With Xia Yuhe having spoken, the purpose of the courtyard was set in stone, and the whole family moved their discussion to the villa.
"It’s huge!" Sheng Haifeng exclaimed as soon as they walked in.
"And so empty!" Xia Yuhe felt as though she could already see their wallets thinning out.
The four-story building didn't have a single piece of decent furniture. Even with their small family, the cost of furnishing it alone would certainly be no small sum.
"Let’s move everything we can use from our current place first, then save up and replace things slowly," Sheng Haifeng and Xia Yuhe immediately huddled together to plan.
"All right. We’ll move tomorrow, and then I’ll get in touch with that Zhang Xiaolian whom Xiaohua mentioned, and bring back some boxes to glue together," Xia Yuhe nodded earnestly.
"And I’ll head down to the docks to look around for some work," Sheng Haifeng added.
"Mom... Dad..." Sheng Xia listened from the sidelines, not even knowing what to say.
She had told them that they had agreed to move to the city with her days ago, yet they had dragged their feet for so long before finally finding the time to see the house with her. As it turned out, the two of them had been busy asking around the village about how to make money in the city.
Sheng Xia didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Can’t you two just have a little faith in me?"
She had told them she would arrange jobs for them, but they clearly hadn't taken her words to heart at all.
"Who says we don't? My dear daughter is both beautiful and smart—you could definitely do anything. It’s just that your dad and I can't sit still, right? We have to do something until we find a proper job, don't we?"
Hearing their daughter questioning them, Sheng Haifeng and Xia Yuhe immediately stood at attention and explained loudly. Finding jobs in the city wasn't that easy, but they couldn't dampen their daughter's spirits.
They were so loud that it was obvious they felt guilty.
Sheng Xia snorted internally. They didn't believe her now, but once she had everything arranged, she would dazzle them. "Hmph..."
"Mom, are we not going to live with Dad anymore?" While Sheng Xia was having this silent exchange with her parents, she suddenly noticed Sheng Qing, who had been running all over the house since they entered, standing in front of her. The little girl looked up and asked crisply.
Seeing her daughter looking up at her with such an earnest expression, a pang of bitterness pricked Sheng Xia’s heart. Her daughter was as sharp and clever as ever. Although the child had often stayed at her grandparents' house since birth, she had never gone this long without seeing her father. The little girl had clearly guessed that something had gone wrong between her parents.
Sheng Xia squatted down, looking into the peach-blossom eyes that were identical to Xu Aijun’s, and chose not to hide the truth.
"Yes, Dad and Mom have separated. From now on, Qingqing will live with Mom and your grandparents. The separation is a decision your dad and I have carefully considered. Mom will always love you just as much as before."
After hearing Sheng Xia’s explanation, the little girl tilted her head, reached out, and hugged Sheng Xia. "I love Mom, and I love Dad, too."
"Then, whenever you miss Dad, just tell Mom, and I’ll take you to see him, okay?" Sheng Xia hugged her daughter’s warm little body and promised.
In her previous life, without Wang Chaoying stepping in the middle, Xu Aijun had poured almost all his energy into his research; he hadn't exactly been a model father. But that didn't stop their daughter from loving him.
She wouldn't forgive Xu Aijun’s betrayal, but she wouldn't prevent her daughter from being close to him either. She could give her daughter all the love in the world, and she was willing to let her have that extra bit of fatherly love, too. Of course, if Xu Aijun ceased to show fatherly affection in the future, she would absolutely not allow him to hurt the child.
"If I say no, will Mom stop separating from Dad?" After Sheng Xia finished speaking, she heard the little girl muffle this question against her chest.
Sheng Xia shook her head. "I can't. Dad did something wrong to Mom. Although Mom loves you very much, I can’t forgive him just for your sake."
"Oh, okay then." After Sheng Xia said this, the little girl added in a small, muffled voice, "Between Dad and Mom, I choose Mom and my grandparents."
"Qingqing..." Seeing their little granddaughter acting so sensible, Sheng Haifeng and Xia Yuhe couldn't hold back their tears. People often said children didn't understand anything, but in reality, children’s eyes were the clearest; adults simply tended to overlook that.
"Xia, you were right after all. Xu Aijun is Qingqing’s father, after all." On the way back to the village after seeing the house, Xia Yuhe handed the sleeping little girl to Sheng Haifeng to carry and said to Sheng Xia in a low voice.
She had actually felt a bit of resentment before that Sheng Xia had divorced so decisively without making a scene, but seeing the child like this, she finally understood. Keeping a bit of dignity between adults and avoiding an ugly spectacle was also a way of preserving the child’s self-respect.
"Yeah." In her past life, Sheng Xia had seen too many divorced parents who did nothing but accuse one another. The adults might feel satisfied, but the children caught in the middle were the ones who suffered the most.
In the end, her relationship with Xu Aijun had started on a whim, and through the long years of daily life, their affection had long since worn away. Rather than seeking a petty form of revenge, she chose to ensure her daughter would see nothing but grace from them.
Two days after seeing the house, Sheng Haifeng and Xia Yuhe borrowed a tractor in the village and moved every piece of furniture, the pots and pans—everything they could carry—to the Yonghe Road Courtyard. Then, they began to scrub and clean the place from top to bottom.
As for Sheng Xia, she continued to set up her stall selling ice porridge at the back gate of the Textile Factory every day. Because her porridge tasted so good, she had become quite famous after just over half a month.
Even though the price wasn't low, Sheng Xia was selling dessert—cold dessert at that—and with so many workers at the Textile Factory, there were always people willing to treat themselves. Once she had built a reputation, the number of bowls she sold daily remained steady at forty or fifty, bringing in a reliable daily income of three to four yuan.
With her stall income alone, Sheng Xia was making over a hundred yuan a month, which already far exceeded the average salary. With the System’s rewards dangling in front of her, Sheng Xia was full of motivation every day. She was busy, but happy.
"Hey, Sheng Xia, what are you doing here?" In the blink of an eye, it was the 30th. That day, after Sheng Xia finished at her stall and returned home, she was just about to push the gate open when she heard someone speaking.
She turned around and was surprised to see who it was. "Xiaoyu?"
The person speaking was none other than Zhang Yu.
"Do you live here?" Sheng Xia asked, realizing that Zhang Yu was holding a key and clearly intending to open the door.
Her family hadn't moved in many days, and they had been busy packing and cleaning. It couldn't be helped—with four floors and a huge courtyard, the tedious work was time-consuming. Naturally, they hadn't had time to pay attention to their neighbors; they only knew that someone lived next door. Sheng Xia hadn't expected the neighbor to be Zhang Yu.
"Yeah. I’ve always dreamed of living by the sea. If it weren't for this house, I would have gone to Shanghai," Zhang Yu said with a smile.
She was a talent sent abroad by the state. When she returned, many institutions had vied for her, but she had chosen Linhai City specifically because the city had offered her this villa by the sea.
"I actually mentioned a few days ago that I saw people moving into the house next door. I never imagined it was you! Now, whenever I want some ice porridge, I can just knock on your door. Don't you dare refuse to open it for me!"