Chapter 383 Serving
Before dawn, a warm, drowsy feeling lingered in the bedroom.
Nan Zhiyi was fast asleep when her cheek was gently touched. Gu Xiao's deep voice sounded in her ear: "Wife, wake up... Didn't you say yesterday that you were going to see Fourth Sister-in-law off?"
Nan Zhiyi was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open. She curled up in his arms with her eyes closed for a moment, "Mmm... just five more minutes..."
Last night, I went to the temple fair, which was crowded and lively. After returning, I sorted through the odds and ends I bought. Then, Gu Xiao kept me talking for a long time. I went to bed later than usual. Right now, I feel like my bones are all limp and I don't want to move at all.
According to past practice, on the second day of the Lunar New Year, Sister-in-law Si would take her daughter back to her parents' home and stay there for a few days, without returning to Gu Siling's place. It was only proper for her to see her off.
Seeing her sleepy look, Gu Xiao lowered his head and kissed the corner of her lips, patiently coaxing her, "After you see Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law off, you can come back and catch up on your sleep, okay?"
Nan Zhiyi then opened her sleepy eyes. "Are they all up?"
"Yes, eldest brother and sister-in-law, fourth brother and sister-in-law are downstairs."
As Gu Xiao spoke, he reached out and pulled her out of the bed, picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. "Go wash up first, refresh yourself."
Nan Zhiyi wrapped her arms around his neck and shook her slightly dizzy head. "Where's my son?"
"Didn't that kid excitedly go to sleep with Gu Yan last night, clutching his pillow? Have you forgotten?"
Nan Zhiyi suddenly realized: "Oh right... I forgot."
Last night, Xiaoman was bribed by the sugar paintings and dough figurines at the temple fair, and before going to bed, she insisted on sleeping with her "most powerful" uncle.
Gu Xiao placed her in front of the bathroom sink, squeezed out the toothpaste, and handed it to her.
Nan Zhiyi took the toothbrush, looked at the perfectly measured amount of toothpaste on it, and couldn't help but sigh, "Oh no, Minister Gu, you've spoiled me rotten. If you're not around anymore, I'm afraid I won't even know how to squeeze toothpaste."
Gu Xiao reached out and pinched her chin, his tone more serious than ever: "That's perfect. Give me a chance to serve you for the rest of my life."
Nan Zhiyi felt a sweet warmth in her heart. "Okay, then thank you in advance, Minister Gu."
After tidying up, the two went downstairs. When they passed Gu Yan's room, it was quiet inside, presumably the uncle and nephew were still sound asleep.
Downstairs was quite lively. Commander Gu was sitting in the main seat, while his eldest brother and sister-in-law, fourth brother and sister-in-law, and his daughter were eating breakfast. The others had not yet gotten up.
When they came down, Aunt Wu brought out breakfast from the kitchen.
Nan Zhiyi quickly said, "Aunt Wu, we can do it ourselves, please don't bother."
Aunt Wu smiled and waved her hand: "It's nothing, sit down and eat."
Gu Xiao pulled Nan Zhiyi to sit down in an empty seat, first stirring the hot porridge for her, and then placing a red bean bun, which she liked, on a plate.
Commander Gu, already used to his youngest son's meticulousness, simply said to Gu Weimin and his wife, "I've had Aunt Wu prepare everything for your family. It's in the storeroom. Remember to take it with you when you leave."
Mr. and Mrs. Gu quickly expressed their gratitude, "Thank you, Dad, for your trouble. We'll come back to see you after we finish visiting our relatives in a couple of days."
"Okay. Let's eat."
Commander Gu didn't say anything more, and the dinner table fell silent.
Nan Zhiyi also returned the favor by serving Gu Xiao some side dishes.
After finishing their meal, the fourth brother and sister-in-law prepared to leave.
Wang Juan held Nan Zhiyi's hand: "Zhiyi, I'll bring Nannan back to stay for two more days in a couple of days so she can play with Xiaoman. Otherwise, if we separate now, the children will have to wait until the New Year to see each other again."
"Okay, we'll be waiting for you at home."
Nan Zhiyi also hopes that Xiaoman can spend more time with her brothers and sisters, unlike her... Currently, she is the only one in the Nan family, with no relatives at all.
At this moment, Gu Min also hurriedly came out of the room carrying Zhao Heng, who had just woken up: "Fourth sister-in-law, are you leaving already? It's all because this boy woke up late, otherwise he could have come down earlier to talk to you a little longer."
Wang Juan quickly replied, "Don't mention it. You're working the hardest taking care of the child right now. We'll have a proper chat after we finish visiting our relatives on my side of the family, or we can go out and have some fun."
Several men were also at the door, saying things like "Be careful on the road" and "Please give my regards to your in-laws."
After exchanging pleasantries and saying goodbye, everyone stood at the courtyard gate, watching Gu Weimin carry several gift boxes, and Wang Juan, holding Nannan's hand, get into the car.
Watching the car drive away, Nan Zhiyi yawned.
Gu Xiao took her arm and pulled her closer to him: "Come on, let's go inside, it's very cold outside."
Just as Nan Zhiyi was about to say, "It's not that cold," a gust of north wind swept over, carrying the remaining snow on the ground, and she immediately shivered.
Without saying a word, Gu Xiao put his arm around her shoulder and led her back inside.
Back in the living room, Gu Xiao went to talk to his older brother and father on the sofa.
Seeing that Wu Ma was tidying up the storeroom, Nan Zhiyi and Li Xiuqin went in to help.
The warehouse was piled with things. Wu Ma pointed to several boxes and said, "These are all things that others sent to the Commander over the past six months, and also before the Lunar New Year, but he couldn't bear to eat or use them all. The Commander said that when you leave, you should divide them up and take them with you, otherwise it would be a waste to leave them here."
Looking at the large amount of stuff, Nan Zhiyi said, "I will follow the arrangements of my sister-in-law and third sister."
Li Xiuqin made the decision: "Then...we'll see when the time comes, and we can divide it among the three families. Each family can take what they like. Anyway, we all drove here, so it'll be convenient."
"good."
After helping to tidy up the storeroom, Nan Zhiyi returned to her bedroom upstairs, washed her hands, and changed into clean clothes.
When Gu Xiao returned, she put down her pen and pulled him to sit on the sofa: "Fifth Brother, I have something I want to tell you."
Gu Xiao sat up straight, listening attentively: "Yes, go ahead."
Seeing him sitting so upright, Nan Zhi patted his arm and said, "Stop fooling around, I'm talking to you about serious matters."
Gu Xiao felt wronged. He hadn't done anything wrong; he was just listening attentively to her. How was that being improper?
Nan Zhiyi nestled into his arms. "Fifth Brother, Dad is getting old and will need even more careful care in the future. Aunt Wu is also getting on in years, and with so many things to do inside and outside the house, she'll definitely find it increasingly difficult to keep up. Dad has Xiao Li by his side, but Xiao Li mainly handles travel and security, while Aunt Wu is responsible for cooking and housework—the work is too tedious. I felt really bad seeing her carrying heavy things today. Of course, I'm reluctant to let Aunt Wu go, but I also have to consider her and Dad's health. What do you think we should do next?"
After listening, Gu Xiao pondered for a moment.
This is indeed a real problem.
“Your concerns are valid. I’ll find an opportunity to ask Dad what he thinks first. Once we see what he thinks, we can discuss the specifics.”
Nan Zhiyi handed the matter over to Gu Xiao, and a weight was lifted from her mind.
She also followed Gu Xiao's advice and tried to change her personality, speaking up when she should and doing what she should do, but she must not dwell on things too much.
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