"It’s not like I can’t cook." Fan Rou chuckled.

He shouldn’t treat her like a pampered princess; she could handle both the living room and the kitchen.

"I just don’t want you to be so tired."

"How about we hire a housekeeper?"

Lan Shao had a cleaner, but no housekeeper. There used to be one, but he dismissed them.

"Alright." Lan Shao thought it over and agreed.

"This way, when we want to cook, she can prepare everything, and if we don’t want to, she can cook for us."

After all, he was quite busy too; she felt guilty having him cook for her every day.

"I’ll go look for one later, someone skilled and clever," Fan Rou said.

"Are you afraid I’ll hire someone young and pretty?" Lan Shao laughed.

"Of course, I’ll definitely pick someone around forty." Fan Rou snorted.

"Whatever you want, you make the decision." Lan Shao placed a card in front of her: "This is an additional card, take it. All my money is in the account, use it as you wish." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Having decided to be together, Fan Rou took it without hesitation: "All your money’s in there, aren’t you afraid I’ll transfer it all away?"

"I’m not afraid; I trust my judgment."

With that one sentence, Fan Rou felt very at ease.

"I don’t have anything valuable, nor anything I can give you."

"It’s fine, just give yourself to me."

"Just thinking about that sort of thing." Men are all such rogues, she thought.

Fan Rou’s words made Lan Shao a bit defiant. He teasingly asked, "Thinking about what? I just want you to marry me, what are you thinking about?"

"I’m not thinking about anything, don’t overthink it."

Seeing her blush, Lan Shao stopped teasing her.

The second day after her leave ended, she had to go back to work.

Back at school, looking at the two tall cedar trees in front of the teaching building, and smelling the air filled with the scent of books, Fan Rou felt a sense of familiarity.

She steadied herself, clutched her books tightly, and stepped into the classroom.

When they saw her, the students stood up in unison and greeted her with a "Hello, teacher."

"Hello, everyone."

The scar on her neck was still noticeable, but everyone acted as if they didn’t see it, with no trace of awkwardness in their eyes.

The students listened very attentively in class.

After class, before she could leave, everyone gathered around her.

They bombarded her with questions.

The most frequently asked question was whether she would leave.

"I’ve come back, so I won’t be leaving. Rest assured, everyone." With her definite answer, everyone felt relieved.

"So, when can we go on a field trip again, teacher?"

Fan Rou focused on practical experience to nurture their creativity.

She believed that artists shouldn’t be confined to imitation; they need to have their own ideas, use their imagination, and express what they see in their paintings.

Such paintings would have soul.

Without soul, no matter how beautiful a painting is, it cannot resonate with people.

"Recently, it’s probably not possible. We can only walk around the campus, but as long as you have eyes to discover beauty, even after seeing the scenery thousands of times, you’ll paint something different."

Everyone agreed.

Looking at the time, Fan Rou said, "It’s almost time for your class, and I should be going. Remember to do the homework I assigned, I’ll check it next class."

Everyone groaned in protest.

Fan Rou acted like she didn’t hear it, and walked away with her head held high.

Outside, the sun was shining brightly and a bit glaring. Fan Rou looked up and decided to visit the prison.