Chapter 483| Chapter 484| Chapter 485
Chapter 483: Two-Family Meeting
“That’s fine,” Mother Sheng replied, nodding slowly. Having managed their household for so many years, she could tell easily enough that her daughter wasn’t lying to her.
“Mom, my mother-in-law asked me to invite you all over for dinner tomorrow. I’ll have Tingxiao pick you up in the evening,” Sheng Wanyan said. “I happen to have some free time before classes start, so I’ll take you out to sightsee around the Capital for the next few days.”
“Alright, wonderful. We will definitely be there tomorrow.”
Mother Sheng actually missed Mother Gu quite a bit. She often thought back to their younger days when they were close comrades-in-arms, lying in the same barracks and gossiping late into the night.
“Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom—let’s go ahead and drop off your bags. I’ll take everyone out to a state-run restaurant for dinner,” Sheng Wanyan offered, checking her watch and noticing it was already dinner time.
“Alright, that sounds perfect.”
The group quickly moved their belongings inside. Sheng Wanyan handed the main keys for both courtyards over to Mother Sheng, who then distributed the individual house keys to the rest of the family so everyone could come and go freely.
Afterward, the group headed to a nearby state-run restaurant. Along the way, Grandpa and Grandma Sheng kept their eyes glued to the windows, marveling at the sights of the capital. Since they were exhausted from the journey, they kept things simple and ate locally, saving the grand sightseeing tours for the coming days.
As they ate, Grandpa and Grandma Sheng couldn’t shake a lingering sense of unreality. It felt almost like a dream that their family actually owned property in the Capital and had officially registered their household here. For countless people of their generation, simply visiting the capital once in their lifetime was an unattainable dream. Yet here they were—their granddaughter-in-law had been admitted to a prestigious university, opening the door for them to see the world, and their own son and daughter-in-law had successfully purchased real estate in the city.
When their time eventually came to join their ancestors, they would certainly have some magnificent stories to boast about.
It wasn’t just the grandparents who felt dazed; Father and Mother Sheng hadn’t fully processed the reality of the situation either. Never in their wildest dreams did they imagine they would own a house in the Capital, let alone spend their retirement years in the capital. To them, such achievements were simply impossible for ordinary people. Throughout their lives, they had believed that managing their modest plot of land, holding down stable jobs, raising their children, and eventually doting on grandchildren was the absolute pinnacle of success. It was only when they finally lay down in their own bed in the Capital that night that the truth began to sink in.
“Old Sheng… is this actually real?” Mother Sheng whispered, too excited to sleep as she stared up at the ceiling.
“It’s real,” Father Sheng replied quietly. He was equally restless. He had always thought that becoming the deputy director of the factory workshop was the greatest achievement of his life. He truly couldn’t believe that something even more miraculous had occurred. If he didn’t have to maintain his dignified image as the head of the household, he would have jumped out of bed and sprinted laps around the courtyard in the middle of the night.
“I just can’t believe it,” Mother Sheng murmured, her voice thick with emotion. Her eyes grew red as she stared into the dark, and finally, tears of pure joy slipped down her cheeks.
Father Sheng reached over and held her hand, comforting her. Both of their hearts swelled with an indescribable mix of emotions. They had worked themselves to the bone their entire lives for the sake of their children, and seeing it all culminate in this beautiful reality left them filled with a profound sense of pride and peace.
When Sheng Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao returned home, Mother Gu was absolutely thrilled to hear that the Sheng family had settled in smoothly. Now that her old friend had finally arrived, she would have someone to gossip and share a laugh with.
“Wonderful, wonderful! I’m taking tomorrow off work so I can properly entertain them,” Mother Gu declared excitedly.
True to her word, she dragged Sheng Wanyan out to the market at the crack of dawn to buy the freshest cuts of meat. By noon, Mother Gu had already begun prepping the feast.
Over at the new courtyard, Father and Mother Sheng had also risen early to purchase visiting gifts. Since they were family, they opted for practical, high-quality goods so the Gu family wouldn’t feel they were being overly formal or distant.
Gu Tingxiao drove over to pick the Sheng family up at four-thirty that afternoon. Back at the Gu household, Mother Gu had prepared a lavish ten-course dinner and was eagerly awaiting their arrival.
As members of the younger generation, Sheng Wanze and Pan Yue had also purchased an abundance of gifts to express their gratitude. Sheng Wanze had gone out of his way to prepare a generous haul. He did this deliberately to support his sister; he wanted the Gu family to see clearly that Sheng Wanyan had a capable older brother standing behind her. Even as their parents grew older, he would always be there to protect his only sister. It was his way of giving Sheng Wanyan absolute confidence—confidence in her standing within her husband’s family, and confidence in her future.
“Grandpa, Grandma! Father-in-law, Mother-in-law!” Mother Gu called out the moment she saw them arrive. She rushed out the door, enthusiastically grabbing Mother Sheng’s hands. “Please, come inside quickly!”
“Hello, Auntie,” Sheng Wanze and Pan Yue greeted her politely.
“Good to see you! Come in, come in.” Seeing the warm smiles on Sheng Wanze, Pan Yue, and little Hu Zi’s faces, Mother Gu quickly ushered them all into the living room to sit down.
The two families immediately fell into a comfortable rhythm of exchanging pleasantries. Mother Sheng and Mother Gu, in particular, picked up exactly where they had left off years ago, chatting happily.
But the most excited person in the room was little Yi Yi. The toddler dashed out like a tiny gust of wind and threw her arms tightly around Mother Sheng’s legs.
“Nana!”
“Oh, look at you, my sweet girl!” Mother Sheng gasped happily. She scooped the little girl up into a tight hug, showering her cheeks with kisses. She simply couldn’t get enough of her. “Grandma’s precious baby… you’ve gotten so heavy!”
Mother Sheng bounced Yi Yi in her arms, noticing that the little girl had definitely gained a bit of healthy weight; she was noticeably harder to hold for long periods now.
“It’s good for children to carry a little extra weight. It means they’re healthy,” Father Sheng chimed in. He always preferred seeing children look plump, fair, and well-fed.
“Yeah! Yi Yi isn’t fat!” Yi Yi agreed solemnly, nodding along with her grandfather’s logic.
“Yes, exactly! You should eat as much as you want,” Mother Sheng quickly reassured her, terrified the little girl might suddenly become self-conscious and start refusing her meals. “Being healthy is the most important thing.”
After soaking up affection from Mr. and Mrs. Sheng, Yi Yi wiggled down and ran over to Grandpa and Grandma Sheng to act coquettishly for a while. She didn’t leave Sheng Wanze and Pan Yue out either, making her rounds and bringing bright smiles to everyone’s faces.
“Guo-Guo! You got fat too!” Yi Yi chirped, looking at Hu Zi and perfectly mimicking Mother Sheng’s teasing tone.
Hu Zi looked down at his own stomach and shook his head seriously. “I’m not fat. Big Brother just eats a lot so I can grow strong and protect you.”
Yi Yi threw her arms around him and planted a big kiss on his cheek. Even though the two cousins hadn’t seen each other in quite some time, their bond hadn’t weakened in the slightest.
“Guo-Guo is the best!” she cheered.
“Of course I am,” Hu Zi said, puffing out his chest proudly. He knew he had to be the best to his little sister because they were family. His parents had drilled it into him that it was his job to protect her, and that they had to support each other as they grew up.
Father Gu returned home from work shortly after. When he saw Father Sheng, the two men attempted to strike up a conversation, though it was undeniably awkward. Their personalities were complete polar opposites: Father Sheng was a reserved, literary sort of man, while Father Gu was a rough, battle-hardened soldier. It made for a highly entertaining dynamic. Every so often, Father Gu would get excited about a topic and accidentally let slip a colorful swear word, causing Father Sheng’s eyes to widen in mild shock.
“Heh… I apologize, my in-law. I think my language startled you,” Father Gu chuckled sheepishly.
“No, no, not at all,” Father Sheng replied quickly, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.
It wasn’t just Father Gu’s rough edges that made Father Sheng nervous; he was absolutely terrified of Grandpa Gu. The man was a founding general of the nation, after all. Every time Father Sheng found himself in the same room as him, his legs practically turned to jelly. You have a legendary background, so whatever you say goes, Father Sheng thought helplessly to himself.
“Dinner is ready! Let’s eat,” Mother Gu announced, quickly bringing the steaming dishes to the table. The nanny who assisted with caring for the elderly grandparents had also returned and pitched in to help Mother Gu serve the massive spread.
“Grandpa, Grandma, Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, Brother-in-law, Sister-in-law—please, take your seats!” Mother Gu called out warmly.
Chapter 484: Persuading Father and Mother Sheng to Come to the Capital
“They’re just simple, home-cooked dishes, so please don’t stand on ceremony.”
“Oh, not at all! There are so many wonderful dishes here. We are truly being spoiled today.”
Mother Sheng quickly took Mother Gu’s hand, offering endless praise for her thoughtfulness and the lavish spread she had prepared. Mother Sheng was incredibly adept at handling social graces and navigating the ways of the world. Her warm compliments left Mother Gu absolutely delighted, her face beaming with a smile that never faded. The entire meal was lively, warm, and deeply intimate.
Meanwhile, Wang Chunmei had found out that the Gu family hadn’t invited her household to the dinner that evening. She was so furious that she threw a massive tantrum back at her own quarters.
“What exactly does your mother mean by completely excluding us from dinner?” she hissed at her husband. “Why is she being so hospitable to your third sister-in-law’s family? During the Spring Festival, they wouldn’t even let my Wang family come over to pay their New Year’s greetings!”
Wang Chunmei ranted and complained without pause, and Gu Tinghao felt an intense wave of annoyance washing over him as he stared at her.
“My third sister-in-law doesn’t act like you, funneling every single cent of our money back to support her own parents!” Gu Tinghao snapped, too exhausted to bicker with her. Did she honestly not understand why things were this way?
His sharp retort left Wang Chunmei completely speechless. Because of her past blunders and greed, she could no longer hold her head up within the Gu family. But two or three years had already passed, and the Gu family still refused to let it go. In her mind, they were simply petty and narrow-minded, lacking the grace of a truly prominent clan by constantly haggling over trivial, past matters.
“Your third sister-in-law has bought plenty of luxury items for her own family too, and she used Third Brother’s money to do it,” she muttered defensively. “I doubt it’s any less than what I used to give my parents.”
Don’t think she hadn’t noticed that Sheng Wanyan bought brand-new clothes and expensive skincare products for her mother, and even showered her sister-in-law with gifts. In Wang Chunmei’s eyes, she had given cold cash, whereas Sheng Wanyan simply converted the money into physical goods before handing it over—it was the exact same principle. Only the Gu family was foolish enough to be completely hoodwinked by Sheng Wanyan, to the point where everyone fiercely protected that money-losing little girl she had given birth to.
“Mind your own business,” Gu Tinghao said coldly, his voice dripping with disdain. “You need to remember that our household has already separated from the main family. You have absolutely no right to interfere in the affairs of Third Brother’s home. As the younger sister-in-law, you ought to show the third sister-in-law some proper respect.”
Gu Tinghao was completely done arguing with her. He grabbed Gu Jinmin and walked out the door to find a meal elsewhere, determined to prevent himself and his son from starving to death in this toxic house.
When Wang Chunmei heard her own husband demanding that she be more deferential to Sheng Wanyan, her rage boiled over, and she began smashing items around the room to vent her frustration.
Sheng Wanyan, Sheng Wanyan—it’s always Sheng Wanyan! Everyone fiercely protects her!
She was the one who had been admitted to a top university; she was the one the Gu family coddled like a treasure; she was the one her parents-in-law treated with utmost care. Even when Eldest Sister-in-law Gu was pregnant and incapacitated, it was Sheng Wanyan who had stepped forward to smoothly manage the family’s entire household affairs. And now, even her own husband was defending that woman.
Sheng Wanyan is clearly inferior to me in every single way, Wang Chunmei thought bitterly. In terms of family background, professional career, and social connections, she can’t compare to me at all. Yet the entire Gu family seemed utterly blind, discarding a woman of status just to favor a country girl from a small town.
Sheng Wanyan had no idea about the storm brewing in Wang Chunmei’s household. She was fully capitalizing on her free time before the semester started, happily taking Grandpa and Grandma Sheng out to explore the capital.
The group visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Old Summer Palace, and the Great Wall. Grandpa and Grandma Sheng had an absolute wonderful time, their faces filled with childlike wonder. To make the trip perfect, they also stopped by local eateries to enjoy authentic Peking cuisine. As a native, Gu Tingxiao knew exactly which hidden alleys served the most genuine flavors.
“Yan’er, are people actually allowed to set up street stalls now?” Mother Sheng asked, looking at the small vendors lining the alleyways with intense curiosity. “Won’t they get arrested by the authorities for conducting private business?”
Back in Rong City and Bing City, absolutely no one possessed the courage to set up a public stall; at most, people conducted transactions covertly in dark corners. For citizens of this era, private commerce was a dangerous topic that could never be spoken of aloud.
But things were completely different here in the Capital. This was the capital of the nation, and it was filled with individuals who truly understood the shifting political tides.
“Yes, Mom. The country is focusing heavily on economic development now,” Sheng Wanyan explained gently. “Mom, Dad, come over here for a moment. There’s something I want to show you.”
Sheng Wanyan led her parents slightly away from the rest of the group and pointed toward the two empty courtyards she had purchased near Peking University.
“Those two vacant courtyards in the middle?” Mother Sheng gasped, her eyes widening. “They belong to you?” She had passed by those properties multiple times over the past few days, assuming they were abandoned village houses. She never could have dreamed they belonged to her own daughter. “Oh my goodness…”
“Yes, Mom, Dad. As you can see, private trade is officially recognized now,” Sheng Wanyan said. “I plan to convert the smaller courtyard into a grocery store to sell merchandise. There are several universities and local villages nearby. I intend to stock it with school supplies, daily necessities, and various food items.”
Mr. and Mrs. Sheng were completely stunned. They never expected their daughter to harbor ambitions of opening a retail store. Wouldn’t that officially make her a self-employed merchant?
To put it elegantly, she would be a business owner; to put it bluntly, she would be a capitalist speculator. If she had attempted a stunt like this just a year or two ago, she would have faced a firing squad.
“This… Yan’er, isn’t this entirely too risky?” Father Sheng stammered, his brow furrowing with deep anxiety.
“Mom, the nation needs to progress, and policies will only become more open and favorable from here on out,” Sheng Wanyan reassured them smoothly. “Besides, my parents-in-law didn’t raise a single objection when I bought them, which proves this aligns perfectly with national directives.”
Hearing that the prominent Gu family approved of the venture brought a profound wave of relief to Mother Sheng’s heart. After all, if there was even a whisper of political danger, the well-connected Gu family would be the very first to know. Looking at it from this perspective, did it mean the country was truly on the verge of a total economic awakening? If that was the case, ordinary citizens could actually build massive fortunes through commerce.
“But launching a business like this must require a phenomenal amount of capital,” Mother Sheng countered, her disapproval returning as she thought of the logistics. “Furthermore, you have your university studies to focus on, and you need to care for little Yi Yi. How on earth will you find the time to manage a storefront?”
She stared at her daughter with a critical gaze. Beside her, Father Sheng felt his heart racing so fast he couldn’t even bring himself to look Sheng Wanyan in the eye, instinctively sensing that their daughter had a massive trap waiting for them.
Sheng Wanyan didn’t give them a chance to retreat, directly laying out her ultimate plan. “Mom, Dad… why don’t the two of you relocate to the Capital permanently? You can help me manage the grocery store.”
“What on earth?!” Mother Sheng shouted, her voice spiking so loudly it instantly drew the attention of Grandpa and Grandma Sheng, who were admiring the nearby scenery.
“Is everything alright over there?” Grandma Sheng called out.
“Yes, yes! Everything is perfectly fine, Mom!” Mother Sheng called back hastily. “I just got a little overly excited looking at this magnificent view!”
Once she had successfully pacified the two elderly grandparents, Mother Sheng fiercely dragged Sheng Wanyan further down the path, her voice dropping to a harsh, panicked whisper. “Have you completely lost your mind? How could we possibly manage that for you? Are you seriously suggesting that your father and I should just resign from our posts?”
Father Sheng pricked up his ears, his breath catching. As a deputy factory director, he commanded an exceptionally high salary and held a highly respected, stable civilian position. The mere thought of resigning made his chest tighten with reluctance.
“Yes,” Sheng Wanyan replied calmly. “I want you both to resign.”
“You are absolutely insane! Those are permanent, state-allocated jobs!” Mother Sheng hissed. “Your father is the deputy director of his workshop. He receives incredible wages and unparalleled state benefits. Once he reaches retirement age, he’s guaranteed a massive government pension. How can a lifelong career that others would kill for look so completely worthless in your eyes?”
Sheng Wanyan had fully anticipated her mother’s fierce lecture. After all, in this day and age, an iron rice bowl was considered the ultimate achievement; who in their right mind would willingly throw it away?
“Mom, look at the reality of your factory,” Sheng Wanyan said, her tone steady and grounded. “Production orders have been trickling to a near-halt over the past two years, haven’t they?”
Mother Sheng worked in the administrative branch of a major garment factory in Chengdu. Even though she wasn’t stationed on the workshop floor, she was acutely aware of the company’s financial struggles. Over the past twenty-four months, their corporate orders had dwindled to a pitiful number, and the factory director spent his days pacing the halls and sighing in deep despair. Whispers of massive employee layoffs had already begun circulating, plunging the entire workforce into a state of chronic panic.
“Mom,” Sheng Wanyan pressed gently, looking into her mother’s eyes. “Do you honestly believe the factory can avoid layoffs? How much longer do you think that iron rice bowl can actually last?”
Chapter 485: Moving into a New Home
“This… this is a state-owned factory, after all. It’s impossible for it to just go bankrupt, right?”
Hearing her daughter’s bleak outlook, Mother Sheng’s voice faltered. She looked at her skeptically, her mind racing. Could a massive, state-run enterprise truly collapse into nothingness?
“Mom, in this day and age, anything is possible.”
Mother Sheng felt the breath leave her lungs all at once. She had logged so many years at that factory and was supposed to retire in just a few more. If the company went under before then, wouldn’t all her decades of hard work be completely in vain? Would her guaranteed state pension simply vanish into thin air?
“No… that just can’t be.”
Mother Sheng tried to reject the idea, but deep down, she knew Yan’er was the sharpest mind in the family. The scales of doubt in her heart had already begun to tilt heavily.
“But what about your father’s steel mill?” she pressed, grasping for certainty. “Their production numbers are still quite strong. And with his position as director, he wouldn’t be at risk for a layoff, right?”
“Dad might be a deputy director now, but he still spends his days running around the workshop floor,” Sheng Wanyan countered gently. “That place is constantly thick with toxic steel dust, which is incredibly harmful to his health.”
Mother Sheng quieted down, unable to argue. She knew her husband’s daily routine better than anyone; he had indeed been coming home from work with a persistent, heavy cough lately. If he kept breathing in those fumes for years to come, his lungs would eventually be ruined.
“Even if their order volume looks stable this year, who can guarantee what the next few years will bring?” Sheng Wanyan continued. “Chengdu is geographically isolated. If the primary state-owned steel sectors begin to struggle, how long do you honestly think a regional plant can survive? Look at the garment industry—it’s only been six months since the new economic reforms, and several factories across the country have already shut down. Do you really think Dad can safely coast along for another decade until retirement?”
It would be another ten years before Father Sheng reached official retirement age, and whether his steel plant could weather the volatile economic shifts for that long was a massive gamble.
Watching her mother waver, Sheng Wanyan decided to add a final, irresistible incentive. “If you both come to the Capital and help me run the grocery store, I will pay you a monthly salary of one hundred yuan.”
“One hundred?! That… that much?” Mother Sheng gasped. She only pulled in twenty-five yuan a month at her current garment factory job. One hundred yuan was an astronomical, life-changing figure.
“And that’s just the start,” Sheng Wanyan added. “I plan to use the larger courtyard next door to open a clothing boutique, which means I’ll need to hire sales staff. Without trustworthy people like you and Dad to oversee the operations, how can I possibly manage it all?”
Hearing that her daughter intended to open a clothing boutique right next to a grocery store, Mother Sheng’s mouth fell open in sheer disbelief. “My goodness, Yan’er… aren’t you moving a bit too fast?”
She truly hadn’t expected her daughter to harbor such grand retail ambitions. The sheer amount of capital required to launch a boutique was staggering, let alone the audacity it took to hire private employees. This girl was entirely too bold.
“Mom, whether you and Dad decide to join me or not, I am going through with these businesses,” Sheng Wanyan said, her tone absolute. “Go ahead and talk it over with Dad tonight. If you relocate here, you’ll be able to live right alongside Grandpa and Grandma, and you can watch Hu Zi grow up.”
Sheng Wanyan laid her cards squarely on the table. She was giving her parents a golden opportunity, but she wasn’t going to let her own momentum stall if they hesitated.
Looking into her daughter’s fierce, unyielding eyes, Mother Sheng knew there was no changing her mind. Even if they refused to come, Yan’er was going to charge ahead on her own.
“This… it’s a massive decision,” Mother Sheng murmured, her voice laced with anxiety. “Let me discuss it thoroughly with your father tonight. We need time to think.”
Since her mother hadn’t flatly rejected the proposal, Sheng Wanyan knew the plan was highly likely to succeed. It was only natural for her parents to feel a deep, protective reluctance to give up their stable iron rice bowls. For a matter of this magnitude, they needed to debate it privately.
Sheng Wanyan nodded reassuringly, happy to give them all the time they needed. After all, they were scheduled to remain in the Capital for another two weeks.
While she left her parents to weigh their options, Sheng Wanyan turned her focus back to her own ventures. A few days before the university semester was set to begin, she drafted a detailed letter to Xu Guihua back in Bing City.
Xu Guihua had been working tirelessly. She had successfully secured a prime commercial storefront near Bing City University, as well as a spacious residential courtyard within the city. Operating out of that courtyard, she had purchased five second-hand sewing machines and hired several skilled local women to assemble garments, effectively launching a small-scale production workshop.
Per Sheng Wanyan’s strict instructions, Xu Guihua had all the seamstresses sign a formal non-disclosure agreement, legally prohibiting them from leaking or sharing any of the clothing designs. While it was inevitable that rival shops would eventually copy their styles once the clothes hit the market, Sheng Wanyan was determined to ensure the leaks didn’t originate from within her own ranks.
The seamstresses were paid a steady base salary of twenty yuan a month, supplemented by a performance incentive of five cents for every completed garment. The more they produced, the more they earned. Sheng Wanyan knew that a flat salary could breed complacency, so she designed the piece-rate system to ignite the workers’ inner drive to maximize their income.
Furthermore, she insisted that every single item of clothing bear their official brand label. She wanted consumers to recognize their brand name instantly. Having the foresight of future consumer habits, Sheng Wanyan knew that shoppers would eventually become fiercely loyal to authentic, branded goods, making it vital to establish an elite brand reputation right from the start. That way, even if copycats saturated the market later on, consumers would always know theirs was the original.
For the brand name, Sheng Wanyan had chosen something elegant and distinctly patriotic. Representing the finest products of China, the apparel line was officially named Chinana.
She envisioned a future where, as the brand expanded internationally, anyone looking at the label would know instantly that it was proudly designed and crafted in China. She wanted to prove that their own nation could produce trendsetting fashion and luxury goods, rendering the worship of foreign imports completely unnecessary.
Back in Bing City, the base salary for the retail store staff was set at thirty yuan a month, coupled with a generous commission of fifty cents for every garment sold. The interior design of the boutique had been executed exactly according to Sheng Wanyan’s modern sketches, and the construction was completely finished.
Currently, the new hires were undergoing rigorous training. Xu Guihua was educating the staff based on color-theory manuals and styling guides Sheng Wanyan had mailed to her, ensuring every employee possessed a deep understanding of the inventory. They were learning which colors complemented one another, and which silhouettes flattered specific body types. It was a comprehensive curriculum designed to be studied and practiced as a team. This ensured that when customers walked through the door, the sales staff could provide expert, personalized styling consultations.
Xu Guihua followed Sheng Wanyan’s blueprints to the letter, terrified of making a careless mistake. Sheng Wanyan had clearly outlined numerous operational standards that had to be strictly enforced—especially the legal labor contracts for the employees. Additionally, the daily financial ledgers for both the workshop and the boutique had to be balanced and audited every single evening to prevent any discrepancies.
Xu Guihua was running herself ragged with the preparations, anxiously waiting for the university semester to kick off so she could select an auspicious date for the boutique’s grand opening.
The days blurred past, and soon, only forty-eight hours remained before the university doors officially opened. Sheng Wanyan, Gu Tingxiao, and little Yi Yi packed up their belongings and officially moved into their new courtyard residence near Peking University.
The moment they arrived, Yi Yi eagerly set off to explore the unfamiliar space, dragging her favorite plush toy, Edamame, along with her.
The layout of this property was quite similar to their old home in the Bing City military compound, though it was noticeably more spacious. The kitchen sat in the inner courtyard, positioned right alongside the main living quarters. To make winters comfortable and shield his family from the biting, raw winds, Gu Tingxiao had structurally extended the walls, transforming it into a fully enclosed indoor kitchen.
Because their familiar furniture had been shipped over from Bing City, Yi Yi settled in and adapted to the new environment in record time.
However, when Sheng Wanyan walked into her daughter’s new bedroom, her lips twitched in sudden amusement. The room was completely and meticulously furnished down to the last detail. It boasted a beautiful wardrobe, a storage rack, a small study desk, a coal stove for warmth, and an adorable miniature dressing table that was an exact replica of the one in Sheng Wanyan’s own room.
Gu Tingxiao had quietly smuggled all of Yi Yi’s little outfits and festive dresses into the room beforehand, neatly hanging them up in the wardrobe. This plotting man had actually engineered a way to get their daughter to start sleeping in her own room, preparing the entire layout behind her back.
Yi Yi, completely oblivious to her father’s scheme, blinked up at him in confusion. “Daddy! Why are Yi Yi’s clothes here? They’re supposed to be in Mommy’s closet!”
