To be honest, even if Cen Zhengnian hadn’t mentioned it, Chu Xia wouldn’t have been able to stay in this house any longer.

“I’ll move to the research institute with An An. I’ll pack our things and take them later.”

Chu Xia and Cen Huai’an hadn’t lived in this house for long, and they didn’t have much stuff. But even with few belongings, moving is still a hassle.

Cen Zhengnian said, “The house at the research institute is furnished with basic furniture. You just need to bring clothes and daily necessities.”

Chu Xia nodded, then moved a stool and sat under the jujube tree.

Cen Zhengnian glanced at her, went into the kitchen, and returned with a thermos. Shortly after, he poured Chu Xia a cup of hot water.

The warmth from the cup slowly chased away the coldness she felt on her back. Chu Xia stood up and took down the dried mugwort hanging on the doors of the rooms.

She had hung the mugwort during the Dragon Boat Festival; it was believed to ward off evil spirits and prevent illness.

Chu Xia handed the dried mugwort to Cen Zhengnian and said, “Burn the mugwort and smoke out all the rooms to get rid of the bad energy. Anything that needs to be thrown out, throw it.”

She didn’t want to step into the rooms where the murderer had been, at least not for now.

Cen Zhengnian said nothing.

He patted Chu Xia’s head, asked Cen Huai’an to stay in the courtyard with his mother, and then went with Jiang Zhida to fumigate the rooms.

The smell of burning mugwort quickly spread through the courtyard, filling it with a strong herbal scent.

As Chu Xia inhaled the aroma, her emotions gradually settled.

She sipped some tea and looked up at Cen Huai’an, who was standing beside her, worry evident in his eyes.

His hand rested on her knee.

“Mom,” he called softly.

Chu Xia ruffled his hair and, with her voice returning to normal, said, “I’m fine.”

At that moment, the voice of Teacher Fang came from outside.

Cen Huai’an stood up and said to Chu Xia, “Mom, you stay seated. I’ll go open the door.”

Teacher Fang had just returned home and had seen her mother lighting a fire basin and asking her to step over it for good luck.

Though Teacher Fang often joked that her mother was superstitious, after hearing about what happened next door, she quietly stepped over the basin herself.

Since they lived nearby, Teacher Fang also smelled the mugwort burning next door and saw some white smoke drifting out. After thinking it over, she turned and went to Chu Xia’s house to check on her.

“Chu Xia, are you okay?”

Chu Xia, who had been sitting on a stool drinking water with two dogs lying beside her, looked up when she heard the commotion.

The dogs immediately stood up and barked, “Woof! Woof!” toward Teacher Fang’s direction.

Chu Xia patted the dogs, Huangzi and Heizi, on the head, then looked up at Teacher Fang, who was standing in front of her. “I’m fine. I just didn’t expect that when catching a thief, they’d end up catching a murderer.”

Teacher Fang asked if Chu Xia needed any help.

Chu Xia shook her head.

Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Zhida came out of the main house with a pink handkerchief tied around his face, coughing and waving away the smoke.

“Sister-in-law, the main house is done fumigating. Should we do the study too? Oh, Teacher Fang is here as well.”

Teacher Fang stared at Jiang Zhida’s attire, looking dumbfounded and trying to suppress a laugh. She nodded with a strained expression, her face nearly contorting from holding back her laughter.

Chu Xia had already seen Jiang Zhida dressed like that earlier; the handkerchief was even provided by An An.

“Fumigate all the rooms,” Chu Xia said. “Who knows where that person has been.”

Cen Zhengnian came out at that moment, holding a neatly folded light blue handkerchief but wearing nothing on his face.

Jiang Zhida suggested to Cen Zhengnian, “Second cousin, you should do what I’m doing. It’s convenient.”

Cen Zhengnian glanced at him, immediately looked away, and walked toward the living room. “No need,” he said.

Teacher Fang didn’t stay long at Chu Xia’s house.

After exchanging some compliments about Cen Huai’an’s performance at school, she left, having come primarily to check on Chu Xia and make sure they were alright.

As the mugwort scent filled the courtyard and lingered for a while, Chu Xia said to Cen Zhengnian, “Let’s go visit Grandpa first. I brought some special products from Liangzhou as a gift for him.”

As for moving, they would handle it after returning from Grandpa’s.

By then, the mugwort smoke in the courtyard would have dissipated, making it a good time to pack.

“Okay, I’ll go wash my hands.”

Chu Xia soaked the remaining mugwort in water and placed it in the dogs’ water bowl, calling Huangzi and Heizi over to drink.

Cen Huai’an squatted nearby to supervise, making sure the dogs didn’t swallow the first sip of water.

When they arrived at Grandpa Jiang’s house, he had been waiting for a while, and Aunt Li had already prepared the food.

Grandpa Jiang stood up from his reclining chair, leaning on his cane, and smiled kindly at Chu Xia and An An. “Tired from the trip? Hungry?”

Before Chu Xia could reply, Grandpa Jiang called toward the kitchen, asking Aunt Li to set the table.

“Grandpa, why don’t you ask me? I’ve been on the train for a long time too,” Jiang Zhida jumped in, even leaning his face forward to show the dark circles under his eyes.

Grandpa Jiang pushed Jiang Zhida’s head aside in disdain. “You’re a grown man. What’s so tiring about a train ride? Stop standing around and help carry the dishes!”

Grandpa Jiang turned his head and looked at Chuxia and An’an with a big smile on his face.

Jiang Zhida was used to Grandpa’s favoritism; even Cen Zhengnian was treated the same way by his own grandfather.

Jiang Zhida dragged Cen Zhengnian into the kitchen.

Chuxia took out the gifts she brought for Grandpa Jiang, which were simple things like snacks and tea from Liangzhou, nothing too fancy.

Compared to the tea Grandpa Jiang usually drank, the tea Chuxia brought was just a nice change, though not as high quality.

But even so, Grandpa Jiang was delighted. Looking at the tea leaves, he said, “I haven’t tried this tea before. Let me brew some to taste.”

He reached for the kettle, but Chuxia quickly asked Cen Huaian to help hold his great-grandfather while she took the kettle and said, “Grandpa, let me make it for you.”

Chuxia didn’t know the fancy way to make tea; she just followed what the tea vendor told her—pour the water first, then add the tea leaves, and let them slowly unfold in the water.

She handed the tea to Grandpa Jiang. “Be careful, Grandpa, it’s a bit hot.”

Grandpa Jiang blew on the tea and said, “It’s fine.”

After taking a sip, he praised Chuxia a lot, saying she picked out a tea that suited his taste perfectly.

Chuxia knew that the tea wasn’t as good as what Grandpa Jiang usually drank, and his compliments were exaggerated.

Still, she was happy. “As long as you like it, Grandpa,” she said as she brewed another pot.

No one mentioned the incident with the intruder to Grandpa Jiang.

The matter was resolved, and considering Grandpa Jiang’s age, they didn’t want to upset him.

However, Cen Zhengnian did mention that Chuxia and An’an would be moving to the family quarters at the research institute.

Grandpa Jiang frowned upon hearing this. “Why the sudden decision to move? I haven’t heard Chuxia or An’an mention this before.” He glanced at Cen Zhengnian and Jiang Zhida before looking at Chuxia. “Chuxia, is Zhengnian forcing you? That place is so far away. If you don’t want to go, Grandpa will stand up for you.”

“No, it’s not that,” Chuxia said with a smile as she put a peeled grape into Cen Huaian’s mouth.

She looked naturally at Grandpa Jiang and explained, “It was my idea to move to the institute. I discussed it with Zhengnian before I went to Liangzhou and asked him to find a suitable house. Now that we’ve found one, I plan to move there with An’an today.”

Cen Zhengnian, standing nearby, peeled another grape and naturally fed it to Chuxia.

Without thinking, Chuxia ate it.

When she looked up and saw Grandpa Jiang and Jiang Zhida’s strange expressions, she realized what she had just done.

She continued to eat the grape calmly, though her ears turned bright red.

She shot a quick glare at Cen Zhengnian when Grandpa Jiang wasn’t looking.

Cen Zhengnian just smirked and kept feeding her grapes.

Grandpa Jiang cleared his throat and looked away. “Since you’ve decided, then move. But An’an’s Go lessons can’t stop. In a few days, I want to take him to meet a friend of mine. Chuxia, make sure to bring An’an over.”

“Okay,” Chuxia agreed, subtly pressing down on Cen Zhengnian’s hand to stop him from feeding her more grapes.

Cen Zhengnian reluctantly gave the grape a last look before flipping his hand over to hold Chuxia’s.

Grandpa Jiang understood that living together as a family was better, especially for An’an’s growth.

Plus, the young couple clearly had a good relationship, and being apart for too long wasn’t ideal.

Chuxia didn’t stay long at Grandpa Jiang’s house since she still had to pack her things at home.

She left some gifts for her uncles and cousins, including Jiang Da.

While packing up her belongings, Chuxia felt a bit sad.

She and An’an had lived in this house for a few months, and everything inside had been carefully arranged.

Now, they had to set up a new home.

Cen Huaian finished packing his things and stood under the tall, sturdy jujube tree with their two dogs, Huangzi and Heizi.

He looked up at the green jujubes, his eyes full of reluctance. “Big jujubes, when you’re ripe, I’ll come back to pick you.”

“An’an! Come choose which comics you want to take with you!” Chuxia called from the study.

Cen Huai’an hugged the jujube tree quickly and said, “Jujube tree, we have a deal.” He then ran towards the study. “Mom, I’m here!”

A gust of wind rustled the jujube tree’s branches and leaves, as if it were responding to An’an.

Cen Zhengnian had wisely borrowed Jiang Zhishu’s car; otherwise, moving the bedding and other large items would have been difficult.

Jiang Zhida also came to help.

Cen Zhengnian and Jiang Zhida loaded the heavy items onto the car while Chuxia and An’an carried the lighter things.

Huangzi and Heizi wagged their tails as they followed.

As soon as Cen Zhengnian opened the car door, the dogs jumped in and lay down.

Cen Huaian waved his little hands and called, “Huangzi, Heizi, come down first; you can get back in later.”

The two dogs obediently jumped out and circled around An’an, wagging their tails. They even tried to help carry items, but An’an stopped them.

He patted their heads. “You guys go play for a while.”

Jiang Zhida, just finishing loading things into the car, turned around and saw the dogs lying down as if they understood human speech.

He looked at them in surprise. “Second Cousin, these two dogs of yours are really smart. Can your research institute accommodate them? If not, you can leave them with me; I have space.”

Cen Huaian immediately hugged Huangzi and Heizi, his expression full of rejection.

Cen Zhengnian pushed Jiang Zhida aside. “Don’t worry about it. We have enough room.”

Chuxia laughed and said, “Dazi, Huangzi and Heizi are An’an’s treasures. Don’t even think about it.”

Cen Huai’an nodded beside him and said, “Uncle, you can wait until winter when it snows and find a stray dog in the alley.”

Chu Xia burst out laughing and added, “Exactly! That’s how we found our two dogs.”

Jiang Zhida was seriously considering getting a dog.

He pondered Cen Huai’an’s suggestion and found it somewhat feasible.

However, waiting until winter seemed too long, so he decided to ask around in the next few days to see if anyone had puppies he could adopt.

He also wanted to ensure the puppy’s parents were as smart as Huangzi and Heizi.

When the group arrived at the research institute from the east part of the city, the sun had just lost its intense heat, but the day was still hot.

Chu Xia felt sticky all over, having worked up a sweat while packing and unable to bathe on the train.

Initially, she had planned to return home for a quick shower and change of clothes before visiting Grandpa Jiang, but the whole ordeal with the murderer and the afternoon spent moving had kept her busy.

She hadn’t had a chance to clean up yet, but she knew she’d feel better once everything was settled.

Stepping out of the car, Chu Xia looked at the family housing complex in front of her. It was different from where Cen Zhengnian had previously lived.

Though this place was also an apartment building, the layout was much better, with noticeably more space.

Cen Zhengnian unlocked the door to a unit on the first floor and turned to Chu Xia, saying, “This is the house I rented. Each floor in this building has five units, and the ones on the ground floor come with a small backyard. There’s enough space for Huangzi and Heizi to run around without disturbing anyone else.”

Chu Xia followed him inside and saw that the apartment was indeed spacious, especially the living room, which had a wide, open feeling that didn’t feel cramped.

“Is this house also part of the research institute?”

Cen Zhengnian placed their things in the living room and nodded. “It belongs to my teacher.”

Chu Xia frowned, noticing the carved wooden furniture in the room, including a matching set of tables and chairs. She asked, confused, “If your teacher gave you this house, where is he living?”

“He doesn’t live here anymore,” Cen Zhengnian explained. “He and his wife used to stay here when she worked at the institute, but after she relocated for her job and their children, he moved with them.”

At first, Cen Zhengnian had been reluctant to rent his teacher Yan Hemin’s house, as he felt his teacher was being overly generous.

But Yan had said, “That house has been sitting empty for too long. It needs some life in it. You moving in with your family is perfect; you’ll help me take care of it.”

Yan Hemin wasn’t just any researcher—he was a nationally protected scientist, with security escorts accompanying him in and out of the institute.

He had survived multiple assassination attempts but didn’t take it too seriously, often recounting the incidents to the younger scientists he mentored, treating them like humorous anecdotes.

Recently, Yan had been busy with a new project and had set up a small living space in his office at the institute.

As he put it, “Without my wife, that empty house holds no meaning for me. I’d rather live at the institute, where it’s more convenient for my work.”

Chu Xia asked, “Will anyone have an issue with you renting the place?”

Cen Zhengnian replied calmly, “I’m renting it, not receiving it as a gift. Why would anyone have a problem with that? Besides, everyone’s busy with their work—they won’t even notice.”