At the vegetable stall, An Ning was only responsible for collecting money and making change.

An Guoming was the one who handled chatting with customers and drawing them in.

Soon, the few baskets of vegetables they had laid out were completely sold.

As An Ning and the others began to pack up, a well-dressed elderly lady stood by, her eyes fixed on An Guoming.

"Ma’am, we’re all out of vegetables for today."

"Heh heh, I know. I already got what I needed."

Seeing that An Guoming had spoken to her, the elderly lady took the opportunity to walk over. The look of satisfaction in her eyes left An Guoming a bit baffled.

"Ma’am, is there something I can help you with?"

"Oh, nothing in particular. Just that I haven’t seen this young lady before."

The elderly lady’s gaze fell upon An Ning, who was standing nearby, and she looked her up and down.

An Guoming’s protective-brother radar immediately went off. He said with a chuckle, "This is my younger sister. She’s about to take her college entrance exams."

He didn’t state it outright, but the implication was clear: a girl studying for her college entrance exams wouldn’t be looking for a match.

An Guoming watched the old woman. He saw that, far from being displeased, she actually greeted An Ning with even more enthusiasm.

"No wonder! This girl looks as pretty as she is clever."

The old woman’s smile was completely genuine, leaving An Guoming momentarily bewildered.

’So she’s not here for my sister?’

An Ning remained silent, playing the part of a shy younger sister. She offered a faint smile and kept her head down, continuing her work.

"I remember your name is An Guoming, right? You don’t mind if I call you Guoming, do you?"

After a few more words of praise for An Ning, the old woman’s attention shifted back to An Guoming.

An Ning, still working with her head lowered, was actually the first to realize what was happening. This old lady was here for her second brother.

It wasn’t that An Ning was exceptionally perceptive, but rather that whenever An Guoming wasn’t home, plenty of matchmakers or families with an interest in him would come looking for Lin Cuihua for a "chat."

Just from eavesdropping, An Ning knew exactly how much of a hot commodity An Guoming was on the matchmaking market.

An Guoming, who was busy with his work, also figured out the old woman’s intentions.

He deliberately avoided the topic, saying, "Ma’am, we’re all packed up here. We’ll be heading off now. See you next time."

An Guoming loaded a crate onto the truck, giving the old woman no opportunity to speak.

The elderly lady was no fool, however. She called after him, "No matter! We have plenty of time."

An Guoming just smiled and said nothing.

After the two friends who had come with An Guoming, along with An Ning, had packed everything away, one of them took a broom and began to sweep the ground.

They wouldn’t consider the job done until the area where they’d sold their vegetables was left spotless.

The old woman stood to the side, watching An Guoming prepare to get into the truck, and she couldn’t have been more pleased.

She suddenly felt that if she didn’t act fast, such a fine young man would be snatched up by someone else.

"Guoming—catch!"

With a burst of speed that defied her age, the old woman scurried over and tossed a photograph through the truck’s open window.

VRRROOM—

The truck’s engine roared to life at that exact moment.

A black-and-white photograph fluttered down onto An Guoming’s lap. Not even daring to look at it, he treated it like a hot potato, pinching a corner and tossing it right back out to the old woman.

"Ma’am, I can’t accept this!"

"We’re leaving!"

The truck made a nimble turn and drove off. The old woman picked up the photograph from the ground, stamping her feet in frustration.

"Why did you throw it back? You could at least take a look!"

But no matter how she yelled, the truck wasn’t going to stop.

In fact, it was picking up speed.

Inside the truck, An Ning was watching An Guoming with a teasing, endless smile, making him feel a little sheepish.

"Wipe that look off your face, Sis."

"I will not. I take the business of watching a good comedy very seriously."

An Ning’s deadpan delivery made An Guoming unable to resist giving her a light tap on the head.

"Second Brother, why didn’t you want the photo?"

"Would you have wanted it if it were you?"

An Guoming retorted. An Ning thought about it for a moment and immediately shook her head.

"Exactly. If I’d taken it, she’d have more of a reason to show up next time. Plus, I’d be leading someone on."

"If I were actually interested, that would be one thing. But right now, I’m not looking for a relationship at all, so it’s best not to give anyone false hope. That’s not right."

An Ning wholeheartedly agreed with An Guoming’s perspective.

Seeing An Ning’s expression, An Guoming couldn’t help but add a couple more things.

"Sis, we’re both at the starting line of our careers right now. There’s no rush to get into a relationship or anything. Don’t be in a hurry, you hear?"

"Let me tell you, finding a partner is like fishing. The sea is vast; how can you be sure the one you catch now is the best one out there?"

An Ning slowly turned her head and stared at An Guoming until he started to feel a bit insecure.

"Second Brother, that’s not the right attitude to have. If you enter a committed relationship with someone, you should be faithful to them."

An Guoming wanted to argue, but he couldn’t think of a good reason.

Mainly, he actually agreed with An Ning’s point; he just didn’t want *her* to settle down too early.

"Sis, I think you’re right. But sometimes, the first person you find really isn’t a good match. Don’t be afraid to move on in that case. Your own happiness is what’s most important."

"I know."

The siblings dropped the subject.

Just then, the truck came to a stop.

An Guoming and An Ning got out, leaving the other two to drive the truck away.

An Ning followed An Guoming to the front of a house that faced the street, where he knocked on the door.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

"Coming—"

A child’s voice called out. She peeked at An Ning and An Guoming through the crack in the door before pulling it open.

The little girl wore her hair in two long braids. She turned and called back into the house, "Mom—it’s that Uncle An!"

"Please, come in."

The little girl was very polite, stepping aside to let An Guoming and An Ning inside.

Behind the double wooden doors lay a spacious, clean courtyard. Even the firewood was stacked in a neat pile.

Directly opposite the gate stood a large, five-room house. The windows were bright, the furniture was clean, and the doorway seemed to be free of even a single speck of dust.

The little girl with the two braids walked briskly ahead. Upon seeing a woman emerge from behind the door curtain, she hurried forward and said in a complaining tone, "Mom, what are you doing out here?"

"Mind your manners. We have guests."

The woman’s voice was as pleasant as a gentle southern dialect. She lifted the door curtain with one hand and glided out with graceful steps.

Her face was ashen, her breathing was shallow and quick; she was clearly in poor health.

"You two, please come inside."

An Guoming’s expression was serious as he stepped aside to let An Ning enter first.

An Ning nodded to the woman and followed her into the house.

The interior of the house was even cleaner than the courtyard, and a faint, pleasant fragrance hung in the air, putting one at ease.

"Please, have a seat. Tangtang, pour some tea."

"Okay."

The girl, Tangtang, was only seven or eight years old, but her movements were incredibly deft and quick.

Once the tea was properly poured, the woman spoke.

"Here is the deed to the house. If the price is acceptable, we can proceed with the paperwork."

"And... about that other matter I mentioned last time, are you sure it’s not a problem?"

An Ning didn’t know what she was talking about and looked toward An Guoming.

An Guoming took out a bundle of cash he had prepared in advance, placed it on the table, and said, "Don’t worry."

The woman nodded lightly. Pushing herself up with the table for support, she called to Tangtang, "Come outside with Mommy."

"Mom, does selling the house mean we can finally leave this place?"