After getting off the bus, Ono slapped her forehead in regret and said, "I prepared all the furniture yesterday, but I forgot to prepare toiletries. I'm going to the supermarket. Sis, you take Xiaoxu upstairs first."
In fact, Xu Yi had brought all her original toiletries with her, so she didn't need to buy new ones. However, Xiao Ye had gotten used to it by following Gu Yueyue, and she needed to change her daily necessities when she moved to a new place.
"Thank you for making this trip," Gu Yueyue said. "Then I'll take Xiao Xu upstairs."
Inside the elevator, there were only the two of them, yet the space felt cramped. Gu Yueyue wasn't used to being alone with someone and felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
Xu Yi could sense the discomfort of those around her, so she quietly moved a little further into the corner.
Seeing her actions, Gu Yueyue assumed that Xiao Xu was also feeling uneasy, so she chuckled and started talking to her, hoping to ease her anxiety.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:36:36 on January 12, 2022 and 19:15:26 on January 13, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Ibuprofen1;
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: 30 bottles; Yueqing 10 bottles; Liu Yifei's wife (òó) 9 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 51
Xiao Xiao was the happiest when Xu Yi moved downstairs from Gu Yueyue.
As soon as Xu Yi entered the residential area, she sensed it immediately. Ignoring the nanny and Xiao Ye's mother's attempts to stop her, she took small steps and ran into the elevator.
Gu Yueyue opened the door for Xu Yi and enthusiastically introduced the place to her like a tour guide.
"We'll have someone come tomorrow to register your fingerprints. We've already installed cameras inside the house and in the hallway outside. When Ono comes back later, we'll have her register you so you can check on the house from the inside out using your phone."
Gu Yueyue paused here, remembering that she had seen Xu Yi at her doorstep not long ago. Gu Yueyue asked her casually.
"Xu Yi, have you been to this neighborhood before?"
After a moment's thought, Xu Yi's gaze fell on the small camera hidden inside the house. She said honestly, "Captain Zhang Ya's home is in this neighborhood. I've been here once, but I remember I seemed to have gone to the wrong place."
Gu Yueyue nodded thoughtfully, and after a moment of silence, she chuckled and continued to explain the situation to her.
"All the furniture is here. Xiao Ye personally went to the furniture store to pick it out a couple of days ago. Take a look and see if it suits your taste. If you need any changes or additions, you can just tell me." Gu Yueyue led her to look around the room, inside and out.
Xu Yi was very satisfied with this place. After all, it was just a place to live, so it didn't matter what it was like. The most important thing was that it was downstairs from Miss Gu's house.
"Thank you so much, Assistant. The items are very nice; you clearly put a lot of thought into them. I really like them. Thank you very much."
"I'm glad you like it."
As the two were talking, Ono returned carrying four or five large bags in both hands, and said with a smile, "What are you talking about me about?"
"You're so kind." Gu Yueyue took the things from her hands and asked curiously, "Weren't you just buying some toiletries? Why did you buy so much stuff? What are all of these things?"
"It's a housewarming party, so I'll cook dinner tonight for everyone to eat together. I bought some groceries and fruit." Ono is a pretty good cook and loves to cook. Today, to welcome Xu Yi, she plans to personally prepare dinner.
Gu Yueyue prefers quiet, but that's only when there are many strangers around. Compared to the noise of a crowd, she prefers to get together with a few close friends and acquaintances, and she loves the lively atmosphere with its human touch.
Ono knows her preferences, so he often makes time to spend with her. Now, with Xu Yi, her mother, the nanny, and Xiao Xiao, they can gather a table full of people.
"Sis, go upstairs and call Xiaoxiao. I'll tidy up the kitchen." Xiaoye finalized the dinner plan, and smiled at Xu Yi, who was standing there looking a bit dazed. "As for Xu Yi, please pack your luggage first, and then come to the kitchen to help me."
Gu Yueyue had just stepped out of Xu Yi's house when she was attacked by a tiny cannonball.
Xiao Xiao rushed over and hugged her leg, looking up at her with her moist eyes filled with longing.
"Mother."
Gu Yueyue bent down and picked her up. The little one was quite chubby from the start, and felt quite heavy when she held her. Now Gu Yueyue couldn't tell whether Xiao Xiao had lost weight or gained weight, since she still felt just as heavy in her hands.
Gu Yueyue was glad that she exercised regularly. In order to maintain a good physical condition when filming, she had trained specifically for this purpose. Otherwise, she would not have been able to lift Xiaoxiao so easily.
The chubby little girl was unaware of her weight and nestled happily in Gu Yueyue's arms.
"Why is Xiaoxiao here?" Gu Yueyue asked her. Xiaoxiao struggled to peek into Xu Yi's room.
Two more elderly people came out of the elevator. They were Ono's mother and her nanny. The two elderly people were pale and bloodless, and they looked like they had been quite frightened.
The two of them came over and explained the situation to Gu Yueyue.
Little Xiao peeked out from in Gu Yueyue's arms, unaware that she had done something wrong.
Gu Yueyue turned cold and began to lecture her.
"From now on, you must tell an adult where you are going, okay? There are some places that children cannot go alone; they must be accompanied by an adult."
"Isn't Xiaoxiao a good, obedient child?"
Bao Xiaoxiao frowned, her defiant expression resembling that of the unruly Xu Yi. However, under pressure from Gu Yueyue's cold demeanor, Xiaoxiao nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Okay. I'll tell Mommy wherever I go from now on." The little girl stretched out her soft, lotus-root-like arms and wrapped them around Gu Yueyue's neck, then softened and kissed her cheek. "Mommy, don't be angry."
How could she possibly be angry anymore? Even the biggest temper would be appeased by her, not to mention that Gu Yueyue is a person with little temper to begin with.
"Okay, Mommy's not angry anymore." Gu Yueyue wanted to put her down because she was almost out of strength, but Xiaoxiao refused. They had finally met, and she hadn't had enough of holding her yet.
Gu Yueyue realized her intentions but couldn't help it. She continued to hug her, both amused and exasperated, and then turned to thank the two aunties.
"Since everyone's here, let's have a meal together downstairs." Gu Yueyue turned around and opened Xu Yi's door, smiling as she introduced the two aunties, "Today, Xiao Ye is cooking a housewarming party for a colleague who's about to start a new job. The more people, the more lively it will be."
Upon hearing that it was her daughter cooking, Ono's mother didn't mention leaving. Since it was her daughter who was busy, they must have a good relationship. If she left, it would be disrespectful to her.
The nanny overheard her soon-to-be-employed colleagues, all of whom would be earning a salary from Gu Yueyue; essentially, they were her colleagues too. The nanny rolled up her sleeves, a broad smile on her face, and said in somewhat broken Mandarin with a regional accent:
"Then I have to help. I can't let Ono-san do all the work by herself."
Xu Yi finished tidying up her things in the room and came out to see the front door open. Gu Yueyue came in carrying Xiao Xiao, and two women in their forties or fifties were standing at the door.
The two women, one of whom seemed reserved, was Ono's mother, while the other was kind and warm, greeting him immediately upon arrival.
Xu Yi didn't know how to respond, so she could only awkwardly say a few greetings. Fortunately, Gu Yueyue noticed the awkward conversation in time and asked Xu Yi to help wash some fruit to entertain the two aunties.
Xu Yi was finally able to get away, and breathed a sigh of relief as she took the fruit to wash.
Xiao Xiao struggled to get off Gu Yueyue, and Gu Yueyue breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to put Xiao Xiao on the ground.
Xiao Xiao shot to Xu Yi's side like a cannonball, hugged Xu Yi's leg, and looked up at her.
Gu Yueyue was afraid that her little chubby girl would hurt the person, but then she saw Xu Yi bend down, reach out and scoop Xiao Xiao up and put her on his back, saying, "Hold on tight."
Little Xiaoxiao climbed onto her neck and sat there happily.
Seeing this, Gu Yueyue quickly came over and tried to take Xiaoxiao off Xu Yi's neck. "I'm sorry, Xiaoxiao is usually quite mischievous."
At this point, Gu Yueyue realized that she hadn't introduced the child to Xu Yi yet.
"It's okay, I like her a lot, and she seems to like me a lot too." Xu Yi let Xiao Xiao ride on her neck; she always indulged her own little one.
Gu Yueyue followed beside her and told her about Xiaoxiao's background.
Xu Yi had already heard Xiao Xiao tell these things, but after all, it was just the logic of an ordinary three or four-year-old child, and what he told Xu Yi was not comprehensive.
Upon hearing Gu Yueyue's explanation, Xu Yi paused in washing the fruit and asked Gu Yueyue, "Isn't it very troublesome to help her get the documents?"
"It's alright. Thanks to Xiao Ye's help, I feel quite connected with the baby. I just don't know if her biological parents are still around, and if they are, when they will come looking for her." Gu Yueyue always habitually calls Xiao Xiao "baby".
When Xu Yi heard her address, she was stunned for a moment, and suddenly realized why she insisted on calling Xiao Xiao "Baby" when she named her. It must have been that Miss Gu had called her that without her knowing.
"Is Teacher Gu worried that if the child's parents come looking for her, they will take her away?"
Gu Yueyue hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "My thoughts are quite complicated. Of course, it's better for the child to live with her biological parents, but I would miss her. I hope her parents find her soon, but I also want it to be a little later so I can keep her with me a little longer."
Xu Yi understood.
As another party involved who knows the truth, she cannot directly reveal it.
Thinking back to how she mistakenly thought Miss Gu had discovered Xiao Xiao and confessed to her, only to frighten Miss Gu instead, she became much more careful about her behavior after that.
Xiao Xiao listened to their conversation, seemingly understanding but not quite.
"Mother, don't you want me anymore?"
Xiao Xiao's words stunned both of them.
Xu Yi pulled Xiao Xiao off her neck and held her in his arms, during which time he quickly communicated with her using his divine sense.
“Our little… cough, baby is so cute, of course everyone loves him. But my situation isn’t suitable for raising a child. Besides, Teacher Gu has already taken you in, how can you be like those playboy kids who fall in love with every girl they see? That would hurt Teacher Gu’s feelings.”
'You little brat, don't scare Miss Gu. Don't say things you shouldn't. I'm not saying I don't want you.'
Xiao Xiao laughed happily when she heard her call her "baby," not paying much attention to her inner monologue.
She nodded in Xu Yi's arms, "I understand." Then she turned to Gu Yueyue and said, "I'm sorry, Mom, I shouldn't have said that."
"No, it's nothing." Gu Yueyue was initially shocked, but quickly realized that these were just childish words, just like when Xiaoxiao called her "Mom" the first time they met. Gu Yueyue immediately blushed with embarrassment.
Xu Yi's intervention relieved Gu Yueyue. Gu Yueyue told her to put Xiao Xiao down. She knew firsthand how heavy Xiao Xiao was. She had been worried about whether Xu Yi's cervical spine could bear it, and now she was worried about whether Xu Yi's thin arms could hold Xiao Xiao firmly.
Xiao Xiao likes being held by Xu Yi. Perhaps it's because sword spirits are naturally drawn to strength. Now that Xu Yi's strength has greatly increased, Xiao Xiao loves to cling to her even more.
However, after a while, Xiaoxiao got tired of following a wooden figure, jumped down, and ran towards Gu Yueyue's scent.
Gu Yueyue was on the balcony talking to Ma Youcai on the phone. Ma Youcai knew that she had two more days off and wanted to ask her if they could have a meal together.
Ma Youcai's drama has finished filming and is now in post-production. However, Chu Man'er has suddenly been exposed to a lot of scandals and rumors, so it's still a question whether the drama will be released later.
As the chief director, he was under increasing pressure, and his bald spot was almost completely gone. He really wanted to meet up with some friends for a meal to relax, so he approached Gu Yueyue.
The result was naturally not ideal. Gu Yueyue was preparing a housewarming party for Xu Yi, and it was impossible for her to abandon Xu Yi and Xiao Ye to go and accompany Ma Youcai.
However, she suggested that Ma Youcai come over, "Let's eat here. It'll be more lively with more people."
"Okay. Wait for me." Ma Youcai didn't stand on ceremony with them. Just as he was about to hang up, he was still saying, "Your kid is interesting."
Gu Yueyue thought he was talking about Xiaoxiao, and smiled. Soon she heard Ma Youcai say, "Last time he borrowed my phone to make a call, he even gave me a dollar for phone credit when he left. Where can you find such a temperamental person?"
Gu Yueyue then realized he was referring to Xu Yi, and her face flushed slightly: "Don't talk nonsense."
"I'm not making things up. Aren't we going to sign it to you?" Ma Youcai knew there was nothing between them, but he just loved to joke with Gu Yueyue. Only at this moment could Gu Yueyue be less of that lonely, ethereal aura that made people feel lonely.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:15:26 on January 13, 2022 and 20:08:48 on January 14, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the grenade: 1 in June;
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Adachi Sakura 20 bottles; Incustin 1 bottle;