Chapter 183 Roasted Chestnuts
His chest heaved violently. "You say Fifth Brother got in through connections? Fifth Brother joined the reconnaissance company at sixteen, and at twenty, he led troops to suppress bandits, taking three bullets but never leaving the front lines! During the Tangshan earthquake, he dug through the rubble with his bare hands until his fingers were torn to the bone! Has anyone seen those scars on his chest? Huh?... Everything Fifth Brother has today was earned with his life! If any of you are capable, go and earn yours too! I'll still be biased!"
His gaze swept over his children, who were bowing their heads and shrinking back, finally settling on his second son's face: "Second son, you were still stealing my Moutai when you were sixteen! Last year, that corruption case at the Agricultural Machinery Bureau, if it weren't for me covering it up..."
"Dad!" Gu Jianjun's face turned pale.
Everyone in the room held their breath.
Commander Gu slowly got up and left. As he passed his second daughter-in-law, whose face was ashen, he said coldly, "You think I'm biased? Fine, I'll send the second son to Tibet to support the border region tomorrow. Promotions are faster there."
As soon as Commander Gu entered the room, Gu Yan burst out laughing, "Hey! This is really something to eat."
He ate with even greater relish, completely oblivious to the group of brothers and sisters-in-law beside him who were either crying, comforting, or growling.
Seeing Wu Ma holding Xiaoman and looking this way from the kitchen doorway, he quickly finished eating and went to find his eldest nephew.
"Aunt Wu, is Xiaoman full?"
Aunt Wu admired Gu Yan's carefree nature and whispered, "He finished the steamed egg custard and was fed some millet porridge. He's full."
Gu Yan said, "Then could you please change his diaper? I'll take him out for a walk later."
Aunt Wu carried Xiaoman and followed Gu Yan upstairs, saying, "It's freezing outside, why are you going out?"
Gu Yan chuckled, "Let's go see some friends and help Xiaoman earn some red envelopes."
After changing the diaper, Wu Ma saw that Gu Yan insisted on going out, so she could only wrap Xiao Man up tightly and watch the two of them leave the hospital.
She called after them, still worried, "Come back after a little while, don't let the child get cold..."
Gu Yan waved his hand without turning his head and rushed forward, making Wu Ma's heart jump with fear.
As soon as Gu Xiao came downstairs, she immediately went up to him to complain, "Gu Yan took Xiao Man away! Look how cold it is outside, I couldn't stop him..."
Gu Xiao: "Aunt Wu, don't worry, I'll talk to him when he gets back."
Upon hearing this, Wu Ma felt relieved. Gu Xiao was definitely going to give Gu Yan a good beating; he couldn't possibly let the child run around like that!
She smiled and said, "I've kept breakfast warm for you and Zhiyi. Why don't you take it up to her?"
"good."
Aunt Wu served the food and placed it on a tray.
Gu Xiao carried it steadily and returned to his bedroom.
Nan Zhiyi was sitting in front of her dressing table, braiding her hair.
Seeing him come in, she said, "Why did you bring this up? I was just about to go downstairs."
"It was just a small thing." Gu Xiao placed the tray on the small coffee table and pulled her to sit on the sofa. "Aunt Wu cooked millet porridge and steamed your favorite red bean buns."
Nan Zhiyi sipped her porridge, then suddenly remembered something: "Where's Xiaoman?"
"I went out to play with Lao Liu." Gu Xiao put the peeled egg into her bowl. "I have some errands to run later. You stay home and rest."
Nan Zhiyi nodded in agreement. She felt quite at ease with Gu Yan taking care of the child.
When she was writing in her room in the morning, she always felt that it was particularly quiet downstairs.
As it was almost time to cook, she went downstairs to help and found that only her sister-in-law, third sister, and Wu Ma were busy in the kitchen.
With Second Sister-in-law Zhang Xiufen absent, even Wang Juan, who usually loves to join in the fun, quietly picked vegetables.
She went over to help pick the vegetables and quietly asked what had happened.
Wang Juan winked at her, as if she was about to say something.
Suddenly, Gu Yan's panicked voice came from outside the window.
He carried Xiaoman, who was wrapped up like a ball, into the living room. The baby's chubby cheeks were still covered with cookie crumbs.
"Aunt Wu, Zhiyi, please help me!" Gu Yan cried out, holding up her child. "He's pooped again..."
Nan Zhiyi left the cabbage in her hand, stood up and took Xiaoman from her. "Thank you for your hard work, Gu Yan. Leave it to me."
Gu Yan: "These are for Xiaoman." He took out several red envelopes and stuffed them into Xiaoman's package.
Where did it come from?
"I took him to visit a few acquaintances in the compound."
Nan Zhiyi nodded and carried Xiaoman upstairs to the bathroom to clean her up.
At lunchtime, my second sister-in-law finally appeared, her left cheek still swollen and red. She buried her head in her rice and didn't say a word. My second brother's face was gloomy.
Commander Gu had a stern face, and the only sound at the table was the clinking of bowls and chopsticks.
Even the most boisterous children obediently buried their heads in their food.
Nan Zhiyi held Xiaoman and fed him, but he yawned after only a few bites, feeling drowsy and wanting to sleep.
After she put Xiaoman to sleep, she went into the kitchen to help wash the dishes.
Wang Juan sidled up to Nan Zhiyi and whispered, "This morning, my second sister-in-law really messed up! She said that fifth brother's promotion was due to Dad's connections, and she complained about how poor our family was... Second brother slapped her right there and then!"
Nan Zhiyi dropped the rag in her hand into the sink: "Huh??"
"Dad was furious! He said if Second Brother doesn't like his job, he'll be transferred to Tibet tomorrow to support the border region." Wang Juan pouted. "If you ask me, he deserves it. Second Brother isn't ambitious enough, and Second Sister-in-law is always comparing this and that... Ugh!"
Suddenly, her sister-in-law handed her a stack of plates, and Wang Juan immediately fell silent.
Li Xiuqin said softly, "Fourth sister-in-law, let's not talk about that. Fifth sister-in-law, family members sometimes have minor disagreements, so please don't take them to heart, okay?"
Nan Zhiyi smiled and said, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, I understand."
She always felt that living a good life was more important than anything else.
Gu Xiao returned before dinner, shivering with cold, his hair still covered in unmelted snow.
He pulled out a paper package from his pocket. The package had the signboard of the old shop near the Drum Tower written on it. Unwrapping it layer by layer, he found roasted chestnuts coated in sugar and roasted sweet potatoes that were golden brown and dripping with honey.
"You're still open on the first day of the Lunar New Year?" Nan Zhiyi was pleasantly surprised.
Gu Xiao said, "The old master lives behind the shop. He said his children are all in other places, so he's just killing time."
Nan Zhiyi took the oil paper package to warm her hands; the chestnut shells had already cracked slightly.
She had just peeled a whole fruit when Xiaoman crawled over, squeaking, and grabbed her knees, opening her mouth like a fledgling bird waiting to be fed.
"Little glutton."
She crushed some chestnut kernels and fed them to her son, who immediately squinted his eyes and smacked his lips.
Gu Xiao squatted down and used a handkerchief to wipe the sugar frosting off his son's cheek: "I have to go out to pay New Year's visits in the next few days; there are some leaders I need to visit."
Nan Zhiyi nodded, peeled a plump chestnut and stuffed it into Gu Xiao's mouth: "Wear a scarf and a hat, I heard on the radio today that it's going to get colder again."
She suddenly remembered something, "Second sister-in-law, second brother..."
Gu Xiao patted her hand reassuringly, "I know. My eldest brother told me. My second brother is soft-hearted and easily influenced, so my sister-in-law won't cause any big trouble."
The crisp sound of children setting off firecrackers came from outside the window, and Xiaoman excitedly rushed towards the window.
Gu Xiao scooped his son up in his arms and lifted him high: "Come on! Daddy will take you to see the firecrackers!"
Don't scare him!
Nan Zhiyi hurriedly got up, but he put his arm around her shoulder with his free hand.
The family of three squeezed together by the window. In the courtyard, Gu Yan was lighting fireworks with the children.
Golden arcs of light bloomed in the snow, making the glass window flicker.
Gu Xiao leaned close to her ear: "Next year, we'll release them in our own yard."
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