Chapter 296 Expenses
She said softly, "Third sister has had a tough time. I'll give her a call later and send her some more nutritional supplements."
Wang Juan immediately replied, "That's great! I'll write down my third sister's detailed address for you later."
As she spoke, she called out to her daughter, "Nannan, come here quickly, say hello to Aunt Wu."
Second sister-in-law Zhang Xiufen also came out of the kitchen and said to her two half-grown sons, "Gu Gang, Gu Qiang, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and call her Fifth Aunt? Your Fifth Uncle and Fifth Aunt rarely come back from the capital."
All three children greeted the children politely.
Nan Zhiyi responded with a smile, then got up and took out various wrapped gifts from the pile of luggage.
"Second sister-in-law, fourth sister-in-law, we brought some small gifts for the children and a little something for our brother and sister-in-law when we came back this time."
As she spoke, she distributed the gifts intended for the two families and the children.
Wang Juan accepted it and thanked her repeatedly, her tone warm: "Oh, Zhiyi, you're too kind! You still remember us even though you've come all this way."
Zhang Xiufen glanced at the gifts received by the two families, and seeing that the quantity and value were about the same, she smiled and said, "Thank you, Fifth Sister-in-law, you've gone to so much trouble."
Nan Zhiyi quickly said, "Sisters-in-law, please don't be so polite with me, we're all family."
Xiaoman, who had been sitting obediently on the sofa next to Commander Gu and chatting enthusiastically with her grandfather, couldn't sit still when she saw her mother distributing things. She slid off the sofa, ran over, and hugged Nan Zhiyi's leg, asking, "Mommy, where's Xiaoman's?"
Nan Zhiyi chuckled, rummaged through the gifts prepared for the other children, pulled one out, and handed it to her son: "Here, our Xiaoman has one too."
Xiaoman, clutching the gift, ran up to Commander Gu and exclaimed, "This is for Grandpa!"
Commander Gu was amused by his grandson's actions and laughed heartily. He took the gift, carefully placed it on his lap, and patted Xiaoman's head: "Good, good! Our Xiaoman is so sensible, he even knows how to 'borrow flowers to present to Buddha'! Grandpa likes it, he likes it very much!"
Seeing the old man so happy, everyone laughed along, and the atmosphere in the living room became even more harmonious and pleasant.
While everyone was chatting and laughing, Nan Zhiyi quietly slipped into the kitchen.
Aunt Wu was busy at the stove, stir-frying dishes in the pot, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.
Although her hands were busy, her eyes and ears were clearly always watching the movements in the living room.
Upon seeing Nan Zhiyi enter, Aunt Wu couldn't hide her excitement: "Zhiyi! You're finally back!"
Nan Zhiyi quickly stepped forward, took Wu Ma's hand, and her eyes welled up with tears: "Wu Ma, I missed you so much! I've been eating all the pickles you sent me before..."
Aunt Wu nodded repeatedly, wiping her slightly moist eyes with the corner of her apron: "I'm glad you like it, I'm glad you like it! Ah, when you get old, you cry so easily..."
She explained somewhat embarrassedly, after all, they hadn't seen each other for two years.
"Aunt Wu, I miss not only you, but also your cooking," Nan Zhiyi patted Aunt Wu's arm and looked at the pot. "It smells so delicious!"
Before Aunt Wu could answer, Wang Juan walked in and chimed in, "Of course! Zhiyi, Aunt Wu really put all her skills to use tonight. Several of the dishes were made to your and Fifth Brother's tastes!"
Nan Zhiyi felt a warm glow in her heart and took Wu Ma's arm, saying, "It seems that in this family, Wu Ma still loves me the most."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiufen, who had just entered the kitchen, forced a smile and replied, "That's right! When we arrived this morning, Aunt Wu was already busy preparing it. Take this Eight Treasure Duck for example; Aunt Wu didn't make it last year for the Spring Festival, but she knew you were coming back today, so she specially prepared it."
She spoke eloquently, her eyes flickering slightly.
Upon hearing this, Nan Zhiyi looked at Wu Ma with even more emotion.
Aunt Wu felt embarrassed by her gaze and quickly waved her hand, "Oh dear, don't listen to your second sister-in-law's exaggeration. Last year, it was because we didn't have all the materials, not because we weren't going to do it... This year, we just happened to be able to make it, we just happened to be able to make it..."
She downplayed it, not wanting Nan Zhiyi to feel too special and burdened.
Zhang Xiufen curled her lip. Who would believe that? Last year, Lao Wu's family didn't come back, and the family's New Year's Eve dinner certainly wasn't as grand as it was this year...
But she swallowed those words.
She still vividly remembers the unpleasant incident that occurred a couple of years ago.
Before coming, Gu Jianjun repeatedly instructed that this year, Dad must see that the family is harmonious and peaceful, and there must be no more trouble.
Wang Juan was a quick-witted woman. She smiled and smoothed things over, gently pushing Nan Zhiyi towards the door: "Fifth sister-in-law, you must be exhausted after a long day of travel. Go to the living room to rest and have some hot tea. My second sister-in-law and I can help out here. It'll be ready soon."
Aunt Wu chimed in, "Yes, yes, Zhiyi, there's really nothing to do here. All the dishes are ready, we're just waiting to eat. You should go and rest."
Nan Zhiyi felt their thoughtfulness and stopped insisting, saying, "Then I'll have to trouble Aunt Wu and my sisters-in-law."
She turned and walked out of the kitchen to look for her husband and son.
In the living room, Gu Xiao was holding a teacup, chatting with his second and fourth brothers, but his gaze kept glancing towards the kitchen.
Commander Gu carried Xiaoman to the study like a precious treasure, probably to see some new and interesting things.
Since Nanzhi had nothing else to do for the time being, she thought she would take her luggage to her room upstairs first.
She had just picked up a handbag when Gu Xiao saw it. He immediately greeted his brothers and strode over.
He left her the lightest handbag, saying, "You take this, I'll take the rest."
The two went upstairs one after the other.
Their room remained exactly as they remembered it, spotless, with fluffy and soft bedding on the bed.
Gu Xiao put his luggage against the wall and reached out to pull Nan Zhiyi over to sit with him on the sofa by the window.
He pulled his wife into his arms, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I've been exhausted all day and haven't been able to give my wife a proper hug."
Nan Zhiyi felt a little ticklish from his rubbing and laughed as she pushed him away, saying, "Stop it, your face is covered in dust, you haven't washed it yet... wait a bit..."
Before she could finish speaking, Gu Xiao quickly kissed her cheeks twice. "I didn't dislike you, but you're disliking me?"
His eyes were piercing, with a hint of mockery.
Nan Zhiyi was both amused and exasperated by his shameless behavior. She glared at him but didn't try to pull away, letting him hug her even tighter.
The two lingered in the upstairs room for a while, listening to the faint sounds of tables and chairs being moved and dishes being set out downstairs.
Nan Zhiyi nudged Gu Xiao: "Alright, it's time to go downstairs. It's not right to stay inside."
Gu Xiao refused: "It's only natural for me to be intimate with my own wife. Who has the right to interfere?"
Nan Zhiyi couldn't do anything about him, so she let him hug her for a while until the sound of Aunt Wu calling for dinner from downstairs came clearly, and then the two of them got up.
Gu Xiao pulled her to the restroom, and the two washed up briefly before going downstairs together.
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