But as soon as she sat down, Chuxia felt the bedding was damp.

She touched it and confirmed it was a bit wet, probably because Ceng Zhengnian hadn’t had time to dry it.

Chuxia went outside into the corridor where the sun was shining brightly.

She wiped the railing and took off the duvet cover and sheets to hang them out to dry.

Then, Chuxia called Cen Huai’an and took the bedclothes to the laundry room.

She filled a basin with water, added some laundry detergent, and had Huai’an wash his feet in it before rinsing the clothes under the tap.

Finally, they wrung out the water and hung the laundry on the clothesline in the courtyard.

After finishing, Chuxia was covered in sweat.

Since there was no fan in Ceng Zhengnian’s dorm room, she made a paper fan to cool herself.

In the courtyard, there was an old-fashioned washing machine, which was a far cry from modern fully automatic ones but still made washing clothes, especially large items, much easier for Chuxia.

Sometimes, Cen Huai’an could even use the washing machine for lighter clothes.

Chuxia had mentioned to Ceng Zhengnian once that she disliked washing clothes, so he bought the washing machine for the courtyard.

When she asked where he bought the appliances, considering each item was expensive, Ceng Zhengnian had told her honestly that he bought them through Jiang Zhishu, who had a supply channel and could get them at wholesale prices, much cheaper than buying from department stores.

Chuxia didn’t press further and admired Jiang Zhishu’s entrepreneurial spirit.

In this era, it was not easy to make a name for oneself in business.

Having finished washing the bedding, Chuxia decided to prepare a few extra sets for Ceng Zhengnian, so she could wash them at home later.

Hand washing was too tiring.

Knowing that Chuxia and Cen Huai’an would visit for lunch, Ceng Zhengnian ended his morning work and, instead of heading to the cafeteria like his colleagues, went straight to the research institute’s entrance.

Ye Xingxu was puzzled and stopped him, “Where are you going? Aren’t you going to eat?”

When Chuxia had called Ceng Zhengnian yesterday, Ye Xingxu wasn’t aware, and Ceng Zhengnian hadn’t told anyone else about his wife and son’s visit today.

Ceng Zhengnian brushed Ye Xingxu’s hand away and replied casually, “I’m going back to the dorm. My wife and son are here.”

Ye Xingxu’s eyes lit up, “Did she bring any delicious food?”

Ceng Zhengnian gave him a look, “I don’t know.”

Ye Xingxu urged him to hurry back home. He was still reminiscing about the locust flower delicacies Chuxia had brought last time and was eager for more.

However, as Ceng Zhengnian walked a few steps out, he remembered something and turned back towards the cafeteria.

Ye Xingxu was still lost in thoughts of tasty food, not noticing that Ceng Zhengnian had already passed him and didn’t care about what he said.

“What are you doing?” Ye Xingxu asked in confusion. “Aren’t you going back to the dorm to eat?”

Ceng Zhengnian replied, “I’m getting some food to take back.”

Chuxia had mentioned that, given the hot weather, the food would spoil if left in a lunchbox or bowl for the morning.

Ye Xingxu’s excitement faded when he realized that Ceng Zhengnian was going to get food, meaning there likely wouldn’t be any treats from his wife.

He sighed, missing out on a chance for better meals.

Ceng Zhengnian packed enough food for the three of them and left the cafeteria under Ye Xingxu’s envious gaze.

Yan Hemin noticed Ye Xingxu’s expression and laughed, waving his hand in front of him, “Are you envious that Zhengnian’s wife and son are visiting him?”

Ye Xingxu quickly looked away, raising his eyebrows, “No.”

Yan Hemin, with a knowing smile, patted his shoulder and said, “Don’t be envious. I heard your mother sent you photos of potential matchmaking candidates. You might soon be living Zhengnian’s life.”

Ye Xingxu thought about the photo his mother had sent him and felt a bit of a headache.

He didn’t like the matchmaker’s candidate; the face was too big.

He preferred smaller faces with fair skin and large eyes, and it would be better if they could get along well.

Yan Hemin, hearing Ye Xingxu’s preferences, said, “That’s simple. We have female researchers in our institute who match that description. Do you have anyone in mind?”

Ye Xingxu was taken aback and shook his head, “I haven’t noticed.”

Although he didn’t seem like a serious researcher, he was as focused on work as Ceng Zhengnian, often oblivious to outside matters.

Moreover, when working together, who cares about gender or personal preferences?

Yan Hemin smiled and said, “Well, you might want to pay attention in the future, as long as it doesn’t affect your work.”

---

Meanwhile, Ceng Zhengnian went upstairs carrying the food and immediately noticed the bedding Chuxia had hung out to dry.

He recognized the duvet cover and sheets.

No wonder they looked familiar downstairs.

Ceng Zhengnian’s expression softened as he quickened his pace towards his dorm room, his heart racing a bit.

As he entered the room, he saw Chuxia and Huai’an: one was sitting in a chair eating peaches, and the other was lying on the bed reading a book.

The room was filled with a warm atmosphere.

Ceng Zhengnian’s demeanor grew even gentler.

Hearing the noise, Chuxia and Cen Huai’an looked up at the door.

Ceng Zhengnian stood in the doorway, backlit, making his face hard to see, but his eyes were softly focused on them.

“Dad!”

As soon as Cen Huai’an saw Cen Zhengnian, he immediately stood up from his chair, forgetting to eat the peach in his hand.

Cen Zhengnian’s eyes softened with a smile as he walked over and ruffled Cen Huai’an’s hair. “Do you miss your dad, An’an?”

Cen Huai’an didn’t speak but kept his eyes glued to Cen Zhengnian, watching his every move.

“Dad, you haven’t been home for a long time.”

Cen Zhengnian’s smile turned a bit bitter as he placed the lunchbox on the table and turned to pick up Cen Huai’an. “I’m sorry, Dad has been a bit busy lately.”

“It’s okay.” Cen Huai’an patted Cen Zhengnian’s back just like Chuxia did, “Mom and I came to see Dad.”

Cen Zhengnian felt a pang of tenderness in his heart, unsure of what to say. He just gently patted Cen Huai’an’s back.

At this moment, Chuxia also got up from the bed and went to the table, handing a glass of sour plum soup to Cen Zhengnian. “Here’s the sour plum soup I brought for you.”

Chuxia placed the sour plum soup on the table without any paper under it, her eyes fixed on the bowl of soup, avoiding the white paper on the table.

The sour plum soup had cooled down perfectly, as she didn’t like her food too cold in summer, which wasn’t good for the stomach.

Chuxia knew that people like Cen Zhengnian, who worked hard, often had sensitive stomachs and couldn’t handle too much stimulation.

“Dad, the sour plum soup is really good.”

Cen Huai’an said, eyeing the soup because it was for his dad. Even though he wanted some, he held back.

Cen Zhengnian had already caught the distinct aroma of the sour plum soup, which made him eager to drink it.

He set Cen Huai’an down, took the cup of sour plum soup, and took a sip.

The sweet and sour taste instantly filled his mouth, traveling down his esophagus to his stomach, sparking a sudden desire to eat despite the heat reducing his appetite.

“It’s delicious.”

Chuxia raised her eyebrows. “Of course, I made it myself. I personally selected all the ingredients for the sour plum soup.”

Seeing the small pride in Chuxia’s eyes, Cen Zhengnian’s smile deepened. “Yes, it’s better than what you get outside.”

Chuxia chuckled. “I’m confident it’s better than most people’s.”

“Mom.”

Seeing how happy Cen Zhengnian was with the soup made Cen Huai’an want some even more.

His eyes looked at Chuxia with longing, making her want to laugh.

Cen Zhengnian handed his cup to Cen Huai’an. “You can have some of mine.”

Cen Huai’an wasn’t interested in taking his dad’s share. It was the first time his dad was drinking the soup made by Mom, and there was still some left in the jar.

“Dad, I don’t want yours.”

Chuxia had already filled Cen Huai’an’s small water bottle with sour plum soup and handed it to him, saying to Cen Zhengnian, “You drink yours.”

The jar of sour plum soup wasn’t much, and soon it was all gone as the three of them shared it.

“Are those papers related to your work?” Chuxia pointed to the scattered papers on the table. “You shouldn’t leave them out like this. You almost leaked confidential information, and we’re not the most curious people. Otherwise, you might have had a problem.”

Actually, Cen Huai’an was quite curious, but Chuxia had told him not to look at or inquire about his dad’s work.

Cen Zhengnian walked over, organizing the papers. “These are discarded materials I forgot to deal with yesterday. I won’t leave them out next time.”

They were just discarded research papers, which, according to work requirements, shouldn’t be shown to others.

Cen Zhengnian had left them on the table thinking he would handle them at the research lab today, but he forgot in his haste this morning. Since no one else entered his dorm, he hadn’t thought much of it, trusting that Chuxia and An’an wouldn’t be curious.

After drinking the sour plum soup, the family of three enjoyed a meal from the cafeteria, and their appetites improved considerably.

During the meal, Chuxia told Cen Zhengnian, “I aired out your bedding and washed the sheets and pillowcases. An’an helped out.”

Cen Zhengnian complimented Cen Huai’an and turned to Chuxia. “Washing the sheets and pillowcases is tough work. Next time, I’ll handle it myself.”

Chuxia gave him a look. “Do you have the time? When I sat on your bed, the bedding was a bit damp.”

Cen Zhengnian’s quilt was made of cotton and easily absorbs moisture, especially during the rainy summer.

He looked at Chuxia. “I can wash them when I have time.”

Chuxia responded, “When do you have time? It’s been almost a month, and I haven’t seen you take a break.”

“I have time in the evenings,” Cen Zhengnian said.

“And if you wash them, do you have replacements?” Chuxia asked.

Cen Zhengnian nodded and pointed to the wooden cabinet beside the bed. “There’s a clean set there.”

Chuxia didn’t know about that.