After hanging up the phone, Chuxia went back to her bedroom and opened the drawer under her vanity.

Sure enough, there was a bulging paper bag inside.

Ceng Zhengnian had placed the gift there during his last visit home, anticipating that he might not be able to return on her birthday, ensuring that she would still receive his present.

Chuxia took out the paper bag and opened it, finding several sheets of paper and a book inside.

She first looked at the sheets of paper, which detailed the current programs at the Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine College, the recent admission cutoffs in Liangzhou Province, and her chances of getting accepted with her current grades.

There were also details on other prestigious medical universities in Beijing, including their programs, admission cutoffs, histories, school culture, notable alumni, and distinguished professors.

After thoroughly reviewing the papers, Chuxia sat down with them, feeling their weight—despite their lightness, the significance of the information felt heavy.

She put the papers back in the bag and then examined the letter at the bottom.

The letter didn’t say much, only that it should have been given to her earlier but was delayed because they had been gathering complete information.

The data was collected not just by Ceng Zhengnian but also with the help of Jiang’s grandfather, Jiang Daji, and Jiang Zhida, who had even consulted with the director of the research institute, Yan Hemin.

As she read, Chuxia couldn’t help but smile.

Ceng Zhengnian was truly modest and did not seek any praise for himself.

When Chuxia had expressed her desire to learn more about TCM schools in Beijing, Ceng Zhengnian had taken note.

He said he would help check admission lines, which was relatively easy, but understanding the specific details about the schools while he was in the Northwest was difficult.

After arriving in Beijing, although he didn’t have time to visit the schools personally due to his busy schedule, he took the opportunity during meals or breaks to inquire locally.

He often consulted with Jiang’s grandfather, Jiang Daji, and Jiang Zhida even visited the schools in person.

No wonder the materials included details about the school buildings, dining halls, and even the lakes.

Besides the materials, there was also a handwritten medical handbook.

Chuxia looked at the handwriting on the manual, which she recognized immediately as Ceng Zhengnian’s.

She continued reading the letter.

“Since I learned that you wanted to study TCM, every time I went to the library or bookstore, I would unconsciously glance at the medical books section. But this medical book isn’t something I bought. It’s a medical record handbook from a colleague’s grandfather who specializes in TCM. I borrowed it from him and copied it for you. I couldn’t think of a gift you would like more, but I felt this handbook was something you truly needed.”

Chuxia’s eyes grew misty as she read that line.

She blinked and touched the words on the manual’s cover.

This thoughtful gift was more surprising and meaningful than receiving beautiful jewelry or clothes.

She could even imagine how Ceng Zhengnian must have squeezed time from his busy schedule to write this manual.

Perhaps every night after work, while others were asleep, he would be hunched over his desk copying pages before going to bed.

She truly loved this gift.

This birthday was the happiest Chuxia had had since her grandfather passed away.

Cen Huai’an bought her a cake and gave her a scarf, and Ceng Zhengnian gave her something she needed most.

Although Ceng Zhengnian himself wasn’t very concerned about birthdays, and often forgot due to work, and no one had reminded him before, he had realized the importance of birthdays after Chuxia had insisted on preparing a gift for An’an’s birthday and emphasized that each person only has one birthday a year.

That’s why he paid attention to what he should give Chuxia for her birthday.

Without the colleague’s grandfather’s handbook, he would have likely found another valuable medical book for her.

Chuxia didn’t know about Ceng Zhengnian’s thoughts.

She now held the medical handbook with great affection, thrilled to see real TCM cases!

If not for the fact that she remembered her health issues and couldn’t stay up late, she might have stayed up all night reading the handbook.

The next morning, Chuxia’s first action was to touch the handbook on her bedside, feeling relieved once she found it.

In the days that followed, aside from studying, Chuxia began to thoroughly read the medical handbook.

It documented many conditions, indicating that the doctor had traveled to many places, mostly practicing in impoverished rural areas.

The doctor, Gao Lin, wasn’t very famous, but from the real cases and treatment methods described, Chuxia could see that his skills were as good as those of renowned doctors.

He even broke conventions with some of his prescriptions, achieving excellent results with common, affordable herbs.

The manual also included detailed descriptions of Gao Lin’s own processes of collecting and preparing medicinal herbs.

After reading the entire manual, Chuxia began again, this time paying more attention to details.

She felt an itch to practice medicine herself, but she knew she would have patients to treat after she entered university.

As the weather grew hotter, and unlike last year when Chuxia and An’an had avoided using fans due to their health issues, this year, with their improved health, Chuxia could no longer endure the heat.

So, she bought a fan one morning before the sun was fully up.

She didn’t dare let the fan blow directly on her and set it to oscillate instead.

The cool breeze from the fan made Chuxia feel less restless while doing her work.

“Mom, you bought a fan!”

As soon as Cen Huai’an entered the room, he saw the fan Chuxia had placed in the study.

Having just come back from outside, sweating profusely, he leaned his head towards the fan to enjoy the breeze.

Chuxia grabbed him by the collar and pulled him aside. “Don’t let the hot and cold air make you catch a cold. Don’t blow yourself with the fan right after coming in. Wipe off your sweat first.”

With the fan now at home, Cen Huai’an was even less inclined to go outside.

Back then, fans were not very affordable—over a hundred yuan each.

Chuxia only bought one.

So in the evenings, Chuxia and An’an moved An’an’s small bed into her room so that both of them could enjoy the fan.

At the beginning of June, when Chuxia was putting away clothes in An’an’s cupboard, she noticed his desk was a bit messy.

She tidied it up and found the calendar she had bought extra for An’an when she bought her own.

The numbers on the calendar were covered with circles, and only the times when Cen Zhengnian was scheduled were marked with checkmarks.

Chuxia looked at the last checkmark, and many days had passed since then. In fact, she hadn’t seen Cen Zhengnian for longer than An’an.

She didn’t touch the calendar and left the room after tidying up the desk.

The two dogs, now no longer puppies but grown big, wagged their tails like rattlesnakes and barked around her when they saw her.

They were well-fed and had shiny, smooth fur, and were very loyal.

Chuxia patted their heads, knowing they were hungry again.

She went to the kitchen and got some mixed-grain steamed buns for them.

While feeding them, she said, “Your diet is better than any dog in the alley, so you should be grateful. Be good, guard the house, and protect the owner. Don’t waste these buns.”

Dogs need a bit of brainwashing too—loyalty and guarding the home are daily lessons!

When Cen Huai’an came home, he was used to seeing his mom feeding the dogs and talking to them.

He put his backpack on a chair and poured himself a glass of water.

“Mom, it’s so hot today!”

“Yes, it is quite hot.”

Chuxia stood up. The weather was unusually hot today.

Cen Huai’an had had PE class in the afternoon and mentioned that a classmate had fainted. “Our teacher said it was heatstroke.”

Chuxia immediately reached out to feel Cen Huai’an’s forehead. It was a bit warm, likely from walking back in the heat.

“Do you feel unwell anywhere?”

Cen Huai’an shook his head.

Chuxia wasn’t too worried because she had prepared a special tea for him to prevent heatstroke, made with a medicinal herb called huoxiang.

The tea, made from huoxiang and pei lan, was effective against heatstroke.

However, since it was a medicinal tea, it shouldn’t be consumed long-term.

Chuxia made it today because of the unusual heat.

At other times, she would give him a salt and sugar solution—plain water with salt and sugar.

It wasn’t very tasty, but it helped replenish the salts lost from excessive sweating and prevent low blood sugar.

“Mom, I gave my tea to the classmate who had heatstroke. Can I get a little red flower?”

“Of course!” Chuxia raised her eyebrows and patted his head. “You helped your classmate. Is he better now?”

“Yes.”

Chuxia said, “Go get the little red flower book, and I’ll draw one for you.”

After Chuxia drew the flower, Cen Huai’an wanted to trade it for ice cream.

In summer, kids love ice pops and ice cream, and Cen Huai’an was no exception. But Chuxia didn’t allow him to eat too much.

If he ate too much and she found out, she would deduct all the red flowers and ban him from having any treats for a week.

“Sure, but not today. I plan to take you to see your dad tomorrow, so I can’t take you to buy ice cream now. We’ll get it another time.”

Cen Huai’an didn’t catch the part about when he could get ice cream.

He only heard that his mom would take him to see his dad!

“So I won’t be doing chess(Go) and martial arts tomorrow?”

“I’ll tell your grandpa and ask for a leave for you. You can’t not have a complete rest day every week.”

Cen Huai’an’s usually serious face softened into a small smile as he turned and ran into his room.

Chuxia knew he was probably going to mark another day on his calendar.

In the evening, Chuxia made mung bean soup to cool down and relieve the heat.

Early the next morning, as soon as Chuxia opened her eyes, she was startled to see a pair of bright eyes staring back at her from the edge of her bed.

Upon closer inspection, it was Cen Huai’an peering over the bed.

Chuxia, feeling helpless, sat up and asked, “Why are you peeking at me from the edge of the bed? Did you finish your martial arts teacher’s assignment?”

“Yes, I did. I wanted to see when you would wake up.”

Chuxia pushed him gently. “So eager to see your dad, huh? We need to have breakfast first before we go. Wait outside.”

“Okay.”

Cen Huai’an obediently turned and left, closing the bedroom door behind him.

With the heat, Chuxia looked through her wardrobe and chose a short-sleeved shirt and a light green skirt.

She tucked the shirt loosely into the skirt to create a casual look and put on a pair of white leather sandals. She looked in the mirror and thought she looked very pretty.

After breakfast, Chuxia packed only a jar of sour plum soup, some peaches, and a large watermelon, and set off to visit Cen Zhengnian.

The sour plum soup tasted great.

Before packing it, Cen Huai’an had already drunk a large bowl and wanted more, but Chuxia stopped him.

“You’ve had breakfast and drank so much sour plum soup. Your stomach is already bloated. Don’t drink more; you might hurt your stomach.”

Cen Huai’an pursed his lips, watching Chuxia pack the soup with longing in his eyes.

Chuxia pretended not to see his desire, packed up, and called Cen Huai’an to help her carry the fruits as they went out to catch the bus.

At this time, the bus didn’t have air conditioning, but once it started, the not-too-hot morning breeze coming through the windows provided some coolness.

Arriving at the research institute, since Cen Zhengnian had informed the security of the family compound in advance and there was a record of it, the guards let them in after checking Chuxia and An’an’s IDs.

Chuxia had a spare key to Ceng Zhengnian’s dorm room, so she opened the door.

The room was just as it had been the last time she was here.

Ceng Huai’an knew that his father was still at work, so he took out the chess manual his grandfather had given him and was about to sit at the table to read.

He noticed many scattered papers on the table with numerous numbers and unfamiliar symbols.

“Mom, what’s this?”

Chuxia, who was contemplating where to put the peaches, walked over and glanced at the papers.

She quickly pulled Huai’an away, saying, “That’s your dad’s work stuff. Let’s not touch it.”

She then pulled a chair out for Huai’an to sit and read the chess manual while she herself sat on the bed.