Five years later.

Time flows quietly like running water, and the days in Wutong are warm and fulfilling.

Su Niannian's Chinese medicine clinic is more lively than before. Every year, many young people come here and want to become her disciples.

She was strict in accepting students, but never stingy in teaching her medical skills. The students she selected not only learned acupuncture and pulse diagnosis, but also understood the principle of "a doctor's benevolence".

"Master, I can never find this acupuncture point." A young girl frowned, and the silver needle in her hand trembled slightly.

Su Niannian walked over and gently held her hand, "Don't be anxious, calm down and feel it."

She gently pressed her fingertips on the patient's wrist. "Here, do you feel it? The flow of Qi and blood."

The girl's eyes lit up, "I feel it!"

Shi Heng often stood at the door of the clinic, looking at his wife's back as she focused on teaching, with gentle eyes.

He no longer deliberately took her to places that might trigger memories, nor did he look through Gu Youran's photos late at night.

Su Niannian now has her own happiness and life, and the one he loves is the woman in front of him who can smile helplessly at her apprentice's clumsiness.

Su Huaishan no longer sees patients in the clinic. He takes a leisurely walk in Wutong every morning, plays chess with old neighbors, and occasionally goes to the bakery to help Shi Heng taste the new products.

Chen Fang is responsible for the family's meals. She happily goes to the vegetable market to buy vegetables every day and can always make ordinary home-cooked meals particularly delicious.

Every evening at six o'clock, the old couple would stand at the door of the clinic waiting for their two children to come back from school.

The family sat around the dining table in a lively atmosphere, eating Chen Fang's specialty dishes and chatting about the interesting things that happened during the day.

The dinner table is always filled with laughter.

For Su Huaishan and Chen Fang, such a life in their later years is the greatest happiness.

Seeing that the children are all well and being able to have a hot meal together every day is better than anything else.

…

On the day when the college entrance examination results were announced, Wutongli was particularly lively.

Su Niannian walked quickly into the "Su Xiangji" bakery holding her cell phone.

"Mo Mo! Qian Qian! The results are out!" Her voice was filled with unconcealable joy.

In the bakery, Shi Heng was standing in front of the workbench, teaching two children how to make cakes.

Hearing the shout, the two children looked up at the same time.

"Mom! How many points?" Su Qian threw down the piping bag and was about to rush over, but Shi Heng grabbed her shoulder and said, "Put down your tools first."

Shi Mo put down the spatula and seemed calm, but his slightly trembling fingers revealed his nervousness.

Su Niannian took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly. "Momo scored 723 points, the provincial top scorer in science! Qianqian scored 698 points, 19th in the province in liberal arts!"

Su Qian jumped up and accidentally knocked over the powdered sugar jar, and the white powder fell like snowflakes.

The corners of Shi Mo's mouth rose slightly, and his eyes were surprisingly bright.

Neighbors heard the commotion and rushed into the bakery.

"Oh my god! The top scorer in science at the age of twelve!"

"Qianqian, that girl, sings beautifully and is also very good at studying!"

Shi Heng hugged each child with one arm, a rare proud smile on his usually stern face, "Dad is proud of you."

At this time, the TV station's interview car had arrived.

The female reporter walked into the bakery, microphone in hand. "Excuse me, who is Shi Mo? We'd like to interview this year's top scorer in science."

Shi Mo stood calmly in front of the camera, with chocolate sauce still on his apron.

"Mr. Shi Mo, as the youngest science champion in Yuncheng's history, can you share with us your future plans?"

Shi Mo glanced at his father who was tidying up the operating table and said, "Actually... I just want to finish my studies sooner so I can help Dad share the work."

Shi Heng paused while wiping the table, "Mo Mo?"

"Every time I wake up in the middle of the night, I see my dad on a video conference. And in the morning he has to be the first one to get up and make breakfast for us..."

"I want to study financial management and join the Shi Group in the future so that Dad can spend more time with Mom."

Shi Heng put down the rag and hugged his son in his arms. His Adam's apple rolled a few times but he couldn't speak.

The reporter was also moved by this thoughtfulness beyond his age. "So, what's your ideal university?"

"Wharton School of Business." Shi Mo answered without hesitation, "My father's alma mater."

On the other side, Su Qian was surrounded by neighbors.

"Qianqian, what do you want to do in the future?" Aunt Zhang from the fruit shop asked with a smile.

Su Qian's eyes lit up like stars. "I want to go to the Juilliard School! I want to be like Lenna, able to sing and act!"

"Lenna?" Su Niannian was slightly startled and the phone in her hand almost slipped.

"Yes! It's that rock queen Lenna!"

Su Qian gestured excitedly, "Her concert at the planetarium eighteen years ago, that mic-throwing move was so cool! And the movie she starred in, 'Between the Strings,' I've watched it over twenty times!"

Su Niannian gently wiped the cream off her daughter's face, "As long as you like it."

Shi Heng's gaze swept back and forth between his wife and daughter, his eyes complex and deep.

Late at night, Su Niannian woke up and found that there was no one beside her.

She stood up and put on her clothes, and saw a ray of light coming through the crack of the study door.

She walked closer gently and saw through the crack in the door that Shi Heng was sitting alone in front of the computer, with the movie "Between the Strings" playing on the screen.

Su Niannian looked quietly for a while, and finally did not push the door, turned around and left quietly.

…

Three days later, Shi Heng brought his whole family to the Shi family's old house in Beijing.

The old house was decorated with lights and Shi Zhengyang and Tao Nianwan were standing at the door waiting early.

"Grandpa and grandma!" Su Qian threw herself into Tao Nianwan's arms as soon as she got out of the car, while Shi Mo saluted Shi Zhengyang politely.

"Good children, come in quickly." Tao Nianwan held the hands of the two children.

She looked at Su Niannian, "Are you tired from the journey?"

Su Niannian smiled and shook her head, "Mom, I'm not tired."

Shi Zhengyang patted his son's shoulder and said, "You two little guys did so well in the exam. We should celebrate."

At dinner time, the table was filled with the children's favorite dishes.

Shi Mo sat upright, but kept putting food into Su Qian's bowl with his chopsticks.

"Brother, I'll do it myself." Su Qian pouted, but ate up all the ribs her brother picked up.

Shi Heng watched this scene, turned to Su Niannian and whispered, "I'll take you somewhere tomorrow."

The next morning, as soon as the sky turned pale, Shi Heng woke Su Niannian up.

The black Maybach drove towards the suburbs in the morning mist.

"Where are we going?" Su Niannian asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Yunqi Temple." Shi Heng held the steering wheel with one hand and held her fingers with the other.

At the foot of the mountain, Shi Heng squatted down and said, "Come up."

Su Niannian naturally lay on his back and put her arms around his neck.

The mountain road was winding and the morning dew wet the stone steps, but Shi Heng walked steadily.

An hour later.

"We're here." Shi Heng stopped in front of the temple and put her down carefully.

The abbot had been waiting for a long time and brought the two into the meditation room. A mahogany box was quietly placed on the table.

Shi Heng opened it and found two stacks of letter paper with light golden texture inside.

Su Niannian picked up one curiously, which had delicate ginkgo leaf patterns on it.