Shen Yi, however, frowned.

His mother thought she had sacrificed everything for love, but she never knew she was being used by that man, Shen Zhengfeng, from the very beginning.

And in the end, he’d even gotten her killed.

Right now, his mother was still in good health. It wasn’t too late to mitigate the damage.

Just then, Qin Jiao came in with her schoolbag on. She greeted Mr. Du with a beaming smile and handed him the sponge cake she was holding.

"Grandpa Du, my mom just made this sponge cake. It’s still warm and really delicious. Please, try some."

"Good, good," Mr. Du said, accepting it with a smile. He split it in half and said, "Take this upstairs. You two can eat while you study. Xiao Yi, mix up some of that soybean milk powder your dad brought for Xiao Jiao."

Snacks were scarce back then, and soybean milk powder was a real rarity. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

It was sweet and fragrant, with a taste that was a mix of milk and soy powder. Paired with the steaming sponge cake, it was absolutely wonderful.

Shen Yi nodded and led Qin Jiao upstairs. The two of them dutifully began to review their mistakes from their schoolwork.

They redid the problems they’d gotten wrong, recorded them in their notebooks, and then analyzed the reasons for their mistakes.

After they had gone through everything once, they would trade their test papers.

Qin Jiao had fewer mistakes than Shen Yi, so she finished first. As she sipped her soybean milk and nibbled on the sponge cake, she turned to look at the boy beside her. He was focused on his work, his head tilted slightly. His bangs were a little long, obscuring half his face.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, Shen Yi turned to look at her. Qin Jiao froze for a second before saying nonchalantly, "Your hair’s getting a little long."

’After living through one life already, the ability to lie through her teeth came naturally.’

Shen Yi reached up to touch the ends of his hair. Then he looked up and said, "Your bangs are getting a little long, too."

"Oh, are they?" Qin Jiao usually tucked her bangs behind her ears, but a few mischievous strands always fell forward when she bent her head to write.

She fished a small black clip from her pocket and casually pinned them back.

Shen Yi glanced at her clear forehead, then looked away. "My grandpa’s hair is getting long, too," he said. "How about the three of us go for a haircut this afternoon?"

"Um, I don’t need one. I usually just cut my own hair at home."

"Come with me to help convince my grandpa, then. He doesn’t like to go out."

Qin Jiao hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing. It was just a haircut, after all.

At noon, Xiao Shi came over to bring Mr. Qin his lunch. Qin Jiao packed up her books and went home with her younger sister. After she finished her own lunch, she came back to find Shen Yi so they could convince Mr. Du to go to the barbershop together.

Qin Jiao had expected it would take some effort to persuade Mr. Du, but he agreed the moment she asked.

Qin Jiao shot Shen Yi a puzzled look. Shen Yi, standing beside them, said, "Grandpa, you’re only doing this for Qin Jiao’s sake. I’ve asked you a few times, and you never wanted to go."

Mr. Du, who in fact had not been asked several times, narrowed his eyes. How could he not see what his grandson was up to?

He grunted. "All right, you talk too much. Let’s get going."

The three of them went to their usual barbershop. In those days, going to a salon for a haircut wasn’t very common; most people, like Qin Jiao and her family, just did it themselves at home.

Seeing three customers arrive at once, the owner immediately grew enthusiastic. Qin Jiao glanced at the owner’s hairdo and thought, ’Thankfully, those crazy alternative styles aren’t in fashion yet. The barber’s haircut is still pretty normal.’