The firewood in the kitchen hadn't completely died down yet, and the lingering warmth, along with the aroma of cured meat and rice, wafted into the inner room. Chen Nian'an lay on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her little finger pointing at the literacy cards Lin Wanqiu had just taken out of her spatial storage, her eyes shining like stars dipped in dew: "Mom, what's the word with the little house drawn on it? Is it 'home'?"

Lin Wanqiu was arranging the cards in order when she heard her son's words and couldn't help but laugh out loud. Although the child was only four years old, he was much smarter than other children his age. When she taught him to recognize "person," "mountain," and "water," he only had to read them twice before he remembered them. Now he could even guess the words based on the pictures. She picked up the card with the tiled roof pattern and ran her fingertip along the gold lettering on the card: "Nian'an is so smart. This word is pronounced 'home.' The place we live in now is our home."

"Does the word 'family' include 'mother' and 'me'?" Shen Nian'an reached out and hugged Lin Wanqiu's arm, resting her little head on her shoulder, her soft voice full of dependence. "And...and is Brother Shen considered part of our family?"

Lin Wanqiu's heart trembled slightly. Her son's words were like a needle, piercing the softest and most conflicted part of her heart—Chen Tingzhou's image kept flashing in her mind, the brass whistle he had handed her was still hidden under her pillow, but that phrase "secret mission" was like an invisible wall, preventing her from easily approaching it. She stroked her son's head and changed the subject: "Let's learn to read first. When Nian'an has learned ten characters, Mom will get you some candy from my space, okay?"

“Okay!” Shen Nian’an immediately sat up straight, her little fists clenched tightly, and her gaze on the card became even more serious than before.

Lin Wanqiu picked up a card with a picture of rice seedlings printed on it: "This character is pronounced 'he'. It's the crop that grows from the rice and wheat flour we eat. Last time when your mother took you to the back mountain, those lush green seedlings you saw were rice seedlings." She deliberately associated "he" with something her son was familiar with, making it easier for him to remember.

Shen Nian'an repeated, "He, the 'He' in 'rice seedling'." After saying it, she added, "Mom, I know! When rice seedlings grow up, they become rice, and then we can make cured pork rice!"

“That’s right, Nian’an really knows how to make connections.” Lin Wanqiu smiled and ruffled his hair, then picked up a card with the sun printed on it. “This character is pronounced ‘ri’. It means the sun in the sky. When the sun comes out, it’s bright, and we can go to work in the fields or dig for wild vegetables in the back mountain.”

The mother and son taught each other, and before they knew it, they had learned all ten cards. Shen Nian'an arranged the cards in order and read them aloud to Lin Wanqiu one by one, without making a single mistake. Lin Wanqiu kept her promise, took a piece of fruit candy from her spatial storage, and put it in his mouth. Seeing her son's smiling face with the candy in his mouth, she felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

"Mom, I want to learn to read more!" After finishing her candy, Shen Nian'an tugged at Lin Wanqiu's hand and said coquettishly, "I want to learn more words so I can help you with the accounts and prescriptions in the future, so you won't be so tired."

Lin Wanqiu felt a pang of sadness and hugged her son tightly. "Nian'an is such a filial and good child. But let's stop here for today and continue tomorrow, otherwise your eyes will get tired." She was worried that her son would get bored if he learned too much at once, so she deliberately left some room for him to learn. After all, cultivating interest is more important than forcing knowledge into his head.

Although Shen Nian'an was a little reluctant, he obediently nodded and carefully put the literacy cards into the small cloth bag that Lin Wanqiu had sewn for him, and even hung them on the hook at the head of the kang, as if hiding a treasure.

Watching his subtle movements, Lin Wanqiu couldn't help but recall her past life as a food blogger, meticulously recording steps to research a new dish, afraid of making a mistake. She never imagined that after transmigrating to the 1960s, she would find such a long-lost sense of peace while teaching her son to read.

As she was lost in thought, she heard light footsteps outside the courtyard gate, followed by Aunt Wang's voice: "Wanqiu, are you home? My daughter heard that Nian'an is learning to read and wants to come and learn too. Is it convenient for you?"

Lin Wanqiu quickly got up and opened the door, seeing Aunt Wang standing there with Ya Dan in her hand. Ya Dan was clutching a crumpled notebook, her little face full of anticipation. "Aunt Wang, come in quickly, why not? It's more fun for the children to learn together." She stepped aside to let them in, and then took out another set of flashcards from her spatial storage—she had seen several sets in the storage earlier, just in time for Ya Dan.

As soon as Ya Dan entered the inner room, she was attracted by the literacy cards on the kang (a heated brick bed). She leaned close to Shen Nian'an and whispered, "Little brother Nian'an, can I borrow these cards to look at? I want to learn to read too."

Shen Nian'an generously handed over his cards: "Look, my mother taught me so well, I've already recognized ten of them!" He didn't forget to show off, picking up a card and reading it to Ya Dan, "Look, this character is pronounced 'jia', which means the place we live."

Ya Dan repeated, "Home, home's home." After finishing, she looked up at Lin Wanqiu with admiration in her eyes, "Sister Wanqiu, you're amazing, you know everything."

Lin Wanqiu was amused by the two children and took out another set of flashcards to teach Yadan to recognize characters. Aunt Wang sat to the side watching and couldn't help but sigh, "Wanqiu, you are really capable. Not only can you make tofu and grow vegetables, but you can also teach children to recognize characters. If my Yadan can learn from you, she will definitely be successful in the future."

"Aunt Wang, you flatter me. It's just a casual lesson to help the children recognize more characters so they can avoid some detours in the future." Lin Wanqiu chatted with Aunt Wang while teaching Ya Dan the character "moon". "By the way, Aunt Wang, has anything been happening in the village lately? Has Grandma Shen and the others given you any more trouble?"

Mentioning Old Lady Shen, Aunt Wang's face darkened: "Don't mention that old hag! After she left your house yesterday, she went around the village talking badly about you, saying that you were seeing other men and that you were hiding meat from her. I wanted to go up and yell at her! Luckily, most people in the village know her character, and not many people believe her."

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