Pei Nian chuckled softly and walked to the side to answer the phone.
She spoke a few words to Ding Cheng and then came back, sitting opposite Huo Jingnan, enjoying the beef noodles he had made.
"Was that Ding Cheng who called? What did he say to you?"
Pei Nian smiled, not directly answering his question. "What do you think little boys of this age are thinking about?"
“Hmm…” Huo Jingnan thought about it seriously for a moment, “When I was his age, I had endless classes every day.”
Really?
"Yes. The Huo family has very strict requirements for their children. My parents are considered to be doing well. Huo Da and Huo Er have it much worse than me!"
Huo Junyu, in particular, has always been groomed as the heir of the entire Huo family, and the elders of the family have high hopes for him. He has been cautious since childhood and cannot afford to make a single mistake.
Children educated under such high pressure are very qualified as heirs, but they lack the joy of childhood.
"There are gains and losses, I suppose." Huo Jingnan was very open-minded. "Life can't always be perfect, and everything can't be exactly as we wish. In fact, God has been very kind to our family. As long as we don't go astray, things won't get too bad. Because the starting point we're standing at is the end point that many people can never reach in their entire lives."
"You seem quite relieved," Pei Nian said with a smile. "I only mentioned a little boy's idea, and you've already made such a fuss."
"By the way, we need to continue this topic!" Huo Jingnan laughed as well. "What exactly did Ding Cheng say to you?"
"Nothing special, he just asked me why Nuannuan hasn't been talking to him lately."
Huo Jingnan was taken aback at first, then revealed a meaningful smile.
"To be honest, if it weren't for Ding Cheng, Nuan Nuan would have been in trouble this time."
Pei Nian nodded and said, "That's right."
"So this little boy is also Nuannuan's savior."
“Children’s feelings are always so pure,” Pei Nian said with emotion. “Like when he was little, I took care of him for several years, and he always remembered it.”
"Niannian, do you think those two are... pretty good together?"
"Huh?" Pei Nian didn't react for a moment.
However, when she met his eyes, the smile in them made her both laugh and cry.
"What are you thinking! They're still so young!"
“Nuan Nuan is young, but Ding Cheng is not young anymore! He's already twelve years old.”
"Oh..." Pei Nian looked at him mischievously, "When you were twelve, did you also stare at pretty girls?"
Huo Jingnan was stunned.
How did Ding Cheng end up getting himself into trouble?
"Don't you think it's a beautiful thing that they grew up together as childhood sweethearts?"
"Well……"
"Huo Jingnan," Pei Nian asked earnestly, "did you have a childhood sweetheart?"
Huo Jingnan deeply regretted his careless words.
To everyone's surprise, Pei Nian then asked, "Does Ning Meng count?"
Huo Jingnan's eyes widened!
He had heard Huo Junyu say before that when Huo Zhixing was young, Jiang Can often asked him deadly questions. And after Huo Junyu got married, Jiang Mianmian still asked him just as many deadly questions.
Now the tables have turned, and it's his turn!
It seems this is the fate of the Huo family men; there's no way to escape it!
"No, no, I... how could I possibly be with her... her..."
Huo Jingnan was sweating profusely with anxiety, and Pei Nian couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing.
She ate that bowl of beef noodles with great relish. That night, she was finally able to let go of the past and start anew.
*
Winter goes and spring comes.
Ning Meng and Ding Daming both received their due punishment, and Ning Meng was even more despised by the entire family for becoming a disgrace to the family.
Fan Ya-wen didn't care about Ding Daming's nonsense at the banquet, but gossip was a powerful force, and the matter was already common knowledge in the circle. However, given Fan Ya-wen's personality, the more people talked about it, the more she wanted to confront them.
She often took Pei Nian to various occasions, even when playing mahjong, she would bring Pei Nian with her, and she would personally dress Pei Nian up carefully every time they appeared.
"If you become my daughter-in-law, you absolutely cannot disgrace the Fan family!" She held Pei Nian's hand, smiling indulgently, "Stand tall, head held high, and show some class!"
Huo Zhishu stood to the side, pursing his lips helplessly, muttering in an almost inaudible voice, "My daughter-in-law is from the Huo family, the Huo family! Sigh..."
Huo Jingnan and Pei Nian exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.
Ding Chengyi continued to study diligently at school. These children, who came from the mountains, cherished this hard-won opportunity more than most, and each of them put in their best effort to learn. Some of them were exceptionally gifted, far surpassing their peers, and were selected by several prominent families as key individuals for their development.
Because of Pei Nian, Huo Junyu and Jiang Mianmian had long admired Ding Cheng, hoping that he would serve the Huo family after he became successful.
In his spare time from his busy studies, Ding Cheng would sometimes go to the playground to daydream. Looking at the sunset and pigeons, he would always think of the abandoned factory in the suburbs, the small road in the suburbs, and the doll-like girl who called out "brother".
He promised her he would learn to fold paper cranes. Now his paper cranes fill the glass jars, but where is she?
It's been about three or four months since we last met.
Has the little princess really forgotten him completely in the past few months?
Ding Cheng sighed and got up. The playground here was flat and wide, unlike the dusty playground in the mountains. However, he still found ants moving house under a big tree.
Just like in the mountains.
He was getting playful and was about to stomp on it when his foot froze in mid-air. Suddenly, a sweet, childlike voice echoed in his mind: "Brother, we should love and protect all animals! Ants are beneficial insects too, we shouldn't hurt them!"
Ding Cheng's feet slowly landed. He stood there stunned for a long time, then smiled. When he heard the bell ring for evening self-study, he quickly returned to the classroom.
Meanwhile, Qin Nuan was lying in the hospital, staring blankly at the darkening sky outside the window.
She didn't like this place; the walls were all stark white, and everything was white, whereas she preferred vibrant colors. She also disliked the smell of disinfectant in the air; it made her dizzy and nauseous.
What she disliked, or rather feared more, was the needle that occasionally pierced her body.
She remembers the first time she got a shot, she cried her heart out, but her parents didn't come to her rescue. Instead, they helped the doctor hold her down, letting her cry until her voice was hoarse.
Later, from the bruises on her body, the low-grade fever every few days, the occasional nosebleeds, and the doctor's solemn expression, she gradually understood a fact.
She is sick, and it seems to be a very serious illness.
Qin Nuan couldn't help but feel sad. She was so sick. Would she never be able to go to the playground to find her brother again?
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