"Yes, Grandma, Aimin went to call Jingze."

"Hmm." What could the old lady say? Actually, Liu Jingze was at a crucial moment and shouldn't be disturbed, but given the circumstances, he needed to know. She hoped the boy could hold on and come to terms with it.

Love between parents and children is something that living people inevitably encounter, but those who are rational will not become deeply entangled in it.

Zhang Shouyi was very anxious, eager to go back and see his wife, but the old man hadn't given any instructions, and he couldn't leave. He had long since learned to keep his emotions hidden, so he just sat there with a smile.

The old lady was going to advise her granddaughter-in-law that these were words that were not suitable for outsiders to hear.

“Zhang family boy, go back now, and remember your promise.”

"Yes, Grandma, I'm going back now. You should rest too." The old lady was the most considerate.

Zhang Shouyi greeted the other two people in the room. Although they ignored him, he still had to show them the proper etiquette. Besides, he had already done the twenty-four prostrations, so what difference would one more do?

After Zhang Shouyi left, the old lady sat up straight and said, "Aimin's daughter-in-law, come sit here."

Hu Aifen sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) with her head down. "Grandma, why don't you fight for Jingze?"

"Sigh!" The old lady sighed. "It's not that I don't want to. I was the first in our family to have this idea, but Hongmei only has brotherly feelings for Jingze."

I also want her to become a daughter-in-law in our Liu family, so that Jingze can save a lot of effort.

I don't know what you see in this girl? But I thought to myself, she'll help Jingze in the future.

But no matter how well we plan, there's nothing we can do if Hongmei isn't moved.

"Grandma, I don't know anything else, but I do know that this girl has a face that brings good fortune to her husband. Besides, most importantly, I like this girl; she's no less beautiful than my own daughter."

"Alas! I know this girl is charming. She suits my taste perfectly, but the king is in love while the goddess is not. It cannot be forced."

"Grandma, let me talk to Hongmei."

"Zhong, you say something, try to get Jingze's help."

"Grandma, you know Jingze's temper. I'm just afraid he won't be able to understand."

The old lady fell silent; rational children are prone to getting stuck on trivial matters. It's truly difficult to handle anything.

"Sigh! What can we do? Let's try our best to comfort Jingze. If he's meant to be, we'll meet again even if we're thousands of miles apart. If he's not meant to be, we can't force him."

"I'm afraid he won't be able to change his mind on his own. This child has always been stubborn; once he's made up his mind about something, nothing can change it."

"There's nothing we can do about it." The old lady also felt sorry for her grandson, but everything else was negotiable, except for matters of the heart, which couldn't be forced.

Hu Aifen sat for a while, then got up and said, "Grandma, I'm going to find Hongmei."

"Yes, go ahead. Even if she doesn't become a daughter-in-law of the Liu family, she can still be a daughter of the Liu family."

“Grandma, I know that I treat her well not only as a daughter-in-law, but also as a daughter.”

Actually, the old lady was satisfied with both her eldest daughter-in-law and her eldest granddaughter-in-law. The eldest daughter-in-law was gentle; although illiterate, she was genuinely good to her eldest son, and the two had never argued in all these years together. The eldest granddaughter-in-law was feisty, intelligent, and polite, especially towards the elderly—she was impeccable.

Zhang Shouyi's face darkened. What did this mean? He was truly helpless. This girl had returned and completely forgotten about him. There was nothing he could do but go find her. Although this girl was friendly to everyone in the village, the only houses she would actually stay at, besides the old lady's, were Liu Maocai's.

As he walked down the street, the children stared at him curiously. He had made a mistake; he hadn't put any candy in his pocket. He had missed such a good opportunity to win people's hearts.

He smiled at them, but before he could say anything, the children all scattered and ran off. He shook his head; in Liujiatun, he was already the bad guy.

When Zhang Shouyi arrived at Liu Maocai's house, he could hear voices inside. He stood outside listening, not to eavesdrop, but because he could hear that Hongmei's voice was particularly cheerful.

“Sister Hongmei, I will never go abroad in the future. I want to be a soldier and a general.”

"Great! As long as your ideals remain unchanged and you persevere, you will definitely succeed." Zhang Hongmei encouraged Shitou, after all, it is rare for a child to be able to stick to his ideals.

“I will definitely persevere. Sister Hongmei, is going abroad also your dream?”

Zhang Hongmei was stumped. Should she tell him that it was a spur-of-the-moment idea? That didn't seem like a good example.

Er Ya chuckled to herself, while Zhang Hongmei rolled her eyes at her.

“Stone, I didn’t know what going abroad meant back then. It just meant going out. I only understood what going abroad was after I had seen more of the world.”

"Then what are you going abroad for?"

"Go to more advanced countries and learn their advanced technologies. Take advantage of their strengths to make up for your own weaknesses."

"Oh, so going abroad is actually quite useful?"

"Of course, we can't be complacent. Remember, we need to be quick-witted."

"Okay, Sister Hongmei, are you going to come back after you go abroad?"

"Why don't you come back?"

“I’m afraid you won’t come back. It’s so far away, how am I supposed to find you? You’ve always kept your word, so I trust you. You absolutely have to come back. I’m still waiting for you to take me to the capital.”

“No problem. Your second sister will also be admitted to university by then, so we’ll meet in the capital.”

Er Ya was a little embarrassed. "Hong Mei, my grades aren't good enough to get into the Capital University. I know my own limitations."

"Then you can apply to other universities in the capital. You can ask Chen Sheng, who was my homeroom teacher in my second year of high school. He will tell you in detail. You can also ask him to help you choose a school, and then you can decide for yourself."

"Hongmei, I actually don't want to go to the capital."

"I see. Then choose the school you like. It doesn't matter where it is. I just thought if you came to the capital, we'd have company."

Er Ya looked conflicted. "Fine, I'll take the plunge. I'll give it a try. Even if it's not a university in the capital, I'll try my best to get into one in the capital."

"That's right, Sanya, you should also work hard. We'll be waiting for you in the capital."

"Sister Hongmei, I will try my best and I will definitely not let you down. Don't worry. I will definitely come to the capital to find you, right, Second Brother?"

"Yes. We all need to work hard and go."

"Hehe, you have ambition. I have high hopes for you. It would be great if we could sit together and chat like this in the capital someday."

Er Ya thought to herself, "It's good, but I have to be able to get in. My grades are only in the top five in my class. I can get into a regular university, but if it's the Capital University, I'll have to work really hard."