Chapter 374: Chapter 337: Good Morning Kiss
Gu Qili was awakened by the ringing of the phone,
"I’m looking for my phone." Gu Qili hurriedly leaped over his shoulder to reach for the phone on the bedside table,
she said in annoyance, "The phone just keeps ringing."
"Who takes a call so early in the morning?"
"Who would call so early if it wasn’t urgent? Move aside."
"Are you up?" A childish voice came through the phone.
"Just woke up." Gu Qili’s features softened in an instant, and her smile was filled with motherly love, "You’re up early."
Mu Qinian would never tell her that he couldn’t sleep because he was excited about his new phone watch and eagerly waiting to call her the next day.
He snuggled into his bedding, puffing his lips to blow on the watch, "The sound quality is pretty good."
Hearing the sound of his breath, Gu Qili’s heart melted: "I’ll pick you up today."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Then I’ll wait for you."
"Alright, get up and have breakfast."
After hanging up the phone, Gu Qili turned to find the man behind her looking at her seriously, those dark eyes seemingly waiting for her explanation.
"It was Niannian." Gu Qili didn’t intend to hide it from him, as it was nothing serious, "I bought him a phone watch yesterday."
"You’re always spoiling him." Mu Shuoqian sneered coldly, "What does a little brat need a phone for?"
"Don’t always treat him like a child, haven’t you noticed he’s more mature than most kids his age? Plus, the watch phone has a tracking feature, and he can contact us if there’s an emergency. It’s not a valuable item and it’s not spoiling him, every kid on the street has one nowadays."
Mu Shuoqian frowned, he had barely criticized his son and she had a hundred defenses ready for him. It was crystal clear who was more important in her eyes, him or their son.
He felt displeased,
"Hey, where are you going?"
"To find a locksmith." He dropped the words coldly and left with a stern face.
Gu Qili blinked, not understanding why the person who was fine just a moment ago suddenly changed his attitude.
Childish!
After she made breakfast, she thought about calling Mu Shuoqian to eat. Hearing a noise outside, she peeked through the peephole to see a locksmith busy at work, and Mu Shuoqian in yesterday’s pajamas watching.
Gu Qili stuck out her tongue and paid him no more attention.
After a short while, there was a knock on the door. She knew he would come back, and sure enough, Mu Shuoqian stepped in, "What did you make for breakfast?"
"Plain congee."
He glanced at the two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks on the dining table, his face slightly improved, and he sat down graciously.
"These are my bowl and chopsticks, you don’t mind, do you?"
Mu Shuoqian didn’t say a word, responding to her with his actions.
After breakfast, just as Gu Qili returned to her room to change clothes, there was another knock on the door. Her place was really lively lately.
As soon as Mu Shuoqian opened the door, an elderly lady stood outside.
Seeing the tall man standing before her, she was clearly startled, took a few steps back to check the door number again, and after confirming she wasn’t mistaken, she asked: "Is this the Gu Family’s place?"
"Yes." Mu Shuoqian’s face was expressionless, which even intimidated the elderly lady.
"I made these fried dough sticks this morning, I brought a few for her breakfast," the old lady said as she handed over the plate, "They’re still warm."
"She’s already eaten."
"Oh, is that so..." the old lady said awkwardly, "Alright then."
She looked at Mu Shuoqian several times, really wanting to ask what his relationship was with Gu Qili, but thinking that it would be prying into others’ private matters, she held back her questions.
Appearing at a single woman’s home so early in the morning, isn’t our relationship obvious?
Gu Qili heard the voice outside, quickly changed her clothes and hurried out: "Auntie Zhang."
"Little Gu, I’ve brought you some fried dough sticks." Auntie Zhang immediately smiled and waved at her.
"Thank you, Auntie Zhang, I’ve barely had anything to eat." Gu Qili hurriedly took the fried dough sticks, went back to her room to wash the plate and brought it out again, "Thanks a lot."
"No need to thank me, you better eat quickly. Don’t you have to go to work in a bit? I won’t disturb you any longer." Auntie Zhang took the plate and left; she did not forget to turn her head for another glance at Mu Shuoqian as she reached the staircase.
"Haven’t eaten enough?" Mu Shuoqian watched Gu Qili with a mouthful of fried dough sticks, "Since when did you become such an eater?"
"Because Auntie Zhang’s fried dough sticks are really tasty," she said.
"You’re so chummy with the neighbors now?"
Gu Qili’s mouth was stuffed with dough sticks as she mumbled unclearly, "I once helped Auntie Zhang carry her grocery basket upstairs, and from then on, we got to know each other. Whenever she makes something nice, she always thinks of giving some to me. She lives with her son and even wants to set her son up on a blind date with me."
Mu Shuoqian didn’t say anything more and went back to his own apartment with his keys. He didn’t close the door and soon returned holding a box.
"What’s this?"
"Porcelain."
Gu Qili wiped her mouth, picked up her bag and turned to lock her door: "What do you need porcelain for?"
"To give to Auntie Zhang."
"...."
He didn’t explain why but just carried the box and went downstairs; Gu Qili had no choice but to follow him.
"Knock on the door." Mu Shuoqian stood in the corridor on the fifth floor, unsure which one was Auntie Zhang’s home.
Gu Qili, looking skeptical, knocked on one of the doors. A young man opened it; he was clearly startled when he saw the people standing at the door: "You...?"
Auntie Zhang immediately came up from behind him: "Oh, it’s Little Gu."
"Auntie Zhang, this is for you." Gu Qili handed the box from Mu Shuoqian to Auntie Zhang, "Just a little something."
"Oh my, just for eating a few of my fried dough sticks you’re giving me gifts, this makes me feel so embarrassed."
"It’s alright, it’s not worth much." Gu Qili smiled, "I need to get going to work now."
"Thank you, Little Gu. Off you go."
After they had left, Auntie Zhang’s son said: "Mom, is this the new neighbor you wanted to introduce me to?"
"Yes," Auntie Zhang seemed disheartened as if struck by a blow. The daughter-in-law she had finally fixed her sights on already had someone. She had planned to arrange an opportunity for her son to officially meet with Little Gu this weekend.
"Mom, really, she already has a partner, and that man, just from his aura and eyes, is obviously not ordinary. He’s not someone we common folk can compare with." Auntie Zhang’s son took the box and glanced inside, thinking for a moment his eyes were deceiving him, "Mom, you’ve struck it rich."
"Rich? It’s just a set of tea ware," Auntie Zhang pursed her lips.
"This isn’t ordinary tea ware. Don’t you know what your son does for a living? This set of tea ware is worth at least ten thousand."
"Oh my goodness." Auntie Zhang was startled, "This thing is so expensive; we can’t accept this. We’ll return it to Little Gu when we can."
"Forget it, they don’t care about such a small amount of money. To them, it isn’t even considered money."
Auntie Zhang sighed: "Sigh, I wanted to introduce someone to you, but this just goes to show that your mom has unique taste. Little Gu is not a simple girl; otherwise, she wouldn’t have gotten together with such a man."
Gu Qili took out her car keys and waved at Mu Shuoqian standing to the side, "I’m off then."
"Wait a second."
As soon as Gu Qili had arrived at the vineyard, she received a WeChat message from Mu Shuoqian: "Got there?"
"Yeah, just arrived. What about you?"
His reply was a bunch of photos of documents.
Seeing all that work waiting for him, Gu Qili felt a pang of heartache. She remembered Qiu Yufei once saying that he had been hospitalized for gastric bleeding, and at that time, she was not only absent from his side but also carried a heart filled with resentment.
Four years had passed; she and he had missed so much.
"Take care to rest more."