Seeing An Guoming so distracted and giving nonsensical answers, An Ning asked with concern, "Second Brother, are you alright?"

"Huh? I’m fine, I’m fine."

An Guoming shook his head, calming his racing heart and trying to erase the scene he had just witnessed.

"Little Sister, let’s go."

An Ning followed behind An Guoming, who was acting strangely. She couldn’t figure out what was wrong.

Their train tickets were for a little over an hour from now, so it wasn’t too early to head over.

Once they were on the train, An Guoming’s feelings were still a complicated mess.

An Ning sat quietly to one side, completely unaware of the turmoil in An Guoming’s mind.

The two of them were heading to the county seat, where they planned to buy a storefront and a house.

Their plan was to open large, all-inclusive stores, ideally in major cities.

As for Sanhe Town and the county seat, they felt they should have a decent establishment in their hometown.

A few hours later, they arrived at the county seat, but it was already getting dark.

An Guoming confidently led An Ning to a place that wasn’t a guesthouse.

When they arrived at a small, two-story building, An Guoming knocked on the door.

"Coming—"

A weary, elderly voice drew closer, accompanied by the sound of slow footsteps.

The gate of the small, two-story courtyard was pulled open from the inside. A hunched-over old man holding a flashlight cried out in pleasant surprise.

"Second Young Master!"

An Ning glanced over at An Guoming, only to see him clear his throat in embarrassment.

"Everyone dreams of being a young master."

He introduced An Ning to the old man who had opened the door. "This is my little sister. We’ll be staying here tonight."

"Of course, of course. I’ll go get the rooms ready."

"Good thing they’re already clean. I sweep up every day."

The old man held up the flashlight to illuminate their path and led the way.

An Ning kept staring at An Guoming, so he explained, "This is a house I bought. The man in front of you is Qu. He’s all alone, so I hired him to be the caretaker."

"The Second Young Master is a good man."

Qu pushed open the door to the house and flicked on the lights inside.

The living room was very spacious and fully furnished, though all the furniture was draped in large white dustcloths.

But just as Qu had said, the house was very clean, without the slightest smell of dust.

An Ning and An Guoming settled into two separate rooms on the second floor.

After putting away her luggage, An Ning went downstairs to look around.

She happened to see An Guoming in the kitchen, getting ready to cook.

She walked right into the kitchen just as An Guoming was about to start stir-frying.

Her expression turned strange as she glanced from An Guoming to the wok in his hands.

"Second Brother, why are you stir-frying salt with eggs?"

"What?"

Snapping out of his daze, An Guoming glanced at the wok.

Amidst the glistening white grains of salt, a few scattered bits of yellow egg were visible.

"It’s a new dish. A new dish."

"Can I... not try this new dish?"

An Ning was a little worried for her taste buds. She was used to the cooking of Master Tang and Jiang Xia; even Lin Cuihua’s cooking was the worst she’d had to put up with recently.

An Guoming lowered his head and continued, trying to salvage the situation. He grabbed a few more raw eggs, washed them, and placed them in the wok of salt.

"These are called salt-baked eggs. They’re delicious, too. Just you wait and see."

"Really? Then why did you break the first eggs?"

An Ning was skeptical. An Guoming ushered her away, saying, "You don’t know how to cook, so you wouldn’t understand."

"Just go wait outside."

An Ning pouted and left.

’It’s true, I don’t know how to cook.’

’Someone who can’t cook has no right to comment.’

Once outside, An Ning saw Mr. Qu Sr. in the main hall and went over to chat with him.

From their conversation, An Ning learned that Mr. Qu Sr. had only helped An Guoming one time, but An Guoming had never forgotten it.

After An Guoming bought this house, he had invited Mr. Qu Sr. to come. He said it was to have him look after the house, but in reality, he was giving Mr. Qu Sr. a place to call home.

"Yes, my second brother is a good person."

The old man and the young woman chatted away. An Ning didn’t care about social status and wouldn’t look down on anyone.

Mr. Qu Sr. had seen much of the world and was a wise old man who didn’t pull rank due to his age. The two of them were perfectly at ease, chatting as if they were peers.

"Dinner’s ready!"

An Guoming called out that dinner was ready, and An Ning went to help.

Mr. Qu Sr. was also invited, and the three of them ate together.

At the dinner table, An Ning peeled one of the salt-baked eggs, took a bite, and said with an expression of pure astonishment, "Second Brother, you were absolutely right!"

"Heh, see? If you like them, have some more."

An Guoming had a guilty conscience, but for the moment, An Ning didn’t notice.

After dinner, An Ning did the dishes.

The three of them went to their own rooms to rest. An Ning slept soundly all night, without a single dream.

She woke up feeling refreshed and invigorated.

As she came out of her room, she saw An Guoming holding a bedsheet.

"Second Brother, what are you doing with that bedsheet?"

An Guoming’s embarrassment was off the charts.

"I... uh... accidentally spilled some water this morning. Just washing it to let it dry."

"Oh."

An Ning walked past him, her nose twitching slightly. She muttered, "What’s that smell?"

Startled, An Guoming quickly hurried away to wash the bedsheet in secret.

Life isn’t easy for a single man in his twenties!

Mr. Qu Sr. bought breakfast.

Steamed soup dumplings, soy milk, savory tofu pudding, and pickled vegetables.

It was delicious, and An Ning ate her fill.

An Guoming, however, didn’t have much of an appetite. He kept yawning.

"Second Brother, did you not sleep well last night?"

"Yeah. I have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar beds."

As soon as he said it, he noticed both Mr. Qu Sr. and An Ning were staring at him.

"I’ve been staying home so much lately, not going out. This sudden trip... I’m just not used to it. I’ll be fine in a couple of days."

There was nothing obviously wrong with An Guoming’s explanation, so An Ning and Mr. Qu Sr. went back to eating.

An Guoming yawned again and listlessly took a sip of soy milk.

’He had been dreaming all night.’

’But even so, he couldn’t be sure. Was he really that shallow of a person?’

’So unsettled by a simple smile from Yin Xuemei.’

’An Guoming wasn’t sure what he was feeling and had no intention of revealing anything. He’d just have to wait and see.’

’Once he got busy, he’d forget all about it.’

His self-pep-talk seemed to have some effect. An Guoming ate a few buns and finished his bowl of soy milk.

He led An Ning out the door to first go see a storefront he had his eye on for some time.

The siblings walked one after the other under the early morning sun, which was gentle and warm, not yet glaring or scorching.

It was as warm as a spring day, perfect for a leisurely stroll.

In early spring, everything was coming to life.

Blades of grass pushed up through cracks in the bricks, new buds sprouted on tree branches, and flowers bloomed on twigs.

The air was thick with the vibrant, gentle feeling of spring.

The early morning streets were filled not just with the sights of spring, but with people as well.

The areas around the school and factory gates were the liveliest.

Vendors skillfully set up their breakfast stalls—steamed soup dumplings, big steamed buns, fried dough twists—all sorts of small stands in a long row.

Children in school uniforms with backpacks slung over their shoulders laughed and chattered, roughhousing as they made their way to school.

"Second Brother, it’s so bustling!"

"Of course. The bigger the city, the more bustling it gets."

An Guoming felt this deeply. He led An Ning through the bustling area and into a quieter part of town.

"We’re here."