Chapter 164 Interrogation
Gu Xiaokong reached out and took Nan Zhiyi's hand, following him into the gate.
The living room was brightly lit, and Uncle Meng, Aunt Meng, and General Meng all stood up from the sofa.
Uncle Meng wore glasses and had a refined and composed demeanor.
Aunt Meng was well-dressed and had a kind smile;
Although General Meng's hair was gray, he stood up straight and his eyes were bright and piercing.
Gu Xiao and Nan Zhiyi quickly stepped forward to greet them.
"Gu Xiao is here. This must be Zhiyi. I've often heard Qingshan and Anping mention you. You're really handsome."
Meng Bo's mother warmly grasped Nan Zhiyi's hand, then looked down at the baby in the stroller, "Oh my, this child is so handsome, just like his father and mother!"
As she spoke, she took out a red envelope from her pocket and stuffed it into Xiaoman's swaddling clothes. "Take this, it's a gift from Grandma!"
Nan Zhiyi was very embarrassed and said repeatedly, "Auntie, this is too much money, you can't accept it..."
"Yes, yes," General Meng said in a loud voice. "It's the first time we've come, so it's proper etiquette! Gu Xiao, have your wife accept it!"
Gu Xiao nodded slightly to Nan Zhiyi: "Please accept it, thank you Uncle Meng and Aunt Meng, thank you Grandpa."
Nan Zhiyi then blushed and thanked her.
Just then, Zhou Anping's voice, filled with surprise, came from the kitchen: "Zhiyi, you've finally arrived."
Nan Zhiyi smiled and pushed the stroller forward, waving to her: "Anping, come and see Xiaoman, she's grown so much."
Zhou Anping stretched out his arm, revealing his hands covered in dirt and vegetable leaves: "I'm helping out right now, my hands are all dirty. It'll be done soon, I'll come and hold him after I wash my hands!" Then he retreated back into the kitchen.
Nan Zhiyi's smile remained unchanged, but a hint of surprise flashed through her mind.
Anping was helping in the kitchen? In her memory, although Zhou Anping was not a pampered young lady who never lifted a finger, she rarely did any housework in the Zhou family, let alone help so skillfully in someone else's home.
During the exchange of pleasantries,
General Meng and Uncle Meng invited Gu Xiao and Nan Zhiyi to sit down on the sofa, and Aunt Meng brought tea.
The men chatted about the military and the current situation, while Aunt Meng sat next to Nan Zhiyi, her gaze fixed on Xiaoman in the stroller.
“This child is so well-behaved. He looks around with his big eyes open, without crying or making a fuss. Our eldest grandson was a real troublemaker when he was little. He had a terrible temper and would wail like the roof was about to fall off if he was upset by the slightest thing.”
Nan Zhiyi smiled and said, "Auntie, please don't praise him. He's only well-behaved when he's well-fed and rested. But when he gets naughty, he can be quite a handful."
She agreed verbally, but her mind was mostly on the kitchen, wanting to ask Zhou Anping a lot of questions.
Aunt Meng said something else, about feeding the child and the climate in the capital, but she barely listened, only patiently giving brief "uh-huhs" in response.
Having finally caught a glimpse of Meng's mother getting up to refill the men's tea, Nan Zhiyi said softly, "Auntie, I'm going to the kitchen to check on Anping and say a few words to her."
Aunt Meng smiled and nodded: "Go ahead, go ahead."
Nan Zhiyi glanced at Gu Xiao subconsciously. He was listening to General Meng speak, but his gaze seemed to be fixed on her. When he saw her looking over, he nodded slightly, and she got up and walked towards the kitchen.
In the kitchen, a maid in her forties was cooking at the stove, while Zhou Anping was washing a bunch of vegetables at the sink next to her.
Nan Zhiyi's mind raced for a moment, then she suppressed her questions and walked over.
When Zhou Anping saw her come in, his face lit up with joy: "Zhiyi! I've missed you so much!"
Nan Zhiyi patted her shoulder, not wanting her to work too hard: "Let me help you."
Zhou Anping shook the water droplets off his hands. "It's nothing, just a little work, almost done."
Seeing that Nan Zhiyi was about to start, she quickly stopped her, "Don't get involved, it'll be done soon."
Nan Zhiyi had already picked up another bunch of vegetables, picking them while looking Zhou Anping up and down: "Do I look fat? Xiaoman is all plump and fair now. Let me tell you, Aunt Wu gave me and Xiaoman..."
Before she could finish speaking, Aunt Meng's voice came from the doorway.
"Anping, you're such a thoughtless child!"
Her tone was reproachful, and her face had darkened. "How can you let the guests do the work? Zhiyi, put it down and go out to rest."
Zhou Anping's smile froze for a moment, and she looked somewhat flustered. She explained in a low voice, "Auntie, Zhiyi isn't an outsider..."
Aunt Meng seemed dissatisfied with the answer, but she couldn't show it.
Nan Zhiyi quickly smiled and smoothed things over: "Auntie, please don't blame Anping. We grew up together, we're closer than sisters, we're used to getting along like this, and we never hold these things against each other. I just wanted to come and talk to her while we work."
As she spoke, she put the picked vegetables into the basket.
Aunt Meng's expression softened slightly upon hearing this, and she smiled at Nan Zhiyi: "I can't let you do it. Anping, that's enough here. Go wash your hands and go out to talk with Zhiyi."
The two walked out of the kitchen one after the other and went to the bathroom to wash their hands.
The sound of rushing water filled the air. Nan Zhiyi leaned close to Zhou Anping's ear and asked urgently in a low voice, "What's going on? Why are you working in the kitchen?"
Zhou Anping turned on the tap, wiped his hands with a towel, and said in a relaxed tone, "Hey, this isn't your first time here, is it? Auntie wanted to make a big feast, but Zhang Ma couldn't manage it all by herself. Auntie isn't very familiar with kitchen things either, so I just lent a hand. It's nothing."
Nan Zhiyi looked at her, her brows still furrowed: "What about the job transfer? Is there any progress? Also, how come you... ended up living at the Meng family's house?"
She simply couldn't imagine that Zhou Anping would live in the man's house like this.
Zhou Anping turned off the faucet and shook the water droplets off his hands: "The job application process is underway. Qingshan said it's almost done, and the procedures should be finalized next month so I can join the General Political Department's Cultural Troupe."
She further explained, "I don't have the face to move into the Meng family's house! I'm temporarily staying in the cultural troupe's dormitory. One of the veteran members went to visit relatives, so there's an empty bed for me. It'll be good for me to have a place to stay here, which will make it easier when I'm transferred."
Nan Zhiyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, at least she didn't move into the Meng family's house directly.
She sensed that Aunt Meng wasn't as kind and approachable as she appeared, so she leaned closer and lowered her voice: "Then... how is Aunt Meng to you?"
Zhou Anping picked up a towel to wipe his hands, his gaze drifting towards the door: "That's... fine, just be polite, always greet each other with a smile, and don't miss any of the proper courtesies."
Nan Zhiyi, however, was still uneasy and pressed on, "How polite was she? What about Meng Qingshan? What was his attitude? What did he say? Didn't you say last time that you had submitted the marriage application? How is it going now?"
Zhou Anping was both amused and exasperated by her barrage of questions. He gave her a reproachful look and said, "Oh dear, this is the first time I've seen someone interrogate like this. Let me answer one by one."
Nan Zhiyi, however, persisted, gently shaking her arm: "Tell me quickly, stop keeping me in suspense."
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