Chapter 22: Once Having Seen the Vast Ocean

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Li Tian’er cursed An Changlin in her heart—was he a reckless fool or something milder? She wanted to kick him all the way to Spain! Fan Lihua was lying on the kang bed in the southern room, looking out the window at the courtyard’s commotion. An Changlin even reached out to grab her hand—wasn’t he just causing trouble for her? Even if she had some feelings for him, that had to wait until she was single again.

Besides, An Changlin had first gone on a blind date with He Feng and promised to marry her. His outburst today would only make He Feng’s father unwilling to let things rest.

“Taohua, please promise me.”

“Say another word and I’ll call someone.”

Li Tian’er coldly pulled her hand free from An Changlin’s grip and quickly went back inside, shutting the door behind her.

An Changlin stood there for a moment, looking up at the sky. Then he rubbed his temples before striding out of the Chen family courtyard.

Frost patterns formed on the window glass, gradually spreading until the last clear spot was covered. Sitting on the kang, she could no longer see the courtyard outside; the evening temperature was dropping sharply.

She moved the quilt that He Feng had kicked off to the floor and fetched a new one from the cabinet by the kang. No patients had come all afternoon, which allowed her some peace to calm her mind and plan her future.

Not seeing any change in popularity points every day made Li Tian’er anxious. The only person who could make her popularity soar was An Changlin, yet every time they met, he left her furious and unsettled.

She guessed she wouldn’t be able to boost his popularity points anymore after today. She had scolded him so fiercely and rejected him so absolutely that anyone else would have been disheartened and cut ties for good.

“Taohua, it’s time to eat.”

Fan Lihua called from the door, then turned back to the main room to set the table. She had seen An Changlin and Li Taohua talking in the courtyard for a long time at noon, which made her heart race. When she saw her daughter-in-law push An Changlin away and go inside, she finally felt relieved.

Fan Lihua knew that before Li Taohua entered the family, she and An Changlin had mutual feelings. Later, when An Changlin went to the army in another place, they kept in touch through letters. Chen Yunchao was about to start university, but the old village chief insisted on marrying his daughter to him. Although Li Taohua worked diligently after marriage, it was obvious her spirit was not as vibrant and radiant as when she was unmarried.

The village’s gossiping mothers-in-law once pulled Fan Lihua aside and hinted that maybe Chen Yunchao had been too harsh on Li Taohua. They implied that Li Taohua’s listlessness was caused by Chen Yunchao’s use of some yin-yang balancing technique.

“People with education have all sorts of tricks! I hear the university has all kinds of books…”

Fan Lihua’s face almost darkened with anger upon hearing this. Her son rarely came home; when he did, there was never a sound from his room, even on the wedding night it was quiet. Some things were hard to ask her son about, and when she asked her daughter-in-law, Li Taohua always hesitated. She suspected Li Taohua had a wandering heart, but today, it seemed she had been wrong about her.

“Taohua, eat more. Yunchao is coming back tomorrow.”

Fan Lihua almost coaxed as she piled some cabbage cooked in pork fat onto her plate.

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“…”

What did Chen Yunchao coming back have to do with her eating more?

Li Tian’er felt Fan Lihua was implying something, but she didn’t bother guessing.

“Yunchao’s coming back, huh?”

Chen Jiangchao looked at Li Tian’er.

“Big brother knows now!”

Chen Haichao was shocked; his older brother used to only play and eat without much thought.

“There’s nothing to make a fuss about. Your big brother still wants to be a teacher! Jiangchao, finish your meal quickly and go back to your room to do homework. To be a teacher, you have to study well.”

Her eldest son had shared his life goal on his first day at school, making Fan Lihua so happy she could barely contain herself. With her three-year suspicion about her daughter-in-law finally lifted, all she hoped for now was that her second son, Chen Yunchao, would return soon, so her daughter-in-law could bear children early.

“I didn’t understand today’s lesson.”

Chen Jiangchao still spoke slowly as before. His slow speech used to make people think he was simple-minded, but now, combined with his earnest expression, it made him seem steady and trustworthy.

“What will you do if you don’t understand? Should I find the teacher to give you extra lessons…”

“Mom, forget it. When have you ever heard of village teachers giving extra lessons? The few village primary school teachers are already amazing if they can get students to graduate primary school.”

Chen Haichao pushed his bowl away but stayed at the table.

Hearing his youngest son say this, Fan Lihua’s joyful smile turned to worry.

Her eldest son was already being laughed at on his first day of school. If he couldn’t keep up, he’d never have the chance to continue studying. Without education, life would be much harder. If her eldest son didn’t go to school, he’d be illiterate.

“If only Yunchao were home. When he comes back tomorrow, he can teach you. Jiangchao, don’t be anxious if you don’t understand. Learning takes time. You can’t expect to become an expert overnight.”

“Big brother can’t have second brother teach him every day. It’d be better if second sister-in-law taught big brother.”

Chen Haichao quickly distanced himself from the idea of having to teach his slow-witted brother, making sure to remove himself from the task.

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Fan Lihua thought the youngest son had a point but didn’t dare say anything in front of Li Tian’er.

“All right, I’ll teach big brother.”

Since she had cured Chen Jiangchao’s dullness, she might as well go all the way and help him become a model student. If he was willing to work hard, she might even turn this slow-witted big brother into a teacher.

Thinking of such an accomplishment made Li Tian’er inexplicably excited.

“That’s great. Hurry up and teach at the big table. I’ll make you some sweet soup later.”

Chen Jiangchao looked like a serious little student. Perhaps because he had been slow since childhood, his appearance made him look younger than his brother Chen Yunchao.

Usually, schools enrolled new students in autumn. Chen Jiangchao, at his mature age, had entered half-way through the first grade without the foundational first semester, making it difficult for him to follow lessons.

Li Tian’er shook her head at first but smiled slightly and nodded when she heard Fan Lihua anxiously ask if she could teach Chen Jiangchao.

“Amitabha, may heaven bless us!”

Fan Lihua cleared the table, gathering bowls, and almost bumped into Chen Haichao as she turned.

“Don’t just stand there and get in my way if you’re not working.”

“Mom, I have something to tell you.”

Chen Haichao glanced at Li Tian’er, who was teaching Chen Jiangchao at the big table, then hesitated.

“What is it?”

Usually playful and smiling, the youngest son suddenly looked serious. Fan Lihua had a feeling he was about to say something important. Seeing him look toward her daughter-in-law, she immediately understood and gestured for him to speak in the southern room.

Once inside and with the door firmly closed, Fan Lihua anxiously asked what was wrong. Chen Haichao lowered his head, hesitated, then looked up and said:

“I want to go to the provincial city to work with An Changlin.”