Chapter 466 Terracotta Figurines
The temple fair is based at an ancient Guanyin Temple, and the square in front of the temple and the streets and alleys extending out from it are full of vendors and tourists.
Vendors selling windmills, clay figurines, and dough figurines; vendors performing shadow puppet shows, ring toss games, and air gun games; vendors blowing sugar figurines, painting sugar paintings, and selling candied hawthorn skewers... a dazzling array of goods.
People dressed in new clothes thronged the crowd, and children carrying windmills or cotton candy weaved through the throng, their laughter, shouts, and haggling creating a buzzing background noise.
Nan Zhiyi linked arms with Gu Xiao and walked slowly forward with the crowd. She was in high spirits, stopping every now and then to look at this and that.
She stopped in front of a stall selling velvet flowers, picked out a pale purple begonia velvet flower and tucked it behind her ear, then looked up and asked him, "Does it look good?"
The velvet flower made her look even more pretty.
Gu Xiao nodded: "It looks good."
Nan Zhiyi picked out one or two she liked, and Gu Xiao paid for them.
She squeezed her way to the old man's sugar painting stall, watched for a while, and then asked him to paint the simplest rabbit.
Holding the crystal-clear sugar rabbit, Nan Zhiyi took a bite of the rabbit's ear herself and held it to his mouth: "Try it, it's sweet."
Gu Xiao took a small bite from her hand; it was sickeningly sweet. He simply looked into her bright eyes and hummed in response.
At this moment, Nan Zhiyi sheds the gentle and composed demeanor that has accumulated over the years, revealing the vibrant and lively spirit of her youth in her eyes and brows.
It's not that her current gentleness is bad, it's just that she was happier in the past, and Gu Xiao feels more sorry for her now.
Nan Zhiyi was in high spirits and dragged him around to various stalls.
She has a penchant for handmade trinkets. At a stall selling pottery figurines, she picked out a pair of chubby porcelain dolls dressed in bright red coats, saying they were "a couple returning home together."
Then, from an old bamboo craftsman, he selected several exquisitely woven small baskets and crates.
Most of the purchases were for Gu Zhao: a wooden monkey that could do somersaults, and painted ceramic toys...
The bag in Gu Xiao's hand gradually became heavier. He sighed softly, "We agreed not to bring your little follower today, but everything you're carrying, both in your heart and in your hands, is about him."
Nan Zhiyi retorted confidently, "How can that be the same? Taking him out means you have to keep a close eye on him all the time, afraid he'll fall, get hurt, or get lost. It's a lot of worry and effort. Now, I'm out with you to have fun, to relax, and to enjoy myself."
Gu Xiao moved closer. "Yeah, whatever makes you happy. Buy them all."
Nan Zhiyi's voice was also soft, as if she were talking to herself, or as if she were only speaking to him: "Of course I'm happy. I'm happy doing anything when I'm with you."
At this moment, there is no work, no social engagements, no entanglements, only the bustling city, the warm sunshine, and the touch of palms connected.
Nan Zhiyi felt relaxed and carefree for the first time in a long time. She even secretly wished she could keep strolling around like this with him forever.
When their hands were full of paper bags and pouches of all sizes, and the sun was beginning to set, the couple prepared to head back.
“Oh, right,” Nan Zhiyi tugged at Gu Xiao’s sleeve, “I promised Gu Yan yesterday that I would paint another portrait of him. There’s an art supply store near the Cultural Palace, shall we go and buy some art supplies?”
Gu Xiao: "Okay. Let's go, it's on the way."
He wouldn't be upset about something like this.
Gu Xiao was aware of Gu Yan's youthful thoughts. But he also knew that his younger brother had long since moved on from the past and was discreet enough not to cross any lines.
Nan Zhiyi, on the other hand, is insightful, but in some ways she has a naive insensitivity. She always treats Gu Yan as a younger brother she grew up with and who now needs her care and blessings.
Given this, he, as her husband and elder brother, was naturally happy to be generous.
At the art supply store, Nan Zhiyi carefully selected the weight and texture of the watercolor paper, and also chose new gouache paints, buying some of several commonly used colors.
Gu Xiao didn't understand these things, but he stayed by her side and watched her pick up two brands of white paint to compare. Pointing to one of them, he said, "This one seems to have stronger coverage? It might be necessary for painting highlights on a portrait face."
He deduced this from the few words she mentioned.
Nan Zhiyi glanced at him with some surprise and smiled, "Good job, Minister Gu, you've improved. I'll listen to you."
The two returned to the Gu family home before dusk.
As soon as she entered the door, Gu Zhao, who was playing with her older cousins in the living room, lit up and ran over, exclaiming, "Mom! Dad! You're back!"
Nan Zhiyi patted his head: "Mom and Dad bought you some little toys. Go get them and share them with your older brothers, sisters, and younger brothers and sisters, okay?"
Gu Xiao handed a few lighter paper bags to his son and patted him on the shoulder: "Go ahead."
Gu Zhao happily agreed, grabbed the bag, and ran back to the group of children.
Nan Zhiyi and Gu Xiao greeted Commander Gu, his brother and sister-in-law in the living room, exchanged a few words about what they had seen and heard at the temple fair, and then carried the rest of their things upstairs.
Back in their room, the two quickly washed up and changed into their casual clothes.
Nan Zhiyi first took out the pair of chubby porcelain dolls, carefully wrapped them in a soft cloth, and said, "Take them back to our home and put them on the desk in the bedroom. It will be very festive."
She took out her newly bought art supplies and laid them out on the desk by the window, saying, "I can start working tomorrow morning when the light is good."
Gu Xiao dried his hair and replied, "Yeah, I have to go out tomorrow morning. Dad told me yesterday to accompany him to visit some old leaders tomorrow, it'll probably take most of the day."
Nan Zhiyi walked over, put her arms around his neck, and looked up at him: "Go ahead, business is important. I'll wait for you at home."
As she spoke, she leaned in to kiss him.
Gu Xiao lowered his head and quickly touched her lips.
Nan Zhiyi was still tiptoeing closer, her breath gently brushing against her chin.
Gu Xiao lowered his voice helplessly, "Please, wife, don't tease me like this." There are many people around, and the door isn't locked; this isn't a time to do whatever you want.
Nan Zhiyi snorted, refusing to back down: "Who flirted with you?" As she spoke, she tried to let go of her hand.
Gu Xiao tightened his grip, preventing her from moving away. Instead, he embraced her, and the two of them tumbled down onto the sofa next to them.
He sat down and let her sit sideways on his lap, completely encircling her in his arms.
“Just like that,” he whispered in her ear, “hold me for a while.”
Nan Zhiyi stopped moving, quietly leaning against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, and teasingly said, "Minister Gu, your heart is beating a little fast."
Gu Xiao laughed in exasperation, then leaned down and bit her cheek: "You're so mean. It's all because of you."
Nan Zhiyi didn't dodge. Instead, she raised her hand, found his slightly burning earlobe, and gently pinched it.
She didn't speak, she just looked at him.
After all these years, she had long lost that shyness in front of Gu Xiao.
Instead, there is an intimacy that is deeply ingrained in their bones.
She grew to like him more and more, to the point that she just wanted to indulge her inner desires, follow her instincts to get close to him, kiss him, and cling to him.
Gu Xiao was almost overwhelmed by her gaze... The affection in it was open and intense, devoid of the reserve of youth, only the deep longing that had settled over the years.
He lowered his head, buried it in the crook of her neck, and breathed in the tranquility and fragrance that belonged only to him: "...I really want to just hold you like this and never go anywhere else."
Nan Zhiyi's heart melted, and she felt a secret sense of pride.
She stopped her mischief and instead gently stroked the stubble on the back of his neck.
Neither of them spoke again, and they simply embraced quietly in the fading twilight.
The faint noise downstairs became a distant background sound; the tranquility and closeness of this moment were so real that they made one's heart tremble.
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