Chapter 66.1

In mid-August, with only seven or eight days left before the start of the school year, Jin Dayou came over primarily to visit his mother.

Since going to the capital to pursue a master’s degree after the New Year, he had been working on research with his mentor and had only recently found some free time. Normally, even making a phone call was a matter of squeezing out time.

It was uncertain whether it was due to the company of Aunt Zhou or Jin Dayou’s presence, but Aunt Shi’s condition had improved significantly. Her mood was more stable, and she occasionally became clearer, and able to recall some past events. However, she was unable to mention Jin Dapeng. Whenever Dapeng’s name was brought up, she became very agitated, and everyone tried to avoid mentioning it.

Jin Dayou stayed there for about four or five days. It was unclear if it was a natural clash with Li Xin, but whenever these two met, they ended up bickering.

Li Xin had been admitted to Peking University, and Jiang Rou had originally planned to find time to take Li Xin to school, considering the many things she had to carry. With Li Xin being good-looking and going to school alone, Jiang Rou felt uneasy. Now that Jin Dayou was around, Jiang Rou simply handed her sister over to him, asking him to take Li Xin to school along the way.

Li Xiao regarded Jin Dayou as a younger brother, so Jin Dayou was effectively Li Xin’s older brother. It was normal for an older brother to take his sister.

This saved Jiang Rou an extra trip. Recently, Jiang Rou had accompanied Li Xiao to numerous teacher appreciation and school entry banquets and was feeling quite exhausted, wanting nothing more than to relax at home.

Upon hearing this, Jin Dayou glanced at Li Xin on the other side of the sofa and responded with a smile, “Sure.”

Li Xin also heard this and, not too pleased, pouted slightly but said nothing.

The distance to the capital was indeed quite far, and the round trip was troublesome and costly.

She was most unwilling to trouble her sister.

Jin Dayou noticed her disdainful expression and smiled.

On August 26, Li Xin packed two large suitcases and boarded the train with Jin Dayou.

Jin Dayou handled both suitcases while Li Xin carried only a small, bulging bag. As she boarded the train, she kept looking back reluctantly, knowing that this time, she might not see her sister until the New Year.

Jiang Rou waved at her and unceremoniously reminded her, “If you need anything, look for your older brother Dayou.”

Jin Dayou, who was walking ahead, heard this and glanced back.

Li Xiao, holding An An, stood next to Jiang Rou and also reminded Jin Dayou, “Take care of Li Xin as if she were your own sister, and don’t bully her.”

Jin Dayou grinned, wondering where anyone saw him bullying people.

An An waved reluctantly and said, “Goodbye, Auntie. I want to eat roasted duck from the capital.”

Li Xin laughed and replied, “Okay, I’ll buy some for you when I come back.”

After Li Xin left, it wasn’t long before An An’s school started. The little one was very unhappy because she discovered that her mother no longer had to go to work and would be staying at home to play. Although Jiang Rou explained that she was at home to study and prepare for exams, An An didn’t understand and felt that staying home meant playing. She even wanted Jiang Rou to help her take a day off, as she also wanted to sleep in.

It was unclear where this habit of sleeping in came from, as An An had been the earliest riser when she was younger. Now, no matter how early she went to bed, she could never get up in the morning without her father physically lifting her out of bed.

Jiang Rou was concerned that An An might have a health issue and took her to the hospital for a check-up, only to find out that she was perfectly healthy—just lazy.

Jiang Rou suspected that during her absence of six months, Li Xiao had developed some bad habits in An An and couldn’t help but complain, “I remember An An used to get up quite early. Why does she love sleeping in so much now? Did you not have breakfast during the time I wasn’t home?”

Li Xiao, feeling a bit guilty, took a sip of his soy milk and said, “That’s not true. I made breakfast every day.”

Upon hearing that her father made breakfast, An An immediately protested loudly, “Daddy makes fried rice every day, and I don’t want to eat it, but he insists I do.”

She added, “Auntie only knows how to make egg noodles, which don’t taste good.”

Mommy’s egg noodles were always fragrant and flavorful, and Uncle Dayou’s breakfasts were particularly rich. However, the food made by Daddy and Auntie was always the same, and Auntie’s egg noodles were either too salty or too bland.

“I’m picky, and they complain about me.”

Now that An An was older, she had learned to complain. As she spoke, her expression was filled with grievance, showing how particularly unfair she felt during the time Jiang Rou was away.

Jiang Rou felt heartbroken and shot a displeased look at Li Xiao.

Li Xiao lowered his head and continued eating. When Jiang Rou was not home, he didn’t bother cooking many dishes; he simply made something quick, thinking that as long as everyone was full, it was fine.

As for the child sleeping in, Li Xiao didn’t pay much attention. He let An An sleep as long as she wanted, unlike Jiang Rou, who would monitor breakfast closely. Li Xiao would just leave the food in the pot and let An An eat whenever she woke up.

—o—o—o—

On the first day of school, Jiang Rou and Li Xiao personally took An An to school. An An, who had been attending kindergarten for two years, was now in the senior class. She no longer cried and fussed like on the first day but instead waved goodbye to her parents at the door and hopped off to find her friends.

Jiang Rou had bought her a pretty pink backpack filled with snacks and small toys, and An An was eager to share them with her friends.

Jiang Rou also ran into Mr. You and his family at the school gate. Despite their successful careers, Mr. You and his wife were just like ordinary parents, carefully sending their son to school and giving him some last-minute reminders.

Lele, the little boy, constantly nodded obediently and brightened up when he saw Jiang Rou. “Auntie, where’s An An?”

Jiang Rou looked at the boy’s pretty and well-behaved face and smiled, “She’s already inside. Go find her. She brought a little fox toy this morning and said she wanted to give it to you.”

Lele was thrilled to hear this and immediately waved goodbye to Jiang Rou and his parents, “Then I’ll go in now. Bye, Mommy and Daddy, and bye, Uncle and Auntie.”

He then dashed off to the school.

Madam Song who was watching him, couldn’t help but laugh, “Slow down.”

After speaking, Madam Song helplessly looked at Jiang Rou and said, “Lele has been talking about An An all morning. He even brought a lot of snacks with him. His backpack is full of snacks.”

Jiang Rou smiled with a hint of embarrassment, “It feels like your family has helped raise a daughter for me.”

Madam Song laughed and replied, “That’s fine by me. I’d be happy to have another daughter.”

She thought to herself that perhaps these two little ones might grow up to be a couple. Seeing how affectionate her son was towards An An, it was likely he would end up following her around when they grew up.

However, she genuinely liked An An. From Jiang Rou and Li Xiao’s appearances, it was clear that An An would grow up to be an exceptional beauty. Moreover, An An’s temperament was truly lovely—obedient, gentle, and considerate. Jiang Rou and Li Xiao had cherished her and spoiled her without her picking up any bad habits.

Jiang Rou hadn’t realized that Madam Song had already thought that far ahead. She simply felt that An An was thriving with good friends and a brother. The family’s harmony might have contributed to some harmless little quirks and tantrums.

A well-behaved child without any temper definitely eased the parents’ minds, but no one could guess that An An had lived cautiously in her previous life.

Now, she was finally behaving like a child should.

Jiang Rou didn’t aspire for An An to be the model student others talked about. She just hoped An An was happy.

On the other side, Li Xiao had already started chatting with Mr. You. They talked about who knew what, but when they parted, Li Xiao was still smiling.

—o—o—o—

In the following days, Jiang Rou devoted herself to preparing for the exams.

During the day, she studied at home. The environment of the villa was indeed excellent—quiet with a beautiful view. The house had many rooms, and Jiang Rou had set up a study on the third floor for herself.

When she got tired of studying, she would stand by the window to look at the view or go downstairs to the lawn to review her notes.

A swing had been set up on the lawn, and there were tables, chairs, and large umbrellas by the swimming pool. Jiang Rou could sit wherever she wanted without being disturbed.

Unlike at school, where there were too many people preparing for exams, not only did she have to compete for study rooms, but she also had to compete for space to review. Some people were loud when reviewing their notes, which might require finding a quiet spot far away.

Since Li Xiao wasn’t home during the day, worried that she wouldn’t have time to cook for herself while studying alone, he planned to hire a maid. Jiang Rou disagreed, feeling it was a waste of money, and she didn’t like the idea of having a stranger in the house. Eventually, Li Xiao informed Mother Zhou and arranged for Jiang Rou to have lunch at their place.

Thus, Jiang Rou ended up not having to do anything but study upstairs every day.

Despite the excellent studying conditions, her efficiency dropped without anyone to keep her company. There were times when she would daydream while reviewing, her mind wandering to what Li Xiao might be doing, whether An An had eaten, and even fantasizing about her future success in the exams…

Eventually, Jiang Rou realized she couldn’t continue like this. She discussed it with Li Xiao and said she wanted to go to the school.

Li Xiao, after understanding the reason, couldn’t help but laugh and then advised, “Why go to the school? Do they have a dedicated office for you there? You’d probably find it noisy anyway.”

After a moment of thought, he added, “How about this? I’ll have someone clear out the room next to mine for you to use as a temporary office. It’s also closer to the cafeteria. Going to the school cafeteria would take you twenty to thirty minutes for a round trip, and the food there is as good as ours.”

The last point really moved Jiang Rou. Initially, when she first arrived at the school, she thought the cafeteria food was quite good. However, after eating there frequently, she found it quite ordinary, unlike the cafeteria at Li Xiao’s factory, where they hired a master chef. The food there was generous with oil and salt and was very clean. The meals were genuinely excellent, with no repetition throughout the week.

Jiang Rou agreed, “Alright then. Will it cause you any trouble? Who owns the office next to yours?”

“It won’t be a problem. I’ll have someone move it to the second floor.”

So, Jiang Rou went to the factory to study. Li Xiao arranged a large wooden desk for her, the kind typically used by top executives. It was nearly two meters long, and the chair was genuine leather, making it very comfortable to sit on.

All the books Jiang Rou needed were piled on the desk without looking cramped. The office was equipped with a sofa and a water dispenser, making it convenient to drink water, and she could even take a nap on the sofa during lunch breaks.

Most importantly, Jiang Rou’s study efficiency improved. Just the thought of Li Xiao being next door and other people in the factory made her more motivated. She felt as though someone was watching her.

Li Xiao didn’t disturb her, he would only check her at noon or bring her some food and drinks when he returned from business meetings.

An An, upon learning of this arrangement, was a bit unhappy, feeling that her mother had been taken away by her father.

She tried to protest but was quickly pacified by her father.