been holding back.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her against the French windows behind him, deepening the kiss, conquering and entangled her relentlessly.
...
Until she began to sob softly, almost unable to breathe.
Gu Xiao stepped back slightly, giving her some breathing space, but his forehead was still pressed against hers, his breathing heavy.
Nan Zhiyi's cheeks flushed red. "You big bad guy! I don't like you anymore..."
Gu Xiao chuckled softly, making a move to kiss her again. Nan Zhiyi was so frightened that she immediately begged for mercy, her whole body limp and powerless. She only managed to stay upright because he was holding her. "No, wait, Yueyue and Xiaoman should be back soon..."
Fearing she might really get angry, Gu Xiao stopped what he was doing, lowered his eyes, and with restrained gentleness, used his long, slender fingers to carefully fasten the buttons on her pajamas one by one before gently pulling her back into his arms and letting her lean on his shoulder.
The two embraced quietly, gazing at the tranquil night outside the window.
The distant mountains were silhouetted in dark ink under the moonlight, while the nearby trees swayed gently in the evening breeze.
Are you happy today?
"It's alright, everything's fine. The food was delicious, the weather was cool, and the scenery was beautiful..." Nan Zhiyi said softly, "I just missed you..."
Gu Xiao let out a soft hum and glanced at her: "Really?"
Nan Zhiyi solemnly pointed to the sky and swore, "Of course it's true! Without Fifth Brother by my side, I can only eat three meals a day, and I don't have any extra thoughts." She blinked and said it with great seriousness.
Gu Xiao was amused by her and pinched the tip of her nose: "Then I'm here. How many meals are you planning to eat a day?"
Nan Zhiyi chuckled, nimbly slipping out of his embrace. Instead of answering, she grabbed his hand and said, "Fifth Brother, want to go for a walk? I'll go with you. It's so cool here at night, and we can see lots of stars!"
Gu Xiao let her pull him, then stood up and completely enveloped her hand in his palm. "Okay, I'll walk with you."
Upon learning that Gu Xiao had rushed over overnight, Qin Fen hurried to the hotel front desk and returned shortly with a brass key. He deliberately winked at Gu Xiao, saying, "Here, I specially got you a suite for the three of you. I couldn't let you come all this way only to find you can't sleep with your wife tonight, could I? That would be too unfair of me!"
Gu Xiao took the keys and patted Qin Fen's arm: "Thanks."
He exchanged a few more pleasantries with Meng Qingshan, Director Huang, and others before heading to the new room with his wife and children.
When Gu Zhao saw her father suddenly appear, she was so excited that half of her sleepiness disappeared. Even after lying in bed, she kept talking non-stop, from the water birds she saw while boating to the magical legends that Uncle Qin told her.
Gu Xiao sat on the edge of the bed, listening patiently, his large hand gently patting his son's back. "Yes, Dad heard you. Dad will be with you tomorrow, you can go wherever you want."
Gu Zhao's eyelids grew heavy. He closed his eyes, but a smile still lingered on his lips: "Dad, it's so good to have you here..."
He was still intermittently planning where he would take his father to see the next day, but his voice grew softer and softer until he finally succumbed to sleepiness and drifted off to sleep.
Gu Xiao stayed quietly with his son for a while longer, making sure he was sound asleep, before tucking him in and getting up to go to the next bedroom to find his wife.
The next day, the weather remained fine.
The group drove to the famous Putuo Zongcheng Temple.
This temple, modeled after the Potala Palace in Tibet, features ochre-red walls built in layers along the mountainside, with white platforms scattered around the golden roof that shimmers under the summer sun at the highest point. It is truly magnificent and lives up to its name as the "Little Potala Palace".
Although it is a tourist attraction, there are not many tourists at this time. There are groups of two or three people, including some local pilgrims dressed simply, holding incense and candles, who are devoutly climbing the stone steps.
Gu Xiao was meticulous. He took out the sun hat he had prepared beforehand and carefully put it on Nan Zhiyi. He then adjusted the angle of the brim to ensure that it could block out the sun.
He took her hand and followed the crowd toward the temple gate.
Qin Fen, holding Yao Yao, didn't forget to call out to everyone, "Make yourselves at home, everyone. Just meet up at the entrance when you're done playing."
Everyone dispersed with smiles.
Nan Zhiyi wanted to go see the main hall, so she pulled Gu Xiao along and called her son over.
But Gu Zhao was still a child, and everything was new and interesting to him. Even in the solemn temple, he couldn't stay quiet. Like a little colt running around, he couldn't stay by his parents' side for even a moment.
One moment she ran to watch a bird perched on a prayer pillar, the next she went to talk to Ya Ling, and then she sidled up to Zhang Yueran and Zhou Xingzhi to see how her uncle was finding the right angle to take pictures of her aunt.
He was so busy that his face was flushed and his hair was soaked with sweat.
Nan Zhiyi watched her son running around and felt a little worried. She wanted to tell him to go to a shady spot to rest and have a drink of water.
Gu Xiao squeezed her hand and said in a low voice, "Let him go. Boys are energetic. This place is open and there is no danger. Let him run around."
Looking into her husband's calm gaze, Nan Zhiyi let her son explore freely.
She followed Gu Xiao and stepped into the Hall of Universal Unity.
The light inside the hall was dim, and the scent of sandalwood permeated every nook and cranny, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.
Nan Zhiyi and Gu Xiao are both thorough materialists and have always kept their distance from religious beliefs.
At this moment, they stood in the main hall, looking up at the huge gilded Buddha statue.
The Buddha statue sits cross-legged on a lotus throne, its lowered gaze seemingly containing boundless compassion as it looks down upon all living beings in the mortal world.
On one side of the hall, a monk dressed in a crimson robe sat behind a small table with some incense sticks on it and a wooden box next to it with a red paper inscribed with "Donations for Merit".
There weren't many worshippers; only a few people offered incense and knelt in devout prayer.
Nan Zhiyi stared at the Buddha for a while, then took Gu Xiao's hand and walked towards the monk.
Gu Xiao did not stop him, but simply followed silently.
Nan Zhiyi nodded slightly to the monk and took out money from the bag on Gu Xiao's arm to buy three sticks of incense.
She took the incense, lit it on the candle in front of the Buddha, stood quietly for a moment, then knelt down earnestly, raised the incense to her forehead, closed her eyes, and prayed sincerely in her heart.
Finally, she bowed deeply and solemnly bowed three times before inserting the incense sticks into the huge incense burner in front of the Buddha.
As she stood up, Gu Xiao immediately reached out to support her arm, helping her to stand firmly, and then bent down to smooth out the slightly wrinkled hem of her skirt.
Nan Zhiyi looked up and pointed to the donation box, "I'd also like to donate some incense oil money."
Gu Xiao didn't ask anything. He simply opened the handbag hanging on his arm, and Nan Zhiyi took out all the banknotes from her wallet, a thick stack, and put them all into the box.
"Anyway, it's not a big deal. I just hope... Buddha will take pity on this sincerity and grant me some blessings..."
Gu Xiao smiled gently, raised his hand to tidy the stray strands of hair at her temples, and teased in a low voice, "What? Our staunch materialist Comrade Nan Zhiyi, are you planning to cram for the last minute today?"
Nan Zhiyi blushed slightly, but forced a hum, "These don't conflict. Materialism is about understanding the world, but the thoughts in one's heart are another matter. What if... there really are gods and reincarnation in this world? Then I hope that, no matter what, we can be reborn together in the next life."
Gu Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and he tightened his arm around her shoulder, all his unspoken words condensing into one: "Okay."
The incense smoke before the Buddha swirls and curls, carrying this profound prayer that transcends both materialism and idealism to the distant horizon.
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