Zhou Yidan led Chu Fang through Chinatown, turning left and right, until they finally entered a dark stairwell, went up the stairs, and arrived at the third floor.

Upon opening the door, a musty smell mixed with a slightly damp odor wafted out. The room was over fifty square meters, which made it seem spacious, but the lighting was really poor.

An old lady was watching TV in the house. Zhou Yidan said, "Grandma, look who's here. This is the friend from our motherland that I told you about yesterday."

"Hello, Grandma." Chu Fang nodded.

The old lady was overjoyed to see Chu Fang and held his hand tightly, saying, "Good, good, good."

Where are you from?

"I'm from Chengdu."

"Ah, me too." The old lady's face was wrinkled and creased together.

"We're from the same hometown."

I never expected to meet a fellow townsman from Chengdu, thousands of miles away.

When fellow villagers meet, their eyes well up with tears.

The old lady vividly illustrated this saying, pulling Chu Fang along as she inquired about the changes in the motherland, her eyes filled with tears.

Zhou Yidan was cooking in the kitchen, the cramped room filled with smoke. She kept apologizing, but Chu Fang smiled and said it was alright.

The meal was ready in no time: cured pork, sausages, and a few simple stir-fried dishes.

"The food wasn't very good, I hope you don't mind," Zhou Yidan said.

"It's delicious." Chu Fang took a bite and praised it.

This sausage is made in the Chengdu style, salty, fragrant, and spicy, with firm and chewy lean meat.

The cured pork has a bright color all over, and its oily sheen glistens under the light. The cured pork is cut into thin slices, crystal clear, and as tender as a red-lipped fish.

Red meat, white fat, paired with tender green garlic sprouts, this stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts is a perfect match.

The four people were eating in the small house when suddenly the door opened.

Then a disheveled middle-aged man walked in. He was emaciated, his face was bloodless, his eyes were sunken and empty.

"Oh, eating now." The middle-aged man swaggered in, opened his palm, and said to Zhou Yidan, "Give me the money."

Zhou Yidan's face turned cold: "I have no money."

"You work in a restaurant, how could you not have money?"

The middle-aged man completely ignored Chu Fang and Yu Jun's presence and searched the small room.

The old woman entered the kitchen, took out a cleaver, and confronted the middle-aged man: "You spendthrift! You've spent all the money in the house on drugs. What money do you have left? Get out of here, or I'll kill you."

The old woman shoved the middle-aged man, who was so weak that he could barely resist an elderly woman and was pushed away from home.

The atmosphere at home suddenly became a bit heavy.

Zhou Yidan broke the silence first, forcing a smile: "Sorry."

Chu Fang shook his head.

“That man was my dad. He became addicted to drugs and couldn’t break free, so he went down a path of no return. My mom divorced him, and my grandpa was also angered to death by him.”

Zhou Yidan spoke calmly.

Chu Fang didn't know how to comfort him, so he could only say in a cliché way, "It will be alright."

Zhou Yidan smiled brightly; "I believe it."

After dinner, Chu Fang talked with the old lady for a long time, mostly about the changes in the motherland. Before he knew it, the sun was setting, and he finally left amidst the old lady's reluctant gaze.

They hadn't gone far when Zhou Yidan's father blocked Chu Fang and Yu Jun's path, glaring at them and saying, "Do you like Zhou Yidan? I'm her father. Give me a thousand dollars, and I'll make her marry you."

Bang!

Zhou Yidan ran over quickly and swung the broom in her hand mercilessly at her biological father, making him run away with his head in his hands.

Chu nodded to Zhou Yidan, then went to pick up Zhong Tingyue.

"Mr. Chu is late." Zhong Tingyue said with a bright smile.

"There was nothing I could do; I witnessed a scene of filial piety between father and son."

Zhong Tingyue: "?"

Chu Fang shook off those inexplicable sorrows and took Zhong Tingyue's arm: "Ms. Zhong, did you have any success today?"

"I learned a lot."

How big is it?

“Hmm… how to describe it?” Zhong Tingyue pondered for a few seconds and said, “Something above E.”

A concise and clear reply.

"Let's go eat."

This time, they didn't eat foreign food but chose Chinese food, as they couldn't get used to any foreign cuisine.

Even choosing Chinese food, they still had a bad experience: cloyingly sweet stir-fries, thick sauces, and a soup that tasted like it was rotting and had a sour aftertaste...

Chu Fang thought that Shanghai cuisine was sweet enough, but he didn't expect there to be such experts.

Is this considered Chinese food?

This is a serious fraud.

Chu Fang wanted to report it.

In the end, the two barely ate any food before returning to the hotel, where they finished the instant noodles they had brought, leaving not even a drop of soup.

The following day, Zhong Tingyue continued to visit the exhibition, while Chu Fang continued to wander aimlessly around New York.

They divided the work and worked together.

... ...

Chengdu.

The middle school in Chu Fang Town.

As the bell rang, Mr. Chu finished class and went into the teacher's office.

"Hey, Brother Chu, when is your son getting married?" a teacher asked.

"Soon, October 1st," Chu's father replied. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that the wedding is coming up soon, and I haven't seen Chu Fang yet."

"Yueyue received an invitation to a design award and went to New York. Chu Fang accompanied her."

"Tsk tsk tsk..." The female teacher next to me clicked her tongue, "I also want to go to New York and travel around. I've never been abroad in my life."

"With your and your husband's salaries, it might be difficult for you to go abroad. You might not even get a visa. I think you should focus on raising a child who is as outstanding as Brother Chu's son. That's more feasible."

The teacher's office was immediately filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.

The female teacher glared at her sharp-tongued colleague, then looked at Chu's father: "Since we've come this far, Brother Chu, tell me how you raise your child."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the office looked at Chu's father.

We've all been colleagues for years and watched Chu Fang grow up. From a young age, Chu Fang was clever and mischievous. As he grew up, he also excelled in his studies. And when he entered society, he soared to great heights, which truly amazed everyone.

Everyone had said that Chu was living up to expectations, but I never imagined they would actually live up to them.

Mr. Chu smiled gently: "I didn't do much of the education; it was all Mrs. Chu who did it."

"Tch~~~"

"A secret tip!"

“... ..."

"Teacher Chu, Teacher Chu, the principal is looking for you."

"Okay."

Mr. Chu responded and then went to the principal's office, saying, "Principal, you wanted to see me?"

"Old Chu is here, have a seat." The principal greeted him warmly, then got straight to the point, "I called you here today to tell you that the results of the senior teacher evaluation have been announced, and you've been selected."

"Okay, I understand."

Seeing the principal's hesitant expression, Chu's father asked, "Is there anything else?"

"Has Chu Fang gone home yet?"

He is abroad.

"Oh." Upon hearing this, the principal responded dejectedly.

Mr. Chu thought for a moment: "Is there something you need?"

"Something's up, nothing's up, something's up, um... nothing's up, something's up." The principal kept contradicting himself, then a slight embarrassment crossed his face. "Our school is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary, and we're going to hold a celebration. We hope your son, Chu Fang..."

After a few seconds of silence, Chu's father said, "Should I tell Chu Fang?"

"That would be so embarrassing." Upon hearing this, the principal was overjoyed.

Chu's father: "... ..."