Su Bing was at a loss for words. He couldn’t fathom why Jiang Nuan had gone to such lengths to say goodbye, yet hadn’t left a letter for Su Li or the others.
In Su Bing’s mind, Jiang Nuan spent more time with Su Li and the others, so logically, if she had e out in the middle of the night to bid farewell, it would have been for them, not him. He simply couldn’t understand the way a girl’s mind worked.
After a moment, he pushed the thought aside, watching Jiang Nuan—always so poised and proper—squeeze herself through the small dog hole to return to her home. The contrast was almost startling, but at least now, he could ride off with peace of mind.
What he didn’t know was that Jiang Nuan remained by the fence, peering through the shadows at his retreating figure. Only once his silhouette had vanished pletely into the night did she whisper softly, "Su Bing, the one I wanted to say goodbye to the most was you."
The next morning, Su Bing recounted the entire incident to Gu Zi, who was taken aback. "I didn’t realize Jiang Nuan had it in her—what a gutsy little thing. Lucky for her you stayed up so late. That was risky."
Su Li, overhearing the conversation, felt a tinge of regret. "If I’d known, I would’ve stayed up too. Jiang Nuan definitely came to say goodbye to me. After all, I’m her best friend—me and Gao Ming!"
Su Bing sneered. "Why do you always have to be the center of everything?"
He didn’t think for a second that Jiang Nuan had e specifically to see him—maybe she had just wanted to say goodbye to their mom, who’d been kind to her. After all, when Jiang Nuan was sick, it had been their mother who took care of her.
Gu Zi, however, was more concerned with another matter. "Regardless of who she came to see, I’m just glad Jiang Nuan’s okay. By the way, we still haven’t figured out what to do with Big Yellow, have we? I went to give him a bone this morning, and he’s acting strange. He wouldn’t even touch it, just curled up in his doghouse and whimpered. I’m worried he might stop eating again, like last time."
An Yun chimed in, "Dogs are loyal to their masters. Big Yellow only sees you as family. He’s probably just upset that you’re leaving, but he’ll get over it soon enough. Your father and I will take good care of him."
An Yun was mostly worried about the logistics. Since Gu Zi and the others had already decided to take the train to the capital, there was no way they could bring a dog along. That would be chaos.
Gu Zi was also thinking about how to bring Big Yellow along without it being a hassle. She simply couldn’t bear to leave him behind. She turned to Su Shen for advice. "Su Shen, what do you think we should do?"
The three kids, sensing that the adults hadn’t reached a decision yet, eagerly offered their suggestions. Su Li, looking earnest, said, "Mom, Dad, Big Yellow’s part of our family. We can’t just leave him behind. He’ll be heartbroken!"
The other two children nodded in agreement, their gazes fixed firmly on Su Shen, hoping he would find a way to bring Big Yellow along.
Su Shen fell silent for a moment. Big Yellow had been with him since he was a pup, and he didn’t want to abandon him. He didn’t want to see Big Yellow go through another hunger strike.
He stepped outside and made a quick phone call. When he returned, he told everyone, "We’ll bring Big Yellow with us. I know a truck driver who makes regular trips to the capital. He’s on his way there in a few days and has agreed to take Big Yellow for us."
Everyone sighed with relief. Su Li immediately ran off to deliver the good news to Big Yellow. "Big Yellow, guess what? We’re taking you to the capital with us! Eat up, okay?"
Big Yellow lifted his head sharply, his eyes brimming with tears. He gave a few excited barks and finally picked up the bone near his doghouse, chomping on it eagerly.
The night before their departure, Gu Zi received an unexpected call from Su Jing. "So you did remember to call me, huh? I was starting to think you had already left with your teacher for the capital without a word," Gu Zi said.
Su Jing’s voice came through sweetly, "My dear sister-in-law, you know I’m not like that. I just had a few things to take care of in Guangcheng. You all go ahead. Once I’m done, I’ll catch up with you in the capital and continue my art studies. Make sure to save me a room, okay? Thanks, sis! Long live my sister-in-law!"
Before Gu Zi could respond, Su Jing hung up. Gu Zi had a feeling she knew what Su Jing was handling.
Now that Su Jing was learning from a famous mentor, her future was looking bright. Once she became well-known, the Tian family was bound to e around causing trouble. It seemed like Su Jing was trying to deal with that mess once and for all. Gu Zi couldn’t help but admire Su Jing’s foresight.
On the day of their departure, the Lin family came to send them off to the train station. An Yun and Li Hua were reluctant to say goodbye and clung to Gu Zi. They chatted with her for a long while.
During this, Jin Long and Gong Xin showed up. Gong Xin rushed forward, giving Gu Zi a big bear hug and grumbling, "You heartless woman! You were planning to just leave without a word? You horrible woman. If you leave like this, I’ll never forgive you!"
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