Cen Zhengnian had only a two-day vacation, and his feelings for early summer were somewhat complicated.

It was impossible to say he wasn’t moved at all, but to say he was deeply in love wasn’t quite the case yet.

It was like a clear lake with a faint ripple, not yet a stormy sea.

Cen Zhengnian had to go back to work, and what he regretted most was that there would be no one to warm the bed; it took him half the night to warm up while sleeping alone.

In fact, what he most hated to part with was An An.

How long can a child’s grudge last?

The resentment Cen Huai’an had towards Cen Zhengnian had disappeared by now.

He knew Cen Zhengnian was leaving the next day, and in the afternoon, he kept pestering him to play chess.

Even when Hu Lei’s son, Hu Pandeng, brought some friends to play, he refused to go out.

Then Hu Pandeng and the others came in to see Cen Huai’an and Cen Zhengnian playing chess together.

Hu Pandeng was a lively child with a slightly dark face, looking strong and healthy.

Early summer asked Cen Huai’an, “An An, can your toys be shared with Pandeng and the others?”

Cen Huai’an generously replied, “Except for the ones Dad gave me, the rest can be shared.”

Chuxia took out his picture books, checkers, and flight chess, and also set up a table with a bunch of candies and peanuts, so the children could eat and play.

The children, well-behaved by family teaching, thanked Chuxia while eating the candies.

Chuxia couldn’t understand Go, and neither could the children.

However, children’s curiosity was high.

Except for a quiet boy reading a picture book, the others crowded behind Cen Huai’an to watch him play chess.

There was no space left beside Cen Huai’an, who was surrounded tightly.

Chuxia didn’t go over; she sat next to Cen Zhengnian.

As soon as she sat down, Cen Zhengnian looked over and saw her rubbing her hands and blowing on them to warm them up.

He reached out and touched her hand, saying, “It is a bit cold.”

Then he held her hand.

The warmth from his palm was indeed warmer than keeping her hands in her pockets.

But with the children around, Chuxia felt a bit embarrassed.

She tried to pull her hand away, but couldn’t, so she quickly placed her hand on her lap to keep the children from seeing.

Fortunately, the children were all focused on the chess game and didn’t notice their actions, so Chuxia sighed in relief.

Children are never quiet.

When they couldn’t understand, they asked questions.

When Cen Huai’an made a move, Hu Pandeng asked, “An An, why did you move here?”

Other children had many questions too.

“An An, can’t you play in the middle?”

“Move here to block the black pieces.”

“There’s space there, move there.”

Chuxia couldn’t help but laugh.

She could already see Cen Huai’an reaching his limit and turned to the children saying, “Be quiet.”

However, these children clearly weren’t afraid of him.

They stopped for a few seconds at most and then started chattering again.

They didn’t understand the saying “A true gentleman does not comment on the game,” they only knew to ask questions and give opinions.

Cen Huai’an ignored them and focused on his game.

Hu Pandeng and the others didn’t care, continuing their discussions and making Chuxia laugh.

In this game of chess, Cen Zhengnian still didn’t win.

His skill had a considerable gap compared to Cen Huai’an’s.

If he didn’t study hard, he wouldn’t have the chance to win against An An in the future.

But Cen Zhengnian didn’t mind. “Every profession has its specialty.” He was a person, not a god, and couldn’t be a master of everything.

Cen Huai’an was pulled to play Five-in-a-Row with Hu Pandeng.

The quiet boy who had been reading also came over and said he wanted to play with Cen Huai’an.

Hu Pandeng immediately made room, saying, “An An, you can play with Xiao He. He’s also very good at chess.”

Cen Zhengnian and Chuxia didn’t want to join the children’s play, so they prepared to leave.

He asked Chuxia, “Do you want to see the room I used to live in?”

Chuxia’s room upstairs had been newly decorated by Jiang Shengnan to ensure her comfort, with many things convenient for girls.

Cen Zhengnian and his brother used to live one upstairs and one downstairs.

He lived downstairs, next to Yutian’s place.

Chuxia nodded, “Sure.”

After all, she had nothing else to do at the moment.

She thought Cen Zhengnian’s room should be like him—gentle, clean, and possibly filled with books.

But as soon as she entered the room, Chuxia was surprised.

There were books, but more than that were various models—airplanes, rockets, shells.

They were made of wood, bullet casings, and more, big and small, filling a whole wall of shelves.

“Did you make all these yourself?” Chuxia walked over to look at a rocket model taller than a person, eyes full of amazement.

“Yes.” Cen Zhengnian walked over, touched the rocket model in front of Chuxia, and said, “I made this when I was a freshman in high school. It took me two months.”

At that time, he was very interested in these things, experimenting on his own, collecting relevant books and newspapers, and calculating data.

His brother joked that he seemed more dedicated to this than to studying at school.

Cen Zhengnian smiled, his eyes showing nostalgia, and said to his brother, “If I could, I’d like to do this for the rest of my life.”

At that time, he couldn’t attend university.

After finishing high school, Cen Zhengnian felt lost and didn’t know if he could still achieve his dreams.

He almost ended up joining the army like his elder brother and following the same path as most kids from the family compound.

Their father, seeing him disheartened, said he could strive for a spot in a worker-peasant-soldier university, with a quota available in the army, but he still needed to enlist first.

Chuxia blinked and asked, “What happened later?”

Cen Zhengnian smiled, “Later, I joined the army. I did everything I could to be recommended, no matter if I liked it or not, as long as it was beneficial for my recommendation.”

During the first recommendation opportunity after two years of service, Cen Zhengnian couldn’t compete with others in the army.

The next year, he continued to work hard.

Eventually, he was successfully recommended to enter university, and only then did he relax and focus on his studies.

Chuxia knew the rest of the story; he didn’t need to continue.

In fact, those years in the army were very tough for Cen Zhengnian, not physically but mentally.

He didn’t know if his persistence was worth it or if all his efforts would be useful.

Sometimes, at night, he would gaze at the stars and wonder where his path lay.

It was only after entering university that he stopped feeling lost and seized the rare opportunity to absorb knowledge eagerly.

Thus, he seldom mentioned his time in the army later.

He thought he had forgotten those torturous days.

But now he realized he hadn’t forgotten.

Those times had taught him to persevere, even though the future was uncertain, there would eventually be a breakthrough.

Now, he could speak about it lightly to Chuxia without any complaints.

Without that persistence, there wouldn’t be the present him.

After listening to Cen Zhengnian’s words, Chuxia felt only one thing in her heart: admiration.

If she didn’t know there was a college entrance exam in the future, she probably wouldn’t have fought for a tiny chance like Cen Zhengnian did for a dream that seemed unachievable.

She would have worked systematically like the average person, perhaps putting up a fight when the college entrance exam came around, and lived a mundane life without it.

Scientists like Cen Zhengnian have an extraordinarily resilient character, something that is rare among ordinary people.

Chuxia knew why she was unconsciously attracted to Cen Zhengnian—because he possessed qualities unique to researchers of this era, qualities she didn’t have.

After Cen Zhengnian finished speaking, Chuxia remained silent for a long time.

Sensing that the topic might have become a bit heavy, Cen Zhengnian pointed to an airplane model and asked, “Do you know when I made this?”

Chuxia snapped out of her thoughts and replied instinctively, “When?”

“In junior high school.”

Every model has a story, and as Cen Zhengnian spoke, his eyes sparkled just like when Cen Huai’an was learning Go.

Chuxia realized that the two of them were truly father and son; their eyes lit up with the same brightness when they talked about things they loved.

Chuxia then walked over to the bookshelf and found that most of the books were professional ones, with a few red-covered books but nothing else.

It was normal given the strict regulations in recent years; who would dare to keep other books at home?

However, there was a hand-copied manuscript stuck among them, which seemed a bit odd.

Chuxia reached for it, but Cen Zhengnian took it out first and said, “These are just some formulas I calculated. It’s not interesting.”

As he quickly flipped through it, Chuxia barely got a look before he put it back on the shelf.

Chuxia felt something was off and said, with a smile, “Then I want to see what’s so uninteresting.”

Cen Zhengnian and she exchanged glances for a few seconds. With a helpless smile, he said, “You really want to see?”

Chuxia nodded, “Yes.”

Cen Zhengnian pulled out the manuscript again and handed it to Chuxia. “Actually, it’s a hand-copied novel that was popular in my class back then.”

Chuxia took a quick glance at it and opened to a page where the first line read: “The moon was high, the insects were chirping, and Hu Mei’er walked with her thin gauze dress slipping off, finally arriving in front of the revered monk, her fingers lightly tracing the scriptures: ‘Holy monk, please look at me~’”

The content was suggestive and flirtatious, which made Chuxia slam the manuscript shut immediately, her face turning red and burning hot. “You… you were reading this!”

Cen Zhengnian took the manuscript from her hand, looking at her with a smile in his eyes. “What was I reading, hmm?”

Chuxia caught the intentional tone in his voice and glared at him, “You did that on purpose.”

Cen Zhengnian replied, “Yes.” His voice took on a different tone.

His hand touched Chuxia’s face, and the atmosphere between them suddenly became intimate, filled with a heartbeat-quickening tension.

Just as Cen Zhengnian leaned in, and they were getting closer, with Chuxia’s breath growing tense, the door suddenly opened.

“Dad, Mom! I won!”

Chuxia immediately pushed Cen Zhengnian away and forced a flawless smile towards the door where Cen Huai’an stood. “An’an is great!”

“Dad, what are you doing?”

Chuxia had pushed too hard, and Cen Zhengnian, caught off guard, stumbled back against the bookshelf, ending up in an awkward position.

Cen Zhengnian stood up straight, brushed off his clothes, and said, “I accidentally tripped.” He kept his eyes on Chuxia, who nervously looked away, deliberately avoiding his gaze.

Other children also squeezed in, and when they saw Cen Zhengnian’s wall of models, they exclaimed, “Wow!” and ran up to the wall, their eyes wide with amazement.

“Uncle, are all these yours?” Hu Panding asked with admiration, his eyes shining.

“Yes.”

“Wow!”

Cen Huai’an felt exceptionally proud and ran to Cen Zhengnian’s side, holding his hand.

Such an impressive dad was his!

Chuxia added, “And Uncle made them all himself.”

This prompted another round of astonished exclamations from the kids.

Even quiet Xiao He couldn’t help but ask Cen Zhengnian, “Uncle, can I touch this rocket?”

“Sure.”

Cen Huai’an pulled Cen Zhengnian over to touch the rocket and asked him how he made it.

Cen Zhengnian crouched down, placing his hand on Cen Huai’an’s shoulder, and explained the making of the models to the kids.

He didn’t go into the complicated data that the children wouldn’t understand but used the simplest language so they could grasp it.

Chuxia listened to the kids’ continuous “wow”s of admiration and Cen Huai’an and Xiao He’s occasional questions.

She leaned on the nearby desk, looking down at Cen Zhengnian and Cen Huai’an, listening attentively.

She didn’t even notice that her lips were constantly curved into a smile.

In the evening, Chuxia was lying in bed when Cen Zhengnian turned off the lights and suddenly whispered in her ear, “Chuxia, did you like the book from earlier today?”

Chuxia instantly felt a tingle in her ear, her face turning bright red.

“It was alright,” she forced herself to stay calm, turning over to prepare for sleep.

But Cen Zhengnian wasn’t done with her; he continued what had been interrupted during the day.

In her dazed state, she was coaxed into calling him “holy monk.”

After she said it, she regretted it, because Cen Zhengnian, like a fierce beast, lost all reason.

The next morning, Chuxia woke up to find Cen Zhengnian already gone and the outside bright with daylight.

Chuxia sat up from the bed, dressed, and inwardly cursed Cen Zhengnian as a beast in human clothing.

On the surface, he seemed gentle and refined, but in reality, he wasn’t like that at all and could be quite unpredictable.

However, as soon as she got out of bed and went to the desk, she found a letter from Cen Zhengnian; he had already returned to the base.

Holding the letter, Chuxia suddenly felt a faint, lingering discomfort.

She thought she wasn’t affected by Cen Zhengnian’s departure, but it turned out she did have some feelings.

She went outside and found everything quiet. There was no noise.

When she opened Cen Huai’an’s door, he wasn’t in the room either.

Downstairs, she saw a note saying Cen Huai’an had gone to her office with Jiang Shengnan.

There was food in the kitchen, so she could eat directly.

As she ate, Chuxia thought about the breakfast scene from a few days ago and sighed, realizing that Cen Zhengnian’s impact on her was quite deep.

She took a deep breath, acknowledging that it was probably because he had just left, and she wasn’t used to it yet.

Parting from a friend is already sad, let alone from a spouse who has been with her day and night.

With no one else at home and not knowing anyone in the army, Chuxia started working on her high school papers.

After resting for so many days, it was time to study. Mainly because studying could help her get out of the uncomfortable emotions and return to normal life.

In the afternoon, when Cen Huai’an returned with Jiang Shengnan, Chuxia had already completed several sets of papers.

She stretched, her emotions having settled down.

“Mom, when did Zhengnian and the others leave?”

Jiang Shengnan, who woke up early, knew as soon as there was any noise outside.

She looked at Chuxia, confirmed she wasn’t too upset, and sighed in relief with a smile, “They left at five. At that time, your dad was still asleep.”

Actually, Cen Father was awake, but Jiang Shengnan was comforting Chuxia, understanding why the daughter-in-law would wake up late.

Chuxia nodded, hugged the rushing Cen Huai’an, and asked him what he played with at Grandma’s that morning.

“Mommy, I saw Uncle Soldier shooting guns, it was so amazing!”

Chuxia asked, “Really? Do you want a gun?”

Cen Huai’an hesitated and said, “Can I have one? Grandma said only the People’s Liberation Army and police uncles can have guns.”

Chuxia nodded, “That’s right. But you can have toy guns.”

Jiang Shengnan, who was nearby, smiled and said, “Yes, I almost forgot about toy guns. We’ll take him to buy one later.”