Chapter 290 Admitting Defeat
Zhou Anping was amused by her witty remark and laughed so hard he almost fell over: "Fine, then take them all if you dare!"
Zhang Yueran shrugged with feigned regret: "Not today, I have to go out with my sister later, I can't carry any more!"
The three sisters looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.
When Xiaoman saw the adults laughing, he also laughed along.
After Zhang Yueran had happily picked out several trinkets, she went into the inner room and played with Lele for a while.
Nan Zhiyi then took Zhang Yueran and Xiaoman and bid farewell to the Zhou family.
They took a bus to Wangfujing Street.
With the Spring Festival approaching, this place is much more lively than usual.
The shop windows on both sides displayed a variety of fresh goods, the aroma of cooked food wafted from the food shops, people came and went in front of the Xinhua Bookstore, and vendors selling candied hawthorn and roasted sweet potatoes were calling out their wares. Some of the stalls were surrounded by a lot of children.
Zhang Yueran pulled Xiaoman along, looking at this and touching that, curious about everything.
They shopped until dark, and when the two sisters were carrying so many things that even Xiaoman had to help carry her cookie box, they were too tired to walk or carry any more, so the two adults and one child stopped by the roadside.
"Yueyue, did you have a good time shopping today?"
Zhang Yueran said with lingering enthusiasm, "If you hadn't had to carry that canvas bag, I could have bought even more."
She then asked, "How are we getting back? By bus?"
Nan Zhiyi looked around and happened to see a Shanghai-branded car with a "TAXI" sign slowly driving by. She quickly raised her hand to wave.
The car pulled over to the side of the road.
The driver rolled down the window and asked for the destination.
Nan Zhiyi gave the name of the army compound, and the driver nodded, even offering to help open the trunk so she and Zhang Yueran could put their bags inside.
The car had only been running for a short while when Xiaoman nestled in her mother's arms, rubbing her eyes and feeling sleepy. Soon after, she fell asleep in her mother's arms.
When I got home, Sister Zhang greeted me at the gate and helped me carry my things.
"You're back? The food is ready, but it's a bit cold. Go wash your hands, I'll heat it up."
Zhang Yueran said sweetly, "Thank you, Sister Zhang, you've worked so hard~ I bought a lot of candies and snacks, I'll share some with you later so you can take some home and try them."
Sister Zhang waved her hand, "No need, no need, it's all my duty. Go wash your hands."
Nan Zhiyi carried the sleeping Xiaoman upstairs, took off her son's coat, shoes, and socks, and tucked him into bed.
The little guy just smacked his lips, rolled over, and didn't wake up.
She sat on the edge of the bed, gently patting his back, intending to wait until he was completely asleep before going downstairs.
There was a noise coming from the bedroom door.
Thinking it was Sister Zhang, she didn't even look up: "I'll go eat in a bit, you go first..."
Before she could finish speaking, she looked up and saw Gu Xiao, whose brows showed a hint of fatigue, but whose gaze was exceptionally gentle.
"You're back!" Nan Zhiyi rushed to him and hugged him. "You're back earlier than the past few days."
Gu Xiao was embraced by her, and he gently wrapped his arms around her back. "Yeah, I'm done with work."
He gently pushed her away, saying, "I haven't changed my clothes yet, I'm covered in dust from outside. I'll give my wife a good hug after I've washed myself."
Nan Zhiyi spat, "Who wants to hug you properly... Go wash up. Have you eaten?"
"Not yet, I'm going to take a shower first." Gu Xiao patted her shoulder and went to the next bedroom to get a change of clothes.
Nan Zhiyi followed behind him, still somewhat reluctant to part.
She followed him until he reached the bathroom door.
Gu Xiao turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow slightly. "My wife wants to help me take a bath?"
Nan Zhiyi then realized what was happening, took two steps back, and hurriedly left, saying, "I'll go downstairs to see if Sister Zhang has heated up the food and if there's enough for everyone."
Hearing Gu Xiao's soft chuckle behind her, she ran even faster.
When they arrived in the kitchen, Sister Zhang already knew that Gu Xiao had returned. She was deftly chopping scallions and boiling water in a pot to prepare noodles.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry, the food is all heated up. I'll also make some egg noodles. Minister Gu has a big appetite, so this will make up for it if he doesn't have enough."
Nan Zhiyi nodded: "Okay, thank you for your hard work, Sister Zhang."
Sister Zhang: "Please wait outside for a moment, it will be ready soon."
"Um!"
Nan Zhiyi walked into the living room and saw that Zhang Yueran had already tidied up all the bags and packages she had bought that day, placing them in the cabinets, on the coffee table, or in her bedroom.
There was also the canvas bag that Gu Yan had given me, which was placed in a corner of the study.
Nan Zhiyi gave her a thumbs up, which earned her a smug wrinkle of her nose in return.
After Gu Xiao finished showering and changed into clean pajamas, he came downstairs to find Nan Zhiyi and Sister Zhang bringing the heated food to the table.
Zhang Yueran also helped set the table.
The three of them sat down to eat.
Gu Xiao first placed a piece of her favorite dish on Nan Zhiyi's plate, then looked at Zhang Yueran across from him and asked, "Yueyue, have you bought your train tickets yet?"
Zhang Yueran swallowed the food in her mouth and sat up straight: "Fifth Brother, our school registered and bought the tickets together. I don't have much luggage, so I can go to the train station by myself. No need to bother."
Gu Xiao disagreed, "I'll have someone take you to the train station."
Nan Zhiyi also said, "That's right, how can I let you go alone? I'll take you there."
Seeing that her fifth brother's expression wasn't serious, Zhang Yueran nodded cautiously before picking up her chopsticks to continue eating.
After the meal, Zhang Yueran took the initiative to clear the dishes, and Nan Zhiyi also rolled up her sleeves and helped with the cleanup.
After tidying up the kitchen, Nan Zhiyi returned to the second floor and found the master bedroom door closed, while Gu Xiao was leaning against the door frame of the second bedroom, having waited for an unknown amount of time.
The corridor lamp cast shadows of varying depths on his profile.
When Nan Zhiyi came up, he raised his eyes, his gaze deep, and called to her in a low, hoarse voice.
"come over."
Nan Zhiyi's heart skipped a beat under his gaze. She froze on the spot, her face flushing. She whispered, "Don't be silly... Yueyue is still downstairs..."
Before she could react, Gu Xiao strode forward, stretched out his long arm, pulled her into his arms, led her into the second bedroom, and locked the door behind him.
The indoor lighting was dim.
Gu Xiao held her tightly against his chest, his chin resting on her shoulder. He took a deep breath, his muffled voice filled with grievance: "You heartless wife... I miss you so much... and you don't even miss me..."
Nan Zhiyi was struggling to breathe because of his tightness, but she could feel his rapid heartbeat even more clearly.
She compromised, saying, "Well, I should at least go wash up first..."
Gu Xiao chuckled softly, loosened his grip slightly, lifted her chin with his fingers, and a mischievous smile appeared in his eyes.
"Why do you suddenly want to wash up? Hmm? Honey, what are you thinking..." He deliberately dragged out the last syllable.
Nan Zhiyi was both embarrassed and angry, and pushed him away forcefully: "Who's thinking about that! I'm not washing! You can sleep here by yourself!"
He turned to pull the door open.
Gu Xiao wouldn't let her escape. He grabbed her waist from behind, holding her tightly in his arms, his burning chest pressed against her back.
He lowered his head, buried his cheek in the warm crook of her neck, nuzzled her, and whispered in a tone of surrender, "Good wife, I won't tease you anymore... I just missed you so much, I missed you to death."
As Gu Xiao spoke, he half-pushed and half-carried her toward the bathroom, saying, "Come on, I'll help you wash."
The warm breath around her ears made Nan Zhiyi's legs go weak, and she could no longer utter the word of refusal.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com