Tingting stood up from Fang Siying's arms and quickly ran to the back. At that moment, Bai Peiwen suddenly spoke in a lowered, urgent tone:

  "Tell me, Miss Fang. Is this child very cute?"

  "Oh!" Fang Siying was stunned for a moment, then, with an uncontrolble tone, she said passionately, "Mr. Bai, you should understand her. She’s your daughter!"

  "Do you mean to say..."

  "She’s the most adorable child in the world!" Fang Siying almost shouted.

  "How strange," Bai Peiwen said thoughtfully. "She says you're the best teacher in the world, and you say she's the most adorable child in the world. I think..." He paused for a moment. "You two truly have a special bond."

  Fang Siying blushed inexplicably.

  Bai Tingting ran back. Soon, Yazhu set the table with bowls and chopsticks. There were only three people eating—Bai Peiwen, Bai Tingting, and Fang Siying. However, Yazhu had prepared six dishes and a soup, and the spread was quite vish. It was clear that Yazhu treated Fang Siying as an esteemed guest.

  Fang Siying watched with curiosity as Bai Peiwen ate. She had always wondered how a blind person could know the position of the dishes and soup bowls. But she quickly realized that it was not difficult for Bai Peiwen, as Bai Tingting took excellent care of her father. She hardly ate anything herself, constantly putting food into her father's bowl, saying, "Dad, this is chicken cubes."

  "Dad, this is vegetables and fresh mushrooms."

  "Dad, I′ve put a small bowl of soup in front of you."

  Her voice was so gentle and warm, as if taking care of her father was something completely natural, and it was clear that she was making every effort to avoid causing any discomfort to the one being cared for. This scene moved Fang Siying deeply and left her astonished. She wondered who had taken care of this blind man during his meals when Bai Tingting went to school. As if sensing Fang Siying's confusion, Bai Tingting smiled at her and said:

  "Dad usually doesn’t come downstairs to eat. He came down today because of you, Teacher Fang. We′ve prepared a special food box for him, so it′s very convenient for him to eat."

  "Oh," Fang Siying replied, unsure how to respond. She simply felt that everything in front of her stirred a bittersweet emotion in her heart, and before she knew it, her eyes had become moist. The meal ended in a somewhat silent atmosphere. Afterward, they returned to the living room, and once seated, Yazhu prepared two more cups of fresh tea. Holding her teacup, Fang Siying looked at the green liquid and smiled, saying:

  "It must be tea from the Bai family′s tea garden, right?"

  Bai Peiwen took out a cigarette and lit it with precision. His hand holding the lighter paused in the air for a moment. Though his sightless eyes were dull, the expression at the corners of his mouth and eyebrows was full of depth. Fang Siying noticed a hint of mockery rise at the corner of his mouth.

  "You've heard of the Bai family tea pntation," he said.

  "Yes. This is a small town, and the Bai family is too famous," Fang Siying replied, gazing directly at Bai Peiwen. One of the advantages of sitting across from a blind person is that you can examine him without reservation, studying him.

  "The best tea of the Bai family is the rose-scented tea. Unfortunately, you can't drink it now," Bai Peiwen said dreamily.

  "Why is that?" Fang Siying asked, focusing on him.

  "We haven't produced this kind of tea for a long time," Bai Peiwen said, his expression growing a little mencholic. He fell into silence for a while, as if deep in thought. Then, he suddenly turned his head and asked, "Tingting, are you here?"

  "Yes," the child hurried over and grabbed her father's hand. "I'm right here!"

  "Alright," Bai Peiwen said, with a slightly commanding tone. "Now go upstairs! Go do your homework. I need to have a conversation with Teacher Fang. Don't come back to disturb us!"

  "Okay," Bai Tingting replied slowly and obediently, but with a hint of attachment to the environment, she lingered, not moving right away. She kept winking at Fang Siying, signaling her to keep their secret. Fang Siying smiled and nodded, reassuring her to be at ease. The blind man could no longer hold back and raised his voice:

  "What's going on? Haven't you gone yet? Tingting!"

  "Oh, I'm going, I'm going!" The child called back repeatedly, rushing into the dining room and running up the stairs two steps at a time.

  When Bai Tingting's shadow had completely disappeared, Fang Siying leaned back into the sofa and took a sip of tea. She looked deeply at the man in front of her and slowly, with a questioning tone, said, “Oh? Mr. Bai?”

  Bai Peiwen took a deep drag of his cigarette, remaining silent for a moment as he exhaled smoke into the air. After a long while, he suddenly asked:

  “Miss Fang, how old are you this year?”

  Fang Siying was startled. Then, feeling slightly uneasy, as though trying to avoid something, she stammered, “I′ve told you before—I′m neither very young nor very old. Abroad, no one asks such a blunt question about a dy's age like you just did.”

  “We're not abroad now,” Bai Peiwen shrugged. But he let go of that question and instead asked, “You′re not married yet? Why not?”

  Fang Siying was startled again. “Oh, Mr. Bai,” she said coolly, “I don't know what you're trying to learn here. Did you invite me over just to investigate my—"

  "Of course not," Bai Peiwen said. "I'm just curious; why would a beautiful woman like you give up the bustling life in America to come to the countryside and become a primary school teacher?"

  "Beautiful?" Fang Siying raised an eyebrow. "Who told you I'm beautiful?"

  "Tingting."

  "Tingting?" Fang Siying smiled.

  "Kidswords!"

  "If I′m guessing correctly," Bai Peiwen exhaled another puff of smoke and said bluntly, "In America, you must have faced some emotional setbacks, right? That’s why you stayed here, to heal your wounds, or maybe to escape something, a retionship, or a person?"

  Fang Siying was completely stunned, staring at Bai Peiwen. She didn’t know what to say for a long time. After a while, she let out a soft sigh and weakly called out, "Oh, Mr. Bai."

  "Alright, let's not talk about this," Bai Peiwen quickly said. "I'm sorry to bring it up. I just really want to know; you won't be going back to America anytime soon, will you?"

  "I don't think so."

  "Then, that's good," Bai Peiwen nodded, the cigarette almost burning his fingers. He groped for the ashtray on the table. Fang Siying instinctively handed it to him, and he took it, extinguishing the cigarette. "Thank you," he said softly.

  Fang Siying didn′t reply, silently sipping her tea, her mind wandering a bit.

  "I hope my previous words didn’t upset you," Bai Peiwen said in a low voice, gentle and apologetic.

  "Oh, no, not at all," Fang Siying straightened up, shaking off her thoughts.