Wu Sheng was still bent over, grabbing his luggage, when he suddenly looked up, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Seeing his dazed expression, Su Li dropped a few words and rushed forward with her head down.
"I’m fulfilling my end of the bet."
It was the bet they’d made on the haystack the first night they arrived, about whether or not it would rain.
Su Li had lost, and she was here to make good on her promise.
Su Li ran off. Wu Sheng remained frozen in place, his ears and face visibly turning red.
’Happiness had come too quickly; he couldn’t process it all at once!’
"Hahaha..."
After a long moment, Wu Sheng let out a loud laugh.
The laughter was followed by a hint of regret.
’I was such an idiot. I didn’t even get to properly savor it.’
Wu Sheng picked up the luggage and hurried after Su Li and Little Tang Mo, feeling a surge of strength coursing through him.
On the opposite shore of the lake, a few children swimming in the distance were roaring with laughter.
"I saw them hugging!"
"I even saw them kiss!"
The children let out a few mischievous whoops.
An adult heard them making a racket and gave them a scolding.
After running off, the children continued to giggle and shout.
They didn’t really know why they were shouting; they just thought it was fun and knew it was one of those embarrassing grown-up things.
The three of them returned to the Imperial City, fully recharged.
The night they got back to the Imperial City, Wu Sheng only had time to give Wu Qihua the things he’d brought from his hometown. He didn’t even have a chance to rest before he had to return to his post and get back to work.
Su Li, on the other hand, took a full day to rest properly. Only after that did she go to work at Pinjun to deal with the tasks that had piled up.
By the time she had caught up on everything, it was already mid-August, with only half a month left before school started.
Su Li mustered her spirits and returned to the radio station to continue her internship. When everyone saw her back, they didn’t say much, and she went back to interning with Li Li’s group, just like before.
However, the opportunity to broadcast the news was gone.
Su Li was mentally prepared for this, so she wasn’t disappointed. She just focused on learning diligently.
The day passed by in a flash. After her internship ended, Su Li went to the library to pick up Little Tang Mo and head home, but she unexpectedly ran into Tang Yuanxiao.
Tang Yuanxiao and Little Tang Mo were sitting at the library entrance, each with a popsicle.
"Mama." Little Tang Mo had sharp eyes and spotted Su Li right away.
When Tang Yuanxiao saw Su Li, he stood up, a slight smile appearing on his face.
He glanced at the nearly-finished popsicle in his hand. "Momo said you were picking him up, so we decided to wait for you here. We just bought these popsicles. Wait here, I’ll go get one for you."
As he spoke, Tang Yuanxiao started walking toward an old woman selling popsicles not far away.
Su Li quickly tried to stop him. "No, it’s okay. I don’t want one."
Tang Yuanxiao didn’t stop. He waved over his shoulder, his back to Su Li. "I’ll be right back. I should have just bought one earlier, but I didn’t know when you’d arrive."
Watching his back, Su Li helplessly lowered her hand.
Little Tang Mo slurped his popsicle. "I saw... Dad... when I came out. He was waiting for me here last time, too."
Little Tang Mo mumbled the word "Dad," but he had finally said it again.
The word "Dad" didn’t bring back the best memories for Little Tang Mo, but besides "Dad," he didn’t know what else to call him.
Su Li was taken aback for a moment that Little Tang Mo had started calling him "Dad" again, but she wasn’t surprised.
She knew in her heart that sooner or later, Little Tang Mo would start saying it again.
Tang Yuanxiao’s feelings for Little Tang Mo were plain to see. Little Tang Mo saw it, so it was only a matter of time before he called him that again.
Su Li stroked Little Tang Mo’s head but didn’t say anything.
Tang Yuanxiao quickly returned with a popsicle—it was even the sticky rice kind that Su Li liked.
"Thank you." Su Li took it with a word of thanks but didn’t eat it right away. Instead, she asked a question.
"Did you come specifically to see Little Mo, or was there something else?"
Tang Yuanxiao was silent for a moment. "I mainly came to see Momo."
Su Li nodded. "If you want to come in the future, you can contact me beforehand. You can take Little Mo out to play for the day, as long as you don’t take him back home with you."
Tang Yuanxiao grunted in acknowledgment. He had come to see Little Tang Mo, but he had also been hoping to run into Su Li, just to catch a glimpse of her and exchange a few words.
With Su Li having gone back to Wu Sheng’s hometown for so long, this little hope was all he had left.
Su Li asked Tang Yuanxiao how he was doing and learned that he had been transferred to a new position. "You got promoted?"
Tang Yuanxiao nodded. "Yeah... a couple of days ago."
Su Li smiled. "Congratulations."
After a year, he had finally been promoted.
"I’m very grateful. I’ll work even harder and improve more in the future." Tang Yuanxiao’s eyes shone with joy and ambition.
Having returned from the Devil’s Training Camp, as long as he worked hard, his future looked bright, barring any accidents.
After exchanging a few more words, Su Li said goodbye to Tang Yuanxiao and left with Little Tang Mo.
Tang Yuanxiao wanted to walk them home, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to say it. He restrained himself and just watched them walk away.
Once Tang Yuanxiao was out of sight, Little Tang Mo looked at the popsicle melting in Su Li’s hand and reminded her, "Mom, your popsicle is melting."
Su Li looked at the popsicle and smiled. "Are you staring at it because you want to eat it?"
When they got back to the entrance of their residential community, they unexpectedly saw someone who shouldn’t have been there—Su Dan.
Su Li’s brother, Su Dan.
Su Dan was arguing with the gatekeeper. He wanted to go in, but the old man wouldn’t let him.
"I told you I’m Su Li’s brother! You old man, what gives you the right to keep me out...?"
Su Dan was dressed in a trendy floral shirt, bell-bottoms, and a pair of aviator sunglasses. He looked like he was keeping up with the times, but it couldn’t hide his deep-seated insecurity.
It was the kind of panic and fear that came from arriving in a big city. When faced with the gatekeeper stopping him, he assumed the man was looking down on him for being from the countryside, so his voice grew louder and louder, as if that was the only way to find some confidence.
"It’s not that I won’t let you in. Su Li went out and hasn’t come back yet. You can just wait here for a bit. It’ll be fine once she returns."
The gatekeeper explained helplessly. As mentioned before, he was now very responsible; he always knew when Su Li left and when she was home.
Every time Su Li came or went, she would greet him. Whenever her family made something delicious, she would bring him a portion if she could. It was always a kind gesture.
The old man also lived in the community, and they had developed a neighborly rapport.
Of course, Su Dan couldn’t appreciate the gatekeeper’s good intentions. He was just angry.
"Why did that person just now get to go in, but I can’t? Why?!"
"Please, don’t misunderstand. That person has been here before; he lives nearby. Your situation is different. I’m not letting you in because Su Li isn’t home. I have this job, and I have to ensure the safety of everyone inside..."
Su Dan rudely cut off the gatekeeper’s explanation. "Why waste so much breath? Isn’t it just because I don’t speak the local dialect?"
Su Dan’s face was filled with rage. "You people just look down on others! You’re treating me like this on purpose just because I’m not from the Imperial City!"
If a person is overly sensitive and unworldly, they can hear perfectly ordinary words and read all sorts of insinuations and sarcasm into them.
This was exactly Su Dan’s state at that moment. He desperately tried to dress like a city person and learn to speak like people from the Imperial City, but he just couldn’t pull it off.
So, when the gatekeeper blocked him, in his eyes, it was a clear sign that the man looked down on him.