Beijing Train Station

As Chuxia emerged from the train station with her luggage, she glanced at the sky.

It was much like the last time she had returned, with the sun hanging low in the west and casting a red hue over the clouds.

The difference was that last time she had worn a sweater, whereas this time she had changed into light summer clothing.

Chuxia wore a thin long-sleeve shirt and jeans, and the temperature was still a bit chilly without the sun.

Before heading home, Chuxia had called Grandfather Jiang and An’an.

She knew An’an missed her, so she had given him a heads-up that she would be home in a couple of days, hoping to make him happy.

As she looked into the distance and saw the bus station across from the train station, she was about to walk over with her luggage when a small figure like a cannonball dashed toward her and tightly hugged her waist. “Mom!”

Chuxia looked down and saw An’an, whom she hadn’t seen for more than ten days.

He was looking up at her with an expression of uncontainable joy.

Chuxia’s face immediately broke into a broad smile.

She dropped her luggage, crouched down, and embraced An’an.

She rubbed his head vigorously and looked up at Jiang Zhida, who stood casually with his hands in his pockets. “Didn’t I tell Grandfather not to come pick me up? I could have taken the bus home.”

Jiang Zhida walked over, picked up Chuxia’s luggage, and said with a grin, “Cousin, if I hadn’t come to pick you up, Grandpa would have broken my legs, and An’an wanted to see you as soon as possible!”

Chuxia laughed, “Grandfather was just trying to scare you.”

She glanced down at An’an, who was holding her hand and walking closely beside her.

Her expression softened further; she also wanted to see An’an as soon as possible.

Jiang Zhida, playfully, said, “Only you would say that. I’ve been chased and beaten plenty of times before.”

Chuxia laughed, “Just try not to anger Grandfather. He definitely won’t hit you.”

For instance, the last time he pulled at the flowers was clearly asking for a scolding, and there was no saving him from it.

Jiang Zhida opened the car door for Chuxia and Cen Huai’an and casually said, “I’ll do my best.”

But if he couldn’t avoid it, he’d just continue being chased and beaten. After all, Grandfather couldn’t catch him anymore.

“How has An’an been these past few days at Grandfather’s house?”

This was the first time An’an had been separated from Chuxia for such a long time.

He sat in the car, clinging tightly to her, holding her hand as if afraid that if he let go, she would disappear.

Seeing An’an like this made Chuxia’s heart ache a little.

She knew Grandfather Jiang would certainly take good care of An’an, but without his parents, he still felt insecure.

Before An’an could respond, Jiang Zhida said from the front seat, “I slept with An’an every day. We had a great time at my grandfather’s house. I even taught An’an to play table tennis. Right, An’an?”

An’an replied with a “mm-hmm.”

Although he missed his mother, he was also happy at Great-grandfather’s house and enjoyed playing table tennis.

Chuxia looked down at An’an and said, “An’an is so amazing. Can you teach Mommy how to play table tennis when we get home? Mommy doesn’t know how to play.”

An’an immediately nodded, his face serious as if he was thinking about how to teach Chuxia to play.

Chuxia indeed didn’t know how to play table tennis.

When she was in elementary and middle school, some classmates liked to play outside, but she was more into skipping rope and playing sandbag games in elementary school, and discussing TV shows with friends in middle school.

Later, during holidays, she played badminton with friends but never touched table tennis.

Chuxia asked about what An’an had done these past few days, and Jiang Zhida occasionally added comments.

Before long, they arrived at Grandfather Jiang’s home.

Chuxia got out of the car and saw the open door of the Jiang family house.

She turned to Jiang Zhiduo and asked, “Did Grandfather ask you to bring us here?”

Jiang Zhida closed the car door with one hand and took Chuxia’s luggage with the other.

He nodded, “Yes. Grandpa has asked Aunt Li to prepare a meal for you. He said you should eat here before you leave.”

Chuxia was grateful for Grandfather Jiang’s thoughtfulness.

Her home currently had nothing, and even the coal stove needed to be rekindled, so she felt no need to be polite.

Passing by the shadow wall, the warm yellow light from the windows made the entire house feel cozy.

Chuxia suddenly felt a bit of a lump in her throat, as if she were seeing her grandfather waiting for her with the lights on every time she came home for the holidays.

Jiang Zhida noticed that Chuxia and An’an had stopped behind and called out, puzzled, “Cousin?”

Chuxia came back to her senses and saw An’an looking up at her, his eyes seemingly asking what was wrong.

Chuxia hid the memory she had just recalled and smiled, “It’s nothing. I just wondered what Aunt Li had cooked. It smells so good.”

Jiang Zhida laughed heartily, “Cousin must be hungry.”

Hearing the noise, Grandfather Jiang came out.

Seeing Jiang Zhida approach and nudge him aside, he turned to Chuxia and An’an, his face beaming with a smile.

“Chuxia is back! Are you tired from the journey? Come in and have dinner. It’s all your favorite dishes.”

Chuxia replied, “Thank you, Grandfather. I’m quite hungry.”

When An’an heard Chuxia say she was hungry, he quickly pulled her toward the house, “Mommy, sit down.”

Once inside, he lifted his foot and pulled out a chair for Chuxia to sit.

Chuxia patted his head, “But you haven’t washed your hands yet.”

She took him to wash his hands, and by the time they came out, the table was set with dishes and utensils.

Grandfather Jiang and Jiang Zhida were already seated, waiting for them.

As expected, the dinner was filled with Chuxia and An’an’s favorite dishes.

One dish of stir-fried garlic sprouts with beef was exactly to Chuxia’s taste, and she ate quite a bit of it with rice.

After dinner, Grandfather Jiang did not ask about Chuxia’s exam results as she had expected. Instead, he simply said, “Rest well after your exam.”

Grandfather Jiang was indeed a very considerate elder.

If Chuxia had not done well in her exams, she definitely wouldn’t want to be asked about her results at this moment.

Grateful for Grandfather Jiang’s thoughtfulness, Chuxia and An’an were driven home by Jiang Zhida, accompanied by the two little dogs.

At the entrance of their courtyard home, Chuxia thanked Jiang Zhida, who waved off her thanks nonchalantly and left.

As soon as Huangzi and Heizi entered the house, they wagged their tails excitedly and ran around the yard.

An’an, looking relaxed, took Chuxia’s hand and led her inside. “Mommy, I helped Aunt Li air out your quilt.”

This was a detail Grandfather Jiang couldn’t have considered, but An’an knew his mother liked her quilts aired out and hated them being damp.

So, after An’an mentioned it to Grandfather Jiang, Aunt Li had taken him home and tidied up, airing out the quilts in advance.

Chuxia touched the quilt and found it indeed fluffy and soft, with no dampness at all. It even had a hint of the sun’s scent.

This was a pleasant surprise for Chuxia; she had been worried that the bedding might not be usable upon her return.

Turning to An’an, who was looking up at her with anticipation, Chuxia couldn’t help but squat down and give him a kiss on the cheek, lavishly praising him.

“Mommy feels so lucky to have such a good-looking and considerate son like you. In our whole courtyard, in the entire alley, there’s no one better than you, An’an!”

Hearing all the praise, An’an’s face turned a bit red.

He felt happy, excited, and a little embarrassed.

But he also felt proud of himself and was determined to do even better in the future.

The next afternoon, right after school, An’an remembered Chuxia’s request to learn table tennis.

When he saw her sitting in the study, he went over, took her hand, and pulled her outside. “Mommy, let me teach you how to play table tennis.”

Chuxia remembered what she had said the day before, stood up, and was about to follow An’an outside when she realized she didn’t have a paddle.

She stopped him and said, “I haven’t bought a paddle yet. Let’s play tomorrow instead.”

An’an said nothing but opened his backpack to show her. “Mommy, I borrowed Uncle’s paddle. You can use his.”

With the paddle issue resolved, Chuxia had no reason to refuse and followed An’an to the ping pong table in the alley.

At that time, the table was surrounded by many people, including elementary and middle school students, as well as high school students and adults.

The ping pong table was different from the dark green tables Chuxia had seen in her past life at school, with a net in the middle.

The table in the alley was quite rudimentary, made of a stone slab with corners missing, propped up by various broken bricks, and with a piece of wood supported by bricks serving as the net.

Although the table was simple, it didn’t affect the enthusiasm of the children playing or the joy of watching the game.

Every evening when Chuxia came out, she would see a group of kids playing table tennis, their cheerful shouts echoing through the alley.

“Are we going to learn here? But others are playing.”

Chuxia pointed to two kids who were playing.

An’an had a solution. He asked Chuxia to wait a moment and ran over to negotiate with the players for twenty minutes of playtime by offering the borrowed paddle.

Although many kids loved playing table tennis, not every child had a paddle.

The cheapest paddles were not inexpensive for children, and adults might hesitate to buy them for their kids.

An’an’s paddle was found by Jiang Zhida and him while searching for treasures at Grandfather Jiang’s house.

He was instructed to keep it secret from Grandfather Jiang.

However, the next moment, An’an accidentally revealed it to Grandfather Jiang.

Grandfather Jiang immediately allowed An’an to use the paddle and scolded Jiang Zhiduo for not teaching An’an well and not behaving like a proper elder.

Later, Jiang Zhida pointed at An’an and scolded, “Little traitor! You promised me and then betrayed me.”

An’an, feeling righteous, said, “I never promised you.”

“Then give me back the paddle. I found it for you!” Jiang Zhiduo tried to take the paddle back.

An’an ran around the courtyard holding the paddle. “This was given to me by Great-grandpa! I’m not giving it back!”

He then shouted for Great-grandpa.

Just as he started calling, Jiang Zhiduo covered his mouth and said, “Don’t call! Don’t call!”

Grandfather Jiang had already heard the noise and came out with his cane tapping loudly. “You’re bullying An’an again!”

“I’m not,” Jiang Zhiduo immediately denied, urging An’an to explain to Grandfather Jiang quickly, “Explain and I’ll take you to eat something delicious!”

An’an, not being foolish, seized the opportunity and asked, “What delicious food?”

“I guarantee you’ll like it.”

So, An’an helped Jiang Zhiduo and got to taste ice cream for the first time, which was different from the ice Popsicle sold by Bang Ge.

The ice cream was chocolate-flavored with small chocolate bits inside.

Each bite was soft, sweet, and cool.

Cen Huai’an still licks his lips when he thinks about the taste, wanting to eat it again.

Cen Huai’an didn’t tell Chuxia how he got the table tennis paddle.

When it was time to play, he quickly turned around and called out to Chuxia, “Mommy!”

Immediately, all the children’s eyes were on Chuxia, looking at her and then at An’an, with puzzled expressions: Will adults play with the kids?

Feeling all the children’s gaze, Chuxia stiffened for a moment.

Gathering her courage, she walked over and quietly said to An’an, “Shall we practice later?”

Learning table tennis in front of so many kids, and having them see her, an adult, unable to play and needing her son to teach her, made Chuxia uncomfortable.

“But Mommy, I already arranged the time to play.”

“I…” Chuxia looked at An’an’s earnest eyes. He didn’t understand why Mommy didn’t want to learn now when she was so excited to learn before.

“I’m not ready yet. Let’s talk about the rules at home first.”