She won't clear her name; she'll throw away all the scum.

When the topic of Chinese New Year came up, the other kids in the compound got excited.

No one knows when they returned. The door was open while Grandma Xia and the others were chatting, and they overheard them.

After Jiang Wenhua took Fang Yingdi back to the factory, he ran into Chen Xiangbei, who was returning from running errands, on his way home alone. The two walked together for a while, when they encountered Qiao Shan bringing Yu Yan back.

Qiao Shan was the most introverted of the group of children. After Chen Xiangbei and Jiang Wenhua got to know him, they especially liked to joke with him, of course, the kind of jokes that weren't malicious. They would be happy when they saw a blush appear on his dark face.

Before, when Qiao Shan was single, he was the passive one. But ever since he started dating Yu Yan, whenever the two of them joked around, Yu Yan, who was sharp-tongued, would scold them like dogs.

They scolded them until they were silent, then the two of them left hand in hand, letting them smell the sour, stinky odor of this young couple.

Several children huddled together on the door and windows of Grandma Xia's house, listening quietly to their conversation. They couldn't resist joining in until the topic of the New Year came up.

Chen Xiangbei didn't understand why he, as a member of the family, had to eavesdrop with them, even though he could have openly entered the house to participate in the discussion.

"Mom, I'll definitely spend the New Year with you too!" Chen Xiangbei shouted. "I'll bring all the New Year's goods here, and our family can have a prosperous New Year."

Grandma Xia: "Your possessions are no different from mine, are they? You call that being rich? What's so rich about it?"

Chen Xiangbei: "I'll go buy some food and drinks then, and some firecrackers for Lingling too, it'll be so lively with all the banging."

Grandma Xia: "Fine, whatever you say."

Jiang Wenhua scratched his head and said, "I'll probably have to eat at my dad's for New Year's Eve dinner, but I'll be alone for the next few days. I'll pay for the meals. Can Xiao Fang and I come over for the New Year together?"

Grandma Xia asked in surprise, "Isn't Xiao Fang coming home?"

Jiang Wenhua: "Why go back? I'll just be a slave to the whole family again. What's the point? I'll just go back to deliver some things on the first day of the Lunar New Year. After the New Year, I'll marry her and then bring her sister over."

Director Yuan: "Have you thought about what arrangements will be made for her sister?"

Jiang Wenhua: "Let's send her to school and see if she can keep up. Then we can find her a boyfriend here. Xiao Fang said that she doesn't need to be a good catch, as long as she's ambitious and kind. Director Yuan, Lao Xia, could you please help us take a look?"

Director Yuan nodded. "That's not a problem. My only concern is that her parents might become unreasonable or demand an exorbitant dowry..."

Jiang Wenhua: "Don't worry about that, I'm here. I guarantee they won't."

Grandma Xia: "You and Xiao Fang must get along well from now on."

Seeing Xiang Bei's strange expression and hearing Jiang Wenhua talk about finding a partner, Chen Xianghong realized that Chen Xiang Bei had actually reached the age to find a partner. "Mom, can Xiang Bei find a partner too?"

Grandma Xia glanced sideways and, sure enough, the boy was looking gloomy again.

Jiang Wenhua immediately laughed, "He went to see Qiao Yi again a few days ago, hahaha, and got rejected again."

Chen Xiangbei shoved Jiang Wenhua aside and stormed into the house.

Now it was Qiao Shan's turn to be embarrassed. He explained dryly, "My sister doesn't like people younger than her. She wants to find someone stable."

Chen Xiangbei felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart again, and he retorted loudly, "How am I not steady? How am I not steady?"

Qiao Shan whispered, "You even cry when you get rejected."

Chen Xiangbei: "..."

Things have been quite turbulent for Old Chen lately, because he suffered a stroke and is now partially paralyzed. Yang Su believes that he is no match for her, so she has brought her two sons back to live with her.

Grandpa Li took care of him, while Yang Su did nothing. Sometimes, even when Grandpa Li cooked a meal, she would take it away and eat it herself. Not to mention the groceries that Chen Xiangbei bought with his living expenses, which were taken away by Yang Su as soon as they were brought back.

Grandpa Li was very troubled by this. He went to see Chen Xiangbei and Chen Xianghong several times, and finally decided that they would cook the food at their own home and bring it to him.

As for why he didn't approach Chen Xiangdong, Grandpa Li had a few hundred words to say: that kid was truly useless. After hearing about this matter, not only did he not help him find a solution, but he even tried to squeeze his living expenses out of him and even accused him of embezzling.

Mr. Li almost ruined his reputation in his later years.

Old Chen's temper was already bad after he became partially paralyzed, but it got even worse after Yang Su came back. He not only frequently threw things, but also often cursed at Grandpa Li, who took care of him. He couldn't even speak clearly, yet he would still stammer and curse. Grandpa Li sometimes admired him for it.

He kept his money and pension in his own hands. Chen Xiangbei wanted to take over, but he was wary and unwilling to hand them over. As a result, Yang Su found them and took them away in less than a month.

But the money being taken away was a big deal, and Grandpa Li was afraid of being falsely accused again, so he simply went to find Chen Xiangbei.

Chen Xiangbei was furious with this old man, especially now that things were going on, he was even less likely to listen to anything he was told.

Seeing that he was determined to keep his monthly pension, Chen Xiangbei simply told Grandpa Li to go home, since the money he paid for hiring him was still from Chen Xiangbei's few hundred yuan.

This old man didn't learn his lesson after his money was stolen. Let him see how Yang Su will bully him if no one takes care of him.

After several days of practice, Grandma Xia finally learned to ride a bicycle.

The weather was perfect that day, and Grandma Xia was eager to take her sister out for a drive.

Xia Yu'e hesitated before sitting in the back seat, then hugged her younger sister tightly around the waist.

Grandma Xia nodded to herself, "Sister, let's go."

Although it's winter, there's no strong wind today, and the sunshine feels warm on my face.

Grandma Xia rode slowly, and the two sisters enjoyed the tranquility of the moment.

"Stop, Yue'e, look, isn't that your second son?" Xia Yue'e pointed to the train station ahead, where a travel-worn man was sitting on the steps resting with large and small bags in his arms.

Grandma Xia squinted at it, "It really is."

She stopped abruptly in front of Chen Xiangnan, and as he looked up, she slapped him on the head. "You little brat, you didn't even write to let me know you were coming back?"

Chen Xiangnan's eyes changed from tired to surprised, "Mom!"

"Why did you come back at a time like this? Did the company you were assigned to leave for don't want you anymore?" Grandma Xia asked.

Chen Xiangnan: "People from other provinces can go home early. There's only one month left until the Chinese New Year, so I might as well use all my leave."

Grandma Xia got back on her bike and took a package for him. "You can come back by yourself. Lingling will be happy to see you. Your aunt and I are leaving now."

Xia Yu'e: "That's great, the New Year will be even more lively now."

Grandma Xia: "None of them are any good. When Lingling needs him, he runs away. When she doesn't need him anymore, he comes back. He's no better than a father."

Xia Yu'e: "It's not bad, at least they still send money and things back."

Grandma Xia pursed her lips and remained silent.

Sometimes, money can't replace the sense of security a father brings to his child.