This is different from the warmth of the scorching summer sun outside.
This must be what Chen Shi emphasized earlier as the "feeling of home," right?
Yes, it's the warmth of home.
Jiang Cheng hadn't felt this kind of warmth in a long time, so when he was suddenly overwhelmed by it, he was momentarily stunned.
Looking along the wall next to him, Jiang Cheng was greeted by several beautifully framed family photos.
Chen Shi noticed Jiang Cheng looking at his photo and walked over with a smile: "I'm over eighty years old and can be considered to have a house full of children and grandchildren. In the end, only my daughter-in-law is still by my side."
His words were tinged with melancholy, which made Jiang Cheng feel somewhat sad.
Jiang Cheng nodded with mixed feelings, and was about to say something when Chen Shi called him away: "Come on, let's eat."
Turning around, Jiang Cheng happened to smell the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen.
"They're here."
As he turned to walk over, he happened to see a single black-and-white photo hanging quietly in the center, surrounded by numerous family photos.
The woman in the photo is quite old, with a full head of silver hair and slightly loose skin. But even so, her eyes and brows remain as gentle as the warm winter sun, as if tenderly comforting everyone's heart.
Seeing that Jiang Cheng hadn't followed for a while, Chen Shi turned around from the restaurant to look again. When he saw Jiang Cheng's gaze fixed on his wife's portrait, the desolation in his eyes became even more apparent: "That was my wife."
"……Um."
After a long silence, Jiang Cheng simply nodded, turned around, and went into the restaurant.
He knew the grief was long gone, and there was no need to bring it up again. Whether he said "please accept my condolences" or "the dead cannot be brought back to life," it would be meaningless. Besides, Chen Shi might not even want to hear those things.
Seeing Chen Shi's somewhat forlorn but still clear gaze, Jiang Cheng simply smiled and asked, "Teacher, what's good to eat?"
Hearing Jiang Cheng's question, a slightly plump woman came out of the kitchen, untying her apron with one hand while carrying a fish to the table: "Here, squirrel fish, stir-fried lily bulbs, braised pork knuckle... I didn't know what you liked to eat, so I prepared all my dad's favorite dishes. I may not have taken good care of you, please forgive me."
After carefully setting down the plate, the woman brushed a stray hair from her forehead, looked up, and beckoned to Jiang Cheng and Chen Shi, "Come and cook, the food's getting cold..."
Before she could finish uttering the word "cold," her gaze immediately froze on Jiang Cheng's face, and her hand hung limply in mid-air.
The woman looked to be in her early sixties, though she was a little overweight. But you could tell at a glance that she was someone who loved life. Her clothes were simple and elegant, and her hair was neatly combed.
Jiang Cheng then realized that this must be the daughter-in-law Chen Shi had mentioned.
Although he didn't know why she was behaving so strangely, Jiang Cheng still maintained the proper politeness.
He smiled and stepped forward, extending his right hand to the woman: "Hello, I am Jiang Cheng, a student of Teacher Chen. I apologize for bothering you today."
"You're Jiang Cheng?!"
The woman's tone suddenly became excited, and she looked at Jiang Cheng with disbelief.
She was about to reach out and shake hands with Jiang Cheng, but then she pulled her hand back abruptly. She wiped her hands vigorously on her apron several times before carefully taking Jiang Cheng's well-defined right hand in her own.
Although there was a significant age difference between the two, and the woman was a senior figure in Jiangcheng, her attitude remained extremely cautious and careful, even bordering on overly polite.
In the woman's eyes, Jiang Cheng was now the most sought-after person in the world, and she was indeed a little at a loss when he suddenly came to visit her home.
After grasping Jiang Cheng's hand, the woman's eyes lit up with surprise. She took several deep breaths, and after confirming that everything before her was real, she exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, "Oh my god... Dad only told me today that some friends were coming over and asked me to prepare more dishes. I really didn't expect it to be you!"
As she spoke, her tone became more rambling: "You know what? Xiao Jiang... oh no, no, I'm being presumptuous. I still have to call you Dean Jiang. Dean Jiang, my little grandson admires you the most; he's looked up to you as a role model since he was little!"
"Yeah?"
Faced with the woman's endless praise, Jiang Cheng was somewhat dazed.
Over the years, he has devoted all his energy and time to scientific research and has never cared about other people's opinions of him.
Hearing such down-to-earth praise all of a sudden, he was even a little taken aback.
After regaining his senses, Jiang Cheng smiled politely at the woman: "You don't need to call me Dean Jiang. You can call me Xiao Jiang or Jiang Cheng."
"Then I'll still call you Jiang Cheng!"
The woman was also good-natured and laughed heartily, "After all, you are such a big shot, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to keep calling you 'Little Jiang' all the time."
Chen Shi smiled kindly and waved to the woman and Jiang Cheng: "Xiao Min, why don't you take Jiang Cheng upstairs to have a look? Jiang Cheng should definitely see what's in that kid's room. You can tell him about it later and make him happy."
"well!"
Wang Min quickly nodded and led Jiang Cheng upstairs to their room.
As they walked, Wang Min introduced Jiang Cheng to him, saying, "My grandson, Xiao Le, has always looked up to you. He's told us since he was little that he wants to grow up to be a pillar of the nation like Jiang Cheng. His whole house is practically a planetarium."
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