Chapter 338 Birthday Celebration
The evening light was soft.
Li Xiaoxuan, arm in arm with Qin Fen, stepped into the Gu family's courtyard.
Qin Fen's voice preceded his arrival, booming, "Old Gu! Sister-in-law! We're here!"
Nan Zhiyi led Xiaoman out to greet them.
Xiaoman greeted everyone sweetly: "Hello, Uncle Qin, hello, Aunt Li."
"Come in and sit down," Nan Zhiyi said with a smile, "Gu Xiao hasn't come back yet."
Li Xiaoxuan didn't rush into the house. She nudged Qin Fen and said, "Go, put down what we brought and play with Xiaoman for a while. I want to talk to Zhiyi."
As she spoke, she winked at Nan Zhiyi.
Qin Fen laughed heartily: "Alright! I knew you'd tell your sister-in-law about me! Go ahead and tell her, I'll humbly accept it!"
He carried the several net bags he had brought and waved to Xiaoman, "Come on, Xiaoman, Uncle brought you a little monkey that can do somersaults, let's go play!"
Upon hearing that something fun was going to happen, Xiaoman eagerly followed Qin Fen into the living room.
Li Xiaoxuan took Nan Zhiyi's hand and sat down on the swing under the grape trellis.
She looked up at the abundant purple grapes above her head and exclaimed, "You've taken such good care of this grape trellis! Look at these grapes, so big and uniform, they're much more vibrant than the ones sold outside!"
"Yes, the rain and sunshine have both come at just the right time this year. While it's still light, shall we pick some first?"
"No rush, no rush."
Li Xiaoxuan waved her hand, swaying slightly on the swing, and complained, "I haven't even told you about Lao Qin yet! You have no idea how outrageous he's been lately! He disappears with his fishing rod, not coming home until dinnertime. After work, he puts down his dinner and starts thinking about his fishpond, dawdling until midnight! And weekends are even worse, he's practically living by the water, leaving early and coming home late, our house is practically his hotel!"
Nan Zhiyi said, "Huh? Didn't he used to listen to you quite a bit? How come..."
"snort!"
Li Xiaoxuan snorted, "She acted like a model student before marriage, but her true colors were revealed afterward! Just like a fishing rod that's been pulled away!"
She grumbled, "My mother-in-law's birthday is in a couple of days. Booking hotels, drafting menus, sending out invitations, arranging seating... a whole bunch of things to do! My sister-in-law and I are so busy we're practically running around, but he's just sitting back and not doing a thing, relying entirely on the two of us!"
Seeing that although Qin Fen was sharp-tongued, there wasn't much sadness in her eyes, Nan Zhiyi gently advised, "Qin Fen is just enjoying fishing; it's better than some people messing around outside. Don't get really angry with him; it's not worth ruining your health. When he gets back today, you can have a good talk with him..."
Li Xiaoxuan sighed, "That's all we can do. If you really get angry with him, he can drive you crazy, and you'll still feel like you're doing nothing."
She shook her head, as if trying to shake off these worries. "Forget it, let's not talk about him anymore! Let's go pick grapes! I'm going to pick the biggest and purplest ones today!"
"Okay, I'll go get the scissors." Nan Zhiyi got up and walked towards the kitchen.
Li Xiaoxuan jumped off the swing and clapped her hands. "I brought the invitation to my mother-in-law's birthday celebration today. Next Saturday, at Hongbinlou Restaurant, your whole family has to come and join the fun!"
Nan Zhiyi smiled and agreed, "Okay, I'll definitely be there."
"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore, let's pick grapes!" Li Xiaoxuan looked up at the grape trellis with great interest.
Nan Zhiyi nodded: "Wait here, I'll go get the scissors and the basket."
The two worked together seamlessly and quickly picked half a basket of Muscat grapes covered in white frost.
Just as they were busy working, the courtyard gate creaked open, and Gu Xiao returned.
He saw the two people under the grape trellis and walked over. "Why didn't you let Lao Qin do it? You're the ones who are busy."
Li Xiaoxuan held up a bunch of grapes she had just cut, "Minister Gu, you don't understand. Grapes you pick yourself taste sweeter!"
Gu Xiao glanced at his wife holding the basket and asked, "Is it heavy? Let me carry it."
Nan Zhiyi shook her head. "How heavy could it be?"
Hearing the commotion, Qin Fen came out and chimed in, "That's right! Old Gu, why are you meddling in this? Hey, let me tell you, the other day I was over at the Tonghui River and I actually caught a small crucian carp weighing almost two pounds! It was so fat! When you're free, let's go cast our lines a couple of times?"
Gu Xiao shook his head and refused directly: "I'm busy. It's the end of the year, and there's a lot going on at the department."
Qin Fen choked for a moment, but didn't mind. He chuckled and turned to tease Xiao Man again.
Before long, Nan Zhiyi and Li Xiaoxuan worked together to pick a full basket of grapes, each one plump and full.
Li Xiaoxuan said, "That's enough, that's enough. This is enough for us to eat for several days. Any more would be a waste."
"Okay, you can keep this basket for now and bring it back next time you come."
After dinner, Gu Xiao and Qin Fen went to the study to talk.
Nan Zhiyi and Li Xiaoxuan were drinking tea and playing with Xiaoman in the living room.
Looking at Xiaoman's well-behaved and intelligent appearance, Li Xiaoxuan's eyes revealed affection. She lowered her voice and said to Nan Zhiyi, "Xiaoman is getting cuter and cuter the more I look at her, sigh..."
As she spoke, she glanced subconsciously at the study door, "We've only been married a short time, and the elders in the family are already pressuring me to have a baby all the time. My mother-in-law and my mother have been arranging for me to take some traditional Chinese medicine to regulate my body, and they keep saying that Lao Qin is already in his thirties, and their friends' children are old enough to run errands..."
Nan Zhiyi put down her teacup. "What are you saying? Even if he doesn't marry you, he's already over thirty. How can you blame it all on you? Having a child isn't just your responsibility. Why don't they get Qin Fen some nourishing soup?"
These words struck a chord with Li Xiaoxuan. She thought to herself that Zhiyi truly understood her and had hit the nail on the head with just one sentence.
She smiled and glanced sideways at Nan Zhiyi, who covered her mouth as well. The two exchanged a knowing look.
After laughing, Li Xiaoxuan's tone became much more relaxed: "Fortunately, Lao Qin is quite sensible about this matter. He told me privately that there's no rush, and that I should relax and not pay attention to those words. He said he would take care of any pressure."
Nan Zhiyi agreed: "That's more like it, like a responsible husband."
Li Xiaoxuan smiled, then looked mischievously at Nan Zhiyi and nudged her lightly with her elbow: "Hey, what about you and Minister Gu? Have you considered having another one? To give Xiaoman a younger brother or sister?"
Nan Zhiyi shook her head hurriedly, "Forget it, we have Xiaoman, that's enough, we're very satisfied."
Xiaoman, this one child, has already filled all her imagination and expectations of the role of mother with fulfillment and joy, and there is no need to add anything more.
After sitting for a while, the study door opened, and Gu Xiao and Qin Fen came out, seemingly having finished their discussion.
The family of three escorted Qin Fen and his wife to the gate of the hospital.
Qin Fen carried the heavy basket of grapes in one hand and took Li Xiaoxuan's hand in the other. He said goodbye to Gu Xiaonan and drove away.
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