Chuxia was genuinely surprised.

She hadn’t expected An An to be so fortunate as to meet such an outstanding teacher.

If it had been just Chuxia and Cen Huai’an at home, she might have agreed to let An An start learning right away.

But with Cen Zhengnian at home, she needed to discuss the matter with him.

She told Guo Lin, “Sorry, I need to discuss this with his father. Can I give you an answer in a couple of days?”

Guo Lin, though eager to take on a promising student, understood her concerns.

He nodded, “Of course.”

As Chuxia and Cen Huai’an left, Guo Lin couldn’t help but add, “I’ll be at the Youth Palace after 2 PM tomorrow. You can come directly to find me once you’ve made your decision.”

“Thank you, Teacher Guo.”

Once Chuxia and An An had walked away, the girl immediately pouted, saying, “Doesn’t she know how many people want to learn from my uncle? Why can’t she just agree without discussing it?”

“Lingling! Where did you learn to be so arrogant?” Guo Lin frowned at his niece. “There are always more talented people out there. Even when you were learning from me, your parents considered it for a long time. It’s only normal for others to discuss it before deciding. Don’t say such things in the future.”

“Teacher, Lingling is just feeling sorry for you,” the boy said, seeing Lingling about to cry, and tried to defend her.

Guo Lin replied, “You shouldn’t worry about these things. It affects the mindset needed for learning. I really want to teach that child. He has true talent!”

Talking about it, Guo Lin couldn’t hide his excitement.

It was the kind of enthusiasm a good teacher shows when discovering a promising student.

“Teacher, is he really that impressive?” the boy asked, somewhat unconvinced.

He was only a little older, had played two games of Gomoku, and had never touched Go, so how could he have talent?

“He might not be impressive now, but he could be in the future,” Guo Lin said.

---

After leaving the Youth Palace, Chuxia noticed An An looking back longingly.

She patted his head and asked, “Do you want to learn Go?”

Without hesitation, An An nodded, “Yes.”

“Do you like the teacher we met? Do you want to study with him?” Chuxia asked.

Even if the teacher was excellent, An An had to like him too.

An An thought for a moment and said, “He’s very impressive. I like listening to him explain the game.”

Chuxia understood.

“Okay, let’s buy a Go set first. After we get home and talk to your dad, we’ll take you to start learning.”

Chuxia took An An to the Xinhua Bookstore, where there were new Sudoku books and Go sets for sale.

While buying books and the Go set, Chuxia said, “I’m giving you the Go set. But for the Sudoku books, you need to use one of your red stars to exchange for one. Do you want any comic books?”

An An cautiously asked, “Do I need to use red stars for the second one?”

“No, only for the second one,” Chuxia replied.

“I want one,” An An said.

“Choose one yourself,” Chuxia said.

Chuxia also looked at the children’s section and found two bilingual English books suitable for children.

The stories were unfamiliar to her but featured illustrations matching the era’s style, similar to the animation of “Journey to the West.”

The books were well-crafted and authentically translated, ideal for children’s learning.

The books were said to be part of a series and were in high demand, with some buyers purchasing many at once.

Chuxia didn’t buy too many today.

She had already bought a lot of books and decided to wait until An An had read through them before buying more.

Finally, she bought two English classics, “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “Anna Karenina,” along with an introductory book on Go.

They carried the books to the checkout and headed home.

On the bus, An An eagerly flipped through the “Journey to the West” comic book he had chosen himself.

Chuxia, sitting beside him, closed the book and said, “You can’t read while the bus is moving; it’s bad for your eyes. You can read it when we get home.”

An An had already flipped through a few pages in the bookstore and decided to buy it because he liked it.

Now he was anxious to read the rest of the story but had to look out the window since his mom didn’t allow him to read.

Watching the rows of trees passing by, An An thought: Going out with Mom is interesting in a different way from shopping.

He vaguely understood what his mom meant by experiencing different interests but couldn’t quite articulate it.

When they got home, An An didn’t ask about shopping but focused intently on his comic book.

If Chuxia hadn’t reminded him to rest his eyes, he wouldn’t have taken a break.

Later, without Chu Xia needing to say anything, Cen Huai’an continued to watch and ponder over the Go game and the introductory Go book on his own.

Chu Xia was puzzled and asked him, “Aren’t you interested in watching? Why did you stop?”

Cen Huai’an replied, “I finished watching today. If I watch a little each day, I can enjoy it for many days.”

Chu Xia smiled and ruffled his hair, praising him, “You’re quite smart.”

In the evening, Cen Zhengnian returned home, looking weary from the day’s work, carrying a piece of beef he must have bought from somewhere.

“Let’s have tomato stewed beef tonight,” Chu Xia suggested.

Cen Zhengnian, washing his hands, agreed, “Sure. I’ll go take a shower.”

Since it wasn’t too cold yet, Cen Zhengnian chose to shower at home instead of going to the bathhouse.

When he came out, droplets of water were clinging to his hair, dripping down onto his fair collarbone and sliding down his shirt.

Chu Xia stole a glance before quickly looking away.

“Please mop up the water in the room,” she instructed.

Cen Zhengnian took the mop and went into the room.

When he came out, Chu Xia said, “Our home is still too small, and it’s not convenient for bathing. Also, we need to get An An a bed of his own. He’s growing up and will need to sleep alone eventually.”

Cen Zhengnian paused, realizing the inconvenience of their living situation.

He nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll take care of it.”

Chu Xia asked him for help and continued, “I took An An to the Youth Palace today…”

She told Cen Zhengnian about what happened that day: “An An really likes Go. When you came back, you saw him sitting there alone, completely engrossed. Teacher Guo Lin, whom I saw in the Youth Palace’s introduction, is a remarkable teacher. I don’t know much else about him, but he wants An An to learn Go from him. What do you think?”

Listening to Chu Xia talk about An An with such tenderness, the smile in Cen Zhengnian’s eyes grew warmer.

He loved the current life they were living.

The weariness of daily life seemed to melt away in her voice, filling his heart with warmth and making him wish he could stay in this moment forever.

“If An An likes Go, then let him learn. I don’t know much about Go either, but my grandfather does. I’ll call him later to ask for more information. It wouldn’t hurt for An An to know more about Go. If the teacher is good, An An can continue learning from him.”

Chu Xia’s face lit up with a smile.

She had never raised a child before and was always afraid of making mistakes.

Now, with Cen Zhengnian to discuss things with, she felt much more at ease, her burden lightened.

The tomato beef stew Chu Xia made had been cooked long enough that the beef was tender and flavorful, with a rich, sweet and sour sauce.

Paired with a bowl of thick white rice, even Cen Zhengnian remarked after dinner, “Chu Xia, your cooking is so good that it’s hard not to overeat.”

Chu Xia laughed and said, “I can’t help it. I just cook casually.”

Cen Zhengnian sighed, “If even casual cooking is this delicious, don’t cook so seriously. I’m afraid I’ll eat even more.”

Chu Xia couldn’t help but laugh, finding Cen Zhengnian’s earnest remarks more delightful than any attempts to flatter.

Cen Huai’an glanced at his dad, then at his mom, and couldn’t help but smile slightly.

He liked how his parents were now. If only his dad could always be home.

After Cen Zhengnian and Cen Huai’an cleaned up after dinner, they all went out for a walk to help with digestion.

There were many people downstairs in the compound, and when they saw Chu Xia and the two of them, they greeted them with smiles.

Cen Huai’an held one of Cen Zhengnian’s hands and one of Chu Xia’s hands, stepping on the fallen leaves on the ground.

His heart was overflowing with joy.

In the past, when he saw other children walking with their parents, he secretly wished that one day he could also walk with his parents in the compound.

Today, that dream finally came true!

When they reached the small shop, Cen Zhengnian said he would call his grandfather.

Chu Xia told An An to go with him while she waited outside.

Soon, Cen Zhengnian came out with a bunch of snacks: Mili candy, fruit candy, spicy chips, and more.

Chu Xia looked at the snacks and then at Cen Zhengnian with a disapproving look, “Don’t buy so many snacks for him. He won’t finish them. And remember, he can’t eat spicy chips; he’s on medication.”

Chu Xia took the snacks away, leaving Cen Huai’an with just one fruit candy. “He can eat this. Next time, if your dad buys snacks, you should refuse them. Otherwise, if you eat too much and get a stomachache, I’ll take away your little red flower.”

Cen Zhengnian looked helplessly at Cen Huai’an, indicating that he couldn’t go against his mother’s wishes.

Cen Huai’an looked at Cen Zhengnian and then at the snacks, quietly eating the fruit candy.

“Don’t be upset. I’ll listen to you from now on and not buy so many snacks.”

Chu Xia didn’t dwell on the matter. It wasn’t a big deal.

She changed the topic, asking, “What did Grandpa say?”

Cen Zhengnian’s smile widened as he recounted the conversation. “Grandpa is very happy that An An likes Go. He said if you were in Beijing, there would be no need for him to follow another teacher; he could teach An An himself. He’s sorry that you’re not in Beijing.”

Chu Xia replied, “I work in Liangzhou, so how can we go to Beijing?”

Cen Zhengnian said, “I told Grandpa that too. He said he knows Guo Lin and is a rising star in the Go community. Grandpa and his teacher are acquaintances, so An An can learn from him. Grandpa also said that if you ever go to Beijing, An An must continue learning Go with him and not with anyone else.”

Chu Xia couldn’t help but laugh, finding Cen Grandpa amusing.

She nodded and said, “Okay.”

The next day was still a holiday.

Chu Xia had gotten used to her biological clock and woke up at the usual time.

When she got up, Cen Zhengnian and Cen Huai’an were not in the room, probably out buying breakfast.

She didn’t pay much attention, finished her morning routine, and took out her Chinese book to review a few pages.

In the mornings, Chu Xia usually reviewed Chinese and politics because it was easier to memorize at that time.

After she completed her review, Cen Zhengnian and Cen Huai’an returned with buns, fried dough sticks, and tofu pudding.

After breakfast, just as Chu Xia was about to start on math exercises, Cen Zhengnian suddenly pulled out three movie tickets and said, “My friend gave me these three movie tickets. Let’s go see a movie today.”

Cen Huai’an also looked at Chu Xia with anticipation.

Previously, when Chu Xia went to the movies alone, he wished he could go with his mom.

Now that his dad was with them and there was talk of a movie, he felt even more excited.

He had never been to the movies with both his parents.

“Sure.”

Chu Xia had no objections.

Seeing Cen Huai’an relax and his eyes light up with happiness, she couldn’t resist pinching his nose, “Last time I went alone and you weren’t happy. Are you especially happy today that Dad and I are taking you?”

Cen Huai’an’s ears turned a bit red from Chu Xia’s words.

He lowered his head and mumbled, “Mm,” clearly very pleased.

The movie Cen Zhengnian picked was a comedy, “Happy Life,” a classic film.