Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 242: Memories Resurface

October 24th.

As usual, after watching Liu Changqing leave for work, An Yuanyao began cleaning the house. Although her sprained foot hadn’t fully healed, it had improved significantly after days of rest. While she still couldn't walk completely normally, she no longer needed assistance and could do whatever she wanted on her own.

Right now, she just wanted to do some housework.

An Yuanyao didn’t have many hobbies. In her student years, she loved dancing and painting. In college, she became fascinated with reading books from all eras and countries. Nowadays, she enjoyed the simple warmth of everyday life, spending her free time tidying up the home.

The apartment Liu Changqing lived in was the smallest and most rundown place An Yuanyao had ever stayed in. But she didn’t mind at all. Rather than living alone in a lavishly decorated house, this aged apartment gave her a stronger sense of home.

She was already content.

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After cleaning for a long while and making sure everything was spotless, An Yuanyao went to the bathroom for a shower. Once she was refreshed and dressed, she prepared to go out.

Because… two days ago, she had made an appointment with Lan Yixian. Lan Yixian had agreed to accompany her to a traditional Chinese medicine clinic for acupuncture treatment to promote blood circulation in her foot.

An Yuanyao wasn’t thinking too much about it—she simply wanted to be friends with Lan Yixian, nothing more.

Since her failed marriage, she had lost her old circle of friends and, naturally, all connections with her past acquaintances.

As Liu Changqing had said, Lan Yixian was a good person. At first, An Yuanyao had been somewhat wary of her, but after spending time together and talking, her opinion had gradually changed.

A single mother raising a daughter on her own… That day, after hearing Lan Yixian’s story at her home, An Yuanyao couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy.

She had a rough idea why Lan Yixian was drawn to Liu Changqing. Maybe it was their similar experiences that made her find him attractive.

However, An Yuanyao was not the kind of person who could tolerate another woman getting too close to her man.

So, to prevent any unnecessary situations, the best approach was… to become friends with Lan Yixian. That way, she would no longer have any ulterior motives when interacting with Liu Changqing.

Though this was part of her reasoning, what truly convinced her to befriend Lan Yixian was something she had said that day:

"The only wish I have in this life is for my child to grow up healthy. I don’t care about anything else. You… don’t have to worry."

That was Lan Yixian’s answer.

And it was the moment that changed everything for An Yuanyao.

Feng Qian parked his car and joined the crowd of parents waiting at the school gate for the children to be dismissed.

It didn’t take long. As soon as the school bell rang, the once-quiet campus became lively, and one by one, the children walked out of the teaching building, greeted by their eagerly waiting parents.

Feng Qian stood at the entrance for only a short while before spotting two children walking hand in hand out of the school.

The moment Feng Shuyan saw her father, she excitedly pulled Liu Xiazhi’s hand and ran toward him. The two kids stopped in front of him, tilting their heads up to look at him.

Liu Xiazhi, feeling a bit greedy, glanced at a cotton candy vendor not far from the school gate and asked sweetly, “Uncle Feng, can I have some cotton candy?”

“Of course. Shuyan, you can have one too.”

“Mm.”

Feng Shuyan, as usual, simply nodded without saying much.

Feng Qian instructed the children to wait by the car while he walked over to buy the cotton candy.

After about five minutes, he returned, holding the fluffy treats. But before he could reach the car, he noticed a woman pushing a bicycle in his direction.

She happened to be walking toward the spot where he had parked.

The two children, playing by the car, immediately recognized their homeroom teacher and greeted her politely.

“Ms. Xu!”

Seeing her students, Xu Yisheng quickly masked her weary expression and pushed her bicycle up to the car.

“What are you two still doing here?”

“My dad went to buy us cotton candy.”

“Well, you shouldn’t play by the roadside. Wait inside the car instead, and don’t run around.”

“Okay!”

The children responded in unison.

After chatting for a bit, Xu Yisheng was about to leave when she saw Feng Qian walking toward them.

After handing the cotton candy to the children, he looked at Xu Yisheng.

“Ms. Xu… I noticed from behind that your bicycle tire looks a bit flat. Is it out of air?”

Xu Yisheng paused for a moment, then nodded, looking a little puzzled.

“It was fine this morning, but when I came to push it after work, the tire was flat…”

“Really? Let me take a look.”

Saying this, Feng Qian walked over to the back of the bicycle. He lifted the rear seat with one hand and spun the wheel with the other.

It didn’t take long for him to find the problem.

A nail was embedded in the tire.

Lowering the bicycle, Feng Qian dusted off his hands and said, “Your tire’s punctured. You’ll need to take it to a repair shop.”

“I see…”

Hearing his explanation, Xu Yisheng simply nodded and thanked him for checking.

“Thank you. I’ll go find a repair shop now. You should take the kids home.”

“Mm.”

Feng Qian nodded and didn’t say much more.

Xu Yisheng pushed her bicycle forward, reminding the two children not to play around while eating, then continued on her way.

Feng Qian watched as she walked away.

For some reason… memories started flooding back.

Back in high school, the first time he met Feng Shuyan’s mother, the situation had been almost exactly the same…

Except that time, it was his bike that had been punctured.

And it was Feng Shuyan’s mother who had helped him, taking him to the repair shop and staying with him until his bike was fixed.

As he watched Xu Yisheng walk farther away, he suddenly blurted out without thinking:

“Ms. Xu, wait a second!”

Hearing his call, Xu Yisheng stopped and turned around, looking at him in confusion. The sudden movement caused her glasses to slide down her nose slightly, and she instinctively reached up to push them back into place.

Then, with a faint smile, she asked softly, “Is there something you need?”

“The nearest repair shop is pretty far from here. Let me take you there.”

“Hmm?”

Xu Yisheng was momentarily stunned. She looked at Feng Qian standing not too far away, his expression serious.

Beside him, Liu Xiazhi, busy licking her cotton candy, was wide-eyed in shock at his words.

Feng Shuyan, on the other hand, continued nibbling on her cotton candy quietly, showing no reaction at all.

She didn’t seem surprised.