He sat aside with his hands on his knees, looked up at Jiang Sui and saw that her eyes were full of tears.

"She used to be so naughty and noisy, but in the past few years, she has been tempered and calmed down. It makes people feel even more distressed when they see her."

Grandma Wang stroked Jiang Sui's hair and said, "Fortunately, this girl has done well. Her studies were not affected much and she went to college. Now I have brought you back. Your aunt and grandmother can rest in peace."

Having said that, Grandma Wang seemed to suddenly remember something.

She laughed and said, "When you were little, we adults discussed letting you be our 18-year-old girl's son-in-law. After all, you grew up in their family, so it's good to keep the wealth within the family. I didn't expect your family to be so rich and powerful. After you left, no one dared to think about this anymore."

Jiang Sui's eyes suddenly widened with mist, and he said in shock, "There is such a thing? Why haven't I heard of it?"

Si Nian lowered his head, with the corners of his lips slightly raised.

This had happened before, and he had accidentally heard the adults mention it in conversation, so from that time on, he vaguely looked at Jiang Sui a little differently.

Grandma Wang patted Jiang Sui's hand gently and said with a smile, "How old were you before the boy left? What do you know? Who would tell you this? After the boy left, everyone knew that this matter might not work out, so no one mentioned it anymore."

Jiang Sui pursed his lips, secretly sighing in his heart that the world is so unpredictable.

If Si Nian hadn't left at that time, he might have become her child husband long ago, right?

"Ha ha..."

Thinking of this, Jiang Sui couldn't help laughing out loud again.

Si Nian glanced at Jiang Sui. This girl was about to cry, then start laughing, her mood changeable like a child.

Noticing Si Nian's gaze, Jiang Sui forced himself to stop laughing.

The two chatted with Grandma Wang for a while. Grandma Wang stood up to leave, and Jiang Sui went with her and sent Grandma Wang back to the next yard.

When Jiang Sui came back, Si Nian had just walked out of the kitchen.

He went to the kitchen to check, and found that something was missing, so he couldn't start a fire and cook.

He also didn't know how Jiang Sui would live alone in the next few days if he didn't take the high-speed train back overnight.

Spending the Spring Festival alone, hungry and cold?

Did she live like this at this time last year?

Just thinking about it was enough to make him feel distressed.

"Sui Sui, I think we should go out for lunch and then do some shopping."

"Okay, Mr. Tong Yangfu!"

Jiang Sui was in a good mood and spoke his mind freely.

Hearing this, Si Nian was stunned for a moment, then frowned.

He said to Jiang Sui in a gentle tone, "Are you itchy?"

Jiang Sui dodged him with a laugh and ran into the bathroom. Before closing the door, he said to Si Nian , "Mr. Tong Yangfu, wait for me, it will be ready in a moment!"

Si Nian looked at the bathroom door being closed, stood there, shook his head and laughed.

But gradually the smile on his face faded.

If he had a choice about the past, he would rather stay in this small place and be her child-raising husband.

Besides, how could he not understand Jiang Sui’s thoughts?

But now, it’s not so easy for the two of them to be together.

He has too much to consider.

He had too much to bear and too many shackles on his body, and she had suffered too much. He didn't want her to continue suffering while being with him, he couldn't bear it.

That's why he stopped her from saying those words on New Year's Eve.

And if he wanted to express his feelings, he didn't want his little girl to be the first to say it.

These are things that should be done by men, but he can't do them now.

That afternoon, Jiang Sui and Si Nian had noodles at a noodle shop near the courtyard. Then Jiang Sui took Si Nian for a walk around to see the changes that Jincheng had experienced over the years.

Finally, the two went to the supermarket and bought some food and daily necessities to take back.

In the dead of winter, the night in the north seems to come especially early.

When the two arrived home, it was only a quarter past four. The glass windows of the main house were already covered with a layer of fog, and the temperature of the floor heating in the house had risen.

Jiang Sui walked in, took off his shoes and walked barefoot on the floor, bringing the purchased food and utensils into the kitchen.

Si Nian followed in from behind, hurriedly brought in Jiang Sui's slippers, placed them at her feet, and reminded her, "Put on your slippers first, girls don't want to catch a cold!"

Jiang Sui plugged in the refrigerator that had not been used for a long time, and put the food into the refrigerator one by one, saying nonchalantly, "It's okay, the ground is not cold, feel it, it's warm."

Si Nian squatted down and actually used the back of his hand to test the temperature on the ground.

Then Si Nian picked up the slippers he had just placed on the ground for Jiang Sui with one hand and held Jiang Sui's ankle with the other hand.

Jiang Sui froze when he suddenly felt a warm touch on his ankle.

"Lift your feet."

Si Nian's low voice came from beside her legs.

Jiang Sui raised her feet stiffly as Si Nian's hands exerted force, and the slightly warm cotton slippers were put on her small toes, and her feet felt warm instantly.

Si Nian's movements were very gentle. He put a pair of cotton slippers on Jiang Sui before slowly standing up.

He looked at Jiang Sui who was still in a daze and said leisurely, "It's very cold in the north. You have to wear slippers even if the floor is warm. Otherwise, it will be too late to catch a cold and get a stomachache."

Why is he bringing this up again?

Jiang Sui was a little embarrassed.

She stuck out her tongue at him again and said with a naughty smile, "Don't you still have me? How can you let me catch a cold? After all, you live by the sea, so you are in charge."

Then she deliberately raised one foot for Si Nian to see.

Si Nian shook his head helplessly, took the food that Jiang Sui had not finished sorting out from her hands, and continued to put it in the refrigerator.

Jiang Sui also took out the purchased fruits from the bag, washed them, sorted them and put them into small bags. These were the fruits she would bring to her mother and grandmother when she visited the graves tomorrow.

In the evening, Jiang Sui brought a set of bedding to Si Nian's room.

This room is the smallest in the house. It has been empty since Si Nian left. The single bed he slept on when he was a child is still in the room .

Jiang Sui thought the room was too small and asked Si Nian to sleep in his mother's room, but Si Nian refused.

He had checked it when he was cleaning before, and this room that belonged to him seemed to have not changed much from before he left.

The cabinet with glass doors still displays his handmade mecha models, and various awards from his childhood are still on the wall.

The only difference is that before, he had pasted these certificates directly on the wall, but now each of them is framed in a glass frame.

"Did you make these?" Si Nian asked Jiang Sui, pointing at the photo frames on a wall.

Jiang Sui shook out the bed sheets, took a look and said, "My mother and I did this together."

Si Nian also reached out to help Jiang Sui put on the quilt. Jiang Sui lowered his head and pulled the corner of the quilt very seriously. Suddenly, he said softly, "You should know that the honors you left behind are my motivation over the years."

Even though the next two years were difficult, she never thought of giving up, because he was her direction.

Si Nian probably understood what Jiang Sui meant, and he said in a low voice, "I'm sorry!"

Jiang Sui paused for a moment, raised his eyes from the quilt and looked at Si Nian, "Brother, you don't have to apologize to me. My life has not been affected at all, but what about you? Have you thought about the future?"

Si Nian was silent. He shook the quilt twice with his hands and put on the quilt cover.

Jiang Sui thought for a moment, looked at Si Nian seriously and asked, "Brother, have you ever thought about changing your environment and your life?"

She opened her mouth and whispered, "Like going abroad?"

Si Nian looked at Jiang Sui for a while and then looked away.

It's not like he hadn't thought about these things. He started thinking about them when Jiang Sui first told him that she might go abroad to study in a year.

But the reality is that he can't leave, either financially or in other ways.

He couldn't leave with a stain on his face, as that would make him look like a deserter.

Si Nian's brows gradually furrowed, and he suddenly spoke in a deep voice, "Sui Sui, you know I..."

"Brother, you don't have to say it!"

Jiang Sui suddenly interrupted Si Nian, she turned and walked towards the door, before opening the door she said in a low voice, "I know everything, I'm sorry, I shouldn't ask you, it's late, go to bed early, you have to get up early tomorrow."

Jiang Sui finished speaking in one breath, opened the door and left.

The next morning, both of them dressed in black took a taxi to Beishan.

Here is the largest and oldest cemetery in Jincheng. Jiang Sui’s mother and grandparents are all buried here. However, due to the different years of purchase, his grandparents’ grave is closer to the entrance, while his mother’s is in a newly opened area.

The two of them went to see their grandparents first. Jiang Sui placed a piece of fruit and a bouquet of flowers in front of the tombstone, then squatted in front of the tombstone and began to whisper to his grandmother.

While Jiang Sui was telling him about his recent situation, Si Nian borrowed a bucket and a rag from the management office and cleaned the tombstone front and back.

Finally, Jiang Sui stood up and said, "Grandma, I brought my brother to see you. Are you happy?"

Before the two left for Jiang Sui's mother, Si Nian suddenly knelt down in front of the monument and kowtowed.

Jiang Sui didn’t quite understand, but she didn’t ask.

When they got to Jiang Sui's mother's place, the two of them were still doing their own things quietly, dividing the work as before.

Just when Jiang Sui was telling his mother about his recent situation, the cemetery manager came and took Jiang Sui away.

Originally Si Nian wanted to go in her place, but she refused, so she left Si Nian alone.

When he arrived at the management office, Jiang Sui found out that his grandparents’ cemetery had been in use for more than 20 years and that the management fee needed to be renewed.

When swiping the card to pay, Jiang Sui was still thinking that it was a good thing that she didn't let Si Nian come, as she didn't want to see him embarrassed.

When he returned to the cemetery, Jiang Sui saw from afar that Si Nian was sitting in front of his mother's tombstone, his lips moving slightly.

She suddenly stopped and stood there without moving forward.

Although she was far away and couldn't hear what Si Nian was saying, she thought he must have a lot to say, right?

Like explaining why he never came back, or how he and she reunited.

Jiang Sui looked at Si Nian from a distance for a long time.

After a long time, he finally turned around, knelt in front of the monument and kowtowed. Then he slowly stood up and looked back to see Jiang Sui standing in the distance.

He smiled a little embarrassedly and asked Jiang Sui with his mouth, "How long have you been back?"

Jiang Sui walked towards him, shook his head and answered, "Not long ago, I just saw you kowtowing to your mother. Actually, you don't need it, even I don't have it..."

"That's what I should do!" Si Nian quickly responded.

Why should?

As an adopted son, or something else?

Jiang Sui doesn't want to delve into this issue now.

She squatted down again and straightened a bunch of white chrysanthemums that had almost fallen over.

The black granite tombstone in front of him had been scrubbed clean by Si Nian and shone brightly in the sun.

The mother in the photo is still smiling.

Jiang Sui thought to himself: Are you happy to see Si Nian? Then please bless him and me to get what we want, Mom.

Si Nian stayed with Jiang Sui for a while and then they went down the mountain.

On the way, Si Nian thought again and again and suddenly asked Jiang Sui, "Do you want to go to Beijing North for the Spring Festival the day after tomorrow?"