Yu An touched his umbrella and led him to the path.
"Go have fun, I'm going to the lab."
Jiu Zai nodded, watching his older brother walk away, then turned and saw the path.
"Xiao Lu, let's play games together."
After Jiu Zai had no one to play with, he started to enjoy playing games. He saw that Xiao Lu was also alone and felt sorry for her, so he deliberately brought Xiao Lu along when playing games.
Xiao Lu nodded and started playing games with Jiu Zai, their heads close together.
On the other side.
Yu An also found his father in the laboratory, where his father was explaining something to the people inside.
The people opposite looked reluctant to part, and one of them even had tears in his eyes.
Yu An was completely confused.
He didn't disturb the people inside. After a while, when his father came out of the laboratory, he went to greet him at the door.
"dad."
Yu An asked curiously, "What are you talking about? Why are they about to cry?"
"nothing."
Gu Ainan patted Yu An's head and smiled, "I just told them a few things. They're probably a bit sentimental."
Yu An felt that this explanation was strange.
He knew the people in the lab, and none of them seemed like the type to be sentimental or suddenly burst into tears.
"Dad, they seem so reluctant to part with you."
Yu An walked past Gu Ainan and glanced into the laboratory.
Gu Ainan didn't explain to him here.
Once outside, Yu An, who hadn't eaten lunch, went to a restaurant to eat with Gu Ainan.
After they had almost finished eating, Gu Ainan finally spoke.
"An'an, what do you think of living here?"
"Great."
Yu An was very satisfied with the environment here. It was safe, and Xie Chiyuan and the kids were there too.
It will be even more lively once we bring Chongchong and the others back.
“Dad, Xie Chiyuan said that basic construction has already started here. It will be very convenient for you to live here, and the kids and I can keep you company.”
Yu An was talking to Gu Ainan about living here. Although Gu Ainan was not yet of retirement age, Yu An was already thinking about how to make him feel more at ease.
"Dad, the kids and I will take good care of you."
"Dad doesn't need your care."
Gu Ainan cleared her throat and finally told her son about her upcoming plans: "An'an, I have to leave for a while."
Yu An himself goes out from time to time, so when his father wanted to go out, his first reaction was not to stop him.
"Okay, where do you want to go? I'll take you there. But how long will it take? If it's a long trip, I'll need to pack my luggage."
While I'm at it, I should also think about which kittens I should take care of.
Yu An seemed determined to go with her father, but Gu Ainan remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "An'an, I want to go alone."
Yu An: "..."
Yu An had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, the next second, he heard his father say, "I'm going back to the town, alone. I don't want any of you to see me off."
"No."
Realizing what was happening, Yu An immediately objected: "I won't let you go alone."
“Dad, you went back to the small town for my grandma. Xie Chiyuan and I will bring her here too. Wouldn’t it be better if our whole family lived here?”
Yu An was not sober the entire time she was in the small town last time.
So he had never met his grandmother, nor did he know that she had been watching over him at his bedside for a long time.
“Dad, the people living in that small town aren’t good people. There’s no need for you and Grandma to continue living there.”
Seeing that her father remained silent, Yu An's unease intensified.
He was even a little scared.
In response to Yu An's words, Gu Ainan spoke again: "I've packed my things, and I'll be leaving this afternoon."
"I haven't told Xie Chiyuan yet, and the kids haven't told them either."
“If you hadn’t come looking for me, I was planning to keep it from you too.”
Gu Ainan calmly stated her plan: "I had already decided from the beginning. After helping the West District solve the laboratory's problems, I will go back."
He felt he had been out for quite a while.
Yu An couldn't keep him no matter what she did, and she was so anxious that she almost cried.
Gu Ainan loved his son very much, but seeing how sad his son was because he was leaving, he didn't soften his heart at all.
Yu An tried everything he could think of, but it was no use.
“An’an, I can’t stay in the town alone with your grandma.”
“Your grandmother is old, she won’t move out.”
To appease her son, Gu Ainan thought for a moment and decided to compromise.
"I promise you, I will come to see you again. When you and Xie Chiyuan have your wedding next time, I will bring your grandmother with me."
"Really?"
With red eyes, Yu An asked her father across from her.
Gu Ainan nodded and said affirmatively, "Marriage is a big event, and both sets of parents must be present. Although your mother is no longer here, your grandmother and I are still here."
"We will definitely come when you get married."
"Then I'll get married in three days."
After listening to Gu Ainan's explanation, Yu An bluntly announced, "We still have three days. Let's go pick up Grandma now."
Gu Ainan: "..."
Gu Ainan was completely speechless.
He sighed and began to coax his son with a sense of helplessness.
I don't know how long I coaxed him.
Yu An's emotions finally calmed down, and he repeatedly asked Gu Ainan, "Dad, I'll still be able to see you in the future, right?"
"right."
"You'll be alright, safe and sound, right?"
"right."
Gu Ainan's reply somewhat dispelled Yu An's unease.
He paused, then made one last request: "I want to take you back."
Gu Ainan hesitated.
Yu An looked up at him, her gaze resolute: "Dad, if you don't let me take you home, I'll stick to you the whole time. The moment you leave, I'll secretly follow you."
Yu An's "threat" seemed to have worked. After looking at him for a moment, Gu Ainan's attitude softened, and she nodded.
“Okay, you can take me there, but he can’t come back to town with me.”
"If you don't agree, I'll find a chance to leave. If I leave, you won't be able to find me."
Gu Ainan also uses threats.
Yu An: "..."
Yu An reluctantly hummed in agreement.
Gu Ainan left in a hurry; he didn't stay even a day longer, leaving as soon as he said he would.
Xie Chiyuan was unprepared, and after learning the news, he could only rush to find Yin Tan and Ruan Ke.
Ruan Ke had anticipated this.
He said, "Go see Dr. Gu off. Leave the matters at the base to your father for now."
"good."
With Ruan Ke and Yin Tan making arrangements, Xie Chiyuan had no worries and took Yu An to see Gu Ainan off.
Upon hearing the news, the little ones all raised their paws, eager to go along.
The little fox knew the town's situation best, but Gu Ainan had warned him beforehand not to talk nonsense.
The little fox went with them this time.
Chiu Chiu wanted to go too, and if he went, his ever-present little spider would follow. Luckily, neither of the two zombie kings asked to go with them.
Despite the hasty preparations, not a single one of them was left behind when it was time to depart.
Even the sixth cub flew over.
Most of the family was there. They all rode together to see Gu Ainan off.
On the way back.
Yu An just hoped the car could drive slower, much slower.
They had barely left when the tiger cubs arrived at the base.
"They've been gone for hours, you can still catch up with them now."
Ruan Ke greeted the tiger cub, knowing that the cub wouldn't stay at the base where Yu An and Qiu Qiu had left. Therefore, after seeing him, he gave him directions.