Chu Xia put on her coat and got out of bed, saying, “Anything works for me. You can see when Grandpa is available.”

She walked over to the reddish-brown dressing table in the room, which had an oval-shaped mirror embedded in the center.

The table was mostly empty, with only a wooden comb that matched the color of the table.

Just as Chu Xia was about to pick up the comb, a slender hand with distinct knuckles reached out and grabbed it.

A gentle voice sounded beside her, “I have to hurry back to the office today, but in a few days, I’ll take a morning off, and we can visit Grandpa together.”

Cen Zhengnian wanted to visit his grandfather today as well, but he couldn’t neglect his work.

In fact, he should have already left by now. However, since this was Chu Xia’s first time in Beijing and she knew nothing

about the place, he felt he had to tell her a bit about the family before he left.

Chu Xia didn’t mind.

She knew that Cen Zhengnian was more familiar with his grandfather’s household than she was, and it was necessary to visit the elders at some point, so any time would be fine.

Cen Zhengnian had experience combing Chu Xia’s hair before, so as he gently combed through her hair, he carefully explained the neighboring families and nearby shops.

In fact, Cen Zhengnian had only learned about these things a few days ago from Jiang Zhida.

The house where Chu Xia was staying was located in the southern part of the Dongcheng District, which was central Beijing, making it convenient to go anywhere.

Cen Zhengnian’s grandfather’s house was also in Dongcheng, but in the Dongsi area, in the southeastern part of the district, a bit of a distance from where Chu Xia and An An were staying.

“My grandfather’s house has been there for a long time. When he was young, our family had many houses, but after the founding of the country, only the one he currently lives in and the one given to my mother as a dowry, which is where we are now, were kept. The rest were all handed over. When Grandpa had some trouble back then, the house was confiscated, and it wasn’t returned until a few years ago.”

When the house was finally returned, it was in terrible condition, and several families were living in it.

The Jiang family put a lot of effort into restoring the house because it was their father’s wish.

He and Cen Zhengnian’s grandmother had lived in that courtyard for most of their lives, and they had deep feelings for it, unwilling to see it in ruins.

After smoothing out Chu Xia’s hair, Cen Zhengnian asked what kind of braid she wanted.

Chu Xia was engrossed in hearing about the old family house and absentmindedly replied, “Just tie it up any way you like.”

Cen Zhengnian gathered her hair into a high ponytail, managing to avoid pulling too tightly, though it was a bit snug.

Chu Xia tugged at the hair on her scalp and adjusted the strands at her forehead.

The hairstyle made her look younger and more energetic.

She was wearing a yellow jacket and slightly flared pants, and when she stood next to Cen Zhengnian, who was in a white shirt and black pants, she couldn’t help but laugh, “Our styles are so different right now!”

One looked serious and refined, the other youthful and lively, almost like a student.

If someone were to say they were a married couple, they’d likely think Cen Zhengnian was the older man dating a much younger woman.

And, to some extent, that was true—he was four years older than her.

But his appearance didn’t reveal his actual age. If he were dressed in something more in line with Chu Xia’s style, no one would notice their age difference.

Cen Zhengnian understood what she meant and took her hand, smiling as he said, “It doesn’t matter; it doesn’t affect our relationship as husband and wife.”

Chu Xia was momentarily stunned, then she smiled and nodded, saying, “You’re right about that.”

“I have to get back to the office now. I’ve left food in the kitchen, so you and An An make sure to eat,” Cen Zhengnian said as they walked to the courtyard. He checked the time and added, “I’ve only got a day off.”

He had barely managed to take time off yesterday and would have to make up for the missed work when he returned.

Chu Xia understood his work situation. She turned and ran inside, saying, “Wait a moment.”

She quickly returned with a large cloth bag in her hands and placed it in Cen Zhengnian’s hand. “I brought some beef jerky and snacks from home. Take them to work and share with your colleagues.”

Chu Xia could imagine how hectic Cen Zhengnian’s work must be, often skipping meals.

If he got too hungry, he could have some snacks on hand.

“Alright,” Cen Zhengnian accepted the bag and walked a few steps before stopping and coming back.

Chu Xia thought he had forgotten something and was about to say so when he suddenly hugged her, saying, “I’ll find time to come home.”

Chu Xia was caught off guard by the hug but smiled when she heard his words, responding softly with a “Hmm.”

Cen Zhengnian released her and left without looking back.

Chu Xia then went to freshen up and checked the breakfast Cen Zhengnian had bought.

He knew Chu Xia and An An’s preferences—neither liked oily food in the morning, and Chu Xia preferred savory, while An An liked sweet flavors.

Cen Zhengnian had bought savory tofu pudding, soy milk, and buns.

There was a pot on the coal stove, and the food inside was still warm. Chu Xia covered the pot and went to wake An An.

An An rubbed his eyes as he sat up in bed, looking around for the person he wanted to see.

When he couldn’t find him, his eyes showed disappointment, and he asked in a childish voice, “Mom, where’s Dad?”

Chu Xia found his clothes and told him to get dressed quickly, saying, “Your dad went to work. Hurry and get up for breakfast.”

An An’s disappointment grew more apparent as he tried to recall how he had fallen asleep the night before.

He only remembered half of the story his dad had told him; the rest was a blur.

After dressing, Cen Huai’an quickly went to the living room, where Chu Xia had already set out the food.

Hearing him approach, she said without turning around, “Wash up first, then you can eat.”

Cen Huai’an ran to the bathroom and returned with his hair slightly damp but looking more awake.

The two little dogs circled An An, following him wherever he went.

Chu Xia was eating a bun and drinking tofu pudding when An An sat across from her, took a sip of soy milk, and said, “Mom, it’s plain. Can I add some sugar?”

“Go get it from the luggage,” Chu Xia replied.

Sugar was still expensive, so she had brought some from home, stored in a jar.

Seeing An An scoop out a large spoonful, Chu Xia grabbed his arm and shook off most of the sugar, saying, “You can’t eat that much sugar; it’ll ruin your teeth.”

An An looked at the small spoonful left, feeling it wasn’t enough, but was content to have any at all.

The soy milk tasted sweeter after adding the sugar, and An An drank it happily.

He ate his bun and tried to sneak some to the dogs.

Chu Xia reminded him, “The dogs can’t have too much salt, so don’t give them the filling.”

“Okay.” Cen Huai’an had only given the little dogs some bun skin and was worried his mom would see.

But now that Chu Xia had spoken, he didn’t have to worry anymore.

The puppies, having tasted a hint of meat on the bun skin, wanted more.

They rubbed against their little owner’s legs and whimpered, but no matter how much they nudged, all they got was a bit of bun skin.

“Mom, when will Dad come home again?” Cen Huai’an wasn’t satisfied with just the brief time he spent with his dad yesterday.

He didn’t even get a chance to show his dad the trophy he won.

Last night, after his bath, he was so sleepy that he only managed to tell his dad that he won first place.

He planned to show the trophy today.

Chu Xia didn’t know when he would be back either.

She finished her last sip of soy milk and said, “It shouldn’t be too long. While Dad’s away, you can mark the days he’s gone on the calendar. When he comes back, you can tell him, ‘Dad, I missed you for this many days,’ and show him the calendar.”

Cen Huai’an frowned and said, “I don’t want to.”

He couldn’t bring himself to say “I miss you” to his dad, even though he missed him a lot.

Chu Xia gave him a knowing smile without saying anything.

When she bought a new wall calendar, she would make sure to get two.

After breakfast, Chu Xia went into the room to pack their luggage.

Most of the clothes were already hung in the closet by Cen Zhengnian, with only a few things left that he hadn’t touched, fearing Chu Xia wouldn’t be able to find them.

Cen Huai’an helped her organize things in the room.

Once they were almost done, Chu Xia placed the luggage bag and suitcase in the corner under the table in the room.

She turned to Cen Huai’an and said, “Let’s go to your room and record your current height.”

She took a pencil, had Cen Huai’an stand against the wall, and drew a line. “From now on, this will be your new height wall.”

Cen Huai’an looked at the line, quietly stood on his tiptoes to compare, and pursed his lips, thinking to himself that he would eat more and grow taller!

After that, Chu Xia didn’t plan to go out.

She stayed home with Cen Huai’an to study.

Although she had been reading on the bus, it wasn’t as efficient as studying at home.

Cen Huai’an worked on a few Sudoku puzzles, and Chu Xia told him not to look at books for too long, so he ran outside to play with the two puppies.

The puppies had been running around the yard and were probably hungry again.

They bit at Cen Huai’an’s pant legs, trying to drag him to where they usually ate.

They had just eaten in the living room and knew there was food there.

Cen Huai’an also wanted to drink some malted milk.

He glanced at Chu Xia, who was busy with her work, put his finger to his lips, and shushed the puppies.

He then quietly led them into the living room.

Next to the west wing was the study where Chu Xia was busy working, completely unaware of the little mischief between Cen Huai’an and the dogs.

Snacks were all kept in the living room, and Cen Huai’an took down a can of malted milk from the table, made a cup, drank a sip, and poured a tiny bit into the dogs’ bowl.

The two puppies rushed over and licked it up in an instant, then continued to whimper at Cen Huai’an, wagging their tails excitedly.

Cen Huai’an grabbed a piece of stove biscuit, dipped it in malted milk, took a bite, and secretly shared some with the dogs, occasionally peeking out the door to make sure Chu Xia wouldn’t catch him.

As he was sneaking around, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Jiang Zhida’s voice echoed loudly from outside: “Cousin-in-law! An An! Open the door! Cousin-in-law!”

Chu Xia heard the noise and was already heading out into the courtyard to respond.

Cen Huai’an quickly finished his biscuit and gulped down the malted milk.

The puppies, eager to eat, barked around him.

He broke off small pieces for them, trying to keep them quiet.

He noticed the puppies had a bit of pale yellow malted milk on their snouts.

Looking around, he grabbed the cloth from the table and quickly wiped the dogs’ mouths clean before patting his chest in relief.

Chu Xia opened the door to find Jiang Zhida standing outside.

Today, he was dressed quite differently—wearing a leather jacket, exaggerated bell-bottom pants, and a pair of dark sunglasses, looking every bit like a trendy youth from the 80s.

He was the complete opposite of his proper look from yesterday.

If it weren’t for his voice, Chu Xia might not have recognized him on the street.

“How do you like my outfit, cousin-in-law?” Jiang Zhida asked, taking off his sunglasses and striking a pose.

Chu Xia: …

If it weren’t for Jiang Zhida’s familiar face, she might have mistaken him for some street punk.

To be honest, Jiang Zhida’s outfit wasn’t too over the top and was quite trendy, just what young people chasing fashion liked these days.

Chu Xia nodded and said, “Not bad; it suits your vibe. Why are you here at this hour? If you’re looking for Zhengnian, he’s not home. He just left for work this morning.”

Jiang Zhida put his sunglasses back on and followed Chu Xia into the courtyard, saying, “I know. It’s because my eldest cousin called my grandpa and said you’d be visiting in a few days. My grandpa couldn’t wait and really wanted to meet his great-grandson, so he sent me to fetch you.”

After arriving at work, Cen Zhengnian thought he should call his grandpa to explain, to avoid any misunderstanding that Chu Xia was unwilling to visit the Jiang family.

But his grandpa responded quickly, saying, “It doesn’t matter if you come or not; I’ve seen you plenty of times. As long as An An and Chu Xia come, that’s fine! You focus on your work, and I’ll have Da Zi pick them up. Your aunt brought fresh vegetables today, perfect for An An and Chu Xia to try.”

Before Cen Zhengnian could say anything else, his grandpa had already hung up.

After arriving at work, Cen Zhengnian couldn’t leave again, so he focused on his tasks.

Initially, he was worried that his grandpa’s sudden invitation might overwhelm Chu Xia and An An, but once immersed in work, those worries faded away.

Meanwhile, Chu Xia was walking through the courtyard with Jiang Zhida, her first thought being, “Are we really meeting grandpa so soon? I haven’t prepared anything.”

Moreover, without Cen Zhengnian there, apart from Jiang Zhida, she didn’t know anyone from the Jiang family.

When they got married back then, the capital was too far from Liangzhou, and Chuxia and Cen Zhengnian’s wedding was rushed.

Moreover, at that time, the Jiang family hadn’t been rehabilitated, so the Jiang family only knew that they had gotten married and couldn’t come.

Now, the Jiang family had been rehabilitated and reinstated for only two years, and the family was slowly recovering.

Jiang Zhida was puzzled by Chuxia’s sudden anxiety.

He looked around the courtyard and didn’t see Cen Huai’an or the two little dogs.

He asked Chuxia curiously, “Cousin, where is An’an? And where are Huangzi and Heizi?”

Chuxia’s thoughts were interrupted.

She looked around, frowning, and said, “He just said he went to play with Huangzi and Heizi? I didn’t hear the door, so he shouldn’t have run out.”

She called Cen Huai’an loudly, and as soon as she called his name, Cen Huai’an rushed out of the living room, pulling the two little dogs with him, looking flustered. “Mom, I’m here.”

Chuxia looked in the direction he had come from and questioned, “What were you doing in the living room with the little dogs?”

Cen Huai’an looked at Chuxia with innocent eyes and said, “I went to the living room to drink some malted milk.”

Chuxia could tell he wasn’t telling the whole truth.

He was still fiddling with the dog leash, which indicated his unease.

“Not just you, but they drank it too, right?”

When Cen Huai’an heard his uncle’s voice, he knew he couldn’t hide the truth from his mother.

He nodded and said, “I only gave them a little.”

“Did you also feed them some snacks?”

Jiang Zhida, who was standing by and playing with the little dogs, said, “It’s a bit of a waste to give snacks to stray dogs. But if I had such smart dogs, I’d probably be willing to feed them good food. Cousin, don’t be upset.”

“I’m not angry. It’s just that little dogs shouldn’t eat too much sweet stuff; it’s bad for their health.”

Chuxia had talked to An’an about this before, but seeing the little dogs’ moist eyes made him unable to resist sharing his food with them.

“Mom, I didn’t give them much, just a bit of dried fruit.” He even showed a little with his pinky finger.

Chuxia rubbed his head and said, “Don’t feed them these things often.”

Jiang Zhida had never heard of such things.

In his impression, stray dogs eat anything, and it’s common to feed them leftover food.

Actually, Chuxia also fed them leftover food, but she would soak some steamed buns with hot water and add a little vegetable, not giving the dogs too much salty food.

“Cousin, how do you know all this?”

Chuxia paused in her motion of patting Cen Huai’an’s head.

She had forgotten that there weren’t such practices in this era.

She casually withdrew her hand and said, “I heard it from other dog owners.”

She wasn’t lying.

She did hear it from other dog owners, just not from this era.

It wasn’t a big deal.

Jiang Zhida quickly forgot about it and started urging Chuxia and An’an, “Cousin, hurry up and get ready. Grandpa is really looking forward to your visit.”

Cen Huai’an looked at Jiang Zhida and then at Chuxia, asking, “Mom, are we going to great-grandpa’s house?”

“Yes. Go change into that dark blue jacket and put on a pair of clean shoes.”

Chuxia looked at her outfit and felt it was not inappropriate, though the bell-bottom pants might not be well accepted by the elderly.

Although the bell-bottoms she bought were not exaggerated.

She frowned and asked Jiang Zhida, “Can Grandpa accept what I’m wearing?”

“Of course!” Jiang Zhida immediately nodded, saying, “Grandpa is very open-minded. It’s just that my dad can’t accept it; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been forced to wear that outfit yesterday. It was really uncomfortable.”

Chuxia understood.

Cen Zhengnian’s grandfather was a tolerant elder, so her outfit was fine.

Nevertheless, she changed into a pair of leather shoes to look more formal and then got into the car with An’an.

“Dazi, don’t go to the house first. Take me to a department store or somewhere else where I can buy some things.”

Jiang Zhida instantly understood Chuxia’s intention.

He was about to say that they had everything at home and nothing needed to be bought, but seeing Chuxia’s anxious expression, he realized that as someone who was familiar with the capital, he knew that his cousin was concerned about appearing unprepared on her first visit to her in-laws.