Chapter 229

Lu Weiguo, seeing how hard his wife was working taking care of the child, started lecturing the child.

Whether the child understood or not, he just went on with his lecture.

There was no sign of the father who was just doting on his child moments ago.

Shen Shen’s young face was left in a daze—where was the loving father from just now?

Did he turn into a different person when encountering Mom?

Shen Shen felt very wronged and, holding onto his father’s face, pouted his small mouth as if about to cry.

Lu Weiguo quickly said, “No crying. Mom has been exhausted from work these past few days. A real man should be considerate.”

Lu Weiguo didn’t care if the child understood; he had his own set of behavioral principles.

He believed that you shouldn’t refrain from saying things just because the child is young. He always thought that children understand many things and know how to act based on people’s reactions.

Even if the child doesn’t understand everything now, he would gradually get it if you keep talking to him.

Sure enough, after Lu Weiguo finished educating the child, Shen Shen put away his expression of being on the verge of tears, though he still looked a bit downcast.

Feeling sorry for the child, Lu Weiguo didn’t continue the lecture but instead played with his son in the yard.

Shi Tingyu smiled, shook her head, and turned to the kitchen to make dinner.

She hadn’t been in the kitchen for a long time and was actually missing her own cooking.

Two months of communal meals were reaching her limit.

Having eaten so well before, she was struggling to adjust.

She stir-fried cured meat with garlic sprouts, made fish-flavored shredded pork, and stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, finally finishing with a pot of pork rib soup.

She then steamed a pot of rice.

Lu Weiguo, playing with Shen Shen and the dog Lijian in the yard, smelled the aroma from the kitchen and couldn’t help swallowing. He had to admit, he had also missed his wife’s cooking after so long.

Their neighbor, Damao, was drawn by the aroma and placed a large chair by the wall, standing on it to peek into the yard.

He saw Lu Weiguo playing happily with Shen Shen and Lijian.

At that moment, he felt a bit envious and forgot about his original intention of spying on what dishes were being cooked.

He was engrossed in watching when suddenly his ear was twisted.

“You little rascal, instead of doing your homework, why are you climbing the wall?”

Lu Weiguo looked towards the wall, where Damao’s figure had already disappeared, but his voice came through.

“Mom, what are you doing? Stop twisting my ear, it’s embarrassing if people see it.”

Mrs. Zhang laughed in exasperation, “What do you know about embarrassment?”

“Of course I know. If Shen Shen saw you twisting my ear, how could I still be his big brother?”

Mrs. Zhang smacked him on the head, “If you improve your grades, I’ll acknowledge you as my big brother!”

“You don’t know who gave birth to Shen Shen. Your Aunt Shi is a capable woman who participated in making and grading college entrance exams. In the future, Shen Shen will undoubtedly surpass you by miles.”

Hearing the conversation between the mother and son next door, Lu Weiguo shook his head and smiled. He had heard such conversations quite a bit these past few days.

However, he didn’t mind the compliments about his wife. He found them quite pleasing to the ear.

By now, his wife had probably become a role model for everyone in the compound, encouraging their children to study hard.

Damao, seeing his mother’s fierce expression, didn’t say anything. Deep down, he admired Aunt Shi very much; she was a very impressive figure.

But seeing his father laughing happily while his mother was scolding him made Damao even more frustrated.

“Dad! What are you laughing at?!”

Captain Zhang immediately put on a serious expression.

Damao huffed and complained to his mother, “Mom, you should also teach Dad a lesson. Look at our neighbor, Uncle Lu, and how he acts as a father!”

“Uncle Lu was just playing with Shen Shen!”

“Do you want me to hold you and play in the yard?” Captain Zhang asked.

Damao’s face turned red. After all, he was a big kid now, and being held by his dad in the yard would be embarrassing. He stammered, “I want you to learn how Uncle Lu treats his child!”

Captain Zhang rubbed his forehead. Since having Old Lu as a comparison, being a dad had become increasingly challenging.

However, he genuinely admired Old Lu for his excellent parenting skills.

He felt he couldn’t match up.

That evening, both Lu Weiguo and Shi Tingyu ate a lot, as they had been craving good food.

No matter how much Lu Weiguo ate, his stomach remained flat.

Shi Tingyu couldn’t help but reach into his shirt and touch his abs.

Lu Weiguo grabbed her hand, his eyes filled with a burning desire. They hadn’t been intimate in a long time because they were at the barracks. Her touch ignited his passion.

After dinner and their nightly routine, Lu Weiguo quickly put Shen Shen to sleep.

The night still held many hours for just the two of them…

After a few days of adjustment, Lu Yunshen finally stopped crying for his father and returned to Shi Tingyu’s embrace.

Shi Tingyu felt relieved, at least not having to hear her son’s incessant crying every day.

That day, the family compound welcomed Sun Changsheng, the principal of Jinling Art Academy.

Shi Tingyu looked at the principal in front of her.

The man was about fifty years old, with white hair at his temples and deep furrows between his brows, likely from long-term frowning.

However, his skin didn’t look as aged as his appearance suggested.

Thinking about the past decade, Shi Tingyu figured he must have endured hardships as well.

She invited him in and poured him some tea.

Principal Sun’s gaze was on Shen Shen, filled with affection and a hint of sorrow.

Shi Tingyu noticed this and pushed the tea closer to him, saying, “Principal, please have some tea.”

Principal Sun, realizing his rudeness, apologized, “Sorry, I got distracted by the adorable child.”

“It’s fine,” Shi Tingyu replied. “What brings you here, Principal Sun?”

Though she asked, she had a good idea of his purpose.

He was probably here to ask her to teach at the school.

Sure enough, the next moment, Principal Sun extended an invitation, “Teacher Shi, I came to invite you to join our faculty.”

Shi Tingyu was momentarily unsure.

Her future goal was to open a studio and hold art exhibitions, aiming to become a professional artist.

However, her fame in the country wasn’t significant yet. With the country’s gradual opening up, she was contemplating how to achieve her goal step by step.

Before crossing over, she had built her reputation through various competitions, both domestic and international.

Now, with fewer art competitions available, becoming a university teacher might be a good transition, although it wouldn’t offer the same freedom as her usual routine.

“Principal Sun, I need to discuss this with my family. My child is still young, and traveling back and forth isn’t very convenient.”

Principal Sun said, “We can provide a dormitory for you. Of course, if you prefer commuting between the school and the family compound, that’s also possible, though it might take some extra time.”

Even Principal Sun felt this offer wasn’t very enticing. He coughed lightly and added, “If you have any difficulties, please let us know, and we will try to help.”

Shi Tingyu said, “Let me think about it for two days, and I’ll get back to you.”

Principal Sun could only agree and promised to visit again in a couple of days.

It was a crucial time for announcing college entrance exam results, and he needed to ensure the admissions office didn’t lose any talent.

After seeing Principal Sun off, Shi Tingyu fell into deep thought.

Commuting between the school and the barracks wasn’t impossible.

Jinling Art Academy and the family compound weren’t too far apart, taking about an hour by bike.

For people of this era, it wasn’t considered very far.