"Damn it! Why is it you?! What bad luck!!"

As soon as he walked in, the old man's wrinkled face twitched, and he looked at the tall and short figures in front of him with disdain.

Zhan Xinjia was also dumbfounded.

"Gan! What are you doing here?!"

She had barely finished speaking when she felt a solid tap on the head, a sharp sound. But it wasn't the old man's pipe; it was Shen Suqing's knuckles striking her head as he bent his bow.

The young man rebuked him sternly.

"How many times have I told you not to swear?"

"I'm sorry..."

Zhan Xinjia covered her head, looking aggrieved, with tears welling up in her eyes.

She always forgets about it when she gets excited.

At the doorway, the lonely old man leaned against the dilapidated door frame, leisurely taking a puff of his pipe, his eyes half-closed, smacking his lips with an air of composure, seemingly still savoring the taste of tobacco.

"Everyone has to go to the toilet sometimes, and I happened to be passing by when I was in a hurry. I just happened to see a run-down outhouse by the roadside and came in. It's a bit run-down, but I'm not picky... Wait, what are you two doing here? A double toilet?"

Zhan Xinjia: "..."

Zhan Xinjia: "Is it possible that this isn't a toilet, but my house?!"

Also, isn't this old man supposed to live in Yaozhou City? Why did he travel all the way to the capital?

When she asked that question, the lonely old man gave her a disgruntled look.

"You still have the nerve to ask?! I was living there perfectly well, who inexplicably exposed my whereabouts? Now look what's happened, this old man has to leave his hometown again and find a new place to settle down, otherwise people will keep trying to force me to become a general."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Xinjia immediately grinned broadly.

"Hahahaha, holy crap, old man!!"

With a "bang," before she could finish her sentence, she was tapped on the head again, not too hard, not too soft.

Zhan Xinjia turned her head and glared angrily at Shen Suqing, then covered her head even more tightly with her hands.

She was met with a dismissive glance from the young man, a look that subtly carried a hint of intimidation.

Um?

Intimidated by the authoritative gaze of her guardian, Zhan Xinjia gritted her teeth and still looked unconvinced, but she reluctantly and obediently changed her address to a more polite one.

"Excuse me, sir, could you please leave my house?"

"Hey! You're kicking out the guests! It's all your fault, you bunch of rude young people. You've made me get harassed by that damn pyramid scheme again. Go away, I get annoyed just looking at you."

As he spoke, the old man waved his hand as if shooing away chickens.

"Get out of my way right now!"

"I've already told you this is my home, why are you kicking us out? What exactly do you want?!"

Zhan Xinjia was not convinced.

The lonely old man tapped his pipe and glanced at her speechlessly.

"I already said I came in because I had to use the restroom. Are you sure you want to stand here and watch? Heh, I don't mind."

"..."

Shen Suqing silently took Zhan Xinjia's hand and led her outside.

Even after Qianzhuang finished paying off this year's mortgage and interest, Zhan Xinjia was still muttering complaints on her way home.

"Is he crazy? He just barged into someone else's house and suddenly started using the toilet. How ridiculous!!... By the way, Mr. Shen, does my house really look that shabby?"

Faced with the little girl's bright, expectant gaze, Shen Suqing avoided her eyes and could only reluctantly speak against his conscience.

"Hmm... how should I put it, it's very unique... it's a bit like the kind of houses you'd see by the roadside during a military campaign."

In short, it's a battle-damaged wind.

Even in his rural hometown, he had never seen such a dilapidated house; the pigsties in the village were more luxurious and presentable than this. Today had truly broadened his horizons.

Clearly, Zhan Xinjia didn't understand the hidden meaning in his words.

She suddenly became happy, childishly swinging his hand high in the air, her good mood almost overflowing.

"Never mind, I'll only listen to what Master Shen says, and I won't argue with him."

Shen Suqing looked at her, his expression becoming even gentler.

What often makes him feel gratified is that his child has a high sense of worthiness; she is never trapped in the trap of self-doubt and rarely suffers from internal conflict.

Confident, adventurous, with her own ideas and opinions, and poised and generous.

What's most remarkable is that no matter what happens, she'll cry immediately if she feels sad, never caring about other people's opinions or judgments. Although her family's circumstances seem complicated, this also shows that she has actually been well raised by her family since childhood.

From a certain perspective, people who dare to cry when they want to are actually braver and stronger than those who always suppress their emotions.

Filled with pride and tenderness, Shen Suqing stopped and gently rubbed her forehead, where he had previously tapped her.

"It's still early. Would you like to explore the area a bit more?"

There's not much to see, really, since as summer deepens, the weather is getting hotter every day.

The scorching sun beat down on the earth, and the heat was intense. It was midday, but there were few pedestrians on the street, probably because everyone was staying home to cool off.

The two walked along the lake embankment, where willows swayed gently, and the lake breeze temporarily dispelled the sweltering heat, bringing a refreshing coolness. Looking down from the embankment, several elegant and exquisite painted boats and small boats were leisurely sailing on the shimmering lake water.

The backdrop is a landscape of verdant mountains, with peaks stretching like an ink wash painting, and shimmering reflections on the water.

The boat carved a clear ripple line across the lake's surface, creating layers of misty waves.

Zhan Xinjia felt a little dizzy from the sun.

She turned around, her smile even brighter in the dazzling sunlight, her canine teeth so white they were almost blinding.

"Young Master Shen, let's go boating!"

Shen Suqing never spoils the mood.

At that moment, the young man sat with his legs bent at the edge of the boat, while the little girl lay on his lap, squinting at the azure sky that blended seamlessly with the water. One hand rested on her forehead, while the other hung lazily in the water, her fingertips idly playing with the surface.

The sound of the water was clear and crisp.

As the lake breeze gently blew, the hem of their clothes, casually draped over the side of the boat, was occasionally swept up by the wind and dipped into the cool water.

But nobody cared.

Stealing a half-day of leisure, the two sat and lay down, enjoying the tranquil and leisurely summer days. Neither of them spoke, and the old boatman's oars made the sound of rowing seem particularly peaceful at this moment, making people drowsy.

The small boat rocked all the way into the depths of the lotus flowers.

Shen Suqing was feeling sleepy when the little girl lying on his lap, looking listless from the sun, suddenly turned over. She tilted her head, and the silver butterfly hairpin with tassels in her hair jingled with her movement.

The little girl rested her chin on her hand, smiling as she looked at him from the lotus pond.

"Young Master Shen, are you about to fall asleep?"

"Um?"

The young man lowered his eyes, his dark hair was half-disheveled, and he looked quite sleepy.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, barely managing to wake up, and was about to ask her what was wrong.

The next second, a handful of icy water was poured over him.

Seeing him suddenly freeze, the little girl smiled so hard her eyes disappeared, and bent down to scoop up a handful of lake water and splash it on him.

"Master Xiao Shen!!"

"Don't…"

With nowhere to hide and no easy way to block her, Shen Suqing could only helplessly scold her with a stern face.

"Ah Zhi!"

His response was met with the girl's escalating aggression; she was determined to drag him along to her antics.

What kind of naughty and disobedient child is this?

Speechless with anger, Shen Suqing instinctively scooped up water from the side and splashed it back at her. It was clearly a pointless act of self-defense, but the two of them inexplicably burst into laughter, eventually sitting together, exhausted.

Finally, the two disheveled, drenched men slunk off the boat under the boatman's dismayed gaze.

As he walked, Shen Suqing, too ashamed to face anyone, was still trying to wring out his sleeves.

He never forgot to educate his children—

"Are you an idiot? How could you be so mean?"

Zhan Xinjia shrugged and spread her hands, unconvinced; she was at the age where she liked to cause trouble.

The oncoming wind brushed against my wet clothes, making me feel much cooler than before.

Bathed in the tender glow of the setting sun, she skipped backward along the riverbank, about to say something to him with a smile, when a figure brushed past her immediately captured her full attention.

With just one glance, the smile on her lips froze and gradually disappeared.

My heart clenched instantly, the vibrations like thunder, overwhelming everything.