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

The taxi stopped in front of the An family's detached house. When Ye Shu turned the corner, he saw An Jianxing and Shen Jingwan standing at the gate, looking in their direction.

Upon seeing the car arrive, An Jianxing took two steps forward to greet it.

"Dad, those are Zhi Qiu's parents."

Ye Guoqiang followed his son's gaze, nodded, and said nothing, but tightened his grip on the bulging bag.

As soon as the car stopped, An Jianxing stepped forward, opened the back door, and began to speak with great enthusiasm:

"Oh, brother, you must be tired from your journey! Welcome, welcome! Please, come inside and have some tea to rest."

Ye Shu got off the bus from the other side and paid the fare. When he circled around to this side, he saw that his father had already been helped off the bus by An Jianxing, who was half-helping and half-asking him.

Shen Jingwan also greeted them with a smile, exchanged a few pleasantries with Ye Guoqiang, and then turned to nod to Ye Shu.

Ye Shu then noticed that behind Shen Jingwan, there was a timid figure hiding halfway up – it was An Suxue.

She was wearing a light pink dress today, her hair cascading down her back. She nervously clutched the hem of her dress, secretly peeking at Ye Guoqiang from behind Shen Jingwan. But she would glance at him briefly before quickly looking away and retreating back behind her mother.

Ye Shu sighed inwardly. Today just so happens to be the day of Minor Snow... Facing this situation is probably more unbearable than going to the execution ground.

He followed her toward the door. As soon as An Suxue saw Ye Shu, she immediately jogged over, reached out and tightly hugged Ye Shu's arm, trying her best to hide behind him.

Ye Shu turned her head and whispered to her:

"It's okay, don't be afraid, that's my dad."

An Suxue didn't speak, but pressed her face closer to his arm and nodded gently.

An Jianxing and Shen Jingwan, positioned on either side of Ye Guoqiang, warmly led him into the house. An Jianxing kept talking:

"Hey bro, was your journey smooth? How's the weather in the south of the city? Come in and have some water..."

Ye Guoqiang was clearly surprised by the couple's enthusiasm and seemed a little flustered for a moment. He just kept nodding and saying "Okay, okay" as he followed the couple into the house.

Ye Shu bent down, picked up the large bag of local specialties that had fallen to the ground, and followed after them with the koala she was holding on her arm.

Once inside, the air conditioning was at a comfortable temperature. In the living room, An Jianxing and Ye Guoqiang sat on the sofa in the middle, while Shen Jingwan sat on the sofa to the side.

Ye Shu and An Suxue sat opposite Shen Jingwan. An Suxue sat down close to Ye Shu, and from the moment they sat down until they sat down, she never let go of Ye Shu's arm. She kept her eyes down and dared not look at Ye Guoqiang.

The nanny, Sister Liu, brought over a tea tray and placed a cup of hot tea in front of each person.

After a few more simple pleasantries, Ye Guoqiang, as if just remembering something, picked up the large non-woven bag that Ye Shu had just placed at his feet and put it next to An Jianxing, saying:

"I came in a hurry this time and didn't bring anything good. These are some local products from the mountains in my hometown. They were all dried and picked by our own family. They're not worth much, just for their freshness. It's just a small token of my appreciation, please don't mind."

As he spoke, he unzipped the bag, revealing various items that he had sorted himself into plastic bags.

An Jianxing quickly leaned over and peered through the opening Ye Guoqiang had made, his face beaming with joy.

"This is really good stuff!"

He picked up a bag of dried wood ear mushrooms and looked at the other items in the bag:

"These delicacies are hard to find around here, and even if you do, they're rarely this authentic! Brother, you're too kind. You've come all this way carrying such heavy things; it's really too much trouble."

As he spoke, he handed the bag to his wife. Shen Jingwan took the bag, her smile gentle:

"Brother Ye, you're too kind. It's so heavy, it must have been tiring carrying it all the way. Please sit down and rest for a bit, have some tea. I'll take it to the kitchen and see if we can add a couple of dishes for lunch, so we can try something new."

As she spoke, she picked up the bag and got up to walk towards the kitchen, clearly enjoying these rustic delicacies.

Shen Jingwan went into the kitchen, and An Jianxing took out a cigarette case from his pocket, pulled one out, and handed it to Ye Guoqiang:

"Hey bro, wanna have a smoke? To cool off."

"Okay, okay."

An Jianxing took a lighter, cupped the flame in his hand, and lit it for Ye Guoqiang. He then lit one for himself, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

The two middle-aged men seemed to become more familiar with each other through the act of offering and lighting cigarettes.

After taking a couple of puffs, An Jianxing looked up at An Suxue, who was huddled next to Ye Shu, cosplaying as a koala. He encouraged her:

"Xiaoxue, don't just hide. Your Uncle Ye has come all this way to see you. Come on, greet your Uncle Ye properly."

Suddenly called upon, An Suxue trembled slightly. She had to raise her head and timidly glance at the middle-aged man with dark skin and a somewhat serious appearance sitting on the opposite sofa. Then she quickly lowered her head again, her lips moved a few times, and she managed to squeeze out a few words in a barely audible voice:

"Hello, Uncle Ye..."

After saying that, she squeezed herself closer to Ye Shu, almost sitting directly on his lap. She tightened her grip on Ye Shu's arm, clearly treating it like her own carrot pillow.

Ye Guoqiang, a cigarette between his fingers, looked at the girl in front of him. She did indeed look like the quiet girl who had visited his home last time, but her demeanor, her shyness... she was like a completely different person.

Although he already knew what was going on, seeing it with his own eyes still stirred a slightly different feeling within him. However, he didn't show it on his face; instead, he flashed a smile that even Ye Shu rarely saw, nodded, and softened his voice:

"Okay, good girl."

At this moment, Shen Jingwan returned from the kitchen, carrying a plate of washed fruit. Seeing An Suxue's appearance, she felt both amused and helpless, and said to Ye Guoqiang:

"Brother Ye, look at this! As soon as Xiao Shu came along, our daughter couldn't see anyone else. She's all smitten with him. We, her parents, have to take a backseat."

An Suxue's already flushed face turned bright red instantly after her mother's teasing, the redness extending all the way to the tips of her ears. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond, so she buried her burning face in Ye Shu's shoulder, only revealing the back of her head and her bright red ears. She didn't loosen her grip on Ye Shu's arm, holding him tightly.

Ye Shu felt the warmth on her shoulder, feeling both sorry for her and amused. Just how shy was she? She could feel the heat even through her clothes...

He looked at the three people opposite him and knew that this was just the beginning; the more crucial topics were yet to come.

The weight on his heart hadn't completely lifted yet.