The landlord has multiple personalities and wants everyone to pay him.

Having gotten used to sleeping on a soft bed, Ye Shu felt like he was being tortured the whole night when he slept on this old, hard kang (heated brick bed).

He could clearly feel every uneven spot on the kang (a heated brick bed), but it wasn't that the kang was uneven; it was just that he couldn't handle it, and it was purely because his own bones were hurting.

When I woke up, every part of my body ached, as if I had been kicked and shoved in the middle of the night.

He struggled to get up, and it was already past eight in the morning.

Grandma had gotten up early and was sitting on the sofa in the living room watching TV. Hearing the noise, she turned to look at Ye Shu:

"Xiao Shu is awake. The food is in the pot and it's still warm. Go and eat."

"Um."

Ye Shu put her hands on her hips, circled three times to the left and three times to the right at the doorway, twisted her neck and wiggled her hips, listening to the cracking sound of her spine as she exercised.

He looked around and asked:

Where's my dad?

"Your dad went shopping, he'll be back in a bit."

Ye Shu nodded and went to the bathroom to wash up first.

Back in the living room, he saw the photo frame on the dresser next to the door. He went over and picked it up. The frame was spotless, without a speck of dust, clearly indicating that someone had actually cleaned it.

The photo showed his mother's smiling face in black and white. He gently touched her face in the photo and silently murmured to himself:

"Mom, I'm home."

Just then, the door was pulled open, and a blast of cold air rushed into the room as Ye Guoqiang squeezed in, carrying a case of beer.

Ye Shu quickly put the photos back, then turned around and saw several more boxes outside the door. Without saying anything, Ye Shu went over and helped carry them.

"Don't come out, you'll get cold."

Ye Guoqiang stopped him and carried the beer into the house. Ye Shu then carried the beer back and forth to the kitchen, piling it up in the kitchen.

Not only beer, but also drinks, lined up in a row.

"You bought so much?"

Ye Guoqiang pulled up his coat and said:

"There will be many people at home during the Chinese New Year, so make sure you have plenty of drinks so that there won't be enough to drink when the stores are still closed."

Ye Shu thought about it and agreed. It would be quite awkward for the whole family to sit together and drink cold water.

He returned to the living room and was about to sit down when he saw the row of flowerpots his father kept by the window.

One of the flowerpots was particularly eye-catching because it was covered with a small greenhouse made of wire and transparent plastic sheeting.

Inside the greenhouse, a small pink and white flower was blooming.

After seeing this, Ye Shu looked up and asked her father, who was drinking tea:

"Dad, is this what you grew from the bag of seeds Xia Qing gave you before?"

Ye Guoqiang glanced at the potted plant following the direction of his flower, took a sip of tea, and remained expressionless.

"Hmm, it's alright, quite easy to grow. I wasn't sure if it would survive, so I didn't dare plant all of them. I planted one pot to try first, and it actually bloomed."

Although his father spoke casually, Ye Shu knew that his father had taken it to heart.

In fact, these southern flowers simply cannot survive, let alone bloom, in the northern winter.

Ye Shu turned and went back to the bedroom, then came out with her phone and took several photos of the small pink flower.

If Sister Xia Qing saw this, she would definitely be very happy.

Her good intentions were not wasted; instead, they were carefully nurtured and truly blossomed.

After taking the photos, Ye Shu went back to the room, took out the backpack he was carrying, put it on the ground, and started taking things out.

"Grandma, um... my girlfriend brought some things for her family."

As he spoke, he reached into a plastic bag, the kind used for clothes, and inside was a rather large red woolen scarf.

He handed the scarf to his grandmother and said:

"She said it's cold here in winter, so she's giving you this scarf... uh... she knitted it herself..."

His second half of the sentence revealed his guilty conscience.

Grandma didn't notice anything amiss, and happily took it, putting on her reading glasses and examining the stitches, gently running her hands over them.

"This child has such skillful hands. Look at how tightly it's knitted. It looks so warm, just like it was made by a machine. It's really nice."

Ye Shu stood to the side, head bowed, not daring to look at his grandmother. He was about to break down, thinking to himself:

Grandma, you have such a good eye! You could tell at a glance that it was machine-made.

In fact, Xia Qing had indeed intended to knit it herself. Ye Shu still remembered her ambitious look as she bought a large amount of yarn and found several tutorials online.

As a result, when those two needles were in her hands, she wielded them with such skill and flair, as if practicing martial arts, that Ye Shu couldn't help but think of Bai Zhantang telling stories:

"What a Black Whirlwind! Wielding two ornate battle axes, he charged into the crowd, slashing left and right, chopping off arms when blocked and legs when tripped, until the sky darkened and blood flowed like rivers!!!"

But she still refused to give up, and every time she would tell Ye Shu that when she was not around, she absolutely did not allow anyone else, especially Zhi Qiu, to do it; she insisted on completing this wish herself.

Even when Ye Shu was about to leave, the scarf, which was a token of affection, was still only a handful long.

Finally, having no other choice, Xia Qing had to strategically back down and went to the mall to buy a rather expensive one. She even coaxed and threatened Ye Shu, instructing him to insist that she had knitted it herself!

Ye Shu rummaged in her bag again and pulled out another piece of clothing. She unfolded it and found it was a leather jacket.

"Dad, this is for you."

This was prepared by Zhi Qiu. Last time her father came to Nancheng, he left in a hurry, and Zhi Qiu didn't get to see him.

She specifically asked Ye Shu what kind of clothes her father usually liked to wear.

Ye Shu thought for a moment. It seemed that his father didn't have any particular preferences. He usually wore a leather jacket, which was durable, sturdy, and windproof, and made him look smart.

Therefore, Sister Zhi Qiu specially prepared one this time.

Ye Guoqiang took the leather jacket, touched it, and found the quality to be quite good. Although his face didn't show much expression, he still habitually muttered:

"Why spend money when you have clothes to wear?"

But his hands didn't stop; he touched the robe again and again, just like Elder Jinchi had seen a precious cassock, only he didn't show it on his face.

Ye Shu quickly offered a way out:

"It's a thoughtful gift from my partner. They picked it out especially for you, so just wear it and see if it fits."

"Perfect, just right."

Ye Guoqiang stood up, and the clothes already fit perfectly before he even put them on.

Ye Shu found it somewhat amusing. He suddenly remembered a line from Zhao Benshan's skit: "What size shoes do you wear? What size feet do I have?"

My own father is like a piece of clothing given to me by my future daughter-in-law; whatever size I wear will fit perfectly.

Ye Guoqiang put on his leather jacket, zipped it up, raised his arms and swung them, paced back and forth in the living room a couple of times, then nodded:

"Hmm, it fits well, the material is good, and it's comfortable to wear."

"That's fine then."

Ye Shu responded, then looked down and pulled out a large pile of pastries and local specialties from his backpack. He arranged them one by one on the coffee table and said:

"Grandma, try this and see if you like it?"

He bought it with his salary. Even though he was going home, he couldn't let them spend all the money; he had to show his appreciation too.

He saw that his father had already taken off his clothes, and even went back to the bedroom to take out a clothes rack from the wardrobe, hung up the leather jacket, and smoothed out the creases before hanging it up.

This is true love.

Ye Shu didn't pay attention, looked down at the remaining things in her bag that were meant for her aunt's family, and then looked up and asked:

"Dad, when are my aunt and the others coming back? Xiao Tao must have been on vacation for a while, right?"

Ye Guoqiang was already sitting on the sofa, continuing to drink his cup of tea.

"It should be soon, in the next couple of days. Xiao Tao seems to be busy with something. She'll be back once she's done."