Jiang Zhida, who was very familiar with the capital, immediately said, “Okay! There’s a department store on the way. I’ll stop there for you.”

At the department store, Chuxia bought some snacks and, knowing that the old man loved tea, she bought high-quality tea leaves.

Since it wasn’t Sunday, only the old man was at home, along with a few younger people like Jiang Zhida who had flexible work schedules.

However, the Jiang family would come over for lunch as a courtesy, since it was Chuxia’s first visit.

Knowing that no one at home smoked, Chuxia didn’t buy cigarettes but got some wine and candies that children liked.

Additionally, she went to a nearby grocery store and bought several kinds of fruit. Jiang Zhida kept insisting it was too much.

Chuxia didn’t listen to him, just asked him to hold An’an and help her carry the things she couldn’t manage.

After buying the gifts, Jiang Zhida, while getting into the car, said, “Cousin, you really bought too much. Grandpa will definitely say you wasted money.”

Chuxia smiled but didn’t respond.

She could hear but not take others’ polite words seriously.

For a first visit, it was better to buy enough gifts; otherwise, it would look bad if she showed up empty-handed.

She wasn’t sure what the Jiang family was like, but she knew what she should do. For a first visit, proper etiquette couldn’t be lacking.

The car finally arrived at the Jiang family home. It was the same vermilion gate, but it was open now.

An elderly man with all white hair and eyebrows sat at the entrance, accompanied by a young man and a young woman.

As soon as the car stopped, the elderly man immediately stood up.

The young man quickly helped him, but the old man waved away the young man’s arm, using a cane to walk over with a spirited demeanor and a kind smile on his face.

When Chuxia and An’an got out of the car, they were greeted by the old man’s friendly smile. “Are you Chuxia and An’an?”

Chuxia was hesitating whether to address him, worried about making a mistake, but Jiang Zhida had already gotten out of the car and quickly called out, “Grandpa! Why are you at the door? Cousin, this is my grandfather.”

Chuxia then politely nodded to the old man and said, “Grandpa.”

She looked down at Cen Huai’an and said, “An’an, call him Great-Grandpa.”

Chuxia still remembered her grandfather’s name from the inscription she had seen in the Northwest Army—Jiang Zhongmin.

“Great-Grandpa.” Cen Huai’an looked at his great-grandfather with curiosity and a hint of nervousness.

He tightly held Chuxia’s hand and remained silent after calling out.

When Grandpa Jiang heard Cen Huai’an call him, his smile widened.

He extended a pair of weathered hands and placed them on An’an’s head.

“Good boy, I’m your Great-Grandpa.”

He then pulled out a red envelope from his pocket and put it into An’an’s hand. “Great-Grandpa gave this to you!”

“Thank you, Great-Grandpa.”

Cen Huai’an looked at the red envelope, which was as bulging as the one given by his uncle.

He wanted to open it and see how much money was inside.

However, his mother had told him the day before that it was impolite to open red envelopes in front of others; it was better to check it at home later.

So, An’an put the envelope into his pocket and patted it with his small hand.

“Grandpa, let’s go inside.” The young man standing next to Grandpa Jiang spoke up, and Jiang Zhida quickly agreed, “Yes, yes, let’s go inside and talk. Why are we standing at the door?”

Chu Xia went to pick up the gifts she had bought, with Cen Huai’an helping her, and Jiang Zhida assisting as well.

Seeing all the things Chu Xia brought, Grandpa Jiang shook his head helplessly. “Chu Xia, why did you bring so many gifts? You didn’t have to. I don’t care about these things.”

Chu Xia smiled and said, “Grandpa, it’s one thing for you not to care, but it’s another for me not to bring anything. It’s my first time visiting, so if I do anything wrong, you’ll have to forgive me, at least for the sake of these gifts.”

Her words made Grandpa Jiang laugh, and he liked her even more.

He felt that Cen Zhengnian had married well—Chu Xia was gracious, courteous, and her words and actions were delightful.

An An, their son, was also well-taught; he didn’t just stand by while his mom did all the work.

He helped her and was very polite.

If Chu Xia knew what Grandpa Jiang was thinking, she would surely say: “If you had seen Cen Huai’an a year ago, you definitely wouldn’t be saying that.”

The group entered through the main gate, and Chu Xia noticed it was a courtyard house with just one entrance, and no back yard, though there were signs of previous divisions.

Once inside the living room, Grandpa Jiang urged Chu Xia and An An to sit and then introduced the two young people who had been with him earlier.

“This is my eldest grandson, Jiang Zhishu. And next to him is his wife, Luo Peng.”

“Hello, brother and sister-in-law.” Jiang Zhishu’s greeting was neither warm nor cold, without fault but also without much enthusiasm.

He didn’t seem to dislike her, but he wasn’t overly friendly either.

In contrast, Luo Peng was much warmer.

She smiled while speaking to Chu Xia, exuding the demeanor of a well-bred young lady from a prominent family.

Her gentle and courteous manner was like a refreshing breeze.

“Hello, cousin-in-law and sister-in-law,” Chu Xia greeted them with a smile.

Jiang Zhida, sipping tea nearby, quipped, “Sister-in-law, don’t mind my brother’s cold face. He’s always like this—treats everyone the same, even my parents.”

Chu Xia chuckled, shaking her head. “I’m not that petty.”

After all, she wasn’t money; it was impossible for everyone to like her. Even money had its critics who hated its smell.

After Chu Xia spoke, Grandpa Jiang said, “My eldest grandson does have a disagreeable personality. Chu Xia, if you mind, just say so, and I’ll deal with him for you.”

Jiang Zhishu called out, “Grandpa.” His voice was still cool, but Chu Xia could hear a trace of helplessness in his tone.

Initially, Grandpa Jiang didn’t know Chu Xia’s personality and worried she might be shy or uncomfortable in his home, especially since he didn’t have his late wife to help out anymore.

However, having lived this long, he had his wisdom and had already planned how to smooth things over if Chu Xia seemed uneasy.

Seeing Chu Xia’s poise and comfort now, behaving gracefully and naturally in his home, Grandpa Jiang was relieved and even more impressed with her.

Knowing Chu Xia was studying high school material and preparing for the college entrance exams, he asked her how her preparations were going.

It was the first time Jiang Zhida and Jiang Zhishu heard about this.

Jiang Zhishu, as usual, kept his emotions hidden, but Jiang Zhida couldn’t.

He looked at Chu Xia in surprise, “Sister-in-law, you’re taking the college entrance exams?”

Chu Xia wasn’t surprised by his reaction and nodded with a smile. “Yes, my education level isn’t high enough, so I want to pursue further studies.”

This was how she explained it to others.

Jiang Zhida gave her a thumbs up. “I’m impressed. When the college entrance exams were reinstated, it took me three years to get into a technical college. Even then, my mom thought our family was lucky.”

Grandpa Jiang’s face fell when he heard that. “And you still have the nerve to say that? Among our younger generation, only you have such a poor record!”

After saying that, Grandpa Jiang immediately regretted it.

He was worried that if Chu Xia’s exam results weren’t great and she didn’t pass the first time, his words might hurt her.

He quickly added, “But even if it takes three years to get into a technical college, that’s still good. Chu Xia, don’t stress about the exams. If it doesn’t work out this year, you can always try again next year.”

Chu Xia nearly burst into laughter and quickly lowered her head to take a sip of water.

Grandpa Jiang’s sudden change of attitude and double standards were truly amusing!

Jiang Zhida looked shocked. “Grandpa! That’s not what you told me. You said if I failed again, you wouldn’t recognize me as your grandson!”

“Shut up!” Grandpa Jiang glared at him, thinking his grandson was being incredibly clueless today.

Chu Xia noticed Grandpa Jiang’s concerned look, as if he was worried about putting pressure on her.

She took a sip of water, still smiling, and said, “Grandpa, I’ve been studying well. I probably won’t need another year.”

Cen Huai’an, munching on a candy nearby, quickly nodded, his words a little muffled. “Great-grandpa, my mom is the top student in her school. She’s amazing!”

He wanted to let his great-grandpa and his uncles know just how impressive his mom was.

Chu Xia had never mentioned her achievements to Grandpa Jiang.

Whenever she wrote to him, she mostly expressed gratitude and sent small gifts, only briefly noting that her grades were steadily improving.

Grandpa Jiang hadn’t expected Chu Xia to be doing so well.

Even Jiang Zhishu looked at her with some surprise.

Jiang Zhida’s eyes widened. “Sister-in-law, you’re incredible!”

Top of the school! And it wasn’t just any school; Liangzhou was a provincial city with a decent high school.

Regardless of which school she topped, getting into college was almost guaranteed.

Chu Xia modestly smiled. “I’m just trying my best.”

Luo Peng, who had been quietly observing, smiled gently and said, “Cousin-in-law, you’re too modest. When I was in school, I never even managed to be the top of my class, let alone the whole school.”

She glanced at her husband, hinting at the time when they were classmates.

Back then, Luo Peng and Jiang Zhishu were in the same class, and the top student in the class—and the entire school—was always him.

Unfortunately, when they graduated, they couldn’t take the college entrance examination.

Later, Jiang Zhishu went to the countryside, and Chuxia was assigned to work in a factory by her parents.

After the college entrance examination was reinstated, both of them were admitted to the same university, leading to subsequent events.

Grandpa Jiang also said, “Yes, you need to pay attention to balancing work and rest. Don’t push yourself too hard. By the way, I have the new test papers. Make sure to take them home with you when you leave.”

Chuxia smiled even more sincerely, “Thank you, Grandpa.”

After talking about Chuxia’s grades, Grandpa Jiang finally brought up his most concerning topic: Cen Huai’an Go studies.

Chuxia let Cen Huai’an explain his current progress in learning go.

Although Cen Huai’an was young, he spoke clearly and logically, explaining his go studies in detail, including his recent victory in the Liangzhou Children’s Go Tournament.

Jiang Zhida’s face grew numb as he glanced at Chuxia, then at Huai’an, and then thought of Cen Zhengnian, who was working on a confidential project.

He shook his head and muttered, “This family—how come everyone is so impressive!”

He felt inadequate and was sure that when Chuxia and An’an went home, his grandfather and father would use their canes and stools to scold him for being so useless.

Yes, his grandfather didn’t care about his dress style and said that young people should be a bit unconventional.

But in terms of learning, both his grandfather and father were intolerant of him because he was so useless at home compared to his siblings.

In a scholarly family, there was no room for poor students.

While Jiang Zhida was lost in these thoughts, Grandpa Jiang had already agreed with Cen Huai’an to play a game of Go.

They all went to Grandpa Jiang’s study.

Upon entering, Chuxia saw shelves full of books, with walls covered in books from ancient and modern times, both domestic and foreign.

Noticing Chuxia’s astonished gaze at the books, Grandpa Jiang said with a mix of pride and self-satisfaction, “Protecting these books well was the most fulfilling thing I’ve done in my life.”

As for how he protected them, that was Grandpa Jiang’s secret, and he didn’t elaborate.

Chuxia didn’t ask either.

“Grandpa, can I look at these?”