This was the country’s latest key mission.

Success would advance China to a new stage in this field, and no one could afford the responsibility of failure.

No one complained about the hardship; they just buried themselves in work.

If Chuxia knew that Cen Zhengnian was also in northwest Ganzhou, she would definitely not let him spend the New Year alone.

But neither knew that the other was in Ganzhou.

The next day, Xu Lishu came to play chess with Cen Huai’an as agreed, and Xiao He and Hu Panden eagerly joined them.

“Uncle Xu, who do you think will win the game with An’an?”

Xu Lishu replied, “I can’t say.”

Hu Panden, stroking his chin with curiosity, asked Xu Lishu, “Aren’t you afraid of losing? An’an is very skilled.”

Xu Lishu, still smiling and maintaining a good attitude, answered, “If fear of losing prevents you from playing, then there’s no need to continue learning Go. The pursuit in chess is progress; whether you win or lose, it’s all part of the learning process.”

Hu Panden nodded thoughtfully, though he didn’t grasp the complexity.

He understood only one thing: “Playing chess with others is learning, right? Then playing ball with others is learning too?”

Xiao He interjected, “No, you just think winning is cool.”

Hu Panden chuckled and scratched his head, “Winning does make me look cool!”

The group chatted as they walked and soon arrived at Cen Huai’an’s home.

At that moment, Cen Huai’an was sitting on the sofa, watching TV and peeling an apple.

Chuxia was sitting next to him, with a plate of cut apple pieces in front of her.

Seeing Hu Panden and the others come in, Chuxia invited them to have some fruit. Besides apples, there were also frozen pears and oranges.

It was the season for picking oranges in the south, and the oranges were very sweet.

If not for the fear of getting a sore throat, Chuxia couldn’t have resisted eating them nonstop.

“Sister-in-law, I’ve come to play chess with An’an.”

Xu Lishu greeted Chuxia first.

Chuxia waved casually, “Go ahead and play. Don’t mind us here.”

Cen Huai’an handed Chuxia a peeled apple and then stood up to look at Xu Lishu, saying, “Uncle Xu, shall we start now?”

“Yes,” Xu Lishu replied.

The two set up the board and began their game.

Xu Lishu initially wanted Cen Huai’an to play with black stones first, but Cen Huai’an refused.

“We don’t need to hold back.”

Xu Lishu realized that Cen Huai’an’s skill was indeed very high.

He hadn’t fully displayed his abilities when playing with Xiao He.

Chuxia, munching on an apple, sat next to Cen Huai’an, while Hu Panden and the others gathered around them closely.

Xiao He could understand the game and was even more nervous than when he played himself.

He noticed that his formidable uncle wasn’t winning quickly against Cen Huai’an.

This was when Xiao He began to grasp the true extent of Cen Huai’an’s skill, making him feel increasingly uneasy.

The game was at a critical stage.

Whoever gained the upper hand next would likely win, while the one who fell behind would have a slim chance of winning.

At this moment, voices could be heard from the door.

It was Jiang Shengnan, whom Chuxia was familiar with, and Xi Wang, who always made her frown.

Jiang Shengnan’s children were excitedly talking, “Grandma, the soldiers just now were so cool! Can I also wear a soldier’s uniform and play with a wooden gun?”

“You can wear the uniform, but you can’t play with a wooden gun.”

Cen Huaize was still pestering Jiang Shengnan, asking if Grandpa must have a wooden gun for him to touch.

Cen Huaize had seen soldiers and wooden guns in his father’s unit but knew he couldn’t touch them there.

He believed that since Grandpa held a high position and had significant power, he could fulfill his wish to handle and play with a wooden gun here.

Jiang Shengnan could indulge Cen Huaize in minor matters, but she wouldn’t spoil him on significant issues.

“No, Grandpa’s wooden gun can only be handled by him.”

Cen Zhengshi scolded Cen Huaize for making unreasonable demands, explaining that the military wasn’t a place where he could do whatever he wanted.

“Mom, this child just wants to play with a wooden gun at home. Don’t worry about it,” Jiang Shengnan said with a smile, pushing open the living room door. Everyone in the living room, including Cen Huai’an and Xu Lishu, who were watching the game, turned to look at the door.

“Mom, Big Brother, Sister-in-law…”

Chuxia stood up to greet them, smiling at Jiang Shengnan, “Mom, An An and Lishu are playing Go.”

Xi Wang laughed upon hearing this, “An An is still learning Go? He’s in the third year of middle school this year, right? Chuxia, as someone who’s been through this, I advise you to make sure he focuses fully on his entrance exams. It’s easy to fail if he doesn’t study hard. Xiao Ze only passed because I made him focus on studying and eliminated everything unrelated to his studies.”

Chuxia didn’t like the tone of this advice and smiled, “Is that so? Congratulations to you and Xiao Ze. My An An doesn’t need supervision from me. After all, he’s won the first prize in the national middle school math competition. Getting into a good high school won’t be a problem for him.”

Xi Wang’s smile became slightly strained, “Well… An An is indeed impressive.”

After saying this, she pulled Cen Huaize along and asked Jiang Shengnan, “Mom, where are we staying?”

Jiang Shengnan took them to a room on the first floor.

“There are rooms on the second floor too,” Xi Wang said, looking upstairs. “Mom, let’s stay upstairs.”

“Chuxia and An An are staying upstairs.”

Xi Wang glanced at Chuxia and Cen Huai’an, continuing to smile, “There are more rooms upstairs. It would be perfect to be neighbors with Chuxia and them.”

Why couldn’t they stay upstairs?

She and Cen Zhengshi were the older generation; the decision on where to stay should be made after consulting them.

Chuxia watched Xi Wang speak, knowing she liked to dominate family interactions.

Jiang Shengnan said, “The other rooms upstairs are full of clutter and haven’t been cleaned…”

Before Jiang Shengnan could finish, Cen Zhengshi interrupted Xi Wang, looking at Jiang Shengnan, “Mom, we’ll stay downstairs.”

Xi Wang looked dissatisfied and frowned, but Cen Zhengshi added, “If you want to stay upstairs, you can clean it up yourself.”

She fell silent.

Cen Zhengshi and his wife stayed in one room, while Cen Huai Ze and Cen Huai Xin each had their own rooms.

Previously, Cen Zhengnian and Cen Zhengshi’s rooms were downstairs.

Now, the items from Cen Zhengnian’s room were moved upstairs to Chuxia and Cen Huai’an’s room, with much of it sent to Beijing.

So, Cen Zhengnian’s room was prepared for Cen Huaize, Cen Huaixin moved to the previous guest room, and Cen Zhengshi and Xi Wang stayed in his old room.

“You’re just biased,” Xi Wang said as soon as she entered the room.

“How are my parents biased?” Cen Zhengshi asked, changing his jacket and frowning at Xi Wang. “You never make a fuss at your mother’s place. Why do you always find issues here?”

Xi Wang huffed, “That’s because my mom spoils me the most. Our family has always been treated with the most importance. You claim to be the eldest, but why can’t we choose the rooms first?”

Cen Zhengshi replied, “Because you’ve never been to the northwest before, while my sister-in-law and their family have been here before. First come, first served. My parents have already been very kind to us. My job was even transferred with their help.”

Xi Wang was left speechless but had other thoughts.

Cen Huai Ze and Cen Huai Xin weren’t interested in the rooms and headed straight to the living room’s big TV.

Regardless of who else was watching, Cen Huaize wanted to watch his favorite “Journey to the West.”

Cen Huaixin and Cen Huaize argued over what to watch on TV.

She wanted to watch “Dream of the Red Chamber.”

They started arguing in front of the TV, blocking it so neither could watch, and everyone else couldn’t see either.

Their loud voices, especially Cen Huaixin’s high-pitched one, disturbed Xu Lishu, making it impossible for him to concentrate on the game.

He glanced apologetically at Cen Huai’an, “An An, should we move to another place to play?”

Cen Huai’an, usually unaffected by external disturbances, was also feeling frustrated by the argument.

“Sure, let’s move to my room.”

They began to carry the game board upstairs.

The argument between Cen Huaize and Cen Huaixin grew more intense, with Jiang Shengnan’s attempts to mediate proving futile.

As they argued, they started getting physical.

At some point, Cen Huaize threw a slipper towards Cen Huai’an.

As the slipper was about to land on the game board, Cen Huai’an quickly grabbed the board and used it to deflect the slipper, hitting Cen Huaize’s head instead.

“Who hit me? Who hit me?”

Cen Huai’an gestured for Xu Lishu to put down the board and turned to Cen Huaize with a cold expression, “Isn’t it normal for your own slipper to fly back at you?”

Cen Huaize was about to scold someone but, upon meeting Cen Huai’an’s gaze, recalled the times he had been dealt with by Cen Huai’an before.

He knew he couldn’t win against Cen Huai’an, so he stopped being arrogant and went straight to Jiang Shengnan to complain, “Grandma, Cen Huai’an hit me!”

Jiang Shengnan replied, “I didn’t see that just now. Xiao Ze, the slipper in your hand is yours. How could An An hit you with your own slipper when he’s so far away from you? Besides, you’re the older brother. You should act like one and not resort to using slippers.”

Cen Huaize was so angry that he threw the slipper heavily onto the floor and sat on the sofa, glaring at the TV without speaking.

His behavior was less mature compared to his younger cousin Xiao He.

Jiang Shengnan wanted to discipline him but, since he was her own grandchild, she held back her temper and turned to Cen Huai’an, “An An, you don’t need to go upstairs. It’s hard to carry the board up. Let’s go to the study to continue playing.”

She led the way to the study, opened the door, and said, “There are no confidential documents here. Your grandfather and I don’t use the study often now. Chuxia, An An, you can come here to read or play Go anytime.”

Jiang Shengnan pulled out chairs, giving Chuxia and Cen Huai’an space to set up the game board.

Once the study door was closed, the noise from the living room became faint.

Hu Panden sighed in relief and put his arm around Cen Huai’an’s shoulder, asking, “An An, are those really your cousins?”

Cen Huai’an nodded.

Hu Panden and Xiao He exchanged glances, their expressions saying it all.

“An An, you should come to our house to play more. My mom loves good students. If she knew about your achievements, she’d treat you even better than she treats me.”

“Yes, yes, when Xiao He goes to Panden’s house, Panden’s mom likes him a lot,” other friends agreed.

They felt sympathetic towards Cen Huai’an, knowing he had to live with people who didn’t care about others.

Cen Huai’an nodded, “Okay.”

He didn’t think he was pitiful.

Cen Huaize and Cen Huaixin couldn’t take advantage of him, and he and Chuxia shared the same attitude: they disliked them and didn’t want to live with them, which would only cause trouble.

Cen Huai’an and Xu Lishu continued their game, occasionally hearing the argument between Cen Huai Ze and Cen Huai Xin and Cen Zhengshi’s scolding from the living room.

Jiang Shengnan, unable to control the two children, frowned and went to find Cen’s Father, reporting the situation at home.

“It’s been two years, and Xiao Ze and Xin Xin haven’t improved at all. They’re falling further behind. Didn’t Zhengshi say he would educate them well at home?”

Cen’s Father looked up from his documents, his expression unchanged.

“Children reveal their nature by the age of three. The eldest is busy with work, and Xi Wang takes care of the children at home. It’s normal for them to turn out this way because she spoils them too much.”

Cen’s Father sighed, “They live too far from us. Even if we want to educate them, it’s beyond our reach.”

If the children were in the northwest, Cen’s Father wouldn’t have allowed them to turn out this way.