Cen Zhengshi tugged her arm. “Yes, they are.”

Xi Wang pursed her lips, unwilling to believe it.

She felt that Cen Zhengnian and Chu Xia weren’t respecting them enough as the elder brother and sister-in-law.

However, with Jiang Shengnan and Cen’s father present, Xi Wang didn’t dare voice her displeasure loudly.

Cen Huai’an didn’t accompany them to the station, and neither did Cen’s father and Jiang Shengnan; there simply wasn’t enough room in the car for everyone, along with all the luggage.

So, they just saw Xi Wang’s family off at the gate, watched the car leave, and returned home.

Cen Huai’an, who had only greeted them politely at the beginning, relaxed visibly after they left, and a burden seemed lifted off Jiang Shengnan and Cen’s father.

“An An, your birthday is coming up. What would you like as a gift? Whisper it to your grandparents, and they’ll buy it for you!” Jiang Shengnan affectionately patted Cen Huai’an’s head, openly showing her love for her grandson.

She had restrained her affection for An An while the eldest son’s family was around, fearing Xi Wang might overthink it.

But An An was her favorite.

Although she loved Huai Ze and Huai Xin too, she knew she didn’t feel the same for them as she did for An An.

After all, she saw An An often, and he was obedient, thoughtful, and frequently wrote to her and Cen’s father.

The other two were rarely around, never wrote, and were quite mischievous.

During their time living in the courtyard, the kids often gave Jiang Shengnan headaches.

She couldn’t be too strict since they were her grandchildren, but Cen’s father didn’t hold back.

If the kids went too far, he would scold Cen Zhengshi, who would then discipline them.

Cen Huai’an didn’t have anything particular in mind that he wanted.

But seeing the expectant looks from his grandparents, he thought carefully and said, “I want a big cake.”

Currently, Cen Huai’an was still under Chu Xia’s strict control regarding sweets.

His teeth hadn’t completely changed, and one inside had recently become loose and could fall out at any time.

So, Cen Huai’an was allowed only a small amount of sweets each day, and after eating, he had to rinse his mouth right away.

When he first started losing his teeth in elementary school, his front teeth were the first to go. He had never been much of a talker, and during that time, he spoke even less, sometimes going an entire day without saying a word. Speaking made him lisp.

Zhang Lu used to enjoy teasing him to get him to talk or laugh, but she rarely succeeded—unless Cen Huai’an wanted to speak himself.

Losing and regrowing teeth had become routine for Cen Huai’an. His mother had thrown his lower teeth onto the roof and his upper teeth onto the ground, following the old tradition that this would make his new teeth grow faster. Chuxia’s grandfather had done the same for her when she was young, so she passed the practice on to An’an.

Cakes were rare treats for An’an. Apart from birthdays, he didn’t have them often since they were too sweet and bad for his teeth if eaten too much.

Hearing his easy-to-fulfill wish, Jiang Shengnan and Cen’s father immediately smiled and nodded, “Of course! We can get you one today. Is there anything else you want?”

Cen Huai’an shook his head, “Grandma, Grandpa, I already have everything I need.”

Jiang Shengnan wanted to ask more, but Cen’s father cut in, “The best birthday presents are surprises. Now that An’an has told us what he wants, there’s no surprise left.”

“Right, right,” Jiang Shengnan agreed, dropping the topic of the birthday gift and asking instead what An’an had been up to lately.

Cen Huai’an shared the story of the puppies being born, recounting the entire process of Hei Zi giving birth, and what the puppies looked like right after being born.

Jiang Shengnan and Cen’s father listened attentively, as though they had never seen puppies before, occasionally asking questions to hear even more details from An’an.

The atmosphere in the courtyard felt especially warm and cozy.

Cen Huai’an said, “Aunt, let’s cut a piece for Xixi first.”

The cake was a special birthday present for Cen Huai’an from Jiang Shengnan and Cen’s father, but he was willing to share it with Jiang Weixi first.

“An’an, don’t cut it,” Luo Peng gently refused, her tone warm but firm. “You shouldn’t spoil her like this. She understands everything, and if you give in this time, she’ll expect the same in other situations.”

Then, she turned to Jiang Zhishu, “Zhishu, you can’t buy it for her either.”

Though Luo Peng’s voice was never commanding, always soft and kind, both Jiang Weixi and Jiang Zhishu listened to her. Weixi stopped asking for the cake, and Zhishu put aside the idea of buying one for his daughter.

The highlight of the Lantern Festival was lighting lanterns. Since Jiang Weixi’s maternal grandfather didn’t have any at home, Jiang Zhida took Cen Huai’an and the others out to buy some.

Of course, there were also small orange lanterns for later in the evening, but beautiful, colorful ones were a must. Jiang Weixi loved the red and green lanterns that lit up in different colors and wouldn’t let go once she got hold of one.

The streets were bustling with activity. Vendors lined the roads, and even a couple of billiard tables were set up on the sidewalks. Some young men, despite the cold, were dressed in leather jackets and bell-bottom pants, gathering around the tables to play pool.

The kids weren’t interested in billiards, instead focusing on the various knick-knacks for sale.

Every time Cen Huai’an saw an old book stall, he would squat down to browse, hoping to find something he wanted to buy.

These stalls had all sorts of books, many of which had brightly colored covers with questionable content, featuring male and female characters in suggestive poses.

Cen Huai’an, unaware of what these books were, picked up a collection of stories and was about to open it when Jiang Zhida, noticing quickly, snatched it from his hand. “An’an, you can’t read this!”

Cen Huai’an blinked, confused. “Uncle, why can’t I read it?”

Jiang Weixi, crouching beside him and imitating him, asked, “Why can’t we read it?”

She adored Cen Huai’an and followed him everywhere, holding his hand even while he was browsing books.

Jiang Zhida felt a headache coming on.

How was he supposed to explain this?

Scratching his head a couple of times, he replied, “It’s just not something you should read.”

Then he shot a glance at the vendor, “Next time, hide those kinds of books a little better!”

The vendor, caught between amusement and frustration, responded, “I sell those books to young adults like you. If I hide them, who’s going to buy them? If you’re not interested, move along, and don’t disrupt my business.”

Cen Huai’an, deep in thought, stood up with the help of Jiang Zhida’s pull, giving the books one last look.

He seemed to understand something, or maybe he didn’t fully grasp it, but after that, whenever they passed stalls with brightly colored book covers, he didn’t stop to look, nor did he pick up any more books.

The charm of these old book stalls was that you could often find out-of-print comic books, novels, and strange, rare books collected from all over.

Cen Huai’an stumbled upon a handwritten medical manual.

Though he couldn’t judge its value, it wasn’t expensive, so he bought it with the intention of showing it to his mother.

He also bought several comic books and collections of supernatural stories—topics he had never explored before.

Jiang Weixi, though unable to read, could understand the pictures.

She stuck close to Cen Huai’an, flipping through a book until she found one filled with illustrations of mythical figures. She clung to it, refusing to put it down.

“This one’s so pretty! Uncle, buy it!”

At only four years old, Jiang Weixi already knew who had money and who would buy things for her.

Jiang Zhida, still watching the billiard table, chuckled when he heard her request. He gently pinched her nose and teased, “You little smarty! You know exactly who to ask for money.”

Jiang Zhida not only paid for Jiang Weixi’s book but also covered the cost of all the books Cen Huai’an had picked out.

Cen Huaian said he would buy it himself, but Jiang Zhida patted him on the head. “What’s a kid thinking about all this for? You’re out with your uncle, and you expect me to let a child pay? Where’s my pride then? Let’s go!”

Right at that moment, Zhang Lu was standing at a stall selling toy swords, guns, and sticks.

She had her eye on a toy and was waving at Jiang Zhida and the others. “Uncle, over here! Over here!”

In the end, besides lanterns, Jiang Zhida bought a pile of stuff for the kids, and he was the one to carry everything to the car and then haul it all down again.

“Big Brother, Sister-in-law,”

The kids were sitting around the coffee table in the living room, splitting up the things they’d bought.

Jiang Zhida called out to Jiang Zhishu and Chuxia, looking like he had something to ask them.

Chuxia stood up, and Cen Zhengnian followed her.

The four of them entered Grandpa Jiang’s study.

“I just saw a pool table on the street. It seems like billiards has suddenly become really popular.”

There had been pool tables before, but not so many.

As policies loosened up, pool tables began to pop up on street corners, and young people loved the sport.

Chuxia could also see that as society opened up step by step, many recreational activities were starting to appear—not just pool tables, but also arcade machines and roller rinks.

Chuxia had even taken An’an roller skating once, at the underground rink at Ditan in Beijing.

It was always packed, and the wait was long.

But roller skating inside was a lot of fun, and An’an loved it too.

In winter, Shichahai and Beihai Park had ice rinks. Zhang Lu often invited Cen Huaian and Jiang Weixian to go skating together.

The ice rinks had sleds and dog-pulled sleighs, so there was plenty of fun to be had. Many adults and kids played there, spending the entire day, grabbing a roasted sweet potato when hungry—it was the best feeling.

Chuxia nodded and asked Jiang Zhida, “Are you thinking of getting a couple of pool tables for the street?”

Jiang Zhishu said, “There might not be much space left on the streets now.”

Jiang Zhida shook his head. “I want to open a pool hall. My childhood friend Xiaoran, and even friends of his friends, all prefer playing in a pool hall rather than out on the street.”

Chuxia thought for a moment and said, “If you’re opening a pool hall, why not expand and add a roller rink too?”

These two activities fit well together, and they could sell food and drinks inside.

They could set up a dedicated space for customers to eat and drink when they got hungry or thirsty, and add a few private rooms—they’d definitely be popular.

Talking about this, Chuxia had even more ideas.

It was all about making people enjoy themselves; she had seen so many such concepts in the future.

The more Jiang Zhida listened, the brighter his eyes became.

Jiang Zhishu was also surprised and looked at Chuxia.

He had thought of adding a roller rink too, but he hadn’t considered the psychology of drawing in customers as thoroughly as she did.

Cen Zhengnian had always known Chuxia had this talent.

The first time he saw her give Jiang Zhida advice, speaking so confidently, he was a little surprised.

But after that, nothing she said shocked him anymore.

Cen Zhengnian believed this was just how she was—she was meant to shine.

“Sister-in-law! You’ve said exactly what I wanted. I was thinking of setting up a pool hall with a roller rink!”

Now that they had the idea, the challenge was finding funds and space.

But that wasn’t much of a concern. Jiang Zhishu was willing to invest half.

His business was already well established, mainly in electronics and other fields, and he wasn’t short on money.

Jiang Zhida said, “I’ll talk to my friends and get more investors. Some of them have even better connections than I do.”

Building a large roller rink and pool hall couldn’t be done alone. After all, no one ever complains about making too much money.

After discussing the plans, they left the study, and Jiang Zhida’s excitement was impossible to hide.

But no one asked him anything—they were all busy celebrating An’an’s birthday.

Everyone gave An’an a birthday gift, even Jiang Weixi.

“Brother, mua~” Jiang Weixi hugged Cen Huaian and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Afterward, she grinned and said, “Big Brother, a gift!”

Jiang Zhishu’s face darkened.

He often told Jiang Weixi that his favorite gift was her kiss when he got home from work—it washed away all his fatigue.

He hadn’t expected Weixi to give the same gift to Cen Huaian.

Cen Huaian’s lips curled up, and he rubbed Weixi’s head. “I like it a lot.”

Jiang Weixi finally got to eat the big cake she had been eyeing and got a large piece.

She stood at the table, scooping it with a spoon, refusing help from her mom.