The next morning, Zhang Guoqing, having received his orders, happily began packing two large bags of luggage for his son. He was so engrossed in the joy of being with his son that he had forgotten that he and his wife had neither the will nor the ability to accompany him long-term.

Zhou Jiao looked at him, overjoyed, and shook her head speechlessly. How long would these two large bags last? Wouldn't it be better to move? Someone who didn't know would think Ping An had suffered a great injustice.

"No need to bring the blanket. He'll sleep with us."

"Just one change of clothes is enough."

Zhang Guoqing smiled and shook his head, "Bring more, bring them back to Aunt Chen to wash when they get dirty, so you don't have to wash clothes in the middle of winter."

"Okay, you can do whatever you want. Don't make it too conspicuous."

Zhou Jiao finished speaking without disturbing his interest. Peace and safety meant a lot to him. This was the son he had wanted for two lifetimes, and he wished he could be worshipped as an ancestor.

Zhang Guoqing made all the necessary arrangements, and after lunch, he was eager to return to school with his wife and son. If he didn't leave now, he doubted he would ever be able to.

After leaving the compound, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing this, Zhou Jiao hugged her son and laughed, "It's okay. Auntie and Aunt Chen are just worried that the child won't have enough to eat or wear warm clothes outside."

Zhang Guoqing smiled and shook his head, saying softly, "Fortunately, there's only one room, otherwise they would have to follow us. I'm the child's biological father, how could they not trust me?"

Zhou Jiao glanced at him. Was this a lack of trust? The old lady was worried about food and shelter.

The couple didn't have time to chat any more. They hurriedly got on the bus with their child, changed buses, and after a lot of trouble, they finally stepped into the school gate.

He quietly surveyed his surroundings throughout the journey, making no noise or noise, answering every question and smiling at every compliment. He knew this was the outside world his grandfather had been talking about. He'd heard it was complicated, so he planned to see more and then tell his grandfather how complicated it was when he got home.

The little man squeezed onto the bus, frowned slightly, then smiled. His grandfather said he couldn't let others see what he was thinking outside.

Ping An looked at the school gate, then at the nearby farmland, then glanced suspiciously at the main road leading up to the school. His grandfather had said this was the best school and that he wanted to attend it when he grew up, but why did it feel just like home? He planned to go back and tell his grandfather about it and ask him to come over and see it.

As Zhou Jiao walked faster and faster, Ping An looked around thoughtfully. "Hmm, lots of beautiful big houses, lots of uncles and aunts in ragged clothes, but no children."

Entering the dormitory building, Ping An stared in surprise at the people coming in and out of the corridor. Grandpa was right, the world outside was so complicated, it was different from home.

As soon as he entered the room, he got off the ground and walked around the room curiously.

"Son, how are you? What are your ideas? Tell daddy about it." Zhang Guoqing looked at him pacing silently with his chubby legs and asked with amusement.

Ping An looked at the couple, then at the closed door, and tried to imitate his grandfather by raising the corners of his mouth. Unfortunately, his chubby face was completely distorted.

Zhou Jiao signaled Zhang Guoqing not to laugh out loud, and she also suppressed her laughter and lowered her head - a child's self-esteem cannot tolerate being laughed at by adults, so it is better not to discourage them.

"Dad, the building looks like a little white rabbit's nest."

Zhang Guoqing couldn't help but burst out laughing. He had seen the stacked rabbit cages in the nursery, and they only had several rabbits in one nest.

He picked up the child and whispered, "You can't say that outside. Many people live in apartment buildings and would be unhappy if they heard it. But my son said it very well. Give him a kiss!"

Seeing that it was still early for dinner, Zhou Jiao took out her camera and said to the playful father and son, "Have some snacks and let's go for a walk around the campus."

Zhang Guoqing nodded in agreement. Since it was the weekend and the weather was cool and there were fewer people around, he decided to go see the scenery and take some pictures of the children.

After the family rested for a while, Zhang Guoqing, holding his son, led his wife out the door. They took a shortcut along a secluded path, initially worried about accidentally running into acquaintances and wasting time, but after walking around, they found no one.

He looked around thoughtfully. Actually, compared to the Northeast, it was still late autumn. If you were well fed and dressed warmly, the occasional snowflakes outside wouldn't really be considered cold.

Ping An took a few photos, then began to lose interest and asked to go back.

"Son, isn't it fun here? When summer comes, Daddy will bring you here again. The lotus flowers will be in bloom, and there will be many trees, flowers and plants around. It will be beautiful."

Ping An shook his head. "It's not as beautiful as Daqingshan. There's still meat there."

Zhou Jiao laughed out loud, "Good vision, good idea. You are indeed a good son to your mother. When spring comes, we will go to the prairie, where there is more meat."

Ping'an's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he nodded repeatedly, "Mom, let's make a pinky promise."

"Okay, we'll make a promise. We won't change for a hundred years. Whoever changes is a puppy."

Zhang Guoqing quickly snapped a photo – a smiling mother squatting, her son looking up with a delighted smile, and the heartwarming scene of mother and son, one high and one low, making a pinky promise. This was a covenant, a keepsake.

The next morning, Ping An followed his parents out, startling Yi Jiefang, who was holding a tray upstairs, so much so that he accidentally spilled some water. He didn't even care about his soaked pants, pointing at the three of them and saying, "You have to go to school, what about the little kid?"

Ping An retorted unhappily, "Who is the little kid? The baby is the little kid, I am the little man."

His childish shouting made the students who came to watch the fun burst into laughter.

"Okay, uncle is wrong. You are a man. Even when your parents are in class, you have to sit there and not move around. Can you do that?"

Ping An was reluctant to speak, but nodded. He looked around curiously at everyone, noticing several people he knew and smiled at them.

"Xiao Wu, your son is really good. He's very brave at all."

"Ping An, do you want to go to the classroom with the uncles?"

"Little man, do you still remember your uncle?"

Ping An turned and left, waving his hand at them, "I'm in a hurry, bye."

Zhang Guoqing didn't have time to say anything more and quickly followed. There were stairs below.

Everyone laughed again as they watched the family leave.

"Little guy, how can you be in a hurry? Where did you learn this?"

"He learned it from adults. Look at him just now, he turned around and waved. Doesn't he look like his grandfather? Children this young like to imitate others. My nephew even imitated the old man by smoking."

For the next two days, Ping An followed his parents to a new classroom. As time went by, he began to miss his friends and wondered if his aunt would forget his Guoguo snacks while he was away.

What if his grandpa comes home and doesn't see him? What if his grandma doesn't sleep with him? What if his great-grandmother misses him? What if someone steals the fruit in his house?

Just when Ping An was beginning to feel anxious, his grandmother, Lin Lishan, finally arrived. He quickly ran out of the classroom, determined not to go to class with these weird uncles and aunts anymore.

Ping An learned that his grandfather wouldn't be home for another two days. He looked at the car with disappointment, then at his parents. After a moment's hesitation, he softly asked Zhang Guoqing and his wife to promise to come home often to be with him. Satisfied, he finally got in the car and happily returned to wait for his grandfather.

It was from this campus visit that Ping'an began to understand his grandfather's words about the complicated world outside. The adults, assuming he was young, kept asking him lots of questions. He had a glimpse into what complexity meant—complexity stemmed from having too many bad people. He planned to stay away from school. When he grew up, he would slap anyone who asked him questions again.