Chapter 331 Chocolate
Summer days are long, and sunlight streams in early through the curtains. Gu Xiao's biological clock is accurate, and he wakes up at that time, his arms still wrapped around the warm, soft body beside him.
He sat up slightly, examining Nan Zhiyi's sleeping face in the morning light, his gaze falling on the faint red marks on her collarbone and shoulders.
He gently traced the marks with his fingertips, a hint of pity in his eyes.
When it's hot and the clothes are thin, she had previously complained that he didn't want to leave marks on his neck or other conspicuous places, otherwise she would really get angry with him.
Gu Xiao remembered these words and paid extra attention last night, lingering only on her shoulders and neck, which were covered by her clothes.
He lowered his head and planted a light kiss on her forehead before tiptoeing to the bathroom in the second bedroom to wash up.
After tidying up, he returned to the master bedroom, stood by the bedside and quietly watched his sleeping wife for a while before leaving.
As he passed the children's room, he pushed open the half-closed door. Xiaoman was lying sprawled on the small bed, a small blanket draped over her belly, fast asleep.
Gu Xiao quietly closed the door and went downstairs.
Not long after he left, Xiaoman woke up groggily.
He was clearly in the big bed before he went to sleep, listening to his mother tell stories, so how did he wake up in his own little bed? His little mouth immediately pouted unhappily.
Xiaoman slid off the bed, wearing a vest and shorts, and ran barefoot to the master bedroom.
He pushed open the slightly ajar door and saw his mother still asleep in bed. He scrambled up on all fours, burrowed under the covers, and snuggled close to her, whimpering, "Mommy... I can't see Mommy..."
Nan Zhiyi was awakened by his series of actions, her eyelids too heavy to open.
She reached out and hugged her son tightly, "Mmm... sweet baby... sleep a little longer..."
Xiaoman was comforted by her mother, and her little grievances disappeared. She rested her head on her mother's arm and quietly went back to sleep.
The electric fan in the corner swayed slowly from side to side, sending out a cool breeze.
The mother and son slept until the sunlight outside the window was bright before they slowly got up and went downstairs.
As I went downstairs, the sun shone brightly, indicating that it would be another hot day.
Sister Zhang was hanging clothes out to dry in the yard. When she saw them come down, she smiled and said, "This morning I went to the farmers' market and saw that the wood ear mushrooms and daylilies looked pretty good. I also bought some dried mushrooms and kelp, which are things that can be stored for a long time."
Nan Zhiyi: "Okay, it's always good to have more. Better safe than sorry."
She and her son sat at the stone table and chairs in the courtyard and leisurely ate breakfast.
Xiaoman sat on a small stone stool, swinging her two short legs back and forth, occasionally opening her mouth, waiting for her mother to feed her a spoonful of porridge.
Nan Zhiyi was conflicted. On one hand, she felt that her son was still young and there was nothing wrong with feeding him. On the other hand, Gu Xiao often said that his son had to be independent as he grew up, especially after starting kindergarten, when he would have to do things on his own.
She fed her a few bites and handed the spoon to Xiaoman, saying, "Good baby, can you eat by yourself?"
"Um!"
He readily took the spoon and said, "Dad said that if I behave like a good man, he'll buy me chocolate today."
Nan Zhiyi feigned surprise, "That's great! Our Xiaoman can definitely do it!"
Xiaoman ate with even more gusto, picking up her small bowl and quickly scooping porridge into her mouth with a spoon.
Gu Xiao kept his word.
In the late afternoon, the sound of a jeep came from outside. Sister Zhang went out to open the door and saw Xiao Liu carrying several heavy net bags and cloth bags, with sweat on his forehead.
"Sister Zhang!" Xiao Liu greeted her with a smile. "Minister Gu asked me to bring some things over. Shall I put them in the kitchen?"
"Oh, thank you for your hard work, Xiao Liu. Please come in." Sister Zhang offered to take the bag from her.
Xiao Liu didn't let her take it. As she walked towards the kitchen, she said, "There's a lot of stuff. There's more in the car. I'll bring it all in. You can unpack at your own pace."
"Hey, let's move together."
Sister Zhang followed Xiao Liu back and forth twice, carrying all the things into the kitchen.
After Xiao Liu drove away, Sister Zhang looked at the supplies piled up on the kitchen counter and a small empty space, and secretly exclaimed: My God, this is more than the New Year's goods we prepared! Rice, flour, and oil are all in whole bags and buckets, and there are so many canned goods, cured meat, candy, biscuits... This is really enough, enough to eat for a long time.
She didn't dare delay, so she rolled up her sleeves and began sorting things out. Rice, flour, and cooking oil were put into the storage room, canned goods, candy, and biscuits were placed in the cabinets, and cured meat and sausages were strung up with rope and hung in a cool, ventilated place.
After tidying up the abundant supplies, Sister Zhang felt more at ease. She thought for a moment, then cut a small piece from a piece of cured pork that had just been hung up, intending to stir-fry it with garlic sprouts that evening to add a dish to the family's meal.
When Nan Zhiyi brought Xiaoman, who had just woken up from her nap, downstairs, Sister Zhang said, "Sister-in-law, Comrade Liu just brought all the things over. Goodness, there's a lot! I've put everything away, don't worry, this is definitely more than enough!"
Nan Zhiyi nodded.
Now everything is ready, we're just waiting for my sister-in-law's family to arrive from Jian'an.
Nan Zhiyi walked to the cabinet next to the dining table, took out a bar of chocolates, broke off a small piece, about the size of her thumbnail.
She walked up to Xiaoman and handed him the small piece of brown chocolate. "Here, son, this is the chocolate Dad promised to give you as a reward. You behaved well today, so I'm giving it to you early."
Xiaoman immediately opened her little mouth, stretched out her little hand, and anxiously pointed to her mouth: "Mommy, Mommy, put it in my mouth!"
Nan Zhiyi chuckled as she looked at his greedy expression and put a small piece of chocolate into his mouth.
Xiaoman closed her little mouth with a "woof" sound and held it tightly.
The rich, sweet aroma melted on the tip of the tongue. The little one was so overwhelmed by the intense sweetness that he squinted his eyes, looking completely intoxicated, his little cheeks twitching as he slowly pursed his lips.
Nan Zhiyi's heart softened at the sight of him.
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