Celebrating National Day

Three days passed after the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the fourth brought the National Day holiday.

Small red flags hung along the streets and alleys, and red lanterns adorned the streetlights. Rows of little red flags fluttered in the breeze, their colors all the brighter in the sunlight. Someone on the street was handing out little red flags for free.

Gu Zhiyue held a little red flag he had just picked up by the roadside in one hand and slowly ate a matcha ice cream with the other. Beside him was Gu Shuoyan, who had come out with him.

Gu Shuoyan also held an ice cream, a plain one, and had already eaten half of it. The two walked slowly along the sidewalk, passing roadside stalls selling snacks, toys, and all sorts of things.

Gu Shuoyan said, "There's a free performance celebrating National Day at the square tonight. Want to go see it?"

Gu Zhiyue nodded without hesitation. "Of course! How could I miss out on somewhere lively? Let's ask Yunhe and Ah Zhen to come too. They don't live far away anyway."

"Sure. Tell them to come a little early. We can have dinner at our place before going to the square for the performance."

Gu Zhiyue nodded. "Isn't our eldest brother coming home for such a long National Day break?"

"He is. He boarded the plane this morning. He should be home tomorrow morning."

"Third Brother, has our eldest brother ever dated anyone? Surely our whole family can't be single?"

"You'd have better luck hoping for yourself to start dating than him."

Gu Zhiyue finished the last bite of his cone and tossed the paper sleeve into a trash can. "Finally, the supermarket. If there weren't so many cars around here making it hard to drive over, we might already be back by now."

Gu Shuoyan hooked an arm around Gu Zhiyue's neck. "Come on. Let's stock up."

The two entered the supermarket and pushed a shopping cart through the aisles.

Gu Shuoyan picked up a box of chips in a new flavor from a shelf and put it into the cart. "Let's take these home and try them."

Gu Zhiyue put in a box of lemon-flavored yogurt and two packets of spicy gluten strips.

"Third Brother, how about we buy two packs of these to try?"

"Extra-spicy duck feet, and a new brand too. Sure, let's get two packs. I'd like to see just how spicy they are."

Gu Zhiyue tossed in two packs of instant rice noodles as well. "Let's get two packs of these too. They'll be handy when we get hungry at night."

"In that case, let's get some hot pot and instant noodles too." Gu Shuoyan pushed the cart with Gu Zhiyue around to the other side of the shelves and put several containers of instant noodles and instant hot pot into it.

Gu Zhiyue looked at the half-full cart. "All right, all right, we've got enough food. Let's get something to drink now. Cola? Milk?"

"Both. Mom likes unsweetened milk, so let's take a case home."

"Okay." Gu Zhiyue nodded, looking at the cart full of things. "But how are we going to carry all these bags? There are three big cases of milk too."

Gu Shuoyan took out his phone and called the driver. "Bring the car over and come in to help carry the shopping. There's too much for us to carry."

Gu Shuoyan put his phone back into his pocket. "Let's pay, then just wait at the entrance for the car."

The two paid, carried their purchases to the supermarket entrance, and stood in the shade outside while waiting for the car. The road was not actually that congested; they had simply wanted ice cream earlier and walked over. It had taken ten minutes to walk from where the car was parked, but driving over would probably take only three or four.

Gu Zhiyue crouched on the ground with his phone, tagging Luo Yunhe and Xie Zhen in their three-person group chat.

[@Luo Yunhe @Xie Zhen How about going to the square to watch the performance tonight? Come over early, and we can have dinner at my place before going to the square together.]

Xie Zhen replied, [No problem here. My parents went out to have fun and didn't take me, their third wheel. I'm home alone.]

Luo Yunhe replied, [Sure. I'll tell my dad in a bit and have the driver take me over to see you.]

Gu Zhiyue sent an "OK" hand gesture. [Great, no problem. Come over a little after five. I'll tell the auntie at home to make a few extra dishes tonight.]

Four or five minutes later, the car stopped at the supermarket entrance. The driver got out and helped the two of them load everything into the trunk, then they got in and headed home.

Once they got home, Gu Zhiyue immediately flopped onto the sofa. "It's so hot. It's actually twenty-seven degrees out today."

Gu Shuoyan asked Qian the Butler to call two people over to unload everything and put it away inside.

Zhao Wanling was on the phone, saying to the person on the other end, "All right. Let us know what time your flight lands tomorrow, and we'll come pick you up."

After ending the call, Zhao Wanling smiled at the two of them. "Aunt Sun is making shaved ice in the kitchen. It'll be ready soon."

Gu Zhiyue said, "I'll tell Aunt Sun in a bit to make a few extra dishes tonight. Yunhe and the others are coming over."

Zhao Wanling smiled. "That's wonderful. Have them come a little earlier so you can spend more time together."

Gu Shuoyan asked, "Mom, were you just on the phone with our eldest brother?"

"Yes. Xiao Chuan said his flight should land around three tomorrow afternoon. We'll go pick him up then."

Gu Zhiyue spat out the lychee pit in his mouth. "Mom, I'd like to go back in a couple of days to see my Lin Dad and Mom Qinglan, and stay there for two or three days. I haven't seen them in over two months."

"Of course. We haven't seen them since our last meeting. I'd been thinking of finding a time for us all to get together for a meal, but we just haven't had the time."

Zhao Wanling sighed. "Getting together really does depend on luck and timing. Get a few more things ready to take back with you. I'll have the driver take you, so it'll be easier to bring everything."

"Okay. I'll tell them tonight that I'm coming back to stay. My big bed must really miss me."

Aunt Sun brought out several servings of shaved ice, and Gu Zhiyue took a lime-flavored one. "Aunt Sun, please prepare a few extra dishes tonight, some light and some on the salty side. My friends are coming over."

"Of course, Young Master. Are there any foods those two young masters avoid?"

"Ah Zhen's easy enough. He just doesn't eat garlic. Yunhe has quite a few restrictions. Actually, let me type them up for you."

"All right." Aunt Sun went into the kitchen to take off her apron and get ready to buy ingredients. Gu Zhiyue typed up the things Luo Yunhe absolutely could not have and the things he could have a tiny bit of, then had Aunt Sun take a photo so she could follow it when cooking that evening.

Aunt Sun clicked her tongue repeatedly with a sigh. "Poor thing, so many things he can't eat. Oh dear!"

Gu Zhiyue chuckled softly. "Sorry for the trouble, Aunt Sun. It might be a bit of a hassle to cook."

"No trouble at all, no trouble. It looks difficult, but it's actually quite easy. It's your friends' first time coming over, Young Master. I'll make sure they enjoy their food and leave satisfied."

Aunt Sun took a maid out with her to buy ingredients. The sun at this hour beat down so fiercely that it made the tops of their heads feel hot, but they still needed to buy the ingredients. A sun hat would do.

Gu Shuoyan's phone rang. When he saw the caller's name on the screen, his brow suddenly furrowed.

Xiao Jiu appeared and lay on top of Gu Zhiyue's head. [Host, Tong Ziyi is calling.]

Gu Zhiyue widened his eyes as though watching a good show, his gaze slowly shifting toward Gu Shuoyan. [Oh~?]