“An’an, do you like the martial arts teacher we met?” Chu Xia asked as they rode the bus home.

An’an thought for a moment and nodded, “Yes.” He felt that Mr. Sun was very capable, even though he hadn’t seen him do anything; he had this inexplicable feeling.

“Then you should study hard. Not only can you protect yourself, but when you grow up, you can also protect Mommy.”

Chu Xia leaned back against the seat and continued, “Mommy is so weak and can’t run fast if she encounters bad people. I’ll need you to protect me then.”

An’an immediately felt a surge of responsibility.

He hugged Chu Xia’s arm, pursed his lips, and said with determination, “Mommy, I will protect you!”

Chu Xia smiled at his words and ruffled his hair, “Good. But don’t push yourself too hard. Even if you don’t master martial arts when you grow up, Mommy believes you can protect me.”

Cen Huai’an replied with an “um.”

When they got home, Chu Xia called Jiang Shengnan to thank her for helping find a teacher for An’an.

Sun Feng was excellent, and An’an liked him very much.

Jiang Shengnan was pleased to hear this, “What are you thanking me for? An’an is my grandchild. It’s normal for me to help with this.”

Chu Xia chatted a bit more about life in Beijing, Cen Zhengnian, and An’an. Knowing Jiang Shengnan missed her grandchild, she handed the phone to An’an so he could speak with Jiang Shengnan.

After ending the call, it was already late, but still not fully dark. Chu Xia prepared to cut An’an’s hair.

Children’s hair grows quickly, and even the dogs’ fur had grown long.

An’an’s hair was already long enough to cover his eyes.

With her busy schedule lately, she hadn’t had time to cut it, so now was a good opportunity.

Chu Xia wrapped An’an in Cen Zhengnian’s oversized shirt and started cutting.

She was quite skilled at this, so the scissors moved swiftly. Clusters of black hair fell from An’an’s head.

The two little dogs, curious about the hair, sniffed and tried to lick it.

An’an quickly shooed them away, “Huang Zi! Hei Zi! Don’t eat that!”

Just as he finished speaking, the sound of Cen Zhengnian’s voice came from outside the door, “Chu Xia! An’an!”

Chu Xia, startled by his voice, felt her heart race.

Her hand slipped, and she accidentally cut off a bunch of An’an’s hair.

Looking at the uneven patch of exposed scalp on the back of An’an’s head, Chu Xia felt a bit guilty.

It wasn’t irreparable, and it was at the back, so it wouldn’t be too noticeable.

“Mommy, Daddy!”

Chu Xia handed the scissors to An’an, patted her apron, and said, “I heard. You sit here. I’ll go open the door for Daddy.”

She turned and walked outside.

Chu Xia opened the door to find Cen Zhengnian standing there with his bicycle. Seeing her, he smiled warmly.

“I’m back.”

Chu Xia couldn’t help but smile too, “Why are you home so early?”

Cen Zhengnian wheeled his bicycle inside, closed the door, and said, “Tomorrow is Qingming Festival.”

Chu Xia acknowledged, knowing that the weather had been gloomy all day. It had even rained a bit around noon.

As Cen Zhengnian locked the door and turned around, he noticed Chu Xia’s face wasn’t looking well.

He approached her, felt her forehead, and found no fever.

He took her hand, which was a bit cold, and wrapped it in his, warming it. “You don’t look well. Are you feeling unwell?”

Chuxia nodded. “It’s those days every month for women.”

At first, Cen Zhengnian didn’t understand, but after thinking carefully, his ears turned red as he realized what Chuxia meant.

He cleared his throat. “So… what should I do?”

Chuxia gave him a frustrated look. No matter what he did, she would still be in pain these few days.

“It would be great if we could switch bodies. Then you could endure the pain for me.”

Cen Zhengnian couldn’t help but smile. “I would want that too.”

He wasn’t just saying it to comfort Chuxia; if it were possible, he would be willing.

As a man, he was tougher and could handle it, but Chuxia was physically weaker.

Seeing her suffer made him feel uncomfortable.

Chuxia sighed. This kind of wishful thinking was impossible.

She returned to the earlier topic: “You haven’t said what you’re doing here. Are you going to visit Grandma’s grave?”

Today, her grandfather had told her that the Jiang family would be visiting Grandma’s grave for Qingming Festival tomorrow, and Chuxia would also go.

Cen Zhengnian’s smile faded, and a hint of sadness appeared in his eyes. “Yes. I haven’t visited Grandma’s grave in a long time. My mother hasn’t either.”

He and Jiang Shengnan had been in the northwest for a long time and had not had the chance to visit Grandma’s grave.

Although they burned incense and paper money every year during festivals, they still wanted to visit the grave and talk to Grandma.

Chuxia patted his hand, intending to comfort him.

Just then, Cen Huai’an, waiting impatiently in the courtyard, called out to them: “Mom! Dad!”

She quickly grabbed Cen Zhengnian and walked through the shadow wall into the courtyard.

“We’re coming! I’ll continue cutting your hair.”

Chuxia let go of Cen Zhengnian’s hand and moved behind Cen Huai’an, picking up the scissors to fix the part she had messed up.

Cen Huai’an, seeing his father’s happy expression, wanted his father to pick him up, but Chuxia held him down on the chair. “Stay still! Or I might mess up your haircut!”

Cen Huai’an looked up, and Cen Zhengnian noticed the partially healed wound on his face.

His brow furrowed immediately as he crouched down to examine it closely.

“Is this injury on An’an’s face?”

Chuxia continued cutting his hair. “He got it from fighting with other kids.”

She briefly explained the situation: “That’s how it happened. We should thank Dazi for helping out.”

Cen Zhengnian felt a pang of guilt and pain, as if his heart was being gnawed by countless ants.

He gently touched Cen Huai’an’s face. “An’an, does it hurt?”

Cen Huai’an shook his head. “Dad, it doesn’t hurt.”

Cen Zhengnian then examined Cen Huai’an’s ankle, and after a long silence, he didn’t say anything.

Chuxia noticed Cen Zhengnian’s distress and stopped cutting, pulling him up. “Do you think the sides of his haircut are even?”

Cen Zhengnian understood that Chuxia wanted to distract him from his guilt.

He complied, pushing his emotions aside, and leaned over to carefully inspect Cen Huai’an’s haircut.

“They’re even.”

It was the first time Cen Zhengnian had seen Chuxia cut Cen Huai’an’s hair.

Curiosity appeared in his eyes. “Did you always cut An’an’s hair like this before?”

Chuxia had mentioned in her letters to Cen Zhengnian and Cen Huai’an that she cut Cen Huai’an’s hair, but she hadn’t detailed the process.

“Yes.”

Chuxia had planned how to cut it and started snipping.

The hair fell from Cen Huai’an’s head.

Cen Zhengnian watched as Chuxia cut Cen Huai’an’s hair into a crew cut, not longer than one centimeter.

After a moment of silence, he said, “Won’t it be too short?”

“It won’t!” Chuxia said confidently. “It’s just right. It makes An’an look energetic and handsome.”

Cen Zhengnian responded, “Indeed, he does look quite spirited.”

Chuxia added, “The most important thing is, this was cut by my own hands.” She emphasized the “own hands.”

Cen Huai’an nodded proudly beside her.

Cen Zhengnian’s earlier distress was greatly alleviated by their interaction.

He touched his own hair and then looked at Cen Huai’an’s crew cut.

It didn’t look bad at all.

“Chuxia, I think my hair is getting a bit long too.”

Chuxia shook her head while adjusting the shirt she used as a haircut apron. “No, I promised An’an I’d only cut his hair.”

Cen Huai’an responded with a firm “Mm,” so Cen Zhengnian had to abandon his idea.

That night, Chuxia was sitting at the vanity, applying snow flower cream to herself.

Cen Zhengnian suddenly spoke up, “Chuxia, An’an is asleep now.”

Chuxia looked at him in confusion.

Since she was on her period, she couldn’t do anything, and whether An’an was asleep or not didn’t matter.

Why bring this up?

Cen Zhengnian smiled and said, “If you cut my hair now, he won’t notice.”

Chuxia paused, glanced at him, and said, “He’ll notice when he sees your hair in the morning.”

Cen Zhengnian: He had forgotten about that.

“Well, forget it then.”

Chuxia finished applying the cream and picked up her homework. “I promised An’an, so I’ll keep my word. You should go to a barber for your hair next time.”

For people like Cen Zhengnian, finding a barber was a luxury.

When they were busy, they didn’t pay much attention to their hair and would either cut it themselves or have someone else do it.

That night, Cen Zhengnian continued to help Chuxia with her homework questions.

After finishing, Chuxia curiously asked him, “Is there anything you don’t know? It seems like you know everything.”

“There is,” Cen Zhengnian said, helping Chuxia pack her things.

“What?”

Cen Zhengnian replied, “Cooking, cutting hair, and having children. There are many things I don’t know. I’m not omnipotent.”

Chuxia said, “Well, you don’t cook much except for boiling dumplings. An’an doesn’t like the other dishes you make.”

Cen Zhengnian chuckled softly.

As they lay in bed, Chuxia still felt discomfort in her lower abdomen and aching in her back.

She took Cen Zhengnian’s large hand and placed it on her abdomen. “Your hand is warm. Help me warm it.”

Cen Zhengnian frowned. “Is it really painful? I’ll get you a glass of hot water.”

Chuxia shook her head. “No need. Just keep your hand here. And…”

She patted his other hand. “Help me massage my back.”

Cen Zhengnian, without any improper thoughts, followed Chuxia’s instructions and asked if the pressure was okay.

Chuxia lay on her side, her abdomen and back enveloped by his warm hands, feeling much more comfortable than when she slept alone the previous night.

She murmured “Mm” in response, not letting Cen Zhengnian’s hands leave.

The warmth spread from her abdomen to her whole body, and she soon fell asleep, sleeping soundly through the night.

Cen Zhengnian’s hands stayed on her abdomen throughout the night, holding her close from behind.