Xiuzhu nodded and said thoughtfully, "Yes, I understand." Then she asked, "Second Miss, how long will we stay in Shanghai?"

"It'll probably take a week. You can rest in the hotel now. I'll take Da Hammer to ask about the boat tickets."

After Huang Wanzhen left the room, Xiuzhu took her handbag, locked the door, went downstairs and went to the lobby on the first floor. She gave five dollars to the waiter who was answering the phone at the counter and called the Women's School.

Xiulan answered the phone. Xiuzhu tried her best to persuade Xiulan to go to the United States with them. "Xiulan, don't be silly. The country is not peaceful right now. How many people are looking forward to going abroad to escape the war? Why do you give up such a good opportunity? You have been with the Second Young Lady since you were a child. She treats you differently from others. That's 20% of the shares. She gave it to you as she said. Think about it, who else in this world would treat you so well besides her?!"

Huang Wanzhen didn't know Xiuzhu would make a long-distance call to Xiulan. She took Huang Dachui to book a boat ticket first. Then she bought some gifts and took them to the Zhaoqing Bang Song Mansion in Xujiahui.

The granddaughter had just returned, and Old Mrs. Song hadn't gone out yet. She had someone prepare some snacks and was enjoying afternoon tea with her granddaughter.

Huang Wanzhen came to the door with lots of gifts, but Old Mrs. Song just said she was too polite.

"You and Wen Yin are best friends. Come here and just treat it like you're home. There's no need to bring so many things." Then he stood up and said, "My mahjong game is almost over. You guys go play. I'm going out now."

Song Wenyin pulled Huang Wanzhen to her room, "Why are you here again? Did you forget something?"

Huang Wanzhen shook her head. "I just booked a boat ticket. I estimate I'll be leaving in a week at most. I also need to treat my uncle's family to a meal and do some shopping. I'm afraid I won't have time to come over in the next few days."

Song Wenyin played with a sandalwood fan and said, "I'll go shopping with you. I know Shanghai better than you do."

Huang Wanzhen continued, "Now that the company has been sold and you've graduated, there's nothing much to do in China. Why don't you come with me to study in the United States?"

Song Wenyin placed the fan on the table and said weakly, "I want to, but I just can't let go of my mother. She's too lonely."

Huang Wanzhen advised her, "Children are grown up and will eventually have to live their own lives. Many of our classmates got married in high school, and their parents no longer treated them as their own family. You are already thirty years old, and you still can't let go of your mother? It's a good thing you are not a boy, otherwise you would definitely be a mama's boy."

Although Song Wenyin had never heard of some of the words, she still understood what Huang Wanzhen said. "Let's talk about it later. I need to think about it carefully. A week is definitely not enough for me to think about it. You can go back by yourself. When I think it through, I will write you a letter or send you a telegram."

Song Wenyin had made her point so clearly that Huang Wanzhen really couldn't persuade her anymore. She could only give up this time and thought of writing to her to persuade her after arriving in the United States.

This time when Huang Wanzhen came to Shanghai, she sent a telegram to Dong Ruixin in advance. Huang Wanzhen set aside a day to buy two dried and two fresh Beijing traditional gifts and brought them to his door.

"Aunt, uncle, I'm here to see you." Huang Wanzhen shouted as she entered the courtyard. The Dong family's courtyard was small and very close to the door. Within seconds of her words, Li came out to greet her.

Mrs. Li was smart. She had received her husband's instructions before. When she saw Huang Wanzhen, she didn't hesitate at all. She smiled and said, "Cousin, are you here? Come in and sit down."

Huang Wanzhen also smiled, "Hello, cousin, are my uncle and aunt here?"

As she was speaking, Dong Jiangshi lifted the door curtain and walked out, "Wanzhen? It's Wanzhen, right?"

Huang Wanzhen hurried over and shouted, "Aunt! I'm Wanzhen, I'm here to see you."

Dong Jiang uttered an "Ah" and started to cry, "My dear Wanzhen, you've been gone for so many years. If you had come back a few years later, you wouldn't have been able to see your aunt. Wuuwuwu——"

Mrs. Li, standing nearby, rather helplessly advised, "Mom, shouldn't it be a happy occasion that your cousin is here to see you and Dad? Why are you crying? If someone didn't know, they'd think Ruixin and I weren't filial to you!"

"Filial piety, filial piety. I didn't say you are not filial." Dong Jiang looked much older and not as energetic as she was a few years ago.

"Mom, please ask my cousin to sit in the room. I'll go call Ruixin and Dad back."

“Hey! Hey!”

Li gave some instructions, said a few polite words to Huang Wanzhen, and hurried out of the yard.

Huang Wanzhen followed Dong Jiang into the main hall and saw a servant holding a child and feeding him, a girl of six or seven years old weaving tassels, and a boy of four or five years old riding on a wooden horse.

"Yaozu, Shuangshuang, call me little cousin!" Dong Jiang walked over, took Dong Yaozu's hand, and half-lifted him down from the wooden horse. She said to Huang Wanzhen, "This is Yaozu, our only precious child. Your cousin-in-law wanted him to have the surname Li. It was me who risked my life to protect the only child of the Dong family. I said that if we have another child, we should give her the surname Li. The Li family was not blessed, and the third child was a girl. But I kept my promise and let the third child take her surname, Li Ruzhen."

Huang Wanzhen was very dissatisfied with the Dong family's preference for boys over girls. If she was younger, she might have been angry, but now that they were both in their thirties, they had long since learned the ways of the world. So she said, "No matter what their surname is, they are all my cousin's children. I like them all."

Huang Wanzhen had made preparations before coming. She placed the two dried and two fresh foods in a corner of the main hall, took out a red purse from her coat pocket, opened it, and took out three small golden gourds tied with red ropes. "Come, whoever calls me little cousin will get a small gourd."

Dong Yaozu was the bravest among the raised ones. He broke free from Dong Jiang's hand and tried to snatch the golden gourd from Huang Wanzhen's hand.

In order to make it easier to talk to the child, Huang Wanzhen, who had been half-crouching, immediately straightened up and said with a smile, "Don't grab it! You have to call me little cousin. Otherwise, I won't give it to you."

"Little cousin! Little cousin!" Dong Yaozu was a little fat boy with two blushes on his face, which made him look very energetic. While calling "little cousin", he jumped up to reach the red purse and small golden gourd held by Huang Wanzhen.

When Huang Wanzhen heard him calling, she stopped teasing him and took out a small golden gourd and handed it to him.

Dong Yaozu took one, but was still not satisfied, and continued to shout, "Little cousin wants more!"

Huang Wanzhen smiled and shook her head, "One for each person!"

Huang Wanzhen walked around Dong Yaozu and came to Dong Shuangshuang, saying with a smile, "Shuangshuang, call me little cousin, and I'll give you a little gourd."

Dong Shuangshuang rubbed the ear of corn and timidly called out, "Little cousin."

"Hey!" Huang Wanzhen smiled and handed Dong Shuangshuang a small golden gourd.