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

Ye Shu watched as his father instantly cowered under his aunt's authority, shrinking his neck and obediently rolling out the dough. He couldn't help but grin, thinking to himself, "You're getting scolded too, aren't you?"

Just then...

"Achoo!"

A sneeze, clearly not suppressed, came from the direction of the living room.

Ye Shu turned his head upon hearing the sound.

Xia Qing was walking out of the inner room. She was clearly not fully awake yet, her long hair was a little messy and disheveled from sleeping.

She rubbed her eyes, yawned halfway, and staggered unsteadily toward the kitchen.

Judging from his expression, it seemed as if he had forgotten that he was in Ye Shu's house and thought he was still in the morning at Yun Duan Yuan.

Sure enough, when she looked up, her gaze fell on Ye Shu standing in the kitchen doorway. Almost instinctively, with a slightly nasal tone and a sense of dependence, she asked:

"Ye Shu, what's for breakfast? I'm starving..."

Before she finished speaking, she had already swayed to the kitchen doorway and stood next to Ye Shu. While rubbing her itchy nose, she peeked into the kitchen and met two pairs of eyes staring at her.

Aunt Ye Shu was making a dumpling when she saw Xia Qing, and her face immediately lit up with the warmest smile ever:

"Xiao Qiu's awake? Are you hungry? Wait a minute, the dumplings will be in the pot soon!"

"..."

Xia Qing's movements froze instantly.

The hand that was rubbing her nose froze in mid-air, the lingering drowsiness on her face instantly shattered, replaced by a blank, bewildered expression.

She blinked, looked at her smiling aunt, then at Ye Shu's father who was silently rolling out dough, and finally, stiffly turned her neck little by little to Ye Shu beside her.

That look conveyed only one message:

"Who are they?"

It's not her fault; she really hadn't seen it before, because it was Zhi Qiu who was online yesterday.

Ye Shu quickly leaned close to her ear and whispered a reminder that only the two of them could hear:

"My aunt and my dad."

Xia Qing's pupils dilated for a moment, and then a mixture of embarrassment and "I'm doomed" flashed across her face. She could almost feel the temperature of her cheeks rising.

"Ah... haha..."

She quickly adjusted her expression, trying to force a natural, polite smile befitting a junior, and nodded to the two people in the kitchen:

"Thank you, Auntie. No, no rush, I'm fine, not too hungry."

The way she called out "Auntie" was a little awkward, not as natural as Zhi Qiu's, but it was still polite enough.

Ye Shu stood next to her and could almost hear her silent screams and the sound of her toes scratching at her slippers.

The aunt didn't notice much difference, or rather, elders always view younger generations, especially their "future niece-in-law," through a lens of prejudice.

I just thought the girl was a little dazed after waking up, which was kind of cute, and she was also very polite.

"Hey, even if you're not hungry, eat something. The journey is long."

As she spoke, her hands moved even faster:

"Go wash your face and refresh yourself, you'll be fine in a little while."

"Okay, thank you, Auntie."

Xia Qing nodded quickly, then immediately turned around and walked briskly toward the bathroom that Ye Shu had secretly pointed to. She turned and left as if she had made up her mind.

As for why Aunt Ye Shu called her "Xiao Qiu"... Xia Qing understood, it must be because it was Zhi Qiu who was online yesterday.

Steaming hot dumplings were served. After confirming with Ye Shu that it was Zhi Qiu who was online yesterday, Xia Qing began her arduous impersonation show.

Asking Xia Qing to imitate Zhi Qiu's gentle, spring-like nature is no less difficult than asking a lion to meow like a cat.

The fact that she managed to refrain from crossing her legs, eat slowly, and smile as much as possible was already an exceptional feat. When she spoke, she even raised her voice, trying to make it sound softer, but it only made her sound a bit forced and tense.

Ye Shu took in all of this and almost choked on a mouthful of dumpling soup.

He kept his head down the whole time, stuffing dumplings into his mouth, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably. Each tremor earned him a sharp, piercing glare from Xia Qing across the table. Ye Shu understood; she meant:

"Laugh again? You're dead if you laugh again!"

Breakfast was enjoyed by Ye Shu's suppressed laughter and Xia Qing's "gentle and refined" demeanor. At least Ye Shu seemed to find it quite pleasant, but whether Xia Qing was happy or not was another matter.

After finishing the dumplings and tidying up, the real moment of parting arrived.

Grandma Ye Shu held Xia Qing's hand, gently patting the back of her hand, her eyes filled with reluctance:

"Xiao Qiu, you must come again when you have time. Next time, stay for a couple more days."

"Yes, I understand, Grandma. Please take care of yourself."

She tried to imitate the tone that Zhi Qiu might use, but the last syllable still revealed a hint of Xia Qing's stiffness.

On the other side, Aunt Ye Shu pulled Ye Shu aside and whispered some instructions:

"When you're out alone, don't skimp on your meals. Eat on time, understand?"

He paused, then lowered his voice, glancing at Xia Qing, and added:

"Also, be nicer to Xiao Qiu, be more considerate, understand?"

Ye Shu felt somewhat helpless and could only give a vague reply:

"Auntie, we're not... Ah, I understand, don't worry."

It was too complicated to explain, and it seemed that even if I explained it, my aunt might not believe me, so I simply gave up trying.

Ye Shu's father didn't say much. He silently picked up the slightly heavier suitcase and insisted on taking the two of them to the station. They didn't speak a word the whole way, only the rumbling of the suitcase wheels on the ground.

Upon arriving at the bus station entrance, where they had visited the previous day, the old man stopped, handed the suitcase to Ye Shu, looked at his son, then at Xia Qing standing beside him, who seemed somewhat uncomfortable. His lips moved, but he ultimately only uttered one sentence:

"Give me a call when you get there, don't worry about things back home."

"Yes, I know. I'm fine outside. You and my aunt and grandma, please take care of yourselves."

The old man grunted in response and said nothing more, his rough hands instinctively reaching into the inner pocket of his shirt where he kept his cigarette case.

But this time, instead of cigarettes, he pulled out a small roll of neatly folded money. Before Ye Shu could even see it clearly, he stuffed it directly into Ye Shu's coat pocket.

"Take this money; it's good to have some on the road even if you're poor. Go on, the car will be here soon."

Ye Shu felt a weight in his pocket, and his throat tightened. He wanted to say, "No need, I have money," but looking at his father's silent and stubborn face, weathered by time and the hustle and bustle of life, he swallowed back all his words of refusal. He simply nodded heavily.

"……Um."

The bus swayed and rattled as it drove in, carrying the familiar smell of gasoline and dust.

After getting on the bus and finding a window seat, Ye Shu watched his father's figure gradually shrink as he stood in the same spot outside the window, until the figure became a blurry dot and finally disappeared at the end of the road.

He looked away, feeling the roll of money in his pocket was heavy, pressing down not only on the fabric, but also on some indescribable emotion.

He turned to look at Xia Qing beside him. She seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief as she gazed out the window at the scenery that was so different from Nancheng. Her profile looked somewhat serene in the swaying light and shadow.

"Thanks for earlier."

Ye Shu suddenly said in a low voice.

Xia Qing turned her head, the forced submissiveness on her face had faded, and she regained some of her usual clarity. She raised an eyebrow, seemingly not understanding what he was thanking her for.

"In front of my family, well... I cooperated very well."

Ye Shu explained, and when he thought of how she spoke in a high-pitched voice, a smile involuntarily crept into his eyes, but he managed to hold it in this time.

Xia Qing rolled her eyes at him, turned back to look out the window, leaving him only with the back of her head and a muttered remark that carried little threat:

"...It's all for the sake of convenience."

The bus bumped along, heading towards the provincial capital's train station, towards the "home" they were all returning to.