Chapter 355 Detailed
Nan Zhiyi sat up straight and gently counted on her fingers: "First, she pays special attention to her appearance. In the past, she would dare to go out in winter wearing only an old coat, but now she will change into new clothes and tie her scarf carefully. Second, she sometimes gets distracted when she talks to me. When I ask her what she is thinking about, she stammers that she is thinking about circuit diagrams, but her eyes are wandering, which doesn't seem like it at all."
"Third, when I asked her if she had lost weight, she answered quickly and hastily, clearly feeling guilty. Before, if she hadn't eaten well, she would definitely complain to me about the cafeteria food. Now, when she talks to me, it seems... there's a distance between us; she's no longer the little girl who used to complain to me about everything..."
She sighed softly, looking quite wistful. "These changes are all fragmented, but when you put them together, something feels off. Don't you think it looks like... someone's on your mind?"
A hint of a smile appeared in Gu Xiao's eyes.
He lowered his head, his forehead touching hers, his nose brushing against hers. "My wife is incredibly observant of life; she could be a scout. But since you've noticed, just let her be. A girl grows up and has her own worries. Aunt Feng and you should learn to let go."
Nan Zhiyi shrank back, but he held her tightly in his arms.
She thought about it and realized it made sense, so she mumbled an "uh-huh" in response, accepting the reality for the time being.
During the final exam period, Nan Zhiyi buried herself in studying at school during the day, and in between, she also had to rush to finish her manuscript, spend time with Xiaoman, and even take time to attend the New Year's Eve party at Gu Xiao's workplace and her own school. She was so busy that she barely had time to breathe.
Only after all the exams were finally over could I relax.
Thinking that Xiaoman's kindergarten will be closed for the holidays soon.
When Gu Xiao came home from get off work, Nan Zhiyi said to him, "Everything else can wait. I'll take Xiaoman back to see Dad first. It's not right to only be able to call and ask before."
Gu Xiao put his arm around her shoulder: "Dad knows our feelings and won't blame us. Besides, Dad's condition is stable now and he's already at home recuperating. Wait a few more days, and when I have my vacation, our family will go back together, okay? You can also take a good rest these two days."
Nan Zhiyi thought about it and realized that a few more days wouldn't make a difference, so she nodded and said, "Okay."
Just then, the phone in the living room rang.
Gu Xiao got up to answer the call, listened for a couple of minutes, then covered the microphone and turned to Nan Zhiyi, saying, "Li Xiaoxuan is looking for you."
Nan Zhiyi got up and went to answer the phone.
Li Xiaoxuan's voice came through the other end with a laugh: "Zhiyi, you've finished your exams, right? Are you free tomorrow? How about coming over to my place for a get-together, some tea, and a few rounds of mahjong? It's been so long since we've organized a game, I'm really itching to play."
Nan Zhiyi looked up at Gu Xiao, and when he nodded, she replied, "Okay, I'll go there directly tomorrow afternoon."
Li Xiaoxuan laughed and said, "Then it's settled! I'll invite my sister-in-law. She's only been learning for a short time and is still quite inexperienced. You just need to beat her, don't hold back."
Nan Zhiyi was amused by her words, "Then I have to thank you properly for bringing me the 'God of Wealth'."
The two chatted and laughed for a few more minutes before hanging up.
Gu Xiao reached out and pinched her cheek: "You can go out to play tomorrow, but don't sit for too long, your back can't take it."
"Okay."
Nan Zhiyi agreed in a good mood and began to think about what clothes to wear tomorrow.
Gu Xiao watched her from the sofa next to him, picking and choosing, agonizing over it for a long time.
He stood up, pointed to the clothes, and made the decision for her. Nan Zhiyi looked at them, thought they were pretty good, and gave him a kiss as a reward.
Unexpectedly, Xiaoman saw this scene, and his little face scrunched up as he hugged his mother for comfort.
Nan Zhiyi coaxed her son, "Good baby, Mommy will take you to school tomorrow morning, and I'll stay with you every day from now on, okay?"
Xiaoman was easily coaxed and nodded emphatically: "I'll wake you up tomorrow morning."
The next morning, after dropping Xiaoman off at kindergarten, Nan Zhiyi went to the post office to mail the manuscript to editor Lin Yuan. When she returned home, she was surprised to see Zhang Yueran sitting on the living room sofa, flipping through a science magazine.
"Yueyue?"
Nan Zhiyi was both surprised and delighted. She put down her coat and quickly went over to sit down next to her. "When did you arrive? Why didn't you tell me beforehand? How many days can you stay? You can go back later."
She fired off a barrage of questions.
Zhang Yueran smiled and leaned closer to her: "Sister, when I booked the tickets, I specifically asked for them two days later. We're leaving the day after tomorrow afternoon."
"Leaving the day after tomorrow? Such a short time."
Nan Zhiyi was a little disappointed. "I was hoping to take this opportunity to fatten you up a bit, so that Aunt Feng wouldn't say I didn't take good care of you when she sees you."
Zhang Yueran laughed heartily at her joke and leaned against her chest: "Okay! I'll definitely try my best to eat more these next two days, okay, sis?"
At lunchtime, Zhang Yueran was very accommodating, eating half a bowl more rice than usual, and kept praising, "Sister Zhang, this braised pork is so flavorful, I could eat three bowls of rice with this!"
Seeing that she was eating with relish, Nan Zhiyi also added half a bowl of rice to her bowl.
After finishing her meal, Nan Zhiyi remembered that she had arranged to play cards with Li Xiaoxuan that afternoon.
She was in a dilemma; she didn't want to leave her newly arrived sister alone at home, but she also didn't want to break her promise at the last minute.
Zhang Yueran noticed her hesitation and pushed her towards the door: "Go on, go on, sister. I'll just read a book by myself and have some peace and quiet. I can also pick Xiaoman up from school this afternoon, he'll definitely be happy! You can go and have fun without worry."
Pushed by her, Nan Zhiyi had no choice but to change her clothes and go out.
When they arrived at Li Xiaoxuan's house, Li Xiaoxuan took her hand and led her into the right-hand side hall.
Zhao Liping and Qin Fen's sister-in-law Shi Lin had already arrived and were sitting on the sofa, laughing and talking quietly.
Upon seeing Nan Zhiyi enter, Shi Lin said gently, "Zhiyi's here. It's been so long! Please have a seat. Xiaoxuan has been talking about you all morning."
Zhao Liping laughed and chimed in, "That's right. She says I'm addicted to cards, but she's just as addicted to organizing them."
As Nan Zhiyi took off her coat and handed it to the maid, she smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, Sister Liping, I'm late."
The group exchanged pleasantries as a maid brought out hot tea and several delicate refreshments.
They sat down around the mahjong table and began shuffling the tiles.
While arranging the cards, Zhao Liping said, "I can finally take a breather. I've been working for more than ten days in a row. Today was my only day off, but Xiaoxuan dragged me here with a phone call."
Li Xiaoxuan retorted without hesitation: "It's because I was thinking of you! Otherwise, you wouldn't have anywhere to pass the time with your card-playing addiction."
She played a card and looked at Zhao Liping, "Seriously, Liping, your family doesn't need your allowance. Surgery is so tiring, why don't you think about switching to a less demanding position?"
Zhao Liping said softly, "I just love this. Seeing patients leave healthy is better than anything else."
Shi Lin played an "East Wind" card and praised, "Alright, Xiaoxuan, do you think everyone is like you, wanting to have an easy life? Liping is saving lives and healing the wounded. She's very capable and kind-hearted. Who in our military hospital doesn't know how skilled Dr. Zhao is with his scalpel? This is a great cause of doing good deeds. Don't try to persuade her otherwise."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com