Chapter 126 Relaxation
The snow-white glutinous rice balls float in the clear sugar water. When you bite into the soft and chewy outer skin, the hot and sweet filling inside flows out, warming your stomach and your heart.
Nan Zhiyi and Wu Ma sat facing each other, eating quietly.
After the Lantern Festival (the fifteenth day of the first lunar month), the New Year celebrations are officially over. Time seems to have been fast-forwarded, and the snow outside the window is gradually melting.
Nan Zhiyi's life is simple and regular.
I spend most of my time at home, reading books, brainstorming ideas for novels, and occasionally reading a few paragraphs from the newspaper to the baby in my belly.
Aunt Wu took meticulous care of her, preparing a variety of nutritious meals for her every day.
As he had predicted, Commander Gu frequently traveled to the troops, leaving only her and Aunt Wu in the large Gu family courtyard, which was quite peaceful.
She hadn't seen Zhou Anping for quite some time.
The last time we met was on the tenth day of the lunar month. Zhou Anping came over late at night, saying that the group had a heavy task and he would soon be going with the team to several nearby cities and counties to conduct small-scale memorial and publicity activities, with no return date in sight.
Nan Zhiyi also saw in the newspaper that although the initial centralized mourning activities had passed, the official advocacy of "continuing the mourning and passing on the spirit" had not stopped.
Small-scale memorial services and revolutionary spirit study and dissemination activities organized by local government agencies, factories, mines, schools, and communes ran throughout January, and in some areas continued until the end of February.
Military cultural troupes like the one Zhou Anping works in, as important forces for political propaganda, need to go deeper into the grassroots.
They traveled from one place to another, using music, recitation, and sermons to convey their deep sorrow to factory workshops, fields, and military barracks.
Therefore, Nan Zhiyi fully understands Anping's busy schedule; she just misses her a little.
The days passed quietly and peacefully.
The wind outside the window gradually lost its biting chill, and the sunlight became warmer.
Nan Zhiyi sat at her desk and spread out a sheet of letter paper.
She first replied to Aunt Feng Chunmei and Zhang Yueran.
"Aunt Feng, Yueyue, it's so nice to see you here. I received your letters and packages, and I'm eating the red dates and walnuts every day... Thank you for always thinking of me..."
"...Don't worry about me, but take good care of yourselves. Yueyue, don't overwork yourself, and Aunt Feng, please take good care of yourself too. After the baby is born, I'll have the chance to bring him back to see you..."
Nan Zhiyi described her daily life in the Gu family in detail, writing several pages before folding the letter and putting it into an envelope.
She picked up another sheet of paper, paused for a moment, and wrote it to Zhao Yaqin.
"Yaqin, I received your letter yesterday. Knowing that you've safely returned to work in the publicity department puts my mind at ease. Have you got a new colleague? I hope she's easy to get along with. You said... Section Chief Li Mei mentioned that Fifth Brother helped me resign?"
Nan Zhiyi paused for a moment after writing this.
Gu Xiao had mentioned this to her on the phone. He said he would be going on a mission during this period, and he would feel more at ease if she was taking care of her pregnancy in Jian'an. He would not be going back to the family compound for the time being, and he had also quit his job so that she could rest and recuperate in peace.
Although Nan Zhiyi was somewhat reluctant to give up her temporary job in the publicity department, she understood his concerns as a husband and father, so she agreed.
She continued writing:
"Fifth Brother... was mainly worried about my health and the hassle of traveling back and forth. I feel really bad that I couldn't thank and say goodbye to Section Chief Li in person. Yaqin, please help me explain to Section Chief Li and sincerely apologize for me, and thank her for her care and understanding before. I will definitely thank her in person when I have the chance."
As she wrote this, Nan Zhiyi seemed to see Zhao Yaqin's cheerful and slightly boisterous appearance in her mind's eye, and the corners of her lips curved into a smile.
"As for you saying that food doesn't taste good without me... come on! I think you just want me to chat with you to keep you company, right?"
She made a small joke, then quickly changed the subject:
"And you? How have you been lately? Is work going well? Is Corey busy? And... I didn't go into details in the last letter, how are things going between you and him? Has things... softened up a bit with your mother?"
She didn't write "Li Weidong" by name directly, but they understood each other implicitly.
Nan Zhiyi put down her pen and looked out the window.
The big trees outside the courtyard sprouted tender yellow buds. Spring in Jian'an City came earlier and was gentler than in the military camps in the north.
She was missing the family compound.
She stood up, sealed the two letters, and affixed stamps.
The sun was shining brightly, and Aunt Wu was airing out bedding in the yard. The air was filled with the clean scent of sunshine and soapberries.
Nan Zhiyi went downstairs and placed the two letters on the cabinet in the entryway.
Walk down to the porch.
Aunt Wu was standing on tiptoe, draping several quilts over the clothesline and vigorously beating them, the fluffy cotton fibers dancing in the sunlight.
"Aunt Wu, shall I take the picture for you?"
Nan Zhiyi approached with a smile and reached out her hand to help.
"Oh my little darling!"
Startled, Aunt Wu quickly put down the rattan rammer she was holding, waving her hands repeatedly and standing in front of the clothesline like a mother hen protecting her chicks. "No way! No way! How can you do this? Go stand aside and rest! Be careful not to hurt your back!"
She looked at Nan Zhiyi's slightly protruding belly. Although it was only five months along and not very big, in Wu Ma's eyes, it was an extremely precious treasure.
Nan Zhiyi was amused by her nervous appearance. She withdrew her hand, took a step back, stood in the sunlight, and took a deep breath: "It smells so good, it's the smell of sunshine."
"Right? It'll be more comfortable to cover yourself with it at night after it's been thoroughly sun-dried."
Seeing that she wasn't insisting, Aunt Wu breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the rattan patter again to beat the quilt, and grumbled, "You should just sit and read a book, bask in the sun, I'll take care of these chores."
"Yes, Aunt Wu, I wrote two letters. I'll trouble you to mail them when you go grocery shopping."
“It’s no trouble at all, it’s just a quick thing to do.”
Aunt Wu readily agreed, continuing to pat the quilt.
"After lunch, I'll go to the grocery store to buy some fresh vegetables and mail the letter while I'm at it. The weather is so nice, not too hot or too cold. Would you like to come out for a walk with me?"
Aunt Wu looked at her with heartache, "You were so lively and loved being around people when you were little, how come you're always cooped up at home now that you're all grown up? You must be feeling so stifled."
Nan Zhiyi touched her swollen belly and recalled the joy of running and chasing with her friends in the courtyard when she was a child, a time when she knew no sorrow...
"Okay." She nodded with a smile.
As she was leaving in the afternoon, Nan Zhiyi picked up a thin beige scarf, loosely wrapped it around her neck, and covered half of her face.
When Aunt Wu saw this, she didn't object, but said, "You should wrap yourself up a bit. This spring breeze looks warm, but it's creeping around your neck. Let's go."
The two linked arms and slowly walked out of the courtyard.
First, I went to the post office to mail a letter, and then I went to the grocery store to buy some seasonal vegetables that Aunt Wu had been talking about.
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