The divorce comeback system arrived right after I was born.

Weekend morning.

Chen Zhi felt like he wasn't walking a dog, but rather being walked by a dog.

The leash in my hand was taut, and at the other end of the leash, a black and white husky was pawing the ground with its front paws and kicking with its hind legs, charging toward the utility pole at the entrance of the alley.

This guy's current physique has completely departed from the category of "puppy," and the iconic "three flames" on his face exude a clear sense of stupidity.

"Wait a minute! Are you in such a hurry to be reincarnated?"

Chen Zhi was pulled so hard that he stumbled and had to grip the rope tightly with both hands, leaning back in a tug-of-war position.

Little White didn't listen at all. It turned its head, glanced at Chen Zhi with its blue eyes, opened its mouth and stuck out half of its pink tongue, letting out a strange howl like a wolf.

"Woof—Woof!"

The shout was so powerful that it sent sparrows fluttering wildly through the treetops.

Chen Zhi felt his head buzzing.

He took a deep breath, looked at the overly energetic creature, and couldn't help but complain.

"Lin Wanwan, this thing looked quite handsome when it was little, how come it's gotten more and more unkempt as it grows up?"

Lin Wanwan, who was standing next to her, was skipping and hopping along the gaps between the floor tiles.

Today she was wearing a beige hooded sweatshirt, her hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she was holding a freshly picked foxtail grass, which she was swinging around in the air.

Upon hearing Chen Zhi's complaint, the little girl immediately stopped and pointed the foxtail grass at Chen Zhi's nose.

"nonsense!"

Lin Wanwan's almond-shaped eyes widened. She took two steps to Xiaobai's side, squatted down, and cupped the husky's long face in her hands, rubbing it vigorously a couple of times.

Little White immediately squinted its eyes in agreement, wagged its tail like a propeller, and even snuggled into Lin Wanwan's arms in a cheeky manner.

"Look how cute Little White is! It's just that you lack compassion and always complain about it."

Lin Wanwan looked up and made a face at Chen Zhi.

"Is that cute?"

Chen Zhi loosened his reddened hand and pointed at the dog's head with annoyance.

"Did this kid chew up one of your dad's shoes again yesterday? I heard Uncle Lin grumbling and cursing for ages when he left this morning."

Lin Wanwan's movements froze for a moment.

She guiltily looked away and coughed lightly.

"That's...that's Xiaobai helping Dad check the quality of the leather shoes! Besides, that shoe was already old."

"Woof!"

Xiao Bai seemed to understand that someone was defending it, so it immediately raised its neck and yelled at Chen Zhi again, its face full of arrogance that said, "Someone is protecting me, what can you do to me?"

Chen Zhi was so angry he laughed.

He kicked the dog's rear end.

"Fine, you two are in cahoots. Wait until it tears up your notebook, then let's see if you still think it's cute."

Lin Wanwan snorted, stood up, and snatched the leash from Chen Zhi's hand.

"I'll lead it! Little White listens to me the most, it won't do what you said."

She ran forward, pulling on the rope, her ponytail swinging behind her head.

"Little White, go for it! We're going to the market to buy steamed buns!"

Upon hearing the word "baozi" (steamed bun), the husky's ears perked up like antennas, and its four legs moved with lightning speed, dragging Lin Wanwan as it rushed towards the bustling farmers' market ahead.

Chen Zhi shook his head, put his hands in his pockets, and followed slowly behind.

The morning sunlight pierced through the thin mist, shining on the person and dog in front of them, gilding them with a layer of gold.

……

The Chengnan Farmers Market is the liveliest place in this old town area.

The sounds of vendors hawking their wares, haggling over prices, and the clucking of chickens and ducks mingled together.

The ground was always wet, mixed with rotten vegetable leaves and muddy water.

Chen Zhi carefully avoided a puddle, his eyes searching through the crowd for the two missing men.

Soon, he spotted the familiar off-white hoodie in a corner on the edge of the market.

That location is quite remote; usually, it's just a place where mobile vendors squat to save on stall fees.

Lin Wanwan was standing there, holding the restless husky tightly in her hand, staring straight ahead, her back looking somewhat stiff.

Chen Zhi frowned and walked over quickly.

"What's wrong? Did Xiaobai get into trouble again?"

He had just walked up behind Lin Wanwan and hadn't even had a chance to see what was happening in front of him when a sharp soprano voice pierced through the surrounding noise.

"Oh dear! Everyone, come and judge this! This old man looks honest, but how can he be so wicked! This vegetable dish is full of water; is he selling vegetables or water? Is he trying to rip people off?"

Chen Zhi paused in his steps.

He turned to the side, his gaze passing over Lin Wanwan's shoulder.

In the corner, on a cement platform, lay a burlap sack with several neatly stacked piles of green vegetables and radishes.

An elderly man in a gray Zhongshan suit was hunched over, his hands fidgeting on his apron, his wrinkled face flushed red.

"Young lady, these... these vegetables were just picked from the field this morning, the dew hasn't dried yet, they weren't sprayed with water..."

The old man's voice was low and slightly accented, sounding somewhat faint in the bustling market.

Beside the old man stood a small, thin figure.

Li Zhiyi rolled up her sleeves high, revealing a slender wrist. She lowered her head, biting her lower lip tightly, her hands gripping the old man's clothes tightly, wishing she could shrink into the ground.

Across from them, a middle-aged woman with big, wavy hair and wearing floral pajamas stood with her hands on her hips, spitting as she spoke.

She held a handful of spinach in her hand and shook it vigorously, splashing a few drops of water onto Li Zhiyi's face.

"Dew? You're kidding me! This was clearly just sprinkled on to weigh it! These country folk these days, they look honest, but they're blacker than coal! This bunch of vegetables costs two yuan, at least one yuan of that is for water!"

The curly-haired woman got more and more excited as she talked, her finger almost poking the old man's nose.

"Give me my money back! Or I'll turn this place upside down! Don't you even know who I am? How dare you pull this trick right under my nose!"

People passing by stopped and pointed at the scene.

"This dish does look quite wet."

"Sigh, running a small business isn't easy either."

"Who knows? Vegetable vendors these days are really cunning."

The murmurs buzzed like flies.

Grandpa Li was so anxious that his forehead was covered in sweat, his lips trembled, and he wanted to explain but was too tongue-tied to speak, so he could only repeat over and over again, "It's really not...it really isn't..."

Li Zhiyi lowered her head even further, her shoulders trembling slightly.

She wanted to speak, to defend her grandfather, but her throat felt like it was blocked with cotton, and she couldn't utter a single word. That familiar, suffocating sense of shame overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.

She felt like all the gazes around her were pricking her like needles.

Seeing that no one dared to utter a sound, the curly-haired woman became even more arrogant. She threw the spinach in her hand on the ground and raised her foot to kick the pile of neatly stacked radishes.

"Not saying anything, huh? Feeling guilty, huh?"

Li Zhiyi suddenly raised her head, instinctively reaching out to block.

Just then.

A slender hand suddenly reached out from the side and firmly grasped the curly-haired woman's wrist.

"Auntie, you have quite a strong grip."

The curly-haired woman was startled and turned around abruptly.

A boy in sportswear stood behind her with a smug smile that made you want to punch him.

Chen Zhisong released his hand and wiped it on his pants with disgust, as if he had just touched something dirty.

"Who are you? What business is it of yours, little brat!"

The curly-haired woman glared, about to lash out, when she suddenly felt a warm, moist breath near her legs.

She looked down.

A huge dog face was pressed against her pajama pants, its blue eyes staring intently at her, emitting a low whimper, revealing two rows of gleaming white teeth.

"what!"

The woman screamed and stumbled back three steps, nearly stepping into the puddle behind her.

Lin Wanwan gripped the leash tightly, her face tense, and deliberately let the leash out a bit longer.

"Xiaobai, sit up straight! Don't scare the auntie. Even though this auntie has a louder voice than you, we should still be polite."

Little White cooperated and barked loudly.

Ignoring the woman's fear, Chen Zhi bent down, picked up the broken bunch of spinach from the ground, and gently shook off the dirt.

Then, he walked up to Li Zhiyi.

The girl was staring at him blankly, her pupils slightly dilated, as if she hadn't yet realized what was happening.

"What are you standing there for? Do you think this food is free?"

Chen Zhi shoved the spinach back into Li Zhiyi's hand, speaking casually as if they were discussing the weather.

Then, he turned to face the curly-haired woman, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.

"Ma'am, this bunch of spinach costs two yuan. You broke about a third of it when you dropped it. It's not too much to ask for ten yuan in compensation, is it?"

"You... what nonsense are you talking about!"

The curly-haired woman, regaining her composure, pointed at Chen Zhi and yelled, "Are you this old man's grandson? You're so young, yet you're already trying to extort money, aren't you? This dish is all water, and I haven't even made him pay for it yet!"

"water?"

Chen Zhi raised an eyebrow.

He casually picked up a green vegetable from the stall and shook it vigorously in front of everyone.

A few glistening water droplets splashed out and landed on the cement ground.

"Come on, everyone, take a look."

Chen Zhi raised his voice, making it clear and instantly drowning out the surrounding noise.

"This is called dew. Vegetables picked in the morning have open pores on their leaves, locking in moisture. If it were water sprinkled on the ground, the water droplets would float on the surface and dry with a shake. But look at these vegetable leaves, aren't they still moist?"

He handed the vegetables to an elderly man who was watching.

The old man was an expert; he squinted at it, nodded, and said, "Indeed, this is freshly picked from the field."

Chen Zhi smiled, turned to look at the curly-haired woman, and his tone became sharp.

"Ma'am, you're a regular grocery shopper, don't you have this much common sense? Or do you think bullying an old woman and a young girl makes you seem particularly capable?"

"I...I..."

The woman's face turned a deep purplish-red; she hadn't expected this unexpected young man to be so quick-witted.

"We'll see."

Chen Zhi looked her up and down, his gaze lingering on the gleaming gold bracelet on her wrist.

"That bracelet of yours must be worth at least ten thousand yuan, right? Dressed so elegantly, yet you're throwing things and cursing over a few cents for groceries. If word gets out, will your square dance team still want you?"

That statement was absolutely pinpoint accuracy.

A burst of laughter immediately erupted around them.

"Yeah, aren't you ashamed?"

"The little girl was almost crying from fright."

"This woman always likes to take advantage of others; it was the same thing at that fish stall last time..."

Public opinion shifted instantly.

The curly-haired woman was utterly humiliated. She felt the mocking gazes around her stinging like slaps to her face.

"Fine! You guys are awesome! Fine, I'll leave!"

She pulled a ten-yuan note from her pocket, crumpled it into a ball, threw it hard on the vegetable stall, and turned to try to squeeze out of the crowd.

"etc."

Chen Zhi's voice rang out again.

The woman paused, turned around, and glared at him fiercely: "I've already given you the money, what more do you want?"

Chen Zhi pointed to the rotten spinach on the ground.

"You smashed this dish, so you have to take it with you. After all, you paid for it, and we don't do business by forcing people to buy or sell."

"you!"

The woman's chest heaved with anger, but under Xiaobai's menacing gaze, she ultimately dared not lash out. She bent down, grabbed the bunch of rotten vegetables, and disappeared into the crowd, her back view a picture of utter disarray.

The crowd gradually dispersed.

Grandpa Li shakily picked up the crumpled ten-yuan note, wiped it on his apron, and walked up to Chen Zhi, so excited that he was incoherent.

"Young man... thank you, thank you so much... if it weren't for you..."

Chen Zhi waved his hand, reverting to his lazy demeanor.

"It's alright, Grandpa Li. I was just about to buy groceries anyway."

He squatted down and began picking and choosing from the items on the stall.

"These radishes are nice, give me two. And these greens, wrap them all up for me, so my mom doesn't have to go shopping elsewhere."

Li Zhiyi stood to the side, remaining silent.

She watched Chen Zhi skillfully pack and weigh the vegetables, watched Lin Wanwan help hold the bags, and watched the sunlight fall on Chen Zhi's slightly messy hair crown.

Her hands gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white.

In that instant, when he stood in front of her, she felt as if a crack had appeared in the always cold and damp world.

"that……"

Li Zhiyi finally mustered her courage, her voice barely audible.

Chen Zhi was busy stuffing a huge white radish into a plastic bag without even looking up.

"Um?"

"Thanks."

After Li Zhiyi said those two words, her cheeks instantly turned bright red, like a ripe tomato.

Chen Zhi paused for a moment.

He stood up, picked up the full plastic bag, and glanced at Li Zhiyi.

The girl kept her head down, not daring to look at him, but the hands that were gripping the hem of her clothes had loosened.

"What are you thanking me for? I just don't like that old lady."

Chen Zhi made up some nonsense, stuffed the money into Grandpa Li's hand, and then waved to Lin Wanwan.

"Let's go, Lin Wanwan. If we don't go back soon, your stupid dog will overturn their stall."

Nearby, Xiaobai was trying to bite into a sugarcane from a nearby stall, but Lin Wanwan pulled her ear so hard that she didn't succeed.

"Here it comes!"

Lin Wanwan responded, waved to Li Zhiyi, and gave him a bright smile.

"See you Monday, Zhiyi!"

The two people and the dog left noisily.

Li Zhiyi stood there, watching their figures disappear into the crowded throng.

Grandpa Li sighed, carefully flattened the ten yuan note, put it into his inner pocket, and muttered to himself:

"These two children have such kind hearts..."

Li Zhiyi remained silent.

She silently squatted down, stretched out her fingers, and quietly picked up all the spilled vegetables.