Cen Zhengnian felt that he had been swayed, and all his stoic resolve seemed to crumble at this moment—apparently, he was just as ordinary as anyone else.

He swallowed hard, his gaze shifting upward to rest on Chuxia’s lips.

Her lips, pale from the cold, triggered a pang of concern.

He quickly grabbed a towel and began to wipe the rainwater from her hair.

Chuxia, shivering from the cold, grit her teeth and said, “I need to wash with hot water and change clothes.”

At that moment, Cen Huai’an came out from the inner room.

Cen Zhengnian had first gone to pick him up from school when it started raining and then went to get Chuxia.

They only had one umbrella at home, so he had to do it this way.

Since he had been in a hurry, his own clothes were mostly wet.

However, his physical condition was better than Chuxia’s, and as a man, he was naturally warmer.

He didn’t feel as cold.

There wasn’t a bathroom, but there was hot water on the coal stove.

Cen Zhengnian didn’t let Chuxia go out again; he prepared a basin of hot water and took Cen Huai’an outside.

Cen Huai’an, having grown close to Chuxia, noticed her pale complexion and asked Cen Zhengnian, “Is Mom sick?”

“It’s nothing serious,” Cen Zhengnian said, patting the boy’s head. “Your mom got caught in the rain and isn’t feeling well. Don’t disturb her.”

The sound of water splashing in the inner room was constant, and Cen Zhengnian struggled to keep his thoughts in check.

However, he couldn’t completely control his mind, and his ears were flushed red.

To avoid overthinking, Cen Zhengnian also prepared a basin of hot water, took off his wet clothes, and quickly cleaned himself up, changing into dry clothes.

Cen Huai’an sat there with a worried frown. When Chuxia came out, she saw him like that.

“Mom.” Cen Huai’an immediately jumped up from the stool and ran to her, hugging her waist and looking up at her with a concerned face. “Mom, are you okay?”

Before Chuxia could respond, Cen Zhengnian came over, placed his warm hand on her forehead, and she stared at his gesture in surprise.

“It’s a bit cold. You’re still not dressed warmly enough.”

Cen Zhengnian’s hand left her forehead and took her hand, rubbing it.

It was just as cold, causing him to frown. Without waiting for a response, he pulled her hand and led her into the room. “Sit on the bed and warm up. I’ll make dinner. An An, stay here and watch over your mom.”

“Okay!” Cen Huai’an immediately moved a stool to the bed’s side.

Chuxia looked at Cen Zhengnian with some doubt. “Can you cook?”

He hadn’t even mastered grocery shopping, so it was obvious he wasn’t familiar with cooking.

But Cen Zhengnian picked her up and gently placed her on the bed, then knelt to take off her shoes.

His movements were smooth and careful, and although it was unexpected, he was very considerate.

Chuxia was startled by his sudden actions. Before she could react, Cen Zhengnian firmly held her ankle and removed her shoes without giving her a chance to refuse.

Seeing that he intended to continue, Chuxia quickly said, “I’ll handle the rest myself.”

She hurriedly lifted her legs onto the bed and tucked them under the covers.

Cen Zhengnian made sure she lay down comfortably, covering her with the quilt as if she were fragile.

Chuxia found it both touching and amusing.

“It really isn’t necessary…”

“Don’t move,” Cen Zhengnian said, pressing the quilt down with a serious expression. “You don’t want to get sick, do you?”

Chuxia met his earnest gaze, and she felt a gentle tug at her heartstrings, causing her to stop her struggles instantly.

Seeing that she had settled down, Cen Zhengnian’s face softened into a smile. He gently patted her head. “Rest for a while. I’ll call you when the meal is ready.”

Chuxia knew from their conversations that Cen Zhengnian had eaten in the cafeteria while working in the Northwest.

She had even taught him how to roll dumpling wrappers last time.

She was genuinely worried about his cooking skills.

However, with Cen Huai’an diligently watching over her, there was nothing she could do.

Even the slightest movement from her made him immediately stand up to adjust the covers and say, “Mom, don’t move. Otherwise, you’ll get sick.”

Chu Xia lay down and thought, “Never mind, no matter how it turns out, as long as it’s edible.”

Perhaps the warmth of the blankets or the soothing sound of Cen Huai’an reading beside her made Chu Xia drowsy.

She soon felt sleepy.

“Chu Xia, Chu Xia…”

Cen Zhengnian’s voice seemed to come from afar, but Chu Xia, who was only lightly dozing, immediately woke up.

She looked into Cen Zhengnian’s concerned eyes.

His brows were slightly furrowed, and he placed his hand on her forehead to check if she had a fever.

Chu Xia gazed at Cen Zhengnian’s face, and suddenly her heart felt like it was submerged in warm water, both hot and comforting.

“You’re awake.” Seeing her open her eyes, Cen Zhengnian’s gaze met hers, reflecting her image.

He smiled gently and said, “Let’s get up and have breakfast.”

To be honest, Cen Zhengnian’s cooking skills were not very impressive—his cooking was limited to just getting the rice cooked.

The vegetables were simply boiled cabbage with a few drops of oil floating on top.

Though it wasn’t overly salty, it was barely edible.

Despite Cen Huai’an’s refined tastes from being pampered by Chu Xia, he still remembered the hunger from before and would eat whatever was available to fill his stomach, even if it wasn’t delicious.

His face, however, displayed a look of deep dissatisfaction.

The only thing Cen Zhengnian did well was porridge.

Although he put too much rice in it, making it a bit thick, it was still much better than the vegetables.

Thus, the family often had porridge for breakfast.

While Cen Zhengnian cleaned the pots and washed the dishes, Cen Huai’an quietly said to Chu Xia, “Mom, when you get better, don’t let Dad cook anymore.”

Chu Xia patted his head and said, “If you say that, Dad will be upset.”

Cen Huai’an looked conflicted.

After a while, he said seriously, “But Dad’s cooking really doesn’t taste good.”

Chu Xia smiled and pinched his cheek. “It’s precisely because it doesn’t taste good that he needs to practice more. We should give your dad more chances to improve his cooking skills.”

Cen Huai’an’s eyes widened in surprise.

After a moment of considering Chu Xia’s serious tone, he furrowed his small brow and reluctantly said, “Okay then.”

Before bed, Chu Xia instructed Cen Zhengnian to make a pot of ginger syrup in a clay pot.

The whole family drank it before going to bed.

….

Meanwhile, at the Luo family’s home, things were not going well.

Luo Xiaodi had just lost his partner and his job, causing the family great distress.

“Mom, it must be my second sister. She’s changed so much; she hates our family with a vengeance. She must have had my brother-in-law do this to me!” Luo Chuming said through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with hatred.

Previously, he had a promising future, a desirable partner, and both of his older sisters were well-married—one worked in a factory providing convenience, and the other had money.

He was living quite proudly.

But in just a short time, his second sister had become estranged, and now he was worse off than the street vagrants.

“It can’t be. It’s impossible,” Wang Yulan murmured, shaking her head repeatedly, her face showing the strain of heavy setbacks.

“Your father has been kind to your second sister’s family; they wouldn’t repay kindness with enmity.”

“What kindness?” Luo Chuming sneered, his face mocking. “If there had been kindness, would they have treated us like that when we went to them?”

Wang Yulan was suddenly overcome with regret for having demanded too much money from her second daughter before.

But Chu Xia was naïve.

She never mentioned her financial situation, and whenever asked, she gave money.

Wang Yulan thought she always had plenty of money.

Wang Yulan had paid little attention to Chu Xia, focusing only on getting the money and ignoring everything else.

But now it was too late to regret.

Chu Xia was no longer the same Chu Xia from before.

“It can’t be,” Wang Yulan insisted stubbornly, believing in her heart that as long as she didn’t admit it, her second daughter would still be the one who prioritized her as a mother.

However, the issue with the younger son needed to be resolved.

He couldn’t just stay at home without working.

Otherwise, the older son and daughter-in-law would be unhappy, and the family would continue to have conflicts.

There had been many disputes over the division of the house, and Wang Yulan had a headache whenever she saw her daughter-in-law.

But the factory wasn’t hiring, and Wang Yulan knew her younger son’s abilities.

He only graduated from junior high, which she had forced him to attend, and without connections, he couldn’t get into a better school.

After thinking for a long time, Wang Yulan nudged Luo Dafu beside her, her eyes full of worry. “Head of the family…”

She sighed deeply, looking particularly pitiful.

Luo Dafu was the type who didn’t worry about anything at home.

Unless Wang Yulan used this kind of gentle approach to make him do things, he would just lie on the sofa after work, either watching TV or listening to the radio.

Now that the house didn’t have a TV, he could only listen to the radio.

When Wang Yulan took this approach, Luo Dafu’s heart softened immediately, his brows furrowing into a deep frown. “Don’t worry about Chuming. The younger generation will find their own way.”

Wang Yulan’s tears fell, her face resembling a flower in the rain.

She gently patted Luo Dafu’s shoulder with a handkerchief. “He’s our son; how can I not worry?”

Luo Dafu quickly tried to console his wife, though he was somewhat inept with words, repeating, “Stop crying, just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

Wang Yulan had been waiting for him to say that. She wiped her tears and managed a tearful smile. “Darling, please call Cen Zhengnian’s father and ask him for one last favor. As long as he can help arrange a job for Chuming, we promise we won’t bother him again.”