The two of them sat on the edge of Miao Jiayan's bed, neither looking at the other, at a loss for words.

Miao Jiayan's hair was still dripping water, and the short-sleeved shirt he had just put on was soaked through the back in no time. However, Chen Chao was sitting there. It was the first time he'd ever come to visit his room, so Miao Jiayan couldn't very well go do something else and could only sit there awkwardly with him.

"You're a boy and you didn't say anything?" Chen Chao asked suddenly.

Miao Jiayan turned his head slightly to look at him. "I thought you knew. You... never asked."

Chen Chao: "Why would I ask that?"

Miao Jiayan thought, 'Then why would I say it?' But he didn't dare say it out loud.

Chen Chao found the whole thing baffling. "Forget it," he said.

He stood up, and Miao Jiayan stood up with him. Chen Chao turned back and asked, "Why do you keep your hair so long?"

Miao Jiayan subconsciously touched his hair, getting his hand wet. He pursed his lips and said softly, "I like it."

"And you like wearing dresses, right?" Chen Chao asked again.

Miao Jiayan nodded even more lightly and said, "I do."

Chen Chao had nothing more to say and could only nod to show he understood. He noticed a red patch on Miao Jiayan's skin below his ear, near his jawbone, but didn't ask about it. "Come with me," he said. "Don't stay at home."

Miao Jiayan looked up at him and said, "Okay."

The two of them left the Miao Family's house, one after the other. Chen Chao led Miao Jiayan back to his own courtyard. His grandfather was in the courtyard tidying up a fishing net. The threads were tangled into a messy ball and needed to be carefully untangled and laid out to dry.

Some dead small fish and shrimp, along with strings of tiny mussels and oysters, were still caught in the net.

Miao Jiayan went over to help on his own initiative. He skillfully lifted a corner of the net and picked off the small oysters, tossing them into the trash basin nearby.

Chen Chao couldn't touch the stuff. He couldn't even get close, unable to stand the fishy smell.

"Miao'er, stay at Grandpa's house today. Grandpa will steam some fish for dinner tonight," Grandpa Chen said to Miao Jiayan.

Miao Jiayan smiled and nodded. He wasn't fat, but a hint of a double chin appeared when he smiled. Chen Chao used to think this little girl looked a bit simple when she smiled; now, he wasn't sure who the simple one really was.

Chen Chao sat by the small flowerbed at the base of the wall, watching his grandpa and Miao Jiayan stretch out the fishing net. The weather was hot, and the sun had almost dried Miao Jiayan's hair.

"Did you catch a lot of fish yesterday?" Miao Jiayan asked.

"Not too many," Grandpa Chen said, sitting on a small stool and chatting leisurely with Miao Jiayan. "Caught two large yellow croakers, which was pretty good."

Miao Jiayan asked again, "Did it rain at sea yesterday?"

"A little, but there was no wind."

Miao Jiayan could chat endlessly with Grandpa Chen about fishing, and it was clear he often helped tidy the nets like this. Later, when his hair was completely dry, Miao Jiayan used the small black elastic tie he wore on his wrist to tie it up.

Ever since finding out Miao Jiayan's gender a moment ago, Chen Chao still hadn't quite adjusted. He felt a sense of confusion whenever he looked at Miao Jiayan, as his impression of him was still that of a girl.

This confusion caused Chen Chao to occasionally stare at Miao Jiayan for a while, making the normally composed Miao Jiayan feel a bit uncomfortable under his gaze.

In the evening, when it was no longer hot, Miao Jiayan let his hair down again. He rubbed the spot where his hair had been tied to let it fall more smoothly. His movements were extremely practiced, and the black elastic tie went back onto his wrist. This was something he did every day, but Chen Chao had never watched him like this before.

"Why do you keep staring at me..." Miao Jiayan was starting to feel unnerved by his stare. He tugged at the elastic tie on his wrist, then watched it snap back.

Chen Chao asked, "Are you hot?"

Miao Jiayan said, "I'm not hot." After a moment's thought, he let out an "ah" and said, "Are you asking about my hair?"

Chen Chao said, "Mm."

"If it's hot, I tie it up," Miao Jiayan said in a low voice, perhaps a little embarrassed. "I'm used to it."

It was obvious that Miao Jiayan wasn't as relaxed when talking about this. He didn't speak as fluently as usual; his voice was soft, and his speech was slow.

Chen Chao didn't press the matter, and Miao Jiayan lowered his head and ambled into the kitchen to help Grandma Chen wash vegetables.

When he reached the kitchen doorway, he secretly glanced back at Chen Chao, but Chen Chao was no longer looking at him. Miao Jiayan touched his hair and pursed his lips, his expression looking a bit stubborn, and also a bit sad.

"What's wrong, Miao'er?" Grandma Chen asked, who was chopping green onions.

Miao Jiayan answered her call, turning back and stepping inside, asking if there was anything else to be done.

"Help Grandma snap the green beans," Grandma Chen said, pointing to the bag beside her.

"Coming," Miao Jiayan said, walking over and squatting down. "I'll be done in a second."

Miao Jiayan stayed at the Chen Family's house for the whole day without going back, until it was dark. He didn't follow Chen Chao around; he was more at ease in this place than Chen Chao was. When he was little, Grandpa Miao and Grandma Miao would be out working in the fields and not at home, so they would leave him with Grandma Chen. He even slept here at night.

So, Miao Jiayan wasn't a guest at the Chen Family's house; he was very familiar with it. When Chen Chao went upstairs to draw, he would stay downstairs and chat with Grandma Chen. Grandma Chen asked him if he was sleepy and if he wanted to sleep over.

"No," Miao Jiayan shook his head. "My dad would get even angrier."

"Don't mind him. He'll be gone in a couple of days anyway," Grandma Chen said.

Still, Miao Jiayan said, "No, I don't want to make him angry."

Grandma Chen stroked his head, looking at him with affection. All the neighbors around had watched him grow up. Miao'er was obedient and sensible, but his parents didn't dote on him.

In the past, whenever Miao Jian disciplined the child, Grandma Miao would only try to stop him, never arguing with him so fiercely.

The reason Grandma Miao's reaction was so strong this time was because Miao Jian had said he wanted to take Miao Jiayan back to the city to attend school there.

Upon hearing this, Miao Jiayan immediately looked at his grandmother.

His grandmother's attitude was that there was no room for discussion; the matter was impossible. Miao Jian, who was already vexed and worried just looking at Miao Jiayan, ended up arguing with her as one word led to another.

However, no matter how he brought it up, his grandmother refused him just the same, with no room for negotiation.

"You think you're protecting him, Mom?" Miao Jian later suppressed his temper, trying to persuade her again. "You have to let him get an education. The schools here aren't good enough."

"How are they not good enough? Didn't you all study here when you were young?" Grandma Miao retorted. "How are they not good enough?"

"Times are different, Mom." Miao Jian had a headache. "You're ruining him."

"Then I'll ruin him. My grandson will let me ruin him, so you can't blame me." Grandma Miao looked at her son—no one understood a son better than his mother. Grandma Miao said, "If the child ends up in your hands, will he have any good days left?"

Miao Jian simply couldn't get through to the old woman. He frowned and said, "I'm his biological father. What could I do to him?"

"It's precisely because you're the biological father that you can't tolerate him. Don't give me that act. Have you hit him any less?" Grandma Miao waved her hand, not wanting to say more. "In any case, it's absolutely impossible for you to take him away!"

"Mom, be reasonable!" Miao Jian said, his expression ugly.