As soon as the meal was ready, Huang Cuilan, with other thoughts in mind, kindly invited Zhang Guofu to eat first and then read, and kept picking up food for him to eat.

After dinner, Huang Cuilan asked Mai Miao to go to bed early and ran to the kitchen to boil a large pot of hot water, preparing to have a good communication with her man tonight.

When Zhang Laoer came over, he called out "Big Brother" before entering the yard. Only after hearing Zhang Guofu's response did he push open the door and enter the yard with confidence.

"My second brother is here. Is my sister-in-law at home?"

Zhang Laoer nodded casually to Huang Cuilan who came out of the kitchen, and walked towards the living room without stopping.

Huang Cuilan was stunned by his attitude. Thinking back, it seemed that since when had the second brother always been so indifferent to her?

Standing under the window in the courtyard, Huang Cuilan began to recall the attitudes of the other members of her husband's family towards her over the past few years, from Zhang Laoer, Zhang Xiaowu, from Zhang Meili to Zhang Meihao...

When Zhang Guofu saw his second brother, he said cheerfully, "I heard from Mai Miao that you were looking for me. What's the matter? Didn't we just meet this morning? Why didn't you tell me then?"

Zhang Laoer stepped forward quickly. "I just heard Uncle Chen mention it this afternoon when I went to Mom's. Big Brother, you really joined the D-Leaders, and the organization approved it? This is great news, why didn't you tell me?"

"Haha, I thought you would have guessed it. It's been a year and I should be able to get a permanent position."

Zhang Laoer clapped his hands happily, "Great. Let's go to Dad's for a few drinks."

Zhang Guofu pulled him aside, "Don't. There will be another good thing later. We'll tell our parents then so they can be happy. Don't rush to celebrate now."

After hearing this, Zhang Laoer sat down, looked at him happily, and waited for what was to come.

"Don't worry, I was going to talk to you about this tonight. My unit has sent me to the provincial capital to study, and I'll be leaving in two days. I think it's okay to leave my parents to you."

Zhang Lao Er immediately stood up, looked around at his eldest brother, and said with a smile, "Amazing! You're worthy of being our boss! I must write a letter to Xiao Wu to make him happy."

Zhang Guofu was amused by him and laughed heartily. He pulled him to sit down and said, "Okay, it's not a big deal. Xiaowu guessed it when I passed the diploma exam last time. I came to you to discuss my job transfer after I return from my studies."

When it came to business, Zhang Lao Er stopped laughing and asked seriously, "What did Uncle Chen say?"

"Uncle Chen said the bureau wanted me to work in the finance department. He suggested that I not go to the finance department, but to work as a clerk in his department first. When I went to Uncle Liu to pay New Year's greetings before the New Year, he also told me that it would be best not to go into accounting."

Zhang Laoer knew that the Uncle Liu he was talking about was Liu Zheng from the provincial capital, Xiaowu's best friend. This man couldn't have made such a suggestion casually.

He pondered for a moment and asked, "Didn't Uncle Liu mention that you should go to the provincial capital to work?"

Zhang Guofu nodded and smiled, "He said so, and asked me to go home and think about it..."

Huang Cuilan heard this outside, clutching the corner of her clothes in panic. It's over! Her husband got a promotion. Will he come back after going to the provincial capital? That Shun Ge must have been bewitched by that little enchantress in the provincial capital.

"...My parents and you are both in the county. I thought about it and didn't agree. Besides, Uncle Chen is very good to me, and Uncle Liu is a bit far away after all. I still prefer to stay in the county for now. We can talk about the future later."

Huang Cuilan finally put her mind at ease, as long as she didn't have to go to the provincial capital.

"Brother, you don't have to worry about our parents. I will take good care of them. If conditions are good, you can move to the provincial capital. Uncle Guang is there, and you can better display your talents."

Outside, Huang Cuilan held her breath nervously. She hated Zhang Laoer so much for fiddling around.

"...I'm not in a rush right now. Let's wait a few years. Xizi and the others are still young. If I leave, the children at home will be left without a father or a mother."

Huang Cuilan's eyes widened in shock when she heard this. What did this mean? "No parents, no parents"? Wasn't she well at home? Did her husband really think she was dead?

"Yeah, let's talk about that later. Have you told your parents that you're going to the provincial capital to study? Xizi and the others are with your parents, don't worry, I'll visit the school often."

"I'm leaving the day after tomorrow. I plan to tell my parents tomorrow night. It's too early now, and they'll have to pack up their things for me to take to the provincial capital. They all rely on Xiaowu for support, and as the eldest child, I'm embarrassed to ask for help."

"It's okay, don't overthink it. We're brothers, and he wants you to have a good life. You're going there to study this time, will you be back this weekend?"

"It's hard to say the exact situation now. I'll be back if everything is fine."

Huang Cuilan couldn't bear it any longer. She tiptoed back to the kitchen and sat there in a daze. Her husband was leaving the day after tomorrow without telling her. He wouldn't be back for at least a month, staying at school all day, where he had many female colleagues.

What should she do?

Crying and yelling, refusing to let him study? — Huang Cuilan shook her head. Her mother-in-law would immediately tell her to get out.

Follow the past?

Huang Cuilan shook her head again. She still had to go to work and visit her eldest brother's house... Thinking of this, she opened her mouth in surprise. Why was she still thinking about her eldest brother's house when she was in such a situation?

That night, the hot water in the pot gradually cooled down.

The couple was as usual. Zhang Guofu fell asleep after reading for a long time, while Huang Cuilan closed her eyes all night without any sleepiness and was deep in thought.

It was not until the roosters crowed in the early morning that Huang Cuilan stared at the sleeping face in front of her, which had remained as handsome as it had been for ten years, through the dim light, and subconsciously touched her cheek.

She clenched her fists under the sheets and told herself that she would definitely find the husband who loved her, depended on her, and smiled at her whenever he saw her.

Thinking of this, Huang Cuilan quietly got off the kang and ran to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. After a while, she heard the voices of Zhang Guofu and his daughter. She quickly took out her toothbrush, squeezed toothpaste, and poured hot water.

"Dad, I've made breakfast. Eat before going to work."

Zhang Guofu glanced at the toothbrush on the washstand in surprise. He couldn't believe his wife hadn't heard him go to the provincial capital to study the next day. She'd been so angry she'd gone to bed early last night, and he'd expected her to be angry in the morning. What was going on?

"Okay. I'm going to the provincial capital this time and will stay there for a while. I'll write to you when I get there. If there's anything wrong with the children at home, remember to talk to the second child."

Huang Cuilan nodded happily and said with a smile, "Just focus on your studies and leave the housework to me. I'll visit the children's grandparents every day. My younger brother has scolded me, so I really won't care about my eldest brother's family this time. Just look at my performance."

Zhang Guofu shook his head and smiled.

Huang Cuilan said to him seriously, "Really? If I can't do it this time, it doesn't matter if you divorce me. But you can only study outside, and you can't learn bad things from others."

Zhang Guofu finally understood—his wife was worried he might have changed his mind. He felt a little angry. Was he that kind of person? But then he thought it was a good thing. At least it gave her some concerns.

It's good to have concerns, just keep your mind on home. Don't always think about your parents' home, your parents' home. He doesn't ask for much, and he's happy to honor his father-in-law, but just don't move everything to your parents' home.