Jiang Zhida looked at Cen Huai’an and asked, “Cen Huai’an, do you like Uncle’s arrangement?”

Cen Huai’an replied, “Yes,” with clear signs of happiness in his eyes.

Seeing the children’s approval, Jiang Zhida was in high spirits and turned to Chu Xia, asking, “Sister-in-law, how do you think my arrangement is?”

Chu Xia glanced at the area where the fourth floor was being prepared and asked, “How did you come up with the idea of a game room?”

Jiang Zhida ruffled his hair and said, “Oh, my old buddies said it’s no fun playing cards in a small room outside, so I thought I’d set up a room like this.”

Chu Xia nodded, “That’s fine. But this kind of business can easily attract people looking for excitement. Be careful not to let anything inappropriate slip in. The game room can be there, but it shouldn’t have any gambling nature. Make it a place for fun. It’s best to include some private rooms, decorated like hotel rooms, for guests who might not be able to go home after drinking. Remember, absolutely no special services!”

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, various entertainment venues were booming, which also made it easier for darker elements to emerge.

Jiang Zhida wanted to open a large-scale entertainment venue, but Chu Xia wanted him to ensure it remained a legitimate and safe place for entertainment.

Jiang Zhida’s expression turned serious instantly, and he nodded earnestly, “Sister-in-law, don’t worry. I won’t let the things you’re concerned about happen. I want An’an and Lu Lu to feel safe coming here to play.”

Chu Xia smiled again, “I trust you.”

Zhang Lu and Cen Huai’an had just arrived at the site where the ice rink was being prepared.

Zhang Lu was telling Cen Huai’an that once the rink was completed, she would definitely come here every week to skate.

After finishing her conversation with Jiang Zhida, Chu Xia patted her belly and asked, “Where’s the place you mentioned for dinner? Is it in this room still piled with construction materials?”

That would mean eating surrounded by dust, not sure if they were having a meal or eating lime.

Jiang Zhida immediately smiled, “Of course not. There’s still dirt up here, how can we eat?”

He called Zhang Lu and Cen Huai’an over and led them through the large, semi-finished building until they reached the entrance they initially came through.

He opened a side door to reveal a casually decorated room with almost everything they needed.

Jiang Zhida skillfully opened the fridge and took out drinks for everyone. “This is where I usually stay. Today, you’ll get to taste the dishes made by a chef I specially hired.”

He then left the room.

Chu Xia noticed that while the house wasn’t large, it was well-equipped, and there was another door inside, probably Jiang Zhida’s sleeping area.

He had been living and eating here during this time, watching the future entertainment venue being built bit by bit.

Zhang Lu and Cen Huai’an explored Jiang Zhida’s room.

They were very careful not to rummage through things or open any doors, focusing instead on the radio on the table.

They turned on the radio, and the smooth, magnetic voice of the broadcast host came through clearly.

Zhang Lu wasn’t interested in the news, and Cen Huai’an wasn’t in the mood for it either.

They spotted a tape of a singer and put it in to listen to music.

Just as they were getting it set up, Jiang Zhida came in with a food container.

“This chef will be working at the store in the future. Sister-in-law, Huai’an, Lu Lu, try the food and let me know what you think.”

As he spoke, Jiang Zhida opened the container and placed the dishes on the table. Chu Xia glanced at him, “This chef is cooking for the workers here?”

Jiang Zhida nodded with certainty, “Yes, I paid a lot to hire him, so I can’t let him sit idle at home.”

The chef’s skills were impressive, specializing in Shandong cuisine—dishes like tofu, sweet and sour carp, braised duck, and phoenix chicken.

Jiang Zhida carefully introduced each dish to Chu Xia and the others, “For now, I’ve hired just this chef, but I’ll look for chefs specializing in other cuisines to bring in. I want this place to be not only the best for fun in Beijing but also for food!”

Chu Xia gave him a thumbs up, “Sounds good. I support this idea.”

Zhang Lu and Cen Huai’an were even happier because they would get to enjoy various delicious foods in the future.

The food provided by Jiang Zhida’s chef received no complaints from Chu Xia and the others.

On the contrary, because the dishes were so delicious, the four of them finished everything.

The celebration banquet Jiang Zhida arranged for Cen Huai’an and Zhang Lu was flawless, except for the somewhat rudimentary venue.

Zhang Lu and Cen Huai’an were extremely satisfied and lavishly praised Jiang Zhida and the chef.

Cen Huai’an echoed the praise, making Jiang Zhida very happy and promising the children several benefits.

Seeing Jiang Zhida nearly giving away everything in his generosity, Chu Xia couldn’t help but stand up and say, “Alright, Cen Huai’an, Lu Lu, it’s time to go home.”

If they didn’t leave soon, Zhang Lu’s parents would start worrying.

……

Cen Zhengnian hurried home, his steps more anxious than usual.

Upon reaching the door, seeing the familiar warm yellow light inside, his expression softened. He opened the door and went in.

Chu Xia was sitting in the living room watching TV, and Cen Huai’an had already fallen asleep, having been lulled to sleep by her bedtime story.

Ever since the ghost story on the train, Cen Huai’an would be scared and unable to sleep at night if he was alone.

Chu Xia hadn’t expected that Cen Huai’an, who seemed fearless, would actually be afraid of non-existent ghosts.

But this scared Cen Huai’an was very much like a child, and Chu Xia was very happy to tell him stories and keep him company every night.

“Back already?”

Hearing the door open, Chu Xia looked towards the door with a smile, meeting Cen Zhengnian’s gentle gaze.

“Yes. When did you get home?”

Chu Xia stood up, stretched, and said, “We got home in the afternoon. Didn’t you know our flight time?”

Cen Zhengnian took off his shoes and looked up, “I thought you would go to Grandpa’s place.”

“We’ll go over there in a couple of days, on Sunday. We just came back and want to rest at home for a few more days.”

Chu Xia walked over to Cen Huai’an and noticed the dark circles under his eyes had worsened. She frowned and asked, “Did you stay up late while I was gone?”

Cen Zhengnian avoided her gaze, mumbling a soft “yes,” unable to meet her eyes.

Chu Xia gave him a firm pat, “I knew you wouldn’t listen.”

Then she pointed to the work Cen Zhengnian was holding, saying, “Today I’m home, so you need to listen to me. Work can wait until tomorrow. Go wash up and get ready for bed.”

Having not followed Chu Xia’s advice to take care of himself, Cen Zhengnian, short of breath and unable to argue, agreed and handed his work to Chu Xia to put away before heading to the bathroom.

That night, Cen Zhengnian didn’t work. Exhausted, he fell asleep within minutes of lying down.

Chu Xia watched him sleep with a furrowed brow, sighed, and reached out to smooth his forehead.

Cen Zhengnian instinctively pulled her into his arms, his expression relaxing, and he fell into a peaceful slumber.

The next day at school, Cen Huai’an saw a banner at the entrance of the affiliated middle school:

Congratulations to Cen Huai’an for winning the first prize in the National Junior High School Mathematics Competition!

He pressed his lips together, feeling that this must have been something his teacher did.

When Cen Huai’an entered the classroom, the noisy students immediately went silent upon seeing him, their eyes wide with surprise.

“Cen Huai’an, you’re back!”

“Cen Huai’an, I heard you won first place! That’s amazing!”

“Cen Huai’an, you don’t know, Mr. Zhang has praised you so many times in class. These past few days, his face has been smiling like a blooming flower.”

Cen Huai’an heard his classmates’ questions and comments about his exam results and what had happened while he was away.

He listened carefully and answered their questions concisely.

Even though he didn’t say much, his classmates were incredibly curious about his national first-place achievement.

Some of them hadn’t even had the chance to compete in city-level contests, so they were in awe of Cen Huai’an’s national first-place status.

To them, Cen Huai’an wasn’t just someone they could catch up with; he was someone they looked up to.

As they were talking, Mr. Zhang, Cen Huai’an’s math competition teacher, came in, tapped on the desk, and the students surrounding Cen Huai’an quickly returned to their seats as if seeing a cat.

Seeing Cen Huai’an, Mr. Zhang’s stern expression instantly softened. “An’an is back. Come with me to the office.”

None of the classmates had ever heard Mr. Zhang speak so gently.

As soon as he and Cen Huai’an left, the whole class burst into laughter.

Mr. Zhang asked Cen Huai’an to the office mainly to show off to his colleagues that he had a student who won the national math competition first place. He then asked Cen Huai’an about the exam and the questions on the test.

Cen Huai’an remembered the questions and answers vividly and recited them from memory to Mr. Zhang.

The next day, Mr. Zhang used Cen Huai’an’s exam paper to test the entire class.

Cen Huai’an’s classmates were almost in tears, scratching their heads and looking distressed as they worked on the paper.

Only Cen Huai’an completed the advanced math problems.

After submitting their papers, everyone realized that the exam paper they just completed was the same one from Cen Huai’an’s competition, and all eyes turned to him, wide with astonishment.

“To think you got first place on such difficult questions, Cen Huai’an, I’m in awe of you.”

“Indeed, math is beyond us mere mortals. It’s a good thing I’m not studying advanced math.”

“Cen Huai’an, how did you manage to get a perfect score on such tough questions?”

Cen Huai’an looked at them and said, “It’s the same as when I do problems usually—just read the questions and answer them.”

Classmates: …

They also read and answered questions like usual; why couldn’t they solve them? The difference between people was just too great.

In May, the weather in the capital was very pleasant, neither cold nor hot.

They didn’t even need sweaters; a jacket was enough to keep warm.

On the first day back, Chuxia went to the hospital. Elder Tang looked at her and said, “So you’ve decided to come back? Finish these records in the next couple of days, and I’ll ask you questions.”