Chen Hong was Chen Yang's best friend in elementary school, but they lost touch after going to a junior high school. By high school, they had basically lost contact, only greeting each other loudly when Chen Yang came back for holidays.
Chen Hong did not go to university. He got married when Chen Yang was a freshman, and now his child is six or seven years old.
Chen Yang had a few drinks at Chen Hong's house. He could tell from the drinks that Chen Hong was very happy, but also somewhat dejected.
Chen Hong's wife is also very young; she had just come of age when they got married. She's only twenty-six now. However, she already acts like a typical housewife—cooking, dressing, taking care of the children—and you wouldn't guess she's only 26.
After Chen Hong's wife went out to play cards, Chen Hong finally confided in Chen Yang.
"I really envy you. I regret getting married so early. It feels like my youth was buried in family before it even began." Chen Hong said with a wry smile, "It's not that I don't like my wife, it's just that I feel I'm not ready yet."
Chen Yang remained silent. In this situation, he couldn't offer any advice. He couldn't exactly tell her to get a divorce, could he?
"It's because we didn't take proper precautions back then that she got pregnant by accident. Otherwise, I guess we would have just gotten married," Chen Hong sighed.
"What's wrong? Did it leak?" Chen Yang asked with a smile.
Chen Hong nodded dejectedly and said, "I didn't expect that when I checked later, I found that all the condoms I bought had a hole punched in them. I don't know which bastard did it."
"This is really despicable," Chen Yang said with a speechless laugh.
Chen Hong felt even more depressed when he saw Chen Yang laugh, but he also knew that what he was saying was rather ridiculous, so he could only drink his wine in frustration.
Now that he has a wife and children, he only complains a little; he doesn't really intend to abandon his family to pursue his youth.
Chen Yang went home around eight o'clock.
"If I had been like Chen Hong back then, my child would be as old as Chen Liu by now."
As he walked home, Chen Yang suddenly sighed.
Then, he walked slower and slower, until finally he stopped altogether.
It was already dark, but for most people, life was not over yet. Even the streets of Chen Yang's town were bustling with activity. Chen Yang stood in the middle of the street, letting the crowds pass by him.
If someone were to touch his hand now, it would be incredibly cold.
"The timing of Chen Liu's appearance... Ye Wen's husband, whom she rarely mentions... Chen Liu... her godfather..."
Chen Yang muttered to himself, a terrifying guess forming in his mind. This guess chilled him to the bone, and even his usually calm expression turned blank with confusion.
"Buzz~ Buzz~"
Chen Yang's phone vibrated; it was the alarm he had set, reminding him that he could now enter the Micro World.
Chen Yang hurriedly ran home, greeted his parents, and went back to his room. Without even washing up, he went to bed and entered the micro-world.
"Hey, I thought you wouldn't be coming in until noon?" Hou Yu said curiously, standing right where Chen Yang had entered. "Why didn't you spend more time with Mom and Dad?"
“My parents went to bed early, so it’s about time. Oh, and I need to go to the camp. You and Hong Gui can keep an eye on things here for now,” Chen Yang said.
Then he left without saying goodbye to Hong Gui, which made Hou Yu feel a little strange. Why was Chen Yang in such a hurry today? Did something happen at home?
Chen Yang paddled the bamboo raft quickly toward the shore, and soon he saw Chen Liu and Grandpa Yun practicing their boxing by the pond.
“Chen Yang, perfect timing, you can come and give Chen Liu some guidance,” said Old Master Yun.
Chen Yang paused, glanced at Chen Liu several times, seemed hesitant to speak, and then said, "Okay, I'll teach you."
He taught Chen Liu step by step, his eyes lingering on Chen Liu's face, constantly making comparisons.
"Chen Yang".
"Chen Yang!"
The old man called Chen Yang twice before Chen Yang responded.
"What's wrong? You seem distracted. Your mind isn't on teaching at all, and your demonstrations are just going through the motions."
Chen Yang paused for a moment, then said to the old man, "Grandpa, I have some things to attend to and I'm a bit distracted. Could you please look after Chen Liu for a while?"
Grandpa Yun nodded and said, "Go ahead. Judging from your expression, it must be something serious. I won't interfere. Go and handle it properly."
Chen Yang nodded, then glanced at Chen Liu twice before hurrying towards the camp.
Inside the camp, everyone was still busy. When they saw Chen Yang arrive, they simply greeted him without finding it strange.
"Su'er, is Sister Ye Wen here?" Chen Yang asked Li Su'er, who was cleaning pebbles.
Li Su'er looked up curiously and asked, "What's wrong? Sister Ye Wen is in charge of checking the traps today, she'll be back soon."
"Oh, I'm taking my parents and grandma back to the inn in a few days. I'd like to bring Chen Liu along. If my grandma sees her great-great-grandson, she won't pressure me to get married anymore."
Chen Yang had now regained his normal expression and said.
“That’s a good idea,” Li Su’er said. “But it’s normal for the elderly to want to hold their great-grandchildren. By the way, what does Grandma like? Does she like tea? What about Uncle and Aunt? I’ll cook some good dishes for them. Can they eat spicy food? Oh, and people from your area like seafood and sweets.”
Chen Yang smiled wryly and said, "Your cooking skills are very good, so don't worry. My grandma grows tea, so you can just make her some tea."
Li Su'er responded and then continued washing the stones with a smile, occasionally letting out a silly laugh, though it was unclear what she was laughing about.
Ye Wen returned quickly, and Chen Yang hurriedly went to greet her.
"Sister Ye Wen, I'm bringing my parents and grandma over in a few days. I'd like them to see Chen Liu. Is that alright? You're on your way to Brother Jiang's house right now, right? I can pick up Chen Liu, no problem."
Ye Wen paused for a moment, then hesitated before saying, "I'll ask my parents. They're keeping an eye on Chen Liuzheng. Oh, and we can have Ye Wu bring him back. He's not going to Jiang Bo's house with me anyway."
"It's alright, I'll fly directly from home to your place and have my parents come to the inn first," Chen Yang said with a smile.
"It's alright, it's alright. I'll have Ye Wu bring Chen Liu over tomorrow. Wait a moment, I'll go find Ye Wu."
After Ye Wen finished speaking, she ran to find Ye Wu, while Chen Yang watched silently.
After hearing Ye Wen's words, Ye Wu looked troubled. Then Jiang Bo stepped forward to ask, and after the three chatted for a while, Ye Wen and Ye Wu went to the lakeside to pick up Chen Liu.
After bringing Chen Liu back, Ye Wu carried Chen Liu over and said to Chen Yang, "Chen Yang, bring Chen Liu back tomorrow. You can bring your parents over too, don't worry."
Chen Yang nodded and said, "Okay, then I'll buy you the tickets, plane tickets or train tickets."
"No need, no need, I've already bought my return ticket. Just buy one more for Chenliu, right, Chenliu?" Ye Wu said.
Chen Liu smiled sweetly and said, "Godfather, don't worry. Although Uncle Ye is unreliable, I will keep an eye on him."
"Hey, why are you talking about your uncle like that?" Ye Wu slapped Chen Liu's forehead.
Chen Yang didn't say anything, but instead went to find Jiang Yining.
"Yining, you saw Chen Liu when you went to Ye Wen and Ye Wu's house this time, right? Has that kid been studying hard in real life?"
Jiang Yining shook her head and said, "The school in Chenliu is organizing a spring outing, and it's to a pretty far place. It'll take several days to get back."
"Oh, well then, things should be going well for you so far."
Jiang Yining said with some concern, "Sister Ye Wen's parents are fine, but I'm worried that my family is too backward and it won't look good to Sister Ye Wen."
"Don't overthink it. How could your family be worse off than the camp? Prepare to have another sister-in-law. I know you have a bit of a brother complex, you know."
Jiang Yining nodded and said, "I accept what Sister Ye Wen said. My brother is really lucky. I'm just worried that my family's situation is not good enough for someone as outstanding as Sister Ye Wen."
"It's alright, Brother Jiang is also very capable, you don't need to worry. I'll head back to the island now."
Chen Yang turned around with a smile, but the next moment his expression turned very serious and his hands trembled involuntarily.
(End of this chapter)
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