The next day, when Cen Zhengnian asked his colleague Yu Tian about work-related matters, he became so absorbed in his tasks that he forgot to ask about where to find good beef and lamb.

At noon, as Yu Tian dragged Cen Zhengnian to the canteen for lunch, Cen Zhengnian suddenly remembered the question from the night before.

After serving their meals, Cen Zhengnian sat across from Yu Tian and began to mix his noodles with chopsticks.

He casually asked, “Yu Tian, do you know where to find good beef and lamb around here? Also, Li Guang apricots and grapes?”

His tone was nonchalant, as if it were just a casual inquiry.

Yu Tian, who had just taken a bite of steamed bun and hadn’t even started on his vegetables, looked up at Cen Zhengnian with surprise. “You’re usually not interested in these things. What’s up? Suddenly craving beef and lamb?”

Cen Zhengnian, who was usually so absorbed in his work that he sometimes forgot to eat, seemed like a different person today.

Cen Zhengnian replied, “Not really. I want to send some to my family.”

This was the first time Yu Tian heard Cen Zhengnian mention his family and that he wanted to send them something.

Although everyone knew Cen Zhengnian was married with a child, he rarely mentioned his family.

Yu Tian was even more surprised and joked, “Old Cen, how come you’re suddenly thinking about sending things to your family? Didn’t your parents remind you about it?”

Cen Zhengnian shook his head. “No,” he said briefly, not elaborating, but the content of the letter from last night made him smile faintly.

His wife had changed a lot from before; her tone was much more lively.

It had been four years, so some change was natural.

Cen Zhengnian sighed inwardly and felt a pang of guilt.

He had no regrets about dedicating himself to his country and his work, but he felt he had failed his family.

Yu Tian, noticing Cen Zhengnian’s expression, understood he wasn’t willing to share more but thought that this side of Cen Zhengnian made him seem more human.

Yu Tian continued eating his potatoes and said, “The beef and lamb we get from the herders around the base are pretty good. I also know where to find quality apricots and grapes. But the issue is, these things don’t last long. By the time they get to where you’re sending them, they might be spoiled.”

Cen Zhengnian frowned, contemplating this problem.

He was about to ask Yu Tian if there were any long-lasting, good-tasting local specialties when a soft female voice interrupted.

“You can’t send fresh beef, lamb, or fruits, but you can send beef jerky, dried apricots, and dried grapes! We have plenty of those here.”

Cen Zhengnian remained silent, while Yu Tian looked up and greeted the woman with a smile. “Miss Fang, you’re here for lunch too?”

Fang Lingling, holding a bowl, sat next to Yu Tian.

As she responded to Yu Tian’s comment, she looked at Cen Zhengnian with a warm smile.

Yu Tian immediately chimed in, “Of course, why not? Eating with a beautiful woman is always pleasant. It definitely boosts my appetite!”

Fang Lingling covered her mouth with a smile but kept her eyes on Cen Zhengnian. “Engineer Cen, think about what I said. As a woman, I understand better what women like to eat compared to you guys.”

Cen Zhengnian:

Zheng Nian picked up his bowl, nodded to the two people, and said, “Thank you. I’ll think about it. I’m done eating, so you two enjoy your meal.”

His tone was distant and polite, showing no difference from how he treated other researchers.

Fang Lingling’s smile stiffened slightly, and her eyes showed a hint of sadness.

Yu Tian quickly finished his meal and said, “I’ll be leaving now. Ms.Fang, you eat slowly.”

Zhengnian didn’t pay much attention to him and was lost in thought about buying dried beef and fruit while washing his bowl.

“Old Zheng, you’re really heartless.”

Zheng Nian glanced at him with a serious expression, “Don’t speak carelessly. I’m married.”

Yu Tian was taken aback, realizing he had misspoken.

He responded with a complex expression, “I thought you didn’t know anything.”

Zheng Nian looked resigned, “I’m not interested in social niceties, but that doesn’t mean I’m oblivious.”

Yu Tian laughed, realizing that they had overthought things.

“Actually, Fang’s suggestion was pretty good. Do you know where to buy dried beef and fruit?”

Now Yu Tian understood Zheng Nian was serious about sending items.

“I know. I’ll take you to buy them tomorrow.”

Zheng Nian smiled at him, “Thank you.”

Yu Tian replied, “You’re too polite. It’s just a small favor.”

---

A week later, Chuxia still hadn’t received the appliances that Luo Dage and Luo Chuming were supposed to bring.

She knew they wouldn’t just hand them over without a fuss.

Wang Yulan demanding so much money from the original owner and only returning 500 yuan was unrealistic.

They would soon learn that Chuxia wasn’t so easy to deal with.

Chuxia was busy studying for exams and couldn’t keep taking time off.

Today, being a day off, she decided to give Cen Huai’an a haircut.

After the haircut, she planned to have a word with Luo Dage and Luo Chuming.

They had exploited their younger sister for too long and needed to pay the price.

Cen Huai’an wanted to protest, “Mom, can we go to a barber outside?”

There were state-run barber shops near the textile factory and street barbers, but they were a bit expensive.

Cen Huai’an was indifferent about where to go, but he had heard about these places and was curious.

Unfortunately, Chuxia preferred to cut his hair herself.

Holding the scissors confidently, she said, “No one can cut it better than me. Trust my skills.”

With her years of experience cutting her own bangs, she felt confident that cutting a child’s hair was easy.

“Don’t move. Going outside would cost money. We need to be frugal and not spend a cent unnecessarily.”

Cen Huai’an gave up.

His hair had always looked messy and tangled before.

Even if his mom’s skills weren’t perfect, it couldn’t be worse than before.

Plus, his mom was right—earning money was tough, and they needed to be frugal!

He sat still while Chuxia washed his hair, placing him on a stool and covering him with her work coat.

“Snip, snip.”

The sound of the scissors filled the air as tufts of hair fell to the ground.

“Oops, this part is a bit long. No worries, I’ll fix it.”

Cen Huai’an found his mom’s hands moving on his head quite comforting.

“Alright, take a look and see if it looks good.”

Cen Huai’an looked at himself in the mirror for the first time.

Without the usual cover of hair, his whole head was exposed.

He wasn’t sure if it looked good, but he felt that his head wasn’t as hot as before.

His mother had cut his hair very short, leaving only stubble.

Chu Xia was quite satisfied. “My skills are pretty good, aren’t they? Look, there’s no extra hair left. It’s cooler in the summer, and washing your hair will be quicker.”

Cen Huai’an nodded, agreeing with his mother’s assessment.

“I’ll trim your nails now.”

When Chu Xia trimmed Cen Huai’an’s nails for the first time, he refused to let her do it and wouldn’t explain why, just hiding his hands behind his back.

After a lot of questioning, Chu Xia learned that he didn’t want his nails trimmed because he thought it would make it less painful when he fought or scratched others.

Chu Xia found it hard to understand how a five-year-old child raised in a normal family would think of such things.

She could only sigh and tell him, “An’an, it was my fault before when you fought. But fighting isn’t the best way to solve problems and can lead to you getting hurt. So, if you can, try to avoid fighting. But if someone bullies you, we won’t just let it go!”

Cen Huai’an lowered his eyes and nodded, obediently allowing her to trim his nails.

However, he still thought that if he fought fiercely enough, like his friend Bang Ge who collected scraps, no one would dare bully him.

But since his mother didn’t want him to fight, he decided to try and avoid it to avoid making her angry and losing out on treats.

After the previous nail-trimming session, this time Chu Xia managed to trim his nails smoothly.

Cen Huai’an touched his bare nails and found it still uncomfortable.

In the afternoon, Chu Xia asked Cen Huai’an, “I’m going to see your uncle. Do you want to come with me?”

“Are you going to get money?”

Cen Huai’an knew that Grandma hadn’t sent over the TV or refrigerator, and he was still waiting to watch TV.

“Yes.”

Cen Huai’an hesitated, torn between wanting to go and his prior commitment with Bang Ge.

If he went with his mother, she would only give him two cents for the day, whereas collecting scraps might earn him ten cents.

“I’m not going.”

Chu Xia patted his stubbly head and said, “Then stay home and play. Don’t leave the compound.”

She was still a bit concerned and suggested, “Or you can come with me.”

Cen Huai’an shook his head. “I’ll stay home and write.”

Chu Xia replied, “Alright then. Just don’t open the door for strangers, and don’t touch the coal stove.”

Cen Huai’an nodded.

What Chu Xia didn’t know was that soon after she left, Cen Huai’an unlocked the door, hung the key around his neck, and sneaked out of the compound.

When Bang Ge first saw Cen Huai’an, he didn’t recognize him and pushed him aside, saying, “Go play somewhere else, kid.”

Cen Huai’an skillfully changed into ragged clothes and smeared some dirt on his face. “Bang Ge, I’m Little Scrap.”

Bang Ge widened his eyes and looked at Cen Huai’an’s face. “You’re Little Scrap? Hmph, I wouldn’t even recognize you with your hair cut. You look too energetic now. If you looked like this before, I wouldn’t have taken you. You don’t look like a scrap collector now.”

Cen Huai’an touched his short hair and frowned. “What should I do?”

“Nothing to worry about. If you’re collecting scraps, you’re my brother. Let’s go, today the brothers have found a great spot.”

Cen Huai’an followed Bang Ge, still the same quiet, quick, and ruthless Little Scrap.

Brother Luo had a day off, but Chu Xia knew that he didn’t like staying at home on his days off.

He often went out to play cards with some so-called “brothers” in a nearby bungalow.

This was something Chu Xia had known from before, as Brother Luo’s card playing had led to many arguments with Sister Luo.

Using a piece of candy, Chu Xia got the information from a child at the entrance of the compound and found out that Brother Luo was indeed at the bungalow playing cards.