Yes, the old man now lives in fear every day as he cares for his parents in their old age and tries to see them off in their final days.

He was terrified that if he closed his eyes at night, he would never wake up again. He wouldn't even have anyone to see him off in his final moments! How could he dare to sleep?

In the backyard, someone else was also unable to sleep.

Second Uncle sat on the bed, groaning angrily.

His second aunt got annoyed: "Old Liu, if you're not going to sleep, go outside and don't bother me!"

Liu Haizhong said angrily, "How can you still sleep?"

"I haven't done anything wrong, so why can't I sleep?"

Liu Haizhong pointed tremblingly at the central courtyard: "Shazhu! This is immoral and immoral, it's an unlawful act!"

"Have some decency. What law did Sha Zhu break by bringing his wife and son home to live with him? If it weren't for Qin Huairu, would the couple have been separated for 17 years?"

Liu Haizhong was speechless after being rebuked, and his second aunt also turned over in anger, leaving him alone and even more unable to sleep.

"..."

At Xu Damao's house, he even wanted to set the house on fire!

She started arguing with Qin Jingru about what happened back then: "It's all your fault, you barren hen!"

Qin Jingru wasn't going to put up with him now: "Are you getting cocky again? Xu Damao, you saw it when we came back to the village this time. There are five or six sisters in my family, and everyone is having babies like Qin Huairu, one crop after another. Why is it that I haven't had any? You'd better think it over. Don't force me to go to the hospital for a checkup one day. If it turns out it's not my problem, I'll see where you put your face!"

Xu Damao was furious: "You, I want a divorce!"

Qin Jingru scoffed, "Have you forgotten? We divorced a long time ago. I have no status with you now. If you really push me, I'll take the kids and run away!"

Xu Damao rushed over to give her another "Give Me Back My Beauty Punch," but Qin Jingru easily subdued him: "Save your breath, I learned it from Fatty!"

Xu Damao shouted angrily, "Qin Jingru, how dare you?! Do you believe me? Do you believe me...?"

"What do you want? If you raise your voice any louder and wake Xiyue up, let's see how you handle that!"

Xu Damao immediately became quiet. His Xu Xiyue was grumpy when she woke up, the kind that couldn't be coaxed away no matter what.

Look, so many old people in the courtyard can't sleep because of Sha Zhu.

So, as the center of the vortex, was Shazhu really there doing *that*?

No, in the main room, Ran Qiuye was talking to He Sui: "Mom, why did Dad go to live in another room by himself?"

Ran Qiuye said reproachfully, "You're so young but so precocious, what are you trying to say?"

He Sui chuckled and said, "Isn't it my turn to move out?"

Ran Qiuye sighed: "Mom is sick."

He Sui was silent for a moment, then said again, "What if your illness can be cured by meeting your father?"

Ran Qiuye didn't answer but asked in return, "And then?"

He Sui then understood: her mother wasn't sick; she just thought too much and wanted too much...

Ran Qiuye brought up the old topic again: "How about I invest in opening a restaurant for your father? He's such a good cook, why should he work for someone else?"

He Sui also gave an irrelevant answer: "Can I stay in the capital?"

Ran Qiuye said firmly, "No! It's not that Mom is against you coming back, but that you'll be going to an Ivy League school after you graduate from National University. Once you've completed your master's degree, or better yet, your doctorate, your reputation will be bright enough for you to have the best opportunities when you come back!"

He Sui said dejectedly, "But what about Dad?"

Ran Qiuye seemed to have finally made up her mind: "I will come back with you every winter and summer vacation, okay?"

He Sui knew that this was the biggest concession his mother could make; he should be content that she could come back twice a year.

But he just liked his father's scent, his unruliness, and his dashing manner;

When you're with your dad, he'll never tell you that you should go to a prestigious university, get a full scholarship, actively participate in club activities, and ideally become a key member of the club, because he thinks it will benefit your future development...

He was just a simple father.

"..."

In the rain, or rather, in Xiao Dang's room, Sha Zhu was also awake.

"Sleep? What are you talking about?" Sha Zhu closed his eyes, his mind filled with those inappropriate images from 17 years ago.

Ran Qiuye, his woman; the first and only woman, was now very close to him.

Perhaps, if he were to make a request of her, then maybe the two of them would...

But Sha Zhu couldn't speak! He was like that person who felt ashamed of himself, yes, ashamed of his appearance, from the "Appearance and Demeanor" section of "A New Account of the World." It means feeling ashamed because one's appearance is not as good as others.

Ran Qiuye has bright teeth and delicate eyebrows, and is generous and poised. Every gesture she makes exudes elegance, as if she were an artist performing a perfect dance on stage.

The gap between the two is too great, like looking at flowers through the fog or gazing at the moon in the water, ethereal and unattainable.

In the dead of night, Sha Zhu asked himself honestly, he realized that he didn't really understand Ran Qiuye at all.

When she was little, did she prefer hopscotch or playing house? When jumping rope, did she prefer single or double jumps?

What are her hobbies and interests? What does she like? What does she dislike?

Does she use her middle finger or her index finger to pick her nose...?

He knew none of this!

Similarly, Ran Qiuye didn't understand him either.

Moreover, Sha Zhu could tell that she was unwilling to understand him.

They are like clay and putty; even if a hand forcibly molds them together, they will never harmonize.

"..."

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Sha Zhu heard Xiao Dang calling from outside: "He Sui, He Sui, get up and feed the head!"

Sha Zhu got out of bed and opened the door for her; ignoring his daughter's gaping mouth, which could fit a goose egg, he hurried off to the public toilet.

When he returned, he found the door to the main room open, and Xiao Dang was putting things away on the table: "I bought soy milk, fried dough sticks, fried dough twists, and fried cakes. I don't know which ones you like..."

Ran Qiuye hadn't combed her hair yet, and with the languor of someone who had just woken up, she lacked some elegance but gained a touch of everyday life, which made Sha Zhu stare at her wide-eyed.

Feeling his intense gaze, Ran Qiuye couldn't take it anymore and said reproachfully, "Hurry up and wash your hands, it's time to eat!"

Xiao Dang and He Sui chuckled to themselves, then started talking about their schedule for the day.

After a while, before they had even finished their breakfast, Yu Qian entered the courtyard.

At this time, Fatty and the others also got up. The courtyard now was far from the leisurely and comfortable place it was later. The people living here did not have to go to work. They slept until they naturally woke up every day, then went to the alley entrance to have breakfast, and then took a stroll under the walls of the Forbidden City.

In the first wave of entrepreneurship, hard work was the prevailing mindset. Later, everyone liked to say "I'll outmaneuver you all," but no one knew when that "outmaneuvering" started.