Chapter 328 Summer Night
Nan Zhiyi's heart stirred.
The eldest son of the Luo family is Luo Jianming... Zhou Anping had harbored resentment and dissatisfaction because of Lu Linlang and Luo Jianming's affair.
Hearing Dr. Zhao mention the power of the Luo family, even their ability to interfere in places like hospitals, she didn't show it on her face, but her feelings towards Luo Jianming and Lu Linlang, who was involved with him, became more complicated.
Mrs. Sun, who was standing nearby, was interested in this kind of gossip and immediately chimed in.
"I know, Luo Jianming, he's a regimental commander now, not exactly young anymore, right? I thought a family like theirs would at least find someone of equal social standing in Beijing. Turns out, the Dr. Lu they found is from out of town?"
Dr. Zhao nodded, "He's from out of town, from the Jian'an Military Region."
Madam Sun pursed her lips.
Li Xiaoxuan was thoughtful and, remembering that Nan Zhiyi had also come from out of town with the army, she was afraid that these words would make Nan Zhiyi uncomfortable, so she quickly smoothed things over.
She slammed down a card, exclaiming, "Should I take it? This is a great card! You won't get another chance like this!"
Nan Zhiyi laughed and replied, "Then I won't be polite, let's go!"
She deftly brought the card to her front.
After she had finished drawing a tile, it was her turn to draw another tile.
Her fingertips touched the card, she gently flicked it, and then revealed it on the table. "Oh my, looks like I'm having a really good run of luck today. This is... a self-draw!"
Li Xiaoxuan clapped her hands and laughed, "Look! Look! Sister Sun, Liping, what did I tell you? You were so busy talking that you got distracted, weren't you? Well, now we newbies have gotten a great deal!"
Madam Sun's attention was diverted. Looking at the cards Nan Zhiyi had knocked over, she clicked her tongue in amazement: "Really! Comrade Zhiyi, you're so lucky! Next time, I can't let you sit next to me!"
Dr. Zhao smiled and shook his head, "I need to get serious too."
The game became easier again.
An afternoon passed quickly on this small card table.
When the card game ended, Nan Zhiyi declined Li Xiaoxuan's invitation to stay for dinner and hurried home in the lingering summer heat.
When she got home, it was already dark. Sister Zhang was in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes. When she saw her come back, she said, "I left you some food to keep warm in the pot. Minister Gu and Xiaoman have already eaten and went out for a walk."
Nan Zhiyi thanked Sister Zhang and went to the bathroom to quickly wash up and change into some dry home clothes.
When she returned to the living room, Sister Zhang had already reheated the leftover food and brought it to the dining table.
"Sister Zhang, hurry home and be careful on the way."
Sister Zhang responded, took off her apron, and left.
Nan Zhiyi sat down at the dining table. The weather was hot, and she felt a bit stuffy indoors after spending the afternoon there, so she really didn't have much of an appetite.
She ate the food on the table slowly, taking bites here and there, seemingly lost in thought as she poked at the rice.
Gu Xiao led Xiao Man in.
Gu Xiao glanced at Nan Zhiyi, who looked listless at the dining table, and instinctively took two steps toward her. However, realizing that he was holding the hand of a child, he had to suppress his thoughts for the time being.
Xiaoman saw his mother too. "Mom, Mom!" he said, and was about to rush over to her.
Gu Xiao stopped his son, "Go wash your hands first, they're covered in dust."
Xiaoman could only obediently follow her father to the bathroom, waving to her mother as she went.
Gu Xiao took Xiaoman to the bathroom to wash her hands carefully, and Xiaoman ran over and snuggled up to her mother's knees.
Nan Zhiyi coaxed her son a few times, "Mom misses you too. I'll play with you after I finish eating."
"Okay, I'll wait for you."
After being comforted, Xiaoman went to play with building blocks on the living room carpet.
After her son left, Gu Xiao sat down beside her and asked softly, "What's wrong? Did you not like the food? Or are you feeling unwell?"
Nan Zhiyi shook her head and gently stirred the rice grains in the bowl with her chopsticks. "I'm not feeling unwell, it's just that it's too hot and I don't have much of an appetite."
Gu Xiao encircled her wrist, his fingertips stroking the inside of her wrist, and teased, "Did you lose money playing mahjong this afternoon and are in a bad mood?"
Nan Zhiyi rolled her eyes at him, her gaze sparkling: "No way! I won, though not by much..."
Gu Xiao felt a tingling sensation run through his body from her seemingly reproachful yet not reproachful gaze, which made his heart itch.
He chuckled softly, "Even when my wife rolls her eyes, it looks like she's flirting. What am I going to do..."
Nan Zhiyi raised her hand and punched him lightly, "You're so indecent!"
Gu Xiao gently grasped her small fist as she punched him, while with his other hand he picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of food, and brought it to her lips. "Eat a little more. It's not good to sleep on an empty stomach."
Nan Zhiyi glanced at her son, then turned her head slightly as if to hide: "Xiaoman is still here."
Gu Xiao persisted, pushing his chopsticks forward a little more. "He's playing his game, he can't see. Open your mouth."
Nan Zhiyi couldn't refuse him, so she opened her mouth slightly and ate it.
"Hmm, it tastes a bit better when my fifth brother feeds it to me."
Gu Xiao simply pulled the chair closer to her, pretending to focus on feeding her.
She was too embarrassed to let him feed her, so she quickly reached for her chopsticks and said, "I'll eat by myself, I'll eat by myself."
After she finished eating, Gu Xiao got up to clear the dishes. "I'll accompany you for a walk in the yard later to help you digest your food."
Nan Zhiyi nodded, and just as she stood up, Xiaoman stretched out her little hand to her: "Mommy, come play!"
"Okay, Mom will take Xiaoman to play in the yard."
Nan Zhiyi smiled and took her son's little hand, and the mother and son walked into the yard first.
The courtyard was much cooler than the house on a summer night, and the air was filled with the faint scent of roses.
Nan Zhiyi swayed gently with Xiaoman on the swing for a while, but the little guy soon found a new target and ran to the slide to climb up and down, exploring his little world on his own.
Gu Xiao finished tidying up the kitchen, walked quickly to the swing, and sat down next to Nan Zhiyi.
He was tall and imposing; as soon as he sat down, he stretched out his long legs, and the swing began to sway dramatically.
Nan Zhiyi leaned on his shoulder, gazing up at the dark blue night sky, and exclaimed, "The stars are so bright tonight."
Gu Xiao followed her gaze and looked up, then lowered his head to stare at her. Her usually clear and bright eyes were now reflecting the shimmering starlight.
A thought struck him, and he said in a low voice, "Not as bright as my wife's eyes." His tone was more serious than ever before.
Nan Zhiyi straightened up, turned her head to look at him, and teased with a smile: "Wow, what's wrong with my fifth brother today? He's so sweet-talking, he keeps saying sweet words, I can't resist."
Gu Xiao didn't refute her teasing, but simply pulled her back into his arms to make her more comfortable.
He said, almost with a sigh, "I just miss you."
That's a nonsensical statement, even though the person just got back recently.
But he knew in his heart that this "thought" was somewhat inexplicable, even contradictory.
He was pleased that she had her own social life and enjoyment, and hoped that she would be as free and happy as a bird.
But when I get home, if I can't see her or hear her voice, it feels like there's an empty space in my heart. I can't muster the energy to do anything, and the house feels cold and desolate.
This intense sense of dependence was something even he found incredible.
Nan Zhiyi clicked her tongue twice, "The way you talk makes it sound like I've been gone for ages."
Even so, she snuggled even closer into his arms and softly replied, "Mmm, I know, I missed you too."
A gentle night breeze caressed the swing.
It wasn't until Xiaoman, who was tired from playing, ran over rubbing his eyes and looking for his mother that Gu Xiao picked up his son and the family of three went back to the house to rest.
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