Even though Chuxia had only been gone for a few days, the furniture at home had gathered dust.

Cen Zhengnian found a cloth, cleaned the table and chairs.

He knew An’an was probably at school.

He recalled Chuxia’s words from that night, realizing she must have wanted to discuss her return to Liangzhou in detail, but his behavior had been a bit too much.

She had been biting her lip tightly, worried about being overheard.

Sitting on the now-clean chair, Cen Zhengnian rested his forehead on his hand and suddenly chuckled softly.

He understood why Chuxia hadn’t mentioned her return time in the morning—it was because he had been too excessive the night before.

After tidying up the house, Cen Zhengnian went to the experimental elementary school.

Although An’an was staying at his great-grandfather’s house, he would still come to school.

As he arrived at the school, he saw Aunt Li standing at the gate with a black cloth bag on her arm.

“Aunt Li,” Cen Zhengnian greeted her.

Aunt Li, who had been looking inside the school, turned when she heard his voice.

Seeing it was indeed him, she showed a hint of surprise before her face broke into a sincere smile.

She nodded to him and moved to the side.

Cen Zhengnian stood next to her, knowing Aunt Li was not very talkative, so he didn’t ask her much.

Before long, the school bell rang, and Cen Zhengnian watched as a sea of children poured out of the classrooms, making the once-quiet school lively.

He didn’t look at anyone else but focused on finding Cen Huai’an among the crowd.

Today was the third day since his mother had left, and Cen Huai’an was counting the days, feeling that the days without his mother were dragging on.

Although he was very comfortable at his great-grandfather’s house, with his uncle constantly accompanying him, and his great-grandfather indulging him, and with Huangzi and Heizi also there, he still missed his mother and wanted to return home.

No matter how good his great-grandfather’s house was, it was not the home he shared with his mother.

Kong Yilin knew that his deskmate, Cen Huai’an, had been feeling down lately, although he wasn’t sure why.

Nonetheless, he continued to silently accompany Cen Huai’an, speaking very little.

Cen Huai’an had asked him not to let anyone bully him anymore, and he hoped his deskmate could always be happy.

“An’an!”

Cen Huai’an, like usual, was walking towards the school gate, knowing that his mother wouldn’t be coming back today, still looking hopefully towards the entrance.

Before he could spot Aunt Li, he heard his father’s surprising voice.

There were many students between him and the school gate, and Cen Huai’an had to crane his neck to finally see Cen Zhengnian standing at the gate, smiling and looking at him.

Immediately, Cen Huai’an squeezed his way towards the gate, and Kong Yilin hurriedly followed behind him, shouting, “Deskmate, wait for me!”

Cen Huai’an pushed through the crowd of students and finally reached Cen Zhengnian.

“Dad!” Cen Huai’an looked up at Cen Zhengnian, his eyes nearly overflowing with joy.

Cen Zhengnian reached out and picked him up. “Is Mom back in Liangzhou?”

Upon hearing this, Cen Huai’an noticed that his father’s joyful mood dimmed a bit, and he nodded, saying, “Mm.”

Cen Zhengnian ruffled his hair, which had grown quite a bit since the Qingming Festival.

Kong Yilin also squeezed through, panting, and saw Cen Huai’an in Cen Zhengnian’s arms.

It was a sight he had never seen before, and he stared wide-eyed.

“Deskmate, is this your dad?”

Kong Yilin was amazed and a bit envious.

His deskmate’s father was so tall and could carry him so easily.

His own father no longer liked to carry him, saying he was too big and it was tiring.

Hearing Kong Yilin’s voice, Cen Huai’an realized they were at the school gate, surrounded by classmates.

His ears instantly turned red.

He struggled to get down, saying, “Dad, I want to get down.”

Seeing his son’s ears turning bright red, Cen Zhengnian’s smile widened.

He bent down and let Cen Huai’an get down by himself, taking his backpack and asking, “Is Dad’s hug uncomfortable?”

“No.” Cen Huai’an didn’t know how to respond but reached out and held Cen Zhengnian’s hand.

Cen Zhengnian’s smile deepened as he told him to say goodbye to his classmates because they were going home for dinner.

Cen Huai’an waved to Kong Yilin, and Cen Zhengnian, holding his hand, along with Aunt Li, went to Grandpa Jiang’s house.

When Grandpa Jiang saw Cen Zhengnian and Cen Huai’an arriving, he was momentarily stunned.

He didn’t see his grandson often.

Huangzi and Heizi, the two little dogs, kept circling Cen Zhengnian’s legs.

Cen Huai’an also relied on Cen Zhengnian and followed him closely.

Grandpa Jiang snorted, “As soon as you come back, An’an is not close to me, his great-grandfather, anymore. Even the two little dogs are more affectionate towards you than me.”

Cen Zhengnian crouched down to play with the two dogs, smiling as he looked at Cen Huai’an. “Go and comfort your great-grandfather. He’s feeling jealous.”

Cen Huai’an immediately ran to Grandpa Jiang. “Great-grandfather.”

Then he blinked his big eyes at Grandpa Jiang, unsure how to comfort him.

He bit his lip, considering asking his father for help.

Grandpa Jiang had known Cen Huai’an’s personality for a long time and couldn’t keep his serious face anymore.

He smiled and patted his head, “Don’t listen to your dad. Today, Aunt Li made your favorite sweet and sour pork. Let’s go eat.”

Cen Huai’an’s eyes lit up.

The surprise of the day was doubled, but it was a pity that his mother wasn’t there to enjoy it with him.

During dinner, Cen Zhengnian asked Grandpa Jiang how Chuxia left.

Grandpa Jiang gave him a stern look. “It was sent by Dazi(Jiang Zhida). You’ve been a very negligent husband.”

Cen Zhengnian smiled bitterly. “I know.”

He would do whatever was needed for his family, even if it meant not working his current job.

Grandpa Jiang didn’t say more.

He only wanted Cen Zhengnian to remember Chuxia’s hard work.

No matter how good he was to Chuxia and An’an, it was never enough.

“Great-grandfather, have some pork.” Cen Huai’an served some meat to Grandpa Jiang.

He didn’t like the current serious look on his father’s face; he preferred the smiling version.

Cen Zhengnian controlled his emotions and looked at Cen Huai’an with a smile. “Isn’t there any for Dad?”

Cen Huai’an served him a piece. “Dad, can you take me to school this afternoon?”

“Sure.”

Even if An’an hadn’t asked, Cen Zhengnian had already planned to take him.

Cen Huai’an would take a nap at Grandpa Jiang’s house, where he could sleep for half an hour before going to school.

At home, he could sleep for an hour.

“How’s work?” Grandpa Jiang asked.

Cen Zhengnian sat across from him, also holding a cup, and said, “Grandpa, you know I can’t say.”

Grandpa Jiang stopped asking about work. “Have you called Chuxia since you came back?”

Cen Zhengnian nodded. “I have.”

Grandpa Jiang was somewhat satisfied. “You did well in this regard.”

Cen Zhengnian finished his tea before speaking again. “I’ll stay here tonight. I’ll pick up An’an from school this afternoon. You don’t need to send Aunt Li. I’ll also take An’an to school tomorrow morning. Let Aunt Li pick him up at noon.”

Grandpa Jiang frowned and was reluctant to let Cen Huai’an go. “You don’t know how to cook. How will you manage dinner? Do you have any groceries at home? Did you buy any?”

Cen Zhengnian had not paid attention to these details and had only thought about staying with An’an at home.

He hadn’t considered the issue of food.

However, it wasn’t a big problem to solve.

“There are restaurants outside. I’ll take An’an to eat out.”

Grandpa Jiang immediately said, “Few restaurants can compare to Aunt Li’s cooking. Aunt Li even cooks according to An’an’s tastes. Alright, stop arguing. Tonight, you take An’an and come to my place. I’ll let Dazi go home to sleep, and you stay here with An’an.”

He gave Cen Zhengnian a look, clearly expressing that he shouldn’t argue and should do as told.

Cen Zhengnian thought about how he also spent very little time with his grandfather and, picking up the teapot, poured another cup of tea for Grandfather Jiang. “Alright.”

---

At noon, Chuxia saw the children from the family courtyard returning.

She put the things she had prepared for Bangzi and his friends into a bag and headed to Bangzi’s house.

Bangzi’s grandmother, seeing her, was a bit surprised, but she quickly masked it and didn’t show as much enthusiasm as she did for An’an.

Knowing that Chuxia was there to see Bangzi, she continued washing vegetables and said, “They haven’t returned yet. Please sit on that bench and wait a while.”

Bangzi’s grandmother referred to a bench under a peach tree in the courtyard.

Chuxia thanked her with a smile and sat on the bench.

The bench was shaded by the tree, so it wasn’t too hot.

When Bangzi and his friends walked into the courtyard, they immediately saw Chuxia sitting under the tree.

She wore a beautiful light green dress with sleeves and a pair of white shoes with a slight heel.

Sitting there with her back straight and a smile on her face, she seemed out of place in the shabby and messy courtyard.

Because the bench was too low, her dress swept the ground, but she didn’t mind. Seeing them come in, she stood up with a warm smile. “You’re back.”

Bangzi and the others were momentarily stunned but quickly showed their excitement. “Auntie, you’re back? Is An’an back too?”

“I came back for a bit of business, An’an didn’t come with me.”

As she spoke, Chuxia lifted the bag she had placed next to the bench. “These are the things An’an asked me to bring for you.”

Bangzi looked at Chuxia. Even though it had only been two months, he felt that Chuxia was even more radiant than before.

What about An’an?

Had he also become better?

At this moment, Bangzi suddenly felt a strong longing for Beijing. It was a dream place for many people, and now he wanted to see it too.

“Auntie, come inside.”

Chuxia followed Chopsticks into the house, with Bangzi walking behind them.

Once inside, Chuxia took out the items from the bag one by one.

For Bangzi, there was a book, a children’s version of “Story of Idioms,” which Chuxia had recommended.

She thought that learning about ancient stories from China could be beneficial for children, and they could learn something from these historical figures.

For Chopsticks, there was a set of cards he had always wanted, which An’an had bought for him in Beijing, along with chocolates that Maozi loved and comic books that Hui Mao liked.

Besides the gifts, there were also letters from An’an to each person: “After you read this, please write a reply and give it to me. I’ll bring it back to An’an when I return to Beijing.”

“Alright.” Bangzi held the book and the letter with one hand, feeling very happy, but he didn’t show much of it on his face.

He spoke to Chuxia as usual.

Chuxia didn’t stay long. After chatting with the children for a while, she bid them farewell.

“Study hard, and remember to contact me if you need anything.”

Waving to them, Chuxia turned and left Bangzi’s house.

As soon as she left, the children’s faces showed their excitement and happiness.

They quickly opened An’an’s letters to read them.

The letters mostly contained similar content about An’an’s experiences in Beijing.

However, based on each person’s personality, the content varied.

For example, for Bangzi, An’an described many opportunities to make money in Beijing and expressed regret about not being there.

For Maozi and others, he described the fun things in Beijing that Liangzhou didn’t have.

Bangzi could tell the intention behind An’an’s words and smiled even wider, rubbing his nose with his thumb. “He’s trying to lure me there.”

Maozi said, “Beijing does sound nice.”

Bangzi patted him on the back. “It sounds nice, but right now, you can only listen.”

None of the children could go anywhere.

Bangzi folded the letter, lowering his eyes. “I have to admit, the little scrap does understand me well. I’m really tempted.”

But temptation aside, what mattered more now was to live his current life well.

Everything else could wait until he grew up.

---

In the evening, Chuxia finally saw the Luo family.

She looked at Wang Yulan and Brother Luo standing at the door with a hint of mockery in her eyes. “Your news is always so fast.”

It wasn’t enough to use mere threats to completely rid herself of the Luo family. As long as time passed, they would still come running when they saw benefits.

Wang Yulan looked at Chuxia with a benevolent smile. “Chuxia, why didn’t you let us know when you left home? Why didn’t you let us know when you came back?”

Chuxia didn’t speak and had no intention of wasting time with Wang Yulan. “Mom, instead of worrying about me, why don’t you focus on your little daughter?”

“What’s wrong with your little sister?” Wang Yulan was taken aback by Chuxia’s words.

She had been quite indulgent towards her little daughter, sending all three girls to school with the hope of marrying them into better families in the future.

Her little daughter, who resembled her the most and was sweet-talking, received more of her affection, but in her heart, she valued her two sons, especially the younger one, the most.

“Mom, don’t you really know?” Chuxia feigned surprise. “When I went to school before, I saw that my little sister was dating. The boy looked quite nice, with a sweet mouth. I think you would like him.”

Wang Yulan favored Luo Chuming the most because he was the youngest son and could charm her with his sweet talk.

Wang Yulan’s face changed when she heard this.

Ignoring the purpose of her visit to Chuxia, she pinched her palm and forced herself to stay calm. “Is what you’re saying true?”

“Whether it’s true or not, you can go to the school and find out. Besides, what use is it to tell a lie that can be easily exposed?”

Wang Yulan couldn’t stay any longer.

She dragged Brother Luo and immediately turned to go home.

Brother Luo wanted to say more, but she wouldn’t let him. “Let’s deal with your little sister’s matter first.”

Wang Yulan was in a hurry because Luo Xiaomei was about to graduate from high school.

She was certain she wouldn’t get into college and didn’t even expect her to.

She was waiting for Luo Xiaomei to graduate from high school so she could find a good family for her to marry off.

She had already chosen a suitable match and even had contact with the prospective groom’s mother.

They had secretly reached an agreement.

Once Luo Xiaomei graduated, the groom’s family would send someone to propose.

The two families would meet, get engaged, and then marry.

Previously, Chuxia and Luo Dajie followed the same process. Although Wang Yulan favored Luo Xiaomei slightly more, she wouldn’t let her do as she pleased in marriage.

Not to mention letting her fall in love freely or find someone with sweet talk. Sweet talk was useless—it was only good for coaxing naïve young girls!

Chuxia looked at Wang Yulan dragging Luo Dage away hurriedly and smirked with irony before closing the door of her house.