Chuxia looked up and met his gaze, her heart suddenly racing and her ears feeling warm.

Cen Zhengnian was being quite unfair. Looking so handsome and gentle, he was really hard to resist.

She stood up and looked around, asking, “Where will An’an and I sleep tonight?”

Cen Huai’an looked from his mom to his dad, feeling a bit puzzled by their strange behavior but also curious about the rooms at Grandpa and Grandma’s house.

The house was so big compared to their small place in the family quarters.

“Your room is upstairs.”

Cen Zhengnian got up, holding An’an’s hand, and headed towards the stairs.

As they went upstairs, he said to Chuxia, “My mom didn’t know what you like, so the room is decorated the way she wanted.”

Chuxia wasn’t too concerned about that; she was more interested in whether the bed was large, the bedding soft, and if it was comfortable to sleep at night.

So when Cen Zhengnian opened the door to the room, Chuxia saw the fluffy quilt and couldn’t help but smile. “It’s nice. I like it.”

Besides the quilt, she liked the calligraphy and paintings on the wall, and the desk and chair by the wall.

The room’s decoration was clearly done with care.

“This calligraphy is well done, Jiang Zhongmin.”

Chuxia read the name on the calligraphy and boldly guessed, “This wouldn’t be Grandpa’s writing, would it?”

Chuxia didn’t know Cen Zhengnian’s grandfather’s name, as such details were rarely shared with younger generations.

“Yes,” Cen Zhengnian walked over, standing beside her to look at the calligraphy. “This was given to my mom by Grandpa when she got married.”

Cen Zhengnian had never mentioned it, but his grandfather’s calligraphy was quite famous in the country.

However, this fame had brought trouble to Cen Zhengnian in the past few years.

If not for Mr. Cen and Jiang Shengnan’s efforts, Cen’s grandfather might not have survived.

Back then, Mr. Cen and Jiang Shengnan had lived in constant fear, but fortunately, Gansu was far from the center of things and was a military area, so they avoided some of the troubles.

Chuxia knew that the world she was in now was different from her previous life.

There were various historical events, and some famous people from the future did not yet exist, while some well-known figures in this world were unfamiliar to her.

After all, this was a world from a book, which was normal.

Chuxia looked at the calligraphy.

As someone who had practiced writing since she was young, she could appreciate it.

The more she looked at the calligraphy, the more she liked it.

The style was casual and natural, with a hint of carefree elegance.

The writing reflected the person; although she hadn’t met Cen Zhengnian’s grandfather, she already liked him just from this piece of writing.

Cen Zhengnian noticed Chuxia’s admiration and smiled, saying, “I also learned calligraphy from my grandfather.”

Chuxia had seen Cen Zhengnian’s writing before; it was very beautiful and carried a distinctive character.

Although Cen Zhengnian appeared non-threatening and even had a gentlemanly aura, his writing revealed that he had his own principles and was the kind of person who wouldn’t easily change once he made up his mind.

Chuxia had only seen his writing done with a pen, including the calligraphy books he sent to Cen Huai’an, which were all done with a fountain pen.

She had never seen his brush calligraphy before.

She suddenly became interested. “Do you have time tomorrow? If so, could you write a piece for An’an and me to see?”

She turned to Cen Huai’an and asked, “Would you like to see Daddy write with a brush?”

Cen Huai’an eagerly nodded, “Yes!”

Cen Zhengnian, however, had an apologetic smile on his face: “I have to return to the base early tomorrow morning. If you want to see it, I’ll write it for you after dinner.”

He was already given special leave for the afternoon, and had to negotiate an additional night.

He felt bad that he couldn’t spend more time with Chuxia and Huai’an since he had to return to work.

Chuxia initially thought it was too late to write now and she and Huai’an wanted to rest early.

Since writing requires preparing ink, it’s more convenient to do it when he has more time.

She didn’t expect Cen Zhengnian had to return so soon.

“Then write it when you have time. It’s not urgent,” she said.

Seeing the fatigue in Cen Zhengnian’s eyes, Chuxia understood that his work was demanding.

Writing the calligraphy wasn’t urgent and could wait.

Just then, Jiang Shengnan’s voice came from downstairs. “Chuxia! An’an! Zhengnian! Dinner is ready!”

The three of them quickly went downstairs without having a chance to check out Huai’an’s room.

Jiang Shengnan’s beef noodles were delicious—the noodles were chewy, the beef was tender, and the broth was rich and flavorful from the bone stock.

Though Chuxia wasn’t very hungry, she found herself eating a full bowl.

Huai’an also ate eagerly, almost burying his head in the bowl.

Seeing them enjoy the meal, Jiang Shengnan felt relieved.

She said with a bright smile, “There’s more in the pot. Help yourselves if you want more.”

Chuxia replied, “Mom, one bowl is enough for me.”

“It’s not much. Eat a bit more,” Jiang Shengnan insisted, reflecting a common concern among elders that children don’t eat enough.

“I’m really full, thank you,” Chuxia refused again.

After dinner, Jiang Shengnan took Chuxia and Huai’an to the bathroom for a wash.

While they couldn’t take a proper shower, soaking their feet in warm water was relaxing.

Since it was Huai’an’s first time in a new place, Chuxia decided he should sleep with her tonight and sleep alone tomorrow.

She was uneasy about him sleeping alone in an unfamiliar room.

Chuxia’s bed was large enough for the three of them.

As she lay on it, the blanket had a sunlit smell and was warm, making her sleepy quickly.

She yawned and reminded Cen Zhengnian at the desk, “Don’t forget to turn off the light.”

“Okay,” Cen Zhengnian replied.

Chuxia and Huai’an soon fell asleep, as they were truly exhausted.

The sleep in the car hadn’t been very restful.

Cen Zhengnian finished grinding the ink and took a brush from Cen’s father’s study.

He wrote seriously on the paper, and after finishing one page, he put down the brush, turned off the light, removed his heavy outer clothes, and got into bed.

The bed was very soft, and as he lay down, he sank into it, pressing up against Chuxia, who was already asleep on her side.

They were close together.

In the dim moonlight, Cen Zhengnian looked at Chuxia’s sleeping face and gently tucked a stray hair behind her ear, smiling.

He adjusted the blanket over both of them and wrapped his arm around her waist, closing his eyes.

With his beloved wife and child beside him and the wind howling outside, Cen Zhengnian felt warmth and contentment.

He soon fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Cen’s father and Jiang Shengnan were still awake downstairs.

Jiang Shengnan was applying cream to her face and complained to Cen’s father, “Today was Chuxia and An’an’s first day here. Look at your attitude—no smile on your face at all! How do you expect them to feel welcomed? They might think you don’t want them here.”

Cen’s father, who had been reading a newspaper, paused and frowned. “I didn’t mean to make them feel unwelcome.”

He was genuinely anxious now, sitting up and pacing around, unable to relax.

“Do you think Chuxia might misunderstand?”

During dinner, he thought Chuxia and Huai’an seemed happy and comfortable, not making any fuss about eating.

Jiang Shengnan, unaware of her husband’s true feelings, huffed and climbed into bed, saying, “I don’t know about that. I’m not Chuxia or An’an.”

Cen’s father continued pacing, conflicted. “I’ll give them a red envelope tomorrow. That should clear up any misunderstandings.”

Jiang Shengnan shot him a look. “If you’re feeling bad now, why did you act that way earlier?”

“I wasn’t pretending,” Cen’s father said, frowning.

He simply didn’t know how to be more approachable and was using his usual demeanor.

Jiang Shengnan let him stew in his discomfort for a while before saying, “I think Chuxia is generous and won’t mind your attitude. Tomorrow, try to smile more. Now go to bed; you’re making me dizzy. Get some rest!”

She knew her husband was genuinely uncomfortable, but she also realized that Chuxia and Huai’an hadn’t minded his demeanor.

Jiang Shengnan was just frustrated with how he acted earlier and wanted to correct it.

Cen’s father, feeling frustrated, sighed and went to bed.

He was struggling with how to show warmth and closeness, having always been distant with his sons.

The next morning, Chuxia was jolted awake by the loud wake-up call.

The sounds of soldiers running and shouting were deafening.

She opened her eyes and noticed that Huai’an was also awake, but Cen Zhengnian was already gone.

Cen Huai’an rubbed his eyes and sat up, looking around and asking, “Mom, has Dad left?”

“Probably,” Chuxia replied.

Cen Zhengnian had mentioned he was heading back to the base early this morning, and now he was nowhere to be seen.

She hadn’t even felt him leave since it was so early.

If she hadn’t confirmed last night that Cen Zhengnian was sharing the bed with them, she would have thought he hadn’t slept there at all.

Chuxia yawned and said, “Get up; your grandma will probably call us for breakfast soon.”

Military personnel wake up early, and both Mr. Cen and Jiang Shengnan, being military, were no exception.

Cen Huai’an dressed faster than Chuxia.

Once dressed, he slid off the bed, put on his shoes, and headed outside.

At the desk near the door, he saw a piece of calligraphy and said, “Mom, there’s a piece of writing here that looks like it was done by Dad.”

Cen Huai’an was currently practicing Cen Zhengnian’s fountain pen calligraphy, so he was quite familiar with his father’s style.

Even though the calligraphy on the desk was done with a brush and looked different from the fountain pen writing, he had no proof, but he felt it was indeed his father’s work.

Chuxia, surprised, quickly finished dressing, put on her shoes, and went to the desk.

On the desk lay a piece of calligraphy that indeed had Cen Zhengnian’s style—distinctive and powerful, with a sense of rigor and determination.

She recalled that last night, before going to bed, Cen Zhengnian had been sitting at the desk, although she was too tired to notice what he was doing.

He must have been writing while she was asleep.

Chuxia couldn’t describe how she felt at that moment, but looking at the calligraphy, her emotions were unsettled.

“It’s written by your dad.”

She gently stroked Cen Huai’an’s soft hair and said, “We were all asleep last night, and your dad wrote this while sitting here.”

She said this casually, but Cen Huai’an took her words to heart and actually went to see the piece.

Chuxia couldn’t help but develop a fondness for Cen Zhengnian because of this.

Cen Huai’an looked at the calligraphy and said, “Dad writes really well.”

He liked that his dad was someone who followed through on what he said.

“Mom, can I have this piece of writing?” Cen Huai’an looked up at Chuxia and asked.

Chuxia carefully put away the calligraphy and said, “No, this is something your dad wrote for me.”

The calligraphy was a poem from the Book of Songs, with an understated romantic sentiment.

It was clearly not meant for Cen Huai’an, so she had to put it away before he could understand it.

Chuxia hadn’t expected Cen Zhengnian to write such a poem; she had thought he would write something more formal, like Confucian texts.

However, receiving such a poem made Chuxia very happy, and she still had a smile on her face as she and Cen Huai’an went downstairs.

Jiang Shengnan and Mr. Cen had indeed already gotten up.

One was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper, and the other was writing in a notebook.

Hearing the noise, Jiang Shengnan immediately looked up with a smile and said, “You’re up. Did the noise outside wake you?”

Seeing Chuxia’s smile, Mr. Cen breathed a sigh of relief, having been worried all night.

Seeing her now, it seemed she had no misunderstandings about him.

“No, An’an and I usually wake up around this time.”

It was a bit noisy, but they did wake up early.

Apart from resting, they both had work and school, and they couldn’t afford to be late.

Jiang Shengnan had brought breakfast from the cafeteria, which was now warming on the stove, waiting for Chuxia and Cen Huai’an to get up and eat.

It was still hot when she brought it out.

The Northwestern cuisine mainly consists of wheat-based foods.

For breakfast, Jiang Shengnan had brought steamed buns, porridge, pickled vegetables, and eggs.

“The food from the cafeteria is quite good. Try it. If you don’t like it, we can cook something at home.”

Chuxia and Cen Huai’an were not picky eaters, and as they ate the buns, she said, “Mom, it’s okay. The buns from the cafeteria are quite tasty.”

She wasn’t lying; they were indeed good.

“Mom, when did Zhengnian go back to the base?”

It was only after they came downstairs that Chuxia confirmed Cen Zhengnian had indeed returned to the base.

Jiang Shengnan and Mr. Cen both looked guilty when asked this.

They exchanged a glance, and Jiang Shengnan said, “He left at four this morning. Chuxia, don’t blame Zhengnian. His work really doesn’t allow for much flexibility. But I’ve told him to take leave if possible during the New Year.”

Chuxia didn’t expect such a strong reaction from Jiang Shengnan and Mr. Cen just from a casual question.

She quickly replied, “I’m not upset. I knew about his work nature when I married him, so I’m not blaming him. But since tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, won’t he be taking a break?”

Jiang Shengnan sighed, and without needing further explanation, Chuxia understood.

Even though Cen Zhengnian wasn’t there, Chuxia and Cen Huai’an would still celebrate New Year’s Eve and the Spring Festival.

Mr. Cen was the busiest at the moment, so Chuxia and Jiang Shengnan were preparing things for the house.

Since Jiang Shengnan needed to buy some ingredients for the New Year’s Eve dinner, she took Chuxia and Cen Huai’an out for shopping.

The military family quarters were crowded with people at this time of year.