"How long do you want me to stay?"

Jiang Shanhe did not answer her, but asked back.

"Hmm..." Xiao Guo hummed for a long time but didn't say anything. "Just stay as long as it's convenient for you."

In the end, he just pretended to be relaxed.

"...Xiao Guo."

"Hmm?" Xiao Guo turned around and could only see half of Jiang Shanhe's profile.

"Do you want me to be at home or in the capital?"

It seemed as if the two had never discussed this issue face to face in an open and frank manner. Although they had mentioned it in letters, after all, they had never met each other and could not see the expressions in the letters.

Xiaoguo chuckled, "My rationality wants you to stay in the capital, but my emotionality wants you to stay at home."

She was very honest and said what she thought.

"What does rationality say, and what does sensibility say?"

Jiang Shanhe wanted to hear her real thoughts.

"Stay in the capital, you can do what you like, continue to shine, and a short absence will make you feel closer. This will also reduce the trivialities between us. If you come home, to be honest, I will feel at ease. Home and abroad are no longer my own business. I will have someone I can rely on."

After hearing the final words, Jiang Shanhe felt that staying with his family was the most important thing.

"However, the two are not in conflict. You risked your life to stay in the capital before, and I would have let you come back without hesitation. But now you can do the job you like while being safe, so there is no need to hesitate at all."

Xiao Guo patted him lightly after she finished speaking, "Besides, you can come back often, and it's still early for you to retire. It's not like you won't be able to come back until you're old."

Jiang Shanhe nodded thoughtfully, "Then I will come back once a month and stay for seven days each time."

"Don't!" Xiao Guo stopped him with a smile, "It's really tiring enough. Just come back once every two or three months."

If he came back once a month, the journey would take five days, he would stay for seven days when he came back, and then another five days when he went back, which would make seventeen days in total. He would spend half of the month exhausted. Not to mention whether his body could handle it, Shao Zhan would definitely not agree to it. Besides, there was nothing to do at home, and there would be nothing to do when he came back.

Xiao Guo really didn't expect that Jiang Shanhe, who looked quite rational, was so emotional in his heart.

After talking for a long time, Xiaoguo gave up his plan to come back once a month and reluctantly changed it to once every two months.

After arriving at Confucius's house, Jiang Shanhe got off the horse first, and then carefully carried her down.

After Xiaoguo came down, she quickly knocked on the door. If Zhuangzhuang saw Jiang Shanhe coming back, he would probably scream.

Thinking of this, she knocked twice more.

“I am here.”

Mrs. Kong walked out of the house. Without asking, she could guess that it was Xiaoguo. The main reason was that no one usually came to visit them. The two of them were very low-key and no one around knew their identities. The only people who contacted them were Zhuangzhuang and Xiaoguo.

"Zhuangzhuang was just talking about you." Mrs. Kong said as she opened the door.

"Mrs. Kong."

As soon as she opened the door, Jiang Shanhe greeted her first.

"Hey, you're back!"

Mrs. Kong was very excited to see Jiang Shanhe. She enthusiastically took their hands and walked into the house. She also took the opportunity to touch Jiang Shanhe's hand.

Xiao Guo glanced at Jiang Shanhe. Could it be that his face can be seen by both young and old?! This level is amazing!

Jiang Shanhe was helpless. In response to Xiaoguo's puzzled look, he shrugged his shoulders to show that he didn't understand.

"Wait a moment, I'll go call them. Oh, forget it, you guys come with me. Shan He has never seen Zhuangzhuang in class."

Mrs. Kong led the two of them towards the study.

Before they got close, the sound of loud and clear reading reached the ears of several people.

Xiao Guo and Jiang Shanhe couldn't help showing joy on their faces. They quickly walked to the window of the study, gently opened a crack, and looked inside.

In the study, Confucius was sitting on the armchair, while Zhuangzhuang was sitting at his own specially made small desk, with his back straight and his little head shaking as he recited the Book of Songs.

Xiaoguo basically watches it every time he comes back, but this is the first time for Jiang Danhe to watch it. He can't express the joy in his heart at all. He can only look at Zhuangzhuang carefully, trying to remember this scene tightly in his heart.

If becoming a husband was his first happy event, then becoming a father was his second happy event, and the third happy event was Zhuangzhuang's admission to school.

At this moment, he was extremely satisfied. He hugged Xiaoguo tightly and looked at the Zhuangzhuang inside happily.

Mrs. Kong was about to knock on the door, but Xiao Guo and Jiang Shanhe stopped her.

"Forget it, auntie, let them go on."

After Xiaoguo finished speaking, Jiang Shanhe nodded in agreement and stopped disturbing them.

"That's fine, let's eat here at noon! Don't say you don't want to eat!"

After Mrs. Kong finished speaking, she looked at the two of them seriously.

Xiao Guo and Jiang Shanhe looked at each other and laughed, "We didn't want to leave in the first place."

As he said this, he showed the pork head in his hand and said, "Auntie, I will cook for you."

"That's great!" Mrs. Kong was so happy when she heard it. Xiaoguo's cooking was really amazing. "We are all in for a treat today!"

After saying that, she smiled and took Xiaoguo to the kitchen, leaving Jiang Shanhe alone there.

Looking at the impetuous Mrs. Kong, Jiang Shanhe chuckled, then stood stealthily in front of the window, looking at Zhuangzhuang through the crack of the window, unable to hide the smile on his face.

Xiao Guo followed Mrs. Kong to the kitchen and found a bowl of kneaded noodles. "Auntie, what are you going to do?"

"We were originally planning to eat noodles. Both of them are clamoring for noodles, but I still don't know what to eat."

The dough was enough. Xiaoguo looked around the house and saw a bundle of leeks, half a basin of soaked soybeans, and a few cucumbers.

"How about we stir-fry some chives and soybeans? Do you have any sauce at home?"

"There's sauce!"

"That's fine. How about frying some leeks and soybeans, mincing some pork and deep-frying it into a sauce, and then cutting some cucumber and mixing it with the pork head?"

"Sure!" Mrs. Kong had Xiaoguo, so she helped out. She hadn't eaten her meal for such a long time, and she really missed it.

None of them were pretending to be polite, and Mr. and Mrs. Kong really treated Xiaoguo and Zhuangzhuang as family members, so they did not politely prepare a large table for dinner, but just ate home-cooked meals like they were at home.

The two of them were busy preparing the meal, and just in time for Confucius to finish his class, they served the meal to the table.

Confucius was in front, and Zhuangzhuang was walking behind him. Suddenly, the car in front stopped and Zhuangzhuang failed to brake, so he crashed into it. Fortunately, the force was not too great, otherwise Confucius would have been knocked down.

"Is the general back?"

"Master, just call me Shan He."

Zhuangzhuang heard the familiar voice, so he ran to the front, opened his mouth and looked at Jiang Shanhe, "Dad!"

"Zhuangzhuang!" Jiang Shanhe bent down and picked him up. It had been a long time since he was hugged, and Zhuangzhuang almost cried for joy.

He followed Jiang Shanhe for a while, and then heard that his mother had also come and was cooking, so he got up and ran away without saying a word. He wanted to find his mother.

Jiang Shanhe looked helplessly at his empty arms and Zhuangzhuang who ran faster than a rabbit. His true love was ultimately misplaced.

Jiang Shanhe retracted his gaze and bowed solemnly to Confucius.

"Alas, General, Shan He doesn't have to do this."

Confucius quickly grabbed his arm and tried to pull him up.

But Jiang Shanhe still performed the ceremony seriously before standing up, "Zhuangzhuang, I'm sorry to trouble you."

"No, I like Zhuangzhuang very much. I can't stop laughing for having such a talented disciple." Confucius waved his hands to express his gratitude. After all, he should be the one to thank. It was so great that he could wake up from his sleep with laughter for giving him such a good disciple as Zhuangzhuang.

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then Jiang Shanhe showed the gift in his hand.