For the first time, Liu Jiu realized that her relationship with Mu Nanfang had changed, and that she was now in a romantic relationship with him.

Sanqi, a thirteen-year-old boy with a wealth of theoretical knowledge, truly couldn't understand why his sister was blushing or why Nanfang was rushing out of the study. But it doesn't matter if he doesn't understand; he'll understand when he grows up.

The sky above Gu Jia's house is pink, while the sky above Ma Zijun's basketball court is probably gray.

When Commander Mu went in, Ma Zijun was standing there blankly, seemingly lost in thought.

"Zijun, what are you thinking about?"

"Huh? Grandpa, how did you know I was here?"

Ma Zijun snapped out of his daze and felt his legs were a little numb, realizing he had been standing for quite some time.

“I ran into the Mu family kid, that’s what he said.”

"Oh, Mu Nanfang! Grandpa, I feel like I'm not as good as Mu Nanfang."

Ma Zijun had been thinking about Mu Nanfang's words over and over again, wishing he could recite them from memory.

"I feel that my thinking is immature, my perspective on issues is not comprehensive, and I am not truly sincere towards people. I feel that I have lived these eighteen years of my life in a daze."

I used to think I was pretty good; my skills, academics, and family background were all top-notch. Later I realized that my skills and military prowess were inferior to Gu Yun Chu's, my academics were inferior to Mu Nan Fang's, and even my depth of understanding was inferior to Lan Sheng Li's.

This was the first time Ma Zijun had such a clear understanding of himself, and it was a wake-up call from his opponent that he found truly disheartening.

"Being able to recognize your shortcomings in time shows that you have truly grown. Zijun, remember this: as an excellent soldier, you must be decisive. It is not wrong to consider things thoroughly, but you cannot be indecisive and miss opportunities."

Commander Ma didn't say much; he had to go to work, leaving Zijun to think things over by himself.

In the days that followed, Mu Nanfang spent most of his time studying with Liu Jiu and the others at the Gu family home. Occasionally, when his eyes met Liu Jiu's, both of them felt a flutter in their hearts.

However, Gu Liujiu spent most of her time studying and improving her abilities. Mu Nanfang didn't have time to think about those things either; besides studying, he also had to think about what he wanted to do in the future.

Liu Jiu was very clear that she wanted to join the army and become a professional soldier. But what about him? His major, computer science, was just emerging in China and not yet widespread. Although he knew it would be a popular industry in the future, it was still very new right now.

Mu Nanfang used to think he had plenty of time and hadn't thought about what he wanted to do in the future. He just felt that computers had a good future and he was quite interested in them, so he studied them.

Now, he needs to think carefully about his way out.

As time goes by, the year is drawing to a close again.

"Honey, the New Year is just around the corner. We'll be very busy, possibly assisting the local police in maintaining order so that people can have a peaceful holiday. I won't be able to take care of things at home. You've worked so hard."

Gu Ye held Bao Ni in his arms. Although they had been married for over twenty years and their children were in college, Gu Ye still cherished and depended on Bao Ni just as much. In the beginning, he had trouble sleeping, and it was everything Bao Ni did that helped him recover.

"You go about your business, the children are all at home, and there's Sister Xiang too, so we have plenty of manpower. All you have to do is go out happily every day and come home safely."

Bonnie let her brother do whatever he wanted. Even though they were an old married couple, their sex life was still harmonious and passionate. Unlike many netizens in later generations who said that after a long marriage, especially after having children, couples didn't live like roommates.

At that time, although she wasn't married, there were many rumors circulating online. Women who have given birth generally sleep with the baby, while the man sleeps alone. This is unless the family is well-off and can hire a nanny or have grandparents help with childcare.

In most ordinary families, once children are born, the couple sleeps separately. The number of times they have marital relations throughout the year is quite limited.

Many people complain that after a long day of work, they finally get a break and a chance to catch their breath, and they really don't want to go through any more trouble. They're exhausted, lacking passion and enjoyment, and even when they're with someone, they feel incredibly frustrated and just want it to end quickly.

But after so many years together, except when her brother Gu Ye was away on business trips or missions, their married life was quite good. Perhaps it was because her brother Gu Ye had good stamina; anyway, she enjoyed it very much.

Bonnie's jumbled thoughts dissipated in no time. Her brother noticed her inattentiveness and gave her a small punishment.

The day before the Lunar New Year, Bonnie took Liu Jiu and Sister Xiang to the department store to buy candy and some fresh fruit.

Yesterday, I took Sanqi and Xuanyi to buy some firecrackers, couplets, New Year pictures, grains, and other things. I also bought new clothes for the two kids. Today is Liujiu's turn, and we need to buy new clothes for him too.

"Mom, look at this down jacket, it's nice. You should buy one; I heard it's very warm."

She felt too hot to wear a down jacket because of the strong heat of the 69th day of the lunar month.

"It's good, I'll give it a try."

Bonnie was amazed to see a down jacket brand that would later become very popular, and happily went to try it on.

"How about it, isn't the color vibrant?"

Bonnie's skin tone has improved a lot over the years; although it's not as fair, at least it's not dark anymore.

"Blue is nice, and the style looks good too, not too complicated."

Liu Jiu has no knowledge of clothing; in her mind, practicality is more important than appearance.

"Mom, why don't you have Gu Xuanyi come with you tomorrow? He's studying fashion design, so he should have a lot to say."

Although Liu Jiu didn't understand the courses Gu Xuanyi was studying, he was a professional.

"No need, this one is fine. Sister Xiang, you should pick one too, as a New Year's gift for yourself. Choose one you like, don't just think about the children."

Bonnie felt that Sister Xiang had a tough life, as she was frugal with her own food and clothing and was thinking about saving money for her child.

"Bonnie, no need. Such expensive clothes are such a waste."

She waved her hand at her older sister, saying that Bonnie had already taken good care of them, and that one should not take advantage of others.

"You choose the New Year's gift for this year. In previous years, the gifts were just things we could use at home, which you didn't need yourself. Now, they're all pretty good to you, so treat yourself better."

Sister Xiang felt a pang of sadness. Bao Ni was such a kind-hearted person.

The two of them went to pick out clothes, pulling and tugging at each other. Liu Jiu wanted to go to the toilet, so she told her mother and went out.

"Get out of our way, we don't know you. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll call the police."

Liu Jiu had just come out of the public restroom when she heard a commotion coming from the corner, as if something was going on.

Overflowing with a sense of justice, Liu Jiu followed the sound to check the situation.

Her mother taught her from a young age that even when you see injustice on the road, you should assess the situation carefully before acting rashly and putting yourself in danger. She and Sanqi remember the incident where they ended up getting themselves killed while trying to save someone.

What Bonnie didn't say was that there were too many bizarre incidents in the future, such as staged accidents and extortion, which made acts of bravery a joke!