Cen Huaian hadn’t gone to the nursery class for days.

The teacher didn’t mind, since it wasn’t a formal school.

The nursery class existed mainly to help the workers by teaching simple things.

As long as you paid the fee, the teacher would watch your child if you sent them, but it wasn’t a big deal if you didn’t.

Chuxia had asked a parent whose child also attended the nursery class to help excuse Cen Huaian’s absence.

She told Cen Huaian, “Since you’re attending the nursery class, you need to take school seriously. If you can’t attend, you must ask the teacher for permission. That’s a basic rule of going to school. In other places, many kids don’t even get the chance to go to school or learn to read, like Bangzi. You should cherish this opportunity to go to school.”

Cen Huaian nodded.

He really enjoyed learning new things from his mom and the teacher, but he didn’t like having to repeatedly go over things he already knew.

So sometimes, after the teacher repeated a lesson many times, he couldn’t help but do other things.

But he promised himself he would try harder to listen carefully.

“Mom,” Cen Huaian suddenly called out to Chuxia.

“Yes?”

“Brother Bang Ge doesn’t like to study. He doesn’t know how to read,” Cen Huaian said, his small face expressionless, just stating a fact.

“Why?”

“His mom used to study, but then she ran away. His dad burned her books and accidentally burned himself to death. He hates books the most.”

Chuxia had guessed that Bangzi’s family situation might be bad, maybe that he didn’t have parents, but she never imagined it was like this.

She opened her mouth, “You should have told me earlier.”

Cen Huaian glanced at her, “You didn’t ask me.”

Chuxia… realized it was her fault.

But she still said, “Actually, books aren’t to blame; they’re just objects. The real problem was his mom’s bad character—she abandoned them. That had nothing to do with whether she studied or not. On the contrary, we can learn a lot from books.”

Cen Huaian thought about what Chuxia said and firmly replied, “Mom, I will study hard.”

“Good. Now, go to class.”

While Chuxia was at the factory, she carried a small, hand-made booklet where she noted down important points for exams.

When the fabric wasn’t ready, she would glance at the booklet.

While working, she would recite the notes, making her study sessions very efficient.

On the other side, when Cen Huaian entered the classroom, the happiest person was Chenchen.

He considered himself good friends with An’an now.

Good friends should care for each other.

“An’an, why didn’t you come to class for days?”

Cen Huaian glanced at him, initially not wanting to respond, but then he thought about Chenchen’s candy and replied, “My mom was sick.”

“Oh, being sick is so uncomfortable, and you have to take bitter medicine. I hate being sick the most!” Chenchen started rambling on and on.

Cen Huaian didn’t understand how Chenchen could have so much to say, so he just focused on wiping down his desk and bench, took out his book, and waited for class to start.

Chenchen’s nonstop talking didn’t affect him at all.

“Haha! Cen Huaian, did your mom make you wear her clothes? It looks so ugly!”

This was Wang Hongbing, the naughtiest kid in the nursery class.

He was always pulling girls’ braids or putting bugs on people’s desks, and he especially loved making fun of others.

As soon as he saw Cen Huaian, he started laughing loudly, holding his stomach and making exaggerated faces.

Cen Huaian shot him a fierce look without saying a word.

Wang Hongbing immediately shivered in fear, hurried back to his seat, and didn’t dare make fun of Cen Huaian again.

He was too scary—Cen Huaian looked like the wild dog that once bit a chunk out of his leg.

No wonder Jiang Chen had cried so hard after being beaten by him.

Wang Hongbing was so scared that he wet his pants by accident and had to be sent home by the teacher to change.

At noon, Chuxia picked up Cen Huaian and took him to the department store to buy clothes.

The salesperson was the same young man as before, and he had just received a new batch of clothes, including the latest autumn styles.

There were also shoes, and Chuxia spotted some familiar Warrior sneakers.

These shoes would still be around in the future, although they would eventually lose popularity.

But for now, having a pair of Warrior sneakers was considered really cool.

Chu Xia bought four sets of clothes each for herself and Cen Huai’an, including a jacket, sweater, pants, shoes, and thermal underwear.

She also got a pair of white sneakers and a pair of small leather shoes.

With her modern taste, she avoided flashy styles, opting for simple, timeless pieces that could be easily mixed and matched.

For example, a burgundy waist-fitted dress paired with a vintage belt and black high heels made her look both elegant and fashionable.

Cen Huai’an didn’t have any opinions about his clothes and let Chu Xia dress him as she pleased.

However, as soon as they got home, he immediately put on the white sneakers, revealing his favorite.

Chu Xia also dressed him in a new dark blue hoodie with a zipper, simply decorated with a brown embroidered bear on the chest.

The outfit highlighted his fair skin and made him look like a child star—clean and stylish.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have a full-length mirror at home, so Cen Huai’an couldn’t see how he looked.

Despite his delight, he only showed a slight smile, skillfully hiding his emotions.

“Mom, are these my clothes from now on?” he asked.

“Of course, they are. Now, stop touching them and help me wash the vegetables and peel the garlic. We’re making garlic spinach today,” Chu Xia replied.

She had hoped to use spinach she had grown, but it hadn’t fully matured yet.

Instead, she bought some fresh spinach from a local farmer she encountered that morning.

Knowing that it was pesticide-free, she bought extra to store in the fridge.

Cen Huai’an, sitting on a small stool next to Chu Xia, peeled garlic diligently after washing the spinach.

He worked quickly and carefully.

For garlic spinach, the garlic must be stir-fried in hot oil before adding the spinach, which should be sautéed briefly to avoid overcooking.

It’s important to get the timing just right; otherwise, the spinach would be either too raw or too cooked.

A little soy sauce and salt finished the dish, which was simple, quick to prepare, and perfect for a summer meal—light and flavorful.

Chu Xia also made tofu spinach soup and reheated some steamed buns for their meal.

This was Cen Huai’an’s favorite time of day, and if Chu Xia didn’t keep an eye on him, he would eat until he was stuffed.

The weather was poor all day, with strong winds, so Chu Xia brought an umbrella and a raincoat to work.

As expected, it started raining heavily in the afternoon, and by the time work ended, the rain had intensified, and the temperature had dropped.

Chu Xia had to pick up Cen Huai’an and couldn’t wait for the rain to stop like others.

She rushed through the rain to the kindergarten, soaking her pants in the process.

She wrapped the raincoat around Cen Huai’an, and they hurried home.

When they arrived at their apartment, Chu Xia noticed that the neighboring unit was open, with a woman and a child, both soaked from the rain, moving in.

Chu Xia quickly pulled Cen Huai’an inside, worried that she might catch a cold, which would only make her recent recovery short-lived.

Inside, the kettle was already on the stove, and there was hot water ready.

Cen Huai’an wasn’t too wet, just his shoes and pants, so Chu Xia had him wash his feet and change into dry clothes.

She then took the hot water to clean herself in the inner room.

The small apartment was divided into inner and outer rooms by a partition, but without a door, even basic tasks like bathing were inconvenient.

Since Cen Huai’an was already five, Chu Xia realized he would need his own bed soon, prompting her to think about moving to a bigger place.

However, at that time, there weren’t many commercial apartments available, and even if there were, finding one was difficult and expensive.

Although Chu Xia could afford to buy a plot of land, building a house would still require money.

If she were to buy a house, Chu Xia would want one in Beijing or Shanghai, where property was cheap and not subject to purchase restrictions.

She knew that in the future, when property prices skyrocketed, she would regret not buying more houses while she had the chance.

But she also knew that success wouldn’t come overnight.

For now, her priority was to secure her job, focus on her studies, and prepare for next year’s college entrance exam.