Madam, Please Behave

January 24th.

Lunar calendar: 28th day.

When it comes to an unknown journey, it’s always the kids who get the most excited. And among the Liu siblings, Liu Xiazhi was clearly the most thrilled.

As they set off on the road trip to An Yuanyao’s hometown, she was all smiles and giggles. For the first two hours of the drive, she was full of energy, constantly chatting and asking An Yuanyao all sorts of questions.

But that cheerful mood didn’t last long.

Once they got on the highway, apart from a quick bathroom and rest stop at a service area, they were cooped up in the car the entire time.

Slowly, Liu Xiazhi began to feel the despair.

“Dad… are we there yet…”

Her voice was weak and worn-out as she spoke.

Hearing his daughter’s question, Liu Changqing sighed. On this trip alone, she’d already asked him that same thing at least dozens of times.

Still, he gave the standard response:

“Almost there.”

“How long is ‘almost’?”

“About another hour.”

When that answer reached her ears, Liu Xiazhi’s pouty face looked even more defeated.

She was no longer the chipper little ball of sunshine from earlier. An Yuanyao, on the other hand, was doing fine. Seeing Xiazhi’s miserable expression, she gently tried to comfort her.

And so… after some painfully long waiting and a bit more driving after getting off the highway, they finally arrived.

The An family had already made preparations for their arrival. An Qianxun was waiting outside. Once the car pulled up, he led the Liu family inside.

Liu Changqing couldn’t help but marvel at the size of the place and the interior decor. Compared to this, the new house they’d bought seemed like nothing.

Such a big yard, yet no one was growing any vegetables.

What a waste.

Back in his past life, his parents had loved gardening. It started with some flowers and plants, but eventually they realized if they had to tend to something anyway, they might as well plant vegetables.

With those thoughts in his head, Liu Changqing followed An Qianxun into An Yuanyao’s house. When they opened the door, the room inside was neat and well-organized.

An Qianxun turned to his sister and said,

“Jie, you guys can stay in the same room as before. The kids’ rooms are cleaned and ready too.”

“Mm, okay.”

An Yuanyao nodded and replied to her brother, then slowly walked into the room. It felt familiar… yet a little unfamiliar too.

The two kids followed her inside.

But Liu Changqing, hearing all this, was a bit surprised. He grabbed An Qianxun by the arm and pulled him out of the room.

An Qianxun looked puzzled at this sudden move, and before he could ask, Liu Changqing leaned in and whispered,

“Hey, so... is it really okay for me to share a room with your sister here?”

“What? Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Well… you know that old saying, right? ‘Better a funeral at home than a married couple sleeping together when visiting the wife’s family.’ Technically, since she’s back at her parents’ place, shouldn’t we not be sleeping in the same room?”

“Bro… what kind of ancient thinking is that? It’s the 21st century. You really still believe in that stuff?”

“……”

Liu Changqing went silent, clearly second-guessing himself.

Seeing this, An Qianxun didn’t press the issue. He just turned and headed back inside to show the kids their rooms.

Left alone, Liu Changqing furrowed his brow.

So his own memories had misled him again…

Back when he’d visited Li Wanran’s family, he hadn’t shared a room with her either… and afterward, he’d come up with that exact same excuse.

“Sigh…”

Liu Changqing let out a long sigh and thought to himself,

“Liu Changqing, you idiot… seriously, I can’t with you sometimes.”

After dinner and a bit of rest, Liu Changqing brought out the gifts he’d prepared for An Yuanyao’s parents. He couldn’t afford anything fancy, so they were just some practical, everyday items.

An Quancheng and his wife accepted them with smiles. Their family wasn’t the type to fuss over these things—gifts didn’t matter much to them.

To them, the most important thing in life… was being happy.

A harmonious and reunited family—what more could they ask for?

Liu Changqing really liked that kind of atmosphere.

Though… every time An Yuanyao served him a dish, her father—who was a classic daughter-doting dad—would shoot him dagger eyes across the table.

After a long post-meal break…

Liu Changqing got into his car alone once again. He was heading back to visit the hometown of this body’s original owner. While there, he also planned to collect the 20,000 yuan he had lent to an old acquaintance.

He had the IOU already tucked in his pocket.

Fastening his seatbelt, Liu Changqing turned to look at An Yuanyao, who was standing by the car.

Softly, he said,

“I’ll be back early on New Year’s Eve morning. Wait for me.”

“Drive safely…”

An Yuanyao still looked a little worried. As much as she wanted to go with him, Liu Changqing couldn’t take her along.

Unlike the wide, smooth highways to her home, the road to his own hometown hadn’t been properly built yet.

Even regular folks would find it a bumpy nightmare—let alone someone who was pregnant…

Out of concern for her, Liu Changqing decided not to bring either of the kids. They could stay here with her, and he’d go on his own.

An Yuanyao understood, so she didn’t insist on coming. But she did keep nagging.

“It’s almost the holidays, there’ll be a lot of cars on the road… drive slow, seriously. If you get tired, pull over and rest. If you’re thirsty, drink some water. If you’re hungry, then…”

“I got it, I’ll be careful.”

Liu Changqing was half amused, half helpless in the face of her endless list of worries.

But deep down, he felt warm.

Looking at her worried expression, Liu Changqing spent a little longer reassuring her before she finally relaxed.

Once their chat wrapped up, he started the car.

“Call me when you get there to let me know you’re safe!”

Her last shout rang in his ears, and Liu Changqing shouted back just as loudly,

“Don’t worry!”

His voice reached her clearly. She walked to the front gate, watching the car get farther and farther away until...

It completely vanished from view.

She stood there like a stone statue, just watching.

This scene didn’t go unnoticed by An Qianxun and his wife, who were standing nearby. Ma Lisu, in particular, looked visibly envious of the affection between her sister-in-law and brother-in-law.

Looking at her cheerful husband...

The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she got.

She immediately reached out and pinched him.

An Qianxun—who’d just been enjoying the romantic drama unfolding before him like a TV show—yelped in pain on the spot.

Clutching his arm, he turned to stare at his suddenly grumpy wife, totally confused.

“What was that for?!”