Wife, please behave yourself.

Chapter 104 Happiness Must Be Grasped by Oneself
Behind the door of the emergency exit.

An Zhaoran was squatting in the corner, holding her phone.

The words that slipped out unconsciously plunged her into a long silence, and the comical expression that Liu Changcun had mentioned more than once reappeared.

She only shows this expression when she is nervous.

Suddenly, as if she had lost the ability to communicate normally, her panicked thoughts completely interrupted An Zhaoran's words that she was about to continue.

His eyes darted around frantically, desperately trying to find a suitable explanation.

"I... I just misspoke. I was thinking... I was thinking about your cooking. Yes, that's it!"

Formerly a weather anchor, she rarely stuttered, and her incoherent answers seemed to convince herself otherwise.

However, the man on the other end of the phone did not respond, making her hasty explanation seem like a ridiculous clown.

Holding a screw he'd picked up from somewhere in his left hand, he used the pointed end to trace a name on the white wall in the corner. He rubbed the last stroke of the character "存" in Liu Changcun's name back and forth, and white wall debris fell like snowflakes in winter.

I don't know how long I waited, but there was no response from a man on the other end of the phone.

With her eyes downcast, An Zhaoran's mood, which had finally improved, plummeted again, and she slammed the screw she was holding against the wall even harder.

"Is the signal bad?"

I made up an excuse for myself.

An Zhaoran thought that if the reason Liu Changcun didn't respond was really just because the signal was bad in the stairwell...

She is more accepting of this.

"Hey!"

[I heard that, I heard that, that's really loud.]

An Zhaoran finally felt relieved when the man on the other end of the phone, who hadn't responded for a long time, spoke again.

Looking somewhat aggrieved, he drew a cartoon pig's head next to the name "Liu Changcun" with the hand holding the screw.

"Did you hear everything just now? I just misspoke."

【clear. 】

"I'm glad you understand..."

She pretended to breathe a sigh of relief, but the answer on the phone didn't make An Zhaoran as happy as she had expected.

The two were silent for a moment, and just as she was about to start talking about something else, Liu Changcun's voice came through the phone first.

[I have to go now, I need to take lunch to the kids. I'm hanging up.]

"Hey, wait..."

Before I could even say a word, the receiver emitted a busy tone indicating the call had been disconnected.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, An Zhaoran quickly showed her phone screen.

Looking at the ended call on the screen, he belatedly muttered something after a while.

"Why hang up so quickly... Do you really dislike talking to me that much...?"

With her phone screen off, An Zhaoran muttered unhappily as she used the excuse of finding a screw on the set to escape.

The screw in his right hand finished patching up the pig's head on the white wall.

She stood up again from her squatting position.

He casually tossed the screws he found into a metal box used to store cigarette butts, put away his phone, and left the stairwell.

In front of the Mixue Ice Cream store.

Liu Changcun only went out to buy two boxed meals, but when he returned, a large crowd had already gathered at the store entrance.

Liu Songyan sat at the door with a frown, following his father's instructions exactly.

They were just taking a couple of sips of milk tea, and in no time, more than a dozen female students had gathered at the store entrance.

Several of the bolder girls stared at him without any attempt to hide it. Seeing Liu Songyan frown under their gaze, someone suddenly made a sharp, explosive sound.

The chattering noise gave Liu Songyan a headache, and even the delicious milk tea in his hand tasted bland.

"It'll be ready soon...it'll be done soon..."

Ning Mengyao was extremely busy in the store, as most customers opted for an extra cup due to the new store's promotional activities.

This meant that she had to be responsible for recording orders while also preparing and processing cashier's orders and giving change.

Even though Ning Mengyao had worked in a supermarket before, the workload was not as heavy as it is now.

Seeing Ning Mengyao so busy, Chi Jinhe couldn't bear it and hesitated for a moment before deciding to help.

For the time being, he was in charge of taking orders and handling cashier duties, with a clear division of labor with the busy Ning Mengyao.

When Liu Changcun returned to the shop, he saw Uncle Liu returning with food, and Chi Jinhe, who was inside the station, immediately showed a relieved expression.

"Uncle, you're finally back..."

"Go and eat."

Upon entering the station, Liu Changcun handed the boxed lunch he was carrying to Chi Jinhe.

After giving the instructions, he began to deal with the students who were next.

Once the peak season had passed, Liu Changcun finally had the time to observe the two people dining in the restaurant.

Looking at Liu Songyan, who was sitting at the same table with Chi Jinhe, his furrowed brows still furrowed.

Smiling, she gave the change to the last customer, then immediately left the cashier and sat down next to her son.

Looking at the two people in front of him who were quietly eating their boxed lunches.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling a little upset?"

"..."

Liu Songyan abruptly stopped shoveling food into his lunchbox and turned to look at his father, who was asking him a question.

His furrowed brows relaxed.

"No."

"Xiao Chi, remember this: if he acts like this in the future, it means he's unhappy."

After saying this, Liu Changcun shifted his gaze from the puzzled Chi Jinhe's face and looked at his son again.

"When a new store opens, we'll do whatever it takes to generate revenue, no matter what it takes."

"Including letting me sit by the door?"

"It's just showing your face, it won't cost you anything. Be a real man, don't get upset."

"..."

Holding the comic book, Liu Wanqiu felt incredibly smug seeing her brother get the short end of the stick.

Even though she raised her hand to cover her mouth, she still couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The younger sister's laughter was particularly jarring in the now quiet shop. Liu Songyan, who was sitting at the table eating his boxed lunch, picked up the rice bowl in front of him with a fierce bite.

Seeing his son's indignant expression, Liu Changcun put aside his joking thoughts and spoke up.

"With great power comes great responsibility. Remember this saying."

"..."

Liu Songyan froze, looking at his father who had spoken those words with a serious expression.

Liu Songyan, as the son, could not be incomprehensible about his father's actions.

He wasn't angry that his father had made him a figurehead; what bothered him was the powerless feeling of being stared at like a rare species.

Ever since he cut off his strange hairstyle, his classmates have shown great fear when they learned that he was Liu Songyan.

Within just one morning, many students who had heard the news came to see the classroom of Class 2, Grade 9.

I was already stressed enough, so I thought coming to the store would be easier.

Unexpectedly, my father pulled me to sit at the doorway again.

However, all the dissatisfaction he felt earlier vanished after his father finished speaking his last words. He thought about how his father needed him and how the family business needed him.

Even with a lot of unhappiness in his heart, Liu Songyan lost all temper.

The 14-year-old boy suddenly felt that the burden on his shoulders had become heavier.

With great power comes great responsibility.

He got it.

After finishing their boxed lunches with Chi Jinhe, they said goodbye and left. The lunch break on the 16th wasn't long because their father had taken a while to bring back the lunches, forcing them to speed up their meal.

The elderly father stood outside the shop, watching the receding figure disappear into the distance.

Only after Liu Songyan and Chi Jinhe had walked away did they return to the shop.

Looking at Ning Mengyao, who was leaning against the stage, he raised his hand and tapped the stage a few times.

Seeing that the other person looked up at him, he smiled and asked.

"If business continues like this, we'll hire another person after a while."

"..."

Ning Mengyao, who had been busy all this time, finally had some time to rest, but before she could even relax for a short while, she heard Liu Changcun's suggestion.

At first, I was taken aback, but then I quickly realized what was happening.

"Are you not going to let me do it?"

"What are you thinking? I'm just planning to hire another person to help you."

"That's it..."

Ning Mengyao breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that she had been worrying unnecessarily.

She had barely relaxed when she heard Liu Changcun's voice again.

"I'm going out for a bit later, could you please watch the child for me?"

Liu Changcun pointed to Liu Wanqiu, who was still engrossed in her comic book, and continued speaking to Ning Mengyao in front of him.

“I gave her twenty yuan this morning. If she wants to buy something to eat, she can pay for it herself. Don’t pay for her.”

"it is good……"

"I feel very reassured leaving the child with you. I'll leave now and come back as soon as I've finished my business."

"Uh-huh."

Watching Liu Changcun leave the shop, my body, which had been somewhat tired from being busy, seemed to regain its strength.

With a smile on her face, Ning Mengyao watched the man get into the car and drive away, only turning her gaze away after the vehicle disappeared from sight.

He looked down at his hands resting on the table, and after a while, he took something out of his pocket.

She took out a small purse, which she had bought at a street stall.

He opened it, took out a neatly folded strip of paper, unfolded it, and looked at the Chinese characters that came into view.

First Prize

Her already smiling expression became even more pronounced after she saw the note in her hand.

To this day, Ning Mengyao still remembers the scene when Liu Changcun switched the note with her.

That was during her most confused and helpless time...

The care that Liu Changcun, the bookstore owner, gave her.

"what is this?"

The memory was abruptly interrupted, and Ning Mengyao, who was staring at the note and grinning foolishly, instantly realized what was happening.

As if caught fidgeting in class by the teacher, he almost instinctively hid the note he was holding behind his back.

When she looked up, she saw Liu Wanqiu peering out from in front of her.

"What did they write? I couldn't even read it."

"It's nothing, just a very ordinary note..."

"Can't I take a look? I'm a little curious~"

"..."

Ning Mengyao quickly folded the note hidden behind her back, then reached out and grabbed the small purse on the table, putting the note she had just taken out into it.

Then he put it back in his pocket and kept pressing down on the bulging pocket.

Looking at Liu Wanqiu, who had witnessed the whole process, he asked in a panic.

"Late Autumn, would you like some milk tea? I'll make you a cup."

"But the note..."

"How about adding more pearls?"

"Ok?"

With her eyes widened, Liu Wanqiu, who had been obsessed with the note, suddenly perked up.

She absolutely adored those small, black, bouncy pearls.

If her father hadn't forbade her to do it, she could have eaten her fill of pearls from the whole basin.

Upon hearing Ning Mengyao's words, her initial interest in the note was immediately diverted.

He raised his arms high and cheered in agreement.

I want a super-sized one!

"Okay, I'll do it for you right away."

Taking out the extra-large cup, Ning Mengyao quickly left the stage.

Only after turning around and seeing that Liu Wanqiu's watchful gaze was no longer visible did he breathe a sigh of relief.

She turned her back and took the purse out of her pocket again, and the slip of paper with the words "First Prize" printed on it came into her view once more.

The small note was placed in her palm.

Ning Mengyao couldn't help but smile just by looking at this note.

She used to feel very unlucky, so unlucky that no matter what she did or what kind of people she met, she would always bear the consequences silently.

Over time, this fostered a patient and tolerant character.

It seems that in her view, as long as she continues to treat others well, she will eventually reap her own happiness.

However... fate seemed to be playing a cruel joke on her.

Happiness was a distant and unattainable dream for her.

She thought she would never meet someone who would take the initiative to care about her again in her life, nor would she find her own happiness.

However, it was only after meeting Liu Changcun that Ning Mengyao experienced the feeling of being cared for again.

Liu Changcun, who is five years older than her, is steady and reliable.

Although he may occasionally say things that you've never heard before, he can also seriously advise others when something happens.

He had just ended a marriage of more than ten years and was facing such a blow. Even for ordinary people, it would take several years to get over it.

But Liu Changcun is different.

He taught Ning Mengyao to love herself first, and he taught her to be confident.

Before meeting him, Ning Mengyao had always accepted the arrangements of fate.

I never actively strive for anything; it's only when I'm alone that I dare to fantasize about unrealistic scenarios.

As she spent the summer with Liu Changcun, she gradually came to understand a principle.

To achieve a happy life, first and foremost... you must have a heart that yearns for happiness and strives to achieve it.

Looking at the note lying steadily in my palm.

Looking at the three large characters printed on it.

First Prize

"Are you happy...?"

She muttered to herself as if talking to herself. Although the note in her hand contained no information about Liu Changcun, the image of the man was imprinted in her mind as she looked at the note.

Just like the blurry image she saw while drunk by the bridge that night.

The two, who were not yet close at the time, made a phone call while drunk.

He then took a taxi and searched for a long time before finally finding Liu Changcun.

In my memory, the blurry images from that time gradually became clearer.

Ning Mengyao now seems to be able to remember what happened back then.

(End of this chapter)