Chapter 248 Dilemma
He carried her and slowly walked to the sofa, letting her sit comfortably on his lap. They maintained a close embrace, and he gently soothed her back with his large hand.
Nan Zhiyi absorbed the reassuring aura emanating from him, and the stifling feeling she had during the day—witnessing the suffering of others yet being powerless to completely change it—seemed to slowly melt away in his warm embrace.
After a long while, she gently stirred in his arms.
Gu Xiao noticed her relaxation and then asked in a low voice, "What happened to my darling wife today? Why are you so down?"
Nan Zhiyi rubbed against his chest and said honestly, "I can't really explain it. I feel conflicted. It's like I see a lot of things, and I want to help, but I can't do anything about it. Sometimes I want to stay away and ignore it, but I can't bring myself to do it... It's quite a dilemma."
She tried to describe the sense of powerlessness she felt.
Gu Xiao knew it was like this; his wife was too thoughtful and too empathetic, which often caused him to get caught in an emotional vortex.
"You're just too soft-hearted and overthink things. It's good to want to help when you see injustice, but you should help within your means. Don't always take on other people's burdens; keeping it all inside will only make you suffer. Do what you can, and as long as you have a clear conscience, that's enough. There are so many difficult things in the world; how can you solve them all by yourself?"
His words were like a gentle breeze, dispelling the gloom in Nan Zhiyi's heart.
"Yes, I know. I'll try my best to help in the future, and I shouldn't always hesitate... Sigh..."
Nan Zhiyi sighed again, her fingers tracing the buttons on his military shirt, "Around noon today..."
She told Gu Xiao everything that had happened to Gao Huiqin during the day.
“I suspect that the family’s commotion is ultimately about money. If, in the end, Gao Huiqin needs money to settle things, or at least temporarily appease the family so she can focus on her studies, I’d like to… lend it to her. Is that alright?”
Gu Xiao listened attentively until she finished speaking. Then he took her restless fingers and played with them in his palm: "It's all up to you. You control the family finances. You don't need to ask me how you want to use them. It's a good thing if it can help those who really need it."
Hearing him say that, Nan Zhiyi finally smiled and looked up at him: "Aren't you afraid I'll squander it?"
A smile also appeared in Gu Xiao's eyes: "My wife smiled, she deserves a reward."
"Let me reward you..."
Nan Zhiyi leaned in and gave him a loud kiss on the lips.
The two embraced quietly for a while, and Nan Zhiyi asked, "Are you hungry? Sister Zhang made some pork rib soup, and there's some left. I'll cook you some noodles."
Gu Xiao nodded: "Okay, it's been a long time since I've had noodles cooked by my wife."
Nan Zhiyi regained her composure, jumped off his lap, and pulled him toward the kitchen: "Let's go!"
In the kitchen, the two worked together seamlessly.
Nan Zhiyi was in charge of heating up the pork rib soup and frying eggs.
Gu Xiao rolled up his sleeves and began washing the bok choy.
Soon, two steaming bowls of pork rib noodles, one large and one small, were served, topped with fried eggs and vibrant green vegetables, filling the air with their aroma.
Gu Xiao sat down next to Nan Zhiyi and exclaimed, "Mmm! Delicious! My wife's cooking is amazing!"
Nan Zhiyi was amused by him.
The two were eating when Xiaoman's soft, sweet voice suddenly came from up the stairs:
"Mom, what do you want to eat?"
The little one, who should have been fast asleep, woke up somehow, rubbing his eyes, barefoot, and groggily holding onto the handrail to walk down the stairs.
Nan Zhiyi almost choked on her noodles, and Gu Xiao quickly handed her water and gently patted her back to help her catch her breath.
Then he pulled his son to the dining table and said, "Dad got off work late, so Mom made noodles for him."
Xiaoman climbed onto the chair and sat down, staring longingly at the bowl: "I want to eat too."
Nan Zhiyi got up to go to the kitchen to get a small bowl, but Gu Xiao pressed her arm, indicating that she should sit down.
He turned around and got Xiaoman's special bowl and children's fork and spoon. The little guy can now eat by himself and has his own special tableware.
Gu Xiao picked some noodles and fried eggs from his own bowl, put them in a small bowl, and pushed it in front of his son.
Xiaoman yawned widely and began to eat delicately, taking small bites at a time.
Gu Xiao looked at his son, then at his wife: "See? This kid always manages to interrupt our time together at crucial moments..."
Nan Zhiyi gave him a reproachful look: "I'm not bothering you, my son is being very good."
After finishing their meal, Gu Xiao took the dishes and chopsticks into the kitchen, and the family of three went upstairs to rest.
The next morning, as soon as Nan Zhiyi entered the classroom, she immediately searched for Gao Huiqin in the crowd.
Before she could find her, she saw Shan Xiaoyan and Yang Mei waving vigorously at her from the window.
Nan Zhiyi quickly walked over and sat down. Before she could even speak, Shan Xiaoyan impatiently lowered her voice and started rattling off a string of words:
"It's resolved! It's temporarily settled! This morning, Teacher Li, along with Huiqin and several security guards, took that family to the train station!"
Nan Zhiyi felt a little relieved, but she was more concerned about the process, so she quickly asked, "How was it resolved? Tell me quickly!"
Shan Xiaoyan recounted vividly, "Oh! Don't even mention it! As soon as Gao Huiqin went to the hotel with Teacher Li, she confronted that man and his mother, saying that she would never drop out of school, but she wanted a divorce!"
She lowered her voice and imitated the old woman's scream: "'Divorce?! You wish! Our Wang family can't afford to lose face like that!' The man exploded upon hearing this and raised his hand to slap her!"
Nan Zhiyi's eyes widened as she listened, wondering why Shan Xiaoyan acted as if she were there in person.
Yang Mei, who was standing nearby, chimed in at the right moment: "Fortunately, Teacher Li was prepared and brought enough security guards with him. They subdued the man on the spot and prevented a fight."
She glanced at Shan Xiaoyan a little embarrassedly, "Xiaoyan was so worried last night, she insisted on dragging me to find the security guards who participated in the operation to ask about the situation, and it took a long time before they finally agreed to tell us..."
Nan Zhiyi was taken aback: "Huh? You didn't divorce? Then what kind of resolution is that?"
"Don't rush! Let me finish! When that family heard that they really wanted a divorce, they were dumbfounded! They went crazy and started throwing a tantrum, hurling nasty insults, saying that Gao Huiqin was ungrateful and had become wild after going to college, and even the security captain couldn't stand it anymore."
But guess what?
Gao Huiqin was remarkably firm this time! She didn't cry or make a scene, just coldly watched them until they were exhausted from their commotion, then said, "I'll definitely go to school. I'll get a divorce too. It won't stop you from finding someone else."
Shan Xiaoyan described it vividly.
Nan Zhiyi quickly asked in a low voice, "And then??"
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