Chu Xia noticed that, whereas Cen Huai’an used to love playing chess, doing Sudoku, and watching TV at home, enjoying a quiet life, now he was out every day walking the dogs.

His health had improved greatly with all the exercise.

It was clear that children need to be active.

Walking the dogs was a great solution.

Huang Zi and Hei Zi had grown and were very energetic.

They needed to run whenever they were outside, and Cen Huai’an had to keep up with them.

His daily activity was sufficient.

However, as the puppies grew, Chu Xia felt an increasing urgency to find a new house.

It would soon be unsuitable to live in the family apartment with the dogs.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t found a suitable place yet.

She had looked at two houses: one was too dilapidated and required major repairs before moving in, and the other was too far from the Textile Factory No. 3, which would be inconvenient for Cen Huai’an’s school commute.

Just as Chu Xia was feeling troubled, she received a letter from Cen Zhengnian.

Upon reading Cen Zhengnian’s comments about his colleagues’ reactions to his clothes, Chu Xia nearly choked on her saliva.

She couldn’t imagine Cen Zhengnian doing such a thing.

But seeing how much he valued the clothes she sent, Chu Xia couldn’t help but feel a subtle sweetness in her heart.

As she continued reading, what struck Chu Xia the most was the mention of the Beijing courtyard! It couldn’t be helped; when people in the future talked about Beijing, they would mention houses, and when talking about houses, they would mention courtyards.

In the future, owning a large, well-located courtyard would be worth billions.

However, this was not her house.

Chu Xia just hoped that she could buy one in the future.

But right now, Cen Zhengnian’s letter was a timely blessing.

He had considered everything: how they would get there, how the dogs would be moved, arrangements for after they arrived, Cen Huai’an’s Go studies in Beijing, and Chu Xia’s university entrance exam.

The letter addressed all of Chu Xia’s concerns, making it impossible for her to refuse, especially after struggling to find a suitable house in Liangzhou.

Chu Xia’s studies didn’t require her to be in school all the time.

She had her own review plan and did her studying and practice at home in Liangzhou, only attending unified exams at school.

Therefore, moving to Beijing wouldn’t affect her studies; it would just be a change of location for continued review.

Besides, with fewer relatives in Beijing and less bustling activity compared to the family apartment, her study environment might even improve.

But Cen Huai’an would have to suddenly change his environment for school, leave his familiar surroundings and friends. Chu Xia wasn’t sure if he would agree.

When Cen Huai’an came home from school and was about to take the dogs out, Chu Xia stopped him, “Huai’an, wait a moment. I need to discuss something with you.”

He looked at Chu Xia, his large eyes full of curiosity, “What’s the matter?”

“Your father said we can go to Beijing now.”

Before Chu Xia could finish, Cen Huai’an’s eyes lit up with excitement, “Really? Mom?”

“Really,” Chu Xia nodded with a smile, “I’ve considered it, and we can go now. But if we go to Beijing, you will have to leave the family apartment, leave your school, and your friends. Will you miss Chen Chen, Bangzi, and Miao Zai?”

Cen Huai’an hesitated for a moment and shook his head, “Mom, I will miss them. But I want to live with Dad.”

In his heart, there was a hierarchy: his mom was the most important, then his dad, and then his grandparents and friends like Bangzi.

Bangzi was very important to Cen Huai’an, and he would miss him the most.

“Mom, I wish Bangzi could come with us to Beijing.”

Chu Xia ruthlessly shattered his perfect fantasy, “That’s impossible, Huai’an. You can’t have both fish and bear’s paw. You can’t have everything.”

Cen Huai’an looked puzzled, “What does ‘can’t have both fish and bear’s paw’ mean?”

Chu Xia explained the idiom to him, and Cen Huai’an understood. He sighed like a grown-up, “Mom, I still want to go find Dad.”

He enjoyed living with his parents, and although he was happy with Bangzi, it was different from being with his mom and dad.

“I understand. You can go walk the dogs now. We’ll head to Beijing the day after your Go competition. In the meantime, make sure to say goodbye to your friends.”

Cen Huai’an was initially excited about going to Beijing soon, but when he heard he had to say goodbye to his friends, his joy was clouded with a layer of gray, and he wasn’t as happy anymore.

Huai’an and the two puppies went to Bangzi’s house, where they were counting the money they had earned that afternoon.

When Cen Huai’an arrived, Bangzi immediately asked him to help count the money.

There was a lot of money, but Cen Huai’an counted it quickly and accurately.

With the help of the other kids, they finished counting and recording it in no time.

Miao Zai(Chopstick) and Kuaizi(Cat) squatted down to pet the dogs, while Bangzi put the money away and took Cen Huai’an out to walk Huang Zi and Hei Zi.

When they came back, Bangzi casually picked a piece of dog-tail grass, bit it with his mouth, and asked Cen Huai’an, “Little Scrap, what’s wrong? You’ve been looking unhappy since you came over.”

Cen Huai’an looked at Miao Zai and the others playing happily with the dogs and said glumly, “Bang Ge, I think Mom and I are going to Beijing soon.”

Bangzi frowned, “Why are you going to Beijing? So far away. Do you have relatives there?”

Cen Huai’an nodded, “We’re going to find my dad.”

Bangzi’s dog-tail grass fell from his mouth.

He was stunned for a moment, then immediately smiled, looking as rebellious as ever, “That’s a good thing! Why are you unhappy?”

He patted Cen Huai’an on the shoulder and said, “I want to find my dad, but he’s not here yet.”

Cen Huai’an looked at Bangzi’s face, “Bang Ge, if you don’t want to smile, don’t.”

Bangzi laughed even louder, “I’m not unhappy. I’m happy for you.”

Cen Huai’an didn’t speak.

The two walked in silence for a while.

When they were almost at Bangzi’s house, Bangzi suddenly said, “Don’t forget about us when you get to Beijing.”

“I won’t,” Cen Huai’an said firmly, “I’ll write to you.”

Bangzi waved his hand, “Don’t write letters, it’s a waste of money. And I can’t read many characters anyway.”

“Bang Ge, it would be great if you guys could come to Beijing too,” Cen Huai’an still harbored hope.

Bangzi thought the idea was good.

He raised his eyebrows and said, “You never know. If we all make it big in the future, we might come to Beijing to find you.”

Cen Huai’an smiled as he thought about the possibility.

As the sun set, the shadows of the two good friends were stretched long by the setting sun, and in the distance, there were playful scenes of the kittens, Miao Zai, and Kiauzi playing with the two small dogs.

When Cen Huai’an returned, his mood was neither good nor bad; he felt an indescribable emotion.

He didn’t know what to call it, just that he didn’t feel quite comfortable.

Chuxia noticed this and said, “Your dad left us his phone number. After we have dinner, we’ll give him a call.”

Cen Huai’an’s mood improved a bit.

The separation didn’t affect dinner.

During the meal, he was still the food-loving An’an, and today he ate more than half of the sweet and sour pork ribs Chuxia made.

In the evening, Chuxia went to the small store to call Cen Zhengnian.

As expected, he didn’t answer, but the person who answered the phone told her to wait for Cen Zhengnian to call back after he returned.

Waiting and waiting, by the time it was past ten o’clock, An’an was already asleep.

Chuxia heard the store owner calling her to answer the phone.

Cen Huai’an immediately woke up, rubbed his eyes, and went with her to the small store.

The store owner, still yawning and impatient, said, “Why are you calling so late at night? If you weren’t from the same residential area, I wouldn’t have answered.”

Unlike the future, where most people are awake late into the night, at ten o’clock outside, the only sounds were the chirping of insects and barking of dogs.

Chuxia smiled and apologized to the owner, who waved his hand and went into the back room, reminding her to remember to close the door when she left.

When the call connected with Cen Zhengnian, Chuxia heard his familiar gentle voice, “Chuxia, it’s me.”

Cen Huai’an was leaning against Chuxia, ears perked up, trying to listen to what his parents were saying.

“Zhengnian, I received your letter.”

Hearing this, Cen Zhengnian’s breath caught, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the phone, “So…”

Before he could finish, Chuxia spoke again, “An’an and I have decided to move to Beijing. However, there’s no need to transfer my school records yet. I will ask the principal at Jiu Middle School if I can just come for the pre-exams and the college entrance examination.”

Jiu Middle School had accepted her as a student, and she couldn’t just leave without a word.

The school had admitted her to improve their college entrance exam success rate and had provided her with many conveniences.

Leaving without a proper farewell would be unethical and against her principles.

Cen Zhengnian was overjoyed to hear that Chuxia was coming.

He almost couldn’t contain his overwhelming joy, so naturally, he agreed to whatever Chuxia proposed.

“I’ll listen to you.”

Chuxia continued, “You need to handle An’an’s school arrangements and his Go studies. After his final competition the day after tomorrow, I’ll take him to Beijing.”

She informed Cen Zhengnian to give him time to prepare. It would be too awkward if they arrived in Beijing only to find that their accommodation was unfit.

Cen Zhengnian understood Chuxia’s concern, “Don’t worry, I’ll make the arrangements.”

Chuxia asked how he was adapting to life in Beijing.

After a few more words, she handed the phone to Cen Huai’an so he could speak to his father.

Cen Huai’an eagerly told Cen Zhengnian about his matches, “I played four games and won them all!”

Hearing Cen Huai’an’s childish voice, Cen Zhengnian’s mouth curved into a smile, his eyes full of joy.

“An’an, you’re amazing! Daddy can’t beat you now.”

Cen Huai’an hesitated for a moment and said, “Well, Dad, next time we play chess, I’ll give you a few extra pieces.”

Cen Zhengnian couldn’t help but laugh, “Okay.”

After hanging up, Chuxia held Cen Huai’an’s hand as they walked back under the moonlight and quickly fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Cen Zhengnian, lying in his dormitory in Beijing, couldn’t sleep. He was thinking about how to ensure that Chuxia and An’an could move to Beijing without any worries.