Chapter 167 Even the dogs won't feed Dad; that's a serious matter.

No woman could remain completely unmoved by such words.

Deng Qiu was no exception; she tilted her head back and forced herself not to shed any more tears.

She reached out and slowly pushed him away.

"I didn't tell you about divorce, it's just... I need to calm down."

Jiang Anchao's eyes lit up. He cautiously looked at his wife's expression and asked, "Then can we not leave?"

Afraid that Deng Qiu would shake her head, he quickly added, "I'll sleep in the living room. We can sleep in separate beds. It's almost Chinese New Year, and all the students have left school. The dormitories are almost empty, so it's definitely not as warm as home. You know that Zhizhi is most afraid of the cold. There might not even be hot water by the end of the year. If you don't want to see me, I'll try my best not to appear in front of you. Gan Su and Zhen Wei are looking forward to Chinese New Year the most. They already consider you their own mother. If you're not there, the children will be very sad."

Deng Qiu didn't say anything, but she also stopped tidying up the clothes.

The couple fell silent.

Jiang Anchao silently hugged his blanket and walked to the sofa outside.

He sat on the sofa, lost in thought, for a very long time.

He was still in a daze even after the children had all gone home.

"Dad, are you crazy?"

Zhizhi walked up to him and waved, as if afraid he wouldn't see her.

Jiang Anchao's thoughts were suddenly pulled back. Seeing his daughter smiling so adorably at him, he forced a smile.

"Zhizhi? Did you have fun? Why don't you go play some more?"

Zhizhi looked at her father strangely, "It's dark outside, all the children have gone home and found their mothers. Mom went to the kitchen to cook. I saw you were spacing out, so I came to ask you."

The little one's gaze shifted to the pillows and blankets behind her father, and she asked curiously, "Did Mommy and Daddy have a fight? Is Daddy going to sleep here tonight?"

"Oh, no."

Jiang An awkwardly looked away and guiltily made up an excuse, "It's too cold in the bedroom. Dad sleeps soundly in the living room, it's warmer there."

"No..." Zhizhi paced back and forth like a little adult, looking around and then wrinkling her nose to sniff around. "Is Grandpa coming over? Are they making things difficult for Mom?"

As soon as she came in, she smelled a strong odor. At first, she didn't think much of it, assuming it was from the coal briquettes being replaced in the stove.

But when she saw that her parents were not saying anything at home, she realized what was going on.

This must be the smell of Grandpa smoking his pipe.

Jiang Anchao shook his head. "Grandpa and Grandma didn't make things difficult for Mom. Don't worry, Zhizhi, Mom and Dad didn't fight."

"real?"

Zhizhi looked at him suspiciously.

Jiang Anchao nodded. "Really."

While the father and daughter were chatting, Deng Qiu silently brought over the food.

With only four days left until Chinese New Year, almost every household has started eating meat-filled glutinous rice balls. The tender meat filling is wrapped in chewy and smooth glutinous rice flour, and after being boiled in water, the aroma of meat fills the air.

Deng Qiu was worried that the children would have difficulty digesting too much meat-filled glutinous rice balls, so she also mixed fish balls in with them.

"Alright, wash your hands and eat. There's hot water in the basin."

At this moment, Gan Su and Zhen Wei also returned from outside. As soon as they entered the door, they smelled the fragrance.

"Mom, what delicious food did you cook today? It looks so good!"

Deng Qiu smiled and pinched Gan Su's little head. "You have the best nose. Come help Mom get the chopsticks to divide the food. There's only one last dish to cook."

"good!"

Gansu followed her mother into the kitchen.

The family of five sat around the dining table. The couple watched their three children eating heartily, and the children's chatter gradually dispelled the originally cold and stiff atmosphere.

Deng Qiu ate three glutinous rice balls and couldn't eat anymore.

After watching the children finish their meals one by one, she decided to get up and wash the dishes.

"I'll do it!"

Jiang Anchao proactively blocked her hand and quickly and efficiently collected all the rice bowls to wash them at the sink.

Deng Qiu paused for a second, then her eyes darkened, and she didn't try to take it from him.

Living room side

Although Zhizhi was sitting in front of the TV, her eyes were constantly glancing at her parents.

She felt someone nudge her arm, and when she turned around, she found that her older brother was also secretly looking at her parents, just like her.

Gan Su chirped softly, "Did Mom and Dad have a fight?"

"You noticed too?" Zhizhi raised her eyebrows in surprise, but she was worried. "What did Grandpa and Grandma say today? Mom and Dad are planning to sleep in separate beds."

She might not know about other people's families, but she knew her father all too well.

My father is adamant about not allowing separate beds. My mother had said she wanted to sleep with separate blankets, but he refused.

He would rather catch a cold by not having a blanket than share a blanket.

How could such a clumsy and carefree man suddenly decide to sleep alone in the living room with a blanket?

That's so weird.

Gan Su nodded. "Before, when Dad saw that Mom wasn't eating much, he would secretly press the rice in her bowl very tightly when he cooked her rice, almost squeezing out the amount from three bowls into one. Today, Mom only ate three meat dumplings, and there was still a lot left in the bowl..."

"Huh? Wasn't it Zhenwei who ate it in the end?"

"Doesn't that prove anything?" Gan Su shook his head, sighing like a little adult. "How does Dad usually coax Mom?"

He pinched his throat, deliberately mimicking his father's tone:

"It's okay, Qiuqiu~ I'll eat what you can't finish. You're too thin, you need to gain some weight to be healthy. I love eating leftovers~"

Even after imitating it himself, Gan Su couldn't help but feel a chill. "It was so pretentious. Dad's tone was almost sickeningly sweet. He usually eagerly eats what Mom leaves behind, but today when Mom put down her chopsticks, he just stared at her longingly, and then Mom gave the food directly to Zhenwei. Do you understand?"

His insightful comment was, "They won't even feed the dog to Dad, isn't that serious enough?"

Zhizhi: "...Wow, what a metaphor you used."

If she understood correctly, the older brother had just compared the younger brother to a dog, right?

She glanced at her parents' retreating figures and murmured, "However, it seems the conflict is quite serious..."