At that time, loans were mostly public loans, and private loans were not as common as in later years, making everyone cautious.

Chuxia asked, holding her bag and looking ahead, “Which land in Yangcheng are you bidding for?”

“It’s not in Yangcheng; it’s in Shenzhen.”

Jiang Zhida mentioned a location, and Chuxia’s eyes widened suddenly.

Without hesitation, she said, “Buy it! Take out a loan to buy it!”

Jiang Zhida looked at Chuxia in surprise, “Cous, don’t you want to think about it?”

“What’s there to think about? If you can get the land, get it!” Shenzhen’s land, now in the development phase, would become a bustling area in the future.

Even if you don’t use it for business, you wouldn’t be at a loss.

Jiang Zhida, encouraged by Chuxia’s enthusiastic response, was immediately fired up, his eyes brimming with determination: “Great, let’s do it! We’ll get the land!”

Jiang Zhida called Qian Ran as soon as he got home: “Let’s participate in the bidding. I’m going to the bank for a mortgage loan. I’ll find you as soon as I get the money!”

Qian Ran was stunned by Jiang Zhida’s sudden decision: “Wait, wait, didn’t you say you’d think it over?”

“No more thinking.” Jiang Zhida said, “If we’re going to do it, let’s go big. If it fails, we can always rent a factory.”

If they succeeded in the land bid, they would have their own factory.

Qian Ran was also excited by Jiang Zhida’s words: “Dazi, we’ll definitely succeed in the bidding!”

He imagined a factory built on the land, and his excitement was uncontrollable.

Qian Ran immediately went to make connections and find out who the competitors were and how to secure the land with the least expense.

Chuxia, back home, also felt a bit unable to contain her excitement.

She went to her bedroom, took out her savings book, and began to count the money.

In Huaguo, buying a house was ingrained in people’s nature, and Chuxia was no exception.

Adding her dividends and previous savings, she had several tens of thousands of yuan.

However, it wasn’t enough to buy a courtyard house; she would need at least a hundred thousand to buy a well-located and spacious courtyard house like the ones Jiang Grandpa and Jiang Shengnan lived in.

When Cen Zhengnian came back, he found Chuxia sitting in the bedroom, staring blankly at the savings book, unsure of what she was thinking.

He walked over, placed his hand on her forehead, feeling the coolness from outside.

Chuxia pushed his hand away and looked at him: “You’re back? I didn’t make dinner.”

Cen Zhengnian said, “I’ll cook later. What’s wrong?”

He looked at the savings book in her hand and sensed her concerns.

“I’m thinking whether to keep this money for a courtyard house or give it to Dazi for the land bidding.”

Cen Zhengnian gazed at her, his lips curling up with a gentle smile: “You already have the answer, don’t you?”

Chuxia hugged Cen Zhengnian’s arm, pouting with a heartache: “If I give the money to Dazi, my hard-earned house money will be gone.”

She pretended to cry with a “wuwuwu” sound, and the smile in Cen Zhengnian’s eyes grew warmer.

He found Chuxia’s current act so endearing that it softened his heart.

“Then don’t give it to Dazi.”

Chuxia let go of Cen Zhengnian and huffed, “You’re still his cousin, and you won’t help him when he’s in trouble.”

Cen Zhengnian placed his hand on her head and gently rubbed it: “I only help you and An’an.”

Chuxia’s eyes crinkled with a smile.

She hugged Cen Zhengnian’s arm again, looked down at the savings book, and snapped it shut: “Forget it, forget it. I’ll take it to Dazi tomorrow. Most of it is from dividends, so it’s not a big deal to give it to him.”

Thinking this way, Chuxia felt much better.

The next day, Chuxia found Jiang Zhida in front of the Beijing Cultural Palace, just as he was about to leave in his car.

“Dazi, wait!” Chuxia quickly called out to him.

She hurried over to Jiang Zhida and handed him the savings book: “The password is An’an’s birthday. Take this to the bidding.”

This savings book was specifically set aside for buying a house, separate from the one used for family expenses.

“Cous, I don’t need it!” Jiang Zhida, as if holding a hot potato, quickly tried to return the savings book to Chuxia: “The loan will be enough.”

“Take it, just in case. It’s my dividends from the past three years, so it’s just right for you. Zhengnian thinks so too.”

Chuxia pushed the savings book into his hands: “Don’t refuse. Otherwise, I’ll be angry.”

Jiang Zhida accepted the savings book, and Chuxia waved goodbye, turning to leave.

Jiang Zhida looked at the savings book in his hands, feeling his eyes warm up.

He took a deep breath, rubbed his eyes, and got into the car with the savings book.

He knew Chuxia had always wanted to buy a courtyard house, and she had inquired about their prices.

With this money, Jiang Zhida had only one thought: The bidding must succeed!

The youth Go exchange meeting lasted for five days.

The first three days were for the youth to interact among themselves, and the last two days were for seniors to provide guidance.

During these last two days, Cen Huai’an and the others no longer played against each other but against the seniors.

Apart from their own teachers, anyone could challenge them.

As soon as the vice president announced this rule, Cen Huai’an stood in front of Hong Yuande: “Grandpa Hong, I’d like to play with you.”

“Ambitious!” Hong Yuande praised loudly.

In past exchange meetings, no one had dared to challenge him because of his formidable reputation, and many children were afraid of him.

They found a nearby table, and without a draw for first move, Hong Yuande let Cen Huai’an play with black stones.

The Go Association’s president and many others gathered to watch the game between Cen Huai’an and Hong Yuande, not rushing to play themselves.

Hong Yuande’s Go skills were very high, comparable to Jiang Grandpa’s, but since Jiang Grandpa was not a Go specialist, Hong Yuande was even more skilled.

Everyone held their breath as they watched the intense match between them.

Hong Yuande’s playing style was different from Jiang Grandpa’s.

His style, like his personality, was fiery yet nuanced.

If you underestimated him, you would quickly fall into his traps.

Despite it being winter, sweat was already forming on Cen Huai’an’s forehead.

Hong Yuande was so strong that Cen Huai’an felt as if he were trapped at every turn.

He didn’t give up, knowing that Hong Yuande intended to teach him through the game, and though it was tough, he persisted.

The observing seniors nodded in approval, showing admiring expressions.

Some even looked enviously at Jiang Grandpa, seeing his junior begin to shine in the Go world with even greater promise in the future.

Jiang Grandpa enjoyed these looks and looked at Cen Huai’an with affection.

He was truly making him proud.

Later, he would take Cen Huai’an to eat his favorite sweet and sour ribs.

Cen Huai’an lasted for an hour but found himself stuck.

Everywhere he looked, there were traps, and no matter where he played, he would lose.

He placed his stone down: “Grandpa Hong, I lost.”

Hong Yuande laughed heartily: “To last this long under me is already impressive. Actually, you could have played here…”

Hong Yuande used this game to correct some of Cen Huai’an’s bad habits: “Sometimes, being too aggressive is not good. You need to take a break, or you’ll exhaust yourself.”

Cen Huai’an’s eyes sparkled.

Despite losing, he felt immensely satisfied: “Thank you, Grandpa Hong. I’ll remember this.”

The lessons Cen Huai’an learned from this game would take him a long time to digest.

So, he didn’t seek out other seniors to play with but sat by the endgame, pondering over it by himself.

Whenever he encountered problems, he would consult Hong Yuande or Jiang Grandpa.

During lunch, Jiang Grandpa took Cen Huai’an out for sweet and sour ribs.

Grandpa Jiang joined him but was stopped by Cen Huai’an.

“Great-grandpa, you can only have one piece. You can’t have more.”

Jiang Grandpa replied, “Your parents aren’t here. It’s been a long time since I’ve had this. Let me have a few more pieces.”

“No!” Cen Huai’an’s small face was serious, “Since mom and dad aren’t here, I’ll supervise you.”

Jiang Grandpa looked at him helplessly, but Cen Huai’an was adamant.

As a result, he had to eat the plate of vegetables Cen Huai’an had specifically ordered for him, which were low in oil and salt.

On the last day of the exchange meeting, Cen Huai’an was still reflecting on the game with Hong Yuande and did not seek out other seniors to play.

He understood that overextending himself wouldn’t be helpful; even if he played with more people, without absorbing the knowledge, it would be useless.

As the Spring Festival approached, Cen Zhengnian’s older brother and his family of four also returned to Beijing.

Since Chuxia arrived, she had not met Cen Zhengnian’s older brother, only hearing about him from Jiang Shengnan and Cen Zhengnian.

Big Brother’s name is Cen Zhengshi.

He works in the military in North China and has settled his family there.

Due to his busy work schedule, he hasn’t seen his parents for a long time.

This time, he is bringing his entire family to the capital.

Not only did Chuxia not expect this, but even Jiang Shengnan was surprised.

When Jiang Shengnan learned that they were coming back, she immediately started preparing the west wing of the courtyard house.

The west wing was previously occupied by Chuxia’s family, so it had beds and various furniture.

All that was needed was to put on bedding.

When Cen Zhengshi called Jiang Shengnan, his family was already on the train.

It was too late to buy additional items, so they had to use what was available.

Chuxia and An’an came to help.

Jiang Shengnan told them, “Your big brother’s two children are also grown up. One is in the third year of middle school, and the other is the same age as An’an, in the fourth grade of elementary school.”

An’an is in the second year of middle school because he advanced a grade.

Now, Chuxia usually avoids mentioning An’an’s exact grade outside because no one believes it.

Jiang Zhida went to Shenshi, so it was the young guard Xiao Zhu who came to pick up Cen Zhengshi’s family.

Cen Zhengnian specifically took leave to come to the courtyard house.

He hadn’t seen his elder brother for a long time.

The two brothers grew up together and have a deep bond.

When the sound of a car came from outside, Jiang Shengnan immediately stood up, her eyes filled with excitement.

Although Cen’s father showed no expression on his face, Chuxia saw his hand tightly clenched into a fist.

Jiang Shengnan was the first to go out the gate of the courtyard house, followed by Cen’s father, and Chuxia, Cen Huai’an, and Cen Zhengnian were at the end.

The first person to get out of the car was a man in a military coat, looking to be in his thirties.

His face showed signs of age, but he bore some resemblance to Cen Zhengnian.

He looked up and saw Jiang Shengnan and Cen’s father.

He walked over and immediately knelt before them, bowing deeply, “Dad, Mom, I’m sorry. I’ve been unfilial!”

After saying this, he tried to bow again, but Jiang Shengnan knelt down and hugged Cen Zhengshi, patting his back heavily.

Tears fell as she said, “How could you be so cruel! How could you not come back to see your parents for so long?”

“I’m sorry, Mom, I’m sorry!” Cen Zhengshi’s eyes were also red as he buried his face in Jiang Shengnan’s embrace.

Cen Zhengshi’s wife, holding their children, looked at the scene with a bewildered expression.

Cen Zhengnian’s eyes were also red. He said softly, “I’m also sorry to Mom and Dad.”

He hadn’t returned to the northwest after coming to the capital, and even when he was in the northwest, he rarely went home.

Both he and his elder brother felt they had let their parents down.

“Alright, everyone, get up. It’s embarrassing for people outside to see this.” Cen’s father blinked hard, trying to put on a stern expression.

Everyone entered the courtyard house.

Jiang Shengnan realized she had lost her composure and began talking more with Cen’s wife and their two children.

Chuxia pulled Cen Zhengnian and Cen Huai’an to the back, giving space and opportunity for Cen Zhengshi’s family to interact.

Cen Zhengshi’s two children were named Cen Huai’ze and Cen Huai’xin.

They were unfamiliar with their grandparents and even more so with Chuxia’s family.

Therefore, they occasionally looked curiously at Chuxia, An’an, and Cen Zhengnian.

When they met Chuxia’s gaze, they weren’t shy at all and stared back boldly, not afraid of being caught peeking.

After settling in the living room, Jiang Shengnan introduced Chuxia to Elder Brother Cen’s wife, who had a meaningful name: Xi Wang.

However, her appearance was very different from her name, which had a masculine connotation.

She looked very delicate and feminine.

Her attire, as well as the clothes worn by her two children, were carefully chosen.

After exchanging greetings, everyone took their seats and listened quietly to Jiang Shengnan, Cen’s father, Cen Zhengnian, and Cen Zhengshi.

The children sat beside the adults.

Cen Huai’an was fine; he was calm and could sit still.

Cen Huai’ze and Cen Huai’xin, however, couldn’t sit still after a while.

They fidgeted and looked at the jujube tree outside, wanting to run out and play.

Xi Wang, understanding the nature of the two children, patted their backs to keep them calm.

However, the children clearly weren’t afraid of her and directly asked Jiang Shengnan and Cen’s father, “Grandma, Grandpa, can we play in the yard?”

Jiang Shengnan smiled and nodded, “Sure, this is your home. You can play wherever you want. An’an, you can go play too.”

Children usually don’t pay much attention to adults.

Since the kids were of similar ages, it was better for them to play together and bond.

Cen Huai’an didn’t want to go outside.

He wasn’t familiar with Cen Huai’ze and Cen Huai’xin and preferred to stay close to Chuxia.

However, Chuxia also asked him, “Do you want to go out and play?”

Cen Huai’an looked at Chuxia, then at Jiang Shengnan, and stood up.

But, just a few minutes outside, the sound of Cen Huai’xin crying loudly came, “Mom! Mom! It hurts!”

Everyone’s faces changed.

They thought something had happened and rushed outside