At that moment, Su Zhu, who had seen the front hall video, walked out from the kitchen wearing an apron and greeted Ouyang Yunjian warmly.
"Dr. Ouyang, you're here!"
"Su Zhu, your business is booming. Don't worry about me, just go ahead and take care of things," Ouyang Yunjian replied with a smile—his second time smiling at Su Zhu.
Though it was just a faint smile, it still managed to daze a number of diners.
"Damn, that burned!" A customer who had been distracted while holding a bowl of soup spilled it on his leg and let out a painful yelp.
"Uncle Ouyang, come with me to the backyard. My mom bought me a bunch of toys and picture books. I'll show you!" Chenchen was especially excited once Ouyang Yunjian arrived.
"Ms. Su, really, don't worry about me," Ouyang Yunjian said, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He had mild social anxiety, and having Su Zhu follow him made him feel uneasy.
Perhaps sensing his discomfort, Su Zhu escorted him and Chenchen to the backyard, brought over a plate of fruit, and then returned to the kitchen to keep working.
It was the dinner rush, and with so many customers, Zhao Bing and Wu Xianming were both struggling to keep up.
Although he had mentally prepared himself for Su Zhu's difficult living conditions before coming, Ouyang Yunjian still felt a wave of sorrow when he saw the simplicity of their home.
One serious illness can be enough to push a middle-class family into poverty.
As a hematologist, Ouyang Yunjian had seen this far too many times.
And Su Zhu's family was a vivid example of that reality.
"Chenchen, you live here?" he asked gently, patting her head.
"Uncle Ouyang," Chenchen looked up at him and said, "My mom and dad got divorced. I live with my mom."
"My dad is actually really rich, but my mom didn't want anything from him. She just wanted me. I like being with my mom."
Despite the weight of her words, Chenchen's innocent face showed no sign of sadness.
What? Divorced?
Even Ouyang Yunjian didn't quite understand why, but hearing that Su Zhu was divorced filled his heart with a strange sense of joy.
"Uncle Ouyang, come on, let me show you my room," Chenchen said as she pushed open the door and pulled him inside.
This was the first time in his life Ouyang Yunjian had entered a woman's private room.
To his surprise, the interior was nothing like the run-down exterior—it was tidy and spotless.
The three connected rooms were modest but well-arranged.
The outer room served as the living room, with two bedrooms behind it.
The living room was bright and clean, with every item on the coffee table and sofa neatly placed.
Under the glass coffee table were piles of medicine—the very prescriptions Ouyang Yunjian had written when Chenchen was discharged, intended to boost her immune system.
The bedroom walls were covered in cartoon wallpaper with pink backgrounds, featuring Peppa Pig and Princess Elsa.
A large bed and a small bed were placed side by side, and Chenchen's clothes were folded neatly on a cabinet.
Most eye-catching was a large bookshelf against the left wall, about 1.5 meters high, filled with children's books and picture books.
Beside it, the wall was decorated with literacy charts, and a large storage bin on the floor was brimming with word flashcards—all newly bought by Su Zhu just yesterday.
Originally, all of this was at their old home, but Su Zhu didn't want to deal with Lin Fanglong anymore, so she simply bought everything anew.
Now, Ouyang Yunjian finally understood why Chenchen, just over three years old, could already recognize more than 800 characters—the answer was all right here.
In his experience, single mothers could rarely keep a home so organized; just taking good care of a child was already remarkable.
But Su Zhu completely overturned his expectations.
Even with his mild OCD, this level of cleanliness matched his own standards.
By the bookshelf was a small desk with a chair and a little lamp. Ouyang Yunjian could easily picture Chenchen sitting there under the warm light, reading seriously.
Through these small details, his understanding of Su Zhu deepened.
He had always admired her—for being so patient and meticulous in caring for her child.
Now, observing every little thing in this room, he began to genuinely respect her.
What moved him most was that, despite all the suffering mother and daughter had endured, their spirits remained so positive and cheerful.
Especially Chenchen, who still carried a mischievous, innocent charm, treating painful treatments like playful games between her and her doctors—a result undoubtedly shaped by Su Zhu's guidance.
This was a responsible woman.
Chenchen was lucky to have such a mother.
As he took in the warmth of the room, a gentle smile unknowingly crept onto Ouyang Yunjian's lips.
Even he didn't realize that a part of his long-numb emotional world was slowly being thawed by the maternal love Su Zhu so naturally exuded.
"Uncle Ouyang, why are you smiling?" Chenchen turned back and blinked up at him in surprise.
"Hmm? Smiling? Was I?" Ouyang Yunjian looked stunned—he hadn't even realized it.
"Mhm!" Chenchen nodded emphatically. "You really were!"
"Ah, maybe Uncle was thinking of something beautiful. Come on, let's go out to the yard—it's cooler there."
Feeling it was inappropriate to linger in a woman's private space, Ouyang Yunjian motioned to head outside.
"Uncle Ouyang, can you read me some picture books?" Chenchen asked sweetly.
"My mom usually reads them to me, but she's just been so busy lately. I don't know what to do with her!" She crossed her tiny arms in mock frustration, her voice adorably pouty.
Ouyang Yunjian's heart melted. "Alright, go pick some. I'll read to you."
"Yay! Uncle Ouyang, wait right here!" Chenchen ran off and soon came back, her arms full of books—at least a dozen.
"Huh? This many?" Ouyang Yunjian let out a wry smile. "If I read them all, we'll be here past midnight!"
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]