Chapter 166: Love conquers all difficulties, yet it also meets all difficulties head-on.

In Peach Baby's mind, Aunt Mo had always been stern and devoid of smiles.

Although Peach Baby didn't quite understand, she knew it wasn't anything nice.

It was very lewd.

Aunt Mo seemed to see right through Peach Baby's confusion and spoke expressionlessly, "You look utterly shocked, but actually, it's nothing. One must look at romantic relationships with the right mindset."

"I feel that since two people are truly in love with each other, they should be able to let go completely and open up to one another without any reservation."

"During the day, you should be as dignified as can be; at night, you can be as wild as you want."

"When I was young... never mind, I won't say anymore. Figure it out yourself."

After saying this, Aunt Mo closed her eyes and began to rest.

Peach Baby looked to her left, then to her right, the pink blush on her tender white cheeks refusing to fade away.

Aunt Mo's words had left her utterly shocked.

Yet why on earth did she strangely feel that there was some truth to it?

She knew that Aunt Mo had suffered through a failed relationship in the past and had never remarried since.

Back then, when Aunt Mo went to teach in the mountainous regions as a volunteer, it was to escape that relationship.

All these years, Aunt Mo seemed never to have truly moved on.

Peach Baby figured that overthinking was useless, so she closed her eyes and began to rest as well.

Once asleep, she initially felt very cold, but later on, she felt very warm.

She slept quite soundly.

Around four or five in the afternoon, the airplane prepared to descend.

When Peach Baby woke up, she found herself covered in two layers of clothing.

One was her own white down jacket, and the other was Shen Xian's overcoat.

"Awake?" Shen Xian asked with a smile when he saw Peach Baby wake up.

Seeing that Shen Xian was only wearing a sweater, Peach Baby hurriedly returned his overcoat to him. "You're wearing so little, don't catch a cold."

Shen Xian smiled as he took it and draped the overcoat over his shoulders.

Suddenly remembering Aunt Mo's theory about straightening out the loose threads, Peach Baby's cheeks flushed red once more.

"What's wrong with you?" Shen Xian asked with a puzzled expression.

Peach Baby shook her head, not daring to meet Shen Xian's eyes. "N—nothing."

After getting off the plane, the tour leader and seven or eight others found a hotel. Shen Xian shared a room with the deputy leader.

He didn't have much in common with the deputy leader, and the night passed in silence.

The Zhou family.

The Zhou family owned two adjacent courtyard houses in Kyoto, handed down from generation to generation. After knocking down the dividing wall to connect them, the property spanned a total area of over fifteen hundred square meters, and Zhou Wan had her own room here.

Standing at the entrance of the courtyard with Qingqing, she wore a complex expression.

Having not returned in three years, she felt a sense of timidity as she drew closer to home.

"You're back?" Inside the courtyard, quite a few people were busy making preparations for the grandfather's birthday banquet.

Seeing Zhou Wan standing at the entrance holding Qingqing by the hand, Zhou Xingjian hurried over.

His gaze fell upon Qingqing, and without a moment's hesitation, he crouched down. "Come here, Grandpa wants a hug."

Watching Zhou Xingjian crouched on the ground, Zhou Wan instantly felt tears welling up in her eyes.

Do people really change as they grow older?

Three years ago, Zhou Xingjian had insisted quite harshly that she abort the child, even declaring that he would never acknowledge the child for the rest of his life.

Three years had passed, and Zhou Xingjian had changed his attitude.

Just moments ago, she had been lingering in anxiety, terrified that Zhou Xingjian might detest Qingqing.

She had even made up her mind that the moment the slightest trace of impatience or displeasure flickered across Zhou Xingjian's face, she would take Qingqing and return to Nanzhou without hesitation.

Hearing the commotion, many people walked over.

Uncles, aunts, and various relatives gathered around Qingqing, showering her with praise for her cuteness.

Qingqing clutched Zhou Wan's thigh tightly, looking very nervous.

"Qingqing, don't be scared. These are Mommy's family members," Zhou Wan said softly, introducing the relatives to Qingqing.

Although she understood that quite a few of these relatives certainly disliked Qingqing and would likely gossip behind her back, at least for now, out of regard for Zhou Xingjian, they were all displaying immense enthusiasm.

People were simply like this—seeking advantages and avoiding harm, currying favor in every possible way.

If you lived a pathetic life, even your own parents would look down on you, let alone extended relatives.

But if your personal strength was formidable enough, even if you called dog shit beautiful, your relatives would chime in and say, "Ah, yes, absolutely, dog shit is indeed beautiful."

Therefore, Zhou Wan deeply understood that the enthusiasm and affection they showed toward Qingqing were entirely due to Zhou Xingjian's attitude toward the child.

"Come inside and rest for a bit," her mother walked over shortly after.

Her mother was a middle-aged woman wearing glasses, somewhat plump in figure, and radiated an aura of dominance.

A pair of extremely sharp eyes seemed capable of piercing straight through a person's soul.

"Qingqing is almost three years old, and you've spent three years feuding with us as well. There's no need to bring up the past anymore; living well from now on is what matters most." Her mother took Zhou Wan's hand and led her deeper into the mansion while speaking.

Zhou Xingjian held Qingqing, a genuine smile plastered across his face.

"You're already twenty-six this year, have you thought about your future?" her mother asked. "Although you have a child, given our family background and your appearance, finding a suitable match won't be too difficult."

Zhou Wan replied softly, "I haven't thought about it yet."

"During your three years in Nanzhou, did you see anyone you liked?" her mother inquired.

"Yes, I did," Zhou Wan answered.

Her mother asked, "What is his family background like? What do his parents do?"

Here it came again, always the same old questions.

Her mother's primary concern was never whether she herself liked the person, but rather their family background.

Suddenly feeling deeply irritated, Zhou Wan replied, "His family background isn't good; he's an orphan. But he is very capable and driven."

Knowing that her daughter was growing annoyed with this topic once again, her mother still spoke earnestly, "Look at you, getting impatient again. Ten years from now, you will realize that being suitable is always more important than merely liking someone. I've walked this path myself. Back then, your father loved a woman whose looks and talents far surpassed mine, yet in the end, didn't he choose me?"

"I wasn't pretty when I was young; I was dull, rigid, lacking in vitality, and you could even say devoid of feminine charm."

"Your father was a free-spirited, unbridled talented scholar, yet didn't he eventually compromise with reality? We live quite contentedly now, having never taken any detours, nor have we ever quarreled over trivial matters."

"A hundred things are sad for a impoverished couple; your father and I have never argued over finances or daily necessities."

"Yes, you are a Diva now, financially stable and free from worries about food and clothing, but you have to think about Qingqing."

"In this lifetime, each generation paves the way for the next. Once you have a child, you must consider paving the road for the next generation, raising her starting point so she can stand on your shoulders to view this world."

"Children from ordinary families only begin to see the operational rules of this world after the age of thirty, finally realizing that class barriers cannot be easily broken. But standing on our shoulders, you saw through this world much earlier than children from ordinary families. Do you want Qingqing's future social class to drop?"

"For a family to progress and develop, neither spouse can afford to hold the other back or cause internal friction!"

Her mother looked at Zhou Wan very seriously, rattling off a long string of advice.

Zhou Wan stared blankly at her mother, suddenly gripped by an indescribable sense of powerlessness.

Her mother's obsession with family status and social standing was even more severe than her father's.

After her conversation with Ning Cai, she knew that Shen Xian particularly detested such snobbery. If Shen Xian were to hear her mother's views, being together with him would become even more impossible.

"What if I insist on being with him?" Zhou Wan asked.

Her mother spoke with overwhelming dominance, "Then I will have a talk with him and ask him if he is qualified enough."

"This is so frustrating!" Zhou Wan sprang to her feet and walked toward the entrance.

Watching her retreating figure, her mother adjusted the glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, wearing a look of utter disdain.