Chapter 237 Telephone
Gu Xiao, on the other side, saw his wife showing such a rare lively mood as she ran towards him.
The sunshine and spring breeze seemed to favor her, casting shimmering light and shadow on her hair and skirt, and illuminating the gray street.
The sight softened his heart, and the fatigue he had accumulated from days of travel seemed to vanish.
He smiled and strode towards her with long strides.
The two stopped at the same time, about a step apart.
Nan Zhiyi resisted the urge to throw herself into his arms, after all, there were many people coming and going at the school gate, and it wouldn't be a good impression.
Gu Xiao's arm twitched slightly, but in the end he only restrained himself and let it hang at his side, without pulling her into his arms.
They looked at each other, their eyes overflowing with smiles and longing.
After a while, Gu Xiao reached out and took the backpack from her shoulder. Nan Zhiyi also took his arm and leaned against him affectionately, and together they walked towards the jeep by the roadside.
She tilted her head back and complained sweetly, "You big bad guy! You said you'd be back in a few days, but now almost half a month has passed!"
Gu Xiao felt even more guilty and said in a low voice, "Yes, it's my fault. I had another mission and couldn't come back to help you through the adjustment period at the beginning of the semester. I'm sorry."
He was indeed concerned about the various inconveniences she might encounter when she first entered school, and worried that it would be too difficult for her to cope with her studies and childbirth alone.
Nan Zhiyi's little resentment vanished instantly, replaced by heartache for his hard work.
She pinched the muscles on his arm with her fingers and laughed, "Hmph, is it really necessary for our busy Minister Gu to personally accompany you to handle such a small matter as starting school? I can handle it myself. The most important thing is that you have a smooth work day and come back safely."
Gu Xiao looked closely at her rosy, glowing face and bright eyes, and knew she wasn't lying. He was slightly relieved, and took her fingers in his hand, holding them tightly in his palm: "That's good. Let's go home."
Gu Xiao drove the two of them towards the army compound.
When they arrived home, Sister Zhang was playing with Xiaoman's little ball in the yard.
Nan Zhiyi washed her hands first, preparing to go out and give her son, whom she hadn't seen all day, a good hug.
As my gaze swept across the living room, I noticed a brand-new black rotary dial telephone on the cabinet next to the dining table.
"Telephone?"
Nan Zhiyi was both surprised and delighted, and quickly turned to look at Gu Xiao, "It's all set up? When did this happen?"
Gu Xiao finally got his chance, stepped forward, pulled the person into his arms and hugged him tightly, and explained everything that had happened that day.
"Yes, it was installed this morning. As soon as I got back, I had the switchboard send someone to install it. I thought it would be easier to contact you in the future. After lunch, I was putting Xiaoman to take a nap, and I figured you'd be done with get out of class soon, so I went to pick you up."
Nan Zhiyi hugged him back and looked up at him: "Our Minister Gu is really working hard. He just got back from his business trip and is already busy with all this. He even has such a big surprise for me."
Gu Xiao lowered his head to try and find her lips, but Nan Zhiyi smiled and dodged him, indicating that Sister Zhang and Xiaoman were still in the yard.
She peeked out from his lap, looking curiously at the phone: "Can I make a call now? Can anyone call in? And make out?"
"The line is already connected. See, the number is right next to the phone. Incoming calls need to be transferred through the switchboard, and even direct calls to outside lines require dialing the switchboard first to have an operator transfer the call. However, the internal direct line is more convenient."
"So, when you go on a mission in the future, will you be able to call home?"
Gu Xiao nodded, his arm tightening slightly around her waist: "Yes. When I miss you, or if something urgent happens, I can hear your voice..."
Although the process may still be a bit complicated, it's much better than before when we could only communicate by letter.
Nan Zhiyi had already started to plan in her mind that it would be much cheaper to contact Aunt Feng, Anping, and even Gu Yan in the south in the future.
Seeing her delighted expression, Gu Xiao asked softly, "Would you like to try making a phone call now?"
Nan Zhiyi shook her head: "I don't even know who to call! Besides, long-distance calls are so expensive, I can't just make calls randomly."
Gu Xiao was amused by her thrifty little appearance and explained, "Don't worry, this is a work phone. The installation, monthly fee, and reasonable call charges are all settled and covered by the headquarters. It's not a waste of your family's money."
Nan Zhiyi suddenly realized that he had been joking with her, and glared at him: "So you were just kidding me when you said you'd deduct phone bills from my royalties! You big bad guy!"
Seeing her feigned anger, Gu Xiao quickly lowered his head and gave her a light peck on the lips.
Nan Zhiyi didn't dodge, and her subordinate secretly pinched his waist without any politeness.
Gu Xiao winced in pain, but his smile only grew wider as he leaned close to her ear: "I'll settle the score with you tonight..."
Nan Zhiyi's ears burned, and she quickly broke free from his embrace, ran out of the living room, and went to the yard to find her son.
After more than half a month of school, Xiaoman gradually adapted to his mother not being home during the day. He vaguely knew that every afternoon, his mother would come back on time and then play with him in the courtyard.
Upon seeing his mother come out of the house, the little guy dropped his ball, ran over quickly with his short legs, grabbed Nan Zhiyi's hand, and eagerly tried to pull her out of the yard, shouting, "Li, Huzi, brother! Look for him!"
Nan Zhiyi knew he wanted to go play with Li Wenbo next door, so she bent down and coaxed him softly, "Brother Huzi just got out of school, he might not be home yet, shall we wait for him in the yard?"
Xiaoman only wanted to play with her brother and kept struggling to get out.
Upon seeing this, Gu Xiao lifted the little guy up without saying a word and let him sit on his shoulders.
The sudden increase in elevation made Xiaoman immediately giggle with excitement.
"Come on, Dad will take you for a walk in the compound." Gu Xiao steadily carried his son on his back, and took Nan Zhiyi's hand with his other hand.
The golden rays of the setting sun filtered through the leaves of the sycamore trees, scattering sparsely.
The family of three walked along the cement road, and every now and then several children would run past them, laughing and giggling, and Xiaoman would laugh along with them.
After the heating was turned off, the weather truly warmed up, and the children in the compound seemed to be unleashed by the spring breeze. Every evening, their figures could be seen chasing and playing everywhere.
Although Xiaoman is young, she has become quite well-known and made many friends.
According to Sister Zhang, his favorite is still Li Wenbo. Whenever he sees Li Wenbo, he will follow him around calling "Brother, Brother" incessantly. Li Wenbo is also well-behaved. Although he is only three or four years older than Xiaoman, he always patiently takes care of his little shadow.
The family leisurely blended into the lively evening atmosphere of the courtyard.
Nan Zhiyi felt the warmth from Gu Xiao's palm and heard her son's excited laughter. She felt that the slight fatigue she had felt since the start of the school year had been completely smoothed out, leaving only a sense of peace and security.
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