Jiang Zhida nodded, “I’ll think about how to handle this.”

“Let him continue as a staff member and gain experience. You said the sales difference between his store and the other two is substantial, indicating his skills are lacking and need development.”

Jiang Zhida had been thinking along these lines, and with Chuxia providing a reason, he clapped his hands and said, “Cousin, if you were in business, you’d definitely achieve more than me.”

He had repeatedly wanted Chuxia to join him in business, but she had always declined.

Chuxia waved her hand, “I’m not as capable as you think.”

She spoke the truth; with the many twists and turns in business, even Jiang Zhida sometimes got into trouble despite having Jiang Zhishu’s help.

Chuxia didn’t want to take such risks.

Chuxia stood up, gathered the tapes, and said, “It’s getting late. An’an and I should head home. Otherwise, your cousin might worry if he comes back and doesn’t find us.”

Jiang Zhida drove them home.

He also had a car for business purposes, as it was a good face for the business.

Chuxia didn’t own a car.

She was saving her dividends to buy the courtyard.

---

Although Jiang Shengnan didn’t inform Chuxia of their return time, Cen Zhengnian learned the train schedule from Cen Father.

He borrowed Jiang Zhida’s car, while Chuxia and An’an stayed at the courtyard waiting for their arrival.

In addition to Jiang Shengnan and Cen Father, their bodyguard accompanied them.

Previously, Cen Father’s bodyguard had moved on to other work and was thriving in the military.

Cen Father had since replaced him with a new bodyguard, a dark-skinned, ordinary-looking soldier.

The new bodyguard moved almost silently, making it hard to notice him unless one paid close attention.

Cen Huai’an, who was trained in martial arts, whispered to Chuxia, “Mom, Grandpa’s bodyguard is impressive.”

He could detect the difference between a bodyguard and an ordinary person more keenly.

Chuxia replied, “Anyone chosen as Grandpa’s bodyguard must be very capable.”

Jiang Shengnan was touched by the clean and well-prepared courtyard.

Everything was ready for them to move in, and even the vegetables were bought.

She held Chuxia’s hand, her smile never fading, “Thank you, Chuxia.”

She knew that Chuxia had arranged all this. She was aware of her son’s temperament—he wasn’t as meticulous or had the time.

“Zhengnian helped too,” Chuxia added.

She spoke the truth.

During his break, Cen Zhengnian had come to air out the quilts and bought some appliances, installing them with Jiang Zhida.

Jiang Shengnan and Cen Father’s attention was focused on Cen Huai’an.

They never took their eyes off An’an as he talked about his school life and math competition.

Jiang Shengnan brought many local specialties from the northwest, including walnuts.

Chuxia liked them but disliked shelling them.

Cen Zhengnian took tools and shelled the walnuts for her until she said she was full.

Cen Huai’an was curious about Grandpa’s bodyguard and couldn’t resist asking, “Grandpa, did Uncle Zhu practice martial arts?”

Uncle Zhu was the bodyguard’s surname.

Cen Father replied, “You can ask Uncle Zhu yourself.”

Cen Huai’an approached Uncle Zhu, looking up as he was much taller than him.

“Uncle Zhu, did you practice martial arts?”

Uncle Zhu responded, “Yes, I did.”

Cen Huai’an’s smile widened, “I practice martial arts too.” Hence, he could guess.

Satisfied with the answer, Cen Huai’an’s curiosity was quelled.

Jiang Shengnan and Cen Father planned to stay in Beijing until after the New Year before leaving.

They hadn’t returned to Beijing for a long time.

With Grandpa Jiang growing older, Jiang Shengnan wanted to visit him more as future meetings would become less frequent.

When Cen Father and Jiang Shengnan took Uncle Zhu to visit Jiang Grandpa.

Zhang Lu, who was similar in age to Cen Huai’an, immediately recognized that Uncle Zhu had practiced martial arts.

She discreetly asked Cen Huai’an and, upon receiving confirmation, her eyes lit up.

Cen Huai’an noticed her thoughts and warned, “You won’t be able to beat Uncle Zhu.”

“I know,” Zhang Lu said confidently, “I wanted to see where the difference lies because I know I can’t win!”

Unlike Cen Huai’an, who, when faced with someone skilled, only wants to verify whether his guesses are correct, Zhang Lu enjoys challenging difficult martial arts techniques, just like Cen Huai’an enjoys tackling challenging math problems.

Zhang Lu, being quite bold, directly approached Cen Huai’an’s father and asked, “Grand-uncle, can I practice with Uncle Zhu?”

Knowing that Uncle Zhu would listen to Cen Huai’an’s Grandfather, she asked him first.

Cen’s Father said, “Ask Uncle Zhu.” He didn’t object.

Zhang Lu then asked Uncle Zhu, bringing along her favorite chocolates and candies as a gift to hope that he would agree to spar with her.

Uncle Zhu declined the treats and walked into the yard.

Zhang Lu cheered, handed her cotton-padded jacket to Cen Huai’an, and ran to stand before Uncle Zhu.

She performed a friendly gesture before the practice began and then immediately attacked.

Uncle Zhu only defended, and Zhang Lu couldn’t touch him or find his weakness.

Finding it uninteresting, she said directly, “Uncle Zhu, you can make a move!”

As soon as Uncle Zhu moved, Zhang Lu was pinned to the ground.

However, she didn’t feel discouraged at all.

She got up, her eyes bright, and said to Uncle Zhu, “Uncle Zhu, continue.”

The practice only ended when Zhang Lu was exhausted and almost ready to collapse, while Uncle Zhu was also slightly out of breath.

While Cen Huai’an and Zhang Lu were sending clothes, she panted heavily but had bright eyes and grabbed Cen Huai’an’s arm, exclaiming, “Uncle Zhu is amazing!”

She frequently went to the courtyard to practice with Uncle Zhu, and her martial arts skills improved significantly.

But that’s a story for another time.

Now, the time for the Go exchange meeting that Grandpa Jiang was supposed to take Cen Huai’an to was approaching.

He needed to stay at Grandpa Jiang’s house today.

“Mom.”

As Cen Zhengan and Chuxia left in the afternoon, Cen Huai’an showed reluctance.

Even though he was a bit older, he was still a child and felt sad about parting from his parents.

Chuxia patted his head, saying, “Mom will rest for a few days and come to see you.”

She couldn’t enter the Go exchange meeting, but she could definitely visit Cen Huai’an at Old Master Jiang’s house after the meeting ended.

“Okay.”

Cen Huai’an followed Chuxia and Cen Zhengan to the bus stop.

Jiang Zhida was also there, occasionally kicking at the fallen leaves with his foot and holding Cen Huai’an’s arm, saying, “An’an, you can’t follow your parents.”

“I know, Uncle,” Cen Huai’an said, pulling his arm away.

He just wanted to see his parents off to the bus.

As Chuxia boarded the bus and looked back at Cen Huai’an standing at the bus stop, she felt a pang of sadness. “Seeing An’an like this, I really want to run down and bring him back home.”

Cen Zhengan also felt uneasy.

He hugged Chuxia and looked back with her, his eyes focused only on Cen Huai’an.

Chuxia waved back at Cen Huai’an.

Cen Huai’an responded until the bus turned the corner and disappeared.

He kicked a small stone by his feet and walked towards Grandpa Jiang’s house, clearly unhappy.

Jiang Zhida patted his head, saying, “In five days, you’ll see your parents again. Little man, be strong.”

Cen Huai’an nodded, not speaking.

---

Back at home, Chuxia was still worried about Cen Huai’an. “Will he kick off his blanket at night?”

Cen Zhengan said, “An’an never kicks off his blanket. It’s you who does that.”

Chuxia lost interest in what she was doing. Huang Zi and Hei Zi came out to greet her, but not seeing Cen Huai’an, they kept looking behind her and barking.

Chuxia’s mood worsened.

She patted Huang Zi and Hei Zi on their heads, brought them into the room, and said to Cen Zhengan, “You cook dinner.”

Then she went to the bedroom, lay on the bed, and stared at the ceiling.

Perhaps because she was so tired today, she soon fell asleep.

Cen Zhengan cooked the noodles and came to call Chuxia for dinner.

Finding her asleep on the bed, her brows still furrowed, he reached out to smooth her brow.

But as soon as he touched her, she woke up, asking, “Is dinner ready?”

“It’s ready,” Cen Zhengan said, helping her up and smoothing her hair.

“Don’t worry.”

Cen Zhengan was also worried about An’an, but if he showed it, it would make Chuxia even more upset.

Chuxia hadn’t been separated from An’an for a long time, and the sudden separation was hard to bear.

Once she began to distract herself with other tasks, she gradually started to feel better.

---

The next morning, when Cen Huai’an was awakened by Grandpa Jiang, he rubbed his eyes and looked a bit confused, struggling to recognize where he was.

“Great-Grandpa?”

“Get up, we need to head out soon.”

Saying this, Grandpa Jiang gave Jiang Zhida, who was still asleep beside him, a heavy slap on the shoulder. “Wake up, it’s time to get up!”

Cen Huai’an glanced at Jiang Zhida and instantly became alert.

He silently sat up and got dressed.

Today, he was going to the Go exchange meeting with his great-grandpa, and his Uncle was taking them there.

The Go exchange meeting was held at the Beijing Youth Palace, which was located in the Shouhuang Palace of Jingshan Park.

The building, similar to the Forbidden City, had a strong historical feel.

However, upon entering, the many children’s voices diminished that historical sense.

The Go exchange meeting wasn’t held in the children’s classrooms but in a quieter building.

As Cen Huai’an followed Old Master Jiang through the door, he looked up and saw Hong Youxuan playing Go with someone inside.