“Little Scrap!”

At the train station exit, a tall man, nearly 1.9 meters, named Bangzi walked out, supporting his grandmother, who had a head full of white hair.

Cen Huaian looked up, his previously calm eyes now showing a touch of warmth. “Bang Ge.”

Bangzi’s grandmother, her wrinkled hand patting heavily on Bangzi’s back, said, “What did you just call him? How is he a scrap?”

Bangzi, still with that slightly rebellious look he always had, stood tall and strong, making him look far from a good guy.

Despite the heavy slap on his back, he didn’t show any signs of discomfort.

His tone remained casual, “I’m used to it.”

Bangzi’s grandmother scolded, “Being used to it doesn’t make it right. Change it.”

Cen Huaian smiled at her. “Grandma, it’s just a name, it doesn’t matter.”

It’s just like “Kitty” or “Chopsticks,” only a title without any real meaning.

“Still, it should be changed.” Bangzi smirked. “Otherwise, Grandma might beat me to death when we get home.”

“You rascal!” His grandmother gave him a mock scolding.

Cen Huaian said, “Brother Bang, it’s really up to you.”

Behind them, three guys carrying luggage, named Kitty, Chopsticks, and Grey Hair, finally caught up. “Brother Bang, wait up for us!”

Bangzi raised his eyebrow, his rebellious nature showing clearly in his eyes. “Wasn’t I waiting for you?”

“The car’s waiting across the street.”

He walked a few steps toward Kitty and the others, who, upon seeing him, threw down their luggage in excitement and ran directly towards Cen Huaian.

“Little Scrap!”

Before the words even settled, Bangzi, just like his grandmother, slapped Kitty’s back and half-seriously said, “Call him Huaian.”

“But we’ve always called him that.”

Bangzi’s grandmother chimed in, “Huaian’s grown up now. He’s not the little kid he used to be. How does it sound calling him ‘Little Scrap’ in college?”

Cen Huaian softly replied, “Grandma, I really don’t mind.”

Bangzi’s grandmother gave him a warm look, full of fondness. “You should care. After all, you’re a student at Jinghua University.”

Although the elderly woman didn’t know much about other universities, everyone knew about Jinghua University.

Even though she used to dislike college students, she was still proud of Cen Huaian.

He was a child she had watched grow up.

Bangzi looked at Cen Huaian with a hint of admiration as well. “True, you’ve really made us proud.”

Without a hint of arrogance, Cen Huaian simply helped Kitty with his luggage and said, “Let’s get in the car.”

One car couldn’t fit everyone, so Cen Huaian hailed another.

Nowadays, taxis in the capital were more plentiful than in recent years.

After giving the driver the address, he turned to Bangzi and said, “I rented a house for you near the university, just as you requested. It’s a big place, not too expensive.”

He had found it according to Bangzi’s needs: spacious enough to store things and house everyone, including Bangzi’s grandmother.

The rent was affordable because the house was somewhat rundown, but after some cleaning and repairs, it was livable.

Cen Huaian had hired laborers from a market and within three days, they had patched up the roof and courtyard walls.

The weeds inside were cleared as well.

In Liangzhou, besides his grandmother, Bangzi had no other relatives.

Kitty and Chopsticks didn’t have close ties with their families either.

So, coming to study in the capital meant leaving Liangzhou behind for good.

Bangzi couldn’t bear to leave his elderly grandmother alone in Liangzhou, so he preemptively sold their house there, fearing she wouldn’t agree.

Of course, he didn’t escape a good beating from his grandmother, but in the end, she agreed to move with him to the capital.

Bangzi and his friends could stay in the university dorms, but his grandmother couldn’t, so he had asked Cen Huaian to help rent a house in advance.

Bangzi wasn’t short on money and could buy a place if needed, but he preferred to look for business opportunities in the capital.

The money from selling the house would serve as startup capital, and having a larger house would be convenient for business.

When the cars arrived at the house Cen Huaian had rented, the large red front door was tightly closed.

He unlocked the door and handed the key to Bangzi. “The landlord lives in the next alley. I’ll take you to meet him later.”

Bangzi moved to support his grandmother again, but she brushed him off. “I’m not so old that I can’t walk by myself.”

The courtyard of the house was spacious, and beyond it stood five neat rooms.

On the right side, there was a kitchen and a storage room, and in the middle of the yard, a pomegranate tree stood tall.

What surprised Bangzi most was that the layout of this house was almost identical to the one he and his grandmother had lived in back in Liangzhou.

Even the water well in the courtyard was similar.

Watching his grandmother happily push open the door to the main hall, Bangzi suddenly said, “An’an, thank you.”

Cen Huaian, understanding what he meant, looked in the same direction and replied, “No need for thanks.”

After seeing the entire house, Bangzi’s grandmother was more than satisfied.

When Cen Huaian left after helping settle everything, she told Bangzi, “Huaian went to great lengths for this. The roof, the corners of the walls, the beds, the furniture—they’re all new. If you ever dare to treat Huaian poorly, I’ll be the first to deal with you. Once everything’s sorted in a couple of days, invite Huaian over for a meal.”

For now, Bangzi focused on keeping his grandmother happy, so he naturally agreed without hesitation.

When Chu Xia heard that Bangzi and his group had arrived, she told his grandmother the same thing, but she wanted to treat them to a meal at a restaurant since the research institute was too far from their place.

“Mom, I’ll invite them.”

“You’re you, and I’m me. We must show proper hospitality.”

There was also a reason Chu Xia hadn’t mentioned.

Cen Huaian had been helped by Bangzi and his friends when he was younger, and that was something she would always be grateful for.

Cen Huai’an couldn’t refuse Chuxia, so he ended up inviting Bangzi and the others to a famous old restaurant for Peking duck.

“When people mention Beijing, they always talk about Peking duck. After thinking it over, I decided I should invite you all to try it,” Cen Huai’an said.

Bangzi’s grandmother remained indifferent to Chuxia, but at least she didn’t say anything too harsh.

During the meal, however, she openly showed her affection for Cen Huai’an.

Chuxia didn’t mind.

Since Bangzi’s grandmother liked Cen Huai’an, it made sense that she wouldn’t have warm feelings toward her, given how the original Chuxia had behaved.

Her current indifference was understandable.

Maozi(Kitty) and Kuaizi(Chopstick) were the most lively at the dinner table, with Bangzi chiming in occasionally, while Cen Huai’an responded to the children.

For the most part, though, everyone was focused on eating the delicious food, just like the first time Chuxia treated them to a meal back in Liangzhou.

Midway through the meal, Cen Zhengnian arrived.

He had planned to take the day off, but something urgent came up at the research institute, so he had to attend to it first.

Chuxia thought he wouldn’t be able to make it, so she was pleasantly surprised when he showed up.

She poured him a glass of water and asked, “How’s work?”

Cen Zhengnian smiled warmly. “It’s done.”

He then turned to Bangzi’s group and his grandmother, raising his tea to apologize. “I was supposed to join Chuxia in hosting this meal, but work came up unexpectedly. I’m sorry for being late. I hope you won’t mind.”

Cen Zhengnian asked if they wanted to order anything else and added two more Peking ducks, along with a few other dishes.

When Cen Zhengnian wanted to make a good impression, his graceful demeanor, thoughtful gestures, and striking appearance made it easy to win people over.

By the end of the meal, Bangzi’s grandmother was smiling warmly at Cen Zhengnian, treating him like one of their own.

Everyone enjoyed the meal, and Cen Zhengnian even packed two Peking ducks for Bangzi and his family to take home, as well as two for himself.

After seeing Bangzi’s group off, Cen Zhengnian asked Chuxia, “Do you want to visit your grandfather’s place?”

Chuxia looked at the two Peking ducks and laughed. “You know Grandpa can’t eat this. Are you trying to tempt him on purpose?”

Cen Zhengnian chuckled, “These are for us to enjoy at home.”

Cen Huai’an accepted Bangzi’s invitation to have a meal at his place, cooked by Bangzi’s grandmother.

The spread was generous, with chicken, duck, fish, and meat, all showcasing the flavors of Liangzhou.

Cen Huai’an found it nostalgic.

When he was young, it was rare to eat meat, and Bangzi’s grandmother would always stretch it out by mixing in a lot of cabbage and vermicelli.

The food tasted wonderful.

Now, the dishes were filled with large slices of meat, but Cen Huai’an found himself missing the taste of those old cabbage and vermicelli meat slices.

Bangzi was looking for business opportunities in Beijing, and Cen Huai’an tagged along.

He knew the city better than Bangzi, and due to his sharp instinct for money, he could easily spot business opportunities just by passing certain places on the bus.

He took Bangzi to explore potential ventures, such as renting out tapes and CDs, collecting recyclables from construction sites and factories, wholesaling clothes from Guangzhou, and getting involved in renovation and construction.

Beijing at this time was full of opportunities for those who were clever and willing to work hard.

Bangzi was ambitious.

He had already saved up a decent amount of money and decided to focus on the student market.

“Universities are a vast, untapped market,” he said.

Cen Huai’an agreed, but they would need to carefully study the areas around the schools before deciding what kind of business to pursue.

Though Cen Huai’an wasn’t directly involved in Bangzi’s ventures, he didn’t need the money right now.

His priority was to focus on his studies and his future career.

He wasn’t worried about not being able to earn money later on.

Bangzi felt a bit regretful.

Their universities weren’t far apart, and if Cen Huai’an were willing, they could have worked together like they had when they were kids.

“No, my goal right now isn’t just making money. Once I’ve learned what I need to learn, we’ll have the chance to collaborate again.”

Bangzi glanced at him, then smiled and lightly bumped fists with him. “Alright.”

Though graduation was still a few years away, Bangzi was certain that he and Cen Huai’an would have the chance to work together again.

Hu Pandeng and Xiaohe arrived just before the new school year began, and Cen Huai’an went to pick them up, along with their parents.

It was a long journey from the northwest to Beijing, and for most families, buying train tickets to accompany their children to university was a luxury they couldn’t afford.

In poorer families, kids wouldn’t even get to go home often due to the cost.

However, both Hu Pandeng and Xiao He’s parents were in the military, and they weren’t afraid to spend the money.

Plus, they were eager to visit Beijing themselves.

When Cen Huai’an met Hu Pandeng’s father, Hu Lei, he said, “Uncle Hu, my dad wanted me to apologize on his behalf. He’s busy with work and couldn’t come to pick you up.”

Cen Zhengnian really couldn’t take time off.

Lately, his work had kept him so busy that Chuxia rarely saw him before 9 p.m.

Hu Lei laughed heartily and waved his hand. “I already know what his job is like. No worries, you coming is just as good!”

Hu Pandeng threw an arm around Cen Huai’an’s shoulders.

They were about the same height, though Xiaohe was shorter than both of them.

“An’an, this is your turf. So, where are you taking us to have fun?”

Hu’s mother was completely different from Hu Pandeng—petite and cheerful, yet very outspoken.

Seeing her son’s behavior, she smiled apologetically at Cen Huai’an before scolding Hu Pandeng, “Pandeng, stop leaning on An’an! Carry your own luggage.”

“Auntie, it’s fine,” Cen Huai’an said with a smile.