The Male Protagonist’s Daughter

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Back then in the 90s, it was common for young women living in the countryside to get married and have children around this age.

However, whenever she thought about her mother who had given birth to her at the young age of 20, she couldn’t help but shake her head in disappointment at her father.

While she was still taking a trip down memory lane, a young woman stuck her head out from her neighbor’s door.
“Welcome back, Shuyan!”

There were two families living on the 4th floor.
When Luo Shuyan reached the 4th floor, she didn’t go home.
Instead, she carried her backpack and walked into her neighbor’s home.

The young woman who called out to her was their neighbor, Shen Qingruo.

’

As for Luo Shuyan, she addresses her as ‘Aunty Shen’.

Shen Qingruo promptly took her school bag and hung it aside.
It was much cooler in the apartment.
Her hand, which was covered in calluses, held Luo Shuyan’s plump little hand as she led her into the kitchen.
“This is perfect, you’re just in time.
I figured that you’ll be coming home from school soon and I took out the jelly from the fridge earlier on.
Come and have some, it’s not too cold.”

The corners of Luo Shuyan’s lips drew upwards into a smile and her adorable dimples appeared.
“I could smell the sweet smell of the osmanthus as soon as I entered the house.
Aunty Shen, I’d like to have a huge bowl please!”

Every year during the summer, Shen Qingruo would make jelly soaked in osmanthus syrup and some homemade wine.

The jelly was handmade, so it wasn’t the usual jelly that was made from jelly powder.
It tasted way better than those sold outside.
The Luo father and daughter’s favorite food during the summer was jelly served with osmanthus and brown sugar syrup, with wine and raisins on the side.

’

Shen Qingruo smiled.
She took out Luo Shuyan’s spoon from the cutlery holder and scooped her a bowl of jelly.

Luo Shuyan walked into the living room with the small bowl in hand and sat down obediently on the wooden sofa.
She swallowed a spoonful at a time.

Shen Qingruo looked at the living room clock while she wiped the table.
When Luo Shuyan saw this, she said, “I saw Shen Yan going into a bookshop with some friends after school.
I think he’ll be back in a bit.”

Shen Qingruo smiled.
“Ah, no wonder, that explains it.”

The buildings around the area are school district houses*, designed to have two apartments on each floor.
However, the interior composition of the apartments were different.
Shen Qingruo’s apartment consisted of two rooms and one living room.
Grandma Luo used to be a elementary school teacher, so the school had given her an apartment back then.
Now, her son, Luo Tianyuan, has inherited the apartment.
Two years ago, he had also bought the apartment Shen Qingruo was staying in, ie.
the one next to theirs.

*School district houses (学区房) are houses within a school district in China that allow students free admission to the nearest school.
Students who take advantage of school district houses can enter the nearest school without exams.

Back then, the teacher who owned the apartment next to theirs was planning to move to Jing City.
Ning City was a small city and most residents owned their own houses, so the rental market didn’t have a very positive outlook.
The teacher was worried that the apartment would fall into disuse if no one were to live there, and considering the fact that he’d only be able to earn a little from the rental income, he decided that it’d be better to sell it off.
Thus, Luo Tianyuan managed to buy the apartment next to his at an extremely low price.