142: Qiu Gu's Home

The two of them woke up very early. After washing up, they hurried downstairs and checked out of Zhao Yuling's room at the same time.

"Wait, let me call and ask for Brother Gu's address~"

Gao Xiaofan said as he sat in the car and pulled out his phone.

Zhao Yuling nodded obediently from the driver's seat.

"Brother Gu, morning. Where's your house? Send me a location~"

"What for? Can't I come to your house for breakfast? Can't I come see my nephew?"

"Alright, alright, stop dawdling. We're already out the door."

A few minutes later, Gao Xiaofan hung up the phone, opened the message on WeChat, and started the navigation.

"It's not far~ 20 kilometers. Let's go to the supermarket first to buy some things~"

Zhao Yuling nodded and gently stepped on the gas, the car slowly moving forward.

This time they were driving Zhao Yuling's car, a small Volkswagen Polo~

"Little Yu, drive a bit faster~"

"Don't rush me~ I'm too lazy to drive to work; I always take the bus~"

Gao Xiaofan glanced at Zhao Yuling, who was sitting bolt upright with a serious expression, and swallowed the cheeky remarks he was about to say.

To an outsider, it looked like she was nursing the steering wheel~

Thirty minutes later, Gao Xiaofan stepped out of the car and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother Xiaofan, it's not that exaggerated~ You can't drive too fast, it's unsafe!"

Zhao Yuling pouted as she got out of the driver's seat and took Gao Xiaofan's hand to walk toward the supermarket.

Since yesterday's contact, the relationship between the two had moved a step closer, and holding hands began to feel normal~ Neither of them had been in a relationship before, and they didn't know what kind of relationship this counted as.

If you called it dating, they hadn't officially confirmed it; if you called it being friends, that also made sense.

But regardless, their current interaction was indeed more intimate than before.

"Brother Gu's parents are bedridden year-round, so it's not easy to buy gifts for them. His aunt usually takes care of the whole family, so we can buy some things for her~"

"We can also buy cigarettes and alcohol. His aunt must have a son or a son-in-law. Since she takes care of Brother Gu's parents, the rest of her family might have some complaints. Giving these things is great; she can take them home."

"As for the two kids, let's just buy some snacks and milk. We can give them a red envelope later~"

Gao Xiaofan walked ahead blathering on, while Zhao Yuling obediently pushed the supermarket trolley behind him.

"There's no need for overly expensive liquor, let's just get two bottles of Wuliangye."

Gao Xiaofan turned to the sales guide at the counter and asked them to put two bottles into a gift bag.

"Damn, I haven't even drunk such good liquor myself."

Zhao Yuling covered her mouth and giggled incessantly~

Twenty minutes later, the two of them pushed the trolley to the parking lot and kept moving things into the trunk.

Two bottles of Wuliangye white liquor, a carton of Zhonghua cigarettes, two boxes of milk, two boxes of nut gift sets, and a large bag of assorted snacks.

After finishing, Gao Xiaofan pushed the trolley back and then got into the car.

"Little Yu, do you have any cash? I'll transfer it to you on WeChat later~"

"Okay, I don't have much either, only 3,000~"

Gao Xiaofan nodded and pulled his seatbelt on.

"That's enough, let's go~"

By the time he took out his phone and transferred the money to Zhao Yuling, they had arrived at the residential complex~

After entering the complex and finding the building number, they saw Qiu Gu from a distance, standing downstairs and looking around.

Once the car was parked, Gao Xiaofan jumped out immediately. The car speed was too slow; accustomed to racing at high speeds, he had felt restless the whole way~

"Hurry up and come up for breakfast, it's getting cold~ I bought it half an hour ago."

Qiu Gu said enthusiastically, his face full of joy.

He had also thought about inviting Gao Xiaofan to his home, but given the environment—where even he had to sleep on the sofa—he felt too embarrassed.

But Gao Xiaofan's arrival made him very happy; no one had visited his home in many years.

"What's the rush? Driving fast is unsafe~ This is Little Yu, Zhao Yuling~"

"Brother Xiaofan, Brother Gu and I met last time~ If I hadn't asked Brother Gu, I wouldn't have been able to find you~"

Zhao Yuling got out of the driver's seat and greeted him with a smile.

"Hello, Brother Gu~"

"Ah, Little Yu, it's a long drive to get here. It must have been hard~"

"It's alright, mainly because I drive quite slowly~"

Gao Xiaofan stood by the trunk, looking at the two of them speechlessly.

"Hey, hey, hey, help carry the stuff~"

Qiu Gu scratched his head and jogged over. When he saw the things in the trunk, he became anxious.

"You're already here, why did you buy so much stuff~"

"What, you think I bought it for you? It's for my nephew~ Hurry up."

Gao Xiaofan said with a sidelong glance.

After dawdling for a while, the three of them carried the items upstairs.

Qiu Gu's house was a resettlement house. When the area was demolished, they were allocated four units, but then his parents fell ill, and the houses were sold one after another until only this one remained.

Although it wasn't the largest in area, the floor was very suitable—the third floor—making it convenient for his aunt and the two kids to go up and down.

Since Qiu Gu was home yesterday, his aunt had gone back to rest for a day. Qiu Gu planned to head back this afternoon, so his aunt had also arrived early this morning.

As soon as they entered the room, they saw an elderly woman pouring tea in the living room. Noticing the commotion, she hurried over to welcome them.

"Quickly, come in. Qiu Gu's boss, oh, thank you for giving our Qiu Gu a way to make a living~."

"Hello, Auntie. I'm not some boss, Brother Gu and I are friends. You can just call me Xiaofan."

"I came here to see you this time. I've heard Brother Gu mention you many times. You've worked hard all these years."

Gao Xiaofan said quickly with a smile, while handing over the cigarettes and alcohol he was carrying.

"I came in a hurry and didn't know what to bring, so I just bought a few things. I don't know if Uncle likes these."

"You're already here, why bring things? We can't accept this. Qiu Gu, you really shouldn't have."

This immediately made the aunt flustered, and she looked at Qiu Gu with a stern face.

"It's okay, Auntie. Since Xiaofan brought them, just accept them. They weren't meant for me anyway~"

"If he brought them for you, would you even be able to take them?" the aunt scolded Qiu Gu before turning to smile at Gao Xiaofan.

"Everyone, come in and sit down. Have some tea~"

At this moment, Qiu Gu's aunt also noticed Zhao Yuling standing prettily behind Gao Xiaofan.

"Oh my, this girl is so pretty. She must be Xiaofan's girlfriend~"

Hearing this, Zhao Yuling blushed and called out, "Hello, Auntie~"

Qiu Gu and Gao Xiaofan stood nearby, chuckling.

"I'll go get the food ready. Qiu Gu, you stay and chat with Xiaofan and the lady."

After seeing them sit down, the aunt smiled, said her piece, and headed to the kitchen.

"Auntie, don't go to any trouble. We'll just sit for a bit and then we'll be going."

"What are you saying? There's no reason to come and not have a bite to eat~" Qiu Gu said with a glare.

"Exactly. How about this, Xiaofan probably isn't used to home cooking, let's go to a restaurant," the aunt said, wiping her hands on her apron.

"No, Auntie, let's just eat at home. Let's keep it simple, just a couple of dishes~"

Gao Xiaofan hurriedly waved his hands and said.

The aunt smiled. "Alright!"