Since it was already time for work, He Nan had to wait until his shift ended. He went home first, and when he found that Wang Hui Fang hadn’t returned, he rode his bike over to her parents’ house.

When he arrived, he saw Wang Hui Fang in the courtyard, washing clothes.

"Hui Fang," He Nan said as he wheeled his bicycle into the courtyard.

When Wang Hui Fang saw He Nan, she stood up and wiped her wet hands on her clothes. Then, ignoring him, she went inside.

He Nan parked his bicycle and followed her into the house.

Wang Hui Fang’s parents saw He Nan and greeted him warmly, chatting with him for a bit.

Wang Hui Fang continued to ignore him and just went into the kitchen.

Mr. Wang asked him, "You haven’t eaten yet, have you?"

He Nan shook his head. "Not yet."

"Then stay for dinner. You two can head back together after you’ve eaten."

He Nan glanced toward the kitchen, then nodded in agreement.

Although she was angry, Wang Hui Fang still cooked dinner. When her parents invited He Nan to stay, she didn’t object. She just remained silent throughout the meal.

Having been through such things themselves, her parents understood what was going on. They figured the young couple just had a little spat. After dinner, Wang Hui Fang started to clear the table, but her mother pushed her toward the door.

"It’s getting late. Go on, head back with He Nan. I’ll take care of this."

"Mom..." Wang Hui Fang tried to say something, but her mother had already pushed her out into the courtyard, where He Nan stood waiting by his bicycle, watching her.

"Go home and talk things through properly. All couples bicker and argue sometimes—it’s no big deal. Just talk it out, and it’ll be fine. He Nan, if Hui Fang is being a little unreasonable, please be patient with her. You know how it is with women, they need to be pampered a little."

He Nan smiled. "Hui Fang is a good person. She’s not being unreasonable at all. I was the one in the wrong. She has every right to be angry."

Wang Hui Fang shot He Nan a sidelong glance but said nothing.

Mrs. Wang gave her a pat on the back. "Alright now. You’re a grown woman. You can’t keep acting like a little girl, running home to your mother every time you get upset. Go on, go back with He Nan."

Wang Hui Fang’s first marriage had been a difficult one, and her parents had worried themselves sick over her. It had taken a lot for her to finally remarry, and He Nan was a good man with a good job. The Wang family was very pleased with him. So when their daughter suddenly ran home today, even though they had a general idea why, their hearts seized with anxiety. They couldn’t bear the thought of her suffering as she had in her first marriage.

Seeing He Nan show up that evening, they had finally been able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Seeing her mother’s expression, which all but screamed for her to leave, Wang Hui Fang felt a sense of resignation. In the end, she followed He Nan out.

As they walked down the alley together, He Nan wheeled his bike alongside them. He turned to glance at Wang Hui Fang and said, "I handled some things poorly and didn’t consider your feelings. That was my fault. But about giving Guo Jinfeng money... I can explain that."

Wang Hui Fang remained silent, listening to his explanation. "Running into her at the train station that day was a surprise," he began, "but Xiao Nian was with us. I don’t really care about Guo Jinfeng’s current predicament, but it’s different for Xiao Nian. She’s his mother. When I went back to the village that day, I asked around about her situation."

"Her current husband died, and she was kicked out by his family. Her own family has disowned her over some issue—her mother even broke her leg. I was honestly shocked when I heard it. Later, she came to find me at work, dressed in rags. You know how cold the winters in Black Province can get. If she actually froze to death, I was afraid the children would be devastated. That’s why I borrowed thirty yuan from a colleague for her to buy a padded coat. That’s the whole story. I hesitated to tell you, afraid you might read too much into it, since we were married in the past. As for her staying the night, she was pouring her heart out to Xiao Nian. I wasn’t there. He has a soft heart and let her stay. I thought it was inappropriate, too, but I didn’t firmly put a stop to it. All in all, it was my fault."

He Nan stopped walking and turned to face Wang Hui Fang. "I hope you’re not angry anymore," he said softly. "Xiao Nian realized this morning that he was in the wrong, too. He told me to hurry and bring you back. I was wrong, and I promise it won’t happen again."

Wang Hui Fang blinked. As she looked at He Nan and met his sincere gaze, most of her anger melted away.

She felt she knew He Nan well enough to know he wasn’t a philanderer. He was usually so clumsy with his words; she never expected him to say all this. Before marrying him, Wang Hui Fang had heard a little about his ex-wife, but that was all in the past, and she could let it go.

But with Guo Jinfeng suddenly appearing in their lives, Wang Hui Fang found that she wasn’t so magnanimous after all. She couldn’t accept it.

He Nan set his bike on its kickstand and took Wang Hui Fang’s hand. "Don’t be angry anymore, okay?" he murmured.

Wang Hui Fang bit her lip and looked up at him. "From now on, your ex-wife is not allowed in our home. I don’t like it. She was even putting food on your plate, which made me feel like an outsider. And if you have to have any contact with her in the future, you take me with you."

He Nan said quickly, "I won’t have any more contact with her."

He saw Wang Hui Fang’s doubtful expression, paused, and then nodded. "Okay."

Then he muttered, "And I didn’t even eat the food she put on my plate."

Only then did Wang Hui Fang look satisfied. "At least you have some sense. Fine, let’s go home."

"Alright!" He Nan exclaimed happily. He looked at Wang Hui Fang’s face, then glanced up and down the alley. Seeing no one, he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. The loud SMACK startled her, but when she saw his smiling eyes, she couldn’t help but laugh too.

"What was that for?" she said, still laughing. "Aren’t you embarrassed? Someone could have seen us!"

He Nan just smiled and swung his leg over the bicycle. "Hop on. Let’s go home. Xiao Nian’s probably waiting up for us."

The thought of Xiao Nian made Wang Hui Fang anxious. "He probably hasn’t even had dinner yet! Hurry, let’s get home." She settled onto the back rack of the bike and wrapped her arms around He Nan’s waist.

The moment they walked through the door, Xiao Nian, who had been waiting anxiously inside, heard them and came running out. When he saw that his father had brought Wang Hui Fang back, he was visibly relieved.

The first thing Wang Hui Fang said when she saw him was, "You must be starving. I’ll go make you something to eat."

Xiao Nian shyly scratched the back of his head. "Aunt Wang, I’m sorry. It was my idea to let my mom stay the night. I didn’t consider your feelings... I just... I don’t always think things through. Please don’t be mad at me."

Wang Hui Fang walked over to him and smiled. "I’m not mad at you, Xiao Nian. She’s your mother. Of course you should care about her."

Xiao Nian added, "And please don’t be mad at my dad, either, Aunt Wang. What happened last night wasn’t his fault."

Wang Hui Fang glanced over at He Nan, who gave her a sheepish smile. She turned back to Xiao Nian and said, "Okay. I’m not angry."