Chapter 119 Directly
On the day of the Kitchen God Festival, the sky was overcast and the leaden clouds hung low, without a trace of the festive atmosphere of the New Year.
The entire courtyard was quiet, with only a few houses' chimneys emitting wisps of smoke.
The kitchen had a stronger festive atmosphere than usual.
Nan Zhiyi and Aunt Wu were busy.
On the stove was a rough image of the Kitchen God, with a few simple offerings in front of it: a small dish of sticky candied melon, a few homemade steamed buns, and a small bowl of water.
This is much more meager than the annual Kitchen God Festival in previous years.
"When the Kitchen God ascends to Heaven, speak many kind words..."
Wu Ma sighed softly as she read half of the text, gazing at the New Year's goods prepared by the stove.
"This year's New Year has been truly... even the Kitchen God has been wronged. In previous years, at least there was a piece of meat and a plate of fruit..."
Aunt Wu shook her head and offered the candied melon to the image of the Kitchen God.
Nan Zhiyi was wiping the stove when she heard this and remained silent.
Who in this compound could possibly have the mind to prepare for the New Year? Even the air was thick with a sense of trepidation.
A few light knocks came from the courtyard gate.
"Who is it? In this heavy snow?"
Aunt Wu muttered to herself, wiped her hands on her apron, and quickly went out to open the door.
A short while later, she led a young man in his late twenties into the living room.
The man was wearing a crisp, dark blue woolen overcoat and a gray scarf. His face was red from the cold wind, but his demeanor exuded the composure, even nonchalance, characteristic of a high-ranking official's son.
He was carrying two bulging net bags in his hands.
"Sister-in-law, I'm sorry to bother you."
His voice was clear and bright, with a slight Beijing accent. "I'm Meng Qingshan, a fellow alumnus of Brother Gu Xiao's military academy. He asked me to bring you some things."
He placed the items on the floor by the kitchen door. "These are some bird's nests, and some New Year's goods and snacks I bought in Beijing..."
This Meng Qingshan…
Nan Zhiyi's heart skipped a beat when she saw who it was.
A few days ago, it snowed, and she and Anping went out for a walk to clear their heads. They saw him and Wang Lili standing together.
At that moment, Wang Lili's eagerness towards Meng Qingshan was almost overflowing.
But what about Meng Qingshan? He looked indifferent and absent-minded.
Unexpectedly, this person was sent by Gu Xiao to deliver something.
"Thank you, Comrade Meng. It's so cold, you've gone to all this trouble."
Nan Zhiyi suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and invited him to sit on the sofa in the living room. "Sit down quickly and have some hot tea to warm yourself up."
Meng Qingshan didn't refuse, thanked her, and followed Nan Zhiyi into the living room.
It's much warmer in the living room than outside.
Meng Qingshan took off his coat and draped it over the armrest of the sofa, revealing a neatly pressed wool sweater underneath.
He sat down calmly, accepted the hot tea offered by Aunt Wu, and thanked her.
Nan Zhiyi sat on the single sofa opposite him and picked up a teacup to warm her hands.
Meng Qingshan took a sip of tea and looked directly at Nan Zhiyi: "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry to have come here today. Besides bringing some things, I actually have a favor to ask of you."
Nan Zhiyi paused, her hand holding the teacup still: "Oh? Comrade Meng, please speak."
“That’s right,” he leaned forward slightly, “I would like to get to know Comrade Zhou Anping.”
"Pfft! Cough, cough cough..."
Nan Zhiyi choked on a mouthful of tea, and she quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief, coughing until her face turned red.
She never expected that this seemingly composed Comrade Meng could speak so...directly and without any preamble.
Wu Ma, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward to pat her back.
Meng Qingshan didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said, but looked at Nan Zhiyi with a slight apology: "Sister-in-law, are you alright?"
"N-nothing," Nan Zhiyi finally caught her breath and asked softly, "Comrade Meng...why do you suddenly want to get to know Anping?"
“A few days ago, our company sent representatives to participate in the memorial service here…”
He chose his words carefully, "I was in charge of some work, and it just so happened that the cultural troupe was playing funeral music. Comrade Zhou Anping was among them. She... was very special. I'm a bachelor, so naturally I wanted to get to know her..."
His face showed some confusion and distress: "It's just a bit strange. Both times we met, I wanted to greet her and say a word. But as soon as she saw me, she either turned her head away or talked to the person next to her, as if... she particularly disliked me. I'm puzzled. Although I'm not a very nice person, I haven't offended her at all."
He looked at Nan Zhiyi, sincerely seeking help, "Brother Gu Xiao told me that you and Comrade Zhou Anping have a very good relationship, like sisters. I was thinking, could you please ask her for me... why she dislikes me so much? If I really did something wrong, it would be easier to correct it, right?"
He felt as if... as long as he found out why Zhou Anping disliked him, he could solve the problem.
Nan Zhiyi's mind raced.
Anping's attitude towards Meng Qingshan... could it be because of Wang Lili?
Anping was extremely righteous and hated evil. If Wang Lili was being overly attentive to him and his attitude was ambiguous, he would naturally categorize him as "Wang Lili's faction" and extend that hatred to everything related to her.
This matter... is a bit complicated.
However, she thought that since Gu Xiao trusted him to deliver the items and even mentioned her relationship with Anping, this person must be trustworthy.
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Anping is my good friend. I understand what Comrade Meng means. I'll ask her when I have the chance. But I can't guarantee what the outcome will be."
Meng Qingshan immediately smiled with relief and stood up: "Thank you so much, sister-in-law! No matter the outcome, I'm grateful for your help."
He picked up his coat and put it on. "The things have been delivered, and the conversation has been over, so I won't bother you any longer. Please take care of yourself, sister-in-law."
After seeing Meng Qingshan off, Nan Zhiyi sat on the sofa, her thoughts drifting away.
Aunt Wu locked the front door and went over to tidy up the things on the floor: "Commander Gu is so thoughtful. We weren't having much bird's nest left, so he'll replenish it right away. And these snacks are perfect for you..."
She quickly picked out a pastry and placed it on a plate, then made a cup of malted milk powder and handed it to Nan Zhiyi, saying, "Zhiyi, try this first. I'll make dinner while you eat this malted milk powder."
"Okay, thank you, Aunt Wu."
Wu Ma went about her business, while Nan Zhiyi ate a piece of pastry idly.
She glanced at her watch; it was already past five in the afternoon, and Zhou Anping was almost off work…
However, she didn't see Zhou Anping return through the window.
It will be 8 p.m.
After cleaning up the kitchen, Aunt Wu took off her apron and was about to go home after get off work.
"Zhiyi, Comrade Anping is back!"
Looking through the kitchen window, Wu Ma saw a figure wrapped up tightly approaching in the distance and quickly whispered a warning.
Nan Zhiyi put down the half-knitted sweater she was making: "Aunt Wu, could you please call her and tell her that I have some new snacks here and invite her to try them?"
"Okay, sure."
Aunt Wu agreed and quickly went out. A short while later, she returned with Zhou Anping, who was covered in cold air.
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