Chapter 114: Quite the Keen Eye

“Did she go to Kyoto?” Shen Qingyi asked eagerly.

Feng Erqiu nodded. “Yes, she took the two children with her.”

“And then?”

“She never came back. Her relatives went looking for her but couldn’t find her.”

Shen Qingyi’s heart was heavy after hearing the story. “What’s her name?”

“Wang Chunhua.”

Hearing the name, Shen Qingyi’s fleeting hope was instantly dashed, but she still asked stubbornly, “Is there a woman named He Xiangcao in your village?”

Feng Erqiu shook her head firmly. “No.”

Though a bit disappointed, Shen Qingyi gratefully said, “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” Feng Erqiu replied. Seeing her expression fall after asking about the name, she asked, “Comrade Xiao Shen, is there something important about He Xiangcao?”

A weary smile tugged at Shen Qingyi’s lips. “Not really. Years ago, I saw these insoles at a market in Kyoto and thought they were beautiful, so I bought a pair for my father. After he used them and found them comfortable, I went back to buy another pair, but the vendor was gone. I asked around and learned her name was He Xiangcao. She wasn’t coming back, which was a pity.”

She offered a casual excuse.

Feng Erqiu laughed. “So you came to me just to have another pair made for your dad?”

Shen Qingyi hesitated, then quickly corrected herself, “My father has passed away. I want to make two pairs for my husband.”

She had come to Feng Erqiu just to ask about this but forgot to think of a proper reason.

Feng Erqiu nodded. “Alright. What shoe size does your husband wear? Is it urgent?”

“Size forty-three. Not urgent. You can make them when you have time. We’ll be here until the project ends.”

Just then, Shen Qingyi saw Lu Yan standing at the door. An An noticed him too and quickly went over, taking Lu Yan’s hand to introduce him to Chun Ni. “This is my dad.”

Chun Ni’s eyes widened, and she couldn’t help but praise, “Wow, your dad is really tall and handsome.”

There were too many people at noon, so she hadn’t clearly seen An An’s father before.

Feng Erqiu awkwardly tugged at Chun Ni. “Young lady, don’t say such things. It’s embarrassing.”

Shen Qingyi smiled. “It’s alright. The little girl has good taste.”

Hearing this, Lu Yan’s lips curled subtly. He strode in confidently, nodded to Feng Erqiu, and sat down beside Shen Qingyi.

---

An An scrunched his nose at Chun Ni. “Everyone says I look like my dad.”

Chun Ni wasn’t as surprised by him as before. Unfair!

Her dark eyes fixed on An An for a moment. “You’re good-looking too, but not quite that good.”

She couldn’t explain it, so that was all she could say.

An An protested, “I’ll be that good-looking when I grow up.”

Shen Qingyi found their little dispute quite amusing, her lips curved in a smile, while Feng Erqiu grew a bit tense, worried the children might quarrel.

She tugged at Chun Ni to stand. “Let’s head back. The insoles will be ready in five days.”

“Okay!” Shen Qingyi turned to pick up the eggs from the table and handed them to Chun Ni. “We don’t cook here. Take these home and eat them yourself.”

Chun Ni hesitated but didn’t take them. “Auntie, you can boil them in plain water for An An as a snack.”

The little girl’s gaze lingered on Shen Qingyi’s eyes. She squatted down and hung the basket back on Chun Ni’s small hand. “An An has snacks but doesn’t like boiled eggs. You keep them.”

After hearing this, Chun Ni glanced at Feng Erqiu, who said to her, “Aren’t you going to thank Auntie Shen?”

“Thank you, Auntie Shen,” Chun Ni said sweetly, holding the basket.

After the three left, Lu Yan finally spoke. “We still need about twenty minutes to finish cooking the porridge.”

“All right.”

Su Yang then came out of his room, rubbed his stomach, and smiled at An An. “Uncle is very hungry. Can you give me some of your snacks to tide me over?”

He sat in the room, clearly hearing the conversation in the hall.

“Sure!” An An found this uncle friendly and was happy to share.

He went to his room, brought out some cookies and chocolates, and handed them to Su Yang. “You can have all the chocolate. Eat fewer cookies.”

Su Yang took the chocolate, noticing the expensive packaging marked with traditional Chinese and English letters. “Why?”

“My mom said kids get cavities if they eat too much sweet stuff,” An An answered honestly.

Su Yang accepted it gladly. He was quite particular; if he had gotten a single candy as a child, he would have been overjoyed. This was chocolate, after all.

“Not allowed to eat but still bought it?” Su Yang muttered, unwrapping the package.

An An smiled. “Mom wouldn’t buy this for me. Uncle Xia brought it.”

Hearing this, Lu Yan glanced at the snack box in Su Yang’s hand. He realized someone had put some thought into An An’s treats.

---

Shen Qingyi hadn’t noticed Lu Yan’s expression and said to An An, “You can’t give all the chocolates to Uncle Su. Save some for Chun Ni.”

Mentioning Chun Ni, An An immediately changed his mind. “Uncle, there are fifteen chocolates in a box. Count out five for me to keep for my friend.”

Lu Yan had overheard the family’s conversation in the hall, sensing that Shen Qingyi felt something special about this woman named He Xiangcao.

She’d spent so much effort trying to find her, just to make two pairs of insoles for Lu Yan. The story had left him in a bad mood as well.

He thought some sweets might lift his spirits. Reaching out, he counted five chocolates and placed them in An An’s hand.

Seeing Lu Yan eyeing the snack box occasionally, Su Yang asked, “Do you want one too?”

Lu Yan disliked snacks. “No, thanks.”

Su Yang took back the box and started eating on his own just as the food arrived.

Once the dishes were set, the four sat down. Su Yang had ordered two dishes: braised fish and steamed ribs, while the others were light vegetarian dishes.

There was a small pot of steel rice and a small jar of porridge.

Shen Qingyi served herself a bowl of porridge and ate slowly on the side.

Lu Yan glanced at Su Yang. “After you finish eating, help me organize some data at Hongzhou’s place. It’s due tomorrow morning.”

Su Yang froze mid-bite. “I can’t today. I have plans.”

“What plans?” Lu Yan didn’t bother looking at him.

“There’s a meteor shower tonight. I’m going to watch it.”

“There are people on the observation lawn at Reed Slope.”

“No way. I calculated the best viewing direction here. Very few people know this…” He spoke halfway and then understood, continuing to eat, “Fine, I get it.”

When he first told Lu Yan, he was uninterested, saying wishing on shooting stars had no scientific basis.

He even said those light streaks were from thousands of years ago, something Su Yang surely knew.

He guessed it was the line, “But my wife thinks it’s very romantic,” that changed his mind.