Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

• Family reunion and gifts: Gu Yanqing returns home with Qiao Wanqing and Koukou after his trip. Mrs. Gu remains with the family to spend more time with her grandson, since Gu Jingzhi’s absence means she may not see him again for a month. During dinner and afterward, Gu Yanqing distributes gifts he bought abroad for the entire household. Koukou is especially delighted by a remote-controlled spaceship, though Qiao Wanqing worries he may damage something or injure someone with it.
• Gu Yanqing and Qiao Wanqing’s relationship: Gu Yanqing affectionately thanks Qiao Wanqing and continues to tease and flirt with her. He notices her Agricultural Taobao training certificate and jokingly calls himself her teacher, embarrassing her. Their playful marital intimacy becomes increasingly suggestive throughout the evening.
• Qiao Wanqing’s business plans: Qiao Wanqing confirms that she intends to open an Agricultural Taobao store after completing her training. She plans to focus mainly on dried vegetables, while also selling dried persimmons, honey, mushrooms, and similar products. Gu Yanqing advises her to begin with one core product category, build a recognizable brand around dried fruits and vegetables, and later expand through a Tmall flagship store. He encourages her to use his resources and take the process slowly rather than worrying about immediate sales volume.
• Qiao Wanqing’s change in perspective: His advice helps her realize that simply generating orders would not be enough; without developing a brand, she would remain only a small seller dependent on Gu Yanqing’s financial support. She accepts his reasoning and becomes more confident in pursuing a long-term business strategy.
• Family interaction: That night, Koukou insists on sleeping between his parents, turning the three of them into a close family unit under one blanket. He kisses both parents goodnight before falling asleep. Gu Yanqing eventually moves him to the edge of the bed with his own blanket, allowing him and Qiao Wanqing some privacy.
• Ending: Despite Qiao Wanqing urging Gu Yanqing to sleep so he can recover from jet lag, he jokes that it is daytime according to the time difference and initiates intimate marital relations. The chapter ends on a playful, erotic note, emphasizing their affectionate and increasingly comfortable relationship.

Major Themes

Family warmth and domestic happiness

Supportive marriage and playful intimacy

Entrepreneurship, branding, and long-term planning

Using personal resources wisely while developing independence

The contrast between parental responsibilities and romantic privacy

Chapter Summary: “Getting Back at the Scumbag”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After a brief separation, Qiao Wanqing and President Gu reunite with renewed affection. Gu Yanqing spends three days at home before returning to work.
• Wanting to please Gu Yanqing, Qiao Wanqing fixes her hairstyle, especially her bangs, which had previously interfered with his attempts to kiss her forehead.
• Upon returning home, Qiao discovers Chu Shishi, Yuan Yuan’s mother, crying at the Gu residence. Gu Yanze’s affair with Jiang Yi has been exposed.
• Qiao contacts Gu Yanqing to learn what happened. Gu Yanze claims that although he reunited with Chu Shishi after protecting her in a car accident, he later realized he did not truly love her. He says meeting Jiang Yi awakened his “true love”—a justification Qiao recognizes as typical scumbag rhetoric.
• Mrs. Gu hopes Gu Yanze and Chu Shishi will avoid divorce for Yuan Yuan’s sake and to preserve the alliance between the Gu and Chu families. Gu Yanqing is expected to mediate, though he is unsure how to persuade them.
• While the adults deal with the crisis, Qiao comforts Yuan Yuan and reunites with Koukou. Koukou tries to cheer Yuan Yuan up by offering him his beloved spaceship toy.
• When Gu Yanqing returns, Chu Shishi asks him to decide what she should do. She says she wants a divorce but cannot bear the thought of Jiang Yi becoming the legitimate Mrs. Gu and gaining access to the Gu family’s status, wealth, and inheritance.

Character Developments

• Qiao Wanqing: Shows greater confidence and emotional stability. She remains observant and skeptical of Gu Yanze’s excuses, while acting warmly toward both children.
• Gu Yanqing: Continues to care deeply about Qiao Wanqing and is now placed in the difficult role of family mediator. His authority within the Gu family makes him the person everyone expects to solve the dispute.
• Chu Shishi: Shifts from grief to resentment and self-protection. Though she wants freedom from Gu Yanze, she is also unwilling to surrender her position and family advantages to Jiang Yi.
• Gu Yanze: Is portrayed as selfish and emotionally irresponsible. His explanation frames his betrayal as a search for “true love,” but Qiao sees it as an attempt to excuse his infidelity.
• Koukou: Demonstrates innocence, affection, and empathy. He imitates Qiao’s comforting behavior and generously offers Yuan Yuan his favorite toy.
• Yuan Yuan: Reveals that he is sensitive to conflict between his parents and is already emotionally affected by their unstable marriage.

Significant Themes

• The consequences of infidelity: Gu Yanze’s affair threatens both his marriage and the wider Gu–Chu family alliance.
• Marriage versus family interests: The older generation prioritizes the child’s welfare and business connections, while Chu Shishi must balance emotional pain against status and inheritance.
• The difference between love and justification: Gu Yanze’s claim that Jiang Yi is his “true love” is presented as a hollow excuse rather than a morally valid explanation.
• Children affected by adult conflict: Yuan Yuan’s sadness and awareness show how marital problems harm children even when adults try to shield them.
• Innocence and comfort: Koukou’s simple kindness contrasts with the adults’ complicated motives and helps provide emotional relief.

Character Interactions

• Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing: Their renewed closeness is shown through Qiao’s effort to restore her hairstyle for him and their private discussion about Gu Yanze.
• Qiao Wanqing and the children: Qiao reassures Yuan Yuan, while Koukou imitates her and offers emotional support.
• Chu Shishi and Gu Yanqing: Chu turns to Gu Yanqing as the most influential family member, hoping he will determine how she should respond.
• Gu Yanqing and the family: He is pressured to preserve both the marriage and the family’s business interests, despite the situation being largely caused by Gu Yanze.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chu Shishi tells Gu Yanqing that she cannot divorce Gu Yanze, despite feeling disgusted by him. Her main concern is protecting her son, Yuan Yuan, and preserving her position and financial security.
• Gu Yanqing comforts her before returning to the toy room, where Qiao Wanqing is playing with Koukou and Yuan Yuan.
• After hearing the situation, Qiao Wanqing proposes a strategic alternative: Chu Shishi should take Yuan Yuan and move out without divorcing. This would prevent Jiang Yi, Gu Yanze’s mistress, from immediately replacing her as Mrs. Gu.
• Qiao Wanqing explains that exposing the affair immediately would have little effect because Gu Yanze and Jiang Yi are not yet famous. Instead, Chu Shishi should wait until Jiang Yi becomes well-known, then expose her as a mistress when the scandal would cause maximum damage.
• This plan would allow Chu Shishi to:
  • Protect Yuan Yuan from a future stepmother.
  • Retain her legal and financial position for the time being.
  • Publicly ruin Jiang Yi’s reputation at the peak of her career.
  • Gain stronger leverage in a later divorce and secure more property.
  • Potentially create conflict within the Gu family and damage Gu Yanze and Jiang Yi’s relationship.
• Qiao Wanqing offers to persuade Chu Shishi by pretending to possess mystical fortune-telling abilities. Gu Yanqing arranges a private café meeting between them and agrees to keep it secret from Mrs. Gu.
• Qiao Wanqing tells Chu Shishi that Jiang Yi’s career is likely to flourish soon and presents the revenge strategy. She reassures Chu Shishi that even if her prediction is wrong, they can deliberately help make Jiang Yi famous before exposing her.
• Chu Shishi is persuaded and returns to X City the next day to put the plan into action. She leaves Yuan Yuan temporarily with Gu Yanqing, promising to retrieve him once everything is settled.

Character Developments

• Chu Shishi: Initially overwhelmed and trapped by her marriage, she begins to regain control after hearing Qiao Wanqing’s plan. Her priorities shift from immediate divorce toward protecting Yuan Yuan and seeking calculated revenge.
• Qiao Wanqing: Demonstrates intelligence, pragmatism, and a strong sense of justice. Rather than encouraging an impulsive confrontation, she devises a long-term strategy designed to maximize Chu Shishi’s protection and leverage.
• Gu Yanqing: Feels uncomfortable handling marital disputes but supports Chu Shishi and trusts Qiao Wanqing’s judgment. He becomes an intermediary between the two women.
• Yuan Yuan: Revealed to be emotionally vulnerable and deeply afraid of abandonment. His attachment to Chu Shishi highlights the emotional damage caused by his parents’ failing marriage.
• Jiang Yi and Gu Yanze: Though they do not appear directly, their affair becomes the central conflict. Jiang Yi’s anticipated rise to fame makes her future public downfall the focus of Qiao Wanqing’s plan.

Significant Themes

• Strategic revenge versus impulsive action: The chapter argues that timing can make revenge far more effective than immediate exposure.
• Protecting children from family breakdown: Yuan Yuan’s welfare is central to the adults’ decisions, particularly the danger of leaving him with a future stepmother.
• Power, reputation, and wealth: The characters recognize that money can suppress scandals and reshape public opinion, especially in the entertainment industry.
• Female solidarity and agency: Qiao Wanqing gives Chu Shishi a practical way to regain power in a situation where she initially feels helpless.
• The emotional cost of marriage and infidelity: Chu Shishi’s reluctance to divorce reflects the complicated losses involved—financial, social, emotional, and familial.

Character Interactions

• Gu Yanqing comforts Chu Shishi and later discusses her situation with Qiao Wanqing.
• Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing jointly consider how best to help Chu Shishi.
• Qiao Wanqing meets Chu Shishi privately, presenting herself as someone with mystical insight while actually offering a carefully reasoned plan.
• Chu Shishi responds with anger, doubt, and eventual determination, especially when she learns Jiang Yi may prosper.
• Yuan Yuan’s distress at separating from his mother emphasizes his emotional dependence on her and the family’s responsibility to protect him.

Chapter Summary: “Gift-Giving”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chu Shishi leaves Yuan Yuan temporarily with relatives because her conflict with Gu Yanze remains unresolved. Although she once neglected her son, her year of believing in Gu Yanze’s false affection transformed her into a devoted mother. She promises Yuan Yuan that she will return for him soon.
• Yuan Yuan asks Chu Shishi for a pinky promise, showing his emotional dependence on and trust in her.
• Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing resolve a major family-related problem, bringing them relief.
• Their wedding is scheduled for before the New Year on a warm overseas island. Gu Yanqing chooses the destination to avoid unwanted visitors and create a private celebration, while Qiao Wanqing worries that her relatives may struggle with traveling abroad.
• Gu Yanqing reassures her that he will arrange everything, allowing her to focus on being the bride.
• The family travels to Dongyang Village to look for a location for a small dried-fruit and vegetable-processing workshop.
• Qiao Wanqing develops a business plan for her Taobao store: limited quantities of especially delicious products will create scarcity, while standard-quality products will be sold regularly to maintain a stable supply.
• Yuan Yuan and Koukou volunteer to serve as flower children at the wedding. Koukou insists on wearing a dress, leading to a humorous exchange in which Qiao Wanqing promises he may wear one at her and Gu Yanqing’s wedding.
• The chapter then explains the logistics of the rural e-commerce business. Agricultural Taobao reduces shipping costs to 3.5 yuan per package, making online sales feasible.
• Qiao Wanqing decides to convert a storage room beside the family kitchen into the initial workshop. Her second uncle will transport parcels to town until sales increase enough for the courier to collect them directly.

Character Developments

• Chu Shishi demonstrates genuine maternal affection and responsibility toward Yuan Yuan, despite her earlier neglect. Her decision to delay taking him home reflects her desire to protect him from the ongoing conflict with Gu Yanze.
• Yuan Yuan is shown as affectionate, trusting, and eager to participate in the adults’ happiness. His wish to be a flower boy highlights his attachment to Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing.
• Qiao Wanqing becomes increasingly confident and practical. She is not only preparing for marriage but also actively designing a realistic business model and solving the operational problems of rural production and shipping.
• Gu Yanqing appears dependable and considerate. He anticipates Qiao Wanqing’s worries about the wedding and business, reassuring her and offering to handle difficult arrangements.
• Koukou is playful, stubborn, and expressive. His insistence on wearing a dress creates comic tension and shows his childish determination.
• Gu Yanze remains an unseen source of conflict, with his strained relationship with Chu Shishi continuing to affect her decisions.

Significant Themes

• Motherhood and redemption: Chu Shishi’s renewed devotion to Yuan Yuan shows her emotional growth and attempt to make up for past neglect.
• Trust and support in relationships: Qiao Wanqing trusts Gu Yanqing to manage the wedding, while he responds by offering practical and emotional reassurance.
• Building a future through work: The workshop and Taobao business represent Qiao Wanqing’s independence, ambition, and hope for a better life.
• Family and belonging: The wedding planning brings together relatives, children, and extended family, emphasizing the importance of shared celebrations.
• Scarcity and business strategy: Qiao Wanqing deliberately plans separate limited-edition and regular product lines to balance desirability with stable sales.
• Humor in family life: The children’s argument over flower-child clothing provides a lighthearted contrast to the more serious relationship and business developments.

Character Interactions

• Chu Shishi comforts Yuan Yuan, promises to return, and seals the promise with a pinky oath.
• Gu Yanqing reassures Qiao Wanqing that he will manage the overseas wedding arrangements.
• Yuan Yuan and Koukou compete playfully over who will participate in the wedding, with Yuan Yuan teasing Koukou about wearing a dress.
• Qiao Wanqing mediates the children’s disagreement by allowing both to be flower children and promising Koukou a dress later.
• Koukou jokingly declares that Qiao Wanqing’s punishment for breaking her promise would be losing the privilege of sleeping beside him, leaving Gu Yanqing bewildered.
• Qiao Wanqing and her family cooperate on establishing the processing workshop and shipping system, combining family labor with the opportunities provided by rural e-commerce.

Chapter Summary — Page 185

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qiao Wanqing decides not to expand her business yet because demand remains uncertain. Building another processing workshop would attract even more gossip from the villagers.
• Her greenhouse and restaurant have made her noticeably wealthy and respected. Villagers now call her “Boss Lady,” praise her business skills, and ask whether she is hiring because her wages are unusually good.
• Qiao Wanqing feels embarrassed by the attention and avoids leaving the house when possible. The villagers know only that her husband, Gu Yanqing, is from the city; they do not realize how wealthy or impressive he really is because he deliberately keeps a low profile.
• During the cold winter, Qiao Wanqing cooks firewood chicken for the extended household. Though it is her first attempt and takes three hours, the meal turns out delicious, with chicken, vegetables, and crispy corn buns.
• The shared meal creates a warm, cheerful family atmosphere. Yuan Yuan, who has been upset about problems at home, is comforted by the food and Qiao Wanqing’s care.
• Koukou imitates Yuan Yuan and insists on feeding him, eventually managing to spear a potato with his chopsticks. Yuan Yuan enthusiastically praises the food to make the younger child happy.
• Qiao Wanqing prepares a separate meal of chicken and vegetables for Yellow Immortal and Little Black. The two animals have become inseparable and are treated by the villagers like a comically affectionate married couple.
• Third Aunt, the village pork seller’s wife, arrives during dinner carrying a box of sweet navel oranges from her husband’s friend and offers them to Qiao Wanqing’s family.

Character Developments

• Qiao Wanqing: Her growing wealth has improved her social standing, but it also makes her self-conscious because of the villagers’ gossip. She remains cautious about expanding too quickly and continues to show warmth and competence through her cooking and care for the family.
• Gu Yanqing: Although absent from the main events, he is shown to be deliberately modest and discreet. By switching from luxury cars to a Mazda, he prevents villagers from discovering his true status.
• Yuan Yuan: He is emotionally troubled by family matters but is temporarily cheered by the hot meal and Qiao Wanqing’s kindness. He responds maturely and gently to Koukou’s efforts to care for him.
• Koukou: He continues to imitate Yuan Yuan and eagerly seeks his brother’s approval. His innocent attempt to feed Yuan Yuan shows his affection and growing coordination.
• Yellow Immortal and Little Black: Their relationship has become extremely close, to the point that villagers view them as an amusing cross-species couple. Their shared eating habits have also caused both to gain weight.
• Third Aunt: She maintains friendly relations with Qiao Wanqing’s family by bringing them a thoughtful gift of oranges.

Significant Themes

• Wealth and social status: Qiao Wanqing’s financial success changes how villagers treat her, replacing earlier judgment with admiration and requests for employment.
• Community gossip and reputation: Her greenhouse, restaurant, and husband’s cars make her the center of village speculation, showing how quickly rumors spread in a small community.
• Family warmth and belonging: The shared winter meal emphasizes comfort, generosity, and the emotional security of a close household.
• Care expressed through food: Qiao Wanqing comforts Yuan Yuan, feeds the children, and prepares special food for the animals, presenting cooking as an important form of affection.
• Unexpected companionship: Yellow Immortal and Little Black’s cross-species bond mirrors the chapter’s broader emphasis on affection overcoming differences.

Character Interactions

• The villagers flatter Qiao Wanqing and seek work from her, while she reacts with embarrassment and tries to minimize attention.
• Qiao Wanqing lovingly serves Yuan Yuan and Koukou, while Yuan Yuan returns the kindness by praising Koukou’s food and encouraging him.
• Koukou imitates both Yuan Yuan’s eating and Qiao Wanqing’s habit of serving others, revealing his attachment to the family.
• Yellow Immortal and Little Black insist on sharing food despite having separate bowls, amusing the villagers.
• Third Aunt’s visit interrupts the meal but reinforces the family’s positive relationship with the village through her gift of oranges.

Chapter Summary: “Mountain Hare”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Third Aunt visits Qiao Wanqing under the pretense of giving her a box of navel oranges. She soon reveals her real purpose: asking whether Qiao’s restaurant is hiring so she can recommend someone for a job.
• Qiao politely refuses, explaining that the restaurant is not hiring. She also tries to return the oranges, worried that the gift may have been given with ulterior motives, but Third Aunt insists the oranges were unrelated.
• Gu Yanqing explains that such gift-giving and indirect requests will become more common as Qiao’s business grows. He advises her not to accept gifts casually, since people may later use them to pressure her or spread rumors.
• Yuan Yuan, remembering that his father once punished him for accepting an inappropriate red envelope, decides the oranges are “gifts from a bad guy” and throws his away. Koukou imitates him, though he secretly regrets abandoning the fruit.
• Qiao and Gu Yanqing settle on “Crispy Bite” as the new name for her Taobao shop. She begins preparing the brand by designing the logo, packaging, and product photographs, purchasing a small dryer, and planning to launch the listings after about a month of work.
• While Gu Yanqing takes the children hiking, Qiao works at home. Gu Yanze, Yuan Yuan’s father, arrives with an assistant or driver, claiming that he has come to take Yuan Yuan home. Since Yuan Yuan is out with Gu Yanqing, Qiao lets them inside and calls her husband, suspecting Gu Yanze may have another purpose.

Character Developments

• Qiao Wanqing becomes more aware of the social complications that accompany business success. Her trusting habit of accepting neighbors’ gifts is challenged, and she learns to be more cautious about hidden expectations.
• Gu Yanqing demonstrates practical worldly experience and supports Qiao by advising her on how to handle favors, gifts, and acquaintances seeking benefits.
• Yuan Yuan shows that he has internalized lessons about improper gifts and social manipulation. His strong reaction to the orange reflects both his innocence and his understanding of adult behavior.
• Koukou imitates Yuan Yuan but remains visibly attached to the orange, creating a humorous contrast between moral posturing and childish appetite.
• Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing continue developing their business partnership as they build the “Crispy Bite” brand together.
• Gu Yanze reenters the story, suggesting a possible shift in the family situation and raising questions about why he has come personally to retrieve Yuan Yuan.

Significant Themes

• Hidden motives behind generosity: The chapter emphasizes that gifts may carry expectations and can become tools of social pressure.
• The cost of success: As Qiao’s restaurant and business gain attention, she must deal with acquaintances seeking jobs or favors.
• Learning worldly caution: Qiao moves from a trusting, neighborly attitude toward greater awareness and self-protection.
• Family influence and social conditioning: Yuan Yuan’s reaction shows how children absorb adult lessons about money, gifts, and trust.
• Building an independent business: The creation of “Crispy Bite” highlights Qiao’s careful, hands-on transition from selling homemade food to developing a recognizable brand.
• Humor in domestic life: The children’s dramatic rejection of the oranges, especially Koukou’s reluctant sacrifice, lightens the chapter’s more practical concerns.

Character Interactions

• Third Aunt and Qiao have a superficially friendly exchange that becomes awkward when Third Aunt reveals her request for employment assistance.
• Qiao and Gu Yanqing discuss the incident, with Gu providing guidance and Qiao acknowledging her mistake.
• Yuan Yuan and Koukou respond to the adults’ conversation in a comedic imitation of adult moral judgment.
• Qiao and Gu Yanqing collaborate on naming and developing the online shop, showing their growing domestic and professional cooperation.
• Qiao receives Gu Yanze politely but cautiously, while Gu Yanze’s unexpected arrival creates tension and foreshadows a new family-related conflict.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gu Yanze returns to Gu Yanqing’s home after finishing his business, and Yuan Yuan eagerly welcomes him with affection.
• Qiao Wanqing feels saddened because Yuan Yuan does not understand the conflict between his parents or his father’s infidelity; he simply loves both parents.
• To separate Yuan Yuan from the tense adult conversation, Qiao Wanqing takes him and Koukou to pick persimmons at Aunt Li’s house.
• Gu Yanze tells Gu Yanqing that he intends to take Yuan Yuan back to X City. He claims practical concerns—Yuan Yuan’s missed kindergarten and Chu Shishi’s lack of time—but Gu Yanqing sees through him.
• Gu Yanqing accuses Gu Yanze of trying to seize Yuan Yuan before Chu Shishi can take custody. Gu Yanze’s fear is confirmed: after discovering his affair, Chu Shishi has moved out and taken steps to take Yuan Yuan with her.
• Gu Yanze argues that Yuan Yuan should remain with the Gu family because of his surname and future inheritance. Gu Yanqing sharply reminds him that he failed to protect Yuan Yuan when the child was abused by a nanny.
• Gu Yanqing refuses to let Gu Yanze take Yuan Yuan, knowing that Gu Yanze would likely leave him with another caregiver and that Yuan Yuan has severe trauma surrounding non-family caretakers.
• Gu Yanqing orders Gu Yanze to remain for a while and create an acceptable explanation for Yuan Yuan before leaving.
• When Yuan Yuan returns with the persimmons, Gu Yanze tells him he must leave for work and that his mother will collect him in a few days. Yuan Yuan is briefly devastated but accepts the explanation and reassures his father that he will behave.

Character Developments

• Gu Yanqing demonstrates firm protectiveness toward Yuan Yuan. He prioritizes the child’s emotional and physical well-being over family reputation or Gu Yanze’s parental claims.
• Gu Yanze is shown as selfish and anxious. His concern for Yuan Yuan is mixed with fear of losing custody to Chu Shishi, while his affair remains his central priority. Despite this, he still has genuine affection for his son and feels guilty when deceiving him.
• Yuan Yuan remains innocent, loving, and unusually considerate. He does not understand the marital breakdown and continues to show unconditional love toward both parents.
• Qiao Wanqing is emotionally perceptive and sympathetic toward Yuan Yuan. Her memories of Koukou’s similar childhood innocence deepen her understanding of the child’s situation.
• Chu Shishi, though absent, emerges as someone taking practical steps to separate from Gu Yanze and protect or reclaim custody of Yuan Yuan.

Significant Themes

• Children’s innocence amid adult conflict: Yuan Yuan cannot comprehend betrayal or separation, interpreting the situation only through his love for his parents.
• Parental responsibility versus biological claims: Gu Yanqing emphasizes that being a father means protecting a child, not merely asserting a surname or inheritance rights.
• Custody as a struggle for control: Both parents view possession of Yuan Yuan as determining who “wins,” revealing the damaging way marital conflict can affect children.
• Emotional trauma and the need for family security: Yuan Yuan’s past abuse explains his dependence on family and Gu Yanqing’s refusal to expose him to another unreliable caretaker.
• Deception meant to protect a child: Gu Yanze hides the real conflict behind the excuse of work, while Gu Yanqing ensures Yuan Yuan is shielded from the adults’ problems.

Character Interactions

• Yuan Yuan and Gu Yanze share a warm reunion, highlighting their genuine father-son bond despite Gu Yanze’s failures.
• Qiao Wanqing and Koukou gently draw Yuan Yuan away from the adults’ discussion by inviting him to pick persimmons.
• Gu Yanqing confronts Gu Yanze directly, exposing his selfish motives and refusing to surrender Yuan Yuan.
• Gu Yanze, pressured by Gu Yanqing, gives Yuan Yuan a comforting but incomplete explanation for why he cannot take him home.
• Yuan Yuan responds with maturity and affection, accepting his father’s excuse and promising to obey Gu Yanqing and Qiao Wanqing until his mother arrives.

Chapter Summary — Page 188

Key plot points and events

Gu Yanze gives Yuan Yuan a perfunctory kiss after the child behaves well, reinforcing Qiao Wanqing’s belief that he is an inadequate father. Qiao reflects that Yuan Yuan is better off with his loving mother than with Gu Yanze. Later, she investigates Jiang Yi online and discovers that Jiang Yi has joined a production crew, likely through Gu Yanze’s influence, as the second female lead. Qiao proposes using Gu Yanqing’s connections to make Jiang Yi famous, intending to build her public image before exposing her affair with Gu Yanze and causing a major scandal. Gu Yanqing agrees to look into possible contacts.
That night, Qiao and Gu Yanqing attempt to be intimate while sharing a bed with Yuan Yuan and Koukou. Their plans are repeatedly interrupted when Yuan Yuan wakes from a nightmare and then needs to urinate. Gu Yanqing reluctantly helps manage the situation, while Qiao provides a small potty. Once Yuan Yuan returns to sleep, the couple’s private moment is effectively ruined.

Character developments

Qiao becomes increasingly protective of Yuan Yuan and more convinced that Gu Yanze does not deserve a parental role. She also shows a calculating, strategic side by planning to manipulate Jiang Yi’s rise to fame before bringing her down publicly. Gu Yanqing remains supportive of Qiao’s schemes but is notably more interested in resuming intimacy with her. His frustration over repeatedly being interrupted adds humor to his otherwise composed personality. Yuan Yuan continues to display his dependence on Qiao and Gu Yanqing, turning to them for comfort and reassurance.

Significant themes

The chapter contrasts genuine parental care with empty or inadequate “fatherly love.” It also explores revenge through public opinion and the entertainment industry, showing how fame, money, and trending scandals can be manufactured. Domestic intimacy and family life are presented comically, as romantic desires clash with the practical responsibilities of caring for children.

Character interactions

Qiao criticizes Gu Yanze internally while observing his shallow affection toward Yuan Yuan. She discusses Jiang Yi and her revenge plan with Gu Yanqing, who agrees to investigate possible industry connections. Qiao and Gu Yanqing share a flirtatious but repeatedly interrupted intimate encounter. Yuan Yuan’s nightmare and need to use the bathroom force Gu Yanqing into a caretaking role, while Qiao helps calm the child and preserve the situation.

Key plot points

• After two days, Chu Shishi comes to take Yuan Yuan back to kindergarten. Koukou is sad to lose his playmate, but Qiao Wanqing promises to bring him to visit.
• Gu Yanqing and Qiao Wanqing are busy balancing wedding preparations, work, and her online shop.
• Tang Yueyue visits Qiao Wanqing, increasingly distressed by her uncertain relationship with Qi Xing. She hopes a visit to the local Matchmaker Temple will help her learn whether they are meant to be together.
• Qiao Wanqing collects Tang Yueyue in town and comforts her as she breaks down over the strain of loving someone whose feelings and commitment remain unclear.
• Later, Koukou excitedly tries to tell Qiao Wanqing about a huge rabbit he saw outside, but Gu Yanqing speaks first. Koukou gets upset that his story was taken from him, so Tang Yueyue steps in and invites him to tell her instead.

Character developments

• Koukou shows how attached he is to Yuan Yuan and how much he enjoys sharing discoveries with his mother. He is easily frustrated when interrupted, but can be redirected with gentle attention.
• Tang Yueyue reveals how deeply her feelings for Qi Xing have unsettled her: she has lost weight, become anxious, and struggles to manage her expectations.
• Qiao Wanqing offers practical reassurance and emotional support, though she admits she cannot fully relate to Tang Yueyue’s romantic turmoil.
• Qi Xing, described through Tang Yueyue’s perspective, remains cautious and slow to warm up, partly because of his past relationship and demanding work.

Significant themes

• Romantic relationships can become emotionally taxing when partners have different tempos and expectations.
• Long-distance communication and insecurity can magnify small uncertainties.
• Family affection and attentive caregiving help ease disappointment and frustration.

Character interactions

• Qiao Wanqing reassures Koukou after Yuan Yuan leaves and later comforts Tang Yueyue during her emotional collapse.
• Tang Yueyue and Qi Xing’s contrasting approaches—her intense, proactive attachment and his measured reserve—create the chapter’s central tension.
• Gu Yanqing unintentionally frustrates Koukou by telling Qiao Wanqing about the rabbit before Koukou can; Tang Yueyue gently gives the child another chance to share his story.

Chapter Summary: “Drawing a Fortune Stick”

• Koukou’s funny story: Koukou cheers up while describing a large bunny he supposedly saw. When Tang Yueyue asks why he did not catch it, he explains that it ran away. He then cheerfully says he would have eaten it because it was “tasty,” amusing Tang Yueyue.
• Trip to the Matchmaker Temple: The following day, Gu Yanqing returns to C City while Qiao Wanqing takes Tang Yueyue to the Matchmaker Temple to draw fortune sticks and seek a divination. The temple is crowded with visitors, including not only unmarried people but also married couples and elderly tourists who pray at any temple they encounter.
• Growth of Qiao Wanqing’s restaurant: Qiao Wanqing’s vegetarian restaurant has become highly successful after six months. Its reputation attracts customers from far away, including people who visit solely to eat there. The restaurant has expanded its seating area, staff, kitchen, and service operations, earning Qiao Wanqing a reputation as a wealthy entrepreneur.
• Plans for the mountain villa: Gu Yanqing’s nearby villa has finally been completed and furnished. Although he originally built it so he and Qiao Wanqing could live near each other, her career has since shifted toward Agricultural Taobao, making the remote villa unnecessary for their own use. They decide to rent it out as a mountain recuperation retreat for people seeking clean air, scenic surroundings, and healthy food.
• Tang Yueyue’s reaction: Tang Yueyue is amazed by the couple’s wealth and casual business decisions, particularly their willingness to build and repurpose a million-yuan villa. She also suggests that Qiao Wanqing expand the vegetarian restaurant into a chain, believing it could be more profitable than Taobao.
• Qiao Wanqing’s ambitions and reflections: Qiao Wanqing considers opening another restaurant in C City but recognizes the difficulties involved, including ingredient supply, transportation, staffing, and the high cost of quality vegetarian cuisine. She remains committed to pursuing multiple sources of income, joking that no one ever believes they earn too much money. Her success contrasts sharply with who she was two years earlier, and she privately reflects that her former self was not truly her own identity.
• Character interactions: Tang Yueyue admires and teases Qiao Wanqing about her transformation and success. Qiao Wanqing responds modestly but confidently. Their conversation highlights their friendship and Tang Yueyue’s amazement at Qiao’s changed life. At the end, Qiao Wanqing picks up Koukou to leave for the temple, but he insists on walking by himself, showing his growing independence.
• Themes: The chapter emphasizes personal transformation, entrepreneurial success, financial freedom, and the contrast between past and present identities. It also highlights practical business decisions, the benefits of Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing’s wealth, and the warm, humorous family interactions surrounding Koukou.

Chapter Summary

• Qiao Wanqing manages Koukou: Qiao Wanqing lets Koukou down briefly, but he immediately tries to run off. She catches him by his hood and gently persuades him to hold her hand, reflecting her patient but practical approach to childcare. Tang Yueyue is amused by how effectively Qiao handles him.
• Discussion of parenting: Qiao Wanqing comments that modern parents rarely discipline children harshly, unlike the older generation, who were often raised under the principle that strict punishment produced obedient children. She believes coaxing is now the more realistic way to handle children.
• Tang Yueyue’s anxiety about love: At the Matchmaker Temple, Tang Yueyue becomes nervous about drawing a fortune concerning her relationship. Although she claims she could accept it if she and the man she likes are not fated, she secretly hopes for reassurance that they belong together. Qiao Wanqing comforts her, saying fortune-telling should only serve as a reference and that the relationship itself matters more.
• Plans to discreetly investigate Tang Yueyue’s love interest: Qiao Wanqing promises to have Yan Qing subtly sound out the man, with help from President Gu. Tang Yueyue insists that he must not realize she arranged the inquiry, fearing he might feel pressured. Their exchange highlights her shyness and insecurity, while Qiao Wanqing observes that love is complicated.
• Fortune-drawing customs introduced: The chapter explains how visitors burn incense, worship, shake a bamboo cylinder, and draw a slip containing an auspicious or inauspicious prediction and a poetic interpretation. The elderly fortune interpreter resembles a traditional reclusive master, though the site is technically a Taoist shrine rather than a Buddhist temple.
• Qiao leaves the line with Koukou: While Tang Yueyue waits in the long line, Koukou becomes restless and wants to play. Qiao takes him outside, where he repeatedly runs through the crowd, forcing her to chase after him and worry about losing him. The scene emphasizes the exhaustion and responsibility of caring for a young child.
• Ridiculous restaurant advertisement: Koukou leads Qiao to a crowd watching a man and woman dressed in cheap “ancient” costumes. They present themselves as the Cowherd and Weaver Girl and use a forced romantic rhyme to promote the nearby Happy Union restaurant. Qiao immediately recognizes the performance as advertising and finds it embarrassingly contrived.
• Business rivalry: Qiao’s vegetarian restaurant is thriving without needing promotion, while Happy Union’s business is struggling because of mediocre food and less favorable circumstances. Its owners have resorted to flyers and theatrical advertising, even while Boss Cai spreads rumors about them. The contrast underscores Qiao’s natural business success versus Happy Union’s increasingly desperate marketing efforts.

Key Themes and Character Development

• Parenting and patience: Qiao demonstrates firm but affectionate childcare, relying on persuasion rather than punishment.
• Love and insecurity: Tang Yueyue’s nervousness reveals how deeply she cares about her relationship and how much she desires confirmation of mutual feelings.
• Faith versus personal choice: The fortune-telling ritual offers emotional reassurance, but Qiao stresses that relationships depend more on the people involved than on predictions.
• Commercial competition: The contrast between the two restaurants highlights the importance of quality and reputation over gimmicky advertising.
• Character interactions: Qiao and Tang Yueyue share a supportive friendship, while Qiao’s exchanges with Koukou show her growing comfort with a maternal role.

Chapter 192 Summary

• Visit to the Matchmaker Temple: Qiao Wanqing takes Koukou to the temple, where Tang Yueyue finishes drawing her fortune. The lot predicts that although her romantic path will be difficult and involve obstacles, remaining loyal to her feelings will eventually bring a positive outcome. Encouraged, Tang Yueyue resolves to continue pursuing Qi Xing, while Qiao Wanqing jokes that she should soon bring Koukou’s “godfather” home.
• Tang Yueyue and Qi Xing’s relationship: During a video call, Qiao Wanqing tells Gu Yanqing about the fortune. Gu Yanqing reveals that Qi Xing has a favorable impression of Tang Yueyue, but their relationship is progressing slowly because they live in different cities and communicate mostly through WeChat. Qiao suggests sending Qi Xing to X City for work, though Gu Yanqing admits this may not be practical.
• Business partnership idea: Gu Yanqing proposes that Tang Yueyue join Qiao Wanqing in her e-commerce venture as a partner. Qiao realizes that running the online business alone will eventually be impossible, since she will need help with order management, customer service, packing, shipping, and operations. Tang Yueyue’s existing e-commerce experience makes her an ideal collaborator. Although Qiao worries that Yueyue’s parents may object to her leaving a major company for a rural startup, Gu Yanqing encourages her to ask rather than assume. Qiao decides to discuss the idea with Tang Yueyue.
• Family video call: After Qiao finishes speaking with Gu Yanqing, Koukou insists on talking to his father. Qiao sets up the phone so Koukou can play while chatting with Gu Yanqing, then goes to shower. When she returns, Koukou is sitting obediently before the phone but has drooled all over himself and the floor.
• Koukou’s food obsession: Koukou explains that he was drooling because he saw “food.” Qiao discovers that he has been staring at a magazine cover showing an elaborate slice of mousse cake. She teasingly criticizes his lack of ambition and jokes that, instead of resembling his capable father, he has become an extreme food lover.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Qiao Wanqing becomes more practical and entrepreneurial, recognizing the need to build a team and seriously considering Tang Yueyue as a business partner.
• Tang Yueyue gains renewed confidence in pursuing Qi Xing and shows determination to remain faithful to her feelings despite setbacks.
• Gu Yanqing supports Qiao both emotionally and strategically, offering realistic business advice and helping her see the potential of partnering with Yueyue.
• Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing display a comfortable, affectionate marriage through their video call and shared concern for their friends.
• Qiao Wanqing, Tang Yueyue, and Koukou joke warmly about Tang eventually becoming Koukou’s godmother and bringing Qi Xing into their family circle.
• Koukou and Gu Yanqing share a sweet father-son interaction, though Koukou remains more interested in food than conversation.

Significant Themes

• Perseverance in love: Tang Yueyue’s fortune reinforces the idea that sincere feelings require patience and commitment through difficulties.
• Entrepreneurship and cooperation: Qiao learns that successful business ventures depend on practical planning, delegation, and trustworthy partners.
• Family warmth and domestic comedy: The chapter balances business and romance with affectionate family interactions, especially through Koukou’s humorous obsession with food.

Chapter Summary: “Mango Mousse”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After a month of mental and physical exhaustion, Tang Yueyue finally sleeps well and wakes late, feeling refreshed.
• Qiao Wanqing is making mango mousse cake for Koukou after discovering that the local cake shops were not yet open. She follows an online tutorial and uses homemade cake, mangoes, gelatin, and mousse filling to create a four-layer dessert.
• While helping in the kitchen, Tang Yueyue compares herself unfavorably to Qiao Wanqing, believing she lacks cooking, baking, and entrepreneurial abilities.
• Qiao Wanqing reassures her that financial independence and having a stable job are already enough. She also invites Tang Yueyue to join her Taobao business.
• Tang Yueyue hesitates because she has a well-paying, stable job and fears giving it up for Qi Xing only for their relationship to fail.
• Qiao Wanqing advises her not to rush: she can continue working for the year and reconsider joining the business next year, after seeing how her relationship develops.
• The mousse cake succeeds. Koukou enthusiastically eats it while video-calling his father, Gu Yanqing, who is working overtime.
• Watching Koukou enjoy the dessert makes Gu Yanqing crave it as well, so he has his assistant buy him a slice.
• Tang Yueyue prepares to leave for C City that afternoon after Qi Xing invites her to dinner.

Character Developments

• Tang Yueyue begins recovering from her exhaustion and becomes more open about her insecurities. She recognizes her uncertainty about both her career and relationship with Qi Xing.
• Qiao Wanqing demonstrates her practical, capable nature through cooking, baking, and running her Taobao shop. She also acts as a thoughtful and realistic friend, encouraging Tang Yueyue to protect her independence rather than make a rash sacrifice for love.
• Koukou remains food-loving and energetic, eagerly enjoying the mousse cake and wanting to share the experience with his father.
• Gu Yanqing is shown balancing demanding work with affection for his son. Although he is stuck working overtime, he participates in Koukou’s enjoyment through the video call and is amusingly tempted into buying cake himself.
• Qi Xing remains largely off-page but takes initiative by inviting Tang Yueyue to dinner, showing that their relationship is progressing.

Significant Themes

• Female independence: The chapter emphasizes that a woman’s ability to support herself and maintain financial independence is valuable, regardless of whether she can cook, run a business, or meet traditional expectations.
• Love versus career: Tang Yueyue’s dilemma reflects the risks of abandoning a stable career for a relationship. The chapter advocates patience and maintaining personal security while love develops.
• Practical friendship: Qiao Wanqing supports Tang Yueyue emotionally while also offering sensible, long-term advice instead of encouraging an impulsive decision.
• Domestic happiness and food: The mousse cake brings the characters together and creates warmth, humor, and affection across distance.
• Traditional expectations of women: Mrs. Gu’s belief that wealthy wives should simply spend money and socialize contrasts with Qiao Wanqing’s more active, self-reliant lifestyle.

Character Interactions

• Tang Yueyue and Qiao Wanqing bond in the kitchen over the mousse cake and discuss self-worth, careers, and relationships.
• Qiao Wanqing offers Tang Yueyue a possible role in the Taobao shop but respects her hesitation and gives her time to decide.
• Koukou video-calls Gu Yanqing while eating cake, turning his father’s stressful workday into a humorous food-related scene.
• Qi Xing’s dinner invitation gives Tang Yueyue a reason to return to C City and signals the next step in their developing relationship.

Key events

• Qiao Wanqing gives Tang Yueyue jars of homemade honey pomelo tea as a return favor.
• Soon after opening her online shop, Qiao receives an order for twenty portions of vegetable crisps. She realizes the buyer used Gu Yanqing’s company address and worries it may look like a fake order. Gu explains that his assistant placed a legitimate purchase using an established buyer account, and Qiao sends the goods to support her husband’s wish to help her business.
• As winter sets in, Qiao prepares spicy cabbage and cured meat. Koukou catches a severe cold, and she takes him to C City for better medical care.
• Koukou develops a fever of 39.5°C. Doctor Huang gives him an injection while Qiao and Gu hold him still. Koukou cries, calls both parents “bad guys,” and refuses Gu’s attempt to comfort him.
• His fever eases, but he remains weak the next day. Gu Jingzhi and Mrs. Gu visit and fuss over their grandson. When Doctor Huang returns, Koukou recognizes him, bolts from his grandmother’s arms, and hides in his room.

Character developments and interactions

• Qiao is excited by her first sale but wants her shop’s growth to be genuine; Gu’s well-intentioned support leaves her bemused, though she accepts it.
• Qiao and Gu show how devoted they are to Koukou, joining forces to get him medical treatment even though he feels betrayed by them.
• Koukou’s normally stoic bravery gives way to dramatic tears and a lasting grudge against the doctor, adding humor to the family’s worry.
• Gu Jingzhi and Mrs. Gu’s deep affection for their grandson is clear in their anxious visit and especially Mrs. Gu’s tender care.

Significant themes

• Family support: Gu backs Qiao’s new business, while the family rallies around Koukou when he falls ill.
• Parental care and childhood vulnerability: Koukou’s illness makes his parents acutely anxious, and his reaction to treatment shows the gap between adult intentions and a child’s experience.
• Domestic humor: The contrast between Koukou’s serious, obedient appearance and his fierce protests—and later escape—lightens an otherwise worrying episode.

Chapter Summary: “Silly Son”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Koukou panics when he sees Doctor Huang, barricading himself behind a door because he believes he will be given another painful injection.
• Mrs. Gu and Gu Jingzhi calm him by sending Doctor Huang away and reassuring him that he is safe.
• Koukou explains that he is afraid of shots, especially injections given in the buttocks, and recalls crying from the pain.
• Gu Jingzhi wins Koukou’s trust by claiming that the doctor is afraid of him and will not dare give Koukou a shot. Koukou then willingly asks Gu Jingzhi to hold him, delighting his grandfather.
• Because Koukou remains suspicious of doctors, the family calls in Doctor Wang instead. Koukou cooperates only after confirming that no needle is present.
• Doctor Wang determines that Koukou’s fever has subsided and that he has nothing serious beyond a cold and mild cough. He recommends children’s cold medicine and pear soup with rock sugar.
• Koukou enjoys the pear soup and some pear before falling asleep.
• Gu Yanqing and Qiao Wanqing return after obtaining food-safety certification for Qiao’s online dried-fruit and vegetable business.
• After checking on Koukou, Qiao learns that Mrs. Gu and Gu Jingzhi would like to visit her family home in a few days, once Koukou has recovered. They plan to postpone obtaining their marriage certificate until after New Year’s Day.

Character Developments

• Koukou: Reveals his childish fear of injections but also shows trust and affection toward his family. His voluntary request for Gu Jingzhi to hold him marks a major improvement in their relationship.
• Gu Jingzhi: Softens noticeably around his grandson and uses humor and authority to comfort him. He is proud of finally earning Koukou’s admiration and affection.
• Mrs. Gu: Continues to be warm and indulgent, immediately taking Koukou’s side and caring for him attentively.
• Qiao Wanqing: Feels slightly anxious about introducing Gu Jingzhi to her family and showing him their old home, but politely accepts the invitation.
• Gu Yanqing and Qiao Wanqing: Continue preparing their business and relationship for the future, choosing to marry after the New Year.

Significant Themes

• Family affection and bonding: Koukou’s illness brings the family together and highlights how deeply everyone cares for him.
• Childlike innocence and humor: Koukou’s literal understanding of adults’ words and his dramatic fear of injections create much of the chapter’s comedy.
• Trust and reconciliation: Gu Jingzhi gradually replaces Koukou’s fear with a sense of safety and protection.
• Acceptance and family integration: The planned visit to Qiao Wanqing’s family represents a step toward greater closeness and mutual respect between the two families.
• Domestic warmth: Everyday caregiving, food, and playful interactions emphasize the story’s gentle, affectionate family atmosphere.

Character Interactions

• Mrs. Gu comforts and teases Koukou while reassuring him that the “bad guy” who gives shots will be punished.
• Gu Jingzhi reassures Koukou, earns his trust, and proudly embraces him when Koukou asks to be held.
• The grandparents coordinate medical care, first dismissing Doctor Huang and then bringing in Doctor Wang.
• Qiao Wanqing and Mrs. Gu discuss visiting Qiao’s family, signaling growing familiarity and courtesy between the families.

Chapter 196 Summary

Plot and Events

• Qiao Wanqing learns that marriage to Gu Yanqing involves several family customs, including visiting relatives, delivering red envelopes and gifts in X City on New Year’s Day, and meeting both sides of the family.
• Because Wanqing had previously claimed that she and Gu Yanqing were merely reconciling after a divorce, they decide against holding a large formal wedding banquet. Instead, they will host a small gathering for close friends and relatives at one of Gu Yanqing’s hotels, avoiding village gossip and unnecessary formalities.
• Gu Jingzhi summons Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing for tea and a lecture, but the conversation turns into stories about the Gu family’s past.
• Gu Jingzhi recalls how he and Lu Yapei once grew vegetables while living in the countryside. Wanqing is surprised that the wealthy Gu family elders had personal experience farming.
• Meanwhile, Mrs. Gu struggles to feed Koukou, who has a poor appetite after being sick. Koukou is exposed for secretly spitting food into the trash and hides in Wanqing’s arms.
• Mrs. Gu begins revealing embarrassing stories about Gu Yanqing’s childhood, including how he once pretended his formula tasted bitter after secretly eating cake. Gu Yanqing interrupts by claiming that Wanqing has received a Wangwang message, allowing him to stop his mother before she can reveal more.

Character Developments

• Qiao Wanqing: Shows a cooperative and trusting attitude toward the marriage arrangements, relying on Gu Yanqing and his family to handle unfamiliar customs. She becomes increasingly comfortable with the Gu family and enjoys hearing their personal stories.
• Gu Yanqing: Appears calm and composed but is revealed to have been mischievous and food-loving as a child. He becomes visibly embarrassed by his mother’s stories and cleverly distracts Wanqing to protect his dignity.
• Mrs. Gu: Demonstrates her affectionate, energetic nature by feeding Koukou and sharing humorous memories of Gu Yanqing. Her playful teasing brings her closer to Wanqing.
• Gu Jingzhi: Although normally stern and authoritative, he reveals a warm, nostalgic side while recounting his and his wife’s rural experiences.
• Koukou: Remains picky and mischievous while recovering from illness, but seeks comfort from Wanqing when his grandmother exposes his behavior.

Themes

• Family integration: Marriage is presented as the joining of two families, involving traditions, introductions, and shared obligations.
• Avoiding gossip and preserving privacy: Wanqing and Yanqing choose a modest wedding celebration to prevent villagers from distorting Wanqing’s complicated relationship history.
• Hidden sides of family members: The chapter humorously contrasts the Gu family’s respectable image with their ordinary, mischievous pasts.
• Domestic affection and intimacy: Feeding, teasing, reminiscing, and sharing embarrassing stories show the warmth developing between Wanqing and Gu Yanqing’s family.

Character Interactions

• Mrs. Gu guides Wanqing through wedding customs and treats her as part of the family.
• Gu Jingzhi lectures Wanqing and Yanqing but eventually bonds with Wanqing through stories about farming.
• Mrs. Gu and Wanqing connect through their shared amusement at Gu Yanqing’s childhood behavior.
• Wanqing comforts Koukou and becomes involved in the family’s everyday domestic life.
• Gu Yanqing playfully intervenes to prevent his mother from embarrassing him further, revealing growing familiarity and affection between him and Wanqing.

Chapter Summary: “Eldest Maternal Uncle”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Koukou suffers a serious illness and loses much of his baby fat, worrying the entire Gu family.
• Because Koukou refuses to take medicine, Qiao Wanqing devises a trick: she hides the medicine inside a yogurt carton and gives it to him through a straw.
• With Gu Yanqing’s encouragement and Qiao Wanqing’s coaxing, Koukou drinks the medicine without realizing he has been deceived. Gu Yanqing rewards him with candy.
• The trick works only once. On the next attempt, Koukou insists on inserting the straw himself, exposing his cleverness and making the family laugh.
• After two days, Koukou recovers enough for the Gu family to visit Qiao Wanqing’s family.
• Qiao Wanqing’s relatives prepare an elaborate country-style welcome, complete with firecrackers, fireworks, a large meal, and many neighbors helping slaughter poultry and cook.
• Qiao Wanqing worries that the enthusiastic rural reception may overwhelm her in-laws, but Mrs. Gu and Gu Jingzhi appear pleased by the lively atmosphere.
• Qiao Wanqing’s second uncle warmly welcomes Gu Jingzhi and casually calls him “in-law,” showing no fear of his stern demeanor.

Character Developments

• Koukou: Though sick and weak, he remains energetic, food-loving, and mischievous. His ability to recognize repeated tricks reveals his intelligence, while his willingness to trust his parents highlights his affection for them.
• Qiao Wanqing: She demonstrates patience, resourcefulness, and humor while caring for Koukou. She also becomes increasingly conscious of the differences between her family’s rural customs and Gu Yanqing’s wealthy family.
• Gu Yanqing: He participates warmly in caring for Koukou, encouraging him to take his medicine and preparing a reward. His playful affection shows his gentle, involved nature as a father.
• Gu Jingzhi: He grows closer to Koukou, despite having once intimidated the child. His willingness to enjoy the noisy welcome suggests he is more accepting and easygoing than Qiao Wanqing expected.
• Qiao Wanqing’s second uncle: His outspoken, friendly personality contrasts with Gu Jingzhi’s reserved sternness, yet he handles the meeting confidently and naturally.

Significant Themes

• Family affection and caregiving: The Gu family’s concern over Koukou’s illness illustrates their deep love and protectiveness.
• Trust and cleverness: Koukou is repeatedly fooled because he trusts his parents, but his quick adaptation proves that he is observant and intelligent.
• Cultural and class differences: The contrast between Qiao Wanqing’s rural, communal hospitality and the Gu family’s wealthy urban background creates both humor and tension.
• Family integration: The visit marks an important step in bringing the two families together, with both sides showing acceptance despite their different personalities and lifestyles.
• Domestic humor: Koukou’s food preferences, resistance to medicine, and the adults’ elaborate attempts to deceive him create a warm, comedic atmosphere.

Character Interactions

• Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing work together to medicate Koukou, with Gu Yanqing encouraging him while Qiao Wanqing manages the deception.
• Gu Yanqing affectionately teases and rewards Koukou, strengthening their father-son bond.
• Koukou becomes unexpectedly close to Gu Jingzhi and even asks him to hold him, signaling a significant change in their relationship.
• Qiao Wanqing worries about how her relatives’ enthusiastic customs will affect the Gu family, while Gu Jingzhi and Mrs. Gu respond positively.
• Qiao Wanqing’s second uncle immediately treats Gu Jingzhi like family, creating a lively contrast between the two men’s personalities.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qiao Wanqing’s family prepares an elaborate meal to welcome Gu Yanqing’s parents, despite Wanqing’s original wish for a simple gathering.
• During the visit, Gu Jingzhi asks about Wanqing’s eldest uncle, Lin Xinmao, and discovers that he once leased a fishpond in Sangtang.
• Gu Jingzhi recognizes Lin Xinmao as the man who stole vegetables from the Gu family’s farm decades earlier. The revelation creates an extraordinary connection between the two families.
• Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing discuss the coincidence privately. Wanqing worries that her uncle’s past behavior may cause Gu’s parents to look down on her family.
• Gu Yanqing reassures her that his parents will not blame her for something her uncle did.
• The tension is interrupted when Koukou picks up and puts an unexploded firecracker in his mouth. Gu Yanqing and Qiao Wanqing quickly make him spit it out.

Character Developments

• Qiao Wanqing shows consideration toward her family by accepting the elaborate preparations rather than disappointing them. She also reveals insecurity about whether her family’s background and reputation will affect her relationship with Gu Yanqing.
• Gu Yanqing demonstrates understanding and support, assuring Wanqing that her uncle’s actions do not define her. His patient but exasperated handling of Koukou also highlights his role as a caring father.
• Gu Jingzhi is shown to have an exceptionally strong memory—or a long-standing grudge—as he recognizes the family connected to an incident from decades earlier. Despite the past conflict, he remains polite and restrained.
• Koukou remains mischievous and fearless, creating comic relief by trying to eat a firecracker.

Significant Themes

• Family reputation and inherited judgment: Wanqing fears being judged for a relative’s misconduct, while the chapter emphasizes that individuals should not be held responsible for their family members’ actions.
• Fate and coincidence: The discovery that the two families were connected through an incident thirty years earlier suggests an almost unbelievable chain of fate leading to Wanqing and Yanqing’s relationship.
• Acceptance across social backgrounds: Wanqing’s concern about poverty and character reflects her anxiety about entering the Gu family, while the Gu family’s lack of prejudice suggests genuine acceptance.
• Domestic warmth and humor: The formal family gathering is balanced by affectionate, chaotic family interactions involving Koukou.

Character Interactions

• Gu Jingzhi questions Qiao Wanqing’s second uncle about Lin Xinmao, gradually revealing the old connection.
• Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing privately discuss the possible relationship between her uncle and Gu Jingzhi’s former adversary.
• Gu Yanqing comforts Wanqing and emphasizes that she is not responsible for her uncle’s behavior.
• Both Wanqing and Yanqing work together to stop Koukou from swallowing the firecracker, reinforcing their cooperative and affectionate family dynamic.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Koukou picks up and eats a firecracker, prompting Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing to reprimand him and warn him about needing an injection. They take him to rinse his mouth and resolve to watch him closely because of his dangerous habit of eating random objects.
• Koukou complains to his grandmother, Mrs. Gu, claiming that his parents want to give him an injection. His grandparents defend and indulge him, exposing the contrast between strict parents and doting grandparents.
• A large family meal is prepared at Grandma Qiao’s home, with more than thirty dishes for the many visiting neighbors and relatives.
• Qiao Wanqing’s eldest uncle arrives unexpectedly with his family. She and Gu Yanqing greet them at the entrance.
• Eldest Uncle recognizes Gu Jingzhi, revealing that he and Gu Jingzhi knew each other in the past. Gu Jingzhi confirms that Gu Yanqing is his son, and the reunion is emotional and cordial.
• Qiao Wanqing learns that Eldest Uncle was not the person stealing vegetables. He had actually delivered fish to the family and helped catch the vegetable thief, relieving her concern that his actions might damage her reputation.
• While Qiao Wanqing helps prepare the meal, Gu Yanqing watches Koukou. Koukou plays with Xinxin, his three-year-old cousin, and generously shares his toys, including his treasured toy spaceship.

Character Developments

• Koukou remains mischievous and impulsive, continuing to eat things he finds, but he also demonstrates cleverness by exaggerating or twisting events to gain sympathy from his grandparents. He is sociable and generous with other children.
• Gu Yanqing acts as a responsible, protective father by disciplining Koukou and supervising him carefully, though Koukou’s false complaint briefly makes him feel frustrated and tempted to punish him.
• Qiao Wanqing is attentive and practical, caring for Koukou and helping with the extensive family preparations. She also experiences unexpected melancholy when Eldest Uncle’s reaction to her reminds him of her deceased mother.
• Gu Jingzhi and Mrs. Gu display classic grandparental indulgence, defending Koukou despite his misbehavior and unintentionally undermining his parents’ discipline.
• Eldest Uncle is introduced as warm and emotional. His reunion with Gu Jingzhi reveals an old friendship and clarifies his innocence in the theft incident.

Significant Themes

• Parental discipline versus grandparental spoiling: Gu Yanqing and Qiao Wanqing try to correct Koukou’s dangerous behavior, while his grandparents excuse and protect him.
• Family reunion and hidden connections: Eldest Uncle’s unexpected arrival reveals a past connection between the Qiao and Gu families.
• Misunderstandings and mistaken suspicion: Qiao Wanqing initially worries that Eldest Uncle may be the thief, but the truth shows that appearances and assumptions can be misleading.
• Childhood innocence and mischief: Koukou’s troublesome behavior is balanced by his friendliness, generosity, and eagerness to play with Xinxin.
• Belonging and family memory: Eldest Uncle’s emotional response to Qiao Wanqing connects her to her late mother and evokes complicated feelings about her family past.

Character Interactions

• Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing jointly discipline and care for Koukou.
• Koukou manipulates Mrs. Gu’s sympathy by tattling, leading her to scold his parents.
• Gu Jingzhi and Eldest Uncle warmly reconnect after many years, discovering that their children are now connected.
• Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing politely welcome Eldest Uncle’s family, with Gu Yanqing earning their approval through his respectful behavior.
• Koukou befriends Xinxin and invites her to play with his toys, showing a gentler and more cooperative side of his personality.

Chapter Summary: “Education Issues”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xinxin notices Koukou’s remote-controlled spaceship and asks to play with it.
• Koukou demonstrates how it flies but refuses to share because he is enjoying the toy. Xinxin, believing she is older and smarter, snatches the remote from him.
• Koukou cries and runs to his father, Gu Yanqing. Although Gu Yanqing understands that Xinxin took the toy, he tells Koukou to share and frames sharing as the behavior of a “good boy.”
• Xinxin mishandles the remote, causing the spaceship to crash into a wall and stop working.
• Koukou becomes inconsolable because the toy, despite being old, is still precious to him. Gu Yanqing promises to buy him a larger replacement.
• Frightened by Koukou’s crying and Gu Yanqing’s stern expression, Xinxin falsely claims that Koukou broke the spaceship.
• Xinxin’s mother realizes her daughter is lying, but before she can explain, Mrs. Gu arrives and comforts Koukou.
• Gu Yanqing leaves the room to avoid harshly scolding Xinxin. He reflects on the importance of teaching Koukou not only to share but also to accept responsibility and avoid becoming someone who blames others.

Character Developments

• Koukou: Learns, though unwillingly, that he is expected to share his belongings. His intense distress over the broken spaceship reveals how deeply he values familiar possessions and how emotionally dependent he is on adult reassurance.
• Gu Yanqing: Initially prioritizes teaching Koukou generosity, even when Koukou has been wronged. After seeing Xinxin deny responsibility, he recognizes that moral education must include honesty and accountability, not merely sharing.
• Xinxin: Displays entitlement by taking the spaceship’s remote, carelessness by using it improperly, and cowardice by blaming Koukou when the toy breaks. Her behavior becomes a negative example of the traits Gu Yanqing wants to prevent in Koukou.
• Mrs. Gu: Immediately sides emotionally with Koukou and soothes him, offering to replace the broken toy.
• Xinxin’s mother: Understands from her daughter’s reaction that Xinxin is responsible, though she does not get the chance to fully correct the situation.

Significant Themes

• Sharing versus personal boundaries: The chapter questions whether children should always be forced to share, especially when another child takes something without permission.
• Honesty and accountability: The central lesson shifts from sharing to admitting mistakes and accepting responsibility.
• Adult influence on children: Gu Yanqing’s instructions shape Koukou’s understanding of good and bad behavior, but the incident shows that simplistic moral rules can overlook fairness and context.
• Parental bias and protection: Gu Yanqing is highly protective of Koukou and struggles to remain tolerant toward another child, while Mrs. Gu instinctively comforts her grandson.
• Childhood innocence and manipulation: Both children behave immaturely, but Xinxin’s lie demonstrates how children may protect themselves by shifting blame onto others.

Character Interactions

• Koukou and Xinxin: Their conflict begins with Xinxin’s desire to play and Koukou’s refusal to share, escalating when she forcibly takes the remote and accidentally destroys the spaceship.
• Koukou and Gu Yanqing: Koukou seeks comfort from his father, who first encourages him to share and later reassures him by promising a replacement toy.
• Gu Yanqing and Xinxin: Gu Yanqing questions Xinxin about the broken spaceship, intimidating her without directly disciplining her.
• Gu Yanqing and Mrs. Gu: Both focus on comforting Koukou, though Gu Yanqing privately reflects on the need for better guidance while Mrs. Gu simply promises him a new toy.
• Xinxin and her mother: Xinxin hides behind her mother after becoming frightened, while her mother recognizes that her daughter is concealing the truth.