During the renovation process, Qiao Wanqing had visited several times, but due to time and distance constraints, she couldn’t come frequently.

This led the employees of the renovation company to start cutting corners, resulting in numerous small issues.

Finally, the person in charge promised Qiao Wanqing that they would try their best to address all the issues she had raised until she was satisfied.

Qiao Wanqing almost suspected that the person was acting on behalf of Gu Yanqing.

Clearly, Gu Yanqing hadn’t done anything, yet as soon as he showed a hint of displeasure, the person became so accommodating.

This didn’t make sense.

Could it be true that domineering CEOs really have that kind of intimidating presence?

But why couldn’t she feel it?

After the renovation was completed and with daylight still lingering outside, Gu Yanqing said again, “Let’s go, I’ll take you somewhere.”

“Where to?” Qiao Wanqing was curious about his mysterious demeanor.

“You’ll find out when we get there.”

The place didn’t seem to be far.

Gu Yanqing led her there on foot, less than 200 meters from her vegetarian restaurant. She saw a piece of land that had been cleared by an excavator.

As they approached, a digger was still at work, moving soil.

No wonder there had been those loud rumbling noises just now—they were coming from here.

Qiao Wanqing had an ominous feeling.

Sure enough, she heard Gu Yanqing say, “I’ve bought this piece of land. We’re going to build a mountain retreat villa here.”

“…Rich people.”

“158 meters from your vegetarian restaurant,” Gu Yanqing emphasized the distance, the implication clear without needing to be said.

Qiao Wanqing: “…”

“What do you think?” Gu Yanqing asked her.

How could Qiao Wanqing think otherwise? If someone had money and whims, could she stop them from building?

“It’s pretty good. The mountains are clear and the waters are beautiful—perfect for a retreat villa,” Qiao Wanqing casually replied, not even sure herself what she was saying.

Gu Yanqing said, “Originally, I thought about building it near your place, but considering the potential noise during renovations that might disturb Koukou, I chose this spot instead.”

“…” Then I should thank you.

“There are wild vegetables here!” Just as Qiao Wanqing was thinking about how to respond if Gu Yanqing seized another opportunity to say something, she noticed several shepherd’s purse plants growing on slightly damp ground nearby.

They had tender green leaves due to minimal sun exposure. “We can use these to make dumplings.”

Seeing her eagerly gathering them as if she had found treasure, Gu Yanqing knew she was hiding something but didn’t expose her.

Qiao Wanqing was unaware that the enemy’s tactics were evolving.

It wasn’t about blindly declaring “I like you, I want to pursue you” anymore.

With such people, one should gradually seep into their heart and lungs like a slow-acting poison, leaving them with no escape.

Due to the renovations in the area over the past two years, few people visited the western mountains.

The wild vegetables there were mostly natural and pollution-free.

Qiao Wanqing picked a bunch of them, planning to go back and make dumplings.

Gu Yanqing wasn’t particularly interested in wild vegetables, but seeing Qiao Wanqing so happy, he helped her search.

If it had been a year ago, Gu Yanqing would never have imagined himself one day in the wilderness, searching mountains and fields for wild vegetables…

There were plenty of wild vegetables on the western mountainside.

Due to ongoing construction, this area was currently sealed off to prevent access, and thus untouched.

In no time, the two of them found quite a lot of wild vegetables.

Qiao Wanqing tied them up with vines, dividing them into three small bundles.

When they got to town, she delivered one bundle to Cai Laoban(Mr.Cai), the owner of the agritainment farm, and another to Song Sao, a widow in town.

Song Sao was a widow whose child was still in primary school.

She had been working as a helper at the agritainment farm for several years.

However, due to Mr. Cai’s stinginess, he stubbornly refused to give her a raise, which led to a falling out.

But after their fallout, Mr. Cai regretted it because Song Sao had years of experience handling orders, clearing tables, and managing accounts very efficiently.

She was excellent at taking orders and offering suggestions, and when business was good at the agritainment farm, she could move gracefully between tables, never missing a beat.

After their fallout, Mr. Cai couldn’t find another skilled person like Song Sao.

Later on, Mr. Cai showed intentions of inviting her back and even offered to meet Song Sao’s salary demands.

However, due to her blunt nature, they argued harshly, and in the heat of the moment, some hurtful words were exchanged.

Being a widow with sensitive feelings and Mr. Cai’s sharp tongue, things escalated, and Song Sao declared she would rather starve than go back.

Mr. Cai was frustrated for quite a while after that.

Hearing that Qiao Wanqing was planning to open a vegetarian restaurant, he allowed her to invite Song Sao to help.

He claimed it was because the fertile water should not flow into others’ fields, but in reality, someone had noticed Mr. Cai’s thriving business and, with the upcoming reopening of the matchmaking temple, had also opened an agritainment farm in town.

Upon learning about the situation between them, this person planned to offer a high price to hire Song Sao.

Upon hearing about this, Mr. Cai was so enraged he felt like spitting blood, so he encouraged Qiao Wanqing to hire someone first.

Qiao Wanqing and Song Sao had a good relationship.

Qiao Wanqing thought to herself that in the future, she would indeed be too busy alone.

Grandma Qiao would likely still be at home helping to look after the vegetables in the field.

Moreover, she was shy and couldn’t speak when she saw strangers, so she really needed someone to help with ordering and tidying up.

However, after Song Sao went through all this trouble, her “value” had increased significantly.

Qiao Wanqing maintained their relationship but adopted a wait-and-see attitude.

If the cost exceeded her budget, she wouldn’t be able to afford it.

After exchanging a few polite words, Song Sao accepted the wild vegetables from Qiao Wanqing and then looked up at Gu Yanqing, saying, “Oh, this must be Koukou’s dad, right?”

Gu Yanqing nodded politely. “Hello.”

“Hello, hello,” Song Sao said somewhat embarrassedly. “My house is a mess right now because the child threw a tantrum. Originally, since it’s Koukou’s dad’s first time here, I should have invited you in for tea.”

Gu Yanqing replied calmly, “No need to trouble yourself.”

“Your husband is so aloof,” Song Sao whispered to Qiao Wanqing.

People in town weren’t aware of Qiao Wanqing being a “divorced single mother,” but they saw her as lucky to have such a boss.

“He seems quite impressive. Is he a boss? You’re really fortunate.”

Qiao Wanqing was startled by the term “husband,” and just as she was about to clarify that he wasn’t her husband, a loud crashing sound came from inside the house, startling her.

“What’s going on in there?”

“Oh, it’s just Zhuang Hui,” Song Sao sighed.

“He’s in the second half of middle school now. He wants to attend a good middle school in the county, but the good schools there require local connections. I told him I didn’t have those connections, so he got angry and started throwing things around the house.”

Qiao Wanqing knew that Song Sao was raising this child alone and had spoiled him a bit.

Hearing the noise of things being thrown inside, she said, “Let’s leave first. You should go in and check on him.”

As they walked out of Song Sao’s house, Gu Yanqing suddenly asked, “Has Koukou’s household registration been settled?”

“……No,” Kou Kou is currently in a state of being undocumented.

When Qiao Wanqing first crossed over here just a few days ago, Kou Kou was born.

To get a birth certificate, she needed both the original and a copy of her parents’ IDs. Since she didn’t have Gu Yanqing’s ID, she hasn’t been able to process it.

Later, Qiao Wanqing consulted about registering Kou Kou’s household registration.

Although a paternity test without an original birth certificate is acceptable, they still need the father’s ID.

There’s also a tricky issue: the original owner moved their household registration to X City.

She needs to move it back here to register Kou Kou locally, or she’ll have to go to X City.

Things are easier in this small place where relationships can help smooth things over, but X City is different and requires complete documentation.

So, various situations have been delaying things, which has been a hassle.

Gu Yanqing guessed, “I’ll have someone take care of it. It’ll be inconvenient without household registration for schooling later…”

Qiao Wanqing also knows household registration is necessary.

Since Gu Yanqing can easily handle it, she doesn’t want to show off and nods, “But my household registration is in X City.”

“In that case, register in X City. Or if you want a rural household registration, you can register directly here under your grandmother’s household.”

Qiao Wanqing isn’t hung up on rural household registration.

Although people have been praising it lately, as Song Sao just mentioned, it’s difficult to attend middle school if the household registration isn’t within the county.

“Let’s stick with X City.” It’ll be easier to move it back here later if Kou Kou needs a local household registration for schooling.

“Okay.”

After leaving Song Sao’s house, Qiao Wanqing went to the fruit shop to buy fruits.

Now Kou Kou can eat fruits too.

Qiao Wanqing usually gives him kiwi and apples, especially apples.

She scrapes them with a spoon, and Kou Kou loves the sweet taste, wanting some every day.

Kou Kou, this little rascal, though young, is quite particular about food.

Gu Yanqing has eaten at Qiao Wanqing’s place a few times, and Qiao Wanqing once secretly observed that Kou Kou basically doesn’t eat what Gu Yanqing doesn’t eat, and he likes what Gu Yanqing likes.

So, this kid is completely taking after his dad.

When Gu Yanqing saw cherries, he bought some. Qiao Wanqing had never fed cherries to Kou Kou before.

Because another sister in the village who also has a child said that when they started giving their child solid foods, cherries were one of the first things they tried.

However, maybe because they were too sweet or for some other reason, the child didn’t like anything else afterwards and even refused milk for a while, losing weight and worrying them a lot.

Qiao Wanqing is still figuring out how to take care of a child, so she tends to be cautious about what others say, like using a walker or other things.

That’s why she’s never bought cherries for Kou Kou.

But seeing Gu Yanqing buy them, Qiao Wanqing guesses that Kou Kou will probably like them too, since Gu Yanqing won’t touch anything he doesn’t like himself.

Back home, it’s just about lunchtime.

Grandma Qiao has already prepared lunch. When Kou Kou sees his parents return, he finally remembers his own parents.

When Qiao Wanqing walks in, he opens his arms and says “Ah ah” asking to be held.

Qiao Wanqing picks him up.

Kou Kou, who hasn’t seen his mom in a while, is very excited.

He hugs her neck and keeps nibbling on her face.

He’s in the middle of being fed by Grandma Qiao, with soup all over his mouth. After a few nibbles, Qiao Wanqing’s face is also covered in soup.

Qiao Wanqing chuckled helplessly as she dabbed her face with a tissue, then wiped Kou Kou’s mouth.

Leaning her forehead against his, she said, “Are you missing mommy so much today? Did mommy secretly run away and you didn’t notice?”

Kou Kou couldn’t quite grasp such a complicated statement, but he understood Qiao Wanqing was communicating with him, so he was very happy, calling out “mommy” several times.

Gu Yanqing set down the wild vegetables and fruits he had in his hands and walked over, extending his hand towards Kou Kou. “Do you want daddy to hold you?”

Having grown closer to both Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing, Kou Kou was delighted to see his dad too.

He eagerly threw himself into Gu Yanqing’s arms, using the same tricks he usually reserved for his mom.

Qiao Wanqing regretted cleaning his mouth too quickly; she should have let him give Gu Yanqing a messy kiss too.

After receiving his dad’s loving kiss, Kou Kou grinned foolishly.

Just as Qiao Wanqing was about to warn Gu Yanqing to be careful, it was too late.

Kou Kou peed straight through his split pants, and Gu Yanqing, noticing just in time, quickly lifted him away.

However, his reflexive upward motion coincided with Kou Kou’s pee stream, which splashed right onto Gu Yanqing’s face, narrowly missing his mouth…