Chapter 4: Returning to School

“Dad, this is so delicious. Your cooking is still the best.” Wen Nanshuang gave the meal a perfect rating.

“Is that so? Then Dad will cook for you every day from now on.” Seeing his daughter eating happily, he felt happy too.

“Okay.”

There was no need for affectation between father and daughter.

That night, while he had been worried about his daughter being traumatized, it now seemed she was adapting better than he was.

It was clear how unhappy she had been when they were at home.

Wen Hao had always known that Jiang Li was biased; he didn’t know how many times he had pointed it out, but she remained the same.

Looking at his daughter’s frail frame, his heart ached.

She was only two years older than her younger brother, yet they were the same height.

Nanxing was even chubbier than Nanshuang.

They were both his children, and he didn’t believe in favoritism; he just wanted both children to grow up equally healthy.

But his daughter’s condition forced him to be biased.

After settling in, Wen Hao planned to send Nanshuang back to school. Because of the family situation, she had taken leave, and with her injury, she had been home for seven or eight days.

Wen Hao was also afraid that Jiang Li might have done something to hurt Nanshuang, so as soon as he received the payment for his last shipment, he bought a house in the city.

It was very small—a single-story house with only two rooms.

Once the father and daughter split the space, there wasn't even a place to cook.

Wen Hao had no choice but to add a kitchen to the side of the house.

Liangzi had wanted them to live at his place, but the issue with their household registration couldn't be resolved.

Jiang Li had no idea what was happening here. She held the father and daughter’s household registration book in her hand, her face full of smiles.

After the initial discomfort, Wen Nanxing had gotten used to it being just him and his mother at home over these past few days.

“Mom, Sister didn’t go to school again today.” Nanxing said with a look of disappointment after returning from school.

He actually missed his sister a little.

Back home, his sister had always taken care of him. Now that she was suddenly gone, he wasn't used to it.

“Don’t worry about her. You’re hungry, right? Mom will make you something delicious.” Even though they were in the same city, seeing each other was a matter of luck.

Furthermore, the house Wen Hao bought was quite far away. He had specifically chosen that location because he didn’t want Nanshuang to be too close to that woman.

“Mom, why didn’t you let Sister live with us?” Nanxing still had a pretty good relationship with his sister at the time.

“Live with us? She’s an ungrateful wretch. Didn’t you see her choose to go with your dad? If I let her live here, are you trying to be the death of me?”

The resentment Jiang Li had suppressed for days was ignited by her son’s simple question.

She had assumed that both children would choose to stay with her, and that Wen Hao would be left alone, eventually handing over all the money he earned to the children.

If it weren't for that, she wouldn't have wanted a divorce.

But who could blame...

Seeing his mother get angry, Nanxing’s eyes turned red. He had been seeing her like this often lately, and he was a little scared.

He also felt a bit of regret, wondering why he hadn't gone with his sister to live with their dad.

Dad would never be this fierce with him.

Although his dad would hit him when he was disobedient, he would coax him afterward, unlike his mother, who was truly frightening.

Jiang Li had no idea what her son was thinking, or she might have had the urge to strangle him.

Jiang Li was a very selfish person.

Don’t let her favoritism toward her son fool you; she actually knew that people in the countryside valued sons and favored boys over girls, so she knew that by holding onto her son, she held the lifeline of the entire family.

Unfortunately, Wen Hao was a rebel; in his eyes, a son was not a necessity.

He would have been content with just a daughter, as long as it was his own child.

He hadn't originally wanted a second child, but Jiang Li had taken the initiative, which led to Nanxing’s conception.

When Jiang Li married into the family, Wen Hao’s mother had passed away not long before, and his father’s health wasn't great.

With no mother-in-law to deal with, her life was actually quite good.

No matter how poor they were, Wen Hao had always provided for her meticulously.

Everyone in the village would say that Wen Hao was a man who doted on his wife.

The only bad thing people said was about Wen Hao himself.

When he was young, Wen Hao didn't work properly; he loved hanging out with a group of people in the city, getting into fights, and engaging in petty, shady business.

And so, no matter how much the villagers envied Jiang Li for remarrying, they still called her shameless for marrying a street thug.

The mother and son fell silent.

They ate their meal separately, neither saying a word.

After dinner, Nanxing went straight to his room.

At that moment, he missed his sister and his dad.

Nanshuang didn't have so many worries on her side.

She listened to her dad and would go to school tomorrow.

Her grades were average, and she wasn't anyone famous at school—just a background character.

In this era, girls going to school were still in the minority, so no matter how quiet she was, she would still attract some attention.

“Don’t be nervous. Dad isn’t expecting you to get first place.” Seeing his daughter’s slightly nervous face, Wen Hao teased.

Nanshuang rolled her eyes. She was in the first year of middle school; getting first place wasn't that hard.

Although she was a "waste" as a martial artist, she had a good brain.

She wouldn't say she had a photographic memory, but she could remember things after reading them a few times.

Not to mention science subjects, she could easily handle the humanities.

“Dad, you’re looking down on me.” This father was genuinely good to her, and it wasn't hard at all to accept him.

Compared to her own father, one was like heaven, the other like earth.

Wen Hao was heaven.

Counting it all up, she finally had a father and mother who loved her.

“When the final exams come, I’ll definitely get first place to show you.” Perhaps in this atmosphere of being doted on, Nanshuang, despite her actual age, had become childish.

It made Wen Hao laugh out loud, “Then Dad will wait for Nanshuang to bring home that first place.”

The father and daughter lived quite peacefully here.

The neighbors were far away, so no one would gossip.

Liangzi would come by from time to time to see if Nanshuang needed anything.

Her life was much better than Nanxing’s.

The next day, Nanshuang got up early. She had received the original owner’s memories, so of course, she knew where the school was.

Otherwise, that would have been a troublesome matter.

“Do you want Dad to walk you to school?” It wasn't far from here; it was a five-minute walk.

It was much closer than where they used to live.

“How old do you think I am? I don’t need to be walked to school.” Nanshuang politely declined.

“You brat, no matter how old you get, you’re still Dad’s child.” Wen Hao laughed and scolded.

Since his daughter didn't want him to walk her, he wouldn't.

He happened to have some things to do today.

The father and daughter didn't have much money left, so he had to earn some; otherwise, how would he support his precious daughter?

After eating the breakfast of love prepared by her dad, Nanshuang put on her schoolbag and headed to school.

She was in the second semester of her first year of middle school and would be in the second year by the second half of the year.

Her grades were usually average, not too bad—a middle-of-the-road student.

As soon as she entered the classroom, she saw the familiar faces from her memories.

Student days really make one nostalgic, Nanshuang sighed inwardly.

Because she wasn't very tall, she sat in the first three rows of the class.

There were about fifty students in the class.

There were no major conflicts between them, and they were fairly easy to get along with.

New book, seeking recommendation votes, seeking collections, seeking investments, seeking five-star reviews.

(End of chapter)