The next day, Gu Xiao woke up even earlier than usual.
Summer mornings were the coolest time of the day; it was just past five o'clock, but the sky outside was already bright.
Gu Xiao changed into her sportswear, left the house, and began running laps around the entire commercial district.
It was still quite early, and there weren't many pedestrians on the road.
At this hour, even students and office workers were still sound asleep, dreaming away.
After running about ten laps, Gu Xiao returned home.
Normally, this would be the time for the fast-food restaurant to open, but today, the Gu Family Fast Food Restaurant remained closed.
Gu Xiao had already informed her parents the night before that important guests would be arriving today.
Gu Xiao hadn't gone into detail, only emphasizing that the day's matter was very important.
Even Gu Jingchuan had taken the day off from school and would be staying home.
When Gu Xiao finished washing up and came downstairs in a casual outfit, Gu Jingchuan was already eating breakfast.
"Sis, who exactly is coming today? You've made such a big deal out of it."
Seeing Gu Xiao descend the stairs, Gu Jingchuan put down his bowl, looked up, and asked curiously.
"That's right, Xiaoxiao, who is coming?"
Gu Zhixing and Ruan Qinghuan also looked over.
"Uh, the specific situation is a bit complicated. I'll explain everything slowly once they arrive."
Facing the gaze of the three of them, Gu Xiao scratched her head. She felt it would be better to wait until the Jing family arrived to explain; she could already guess how her parents would react when they heard the news.
"How much longer until they arrive? Do we need to prepare anything?"
If they were truly important guests, they should probably dress a little more formally.
"Oh, no need. Just wear whatever you usually wear today."
Gu Xiao hadn't paid much attention to this detail, but there was certainly no need to dress too formally.
"Huh? Just our usual clothes? Won't that be too casual?"
Gu Zhixing was slightly taken aback. After all, his daughter had said they were important guests, and being too casual might seem disrespectful.
"It's fine. Dressing casually makes it easier to bridge the distance between people."
After today, the two families would become one, so it was better for everyone to be comfortable.
Jing Yuan and his family, who were coming over, were also wearing everyday clothes, specifically to avoid putting pressure on Gu Xiao's parents.
"How much longer until they arrive?"
Although Gu Xiao said casual was fine, Gu Zhixing still felt the need to prepare.
For example, preparing tea, getting the food ready, and making arrangements for lunch.
"They are about to leave Xizhao City and enter Yunxi City. They are about a half-hour drive from here."
Gu Xiao checked their location through Jing Yuan's perspective in the hovercar and turned to inform Gu Zhixing.
"Half an hour, that's enough time."
One might even say this timing was perfect—just enough time for him to get busy.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Just as Gu Zhixing stood up, preparing to head to the back kitchen, a knock suddenly sounded outside the storefront.
Gu Zhixing walked over and opened the door. Standing outside was a regular customer who always ate at their place.
"Boss Gu, why haven't you opened up yet at this hour?"
Seeing Gu Zhixing come out, the customer asked with confusion.
"Ah, Old Zhang, I'm sorry. We have guests coming today, so we're closed for the day."
Gu Zhixing smiled and explained the situation.
"I see. Well, alright then. Guess I won't have the pleasure of eating here today."
Old Zhang's tone carried a hint of regret at not being able to eat there.
Eating at the Gu Family Fast Food Restaurant had become a habit for him over the years, and suddenly missing a meal made the whole day feel incomplete.
After Old Zhang left, Gu Zhixing found the "Temporarily Closed" sign inside the shop and hung it outside the door.
Upon returning inside, Gu Zhixing immediately headed into the back kitchen.
"I'll help too."
Ruan Qinghuan stood up and followed him in, and the two quickly became busy.
"Sis, should I prepare something too?"
Gu Jingchuan quickly finished his breakfast and looked at Gu Xiao with wide eyes.
"Prepare what? Are you going to cook a couple of dishes too?"
Breakfast consisted of savory tofu pudding, two pieces of flatbread, and an egg in the bowl.
"Uh, I haven't inherited Dad's cooking skills yet."
Gu Jingchuan scratched his head awkwardly. Although he could indeed cook a couple of dishes, they were only edible, and certainly not suitable for entertaining guests.
"If you want something to do, go wake up Xiaoyue."
Gu Xiao rolled the flatbread into a long strip, then used a spoon to slice the egg in half and dipped the bread into the savory soup.
She preferred savory flavors; she couldn't eat the egg without dipping it in some soup.
"Okay."
Gu Jingchuan got up, washed his hands at the sink, and then ran upstairs.
Just after Gu Xiao finished her first piece of flatbread, Gu Jingchuan came back down carrying Gu Yue.
"Sister, Yueyue says she's sick."
After walking down the stairs, Gu Jingchuan hurried over to the dining table, his voice filled with anxiety.
"What's wrong?"
Ruan Qinghuan, busy in the kitchen, heard Gu Jingchuan's words and poked her head out of the service window.
"I'm having a little trouble breathing today. It feels like something is stuck around my neck, and it's uncomfortable."
Gu Xiao turned around and saw Gu Yue frowning, her small hand pressed against her forehead, checking her temperature.
"You put her shirt on backwards."
Gu Xiao glanced at Gu Yue in Gu Jingchuan's arms, noting that the collar was tightly constricting her neck.
Ruan Qinghuan, who was about to step out of the kitchen, paused and retreated back inside when she heard Gu Xiao's comment.
"Y-yeah, it looks like it."
Gu Jingchuan carefully examined the direction of Gu Yue's collar and realized that the back was indeed much looser than the front.
"Go and turn it around for her."
"Okay."
Having identified the "source of the illness," Gu Jingchuan carried Gu Yue back upstairs with hurried steps.
Before long, Gu Jingchuan came back down carrying Gu Yue once more.
"Do you still feel uncomfortable?"
Gu Xiao asked, looking at Gu Yue, who was standing on a chair.
"No, I feel much better now," Gu Yue shook her head, then turned toward Gu Jingchuan. "Xiaochuan, you really are a handful; you can't even handle a small thing like this properly."
"My mistake, my mistake. My allowance for today is all yours."
Gu Jingchuan brought a bowl of warm millet porridge over to Gu Yue and handed her a spoon.
Gu Yue's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing she would receive Gu Jingchuan's allowance for the day.
"Brother, it's not that I'm greedy for your money. I just feel that since you apologized so sincerely, as your little sister, I should accept."
Even as she said this, Gu Yue's hand, wearing her smart bracelet, was already extended.
Gu Jingchuan tapped a few times on his smart bracelet, touched it to Gu Yue's, and the credit points were transferred to her device.
Gu Xiao smiled without saying a word as she watched the siblings' transaction.
Gu Jingchuan transferred the money without reluctance, mainly because he often tricked Gu Yue into spending her credit points.