On the day of the field trip, Chuxia packed a lot of snacks, including bread, egg cakes, and beef jerky, into Cen Huai’an’s backpack, ensuring he would have plenty to eat and share with other kids.

Besides the food, she also included a piece of cloth, red medicine, and cooling oil for any possible needs during the trip.

“Don’t litter after eating. Make sure to throw your trash in the designated trash cans,” she instructed.

The park now had trash cans on the streets, mostly made of cement and shaped like various animals—penguins, frogs, lions—as well as simple cylindrical bins labeled “fruit peels” or “fruit shells.”

Cen Huai’an was eagerly looking forward to the field trip.

He nodded to whatever Chuxia said and was just waiting to go to school.

The backpack was a bit heavy.

With the addition of the green water bottle, some children from the residential compound came to call Cen Huai’an to go to school.

He quickly drank the last of his milk drink, slung on his backpack, and dashed out the door.

Next door, Guan Yan was also sending her son to school.

Qi Ming was eager to run, and Guan Yan held him back with detailed instructions.

Chuxia caught a glimpse of this but didn’t pay much attention and went back inside.

Guan Yan paused and glanced over at Chuxia before continuing to talk to Qi Ming.

“Have you played with An An? What does his father do for a living?”

Qi Ming, impatient with his mother, pushed her hand away and ran off, “No, no, I don’t like playing with him! Mom, stop making me look for him, I’m going to school!”

Guan Yan watched her son’s retreating figure with a frown, her brows furrowed deeply.

Her husband had started a business at sea, and she always felt Chuxia’s husband was of notable background, so she wanted to inquire to see if any connections could be made.

However, Chuxia was unresponsive, and her son was equally uncooperative.

Guan Yan was frustrated but had no other options.

She planned to discuss it with her husband when he returned.

---

At the primary school, Cen Huai’an arrived and was immediately greeted by Chen Chen, who eagerly showed off his own backpack.

“An An! Look at all the snacks I brought! Do you want some milk snacks? And spicy strips!”

Cen Huai’an was indeed curious about the spicy strips, but since his mother had forbidden them, he quickly shook his head. “I don’t want any. I have my own snacks.”

Chen Chen felt a bit disappointed.

His snacks were favorites among his friends, so he couldn’t understand why An An didn’t want them.

Perhaps that was why he liked playing with An An—there was something different about him.

“Students, line up for the field trip! Form pairs and line up neatly, no disorder!” The homeroom teacher stood at the classroom door, calling out sternly.

The classroom was chaotic as the kids showed off their snacks to each other.

The students immediately quieted down and waited to go out.

Since the primary school was very close to People’s Park, the students walked there.

The entire grade, from the youngest to the oldest, lined up in rows, with teachers walking alongside to supervise as the elementary students set off for the park!

The students were thrilled.

Some mischievous children tried to run ahead, but generally, these kids were held tightly by their teachers.

Workers on bicycles passing by rang their bells and greeted the children.

The kids enthusiastically discussed these bicycle riders and even looked at them with envious eyes.

Cen Huai’an walked hand-in-hand with his parents through the street with his classmates and teachers for the first time.

Although he was excited inside, his face remained calm and composed, unlike Chen Chen, who bounced along excitedly, his excitement obvious.

“An An, aren’t you happy about the field trip?” Chuxia asked.

“Yes,” Cen Huai’an replied.

“Then why aren’t you smiling?”

“Why do I have to smile?”

Chen Chen couldn’t understand An An’s calm demeanor and how he wasn’t excited.

Cen Huai’an, in turn, didn’t understand why Chen Chen and the others were constantly smiling and if it was painful for their faces.

However, this didn’t affect their activities in the park together.

Bangzi and the others were also in the preschool class but weren’t seated with Cen Huai’an in the classroom.

They were a bit older and taller, so the teacher had placed them in the back.

Everyone knew Cen Huai’an was friends with Bangzi and his group.

At first, some kids mocked Bangzi and his friends for coming to school so late and appearing poor.

Later, some kids witnessed Bangzi and the older students fighting, with the older students getting beaten badly and crying loudly.

The fierce look Bangzi gave scared another kid, who ended up crying as well.

After this incident spread through the class, no one dared to mock Bangzi and his group anymore; in fact, they started avoiding them.

They began to admire Huai’an for being able to play with such intimidating classmates.

Of course, they were also scared of Huai’an, who looked quite fierce himself.

Bangzi and his group brought a few things with them, mostly malt sugar for making sugar figures.

At the park, most students had various snacks, so the novelty of making and playing with sugar figures was very appealing.

Huai’an and Chenchen helped sell the sugar figures.

Students could buy them for just a few cents, and for a bit more, they could try their hand at making their own sugar figures.

Some students had no money but came to watch, while others bought the sugar figures or played with the sugar for just a few cents.

With so many students from the affiliated school coming to buy, Huai’an and Chenchen were busy collecting money and preparing the sugar figures.

Chenchen was mostly enjoying the experience, while Huai’an was genuinely helping.

Bangzi and the others, each carrying a small bucket, sold out in less than an hour.

When other students came back to buy more, they found only empty buckets and were disappointed.

“Huai’an, will you be selling more in the future?”

“Bangzi, will you be selling at school?”

Bangzi waved them off, “It’s all sold out. Maybe next time.”

Then Huai’an and the others found a quieter spot to count the money.

Huai’an and Chenchen didn’t take any money; they were just helping out.

Bangzi, however, insisted that they deserved some pay for their help, though it was a small amount.

Huai’an and Chenchen accepted the money.

Chenchen grinned, showing off his earnings, “Huai’an, look! I earned this myself! I’m going to show it to my parents when I get home. They’ll be so happy!”

Huai’an’s hand paused as he put away his money.

He realized he always saved his earnings without telling his mom, but today he would show her and let her praise him.

After selling everything, everyone went off to play.

The teacher had marked specific areas for play, restricting movement to those areas and keeping students away from the artificial lake.

Despite this, some disobedient kids tried to sneak off, but the teachers kept a watchful eye on the dangerous spots.

Huai’an had no interest in the artificial lake.

He remembered his mom mentioning ginkgo leaves and wanted to collect them.

Bangzi and his group weren’t interested in leaf collecting and went off to find their own fun.

Only Chenchen stayed with Huai’an to help.

The largest ginkgo tree in the park was near the entrance.

There was also a ginkgo grove further in. Huai’an remembered the big ginkgo tree at the entrance and went there.

The ginkgo tree was massive, with a thick trunk and rough, branching bark.

The tree was surrounded by a low brick wall to keep people away, and a sign indicated it was 500 years old.

Most of the ginkgo leaves had turned yellow, covering the ground like small fans.

The wind blew them down, and elderly people nearby were collecting ginkgo nuts, causing even more leaves to fall.

Huai’an looked for large, complete leaves on the ground and collected them in a metal box he had specially brought from home for this purpose.

Chenchen, after a while, lost interest and ran around under the tree, occasionally scooping up leaves and tossing them playfully.

Chenchen gathered a big handful of leaves, sneaked up behind Huai’an, and threw them in the air, shouting joyfully, “It’s snowing!”

Leaves fell all over Huai’an, but he remained focused on collecting them.

Chenchen noticed Huai’an wasn’t chasing him or reacting, which puzzled him.

He approached again and reached out to touch Huai’an’s shoulder, “Huai’an, you…”

Before he could finish speaking, Cen Huai’an suddenly turned around and threw a handful of leaves onto Chen Chen’s face and body.

Then he stood up with a sly smile, feeling triumphant.

Chen Chen squealed and began picking up leaves to throw back at Cen Huai’an.

The two of them ended up lying on the ground, covered in ginkgo leaves, panting heavily from the fun.

In the past, Cen Huai’an wouldn’t have enjoyed playing such a childish game of throwing leaves.

He would have found it silly. But now, he had regained much of his childlike innocence, a gradual and unintentional change.

After playing, Cen Huai’an continued to collect leaves, with Chen Chen helping him.

They ended up filling a tin box with the leaves before heading back to the meeting spot the teacher had designated.

It was around noon by then, and An An and Chen Chen returned to where the teacher had told them to gather.

Cen Huai’an spread out the cloth his mother had packed, and he and Chen Chen, along with Bangzi and the others, sat around and began eating.

Chen Chen had brought many snacks, but they were mostly light and didn’t fill them up.

The steamed buns and dumplings brought by Bangzi and his group had become cold and were not very tasty.

In the end, the bread Cen Huai’an had brought was the most popular, and they ate every bit of it.

Cen Huai’an couldn’t resist trying a piece of the spicy strips, which he ate with the steamed bun.

It was quite good, but he was careful not to eat too much, fearing that it might upset his stomach and result in his mother taking away his red flower reward.

After eating and drinking, the rest of the afternoon was spent strolling around the park.

At three o’clock, they gathered to return to school and end the day.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable day, much more fun than being at school.

As soon as Cen Huai’an got home, he showed Chuxia the ginkgo leaves he had collected and the money he had earned.

“Mom, do I get a red flower today?”

“Yes! You get a red flower for having a fun and safe day and for remembering what I said, like bringing back the ginkgo leaves. Of course, if you give me the money you earned, I might reward you with an extra flower.”

Cen Huai’an quickly withdrew his hand holding the money. “I can do with just one red flower.”

As the weather got colder, Chuxia felt that she might not have another chance to wear the long-sleeved dress she had bought.

So, she put on the red dress that Huang Tingyue had wanted to borrow in the morning.

She wore black leggings underneath, which were similar to modern-day tights, and paired the outfit with black leather shoes.

Over the dress, she wore a long coat, which she could take off if it got warm during the day.

Before Cen Huai’an went to school, Chuxia had asked him, “Do I look good in this outfit?”

An An had given a simple “Mm-hmm” in approval.

Chuxia happily left for work.

Her outfit attracted the attention of some female workers at the factory.

Huang Tingyue was the first to ask where she bought the coat.

Chuxia told her it was from the young man who had a stall in front of the department store.

“I heard he’s about to open a store in the city center. You might be able to buy from his store then,” Huang Tingyue said.

Huang Tingyue, touching the fabric of Chuxia’s coat, expressed concern, “Will it be very expensive?”

Chuxia smiled and said, “I think the quality and style of his clothes are worth the price.”

Huang Tingyue had been rapidly developing a relationship with her suitor.

According to the office gossip, her suitor often came to pick her up at the factory gate.

As Chuxia was organizing some documents, she listened to the women talking and laughing. “If that’s the case, we’ll probably get to eat Tingyue’s wedding candy soon.”

Chuxia usually didn’t engage in these topics.

When asked, she would just smile and nod, remaining a perfect invisible listener.

She didn’t expect to actually see Huang Tingyue’s suitor at the factory gate.

The man was of average height, around 170 cm, and as Huang Tingyue had described, he was gentle and refined.

Chuxia took a quick glance and then followed the crowd out, pretending not to notice Huang Tingyue fluttering over like a butterfly.

Huang Tingyue, noticing her suitor looking into the crowd, asked curiously, “Who are you looking for?”

The man smiled warmly and shook his head, “Looking for you. I didn’t expect you to be at the back.”

Huang Tingyue glanced at the crowd and saw Chuxia walking away in her black coat, with the red dress peeking out.

She felt a twinge of discomfort but brushed it off as overthinking.

Chuxia was now not only beautiful but also stylish.

She was always dressed in the best and most fashionable clothes at the factory, unlike before when she only wore the plain factory uniform.

Many of the female workers had started to follow her fashion.

Huang Tingyue had heard many people complimenting Chuxia, and even young male workers would give her extra glances.

If Chuxia weren’t married with a five-year-old child, many male workers might have pursued her.

Despite Huang Tingyue appearing cheerful and friendly at work, she was envious of Chuxia.

Especially when Chuxia’s husband came to pick her up in the rain, Huang Tingyue felt a deep pang of jealousy.

Chu Xia wasn’t aware of Huang Tingyue’s thoughts.

She had just received a letter from Cen Zhengnian along with a large package of items, mostly prepared by her mother-in-law.

Since Cen Zhengnian was too busy after returning, it was Jiang Shengnan who bought everything and had the guards deliver it to the base, and then Cen Zhengnian sent it using his name.

Jiang Shengnan probably didn’t know how earnest Cen Zhengnian was, which was detailed in the letter.

“Huai’an, remember to write a letter to grandma too. Let’s also send a family photo we took to grandma, okay? She sent us so many things; we should at least show our appreciation,” Chuxia said.

Huai’an agreed, nodding.

He didn’t have strong feelings about the term “grandma” before and even felt a bit resentful.

But since Cen Zhengnian’s return, his resentment had lessened.

Now, seeing the package, he was mostly curious as they hadn’t spent much time together.

On Sunday morning, the weather was perfect for making the ginkgo leaf bookmarks.

They started working on the leaves Huai’an had brought back.

The leaves were now dry and ready to be turned into bookmarks.

Without modern glues, Chuxia used flour paste, which worked surprisingly well.

She and Huai’an cut old calendar pages into rectangular cards, about five to six centimeters long and three to four centimeters wide.

They then prepared the bookmarks by writing favorite phrases or poems on the ginkgo leaves.

Brush pens were best for this, but fine brushes worked too, although many leaves were damaged in the process.

Thankfully, Huai’an had collected enough leaves to compensate for the losses.

After writing, they glued the leaves onto the prepared cards.

This step also required care to avoid damaging the leaves.

Huai’an’s success rate was lower, with many leaves either damaged or incorrectly glued, resulting in a few successful bookmarks.

His face ended up covered in glue, resembling a little cat.

Chuxia had a higher success rate. They used different designs: Chuxia’s had small flowers, while Huai’an’s had the character (peace).

Ideally, a stamp would have been perfect, but without one, they used their methods to distinguish the bookmarks.

They divided the bookmarks into three sets: one for Cen Zhengnian, one for Jiang Shengnan and her husband, and one for Cen Zhengnian’s grandfather in the capital.

Huai’an wrote three letters, but Chuxia didn’t read them, as it was his secret.

Shortly after finishing this task, it started raining again, getting colder.

Chuxia and Huai’an put on sweaters and thermal pants.

In the office, knitting was becoming popular, with Huang Tingyue also knitting.

Chuxia was the only one who didn’t knit; she didn’t know how.

Huang Tingyue was knitting for her partner and asked Chuxia, “Aren’t you knitting a sweater for your husband?”

Chuxia replied honestly, “I don’t know how to knit. The sweaters I make wouldn’t be as warm as the ones I can buy.”

Huang Tingyue was surprised, “You don’t know? Would you like to learn? I can teach you. Your husband would be so happy to receive a sweater you knitted.”

Chuxia declined, “I’ve already bought a wool sweater and sent it to my husband, so there’s no need to learn.”

Meanwhile, the letters and items that Chuxia and Huai’an had sent were received by Cen Zhengnian, Jiang Shengnan and her husband, and Cen Zhengnian’s grandfather in the capital.