Chapter 458 Surprise
They chattered away the whole way until they arrived at their destination.
The three-story building was dusty and drab, with only a few windows lit up.
The sentry at the gate recognized Nan Zhiyi and saluted before letting her through.
The first-floor corridor was empty, with footsteps echoing, and slogans and duty rosters posted on the walls.
Gu Xiao's office is at the far end of the second floor.
Gu Zhao had been here several times and knew the way well. He broke free from Nan Zhiyi's hand and jogged upstairs, his footsteps making a loud thumping sound.
Nan Zhiyi followed behind, holding the cloth bag in her arms, still able to feel the warmth emanating from the lunchbox.
As soon as I stepped onto the second-floor corridor, the door at the end opened.
Gu Xiao stood there, his military jacket open.
The light from the corridor ceiling lamp shone down from the side, casting varying shades of shadow on his face, making his eye sockets appear deeper than usual.
He looked at the mother and son with a very tender gaze.
Before he could speak, Gu Zhao jumped up, stomping her foot in frustration: "Oh dear! It's all my fault for making such loud footsteps! Otherwise, I could have given Dad a surprise!"
Nan Zhiyi chuckled. Gu Xiao strode over and took the cloth bag from her hand. "Thank you for bringing me food, wife." His voice was a little hoarse, as if he had talked too much.
Gu Zhao jumped up again: "Dad, I'm here too!"
Gu Xiao freed one hand and ruffled his son's fluffy head: "Yes, thank you, son."
Gu Zhao was satisfied and grinned.
The family of three entered the office.
The room was much warmer than the corridor, and the metal radiators were humming.
A large desk stood by the window, piled high with documents, a desk lamp casting a warm yellow glow in one corner.
There was a single sofa next to it, with a military overcoat draped over the armrest.
Nan Zhiyi urged him, "Eat it while it's hot, it'll get cold soon."
Okay. Have you eaten yet?
"I ate. Gu Zhao was especially well-behaved today, and even helped me serve the dishes and mix the vinegar."
One by one, the lunchboxes were opened, and Nan Zhiyi handed him chopsticks. She also took out a small glass bottle containing a prepared vinegar sauce.
"I brought this especially for you. Just pour it on the lid and make do?"
Gu Xiao took it, saying, "My wife is so thoughtful." He spoke as if she had done something extraordinary.
"Alright, focus on your food."
Nan Zhiyi stayed by his side, and casually picked up another chopstick to help him pick out the shark fin.
Gu Zhao had already scurried to the other side of the office and was standing on tiptoe to look at the map on the wall.
The colorful contour lines meandered densely, and he couldn't understand them, but he traced the lines with his finger.
Gu Zhao turned around and asked, "Dad, where is this map?"
"South," Gu Xiao replied simply.
The little guy didn't ask any further questions, and instead studied the winding lines.
"Has the phone at home run?" Gu Xiao asked her.
"Aunt Feng called this morning to say she received holiday gifts and that Yueyue and Zhou Xingzhi were helping with chores at home, making things much easier. In the late afternoon, Dad called and talked to Gu Zhao for a while. He sounded quite happy and said that everyone in the family was there except for us."
Nan Zhiyi moved her chair closer to him, and their knees touched.
She said mysteriously, "I feel like Dad has something he wants to tell me... but he didn't say it..."
Gu Xiao glanced at her, then looked towards his son. After a moment's pause, he said, "Dad called me too. It's nothing serious. I'll tell you when I get back."
Nan Zhiyi frowned: "Ugh, you're keeping me in suspense again."
Gu Xiao put down his chopsticks and answered seriously, "Honey, I wasn't going to keep you in suspense. I figured I could tell you later."
"If you don't tell me now, you can forget about sleeping in the house tonight. I'm going to lock you out." Nan Zhiyi deliberately put on a stern face and poked his arm with her finger.
Gu Xiao laughed at her teasing. "Alright, alright," he sighed in resignation. "Dad's just getting old, he thinks too much."
He glanced at his son, who was studying a tank model, and only continued softly after confirming that the child's attention was elsewhere, "He mentioned to me that he wanted to leave his own little bit of savings... to Gu Zhao. He didn't want the rest of the family to know."
Nan Zhiyi was stunned for a moment.
She hadn't expected this.
Although Commander Gu has retired in recent years, his savings from his early years and some old items have always been a murky matter.
She hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "This is Dad's good intention, but if we give it to Gu Zhao... if... my brother and sister-in-law find out, I'm afraid they'll have some reservations..."
“So Dad just wanted to let us know first.” Gu Xiao reached out and tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. “I’ll talk to Dad about this in detail when I get back. We need to discuss how to handle it properly. Don’t overthink it or feel burdened.”
His touch carried a soothing meaning.
"Thank goodness..." Nan Zhiyi breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing. "It's nothing serious. Dad was hesitant on the phone just now, which startled me."
"Well, it's really nothing serious. Dad was just afraid that telling you directly would put you in a difficult position."
Gu Xiao had finished eating and started packing up his lunchbox. Nan Zhiyi went to help him.
After getting ready, Gu Xiao glanced at the wall clock; it was 7:50.
He picked up the cloth bag and handed it to Nan Zhiyi, urging, "Take Zhaozhao back quickly, the Spring Festival Gala is about to start. It's said to be the first live broadcast, it would be a pity to miss the beginning."
Nan Zhiyi was also curious.
The newspapers had been advertising it for a long time, saying it was a novel format, a live broadcast, and even allowed phone-on viewing. She nodded and called to her son, "Gu Zhao, let's go home."
Gu Zhao ran over, grabbed her mother's hand, and looked up at her father: "Dad, when will you be back?"
"It's very late. You should go to bed early after you finish watching TV, no need to wait."
Gu Xiao took a small bag out of the drawer and stuffed it into Gu Zhao's coat pocket. "I saw the convenience store was still open on the way, so I bought some firecrackers. We'll set them off with Hu Zi and the others tomorrow morning."
Gu Zhao nodded vigorously: "Yes! Thank you, Dad!" He put the firecracker into his pocket and carefully covered it.
The family of three walked to the office door.
Gu Xiao adjusted Nan Zhiyi's scarf, "The road is slippery, walk slowly."
"Okay," Nan Zhiyi replied, turning around with her son in her hand. Then she turned back closer and whispered, "I'll wait for you to come home."
Gu Xiao replied softly in a breathy voice, "Okay."
He kept staring at the two figures, one tall and one short, from behind.
Nan Zhiyi's coat hem swayed gently with her steps, while Gu Zhao's red scarf bounced up and down.
As they reached the corner of the stairs, Gu Zhao suddenly turned around and waved her little hand.
Gu Xiao also raised his hand and waved.
He stood in the corridor for a while until the footsteps were completely out of earshot before retreating back to his office and closing the door.
The room fell silent again, and the documents on the table awaiting review seemed heavier than before.
He walked back to the window and lifted a corner of the curtain.
Downstairs, in the dim glow of the streetlights, fine snowflakes were falling.
Two figures were crossing the yard. The smaller one seemed to jump and almost slipped, but the larger one hurriedly pulled him back.
A faint sound of laughter was carried up by the wind; it was very light and quickly dissipated.
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