Chapter 497 Spring
Perhaps what her parents said tonight is still a little hard for Gu Zhao, who is not yet eight years old, to understand.
But he has a good habit of writing down things he thinks are important.
Before going to sleep, he lay down at his small desk and carefully wrote in pencil in a notebook with a warship pattern:
"Academic studies are important, but they are not everything."
"You must take responsibility for the choices you make."
"My parents are my support."
After writing down the date and time, he closed the notebook and put it in the drawer.
Write it down first, and when he grows up, he will naturally understand the meaning of these principles. This is a method he figured out himself.
In the master bedroom, Nan Zhiyi and Gu Xiao were still awake.
The curtains were drawn tightly, leaving only a small nightlight casting a dim, yellowish glow.
Nan Zhiyi leaned against Gu Xiao's chest, a little hesitant and self-doubting: "Was I too... lenient? What if he really listens to me and doesn't pay attention to his studies in the future?"
Being first-time parents, they were always afraid of overthinking things and going to the wrong end. On one hand, they wanted to loosen the reins on their child, but on the other hand, they were afraid of loosening the rope too much.
Gu Xiao twirled a stray strand of her hair with his finger, chuckled softly, and teased, "Now you're worried? When you told your son 'you can play as much as you want,' weren't you quite certain? There's an old saying, 'A doting mother spoils her son.' You're the only one like that."
Nan Zhiyi raised her hand, clenched her fist, and gently punched him: "You're still criticizing me? Didn't you tell him yourself that academics aren't everything in life? We're both in the same boat, so neither of us should criticize the other."
"Okay, okay, I said it." Gu Xiao accepted the accusation, tightened his arms around her, and pulled her closer to him. "Anyway, he's still young. We can teach him things slowly. There's no rush."
He leaned closer to her ear, his breath warm. "I know what you're thinking. Given our family's situation, we really don't need him to study like a madman to become the top scholar. As long as he's of good character, healthy in body and mind, and lives a clear and happy life, that's more important than anything else. As for his studies, as long as he's passable, that's fine, isn't it?"
Nan Zhiyi softly hummed in his arms.
Gu Xiao always understood her.
She asked softly, "So...do you want your son to join the army in the future? Like you, like his father."
She had thought about this question, but had never asked it aloud.
Gu Xiao was silent for a moment, then said, "Well, that depends on his own wishes. The military has its advantages; it hones one's character and has its significance. But if he's not interested, or if he has other paths he wants to take, I won't force him. Our responsibility is to lay a solid foundation for him, pave broad paths, and give him choices. As for which path he chooses, that's his business."
Nan Zhiyi relaxed after hearing this, pressed her face against his chest, listened to his steady heartbeat, and said nothing more.
Gu Xiao gently stroked her back, "What's my wife thinking about again? Why does she seem... unhappy again?"
Nan Zhiyi shook her head at his chest, her fingers clutching the front of his pajamas.
After a long while, she finally spoke in a muffled voice: "I...I just feel that time is passing too quickly...I don't want him to grow up so fast, I don't want to grow old so fast, I don't want to leave you, and I...I'm even more afraid to think about what will happen in the future..."
The fear of the passage of time, the fantasy of separation, and the deep attachment to family are the poetic and tender qualities inherent in Nan Zhiyi.
Her melancholy always came unexpectedly.
Gu Xiao sighed inwardly, leaned down and kissed away the moisture from the corner of her eyes, kissed away the trembling unease on her lips, and enveloped her tightly with his breath and warmth.
After a long while, he stepped back slightly, his forehead touching hers, gazing into her eyes at an extremely close distance. His gaze was as bright as a star, yet as calm as the sea.
Time marches on, and no one can stop it. Children will grow up, and we will grow old. That's the way of nature. As for the idea of 'leaving,' as long as I'm still breathing, it's none of your business to worry about it. Wherever you are, that's where I am. We are each other's old age, each other's companions, and neither of us can live without the other.
"Don't be afraid." He said the last two words almost touching her lips.
Nan Zhiyi stared blankly at his face so close to hers, her nose tingling slightly, both from being moved and from feeling at ease.
She really needs Gu Xiao's comfort a thousand times to feel truly secure.
She leaned in and lightly kissed his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck, responding to his promise with affection.
"Thank you, Gu Xiao."
"You're talking nonsense again."
Gu Xiao adjusted to a more comfortable position and held her, then turned off the night light.
Darkness gently enveloped them, merging their embracing figures into one.
Outside the window, the early spring night breeze rustled through the bare branches, as if urging the changing of the seasons.
As Gu Xiao said, time does not stand still for anyone.
The sun rose as usual. Gu Zhao, carrying his schoolbag, met up with his friends and headed to school; Gu Xiao changed into his crisp military uniform and went to the ministry; Nan Zhiyi, on the other hand, returned to the Peking University campus with her manuscript and notes.
In the blink of an eye, the desolation of late winter has faded in the capital, replaced by tender greenery. Magnolias and peach blossoms bloom in succession, and all things are revived.
That afternoon, Nan Zhiyi had just finished a teaching assistant class on selected readings of modern literature, compiled the summaries of the students' assignments, and rushed to Professor Wang's office.
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