Chapter 60 Wild Fun
"My goodness! Nan Zhiyi! You can even make steamed buns?! And you can roll them so perfectly round! With your skills, you could easily be a pastry chef in the cafeteria!"
Nan Zhiyi was amused by her exaggerated tone, picked up a piece of dough and pretended to throw it at her: "Zhou Anping! If you keep talking nonsense, you won't get any steamed buns tonight!"
Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and Gu Xiao returned.
Hearing the noise, Zhou Anping deliberately shouted:
"Ouch! Fifth Brother, help! Your wife is going to hit me!"
Gu Xiao had just stepped inside when he heard Zhou Anping's shout. He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the two laughing and joking people in the kitchen before finally settling on Nan Zhiyi, who was holding a noodle sheet and whose cheeks were slightly flushed.
"Fifth Brother!" Zhou Anping exclaimed upon seeing his savior. "Quickly, control your wife! She thinks I talk too much and is trying to cut my rations!"
Gu Xiao ignored her joke and simply asked Nan Zhiyi, "Need any help?"
Nan Zhiyi shook her head: "Almost done, the filling is ready. I can wrap them myself later. Why don't you talk to Anping?"
Gu Xiao rolled up his shirt sleeves and washed his hands under the tap in the yard: "Anping, the tape recorder is on the table, go listen to the radio."
This was clearly a way to get her away.
Zhou Anping immediately understood and sighed dramatically, "Alright! You think I'm in your way? I'll go right now and won't disturb you two!"
She went into the living room with a smile, leaving the kitchen to the two of them.
Gu Xiao walked up behind Nan Zhiyi, and while she was focused on pinching the pleats of a bun, he quickly planted a kiss on her cheek: "I've been thinking about you all day..."
Nan Zhiyi's hand trembled, almost breaking the steamed bun. She glared at him reproachfully, "Anping is still here..."
Gu Xiao chuckled softly, wrapped his arm around her waist, and whispered in her ear, "She...is leaving tomorrow?"
Nan Zhiyi's heart was pounding like a drum, and she could only nod gently with a blush on her face: "Yes, Zhou Zhengping will pick her up tomorrow afternoon."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xiao's gaze deepened, and he simply hummed in agreement, nuzzling her cheek with his chin.
Nan Zhiyi nudged him with her elbow, "You're just making things worse..."
...
Dinner consisted of fragrant pork and scallion buns and egg and loofah soup.
Zhou Anping had a great appetite and ate three large steamed buns in a row: "Zhiyi! Your cooking is amazing! They taste even better than the ones made by the head chef in our cultural troupe's canteen!"
She was clearly in a much better mood.
Nan Zhiyi was happy to see her eating so heartily: "Eat more if you like it. I'll pack some for you to take with you when you leave tomorrow, so you can eat them on the way."
Zhou Anping's eyes lit up: "Great!"
At night, the two squeezed into one bed again. The fan hummed, dispelling the summer heat and carrying their endless whispered secrets.
"Hey, Zhiyi, Wang Lili is still looking for my brother! She's like a madwoman! She's driving my brother crazy."
Her tone carried a hint of schadenfreude.
Nan Zhiyi said softly, "Things about relationships are sometimes so strange. You can't get what you want, and you can't let go, which hurts both yourself and others."
"Just like... Lu Linlang."
“Lu Linlang?!” Zhou Anping sat bolt upright in bed. “That military doctor? She’s been transferred here too?”
She also knew that Lu Linlang had a crush on Gu Xiao, but they had never interacted.
"Okay," Nan Zhiyi responded, and briefly explained to Zhou Anping the circumstances of her encounters with Lu Linlang several times during this period.
Zhou Anping listened with righteous indignation, his fists clenched: "I knew it! This woman is definitely up to no good! She was transferred here for Fifth Brother and you! Zhiyi, you have to be careful of her! She's much harder to deal with than someone like Wang Lili who's all bluster and tantrums; she's got a lot more depth in her mind!"
She then comforted Nan Zhiyi, "But don't worry too much! Fifth Brother's attitude towards her is so cold it could freeze you to death! He only has eyes for you and his heart for you! I can still see that!"
Nan Zhiyi pulled her down to lie down: "Yes, I know. Go to sleep, you have to travel tomorrow."
"Okay, okay!"
Zhou Anping verbally agreed, but couldn't help rambling on about the gossip in the compound until late at night, when the two finally succumbed to sleepiness.
It was early morning, just as dawn was breaking.
Nan Zhiyi saw Gu Xiao, who had gotten up early, to the door. "We're having a farewell lunch for Anping. Are you coming home for lunch?"
Gu Xiao put his arm around her waist. "Come back. I'll get a few more dishes from the cafeteria. Just cook whatever you like..."
"good…"
He bent down and kissed her lips before striding away.
Nan Zhiyi watched him leave before entering the inner room and gently nudged Zhou Anping, who was fast asleep: "Anping, wake up, it's time to get up."
Zhou Anping mumbled sleepily, burying his face in the pillow: "Ugh... I'll sleep a little longer..."
"Didn't you say last night that you wanted to go to the market and experience the fun of the countryside?"
Nan Zhiyi chuckled and pulled back the blanket covering her head. "If you go to the market by the river too late, all the good stuff will be gone."
Zhou Anping struggled to open his eyes a crack, letting out a groan: "Who knew we'd have to get up this early to go to the market..."
Nan Zhiyi pleaded and begged, pulling and tugging, until she finally managed to get her out of bed.
The two quickly washed up, ate breakfast, and prepared to leave.
Just as I left the hospital, I ran into my neighbors, Sister Wang and Sister Liu, both of whom were carrying baskets.
"Hey! Zhiyi, is this girl your sister? Look at that face, that figure, she's even prettier than a movie star in a magazine!"
Sister-in-law Wang had a loud voice and spotted Zhou Anping following behind Nan Zhiyi at a glance.
Sister Liu smiled and nodded in agreement: "Yes, she's really fair-skinned!"
Zhou Anping blushed deeply, a rare occurrence for him, and mumbled, "Hello, sisters-in-law..."
Nan Zhiyi smiled and defused the situation: "Sister-in-law Wang, Sister-in-law Liu, this is my good friend Anping, he's here to visit for a couple of days."
The four people greeted each other and walked along the path.
On the way, Nan Zhiyi casually started a conversation.
"Sisters, are you still busy with handicrafts lately? Is it hard work?"
Once this was mentioned, Sister Wang started talking non-stop: "Ugh! Don't even mention it! There's a lot of work, but my eyes are almost blind from exhaustion! All for a mere ten or twenty yuan! And the other day it was all about the quota..."
She glanced at Sister Liu, swallowed the rest of her words, and only sighed, "It's not easy!"
Sister Liu also said in a low voice, "It is a bit hard, but... it's always good to be able to supplement our income."
Nan Zhiyi nodded understandingly: "It's so hard for the women, they have to take care of their families and do all the housework."
She didn't press the issue of the quota, knowing it was a sensitive topic.
Wang's wife also started talking about other family matters.
As Zhou Anping listened, she couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. The lives of military wives were far more mundane and arduous than she had imagined.
Taking care of the family is already a heavy burden, and they also have to find ways to earn a meager subsidy...
The group chatted and laughed as they walked along the mountain path for almost an hour, leaving Zhou Anping exhausted.
Zhou Anping was overwhelmed by the sights; he couldn't take it all in.
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