As expected, the moment they got out of the car, before even entering the house, they were greeted with warm welcomes and concerned inquiries.
"You've lost weight! You must not have been eating properly while away."
"Our young master has grown taller!"
"Are you tired? Hungry? What would you like Nanny Zhang to make for you?"
It was as if they had been gone for seven years instead of seven days. Nian Suian responded to their questions while glancing up to see Gu Junxing watching them from the balcony.
"Gu Junxing, we're back!" Nian Suian called out cheerfully, waving at him.
Seeing this, Gu Zhijing joined in the excitement, standing next to Nian Suian and bouncing up and down as he waved to his father.
Only after they had all gone inside did Gu Junxing look up at the sky. Hmm, what lovely weather.
For today's meal, Nanny Zhang had pulled out all the stops, showcasing her culinary expertise. She even went as far as to carve decorations on the fish balls before cooking them.
The large dining table was laden with dishes. Gu Junxing thought to himself that even when he returned from two-month business trips abroad in the past, he had never received such treatment.
"Nanny Zhang, don't make too much. We won't be able to finish it all," he said.
"It's not too much at all! I've made smaller portions of everything so that the madam and young master can try a variety of dishes," Nanny Zhang replied, looking fondly at Nian Suian and Gu Zhijing, who had already started eating.
"Nanny Zhang, I've been craving your cooking while we were away. I'm never leaving again. I want to eat your food every day," Nian Suian said.
"Me too, me too! I want to eat your cooking every day as well," Gu Zhijing chimed in.
"Alright, alright. I'll make delicious meals for you every day from now on!" Nanny Zhang promised.
Nian Suian was the first to put down her chopsticks. She had a small appetite, and although the food was truly delicious, she had reached her limit. There was no need to overeat in one sitting when there would be plenty of opportunities to enjoy Nanny Zhang's cooking in the future.
Gu Junxing had always been careful about portion control, eating only until he was 70% full at each meal, regardless of how tasty the food was.
No one spoke much at the table. The couple watched their growing boy, Gu Zhijing, eat.
At fifteen or sixteen years old, Gu Zhijing was at the age where "half-grown boys eat their parents out of house and home." His appetite now surpassed his father's, so Gu Junxing and Nian Suian found themselves spectators to an up-close, immersive eating show at the dinner table.
After finishing his main course, Gu Zhijing moved on to sipping soup to fill any remaining space. He looked up to find both adults smiling at him, which startled him so much he almost choked on his soup. Fortunately, it was just liquid; otherwise, the poor boy might have gotten something stuck in his throat.
"Why are you both staring at me?" he asked.
"Because you look adorable when you eat," Nian Suian said with a smile. Before Gu Zhijing could feel pleased, she added, "Like a little piglet."
Gu Zhijing's brow furrowed immediately. How could she compare him to a piglet? He was clearly a handsome and dashing young man, famous on the list of good-looking boys at No. 15 High School.
However, since it was his dear stepmother who said it, he decided not to argue. After all, her aesthetic judgment had always been a bit questionable. For instance, she actually thought his dad was more handsome than him!
But it was truly unsettling to see his father gazing at him with such tenderness. In his fifteen years of life, his father had never been the doting type. What was he up to now?
"Dad, why are you looking at me like that?" Gu Zhijing asked, worried that he might be kicked out of the house after finishing this meal.
"It's nothing," Gu Junxing said, his expression instantly turning serious. He admitted to himself that he had felt a moment of pride seeing the family's "little pig" growing up, but he couldn't show it. This particular pig had a tendency to get cocky.
"Have you finished your homework? School starts again tomorrow," Gu Junxing said.
Hearing his father speak this way, Gu Zhijing's heart settled back into place. He even took another sip of soup before answering, "Don't worry, I'll definitely finish it before school starts."
Now this was more like the stern, serious father he knew. That sudden display of affection earlier was enough to give anyone a heart attack.
Having dealt with Gu Zhijing, Gu Junxing turned to look at Nian Suian beside him.
Nian Suian was confused. "Why are you looking at me? I don't have any homework to do."
"I wanted to ask if you two had checked whether the cat was male or female," Gu Junxing said.
"Huh? I didn't check. Zhijing said it was a little brother," Nian Suian looked towards Gu Zhijing.
Gu Zhijing was equally baffled. "How would I know how to check? I just saw it looked handsome, so I called it 'little brother.'"
"Just because it looks handsome doesn't mean it's male. That's stereotyping!" Nian Suian scolded Gu Zhijing, then turned to Gu Junxing. "So, is it female?"
"The vet said it's a girl," Gu Junxing replied. After returning home, he had done some research and followed online instructions for determining a kitten's sex. He had confirmed that Nian Hu was indeed... a girl.
"Oh! Well, girl or boy, what does it matter? Are you showing gender bias?" Nian Suian looked sternly at Gu Junxing.
"How could that be possible? Just look at how much he values me, his son," Gu Zhijing interjected before Gu Junxing could respond.
"The issue is that I named her without knowing she was female," Gu Junxing explained.
"What?"
"I called her Nian Hu," Gu Junxing said with difficulty. He had never kept pets before and couldn't say whether he liked or disliked them. But now that this kitten had entered their home and was, in a sense, his daughter, he truly couldn't bear the thought of his daughter being called Nian Hu.
"Uh... who named Zhijing?" Nian Suian now seriously doubted Gu Junxing's naming abilities. The name Gu Zhijing seemed to be on a completely different level from Nian Hu.
"I did," Gu Junxing replied.
"And you say you're not gender-biased?!" Nian Suian exclaimed.
"I didn't know it was female at the time," Gu Junxing defended himself.
"Even if it were male, you shouldn't name it Nian Hu. That's such an awful name! The poor kitten will develop a complex. How will it face its peers at the vet clinic in the future?"
Gu Junxing found himself at a loss for words. He had spent a week choosing Gu Zhijing's name, but only three minutes on Nian Hu's. Viewed this way, he had indeed been somewhat irresponsible.
"Can't we just ask the vet if we can change it next time?" Gu Zhijing suggested quietly, seeing the heated argument between the two adults.
"Let's come up with a new name. What would you like to call her?" Gu Junxing asked.
"...Nian Tangyuan," Gu Zhijing proposed.
"...Your naming skills aren't much better," Nian Suian grumbled.
"Well then, you come up with a good one!" Gu Zhijing retorted.
"How about Zhi Jun?" Gu Junxing suggested. "I spent a week thinking before Zhijing was born. If it was a boy, he'd be Zhijing; if it was a girl, she'd be Zhi Jun. We can use Tangyuan as a nickname, and she can take your surname."
"That works. Where's Tangyuan now? I want to see her," Nian Suian said.
"On the third floor. It's the only room we had available," Gu Junxing replied. The couple stood up, intending to go upstairs to check on Tangyuan. Nian Suian called out to Gu Zhijing, "Zhijing, are you coming?"
"You two go ahead. I'll be there in a bit," Gu Zhijing replied, still chatting with his friends.
[Group Chat: The Four Most Handsome Guys at No. 15 High School]
Gu Zhijing: My dad and stepmom just had an argument.
Qi Anlu: Why?
Gu Zhijing: Because my dad named my sister Nian Hu.
Qu Zizhou: Your stepmom seems pretty easygoing. If my dad had named my sister "Hu," he'd find himself at the civil affairs bureau in no time.
Chu Mingyan: You have a sister now? When did this happen?
Qi Anlu: I thought hospitals weren't allowed to reveal the baby's sex. How do you know it's a sister?
Qu Zizhou: Can your sister call me big brother too?
Gu Zhijing: My sister can't call you big brother. Not for any other reason than the fact that she can't speak human language. She's a cat.
Qu Zizhou: Those who flaunt their parents' lovey-dovey relationship should get lost.
Qi Anlu: Those who flaunt their parents' lovey-dovey relationship should get lost.
Chu Mingyan: Those who flaunt their parents' lovey-dovey relationship should get lost.