Mr. Du was lonely. He was aware of this loneliness, but he also found a certain comfort in it.

Because deep in his heart, he always felt that his late wife was still with him, and he with her.

Qin Jiao’s heart suddenly softened. She said gently, "Grandpa Du, my family is going to be selling breakfast. When we do, I’ll bring some over for you. The steamed buns my mom and dad make are delicious."

"Sure."

Qin Jiao hadn’t expected Shen Yi to offer to walk them home, his reason being that their things were too heavy.

A box of pastries, a box of White Rabbit creamy candies, and two large bunches of grapes—Qin Jiao could have carried all of it by herself, not to mention her sister Xiao Shi was there to help.

But she had already refused once to no avail, so Qin Jiao decided to just keep quiet.

She didn’t want to get too close to Shen Yi. She didn’t want to say another word to him.

Shen Yi could feel her pulling away. His handsome brow furrowed, but he didn’t say anything, silently escorting the two sisters all the way to the so-called "cold-corridor" apartment building, which lacked an outer wall.

Shen Yi finally spoke. "This is a cold-corridor building. It’ll be frigid in the winter."

"Mm, I know. There’s nothing to be done for now. We’ll move when we have the money."

Shen Yi looked at Qin Jiao’s nonchalant expression. He knew full well how stubborn this girl was, so he didn’t press the issue. Instead, he handed the items to her and said, "See you around, then."

"Mm." Qin Jiao took the things, handed the box of candy to Xiao Shi to hold, and then suddenly looked up at the young man, who had already turned to leave. "Shen Yi!"

Shen Yi stopped short and turned around, a deep-seated joy hiding in his eyes.

The next moment, he heard Qin Jiao say, "Don’t worry, I’ll be able to pay you back that twenty yuan very soon."

Shen Yi: "..."

He spun around and immediately stormed off, his sneaker forcefully kicking a nearby rock into the air.

Qin Jiao let out a soft sigh. ’Yep, Shen Yi is still the same old bad-tempered Shen Yi.’

She didn’t dwell on it. She had bought some takeout on the way up, planning for the family to eat together. When Su Yun and her husband saw the two girls bring back so many things, they were stunned.

Qin Jiao explained, "My classmate’s grandfather gave them to us. We felt bad accepting, but the old gentleman was so enthusiastic. Mom, once we start selling our steamed buns, I’ll bring some over to them often. That Grandpa Du is getting on in years, and his grandson doesn’t know how to cook either. Life seems pretty tough for the two of them."

After Qin Jiao briefly explained Grandpa Du’s situation, Su Yun was also very moved. She told Qin Jiao to bring steamed buns and other things to the old gentleman more often in the future.

Su Yun and Qin Zhonghui gave the pastries and candy to the two girls. They put the grapes in water to soak, and the family ate their takeout before continuing to unpack.

Qin Zhonghui had trouble using one of his hands, so when it came time to put up the bookshelves, Qin Jiao and Xiao Shi held them steady. The three of them managed to get everything set up.

Su Yun made the kang bed and also prepared the two girls’ beds upstairs. She said, "It’s fine to live like this in the summer, but once winter comes, you two will have to come down and sleep on the kang. Otherwise, it’ll be too cold."

But Qin Jiao was thinking, ’Maybe by the time the weather gets cold, we’ll have enough money. Then we can buy a house!’

Xiao Shi still had twelve years of school ahead of her, and housing prices here were bound to go up. The sooner they bought, the cheaper it would be.

Qin Jiao also thought that once they made some money, they could even buy a house in the provincial capital early. In the coming decade or two, the entire country would develop at a breakneck pace, and property values in the capital would skyrocket!

The new apartment wasn’t large, and a faint smell of dust still lingered in the air, but as the family of four gathered to eat the refreshingly sweet grapes, their hearts were full.

Su Yun sighed contentedly. "It’s been so long since our family has all been together like this."