Chapter 204: I Think I

Grandmother is from the Northeast and prefers those kinds of hearty stews.

After coming to Beijing, there are more delicate stir-fried dishes, but stews are nowhere to be found.

Seeing the stewed dried meat slices in the large bowl, she couldn't bear to look away.

"Let me try some," Grandmother said, picking up a chopstick of dried eggplant.

This taste was just like the big-pot meals she ate in the North when she was young, though it was even more fragrant than back then.

"With Nan Nan's skills, I want to stay here too."

For the old lady, this bite of food wasn't just about the taste; it was even more about the memories.

Once both elders had picked up their chopsticks, the others could no longer hold back.

"Wow, so fish can be eaten this way? There's not a hint of fishiness. Is this really fish?" Yun Yan said while eating, his mouth still mumbling.

Someone had warned him earlier in the day, but today, no one had the attention to spare for him.

Beibei's etiquette was as impeccable as always; he ate about the same amount of each dish, making it impossible to tell if he had any particular preference.

But he liked the grilled fish especially, because when he ate it, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly; he was still a bit young, so he couldn't hide it completely.

As for Yun Qi and Yun Bi, they had also lost their usual chatter; at this moment, everyone had only two words: "Devour food!"

By the end of the meal, everyone was stuffed.

Even Yun Shu, who hadn't wanted to come to the table and for whom An Yinan had reluctantly saved some food, was rubbing her belly at this moment.

When she was in Quanshui Village, she only knew that Li Xiue and Zhao Qiuhua cooked well, but the food the Leader made was just too delicious.

An Yinan looked at everyone's appearance and smiled unconsciously.

"The kitchen boiled some hawthorn water. Beibei, go bring it over and serve everyone a cup to help with digestion," An Yinan said.

Liu Xicai waved her hand, "We can't always let Nan Nan do the cooking. If we keep going like this, our whole family will be big fatties when we go out."

Everyone was in a harmonious and happy mood.

A week had passed since the mission, and An Yinan finally retrieved the letters from Chen Xun.

There were eight letters in total, each one very long; An Yinan read them one by one and actually spent over an hour doing so.

"He knows you have a mission, right?" Liu Xicai asked.

An Yinan nodded, "He knows."

"Then he didn't know this mission was an emergency lockdown? Why did he write so many letters?" Liu Xicai said. If they had known there were letters from Nan Nan, they would have brought them back earlier.

They had assumed that since Chen Xun knew it was an emergency lockdown mission, he wouldn't write, so none of them went to check.

An Yinan looked at Big Aunt and then said, "He knew."

He knew, but he wrote them anyway.

Alright, Liu Xicai stopped talking. This must be the private affection between the young couple; as an elder, it wasn't appropriate for her to ask further.

After returning to her room, An Yinan wrote a long reply and went to the Post Office to mail it that afternoon.

And at the Beijing Post Office, she bought a full sheet of every stamp she hadn't had time to buy during this period.

On the second day of her boredom, the Principal of Qingmu University contacted An Yinan through the Compilation Bureau.

"Comrade An." The Principal of Qingmu University was the same age as the Principal of Beijing University and looked like a man of letters.

"Hello, Principal," An Yinan greeted him.

"Comrade An, regarding the Mind Map Project, Qingmu University would like to invite you to be in charge of the Phase II Project," the Principal of Qingmu University said, getting straight to the point.

The project An Yinan led at Beijing University was very successful; Mind Maps had appeared in all the major Project Departments, and they had played a significant role in their research progress and procedural standards.

Moreover, all the participating members discovered that this Mind Map had very broad applications; even a small schedule could utilize a Mind Map.

Many people had come to ask when the Phase II Mind Map Project would begin.

He had spent over half a month communicating with the Compilation Bureau before he finally reached Comrade An.

An Yinan thought for a moment, "Actually, there's no need to open a second phase for the Mind Map. During the first phase, all the major Project Departments sent people to learn, and there was only so much to teach. Many of the extended methods were things they researched themselves—each case has its own merits."

"Anyone who has gone through the first phase of the project is capable of being the lead lecturer for the second phase."

An Yinan didn't have much time left in Beijing; the Compilation Bureau had already booked her ticket back to the Northeast Military Region.

The Qingmu Principal thought for a moment, "Anyone can be a lead lecturer, but everyone who participated in the first phase said that what they learned wasn't just this technique, but that they also found their original intention."

An Yinan smiled and shook her head, "Principal, why does one need to search for their original intention? Since they want to find it, who wouldn't be able to?"

The Qingmu Principal smiled, "I was the one who was narrow-minded! But I still hope you can come to be in charge of the Phase II Project. Please consider it."

An Yinan calculated the time, "I only have one week in Beijing. If the project falls within this week, I will serve as the lecturer. If the project's schedule doesn't align, then I can only thank you for your invitation."

She didn't intend to delay her return to the Military District, but she saw the Principal's sincerity in his invitation, and she was happy to help however she could.

"Good, having your word is enough. I will issue the project invitation tomorrow. The project will start in three days, and I will be waiting for you at Qingmu University, Comrade An." Having received a definite answer, the Qingmu Principal finally felt at ease.

An Yinan nodded, "Good, I will be there on time."

For this one-week period, An Yinan had originally planned to spend more time with Beibei and Grandmother, as well as Grandpa Chen who lived alone.

But the Qingmu Principal's invitation interrupted her life of being a couch potato.

She didn't want to make the two projects exactly the same; instead, she wanted to extend the ideas further.

"What is Nan Nan busy with?" As soon as Liu Xicai got off work, she saw An Yinan sitting at the dining table, with quite a few papers already spread across it.

Grandmother made a "shh" sound, "Nan Nan is going to Qingmu in two days to give lectures to everyone, and she's preparing for it."

The old lady said with a face full of pride; although she was old, she still knew about Qingmu University. Qingmu University and Beijing University, one for arts and one for sciences, were the highest institutions of learning in the entire country.

Now that they were actually inviting her own granddaughter to give lectures, how could she not be proud?

"Qingmu University?" Liu Xicai asked in disbelief.

The old lady nodded, "That's what Beibei said. He told me not to disturb Nan Nan when she's busy."

"By the way, Beibei also said he went to listen to Nan Nan's lecture at Beijing University last time."

Liu Xicai was even more confused. Beijing University? Qingmu University?

The highest institution of learning in the entire country.

Regarding An Yinan, she had always held her in high regard; being able to refine the Hemostatic Pill praised by the entire military, being able to refine the Frostbite Ointment urgently needed by the Northeast Army, and being able to refine the Health Pill for the old lady—in the path of medicine, she absolutely trusted Nan Nan.

Seeing the importance her sister-in-law placed on Nan Nan, she likely had also made no small achievements over at the Compilation Bureau.

But she did not know what exactly she had been lecturing on at the two universities.

"Then I'll go help cook. Let's eat a bit later today; looking at Nan Nan like this, it seems it will take a long time for her to finish." Liu Xicai returned to her room to change her clothes before saying this to the old lady.

Grandmother smiled and nodded, saying softly, "Alright."

The whole family deliberately lowered their voices, and once An Yinan was busy with something, she would pour all her heart and soul into it; she simply could not hear the slightest sound from outside.

It wasn't until the sky grew darker and darker, Grandmother had fallen asleep, and Beibei had returned to his room, with no one in the living room turning on the lights, that An Yinan finally lifted her head and rubbed the back of her neck, "It's this late?"

She raised her hand to check her watch; it was already nearly seven-thirty.

Liu Xicai had come out of the kitchen once, and seeing An Yinan busy, she had slowed down the pace of cooking.

An Yinan turned on the light, and seeing Grandmother asleep on the sofa, she gently took a blanket and covered her with it.

Grandmother was startled awake, then looked at An Yinan, "Finished?"

An Yinan nodded, "Actually, I had enough time, it's just that I get too absorbed in what I'm doing; you don't need to accommodate me like this."

Grandmother stood up, put the blanket to one side, and holding An Yinan's hand, said, "Child, we are family; these things are mutual, you're overthinking it."

"Right, you're overthinking it. Your Big Aunt will be back in a moment, let's eat together." Liu Xicai tidied things up and then ducked back into the kitchen.

An Yinan organized the papers on the dining table; she had roughly outlined what she was going to lecture on throughout the day, but some case studies and documents still needed detailed preparation.

"Everyone is here today? Are you all waiting for me to come back for dinner?" As soon as Yun Fei entered the room and saw everyone there, he said with some surprise.

On weekdays, when he returned, everyone would have already gone back to their rooms to rest, especially the old lady, who always slept early.

Before she took Nan Nan's Small Silver Pill, she would spend the whole day resting in her room, always feeling that her energy was lacking.

Since taking the Small Silver Pill, she had gradually returned to a normal schedule, and when she had nothing to do, she could even practice Tai Chi and sit outside to soak up the sun.

Liu Xicai said with a chuckle, "In your dreams. Nan Nan is a bit busy today, so everyone is waiting for you; it just so happens we can eat together, saving me from having to reheat the food."

Yun Fei entered the room, took off his military uniform, hung it solemnly on the coat rack, and only then sat on the sofa.

"Wasn't that mission completed?" Regarding the secret mission from last time, while others didn't know what was going on, as the head of the Beijing Military Region, he was well aware of it, and this project had even been signed by his own hand.

An Yinan was drinking water and hurriedly put down her cup before saying, "The Principal of Qingmu University found me through the Second Aunt and asked me to go over and serve as the person in charge of the second phase of the Mind Map Project."

"Time is tight and the task is heavy, so I didn't keep an eye on the time." An Yinan rubbed her hair, saying with some embarrassment.

This habit of hers, where she couldn't care about time once she got busy, was really hard to change.

In her past life, she was too solitary and accustomed to living alone and doing things by herself, which led to her always forgetting that there were people around her now.

"Is it that Mind Map project at Beijing University?" Upon hearing this, Liu Xicai hurriedly put down the dish she was holding and came over to the sofa.

This time, their Education Bureau had also sent people; she had heard people talking about this project before, and the person in charge of it was praised by everyone as being peerless, though she had just smiled and dismissed it at the time.

Yet she never expected that the person in charge of this project department would actually be their own Nan Nan?

She had thought that Nan Nan was going to Qingmu University to lecture on Traditional Chinese Medicine or courses related to translation.

It was actually Mind Map?

An Yinan rolled her eyes and looked at Yun Fei sitting opposite, "If... if there is only one Mind Map project at Beijing University, then that should be it."

Liu Xicai widened her eyes, "Nan Nan, tell me yourself, is there anything you can't do?"

An Yinan waved her hand, "That would be too many, right?"

Liu Xicai interrupted her directly, "You can make medicine, you can translate, you can cook, and now you can even do Mind Maps?"

Yun Fei gave two "coughs" to let Liu Xicai regain her composure.

Liu Xicai always had a gentle and soft temperament; she did things in an orderly manner with a very strong sense of rhythm.

Today, however, her composure had been broken.

An Yinan thought for a moment, then looked at Grandmother and Big Aunt, "Now that you mention it, I really am quite amazing; I can do everything!"

Grandmother was very proud, "Nan Nan is truly wonderful."

Yun Fei couldn't help but cough a few more times.

"Nan Nan, when your Mind Map project starts, I'll go listen too." Liu Xicai decided right then and there.

She usually had many things to do and had no curiosity about this project; having been an educator for a lifetime, stability had become her greatest characteristic.

But once she heard the main lecturer was Nan Nan, whether it was to explore new knowledge or to witness the growth of her own child from another perspective, she wanted to stand up for her like a family elder; no matter what, she wanted to stand behind Nan Nan.

This child's heart was too closed off; it wasn't noticeable during ordinary interactions, but as soon as something happened, one would discover that this child had the ability to keep people at a distance of a thousand miles.

And the Yun Family had always been her home; she didn't know how much longer it would take for her to truly realize this.

An Yinan's heart was so sensitive that she immediately felt Liu Xicai's painstaking efforts.

She held Liu Xicai's arm, "Thank you, Big Aunt."

Liu Xicai pinched her slightly thin cheeks, "Why be so polite with your own family? Go eat quickly; in a few days when you return to the Northeast Camp, if Chen Xun sees that you've lost weight, won't he come to settle the score with us?"

"Huh? It seems I really have lost a bit of weight."

As Liu Xicai spoke and examined her, An Yinan had already grown up, her baby fat was gone, and now her small face looked more like a melon-seed face.

"No, I must help you gain it back these few days; how can you lose weight while at home?" Liu Xicai shook her head and said with all seriousness.

An Yinan was between laughter and tears, "Big Aunt, I'm growing taller, I'm stretching out, so naturally I'll be a bit thinner; this is normal."

Liu Xicai, however, was completely opposed, "When you're growing, you need to eat well even more to supplement your nutrition."

Grandmother also nodded from the side, "Yes, you must supplement your nutrition well; if you don't pay attention when you're young, you'll suffer when you're old!"

Faced with the enthusiasm of the two elders, what could An Yinan do?

Accept it all, of course.

An Yinan went upstairs to call An Xiangbei, who was reading, and the family sat at the dining table, having a harmonious and beautiful meal.

The Yun Family did not have a rule about not talking while eating; everyone's time was very busy, and the time they could see each other in a day was very little, so everyone cherished it.

After finishing her meal, An Yinan returned to her room, which was still filled with pink and tender colors; having seen them so much, she seemed to have grown accustomed to them.

She pursed her lips and smiled; now she seemed to like the Yun Family more and more, or rather, she was gradually developing a sense of belonging.

The feelings between people require communication, require conversation, and require constant contact in order to confirm something.

As for what exactly she was confirming, she did not know.

It was just that a space in her heart had gradually been flooded by many people; they did not fear her opposition, and did not even give her the time or space to oppose, just charging in like that, straight into the softest part of her heart.

By the time she realized it, she could not drive them away, could not blast them out, and any attempt to hurt the enemy would result in eight hundred losses for every thousand inflicted.