Cen Zhengnian had just returned to the base.

Without even putting down his luggage, he immediately got to work.

He first resolved the issues that had arisen in the project, and after that, he remained busy until now, finally completing a stage of his work and finding a bit of free time.

It was already mid-November.

The letters and items sent by Chuxia and Cen Huaian had been set aside for several days, and it was only now that he had time to sit down and go through them.

As usual, Chuxia’s letter was lengthy, detailing Huaian’s autumn outing, her work-related frustrations, and the problems she encountered in her studies.

She devoted an entire page to the making of bookmarks, which made Cen Zhengnian chuckle.

He even thought about going out to find some ginkgo leaves to make a few bookmarks himself.

Huaian’s letter was a mix of Chinese characters and pinyin, and it was brief, almost like a diary entry:

“Daddy, after you went back to work, Mommy and I went to school and work every day. Nothing much has changed.

On Tuesday, we went on an autumn outing, and I collected some ginkgo leaves to make bookmarks with Mommy. It was pretty hard; Mommy’s were much better. I messed up a lot.

Mommy said that many of the things you sent were from Grandma, so I sent one of the bookmarks I made to Grandma as well.

Mommy also said that Great-Grandfather in the capital helped her a lot, so I sent a bookmark to him too.

Daddy, are you very busy with work? If you are, it’s okay if you take your time to send a letter back.

Best regards, Cen Huaian”

Besides the letters and bookmarks, the package from Chuxia also contained some winter clothes—sweaters and thermal pants for wearing inside, and only one black double-breasted coat with a turned-down collar for outerwear.

Chuxia mentioned in her letter that she happened to see this coat and thought it would suit him well, estimating that it would be just right for the current weather in the northwest.

As Cen Zhengnian touched the clothes, he felt as if warmth had been injected into his tired body.

He was about to take off his clothes to try them on when suddenly, the door to his dormitory was pushed open from the outside.

“Zhengnian, I just thought of a new experimental idea…”

The speaker abruptly stopped when he saw the coat spread out on Cen Zhengnian’s bed.

Cen Zhengnian calmly straightened his clothes, picked up the coat and thermal wear from the bed, and was about to put them away.

Yu Tian quickly stepped inside, smiling with a teasing look. “Zhengnian, that coat looks good. Is it new?”

Cen Zhengnian ignored him and only responded after hanging the clothes in the wardrobe, smiling gently, “My family sent it.”

His smile took Yu Tian by surprise; he had never seen him show such tenderness before.

Usually, Cen Zhengnian was serious and focused on his work, with little free time.

When he did have some, he would spend it alone in his dormitory or office, reading or calculating.

Such a gentle smile, without any sense of distance, was rare.

Yu Tian’s smile became even more playful. “Looks like it’s from your wife. No wonder you’re in such a good mood today.”

Cen Zhengnian didn’t respond, getting up to leave, his warm smile fading slightly, indicating that he wasn’t too keen on discussing his family matters with Yu Tian. “My dormitory isn’t a place to talk about work. Let’s discuss it in the lab.”

Yu Tian understood his meaning and stopped probing, following him out while continuing to talk.

However, seeing Cen Zhengnian usually so reserved, he couldn’t resist teasing him a bit more now that he had caught a glimpse of his softer side.

Fang Lingling happened to pass by them just then and overheard Yu Tian asking about the things Cen Zhengnian’s wife had sent, insisting on knowing if it was a lot since it seemed to have put him in such a good mood.

She listened to the conversation and couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness in her heart.

Trying to keep things light, she joked, “It seems that Mr. Cen and his wife have a great relationship. I always saw him sending money and things home, so I thought his wife wasn’t romantic. I never expected she would be so considerate.”

Cen Zhengnian glanced at her, and Fang Lingling’s smile froze as if he could see right through her thoughts.

Retracting his gaze, Cen Zhengnian said calmly, “The base is a place for work. I hope my personal matters don’t become a topic of discussion.”

Fang Lingling’s face turned red instantly. She was so embarrassed that she wished she could find a place to hide.

She knew Cen Zhengnian’s words were directed at her, and she couldn’t help but feel resentful.

After all, they grew up in the same family courtyard—why did he have no affection for her from their youth?

She had heard that his wife was someone he was forced to marry by his family—a girl from a working-class background, someone who sounded plain and unsophisticated.

How could she be worthy of such attention from him?

Unfortunately, Cen Zhengnian left with Yu Tian after speaking.

Knowing his words had caused trouble, Yu Tian didn’t dare say much and focused on discussing work with Cen Zhengnian.

---

In the Northwest Military Base:

Jiang Shengnan finally had a chance to spend some time with her husband and eagerly pulled him over to look at the items that Chuxia and Anan had sent.

“I’ve sent so many things to Liangzhou, just afraid Chuxia would feel wronged marrying Zhengnian since he can’t come home often. This is the first time I’ve received something from her.”

Previously, the original Chuxia would only occasionally send a letter to Cen Zhengnian every few months, with most of her time and energy focused on her own family.

Wang Yulan, her mother, never taught her the importance of reciprocating gifts, so she didn’t understand these social norms.

Chuxia was even afraid of Jiang Shengnan and Cen’s father, thinking of them as high-ranking officials who were too intimidating.

She preferred to stay away from them as much as possible, let alone take the initiative to send anything.

Therefore, Jiang Shengnan only knew from Cen Zhengnian that Chuxia and Anan were doing fine, but not much else.

Now, receiving something from Chuxia—even if it was just a bookmark, scarf, and medicinal wine—Jiang Shengnan felt touched.

Jiang Shengnan was overjoyed. “Old Cen, look at this scarf! It’s exactly my style. How did Chuxia know it’s windy here and that I like dark green scarves? And this medicinal wine—it’s perfect for you since your back has been bothering you lately. I’ll rub some on for you. Don’t you think she specifically asked Zhengnian about us to prepare these things?”

Cen’s father smiled gently and nodded, “I think so. My back isn’t feeling great right now; rub some on for me.”

Jiang Shengnan immediately put down the scarf she had been admiring in the mirror and said, “Come here! Where does it hurt?”

After rubbing his back, the air was filled with the scent of medicinal wine.

Finally, calming her joy, Jiang Shengnan continued reading the letter.

“Anan even wrote us a letter! These bookmarks were made by Anan and Chuxia together!”

Jiang Shengnan exclaimed excitedly, overflowing with happiness.

Cen’s father looked at the bookmarks, hesitant to touch them. “Which ones did Anan make? Which ones did Chuxia make?”

“All the ones Chuxia made are mine. I’ll give you two of Anan’s.”

Cen’s father couldn’t believe it. “So many bookmarks, and you’re only giving me two? No, I want at least two more.”

Jiang Shengnan looked at the bookmarks, each with phrases like “Peace” and “Joy,” and couldn’t bear to part with any.

But under Cen’s father’s insistence, she finally gave him one with “Peace” made by Anan.

“Alright, the rest I’m keeping safe. You’ve got three now—don’t lose them, or you won’t get any more.”

Cen’s father frowned and protested, “How could I lose them?”

Meanwhile, in the capital, Cen’s grandfather received the items first.

With no partner around anymore, and being the eldest in his social circle, no one dared to compete with him.

Delighted, he held onto everything and started showing off to his friends who were still around.

“The bookmark made by my great-grandson may not be very delicate, and his writing isn’t that great either, but he’s only five years old. It’s the thought that counts, and as his great-grandfather, I’m very happy to receive it,” he said, carefully closing the box that held the bookmark, not allowing his friend to even touch it.

“Old Shen, don’t touch it. The leaf bookmark is fragile; I don’t want you to break it.”

“Old Li, I remember your great-grandson is seven, right? Has he sent you anything?”

“Old Gu…”

This conversation led the other elderly men to go home and call in their children, accusing them of being unfilial.

They complained that despite having so many great-grandchildren, none of them had thought to handmake something as a gift.

Their children felt quite wronged, having given their parents plenty of gifts during festivals, only to be accused of unfilial behavior.

But since their elderly fathers wanted it, they had no choice but to get their children to make something for them.

Otherwise, they’d face another round of scolding.

Suddenly, ginkgo leaves, maple leaves, poplar leaves, and sycamore leaves all over Beijing suffered a catastrophe.

However, no matter how many were made, they weren’t the first.