NOVPUBUpon hearing Yuanyuan’s wish, Ji Nian nodded without hesitation: "Sure."
Yuanyuan’s eyes widened in surprise, her smile narrowing them into slits: "That’s great, that’s really great!"
She jumped up and down on the spot, the little girl so overjoyed she didn’t know how else to express her excitement.
On the way to school, villagers saw Yuanyuan skipping along and couldn’t help asking if something good had happened at home.
Naturally, Yuanyuan happily shared the news—her sister could continue her education. When pressed for details, she mentioned it had something to do with that city girl next door who looked like a foreigner.
Most people who heard this burst into laughter, treating it as a joke. They spread it around, saying the city girl had tricked Aunt Li’s Yuanyuan into believing she could help Fangfang go back to school, and the silly girl actually believed it, telling everyone she met.
Here, girls finishing middle school was already considered a high level of education. Most dropped out by fifteen or sixteen to prepare for marriage.
Never mind whether returning to school could get past the family’s objections—who would cover the costs?
Ji Nian looked like a girl barely in her teens, too young to even have an ID card, let alone help someone else with their education.
Most people teased, "City kids are so naive, thinking schooling is as easy as snapping your fingers."
When the news reached Aunt Li, she scolded Yuanyuan harshly at home. Even Fangfang, Yuanyuan’s sister, just laughed it off. Though she knew it was impossible, her heart warmed at the thought.
It was something she had long given up on, yet her little sister still remembered.
...
You Er was packing up inside the house—they were about to leave Linshan Village.
Ji Nian sat by the window, the fan beside her whirring, rustling the thin, yellowed sheets of paper in her hands.
[Did he take something out of his own body?]
She flipped through the aged medical reports again and came to a conclusion.
She had expected something far more unspeakable, but it turned out to be just a few test results.
You Er emerged with a packed suitcase and saw Ji Nian deep in thought on the wooden chair, so he lightened his movements.
After going through the reports repeatedly, Ji Nian decided to set aside the question of what exactly had been taken from his body and look for other clues.
And this time, she actually found something.
[Huh?]
[Why are these values so low?]
[System, take a look.]
After years of being bribed with grains, the System was no longer the finicky, transactional entity it once was—now obedient as a workhorse.
[According to my database, if the human body chronically lacks this substance and the value falls below 20, life expectancy cannot exceed three years.]
But these results were from ten years ago, and Sun Xiao had not only lived past three years but far exceeded that limit.
Ji Nian abruptly stood up.
"You Er, can we go back now?"
You Er had already finished packing and was waiting for her.
He nodded. "Everything’s ready."
Ji Nian gathered her things, took her hat from the small table and put it on, then left a stack of cash in a visible spot as thanks for Aunt Li’s meals over the past few days.
"Let’s go home."
If this were a novel, this chapter might be titled "Returning Home."
At this hour, most households were taking their midday naps, and the children were all in school. 𝘯𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
Ji Nian’s arrival had been conspicuous, but her departure was silent.
As the car passed through the mountainside blanketed in nameless wildflowers, Ji Nian suddenly remembered something. She pulled out a small flowerpot from her backpack—prepared earlier—and hopped out with a tiny shovel.
Since moving to City S, He Xiang had never returned to his hometown. In letters and conversations, he often mentioned missing its scenery.
She figured he must be homesick.
Even if He Xiang couldn’t return yet, Ji Nian could dig up a handful of flowers rooted in his homeland’s soil to ease the child’s longing.
Under the blazing sun, You Er held an umbrella over her as the little girl knelt among the wildflowers, digging away with her tiny shovel.
Adorable.
It was impossible not to think of that word.
When Ji Nian returned, Ji Tingzhou came to pick her up.
This was the first time she had been away from home for so long, and she had missed him more than she expected.
"Hi, dear Dad~"
The moment she climbed into the car, she beamed at him.
Today, he wore a plain, modernized long gown with a string of beads around his neck, giving him an air of serene elegance. Even the sharp contours of his face seemed softer.
Ji Nian’s mind instantly jumped to a well-known literary archetype.
System: [The aloof monk.]
Ji Nian silently gave it a thumbs-up.
Though she didn’t know why Ji Tingzhou had swapped his usual style for this unusually austere look today, she was still supportive, praising sincerely, "Dad, you look really good in this."
"I missed you so much these past few days."
Her eyes glued to his face, she thought, How nice—a few days apart made his handsome features feel fresh again.
Ji Tingzhou smirked at her shameless admiration. "If you miss me, just look in the mirror."
Ji Nian thought, Fair point.
Once, Shen Qingtang had ordered ten wigs from different wig-makers for a cosplay. When they arrived, Shen Qingtang wasn’t home, so Ji Nian unpacked them and, under her direction, tried them on.
After seeing the ten photos Ji Nian sent, Shen Qingtang gasped dramatically, claiming it felt like looking at ten pictures of Ji Tingzhou.
The wigs were black, parted 30-70, and upon hearing this, Ji Nian immediately put one on and went to provoke Ji Tingzhou.
After a glance at the wig-clad child, Ji Tingzhou remarked dryly: If they were buried together like this, future archaeologists would unearth two bodies from Ji Tingzhou’s tomb—one adult, one child—and conclude the smaller one was just Ji Tingzhou as a boy.
He really knew how to work a historical meme.
Remembering this, Ji Nian burst into laughter, collapsing onto the car seat.
Watching her laugh until tears formed, Ji Tingzhou’s lips curled slightly.
Such a low bar for humor—definitely not inherited from him.
Back home, Ji Nian bounded around like a wild monkey let loose in the mountains.
Everyone had braced themselves for a tearful reunion, convinced she must have suffered terribly away from home.
Instead, they were momentarily speechless at the sight of her.
Ji Tingzhou, arms crossed, smirked and voiced their thoughts: "Not only is she not skin and bones, she’s plump as a well-fed piglet."
Oddly enough, while she hadn’t lost weight, Wei Yang had noticeably slimmed down and tanned.
Ji Nian glanced down at her slightly rounded belly, then lifted her foot and—in an act of blatant disrespect—stamped a clear footprint onto her father’s trousers.
Ji Tingzhou: "……"
