Qi Anlu also told his mother that he had ranked first in his final exams.
Zhou Xinfang was overjoyed when she heard this and said she would go out to buy more groceries to cook him something special for dinner.
"I'll go with you."
"No need, no need. I'll be back quickly. You stay home and rest, play some games."
Recently, Zhou Xinfang had been encouraging him to watch TV, play games, and go out to have fun, rather than telling him to study. Qi Anlu knew his mother was trying to cheer him up in her own way.
When Zhou Xinfang returned from shopping, she brought back not only groceries but also a small cake.
"To celebrate your first place finish."
"Thank you, Mom." Qi Anlu opened the cake. Though it was meant to celebrate his academic achievement, the message written on it simply read: "Wishing my son happiness."
During dinner, Qi Anlu noticed his mother seemed to have something she wanted to say.
As he ate, he tried to guess what was on her mind.
"Son... tomorrow, let's go see a doctor together."
Qi Anlu froze...
"I asked at the hospital, and the doctor said it's better for parents to accompany their children... The doctor said this is an illness too. I'm so sorry, son. You were sick, and I didn't even notice."
"Don't cry, Mom."
Qi Anlu stood up, walked to the other side of the dining table, and bent down to hug his crying mother.
Zhou Xinfang's tears seemed endless as she kept repeating "I'm sorry."
Eventually, Qi Anlu started crying too, and mother and son held each other, crying for each other and themselves.
The next day, Qi Anlu went to the hospital with Zhou Xinfang. With a parent present, he received a more detailed diagnosis, and the doctor prescribed medication.
Afterward, the doctor spoke privately with Zhou Xinfang, telling her that the root of Qi Anlu's illness lay in his family situation.
After their emotional breakdown the previous night, Zhou Xinfang had remained very calm, even after leaving the doctor's office. Even Qi Anlu couldn't tell what she was thinking.
On their way home, Zhou Xinfang asked Qi Anlu just one question.
"Anlu, do you trust Mom?"
Though Qi Anlu didn't know what she had in mind, he nodded without hesitation.
"Yes, I trust you."
Qi Wenhan had spent half a month in their hometown this time, attending to ancestral graves and hosting ceremonial banquets.
After finishing these matters, instead of returning immediately, he called Zhou Xinfang and told her to bring Qi Anlu directly to their hometown for the New Year.
In the car ride to their hometown, Zhou Xinfang took out her phone and showed Qi Anlu a photo.
"Mom has arranged with the pet shop to bring it home after the New Year."
The photo showed a Ragdoll kitten with beautiful blue eyes.
Though the cat was cute, Qi Anlu felt inexplicably uneasy.
"Mom... don't do anything foolish."
Zhou Xinfang just smiled and said,
"What are you talking about! What foolish thing could Mom do?"
After returning to their hometown, when Qi Wenhan learned of his son's first-place finish, he merely said flatly, "Now that's more like it."
However, outside the home, he boasted extensively, enjoying when others flattered him with comments like "like father, like son" and praising his teaching methods as befitting a professor.
Qi Anlu noticed that after returning to their hometown, his mother seemed to revert to her former self.
At his grandparents' house, she was the timid, quiet daughter-in-law; at her parents' house, she was the filial, gentle daughter.
But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen...
After a week of fun in the Snow Town, Gu Zhijing returned home, still full of excitement.
He brought back loads of things, mostly food.
"There were so many delicious things there - mushrooms, sausages, little chickens."
After spending a week in Snow Town, he'd even picked up a slight northeastern accent.
He made a special trip to Qu Zizhou's house to deliver some gifts, only to have Jiang Yun insist on sending him home with plenty of items in return.
Learning that Chu Mingyan and Qi Anlu were still in their hometown, Gu Zhijing messaged their group chat to say he'd keep their shares until after the New Year.
Two days after Gu Zhijing returned home, Nian Suian came downstairs in the morning to find the entrance hall filled with packages of various sizes.
"Did you buy these?" she asked Gu Zhijing, who was eating breakfast.
"No, I didn't. I thought you bought them," Gu Zhijing had seen the deliveries when he came down but assumed his stepmother had ordered them.
"I'll take a look."
"PeterGu... Peter, isn't that my grandfather!" Gu Zhijing exclaimed after checking the sender's name on the packages.
"?"
This was also the first time Nian Suian learned that Gu Junxing's father's English name was Peter.
While the packages had arrived at home, there was no word about where the sender was.
It wasn't until Gu Junxing returned home that evening that he explained the situation.
"They've returned to the country, but instead of coming directly here, they went to visit friends elsewhere. Mom and Dad said these are gifts for us."
Nian Suian was stunned, looking at the "mountain" of packages, thinking how generous the elderly couple was.
"They're gifts for us? Then I'll start opening them!" Gu Zhijing found a box cutter, sat down on the floor, and began opening packages with more excitement than if he were unboxing mystery toys.
Most items were collectibles the elderly couple had gathered from around the world. There weren't specific designations for who should receive what, except for one box that contained a note. It explained that these items were brought for all of them, including some for Nanny Zhang and Butler Su, and they hadn't bothered to sort them - everyone could choose what they wanted from the collection.
There was a sapphire bracelet specifically designated for Suian.
And for their grandson Gu Zhijing, there was a basketball with an authentic signature from a famous player.
Gu Zhijing let out an excited yelp when he saw the signature.
"Grandpa and Grandma are amazing! They even got the signature!"
They hadn't forgotten Gu Junxing's gift either - a watch bought in Switzerland.
It was quite an effort for the elderly couple to buy all these things and ship them back.
The empty delivery boxes alone could fill a tricycle used by recyclers.
On New Year's Eve, the elderly couple finally returned from their travels. Gu Junxing went to pick them up from the airport while Nian Suian and Gu Zhijing waited at home.
"Oh my, Suian grows more beautiful every time I see her!" Gu Junxing's mother gave Nian Suian a big hug as soon as she entered.
After hugging Nian Suian, she went to embrace her grandson Gu Zhijing.
"My grandson, so handsome!"
The elderly couple looked very energetic and spoke in strong, clear voices. Gu Junxing looked exactly like his father, and Nian Suian couldn't help but steal a few glances, imagining that this must be how Gu Junxing would look when he grew old.
During the New Year's Eve dinner, when Nian Suian finally called them "Mom and Dad," the elderly couple responded with great joy and each gave her a red envelope.
After dinner, the family sat together drinking tea and listening to Gu Junxing's parents share interesting stories from their travels.
It was then that Gu Zhijing suddenly stood up and announced he needed to go out.