[“I’ll be back soon, and I’ll bring you a gift when I return.”]

Zhou Leqi’s first reaction upon hearing the news was disgust. She was speechless at Zhou Lei’s shamelessness.

She still clearly remembered how Yu Qing and she had pleaded with Zhou Lei to turn back before the divorce. They had cried and pleaded again and again, but in the end, all they received was Zhou Lei’s blank expression and resolute departure.

And now he wanted to turn back? Did he realize that Gao Xiang wasn’t a fairy? Didn’t want to raise her children anymore?

There was no such cheap thing in this world.

And her second reaction was guilt towards Yu Qing.

In fact, ever since Yu Qing’s suicide attempt, Zhou Leqi had developed a fear of this small home that belonged to her and Yu Qing. Although she didn’t want to, she always had a faint desire to avoid this oppressive atmosphere. She didn’t know how to face her mother, nor did she know what to do if she faced extreme situations again. Therefore, she preferred to escape, pretending that everything was fine.

After her relationship with Hou Zihai was further established, she allowed herself to fall into the sweetness of love early on. Recently, she had been going out to find him every day and hadn’t thought at all about what Yu Qing would do after she left. Her mother was very lonely. She had no job and no social life, and she could only stay in this closed-off small house every day. Usually, Zhou Leqi couldn’t accompany her because of school, but now that it was winter vacation, she was still running out all day and not staying with her mother. This... this really didn’t make sense.

Zhou Leqi felt so guilty that she almost couldn’t face Yu Qing. She reached out and hugged her mother silently, expressing her apology. Yu Qing didn’t know if she understood her thoughts, but later she asked her, “Qiqi... shall we go back to your grandparents’ house earlier this year?”

Zhou Leqi knew why Yu Qing wanted to go back early.

She was too lonely and wanted to talk to someone. At the same time, she also wanted to escape Zhou Lei quickly to prevent him from coming to bother her again.

How could Zhou Leqi refuse? She also felt very sorry for her mother. Therefore, even though she was also very reluctant to leave Hou Zihai, she still agreed at that time, saying, “Okay, we’ll go back earlier.”

When they talked on the phone that night, Zhou Leqi told Hou Zihai about this. She also told him that Yu Qing had already booked the high-speed train tickets back to D City for the next day, and they had to leave tomorrow.

This sudden news completely caught Hou Zihai off guard—just two minutes ago, he was still looking for a self-study room near her house.

“Leaving tomorrow?” He was a little at a loss. “Then... when will you be back?”

“I don’t know,” her voice was also a bit lonely. “At least after the New Year, maybe... maybe close to the start of school.”

Hou Zihai: “...”

Didn’t that mean he wouldn’t see her for the entire winter vacation?

He was silent, thinking about what to do—he knew he couldn’t bear not seeing her for more than half a month, and he didn’t even know how he would get through tomorrow without seeing her.

Zhou Leqi, however, thought that this silence meant he was angry. She was a little uneasy but couldn’t offer any solutions, so she could only say, “We can call each other every day... and we can video call too...”

These words weren’t very convincing, after all, even as she said them, she herself was starting to miss him.

Hou Zihai couldn’t think of any good solutions for the time being. Although Su Ruini and Hou Feng had always been relatively lenient with him, they certainly wouldn’t allow him to not go home for several days and run off to another place alone. Moreover, during the Spring Festival, various family visits would become very frequent, and he would have to go visit relatives and friends with his parents.

How could he find a way to see her...

This question was temporarily unanswerable. Hou Zihai sighed and could only say first, “Then I’ll go to see you and Auntie off tomorrow—what time is your train?”

“No need to see us off, no need,” Zhou Leqi quickly said. “It’s very convenient for my mom and me to go to the station, and...”

“And what?” he asked.

Zhou Leqi on the other end of the phone paused, her cheeks slightly flushed. “And... I haven’t told my mom about you yet.”

Her voice was very soft, but it carried a sweet and clear tone. Hou Zihai could imagine her blushing face at this moment, her fair skin would be tinged with a beautiful pink, a beauty that made him unable to control himself.

“How could Auntie not see it?” He coughed to interrupt his thoughts. “I’ve written the three words ‘I like you’ all over my face.”

The girl on the other end of the phone laughed, making him feel happy too. Then he heard her say, “That still won’t do... I can only tell my mom after the college entrance exam.”

College entrance exam, college entrance exam, damn college entrance exam.

Hou Zihai was really tired and wished he could go to the exam hall tomorrow morning, finish the exam, and then drag her to get their marriage certificate, to see what other excuses she could find.

He sighed and asked, “I really can’t see you off?”

“Really no need,” she said with a smile. “I’ll be back soon, and I’ll bring you a gift when I return.”

Hearing this, his eyes lit up. “Really?”

She had never given him a gift before.

Zhou Leqi on the other end of the phone also suddenly realized this: That’s right, she had never given him any gifts before. This time, she should bring him something, preferably something both practical and beautiful...

She started planning, temporarily forgetting to answer him. So he assumed she was just teasing him and didn’t hold out any more expectations. After thinking for a moment, he said very seriously, “I can endure it for half a month at most. If you’re not back by then, I’m coming to抓人 (zhuā rén - arrest someone).”

His tone was quite serious, not like he was joking, but Zhou Leqi was still amused by him, and she laughed, her eyes gently curving.

“Arrest someone?” she teased. “How terrifying.”

But the person on the other end of the phone sighed.

“I’m not kidding you,” he said. “I’m serious.”

“Zhou Leqi...”

“...I’ll miss you.”

On the 21st, Zhou Leqi returned to D City with Yu Qing.

D City and A City were in the same province but were still nearly 400 kilometers apart. It was a small coastal city that was neither particularly developed nor particularly backward. Although it was coastal, because its economy wasn’t very strong, it hadn’t become a tourist city but was just an ordinary place by the sea, with less hustle and bustle and more tranquility. Coastal areas always had better climates, and with the regulation of the ocean, winters were often warmer, which was a very important reason why Zhou Leqi liked D City.

She didn’t return to D City very often during the year, probably only around the Spring Festival or during summer vacation when she would go back with her family to visit her maternal grandparents. They were both in their seventies, but they were still very healthy. Yu Qing always said this was her blessing.

Their home was not far from the coastline. They had a fairly large house. The old couple were both teachers. Yu’s father taught at the university, and Yu’s mother taught at the high school, so they were considered a proper middle-class family.

Yu Qing was the youngest child in the family, with two older brothers. Perhaps because she was the youngest and the only girl in the family, she had been particularly loved by her parents since she was a child. They took good care of her, and it was still the same even now. The day Yu Qing brought Zhou Leqi home, the old couple were overjoyed. Even in their seventies, they still cooked a large table full of dishes.

Yu Qing’s two older brothers also returned home with their families. The whole family gathered together lively and warmly. Zhou Leqi was very happy to see so many people who could talk to Yu Qing, and she felt very comforted.

No one at the table mentioned Yu Qing’s divorce. They were probably all afraid of touching her sad memories. But after Yu Qing’s brothers left in the evening, Yu’s mother wanted to have a sincere heart-to-heart talk with her daughter. Yu Qing didn’t let Zhou Leqi listen and only hid in the room with Yu’s mother to talk. Zhou Leqi could hear low voices and intermittent crying.

Sigh.

Actually, this was good... she should talk to more people.

Zhou Leqi wasn’t idle either. She went to play Chinese chess with her maternal grandfather. Her grandfather was a very kind old man. Perhaps because he had spent his whole life in school, he lived a particularly simple and pure life.

He didn’t ask Zhou Leqi how her studies were going. He just played casual chess while advising his granddaughter, saying, “Qiqi, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. To put it bluntly, university is just a school. Grandpa has stayed there his whole life, so he knows best.”

“No matter how good the school is, there are people who can’t manage their lives well. Similarly, no matter how bad the school is, there are people who can change their fate—what truly matters has never been the environment, but the attitude of the person in that environment.”

“Our Qiqi is the best child, so no matter what difficulties she encounters, our Qiqi can overcome them on her own.”

“So, child, listen to Grandpa, don’t tire yourself out. Just take the college entrance exam once.”

Grandpa’s old face was full of wrinkles, but his eyes were not at all cloudy. Even in his old age, they still shone with clarity and breadth, the peace and wisdom that had settled after seeing the ups and downs of life.

Zhou Leqi felt her heart become more at peace. She nodded and agreed with a slight smile, and then a sly look suddenly appeared in her eyes. With a “snap,” she covered a chess piece and said, “Checkmate!”

Her grandfather was stunned and quickly looked down at the chessboard. Only then did he realize that his king had been eaten by his little granddaughter at some point. He felt very flustered and unconvinced. All his detachment and clarity disappeared in an instant, and he repeatedly demanded a rematch, even arguing that he hadn’t been serious just now, otherwise, he would never have lost.

After returning home, Yu Qing’s condition had clearly improved a lot.

Every day there were people to talk to her. The family atmosphere gave her a sense of security. People say that no matter how old a person is, they are still children in front of their parents. Yu Qing was the same. Once she returned to her parents’ side, she became relaxed and happy, and she even had the mood to use her parents’ oven to do some baking.

Her skills were very good. When they lived in Butterfly Bay, they had a large oven at home, and she would often bake cookies and egg tarts. She had also specifically bought many molds and tools to make cakes, turning cooking into her hobby. It was a pity that after moving to the development zone, the conditions at home became worse, the kitchen was small, and there was no oven, which prevented Yu Qing from showing off her skills for a long time.

It was better after returning home. She enthusiastically made many snacks for her parents to eat. Once before the New Year, her eldest brother even brought his wife and daughter back home, and they all said they were particularly delicious after tasting them.

Her eldest brother’s daughter was called Yu Sisi, eight years older than Zhou Leqi. She had been working for several years and was a lively and fashionable girl. After tasting the snacks made by Yu Qing, she had a sudden idea and asked Yu Qing if she had any business ideas or if she wanted to make food videos and post them on various platforms. As long as she could attract fans, she could make money, and even if she couldn’t make money in the short term, at least it would be cultivating a hobby, just doing it for fun.