What followed was a series of procedures.

...

The moment the coffin was lowered into the ancestral grave,

The mournful sound of the suona.

The people's cries

Accompanied by the yellow dust kicked up by shovels.

The moment the coffin was covered with yellow earth, An Youhe knelt down.

She will never see her kind and respectable grandmother again.

Tears streamed down her face like beads from a broken string, and the girl in white mourning clothes cried out.

It felt like my heart was being ripped out.

Ye Zhou patted the girl on the back. There was so little he could do now but stay by her side.

The start of the school year is just around the corner.

Everything seemed to have returned to its original state.

Ye Zhou lay in bed that night; it was his last night at home.

I accidentally opened the spam messages on my phone and received a message from an unknown number. It was sent during the New Year and read: "Ye Zhou, Happy New Year."

Ye Zhou had a premonition that he knew who it was, but he wasn't sure.

So much time has passed, she should have let it go by now.

The next day, Ye Zhou packed his luggage and the things his mother had asked him to bring into the trunk of his car and went to pick up An Youhe.

The courtyard returned to its usual quietness, except that there was an extra memorial tablet on the table in the main house.

Wangfu whimpered and circled around An Youhe's feet.

An Youhe didn't bring much; she only had a small schoolbag.

“Wangfu can only be left with the neighbors to take care of; I can’t bring it back to school.”

The girl squatted down and stroked the little yellow dog's fur. The little yellow dog whimpered, already understanding the meaning of parting at such a young age.

The chickens, ducks, and geese that had been raised in the yard for many years were finally sold because no one was taking care of them.

The sudden change caught everyone completely off guard.

The girl stood at the door, looking at everything in the courtyard. It seemed unchanged, yet so much had changed.

Ye Zhou put his arm around the girl's shoulder. "What are you thinking about?"

The girl smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "I think it would be better to give this house to Second Uncle. Grandma is gone, and this house has become an empty shell."

“It’s not an empty shell. It’s full of memories, including your parents’ memories. Those are also very precious things.”

The girl finally left with great reluctance.

There was still no scenery outside the window. After the New Year, even the festive atmosphere was gone. Everything had become ordinary and lifeless.

"Ye Zhouzhou, thank you so much these past few days."

"Don't say thank you, I didn't do anything."

"I'm so happy that you're with me."

Ye Zhou recalled his father's conversation with the boss. Like a riddle, his father said he just wanted to live an ordinary life, while Code Cloud sighed and shook his head. The two stayed in the room for almost two hours. His father saw Code Cloud off, and as Code Cloud left, he glanced at Ye Zhou with a look of affection in his eyes.

Does Dad have some hidden identity?

When I arrived at school, everything was as usual, and I started attending classes and leaving classes, just as busy as ever.

An Youhe often plays with Xiao Wei, and seems to be in a better mood.

One day, Ye Zhou received a gift: a pair of running shoes worth two thousand yuan.

It was sent by An Youhe.

An Youhe mysteriously took out the packaging bag, saying it was a surprise for him.

However, Ye Zhou wasn't very happy; instead, he frowned.

"Why did you buy such an expensive thing? And it's not even a special occasion."

The girl didn't see the reaction she hoped for on Ye Zhou's face, and said somewhat disappointedly, "I just wanted to buy it for you. I wanted to give you the best."

An Youhe was already struggling financially, and her hard work in her studies was only for the few thousand yuan scholarship from the school. This could mean she would lose half a year's worth of money.

An Youhe is acting strangely; she may still be unable to overcome the trauma of losing her grandmother.

Ye Zhou hugged the girl tightly. "No need. I've never needed any of these things. It's enough that you're here with me. These things mean nothing to me. You can treat me to something nice to eat. These things are really unnecessary."

The girl's eyes widened, brimming with tears. "But, besides you, I can't think of any other reason to work hard and earn money."

Ye Zhou patted the girl on the back, "Then don't make money. Just make enough for yourself. I hope you can be happy and become the An Youhe you used to be, okay?"

Ye Zhou released the girl and looked into her bewildered eyes. "Teach me to swim this weekend, okay? You promised to teach me to swim, right?"

"good."

...

Ye Zhou was really clumsy at learning to swim, and even with An Youhe's earnest teaching, his swimming skills were still quite strange.

An Youhe leaned against the shore, genuinely amused by his strange posture.

The girl's eyebrows were curved, revealing her rare little tiger teeth.

Ye Zhou stood in the water and walked towards the girl. "Is what I learned really that funny?"

"Ye Zhou, your limbs are uncoordinated, as if you picked them up from somewhere."

Ye Zhou reached out and gently rubbed the girl's smooth, milky cheeks. "Girl, show me some respect when you speak, there are so many people here. I'll swim another one for you."

He hasn't been able to spend much time with An Youhe lately because he has to travel for work. Since he was in charge of this project, he has to complete it.

After this final test, the project is almost finished.

However, An Youhe's mood has improved slightly recently, and he doesn't want to spoil the atmosphere.

Xiao Wei is very lively, which helps to improve An Youhe's mood.

"Ye Zhouzhou, although you swim a little awkwardly, you have successfully learned to swim!"

"The teacher is still the best." Ye Zhou smiled and kissed the girl's lips.

...

Ye Zhou sat on the stool and picked up the telephone hanging on the glass wall.

The man opposite Feng Gan was wearing prison clothes and looked much more haggard, but he still had a calm smile on his face.

"How is Feng Kun? He has never visited me even once."

"Not even for the New Year?"

"Yes, he must think I've failed as an older brother and doesn't want to see me anymore. But I don't regret it. Everything is pretty much what I imagined. It's a pity I can't go back to an earlier time. If I had, things might have turned out better."

“Feng Kun is a good person. He goes to business school every day. It’s all thanks to your foresight that you paid his tuition for several years. I think he has a good business mind, just like you.”

Feng Gan chuckled. "My younger brother just lacks proper guidance; he's actually quite capable."

Ye Zhou suddenly leaned forward, "You seem to know a lot of things I don't?"

What do you mean?

"Did you meet An Youhe in your past life?"

"Of course I've met her. But you seem too nervous. Nothing happened between us."