Chapter 478 The Banquet
As soon as Feng Xuemei sat down, she took Nan Zhiyi's hand and made her sit in the empty seat next to her: "Zhiyi, sit here first and talk with Aunt Feng. Your brother and sister-in-law are taking care of things over there, they won't miss you."
Nan Zhiyi readily agreed and sat down.
Zhang Yueran pulled Zhou Xingzhi to sit on the other side of Feng Xuemei. As soon as they sat down, she leaned close to Zhou Xingzhi's ear and whispered something to him, her eyes crinkling with a smile.
Feng Xuemei held Nan Zhiyi's hand, carefully examining her complexion. "It's been so long, but you look alright. Have you been taking all the traditional Chinese medicine I sent you before?"
She had always felt that Nan Zhiyi had irregular menstruation and insufficient blood and qi, so she sent her medicine pills every year to regulate her body.
Nan Zhiyi said softly, "I've been taking the medicine on time. Thanks to you for always thinking of me and finding prescriptions and herbs for me, I feel much better now. Please don't send me any more medicine at your expense in the future, my health has really improved."
She shook Aunt Feng's hand, pouting, "That medicine made my mouth and heart taste bitter..."
Feng Xuemei patted the back of her hand and sighed, "That's good, I won't send it, I won't send it. Originally, I was thinking that if you had taken good care of yourself in the past few years, maybe... you could have given Xiaoman another younger brother or sister, and it would be best if one of the children had the surname Nan... that would be..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but just shook her head, "It's a pity... Now, even if I wanted to have a child, it would be difficult."
Nan Zhiyi followed up on Feng Xuemei's words: "Yes, Aunt Feng. The country has a family planning policy now. Fifth Brother is in the army and is an officer, so he has to take the lead in responding to the call. It's not a matter of whether we want to have children or not, it's just the policy."
Mentioning this, Feng Xuemei frowned even more deeply, "But...you were already alone, and Xiaoman will be alone too...sigh, your Nan family, from now on..."
Nan Zhiyi suppressed her smile. "Yes, I know, Aunt Feng, don't worry. The Nan family line will never end. I'll talk to Gu Zhao properly and make him remember that he also has Nan family blood flowing in his veins. ...If all else fails, there's always Gu Zhao's child. At least... there will be a child with the Nan surname."
Upon hearing this, Feng Xuemei's tense expression relaxed slightly. "You know what I mean, just remember this."
She was not a sexist. Back then, her sister-in-law, Li Jingsi, was in poor health and only had one daughter, Nan Zhiyi, after many years of marriage. She never felt there was anything wrong with that.
Both men and women are descendants. When they visit the graves to offer sacrifices in the future, as long as their hearts are sincere, that is enough.
Didn't she only have one daughter, Yue Ran, herself?
Her husband, Zhang Jianguo, never said anything about it. The Zhang family is large and prosperous, and they don't need another branch of the family to carry on the family line.
All she and Lao Zhang wanted was for their daughter, Yueran, to remember them after they passed away and visit them often.
As for what happens after that, their children and grandchildren will have their own lives to live, and they can't worry about that much anymore.
It's just that the Nan family has dwindled in number for generations, which is why she hopes the Nan family bloodline can have a clear continuation...
Hearing Nan Zhiyi say this now, although she knows the road ahead is long and full of uncertainties, at least the child has this concern and this intention, which makes her feel a little more at ease.
Nan Zhiyi glanced at her watch, guessing that the ceremony was about to begin.
She greeted Aunt Feng and the others, then got up to find Gu Xiao and his son. She saw them in the family and friends section near the main stage.
Gu Xiao was talking quietly with an elder when she approached and he noticed a slight redness in her eyes.
He quickly ended the conversation, walked to her side, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Nan Zhiyi looked up at him and smiled, "Minister Gu, this isn't the place to talk. Let's talk about it slowly when we get home."
Gu Xiao gazed at her for a moment, then didn't press further. He simply raised his hand and tucked a stray strand of hair that had fallen past her ear behind it. "Okay."
On the other side, Commander Gu was talking with several old friends at the same table. Gu Zhao stood obediently next to his grandfather's chair, his little body ramrod straight. Occasionally, when asked a question, he would answer seriously, which made the grandfathers and uncles laugh heartily and praise, "Commander Gu is so lucky to have such a sensible grandson."
As the auspicious time approached, the brothers and sisters-in-law began to greet the guests walking around the door and inside the hall and invite them to take their seats.
The ceremony was simple yet solemn. Under the guidance of the master of ceremonies, the officiant gave a speech, and the newlyweds bowed to the portrait of the leader and their parents.
Then, Gu Zhao, as a flower girl, solemnly carried the rings onto the stage to complete the ring exchange.
The whole process took no more than half an hour.
After the ceremony, the banquet officially began.
After Gu Yan and Chen Anna changed into their toasting attire, they began toasting the guests at each table.
The banquet hall erupted in noise again, with clinking glasses and boisterous laughter.
Taking advantage of the break, Nan Zhiyi put a chicken leg on Gu Zhao's plate, saying, "You did a great job today, here's a reward for our little hero."
Gu Zhao said smugly, "Of course, I'm a big kid now, this little thing is a piece of cake!"
Apart from occasionally exchanging a few brief words with old acquaintances who came to offer toasts, Gu Xiao spent most of his time sitting next to Nan Zhiyi.
His gaze seemed to be fixed on the noisy scene, but in reality, he paid more attention to his wife beside him, secretly wondering why she was in a bad mood.
The banquet finally drew to a close after several hours of lively celebration.
At the entrance of the banquet hall, the Gu family and the Chen family lined up on both sides to see off the guests.
Nan Zhiyi escorted Aunt Feng and her family to the hotel entrance.
Feng Xuemei asked, "When are you going back to Beijing?"
"I have to leave tomorrow afternoon. Fifth Brother is busy with work, and he has already squeezed out these few days of vacation."
Feng Xuemei sighed. Gu Xiao's job was like that; he had no choice in the matter.
"Okay, you guys have had a tough time these past few days, so go ahead and get back to work. We'll keep in touch by phone later."
Nan Zhiyi said, "Aunt Feng, I brought some things for you and Uncle Zhang from the capital. I'll deliver them to you tonight, and we can talk some more then."
Feng Xuemei: "Great! Bring Xiaoman along, I've missed him so much!"
After seeing off all the guests, the remaining cleanup work was naturally handled by the men and the wedding planning company.
Nan Zhiyi told Gu Xiao, then took Gu Zhao, her sisters-in-law and third sister, and several children, and returned to the compound first.
Back home, Nan Zhiyi took her son upstairs to wash and change his clothes.
"Take a good nap."
Nan Zhiyi tucked Gu Zhao into bed, "When you wake up, Mom will take you to see Grandma Feng, your aunt and uncle, okay?"
Gu Zhao stubbornly hummed, "I'm not sleepy at all," but her body betrayed her, and she fell asleep in no time.
Nan Zhiyi then got up, washed up quickly, changed into a comfortable light gray wool cardigan and trousers, and sat on the sofa by the window, waiting for Gu Xiao and the others to return.
Downstairs, Aunt Wu and Sister He were preparing dinner in the kitchen, with the faint sounds of water and the clinking of dishes coming from below. The water was gurgling, and the porcelain was clattering.
Several women were talking in hushed tones, interspersed with the laughter of several children and the sound of a television program. These sounds blended together, making the upstairs area even more tranquil.
After resting with her eyes closed for about half an hour, Nan Zhiyi got up and reorganized and bagged the gifts she had prepared.
Then she gently woke Gu Zhao.
The little guy opened his eyes groggily, without any morning grumpiness, just yawned widely, and let his mother help him put on a sweater and coat, and then wipe his face with a hot towel.
Seeing the gift his mother had prepared, he offered to help: "Mom, let me help you carry it!"
Nan Zhiyi handed him a relatively lightweight net bag: "Okay, Comrade Gu Zhao, please handle this carefully."
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