When Chuxia and Cen Huai’an went out or at night when they needed to close the puppies in a room, they would set up a small toilet for them.

The puppies would use it based on its scent.

The two puppies were quite clever; after two days of training, they learned how to use the toilet.

Chuxia thought it might be because they were stray dogs before and now being adopted, so they might be trying to please their owner.

But this was just her guess without any scientific basis.

Hearing Cen Huai’an’s concerns, Chuxia helplessly replied, “They won’t know. If they make a mess, you’ll need to clean up when we get home.”

Chuxia preemptively mentioned this, and Cen Huai’an nodded: “I understand, Mom.”

Chuxia had already told him before that he would need to take care of the puppies at home, and she would take care of them when he wasn’t around.

Cen Huai’an was happy to care for them, not just because he liked Blackie and Yellowie, but also because he got rewards for it.

Seeing his continued worry, Chuxia said, “Don’t think about Blackie and Yellowie too much. You haven’t seen your teacher for the winter vacation. Focus on your Go practice. You don’t want to forget how to play when your teacher tests you later.”

Cen Huai’an pouted in defiance: “I won’t forget.”

But he took his mom’s advice to heart and began mentally reviewing the Go strategies.

When they arrived at the youth center, Guo Lin was already in the classroom, along with Guo Lin’s niece Xu Lingling and another student, Zheng Duoping, whom Chuxia had met before.

Since it was the first meeting during the winter vacation, Chuxia went inside to greet Guo Lin, bringing him local specialties from Ganzhou and giving Xu Lingling and Zheng Duoping each a red envelope with New Year’s money.

Guo Lin’s first reaction was to refuse: “An’an’s mom, you don’t need to give gifts.”

Chuxia smiled and placed the items on the floor, saying to Guo Lin, “I want to thank you for all the effort you’ve put into teaching An’an these past few months. These aren’t valuable things, just some local specialties from the northwest that An’an and I brought back. It’s also a way for An’an to show respect to his teacher. In ancient times, students would give gifts to their teachers during festivals, so please accept it.”

With this explanation, Guo Lin had no choice but to accept: “Thank you, An’an’s mom.”

Xu Lingling and Zheng Duoping quickly thanked Chuxia as well.

Chuxia smiled and waved her hand, telling the two children not to mention it, and then turned to Guo Lin: “I should be the one thanking you, Teacher Guo. I won’t disturb your class any longer.”

After saying this, Chuxia nodded to Guo Lin and patted Cen Huai’an’s slightly prickly head before leaving the classroom.

She sat outside, watching through the window as Cen Huai’an and Guo Lin played Go.

After a while, seeing that Cen Huai’an was still being tested by Guo Lin, Chuxia took out her own test papers and began working on them.

A few days ago, Chuxia had gone to Liuzhong to submit her winter vacation homework and had her new test papers printed by the teacher.

From the teacher, Chuxia learned that she had topped the class in the last semester, surpassing Wang Chaoxi by three points.

No wonder, aside from the homeroom teacher, the other teachers always smiled brightly when they saw her, and even the homeroom teacher’s tone was gentler.

Chuxia initially thought it was due to her test papers, but it turned out to be her grades. Indeed, in junior and senior high school, grades were what mattered most to teachers.

Before, Cen Zhengnian had mentioned the cutoff score for the Imperial Capital Traditional Chinese Medicine College. With her results from this semester, she would definitely make it in without any worries.

However, Chuxia didn’t relax. As the teacher often said, “Studying is like rowing upstream; not to advance is to drop back.”

If she relaxed just because of one top score, she would definitely not achieve a good result in the college entrance exam.

At Liuzhong, Chuxia also received a stack of new test papers from the teacher and learned that there would be an exam next week.

With only a few months left until the college entrance exam, most of the high school material had been covered, and the focus was now on review.

Therefore, exams would be more frequent this semester, with a unified exam every two weeks.

Chuxia couldn’t afford to slack off.

She wanted not only to maintain her current grades but also to improve further.

Engrossed in her work, Chuxia didn’t notice how much time had passed until Cen Huai’an finished his class and came out, feeling sore from sitting so long.

Chuxia gently rubbed her lower back and asked Cen Huai’an about his class, inquiring if the teacher had taught anything new.

Cen Huai’an, with a mix of happiness and nervousness, said, “Mom, the teacher praised me today, saying that I’ve made a lot of progress during the winter vacation.”

Chuxia immediately smiled: “That’s great!”

She stretched and stood up, taking his hand to leave: “But you don’t seem that happy. What’s wrong?”

Having spent enough time with Cen Huai’an, Chuxia knew him well.

Although his emotions weren’t easily visible on his face, she could sense them from his eyes and small gestures.

“The teacher said he wants me to participate in a city-level children’s Go competition.”

Chuxia hadn’t expected it to be about a competition.

Given that Cen Huai’an had only been learning Go for a short time, she thought it would take years before participating in a competition.

However, a children’s Go competition shouldn’t be too difficult.

Guo Lin must have thought Cen Huai’an’s skills were sufficient to let him participate.

Most of the competitors would likely be children of similar age.

Chuxia asked, “Did Teacher Guo mention any details about the competition? How old are the participants, where will it be held, and when?”

Cen Huai’an replied, “He said the youngest participants are at least five years old and the oldest are no more than ten years old. The competition will be held at the city sports hall in a month.”

Chuxia said, “There’s still time. You can work hard over the next month to ensure you don’t have any regrets about the competition. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself; you’re still young, and your learning time is short. Think of it as an opportunity to experience the competition environment and to compete with other kids. It’s a good chance to improve!”

When Chu Xia said that, Cen Huai’an instantly stopped feeling nervous and even started looking forward to the upcoming Go match.

On the way, they also stopped by a grocery store in the city center to buy some of Cen Huai’an’s favorite bread and snacks, and then went to a clothing store to pick out some clothes for the coming days.

The young man Chu Xia used to buy clothes from had opened a store in the city center, so the prices were a bit higher, but since Chu Xia was a regular customer, she could get a discount, making the prices similar to what she had paid before.

Besides buying clothes, Chu Xia also took Huai’an to the Xinhua Bookstore to buy books.

His “Journey to the West” comic book was about to reach its final volume, so he needed to buy a new comic book and a Go book recommended by his teacher.

Chu Xia also selected several books on Traditional Chinese Medicine.

They carried their bags home, both in high spirits.

Upon opening the door, Cen Huai’an immediately ran to play with the two puppies and secretly made some milk for them.

In addition to the milk, he also secretly shared some of the milk Chu Xia ordered for him.

He thought he was being discreet, but Chu Xia had noticed and chose not to confront him.

Cen Huai’an didn’t feed them much, and the puppies were fine with it.

They needed the nutrition, and it was good for him to bond with them.

Currently, the puppies were closest to Cen Huai’an, with Chu Xia being second.

When Huai’an was around, they paid no attention to Chu Xia and just followed him around.

Chu Xia tidied up the books she bought, sat down with a cup of milk, and turned on the TV to relax before cooking.

The TV drama was quite interesting, featuring many things she hadn’t seen before and reflecting the characteristics of the current era.

After a short while, the door of Chu Xia’s house was pushed open from the outside, and Luo Chuming and Luo Chuyu walked in.

Chu Xia glanced at them with a cold and indifferent expression, clearly not welcoming them.

“What are you doing here?”

Seeing her attitude, Luo Chuming and Luo Chuyu were immediately enraged.

Luo Chuming had lingering effects from previous injuries, and he got a headache whenever he got agitated. He quickly covered his head, and his face turned pale without him needing to pretend.

Luo Chuyu quickly helped him sit down.

Luo Chuming looked at Chu Xia with a weak tone: “Second Sister, Big Sister and I need to discuss something with you.”

Cen Huai’an, holding the two puppies, stood aside and looked at Luo Chuming and Luo Chuyu warily.

He didn’t like anyone from his maternal grandmother’s side of the family.

Chu Xia, as if ignoring Luo Chuming’s pale complexion, picked up an orange from the table, peeling it while saying, “What’s the matter? If it’s about work, it’s not possible. It’s already given to someone else.”

Her tone remained indifferent and unenthusiastic, which only irritated Luo Chuming further, causing him more pain and making his face even paler.

“Second Sister, do you really not care about sibling affection at all?”

Luo Chuyu frowned as well: “Chu Xia, can’t you speak more kindly when Little Brother is like this?”

Chu Xia smiled: “Where am I not speaking kindly? Big Sister, don’t just stand there criticizing. If you really care about Little Brother, you could give him your job. It’s easier for siblings to take over.”

Luo Chuyu was taken aback and immediately shook her head: “How can that be? My mother-in-law wouldn’t agree.”

Chu Xia’s smile grew more sarcastic: “If you’re unwilling to give it up, why should I give it away for free? Big Sister, Little Brother, you really think too highly of yourselves.”

She stared at Luo Chuyu: “Big Sister, I’ve told you before not to interfere in my matters. If you come again…”

Chu Xia smiled: “I think your mother-in-law might be interested in Du Qian’s situation.”

Luo Chuyu’s face turned white instantly, looking panicked and incredulous: “How do you know…”

Luo Chuming also knew who Du Qian was. His face turned cold, glaring at Luo Chuyu: “Big Sister, haven’t you cut ties with him? Do you want to harm our entire family?”

“I haven’t,” Luo Chuyu denied vehemently, but her anxious expression was obvious.

Luo Chuming remembered his purpose for coming and held back from questioning his sister further. He continued trying to appeal to Chu Xia emotionally.

Chu Xia’s attitude was unyielding: “Little Brother, don’t bother me. I’ve given the job to someone else, and there’s nothing I can do. If you come here again, Little Brother, I know your secret too.”

Luo Chuming looked into Chu Xia’s eyes and suddenly felt a chill.

He realized that she wasn’t lying; she really knew.

Yes, she had a good in-law family, and that detestable Cen Zhengnian was still protecting her.

They must have investigated and told her.

Luo Chuming gritted his teeth: “Second Sister, you win.”

He dragged the dazed Luo Chuyu out of Chu Xia’s house.

Chu Xia stretched lazily, feeling good.

This should be the last of the Luo family’s attempts to confront her.

Even if Wang Yulan wanted to come again, Luo Chuming would stop them.

---

At the Tian Gong Base:

Cen Zhengnian said his goodbyes to the people at the base and got into a car heading to his new workplace.

Yu Tian was very reluctant, leaning on the car door to speak with him.

“Zhengnian, I’ll come to find you in the future. We’ll work together again!”

“Okay.” Cen Zhengnian looked at him and then at the Tian Gong Base, feeling a strong sense of reluctance. He was really leaving after all these years.