Inside the bathroom, Shen Huaichuan leaned against the cold door, listening to his wife and mother's footsteps, chatting and laughing, gradually fading into the distance until they were completely out of his ears.

His tense shoulders relaxed slightly, but the tangled emotions in his heart were still like a mess, making it hard for him to breathe.

He lingered inside for a long time, wiping away the water stains that had splashed everywhere, straightening the crooked wooden shelves, and putting everything back in its place one by one.

But even after finishing the work in my hands, I couldn't suppress the restlessness in my heart.

He went to the kitchen and quietly added water to the large pot, lit the firewood, and heated bathwater for the family.

He was busy running around, never stopping, working himself up like a spinning top.

It seemed that only by exhausting his body to the extreme could he barely suppress the urge to rush out and settle scores with He Wanrou.

By the time he finished all this, it was already late at night.

After so many thrilling events today, the elderly couple from the Shen family, being of advanced age, were a bit too energetic for them. After taking a hot bath, they went back to their room to rest early.

In the bedroom, under the dim light, Qin Peilan leaned against the headboard, but couldn't fall asleep. She couldn't help but mutter to herself again:

"Old man, did you see Huaichuan just now? I haven't seen him much since dinner. Did he... go to the regiment to work overtime again?"

Shen Zhenbang, who was wearing reading glasses and reading today's newspaper, moved the newspaper down to reveal his eyes upon hearing this, and after thinking for a moment, said:

"No, I think I saw him in the backyard, digging in the vegetable garden with a shovel."

"Turning over the vegetable garden?"

Qin Peilan was stunned for a moment, then became even more puzzled.

"It's already winter, the ground is frozen solid, why bother turning over the vegetable patch? Nothing you plant will survive..."

As she spoke, a hint of disappointment lingered in her voice.

“This child… has been home every day lately, and I’ve gotten used to seeing him whenever I look up. It feels strange not seeing him all night; it leaves me feeling empty.”

Shen Zhenbang put down the newspaper and sighed:

“You’re already so uncomfortable after just a few days? Before, we’d only see our son once or twice a year. He’d come back for a day or two each time, and leave before he even had a chance to sit down. We got through it all, didn’t we? You know, he was used to being alone from a very young age. Now that he’s grown up, he feels uncomfortable being with us.”

These words made Qin Peilan feel a pang of sadness, and she whispered sadly:

"Yes, this child has always been quiet and reserved since he was little. Now that he has married Qiqi, he seems to have become more cheerful and smiles more often. But deep down, he is still that awkward person."

Seeing his wife's somber expression, Shen Zhenbang felt a pang of sadness. After a moment's hesitation, he tentatively began to speak:

"Well... how about we go back tomorrow? The main purpose of this trip was to ask about the details of Huaichuan's wedding and to see Qiqi and Zhouzhou. Now that we've met everyone we needed to meet and asked everyone we needed to ask, and everything's been taken care of, we should go home and prepare a proper gift for Qiqi."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious:

"Besides, you just had a relapse a couple of days ago. Although you turned out alright in the end, it was still quite frightening! This isn't a sanatorium, after all. What if... what if something else happens and we can't get timely treatment? It's safer to go back to the sanatorium, where doctors and nurses are watching over you at all times."

"Leaving tomorrow?!"

Qin Peilan became anxious upon hearing this and shook her head repeatedly.

"This is too sudden! The business is done, but I... I've just started to develop feelings for Qiqi and Xiaozhouzhou, and things are getting really warm up! I can't bear to let them go now! I'm heartbroken! Wait a couple more days! At least a couple more days!"

Shen Zhenbang looked at his wife's reluctant face and smiled helplessly:

"Alright, alright, I'll do as you say, in two more days."

Qin Peilan, taking advantage of the situation, gestured with her fingers:

"Two days is too short! Three days!... No, four days! Four days still doesn't seem enough... Five days! Five days should be fine, right?... Oh dear, five days still seems..."

She wished she could stay there forever.

Shen Zhenbang was amused by his wife's childlike haggling and teased her:

"If I don't say anything, I'd like you to go on and on for a year!"

Qin Peilan also laughed, and said confidently:

"Well, there's nothing we can do! Who can blame us when our little Zhouzhou and Qiqi are so lovable! Zhouzhou goes without saying, she's such a sweet little girl! And Qiqi, she's truly adorable! Just thinking about all the suffering she endured as a child makes my heart ache! I regret not meeting her sooner! If I had met her sooner, I would have definitely made her my goddaughter and treated her well!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhenbang deliberately put on a stern face to tease her:

"Oh! That won't do! If you adopt her as your goddaughter, what will happen to Huaichuan? Wouldn't that create chaos!"

Qin Peilan was taken aback, then realized what she meant, slapped her forehead, and chuckled:

"Oh! Right, right! Look at my brain! I was so focused on liking it that I almost made a huge fool of myself! Sigh..."

His tone was full of regret.

Shen Zhenbang smiled and comforted her:

"It's alright! Even though she's our Shen family's daughter-in-law, you still treat her like your own daughter, don't you? It's the same! If that brat Huaichuan dares to treat Qiqi badly, we'll be the first to object!"

They tacitly agreed that neither of them would mention He Wanrou again.

It's as if those unpleasant things never happened, as long as they're not mentioned.

Over the years, the elderly couple has gotten used to resolving things this way.

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