At this moment, Cen Huai’an was very happy and told Chu Xia, “Mom, after learning Go with Grandpa in the morning, can I go practice martial arts in the afternoon?”

Chu Xia responded with a “yes,”

“You might be learning with your cousin Lu Lu and cousin Wei Xian.”

Cen Huai’an liked his cousin Zhang Lu.

She would play all sorts of fun games with him.

He didn’t dislike cousin Wei Xian either.

The thought of learning martial arts together made him excited, mainly because he wanted to learn it himself.

In the afternoon, the sky was a bit overcast.

Chu Xia had An’an wear an extra jacket and packed a raincoat in his backpack.

As she sent him to school, she reminded him, “If it rains after school, wait for me in the classroom.”

As expected, it started to drizzle in the afternoon.

The rain was light, like fine threads, making the outside look misty.

Spring rains were often like this—gentle, not drenching, and after each rain, the weather would become warmer.

Chu Xia, holding an umbrella, went to pick up Cen Huai’an from school.

He sat quietly in his seat while many students had already dashed into the rain, laughing and playing as they ran home.

“An’an.”

“Mom!”

Cen Huai’an’s deskmate had not left yet.

Seeing Chu Xia coming to pick up An’an, he shyly smiled at her.

Before Chu Xia could say anything, he had already grabbed his backpack and run off.

“He’s your deskmate?” Chu Xia asked as she helped An’an put on his raincoat.

“Yes, his name is Kong Yilin. He was just waiting for you with me.”

Although Kong Yilin hadn’t said it, Cen Huai’an knew why he hadn’t left right away.

Previously, he had waited for Chu Xia to come before leaving, but there were too many people in the classroom at the time, and Chu Xia hadn’t noticed.

Chu Xia put the raincoat on Cen Huai’an and regretted, “I should have called out to him and thanked him earlier. And since he didn’t have an umbrella, we could have given him a ride.”

Cen Huai’an shook his head, “Mom, don’t do that. He’s timid. Thanking him might scare him. I’ll thank him myself.”

Chu Xia thought about it and nodded.

It’s better for children to handle their own matters; adults interfering might make them uncomfortable.

She held the umbrella, and Cen Huai’an, holding her arm, walked into the rain.

The raindrops, fine and dense, wove into a large curtain of rain.

Chu Xia breathed in the air filled with rain and fresh soil and asked Cen Huai’an, “An’an, do you think the rain is beautiful?”

Cen Huai’an looked up at the rain and then at the gloomy sky without any sun.

He didn’t like it.

He shook his head. “It’s not pretty.”

Cen Huai’an just wanted to go home quickly.

The wind was blowing the rain onto his face, making it wet and uncomfortable.

Chuxia didn’t insist that Cen Huai’an find the rain beautiful, understanding that everyone has different feelings about things.

“If you don’t like it, An’an, why don’t you write a diary about why you don’t like the rain?”

Cen Huai’an: …

Mom was once again forcing him to write a diary, and he had no choice but to comply.

Back home, listening to the gentle sound of the rain outside, Chuxia and Cen Huai’an were having their meal in the living room.

From there, they could see the rain falling in the courtyard.

Meanwhile, Cen Huai’an was secretly breaking pieces off his steamed bun to feed to the yellow and black kittens, keeping an eye on Chuxia.

“Mom, the teacher said that Qingming Festival is coming soon, and we need to go to the Martyrs’ Cemetery to pay respects.”

Chuxia, who had been so absorbed in her studies at home that she lost track of time, was startled when Cen Huai’an mentioned Qingming Festival.

She looked up at the calendar hanging in the living room and realized that Qingming Festival was indeed approaching.

No wonder it had started raining.

Chuxia’s mood suddenly fell.

She wanted to visit her grandfather’s grave, but she didn’t even have a place to go to.

During the New Year, she was in the northwest and couldn’t visit the grave.

So, she just silently told her grandfather during the New Year’s Eve dinner that she was doing well and not to worry.

When she returned to Liangzhou, she only offered incense and burned some paper money at home for her grandfather.

“Mom?”

Cen Huai’an’s voice brought Chuxia back to reality. She swallowed her food and asked nonchalantly, “Did the teacher mention any specific requirements for the grave visit?”

Cen Huai’an shook his head. “No.”

The kindergarten children, not being Young Pioneers, didn’t need to prepare anything special.

They only needed to avoid wearing bright clothes and wear a small white paper flower on their chest.

That night before bed, Chuxia couldn’t sleep.

She really wanted to visit her grandfather’s grave and make offerings during the holidays.

She sighed, feeling a bit depressed, and lay in bed, not knowing when she eventually fell asleep.

The next day, the weather was still dreary. The rain fell intermittently, and Chuxia wasn’t in the mood to enjoy it.

Moreover, when she woke up in the morning, she discovered that her period had arrived, making her feel down and out of sorts for the whole day.

Although her body had mostly recovered, she still felt very uncomfortable during her period.

Her stomach wasn’t in severe pain but had intermittent cramps that made it more bearable to lie in bed.

Her back also ached.

At this time, Chuxia missed the heating pads from her previous life.

Applying one to her stomach would have made her feel much better.

The discomfort of her period made it hard for Chuxia to think about anything else. She just wanted her period to end quickly.

She couldn’t manage taking Cen Huai’an to and from school, so she asked their neighbor, Teacher Fang, for help.

As a woman, Teacher Fang could empathize with this situation.

She was kind-hearted and had a good impression of Chuxia and Cen Huai’an. Since Cen Huai’an was also her student, she naturally agreed to help.

On Sunday, after the tough first day, Chuxia felt much better and the pain was lessened.

However, she was still in poor spirits. When Jiang’s grandfather first saw her, he thought she was ill. Chuxia just said she was fine, just hadn’t slept well.

Seeing that Chuxia wasn’t willing to elaborate, Jiang’s grandfather didn’t press further.

When Jiang Zhida and Jiang Zhiguang arrived, he asked them to check on her.

Facing Jiang Zhiguang, Chuxia didn’t hide it and whispered to her.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhiguang immediately shooed Jiang Zhida away, saying, “What’s a big man like you doing prying into women’s matters? Go away! Don’t disturb us.”

Jiang Zhiguang didn’t suffer from menstrual cramps, but seeing Chuxia’s pale face, she worried and asked, “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need to see a doctor?”

She had seen colleagues faint from severe menstrual pain, which could be quite frightening.

Chuxia shook her head. “No need. It’s not that painful, just uncomfortable and I don’t have much energy.”

Jiang Zhiguang nodded. “I don’t have cramps either, but it’s never comfortable.”

She went to the kitchen, got some brown sugar, and made a cup of brown sugar water for Chuxia to drink.

At lunchtime, Chuxia’s second uncle, Jiang Zhijie, came with his son Jiang Weixian.

After eating, Jiang Zhijie left, handing his son over to Jiang Zhida.

“I have other matters to attend to. Dazi, you take Weixian with you. Let me know how much it costs later.”

He hurriedly mounted his bicycle and left, without waiting for Jiang Zhida to respond.

“Uncle,” Jiang Weixian spoke in a babyish voice.

He was chubby and only two months younger than Cen Huai’an.

He had just celebrated his sixth birthday.

Jiang Zhiguang wasn’t as busy as Jiang Zhijie.

She had a normal day off on Sunday, so she accompanied Jiang Zhida to the martial arts teacher Sun Feng’s home.

Sun Feng’s house wasn’t far from Jiang’s grandfather’s home but was located in a large, shared courtyard where many families lived.

Sun Feng’s family lived in one of the back rooms, which didn’t get much sunlight, and they all squeezed into one room.

This was typical for ordinary families. Even units assigned by work were small.

When Chuxia lived in the family dormitory, each room was similarly small, and families lived together.

Today wasn’t a proper lesson; it was just to meet the teacher.

After all, the environment in the big courtyard wasn’t suitable for teaching.

Sun Feng’s home was small, and with so many people, they couldn’t fit inside. He stepped outside to talk with Chu Xia and the others.

When Chu Xia saw Sun Feng, she immediately understood why he had retired from the army—his left sleeve was empty.

Seeing the three children staring at his missing arm, Sun Feng spoke in a deep voice, “I lost this arm in the army. Don’t worry, losing an arm doesn’t affect my skills.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Xia and the others felt a surge of respect.

Retired soldiers like Sun Feng, who had served the country, deserved everyone’s admiration.

Sun Feng’s family had some martial arts background, but due to wars and other historical reasons, most of the family had perished, and they had once been so poor they could barely eat.

He had hoped that joining the army would improve his fortunes.

He had the skills and could endure hardships, and in the military, few could surpass him in combat.

However, war is ruthless. Surviving with his life was a stroke of luck. Losing an arm was a small price to pay compared to surviving.

After retiring, his temperament didn’t adapt well to ordinary jobs.

He faced discrimination, had low pay, and lived in a cramped house with his parents and many children, leading to many conflicts.

When Sun Feng was struggling to find a way to earn money, Jiang Zhida came to him.

Teaching a child was simple.

The old family rule of not teaching outsiders was long discarded; supporting the family was more important.

He would explain to his ancestors later; they would understand.

Seeing that there were now two more children, Sun Feng wasn’t bothered at all.

In fact, he was pleased because it meant more income.

However, the three children were delicate and looked like they couldn’t endure hardship.

Sun Feng made it clear upfront, “Practicing martial arts is tough and requires perseverance.”

The children knew this without him saying. Cen Huai’an and Zhang Lu immediately nodded, saying they would persevere.

Jiang Weixian hesitated.

He didn’t want to suffer, but his sister and brother had already answered, and they were all looking at him.

Jiang Weixian pouted, uncertainly saying, “I guess I can persevere too.”

Sun Feng didn’t care much.

As long as all three could learn, that was enough. As for innate talent, it didn’t matter much.

The goal was to strengthen the body and learn self-defense, and even those with less talent could learn.

Since Cen Huai’an’s foot hadn’t fully healed, Chu Xia and the others only discussed the timing and location for the martial arts lessons on Sunday afternoons and paid the tuition fee.

As soon as Chu Xia and her group left, many people in the big courtyard began to gossip, wondering if Sun Feng was about to become prosperous, seeing so many unusual visitors.

Sun Feng ignored them.

A cold glare from him was enough to intimidate them, making them too afraid to ask further.

However, whispers continued.

That’s how it was in the big courtyard—there were no secrets.

Sun Feng’s family was pleased with the additional income and hoped it might help solve their housing issues.

Chu Xia was very satisfied with Sun Feng.

Although he seemed a bit stern and spoke little, his eyes were upright, and he carried the righteous aura of a soldier, which hadn’t dissipated after his discharge.

Having lived in a military family housing before, she recognized certain traits of soldiers.

Moreover, Sun Feng was recommended by Cen’s father, so he must be reliable.