Chapter 5: Dinner

Su Nianmei “……”

Why does this child still carry a human translation device???

Gu Xichao stood at the kitchen door, reaching behind his waist to deftly untie his apron. His long, elegant fingers pinched the strings of the apron and draped it over a chair.

Gu Xiaobao and Er Gouzi surrounded Su Nianmei, leaving only a small empty space next to Gu Xiaobao. Gu Xichao squatted beside Gu Xiaobao, one arm around his son.

He rubbed Gu Xiaobao’s head and smiled, “Is it you who wants a little sister, or does Mom want a little sister?”

Gu Xichao had come so suddenly that Su Nianmei hadn’t had a chance to dodge; they were less than a fist’s distance apart, close enough to hear each other’s breaths.

Laughter bubbled like spring water hitting stones, immediately crashing into Su Nianmei’s ears. She hurriedly defended herself, saying, “I didn’t say that!”

Er Gouzi, with his striking black-and-white eyes, looked at Gu Xichao. His round face showed a gentle expression as he softly said, “Uncle Gu, it’s… it’s…”

He paused, hesitated, and quietly shifted his head toward Gu Xichao, crossing over to Su Nianmei.

He thought he was being very quiet as he leaned toward Gu Xichao, cupping his chubby little hands in a trumpet shape around his mouth, and said, “It’s Auntie who wants a little sister.”

In fact, his voice was loud enough for the whole room to hear.

Su Nianmei: “???”

How was it that one after another, they twisted the truth like this?!

Gu Xiaobao chuckled.

Gu Xichao looked at Su Nianmei, his expression shifting back and forth, and seriously explained to Gu Xiaobao, “Dad is a man, and Dad cannot have babies.”

Gu Xiaobao looked at him, tilting his head with a confused expression. “Then Mom is a woman, so can Mom give me a little sister?”

For some reason, when Gu Xichao was around, Er Gouzi felt more unrestrained. Er Gouzi chimed in eagerly who was wearing a floral skirt said: “My Dad said I was born from Mom.”

As he spoke, the little tuft of hair on his head bobbed up and down like a chick pecking at grains.

Su Nianmei: “!!!” What kind of outrageous words were these!

She turned to Gu Xichao, explaining, “I never said those things.”

In her haste, her speech unintentionally quickened.

Gu Xichao chuckled, giving a soft “Mm.”

Su Nianmei couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some teasing hidden in his tone; her ears felt as if they were burning, hot, and prickly.

Seeing Su Nianmei’s flustered appearance, Gu Xichao didn’t want to continue teasing her.

He noticed that Er Gouzi was nearly finished washing and bent down to carry the basin into the kitchen. He casually took the apron with him and closed the kitchen door behind him to continue cooking.

Su Nianmei touched her face; it felt warm.

She let out a quiet sigh.

She analyzed her current situation and found two choices. One was to divorce Gu Xichao and support herself.

However, given her current qualifications—no diploma, no skills, and little knowledge of the outside world—she doubted anyone would even want her for manual labor. Going out to earn a living would undoubtedly push her into a more difficult predicament.

The other path was to stay in the Gu family, becoming a little wife with food and drink, a handsome legal partner, and a cute child.

Su Nianmei’s eyes darted around as she secretly made a decision in her heart.

Both children suddenly pounced on her, one landing in her arms and the other climbing onto her back—which caused an uproar.

Su Nianmei ended up falling onto the floor.

The room was filled with the sound of their laughter.

Before long, the dish cooked by Gu Xichao was ready.

It was a simple meal: a plate of vinegar-sautéed shredded potatoes, a plate of smashed cucumbers, a large basin of steamed cornbread, and each person had a bowl of thick corn porridge that seemed like it could be sliced with a knife.

Su Nianmei thought it was all quite a hearty meal.

For most ordinary families, this meal was considered rather generous.

Gu Xiaobao and Er Gouzi ate enthusiastically, their faces smeared with corn porridge.

Su Nianmei also joined in, finding the thickness and cut of the shredded potatoes just right, which showed that the cook had good knife skills. At that time, the vegetables were free from pollution and were all-natural, organic products. There was a vegetable garden downstairs in the courtyard, and the produce harvested would be shared among the households, making life relatively comfortable.

After finishing their meal, Gu Xiaobao and Er Gouzi ran downstairs to play.

Gu Xichao leisurely took his time, slowly sipping his porridge, his eyes fixed on Su Nianmei as if he were observing something interesting.

Su Nianmei felt a little uneasy under his gaze while chewing her food.

After hearing the sound of Gu Xiaobao and Er Gouzi thumping down the stairs, Gu Xichao mysteriously slipped into the kitchen.

She couldn’t tell what he was tinkering with, but a moment later, he returned with a serious expression, seemingly holding something in his hand.

Suddenly, Gu Xichao’s right hand formed a fist and stretched out in front of Su Nianmei.

Startled by the sudden movement, Su Nianmei choked on a mouthful of rice. It lodged in her throat, refusing to come out or go down, and she could only cough helplessly.

Gu Xichao quickly placed what he was holding on the table and gently patted Su Nianmei’s back, helping her to catch her breath. It took a while for her to recover.

Su Nianmei’s face turned red from choking, and she took deep breaths to calm herself.

Gu Xichao sat down and slowly pushed the item on the table toward her with two long fingers.

When Su Nianmei looked, she saw it was an egg, warm to the touch.

Gu Xichao withdrew his fingers, straightened up, and said in a serious tone, “Eat it while it’s hot, and don’t let Xiaobao find out.”

Su Nianmei was taken aback. “Huh?”

Gu Xichao explained, “Xiaobao loves to eat eggs. He treasures them so much that he thinks about wanting to eat several every day. If he sees that there are extra eggs today, he’ll be clamoring for more. But no matter how good the egg is, he shouldn’t eat too many.”

Su Nianmei replied with an “Oh,” feeling a warm surge of affection.

This man even told a little white lie to ensure she had nourishment.

She had enough historical knowledge to know that eggs were relatively precious at that time; unless it was a significant occasion, most people would hesitate to indulge in them.

Seeing that Su Nianmei had not responded for a moment, Gu Xichao reached out to take the egg back, holding it in his palm.

He gently tapped the egg on the table’s edge and began peeling it.

His expression was very serious as if he weren’t peeling an egg but executing an important military task.

The egg was peeled in no time, revealing its tender, white interior.

Gu Xichao handed the peeled egg to Su Nianmei, who frowned and didn’t move.

“You don’t like it?” Gu Xichao asked.

Noting her reaction, he reached out, pulled apart the egg white, and pinched the yolk between his fingers, calling out to Su Nianmei in a playful tone, “Ah,” as if he were coaxing Gu Xiaobao.

Gu Xichao’s body suddenly leaned in closer, and his fresh, crisp scent enveloped Su Nianmei, making her head spin a bit.

It was as if she were enchanted; she obediently opened her mouth, and the egg yolk was shoved inside.

Without thinking, she found herself licking it with her tongue.

Gu Xichao’s fingers felt electrified, a tingling sensation coursing through him as he watched Su Nianmei bite into the egg.

He subtly retracted his fingers, placing them under the table and rubbing them together.

The taste of the yolk melted in her mouth, and Su Nianmei squinted her eyes in pleasure. In the past, she had also loved eating eggs, especially the yolks, and had been picky about it. Her grandmother had scolded her many times for this habit, but she had never been able to change it.

Gu Xichao gazed at Su Nianmei, her cheeks slightly flushed, his eyes dark and contemplative.

After the meal, Su Nianmei intended to wash the dishes, but Gu Xichao stopped her, so she wandered around the room instead.

It wasn’t until evening, just as dusk was settling in, that Gu Xiaobao and Er Gouzi returned.

As soon as Gu Xiaobao entered, he proudly showcased a flower crown he had woven from dogtail grass to Su Nianmei.

The crown was placed on Er Gouzi’s wrist and head. The one on his head was a bit too large, wobbling as he walked.

Gu Xiaobao, eager to showcase his handiwork better, took Er Gouzi’s small hand with one hand while pressing the other on Er Gouzi’s head to help secure the flower crown.

Su Nianmei was wiping the table and couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the two of them, doubling over in amusement.

The two children patrolled the room, turning in circles as if on a mission.

Feeling even more proud, Gu Xiaobao led Er Gouzi into the room to show off to Gu Xichao, bouncing excitedly.

Gu Xichao looked at his son with a mix of amusement and exasperation.

—o—o—o—

After playing for a while, the two children grew tired and began to clamor for sleep without even washing their faces.

As soon as they entered his small room, Gu Xiaobao kicked off his shoes and jumped onto the bed, pulling back the blanket and lying down. Er Gouzi, seeing this, climbed up as well, using both hands and feet to scramble over Gu Xiaobao, rolling onto the bed. He then did a little tumble, quickly wriggling out of his floral dress and diving under the covers, completely undressed.

Su Nianmei, lacking experience in putting children to bed, thought about calling Gu Xichao for help. However, when she glanced at the tightly shut door of his room, she hesitated, feeling a bit intimidated.

In the end, Su Nianmei had no choice but to sit on the edge of the bed and watch the two children sleep. Er Gouzi, being two years younger than Gu Xiaobao, fell asleep quickly.

Gu Xiaobao slept at the edge of the bed, holding onto Su Nianmei’s fingers tightly until he drifted off.

Su Nianmei gently patted Gu Xiaobao, soothing him to sleep.

As she watched Gu Xiaobao’s eyelids slowly droop, Su Nianmei quietly withdrew her fingers from his grasp and tenderly tucked the blankets around both children. She pulled the light cord and stepped out of the room.

Once outside, she noticed both doors were closed and felt like she had dug herself into a deep hole. She was too embarrassed to squeeze in and sleep with the two children.

Standing in front of Gu Xichao’s room, her hand frequently hovered near the door, wanting to knock but hesitating instead. She puffed her cheeks, wavering back and forth several times.

Finally, taking a deep breath, she placed her hand on the door, but before she could knock, the door swung open suddenly.

“You—!” Su Nianmei’s words had not yet escaped her lips.

Gu Xichao leaned against the door, wearing only a sleeveless shirt, his hair damp.

Sweat trickled down his neck, sliding over his defined collarbone and continuing downward.

Su Nianmei’s hand remained suspended in mid-air, still poised as if to knock.