Gu Zhijing was forced to learn about the use of certain products and some physiological knowledge.
Teaching him to understand some things was one matter, but necessary warnings couldn't be omitted either.
"I'm teaching you this, not telling you to go out and experiment right now. If you dare to try anything..."
Gu Junxing's face was serious as Gu Zhijing nodded miserably. His father was giving him too much credit - how would he dare to try anything? His mouth had been swollen just from whistling. If he dared to misbehave, wouldn't his father castrate him?
Gu Zhijing looked at the items in front of him and remembered something else. "Why do we have these at home? You and my stepmother...?"
"I suggest you clear your mind quickly. I had Butler Su buy these tonight."
Gu Junxing took the items, finished educating his son, and took them back, not intending to leave them with him.
With the mindset of sharing knowledge, after returning to school, Gu Zhijing found an opportunity to share the information he had learned from Gu Junxing with his three friends, leaving them all stunned.
"Uncle Gu actually told you about these things?" Chu Mingyan was surprised. His father was the type who didn't care about anything except work, rarely even talking to him. When he was younger, he had felt sad about it, but as he grew older, he didn't mind anymore. When his father wasn't around, life was more comfortable with just him and his mother.
"Well, my dad just can't help but worry," Gu Zhijing said proudly.
Qi Anlu, however, felt a bit envious. Thinking about his own family, he doubted Qi Wenhan would ever teach him these things, even in his next life.
When Qi Wenhan was at home, he only allowed Qi Anlu to watch news channels on TV.
Sometimes when his mother watched a romantic drama, even if the lead characters just kissed, Qi Wenhan would criticize it, as if a kiss on TV was somehow immoral.
Every time, Qi Anlu found it ridiculous. If a kiss was immoral, then what about his parents having him? Shouldn't they be arrested and jailed?
Once, unable to contain his frustration at his father's cold sarcasm towards his mother, Qi Anlu stood up and called him a hypocrite.
Qi Anlu remembered that day - if his mother hadn't held him back with all her strength, that slap would have landed on his face.
Thinking of these things, Qi Anlu looked at Gu Zhijing with a complex expression. Gu Zhijing met his gaze and sensed something was off.
So, he found a moment when it was just the two of them and asked, "Why were you looking at me like that earlier? Did something happen?"
Qi Anlu shook his head and replied honestly, "I just felt a bit embarrassed at the time. I was thinking how nice it would be if your dad was my dad."
As soon as this thought occurred to Qi Anlu, his first reaction was to reproach himself for being greedy. He already had such a good friend in Zhijing, yet he was greedily wishing his friend's father was his own.
Gu Zhijing said carelessly, "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. If you don't mind, just call me 'brother,' and from now on, my dad will be your dad too."
Before Qi Anlu could feel touched, he was amused by Gu Zhijing's words. "If I remember correctly, I'm older than you, right? If anyone should be calling someone 'brother,' it should be you calling me that."
Qi Anlu was surprised that even at a time like this, Gu Zhijing was still trying to take advantage of him. They were born in the same year, but Qi Anlu's birthday was in March, while Gu Zhijing's was in May.
Gu Zhijing widened his eyes, as if hearing this for the first time. "You're older than me? Oh, I must have forgotten about that."
-- January 10th, Friday
Gu Junxing, who should have been at work, suddenly returned home.
Nian Suian was taking advantage of the good weather to play with Tang Yuan in the backyard when she saw Gu Junxing return, much to her surprise.
Just as she was about to ask why he had come home, she noticed something else.
"What's wrong? Did you hurt your leg?" Nian Suian saw that Gu Junxing seemed to have difficulty walking and thought he might have injured his leg and come home because of it.
"Why didn't you go to the hospital?"
Gu Junxing sat down on a chair in the garden and told Nian Suian that he had just returned from the hospital.
"My leg isn't injured."
"If you're not injured, why did you go to the hospital?"
"I had a minor surgery," he said, glancing at Nian Suian before adding straightforwardly, "I got a vasectomy."
Nian Suian was surprised and quickly stopped Tang Yuan from jumping onto the chair... Good heavens, it would be best to keep Gu Junxing away from Tang Yuan for the next few days. It would be terrible if something got damaged.
"You..." There were many questions she wanted to ask, but Nian Suian found herself at a loss for words. Finally, she asked the most pressing question on her mind, "When did you do it? How are you out of the hospital so quickly?"
When he came home last night, Gu Junxing's gait seemed no different from usual, so it must have been done today.
"It's a very minor surgery. The doctor said there was no need for hospitalization. I can rest at home over the weekend and be back at work on Monday."
"But... you actually went through with it? I thought you were joking before... and I wasn't ready yet."
Saying this, Nian Suian fidgeted uncomfortably, a rare sight. They had discussed this topic before, but she hadn't expected Gu Junxing to actually get a vasectomy. She wondered if perhaps he was in a hurry to... you know.
"That's not it, don't misunderstand. I happened to have time today, so I made an appointment. I didn't think too much about it."
After Nian Suian finished speaking, she realized she had misunderstood. Gu Junxing hadn't shown any signs of being in a hurry before.
She had Tang Yuan sent back to his room before sitting down next to Gu Junxing.
"Does it hurt?"
"No, it doesn't."
Gu Junxing recalled that when he told the doctor at the hospital he wanted a vasectomy, the doctor had asked him many questions and only agreed to perform the surgery after his repeated insistence.
The doctor told him that nowadays, when couples want to prevent pregnancy, most choose for the woman to have a contraceptive procedure. He then learned about female contraceptive surgeries from the doctor, and after hearing about them, he was even more grateful for his choice.
Although he had previously confirmed Nian Suian's thoughts on the matter, Gu Junxing still asked once more.
"In the future, we'll only have Zhijing as our child. Will you feel regretful?"
Nian Suian shook her head without hesitation. "No, I've thought it through very clearly."
Gu Junxing lovingly pulled her into his arms. "Marrying me has been unfair to you."
Nian Suian clicked her tongue. "I don't feel it's unfair. In many people's eyes, a second marriage might be a minus, but in my heart, your starting score is perfect. Even if points were deducted, you'd still score higher than others."
"Am I really that good?"
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, hehe."
Gu Junxing felt his heart filled with honey. He asked Nian Suian, "Do you think this is an appropriate moment for a kiss? I really want to kiss you right now."
"The weather is nice, so I suppose it is."