Chapter 73 Farewell on the Eve of the Business Trip

"Mom will stay for a while longer," Guo Peng said.

“Hasn’t Fan Yani finished her postpartum confinement?” Li Hui said. “Why isn’t your mother going back yet? When will she go back?”

“Yani is often home alone, and it’s inconvenient for her to take care of the child by herself, so she asked her mother to stay and take care of the child for a while longer,” Guo Peng said. “Mom agreed.”

"Yani, Yani, you're calling me that so affectionately," Li Hui said, displeased.

"..." Guo Peng was confused. It was just calling someone's name, what was the big deal?

Many three-character names are named by the last two characters, which is perfectly normal. How come Li Hui made it sound like this?

“Your mother is really something. Doesn’t she have a young son and daughter-in-law? And a grandson? Doesn’t she go back to take care of him?” Li Hui said. “The child Fan Yani gave birth to isn’t her biological grandson. Your mother is really dedicated.”

“Yani… Fan Yani grew up with Mom. She helped with chores around the house from a young age,” Guo Peng explained. “As for her… you know, I didn’t marry her, and Mom feels a little guilty about that.”

"Is it your mother's opinion, or your own?" Li Hui asked. "Have you regretted marrying me a long time ago? If you hadn't married me and had married Fan Yani instead, Fan Yani's child would be your child, your own biological child."

"No, I didn't marry Fan Yani, I'm not with her, can you please not say things like that?" Guo Peng was displeased. "What would the neighbors think if they heard that?"

"You just look down on me," Li Hui said. "I can't get pregnant, I can't bear your children, you..."

“Didn’t we already say that if you can’t have children, we can adopt one?” Guo Peng said. “It’s not like you have to have children.”

“Adopted children are other people’s children, not our own. How can they be the same as our own children?” Li Hui said.

Even now, Li Hui still can't understand why Fan Yani, who was heavily pregnant, took the college entrance exam while she herself was pregnant, but Fan Yani was fine while she was. Li Hui doesn't even consider how much damage Fan Yani had done to her health for dancing, or that she was petty and not a very forgiving person.

Li Hui's miscarriage was due to two reasons: firstly, her own carelessness, and secondly, her failure to take good care of her own body. Fan Yani, after becoming pregnant, was very concerned about her health. She also knew her academic level and considered taking the college entrance exam as a participation activity, not something to be overly optimistic about. Before even taking the exam, Li Hui was already dreaming about which top university she could get into; she wanted to achieve even greater success and make those who looked down on her regret their decision.

The reality was far different from what Li Hui had imagined. Li Hui's score was too low. Not only was Song Fenglan better than Li Hui, but even Fan Yani scored higher than Li Hui.

"Wait a minute," Guo Peng said. "There's no rush."

"Aren't you in a hurry? You seem quite anxious," Li Hui said.

Guo Peng felt heartbroken. Li Hui was always like this; he had tried his best to be good to her. But Li Hui didn't appreciate his efforts at all. Guo Peng knew in his heart that Li Hui was comparing him to Qin Yizhou. Qin Yizhou had a high position and came home early to take care of his family; many women probably wished they had a husband like Qin Yizhou.

Guo Peng couldn't do that; his position was low, and he needed to keep working hard. Guo Peng couldn't always go home to cook and do laundry like Qin Yizhou did—those were women's tasks. Just because Qin Yizhou was willing to do those things didn't mean other men were. Many men couldn't do what Qin Yizhou did; Qin Yizhou even took time off to visit her in-laws.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Seeing Guo Peng's silence, Li Hui slammed her chopsticks on the table. "How could I have married someone like you?"

"If you hadn't wanted to marry me back then, I wouldn't have forced you." Guo Peng had even considered that if Li Hui didn't marry him, he would go back and marry Fan Yani. But Li Hui said she wanted to be with him, and Guo Peng was very happy.

Guo Peng thought that even if Li Hui didn't have feelings for him, she would naturally come to appreciate him over time. However, so much time had passed, and Li Hui still maintained this attitude. This made Guo Peng uncomfortable; he felt that no matter what he did, Li Hui would never be satisfied with him.

It's Li Hui who can't have children, not Guo Peng.

Guo Peng could only endure it. He told himself that Li Hui was too heartbroken right now. They say pregnancy makes you stupid for three years, and Li Hui had a miscarriage, so she had been pregnant. It didn't matter if Li Hui was stupid and sad for three years. As her husband, he had to be patient and not let his wife be even more unhappy.

"Alright, let's eat," Guo Peng said. "You don't need to go to Mom's place all the time. Fan Yani is there. Mom is there to take care of Fan Yani and her child, so you..."

“You think we don’t have to go?” Li Hui said. “You may think it’s okay, but others may not. If I never go, people will think I’m unfilial to your mother, and they will think I’m an unfilial daughter-in-law. People will gossip about me.”

"Let them gossip. Mom would never say anything bad about you," Guo Peng said. "I've already told Mom that you need to rest properly."

"Hehe." Li Hui still hoped that Guo's mother would leave quickly. Even though her mother-in-law didn't say much to her, she didn't want her mother-in-law to stay here any longer.

Guo Peng remained silent, letting Li Hui speak instead.

Song's mother tidied up Song Fenglan's house inside and out, making the house look much cleaner and brighter.

When Song Fenglan returned home and saw the changes, she thought to herself that her mother was still as capable of tidying up as ever. Her mother had also been there to tidy up Song Fenglan's house in the capital, keeping everything perfectly organized so that Song Fenglan didn't have to worry about anything.

“Some useless things were thrown away,” said Song’s mother. “They just sat in the corner collecting dust.”

"You decide," Song Fenglan said. "Many things are no longer useful, but we just haven't thrown them away."

"These tattered shoes, you just leave them there instead of throwing them away," said Song's mother. "How long are you going to keep them like this?"

"I...didn't notice." Song Fenglan touched her nose. "There are a lot of things at home, so sometimes I just put them aside."

"Put as many things as you need to the side for now," said Song's mother. "Any old, unused items."

Throw things away if you need to. If they're still usable, or if you can give them away, do so. I noticed some of Zihang's sweaters were too short; the short ones were useless, so I gave them to Sister-in-law Pang.

The plump woman planned to unravel the old sweaters and knit new ones using the wool yarn. She thought the wool yarn was still quite good; it wouldn't break easily. Many families do this, unraveling old sweaters and knitting new ones. The plump woman was very happy to take the old sweaters, and she even helped Song's mother sort them out.

Song's mother directly told her to have her sister-in-law see if there was anything useful. If so, she could take it back; if not, she could throw it away. Song's mother thought that Song Fenglan and her son had only been there for a little over a year, almost two years, so how could they have so much stuff? But then she thought, it made sense; with a child around, how could they not have so much stuff?

“Okay, no problem,” Song Fenglan said.

"She's not bad," said Song's mother. Everyone called Zhang Chenghai's wife, Fatty Sister-in-law, and Song's mother just called her that too. It was just a name, no need to be so particular, and Fatty Sister-in-law didn't mind either. "She even helped tidy up a bit."

"It's quite good. Xiao Hu ate something when he came to our house, and when Zi Hang went over, Sister Pang also gave Zi Hang something to eat," Song Fenglan said.

When Aunt Pang fed Qin Zihang, she was always very careful, never daring to give him anything that had been left out for too long. She believed that any food that had been stored for a while was still edible, and that it was for her own child; she was afraid Qin Zihang would get sick from it.

You always have to be careful when dealing with other people's children. If they get sick from eating, it's your fault, and it will also affect the relationship between neighbors.

“Sister-in-law Pang is better at organizing than you,” said Song’s mother. “I’ve seen their house; it’s not that it’s incredibly clean, but it’s certainly much tidier.”

“That’s right,” Song Fenglan said. “Sister-in-law Pang is quite capable in this area, better than me. It’s unrealistic to expect her to be weaker than me in every aspect.”

If Song Fenglan could hire someone to clean the house, she definitely would. Unfortunately, the current situation doesn't allow it. They'll wait a year or two until things improve, then they can hire someone to help clean the house, and they won't have to do all that themselves.

"Yizhou tidied up your room." Song's mother had Qin Yizhou watch over the tidying up, as she wasn't sure what they needed or didn't need. "Throw away any papers you didn't want after writing drafts, don't keep them all in the room."

Sometimes when Song Fenglan thinks of something, she will write a few words in her notebook, and sometimes she will even tear it out.

"I don't know if you need those papers, but I'll put them aside for you to take a look," said Song's mother.

"It's probably not necessary. I'll check in a bit," Song Fenglan said.

Song's mother tidied up Qin Zihang's room as well, and there were two candies in the corner of the wardrobe. The weather was a bit cold now, so the candies hadn't melted yet. They'd probably melt when it got warmer.

Overall, the rooms were relatively clean, not particularly dirty. However, even in the cleanest house, mopping the floor and wiping the windows will still turn the water black.

Mrs. Song was indeed mopping the floor, cleaning every inch that could be cleaned. Qin Yizhou told her she didn't need to clean so much, but she insisted. So, the group cleaned together, going out briefly before returning to continue. With so many people, the cleaning was faster and less tedious.

Qin Zihang's toys were all neatly arranged, and Qin Zihang said, "Grandma is so great."

Previously, Qin Zihang cleaned the house himself, so how could he have cleaned it so well?

Since her daughter had come all this way, Song's mother felt she should help her clean the house thoroughly. Song's mother was quite efficient at these tasks, especially after she was sent to the farm; she had even more responsibilities. These were jobs that didn't require much skill, and Song's mother could do them with ease.

After dinner, Song Fenglan went to check the crumpled papers. Many of them were useless. Song Fenglan couldn't quite remember why she had written them in the first place. She even tore some of them up, thinking that it was better to tear them into pieces than to write anything on them.

“It’s not easy to tear it like this. Why don’t you just burn it in the yard?” said Song’s mother.

“Yes, burn it in the yard,” Song Fenglan said. “Take a basin and burn it in the basin.”

Then, Song's mother and others burned paper balls in the courtyard, with Song Fenglan burning one paper at a time.

"Is there anything left in your study?" Song's mother asked. "I didn't tidy up your desk area."

"I'll go take a look," Song Fenglan said.

Previously, Song Fenglan hadn't realized she had collected so many crumpled pieces of paper. When she went to tidy them up, she discovered that there were not only crumpled pieces of paper, but also many sheets of paper with just a few words written on them.

Song Fenglan took the papers out of the study and went into the courtyard.

"Tear it up," Song Fenglan said, tearing out the useless writing from the notebooks. She wrote down the useful information in another notebook.

"Why are there so many?" Song's mother asked.

“Sometimes I have a sudden inspiration, and I think about it for a moment,” Song Fenglan said. “Then I write it down. Just a few words, enough for me to understand the meaning.”

“That’s true. You understand it yourself; others don’t need to understand it,” said Song’s mother.

“These all have to be burned,” Song Fenglan said. If there were a shredder, that would be fine too. But since there’s no shredder, burning them is the best option.

Although Song Fenglan might not see anything wrong with it, others who saw it might think something. It would be safer to burn these things.

“I need to bring a few notebooks from work another day. I just checked and there’s only one blank notebook left,” Song Fenglan said. “I don’t think I use them much. Zihang’s notebook is a different one that I bought separately.”

"That's how it always is; before you know it, it's all used up," said Song's mother. "Is it alright to bring them from your workplace?"

“It’s alright, a few notebooks aren’t worth much,” Song Fenglan said. “They’re easy to carry anyway, that’s what I’ve been doing before. It’s not that I don’t care about the money, but it’s troublesome to go out and buy them, and I’d have to buy blank notebooks like these. The notebooks at our workplace are good quality and easy to use. I also bring pens back from work, as long as they work.”

It wasn't just Song Fenglan who did this in the workplace; others did it too. The workplace allowed them to do it; they were doing it for work, not to give those things to others.

Few people in the workplace would say something like "taking advantage of socialism."

"Isn't it a waste to write only a few words on a piece of paper?" Song's mother saw this, and she was afraid that others would talk about Song Fenglan if they saw it.

"No," Song Fenglan said. "Some things deserve a separate sheet of paper, but they're not needed now. Come to think of it, there are quite a few of these things in the office. I'll organize them later."

"I won't go into your workplace," said Song's mother.

“Even if you want to go in, it’s not easy for you to go in. Our unit is a classified unit, so I have to pack up those things myself,” Song Fenglan said. “I don’t trust anyone else to pack them up, for fear that useful things will be taken away.”

Song Fenglan doesn't usually clean her office; there are people specifically assigned to do it. Song Fenglan is always very busy; she doesn't have time for those trivial tasks.

At work, Song Fenglan can be quite fierce at times; she can't always maintain such a calm demeanor.

Song Fenglan looked up at her mother, who, seeing her like this, couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing," Song Fenglan said. "I just feel like I've been a bit short-tempered lately."

“When you grow up and start working, how can you not have a temper?” Song’s mother said. “As long as you can have a stable job, that’s more important than anything else.”

After everything Song's mother has been through, all she wants now is for her family to be safe and sound. They shouldn't worry about anything else. Thinking about other things is useless; unexpected situations can arise anytime soon. Just focus on doing what's at hand.

"Yes, that's right," Song Fenglan said. "Is everything almost packed up?"

"It's almost done," said Mrs. Song. "I've tidied up the backyard a bit. Are you going to raise chicks in the backyard?"

“Yes.” Song Fenglan nodded. “Hangbao needs to raise chicks and two ducklings. As for the ducks, we need to put plenty of water over there; ducks can’t live without water.”

“Yes, they need water. When it gets hot, the ducks won’t survive without water,” said Song’s mother. “When you were little, you would take care of these animals for the first few days. But later on, you wouldn’t want to take care of them as much, and you would have to let others take care of them.”

"..." Song Fenglan thought about it.

Of all those things she'd been through, she remembered having a cat she used to own, "who liked to play but didn't like keeping pets."

“Hangbao is much better than you. I heard he even digs up earthworms for his chicks to eat,” said Song’s mother.

“He’s been digging for a while,” Song Fenglan said. “He likes to play, he likes to take his little shovel and dig the ground. He’s dug this yard countless times. But we can’t let him dig in the same place all the time, so he digs here and there. Boys are more mischievous.”

Song Fenglan had no idea how these children dared to catch cabbage caterpillars; she certainly wouldn't dare to.

"It's better for the child to be a little tough," said Song's mother. "If the child is weak and frail, you'll worry about him even more."

"Yes," Song Fenglan said. "Shouldn't I be secretly happy?"

"We're secretly happy, secretly happy," said Song's mother.

Just now, Guo's mother brought in the bed sheets that had been hung out to dry, and she still needed to sew them up. Guo's mother took care of everything perfectly, washing and drying the bed sheets and mattresses that Fan Yani needed during her postpartum period, without Fan Yani having to say a word.

Fan Yani watched as Guo's mother sewed the quilt and sheet together. She thought back to her previous life, when the quilt cover had a zipper—just slip it on and pull it up. Now, the quilt and sheet had to be sewn together, which was a bit of a hassle. Guo's mother threaded the needle easily, without Fan Yani having to do it herself.

"Mom, are your eyes still working?" Fan Yani asked. "I can't even thread a thread as fast as you."

"It's alright," said Guo's mother. "If you do these things often, it's quite fast. If you rarely do these things, it's slow. The quilts and clothes at home all need to be sewn. When you were little, I even taught you how to sew."

Guo's mother was not Song's mother. She taught embroidery or simple sewing, which was the most practical skill for people in the countryside. Embroidery was too fancy and they didn't need it. They often had to go out to work and couldn't afford to wear elaborate clothes.

“I’m still not as good as you.” Fan Yani thought of Song’s mother, “Sister-in-law Fenglan’s biological mother, she looks quite elegant. I ran into her today, and she even greeted me with a smile.”

Fan Yani was a little flattered; she truly felt that Song's mother looked like a noblewoman. Even though Song's mother acted approachable, anyone who looked at her could tell that Song's mother and Grandma Fang were worlds apart.

Song's mother didn't look down on Fan Yani, nor did she say anything unpleasant. If it were Grandma Fang, even if she greeted Fan Yani, she might still say some unpleasant things.

“They’ll stay here for a few days and then go back,” Guo’s mother said. “I saw them when I was buying groceries and we even exchanged a few words.”

“That’s good,” Fan Yani said. “They’re from the capital.”

“The capital is good, it’s a big city,” Guo’s mother said.

“We can go to the capital later,” Fan Yani said.

"Going out to play?" Guo's mother didn't expect Fan Yani to say that.

“Yes, let’s go have fun,” Fan Yani said.

"Going out to play? Forget it, it'll cost so much money," said Guo's mother. "Wouldn't it be better to use that money to buy some food and clothes?"

Guo's mother felt it was a waste of money; the transportation alone would cost a lot. The Song family was wealthy; the three of them came together, stayed for several days, and bought this and that. Guo's mother felt the pinch of spending that money, but thankfully it wasn't her own, so she wasn't too worried. If Guo's mother had spent that much money all at once, she definitely wouldn't have been able to sleep at night.

“Life isn’t just about working; you have to have fun too,” Fan Yani said. “We’ll see how it goes later. If I make money, I’ll go.”

Fan Yani didn't make any grand promises. If she didn't make money and couldn't take people out to have fun, then they would have been disappointed. Fan Yani was thinking about making more money so she could travel more in the future.

“You can go,” said Guo’s mother. “We old women and men don’t need to go.”

"It depends," Fan Yani said. "Mom, if I make money, I'll take you on a trip."

Guo's mother had been quite good to the original owner, so Fan Yani was naturally happy to treat Guo's mother well in return.

The Tang family eventually got Song Fenglan's phone number, and Tang Shaotao called Song's father. Song's father frowned upon hearing Tang Shaotao's words.

"I don't have time, and I can't help," said Mr. Song.

Tang Shaotao's idea was to ask Song's father for help. Even if Song's father didn't want to go back early, he could call other people to see if they could help. Song's father, however, was unlikely to help the Tang family; he didn't plan to make that call.

The Song family has already arranged their arrival and departure times, and they cannot change them because of the Tang family.

Tang Shaotao originally wanted to say that Aunt Song was unwell and ask the Song family to come back, but he was afraid of angering them and making them even less willing to help. So he didn't use that excuse and simply pleaded with Song's father directly on the phone to ask him to help.

Mr. Song gave his answer and then hung up. Several people knew Song Fenglan's phone number, so it was perfectly normal for the Tang family to have found it.

Song Fenglan and her mother had just gone inside after burning some food when Song's father came in with a cold expression. Song Fenglan looked at her second brother: "Dad, what's wrong?"

"Tang Shaotao called, wanting Dad to help his dad," said Song Erge. "Who does he think he is? Just because he asked, does Dad have to agree?"

"He called again?" Song Fenglan asked.

“If he dares to call again, you don’t need to pay any attention to him,” said Brother Song. “When our family was in trouble, none of their family members helped us. They even distanced themselves from us and spoke ill of us. Now that their family is in trouble, all they do is ask us to help them. Where are we supposed to help them? They just want to use up our goodwill and make us beg others.”

Brother Song knew the Tang family all too well. Tang Shaotao was just like his biological father—always thinking of taking advantage without wanting to make any sacrifices. At least Tang's father still had a job; he could just wait to retire. Why bother with all this trouble?

"Ignore them," said Mr. Song. "They're a nuisance."

"Hmm." Song Fenglan nodded; she really couldn't possibly get involved in these matters.

Regardless of whether the Tang family called or not, or whether Tang Shaotao pleaded with Song Fenglan, Song Fenglan acted as if she knew nothing.

The Song family will treat the Tang family the same way they treat the Song family.

Qin Zihang didn't know any of this; all he knew was that his grandfather was unhappy. "Grandpa, Grandpa."

Qin Zihang was calling him "Grandpa" over there, and he even made faces at his grandpa, trying to make him laugh.

"My dear son." When Song's father saw Qin Zihang like this, his expression softened considerably.

In front of Song's parents, Song Fenglan didn't press the Tang family for details. Once inside the room, she made a point of closing the door. Although the Song family would knock before coming over, Song Fenglan still made sure the door was closed properly.

“If the Tang family calls, just answer and hang up,” Song Fenglan said. “You don’t need to say a word to them.”

Song Fenglan was wiping her hands with skincare products, which the Tang family found disgusting.

"I'll do whatever you say," Qin Yizhou said. "Will they call again?"

“That’s not necessarily true,” Song Fenglan said. “They called asking for money, but this amount of money is nothing compared to what they’ve been dealing with.”

Song Fenglan looked down on people like Tang's father, who were always busy and ambitious, but in the end, they ended up like this.

“Being demoted doesn’t mean he has to give back his previous salary, nor does it mean he won’t receive a salary in the future,” Song Fenglan said. “Everyone has to be responsible for their own actions.”

Qin Yizhou's two days off passed quickly.

Qin Zihang's maternal grandparents came, and other children asked Qin Zihang about his situation.

"My maternal grandparents, they are very good."

"They bought me new clothes, toys, and cooked delicious food for me."

"I want to visit my grandparents' house in the future too."

"It's a very, very far place. I went there by train."

...

Qin Zihang answered everyone's questions one by one. He didn't mention how well he knew his grandparents, nor did he boast about them when he came to school. He only spoke about them when asked.

Qin Zihang has a lot to say about his mother.

When the weekend arrived, Song Fenglan and Qin Zihang were both on holiday, so they all went out for a walk together and strolled in the park.

Zhang Xiaohu wanted to go, but he had to use a cane, so Fatty Sister-in-law wouldn't let him.

"Mom, why won't you let me go?" Zhang Xiaohu was very unhappy about staying at home.

“Look at your legs. If you walk slowly with crutches, people have to wait for you. If you walk fast, people worry that you might fall,” said the plump woman. “How are other people supposed to have fun if you keep going like this?”

"I……"

“If you really want to play, wait until your dad has time another day and have him take you. You really are a handful, always wanting to be like your little brother Zihang,” the chubby woman sighed.

The two families are neighbors, that's true, but there are significant differences between them. Adults like Fatty Sister can sense these differences, but children might not.

If we're talking about who's the happiest, it has to be Qin Zihang. He's eating and playing with the Song family and even getting new clothes.

On the day the Song family was to return home, Qin Zihang was particularly reluctant to part with them, but he had to go to school and couldn't go to the train station to see them off.

Early in the morning, Qin Zihang was still clinging to his second uncle's leg, "Second Uncle, can you please not go back?"

"We have to go back," said Second Brother Song. "If you stay here too long, you'll start to miss us. If you stay for a shorter time, you'll think about us more."

"Over time, I've come to like you all too," Qin Zihang said. "I like you all very much, and Mom and Dad like you all too."

"We'll meet again sometime in the future," said Brother Song.

"Mom, can I go see Grandpa and Grandma off?" Qin Zihang looked at his mother pleadingly.

“Okay, I’ll deliver it in a bit.” Song Fenglan nodded, agreeing to Qin Zihang’s request for leave.

Not only Qin Zihang went to see off the Song family, but Song Fenglan also took leave to see them off as well.

Song Fenglan was reluctant to leave her parents, but they couldn't stay in Nancheng forever. They were unfamiliar with the area and preferred to stay in the capital. Song Fenglan herself also liked the capital. As long as she had a house there and didn't have to worry about making a living, who wouldn't like the bustling capital?

Qin Yizhou also went to see off Song's parents and others. They stayed with the Song family at the train station until they boarded the train before returning home.

The Song family had booked sleeper berths. Looking out the window at the receding scenery, Song's mother thought of Song Fenglan again. She was reluctant to part with her daughter and didn't know when she would be able to return to the capital.

“In a few years, Fenglan and the others will go back,” said Song’s father.

"In a few years... two or three years?" Song's mother said, "If Fenglan wants to go to university, she can only do so after she graduates from university."

“We’ll have to wait until after they graduate from university,” Mr. Song said. “We’ve been on the farm for more than just these few years, which is already quite good. Let’s take good care of our health and wait for them to come back.”

"This is the only way." Song's mother looked out the window again. The south was indeed warmer, but the conditions in the capital were much better than those in the south.

Qin Yizhou and his wife took their child back home, and Qin Zihang chattered on and on.

Will my grandparents come again? When will they come?

Will they come during my summer vacation?

"My second uncle knows a lot, and he also plays with me."

...

"We'll meet again sometime," Song Fenglan said, feeling a pang of sadness at parting from her family.

Song Fenglan longs to be with her parents and other relatives, ideally living very close by so they can visit each other more often. Currently, they live in different cities, making it inconvenient to travel and preventing them from seeing each other frequently; they can only talk on the phone.

Technology isn't advanced enough; even video isn't possible.

At this moment, Song Fenglan increasingly missed the technology of her previous life.

Back home, Qin Yizhou cooked lunch, and the family ate together. After lunch, Qin Zihang had to go to school, and Song Fenglan and Qin Yizhou each had to go to their respective workplaces. Song Fenglan felt that they were living the same repetitive day again, going to the same places every day, day after day.

Song Fenglan was in low spirits for a while, and Qin Yizhou put his arm around her.

"It's alright, you can take Zihang to school later," Song Fenglan said. "Or should I take him?"

"I'll take him there," Qin Yizhou said. "You go and rest for a while; you have to go to work later."

In the afternoon, Song Fenglan went to her workplace. She didn't do anything else but tidy up her office. This time, Song Fenglan didn't have to burn the useless papers; her assistant handled that for her.

Song Fenglan initially thought there wasn't much trash in her office, but she was shocked when she started cleaning. She knew that even though she usually threw away some of her scrap paper, there was still so much useless stuff.

"You've worked too hard." Just as Song Fenglan was expressing her feelings, the director arrived.

“It’s not just me, everyone is like this,” Song Fenglan said.

“Engineer Song.” The director looked at Song Fenglan.

“Please speak,” Song Fenglan said.

"They've requested that you go on a business trip to the Northwest for a while," the director said. "They've been struggling with a problem there for a long time, and despite contacting many people, it's still unresolved. That's why they thought of you. They know that our institute's research results are better and faster."

They're all from the same country, and some technologies are shared.

The director knew that Song Fenglan's child was still young, but the research institute in the Northwest did have problems and needed someone to go there.

“Okay, no problem.” Song Fenglan nodded.

“Have your two assistants go with you,” the director said. “If anything happens over there, contact us anytime and let us know.”

In addition to the two assistants, Cao Fang also had to go along to protect Song Fenglan.

Song Fenglan did not refuse. If someone else had applied, there was indeed a problem, and she should go.

For the sake of better developing the motherland, Song Fenglan couldn't refuse to go. Conditions in the Northwest were indeed harsh, and Song Fenglan wasn't going to stay there for long; she would return after a while.

"How long will it take?" Song Fenglan asked.

"If things go smoothly, it will take about half a month; if things go slowly, it might take a little longer, but the longest it will be is a month," the director said. "There are still many things to do here, so we can't let you leave for too long."

"Okay," Song Fenglan said. "You book the tickets."

"Is it okay to leave the day after tomorrow?" the director asked.

“Okay,” Song Fenglan said.

In the evening, Song Fenglan went to pick up Qin Zihang, and Madam Su was also there.

Song Fenglan asked Madam Su to come to her house so she could tell her about her business trip.

"Business trip?" Qin Zihang asked, puzzled.

“Yes, it’s a trip for a while, ten days or half a month, plus the train travel time, it might be almost a month.” Song Fenglan didn’t say the time was too short, afraid that her son would be waiting for her for a long time. “Mom is going on a business trip, we won’t be able to see each other for a while.”

"Can I make a phone call?" Qin Zihang asked.

“I might not be able to call,” Song Fenglan said. “If something happens, I might not be able to contact you. But Mommy will miss our Hangbao. Our Hangbao, be a good boy and don’t run around. Mommy will be back to see our Hangbao soon, okay?”

"Then if I sleep one night, when I open my eyes I won't see Mom, right?" Qin Zihang said. "Will I have to wait a very, very long time?"

“Mom will come back, it’s not like she won’t,” Song Fenglan said. “You can draw one little red flower a day, and see how many little red flowers you’ve drawn when Mom comes back.”

"Fenglan, go on your business trip with peace of mind. I'll take care of things here," Madam Su said. "I'll keep an eye on Zihang and make sure nothing happens to him."

"I believe you. Even since Zihang was born, I've never been away on a business trip for this long. Zihang and I see each other every day; this time, the time is considerable." Song Fenglan was worried that Qin Zihang might cause trouble since she wasn't home.

There's nothing we can do about it.

"Mom," Qin Zihang said, grasping Song Fenglan's hand, "do we have to be like this with Grandpa and Grandma, only seeing them once in a long while?"

“No, it won’t take that long,” Song Fenglan explained. “Mom will probably be back after you have three or four weekends off.”

"Mom." Qin Zihang then hugged Song Fenglan's leg. He couldn't bear to see his mother go on the business trip. He wanted to see her every day and didn't want to be unable to see her. "Mom, can you not go?"

“No, that won’t do,” Song Fenglan said. “Mom will be back soon. She went there so that she could better protect Zihang.”

"Really?" Qin Zihang sniffed; he really couldn't bear to part with his mother.

"Yes." Song Fenglan nodded. "Don't worry, Mom loves our Hangbao the most. Of course, I'll try my best to finish things quickly and come back to be with our Hangbao as soon as possible."

“Your mother is right. She loves you so much, how could she bear to leave you for too long? You don’t even need to urge her, your mother will definitely finish her work and come back soon,” said Madam Su.

When it was time to eat, Qin Zihang kept glancing at his mother.

After Mrs. Su finished dinner and went home, Qin Yizhou went to clear the dishes.

While the family was resting on the sofa, Song Fenglan told Qin Yizhou about her upcoming business trip.

“You don’t need to worry about these things at home, I’ll take care of them,” Qin Yizhou said. “Before, when I was here and you were in the capital, you handled everything on your own. When Zihang was sick, you were the one who took him to the hospital.”

“You need to take better care of him. Touch his forehead every day, listen to his voice. If he catches a cold, you must take him to the hospital as soon as possible,” Song Fenglan reminded Qin Yizhou. “If a child’s cold turns into pneumonia, it will be terrible. It’s better to take the child to the hospital as soon as possible to solve the problem. Don’t believe in those folk remedies.”

"I've written it all down," Qin Yizhou said. "It's alright, my aunt is here too. If I don't understand something, I'll just ask her and the others."

“Yes, if a child is sick, go to the hospital. Don’t delay.” Song Fenglan said, “If a child is sick, they should be asked to take leave. Don’t think about sending the child to school and having the teachers watch over them. Teachers have to take care of so many students, they can’t manage.”

“Mom, I can go to the hospital by myself. I know where the hospital is, and I can tell Auntie.” Qin Zihang said, “Dad is disobedient, but I will be obedient.”

"..." Qin Yizhou looked at Qin Zihang. Qin Zihang was not afraid of making things difficult for him at all. At this time, his son was still saying such things.

On the other side, Gao Xiuxiu was distraught. She hadn't had her period for over a month. She went to the hospital, convinced she was pregnant, but she wasn't. The doctor said she wasn't pregnant, according to the test results.

"Are you pregnant?" Grandma Fang was still asking Gao Xiuxiu. "Say something, are you pregnant? This time you have to have a son!"