Chapter 42: It's All in the Past After lunch, Lu Liang returned home. He packed a few sets of clothes and planned to leave early. “Goodbye~ Be careful on the road,” Li Manli said as she tiptoed, raising her head, and puckered her lips, waiting for a kiss. Lu Liang bent down and kissed her, gently caressing her cheek. “Be good at home these days. If anything happens, give me a call.” With that, he grabbed his small suitcase and left. Lu Liang didn’t head straight home. He stopped by a fresh market to buy some fruit and then went to the hospital to visit Zhang Qian’s mother. He had promised Zhang Yun that he would spend the weekend with her, and he needed to bring back some gifts since he was heading home. Zhang Qian was more mature and thoughtful, so she would know what kind of gift would be best for elders and relatives. Xiaoguai went around to the other side of the bed, gently patting her back. “Grandma, are you feeling better?” Grandmother Zhuang smiled through her tears. “Much better. Go back and finish your homework now.” The little one, very perceptive, looked at both Grandmother Zhuang and Lu Liang, then asked, “Grandma, Uncle Lu, are you two whispering secrets?” Lu Liang smiled and nodded, openly admitting, “I was telling your grandma that I’ll take you out to play later.” “Where to?” Xiaoguai’s face lit up. “I’ll tell you once you finish your homework.” Lu Liang suddenly realized why Grandmother Zhuang had said all these things—essentially, she was worried that Lu Liang might have issues with Zhang Qian’s past job. Once Xiaoguai went back to do her homework, Lu Liang softly said, “Auntie, I understand. It’s all in the past.” Grandmother Zhuang held his hand tightly, not knowing what else to say. “Lu, thank you so much.” Grandmother Zhuang continued telling stories about Zhang Qian’s past, and though Lu Liang wasn’t sure if they were true, he listened attentively as if they were. After a while, Xiaoguai suddenly raised her hand excitedly and shouted, “I’m done!” She hopped over to Lu Liang, grinning as if presenting a treasure. “Uncle Lu, check it!” The first-grade homework wasn’t difficult for Lu Liang to check. After a quick glance, he saw it was almost all correct, with only a few spelling mistakes. “The character for ‘install’ doesn’t have the hand radical, and the character for ‘wood’ does have the wood radical. Go fix it up.” Lu Liang looked at Grandmother Zhuang, who smiled warmly and waved her hand. “Don’t mind me, you two have fun. Xiao Li will take care of me.” Xiao Li was the nurse on duty, a woman in her forties who smiled at Lu Liang. “I’ve fixed it,” Xiaoguai said, bringing the workbook back to Lu Liang. He checked it again, satisfied, and patted her head. “Say goodbye to Grandma. Let’s go play.” “What about Mommy?” Xiaoguai suddenly asked. “I’ll call her later to see where she is.” “Goodbye, Grandma! Goodbye, Aunt Xiao Li! Goodbye, Nurse Sister!” The little one was very polite, flashing a sweet smile as she waved to everyone. Lu Liang couldn’t help but smile, even without Zhang Qian, he already liked this little one. She was so well-behaved, polite, and adorable—how could anyone not love her? Zhang Xiaoguai, with her little backpack, took Lu Liang’s hand and walked with him to the hospital parking lot. Lu Liang helped her into the back seat, buckled her in, and then called Zhang Qian. When he learned she was near Dayuecheng in Hongkou, he furrowed his brow. He knew that area very well. “Could it be that this is really happening?” Lu Liang muttered to himself. Xiaoguai, curious, asked, “Uncle, what are you saying?” “Nothing, sit tight. I’m going to pick up Mommy.” On the way, the little one was very excited, chattering about school. “Zhao Tianqi apologized to me that day, but he hasn’t come back to school. Later, Teacher Lin said he transferred schools.” “Is that so? No one’s bullying you at school?” “No, but my classmates all say you’re very handsome.” The little one smiled proudly, thinking back to the day when many classmates were watching her.