A chill ran down Lin Xiaoxiao's spine—what if Zhou Huai'an asked about the receipt? How would she explain why her handwriting looked completely different?

How could she have been so careless!

She hurriedly said goodbye to Liu Mei and the others and rushed back to the ward. Outside the door, she paused, took a few deep breaths to calm herself, then walked in slowly, pretending to be completely at ease.

Zhou Huai'an was folding clothes. On the bedside table lay the roll of money and receipt she'd given him earlier. It was still curled up exactly as before—it didn't look like it had been touched.

Xiaoxiao glanced at it a few times, unsure whether he had seen it or not. She walked over with a smile. "I thought I'd already packed this for you?"

Zhou Hua'an nodded. "I was looking for something and took it out again."

"Oh," she said, then pointed to the money. "Don't forget to take that. Can you get reimbursed by your unit?"

He turned to look, seeming slightly surprised. "Was it that expensive? How much is left? I'll check later. If it's under five kuai, it's not worth reimbursing."

Xiaoxiao let out a quiet sigh of relief—so he hadn't looked yet. She quickly picked up the money.

"I already checked. The total was two kuai, eight mao, three fen. We got more than seven kuai back."

Zhou Huai'an didn't seem to notice her rushed movement. He simply said, "You keep it. Buy some candy for the kids when we get to the village."

Xiaoxiao didn't ask why; she just nodded repeatedly. "Okay, I'll buy two jin of fruit candy."

Zhou Huai'an looked up at her briefly before returning to his packing.

So she really didn't know—it was custom for a new bride to bring candy to give to the children who came to see her when she visited her in-laws for the first time.

Feeling relieved, Xiaoxiao smiled more naturally and eagerly helped pack the washbasin and food containers.

Just as they finished, Lü Zhigang wandered in. Seeing everything was ready, he picked up the luggage himself. "If we leave now, we can reach the town by noon. I'll stay at the guesthouse tonight and take you to the bus station tomorrow."

Xiaoxiao had no idea where Zhou Village was—neither did her original self. She had assumed it was nearby, but now she was surprised. Did they really need to take a bus? Was it that far?

The ride back didn't feel as bumpy. Maybe she was getting used to it, or maybe Lü Zhigang was just a better driver.

When they arrived at the residential compound, a group of women were gathered near the entrance, chatting and minding their children. They all turned to look when the jeep pulled up.

The moment they saw Lin Xiaoxiao helping Zhou Huai'an out of the car, everyone stared in surprise—then quickly swarmed around them, all talking at once:

"Captain Zhou, are you feeling better?""Dr. Xiao said you were badly hurt! How are you back so soon?""We have an old hen at home—let me bring it over for you!""I've got two packs of milk powder, I'll go get them!"

Before Zhou Huai'an could refuse, the women scattered, rushing home to get things.

Xiaoxiao was amazed. Since when was Zhou Huai'an this popular?

Lü Zhigang helped carry their things inside—without a second thought, he took them straight into the inner room and set them down by the bed.

Since Zhou Huai'an didn't say anything, Xiaoxiao didn't either. She invited Lü Zhigang to sit and went to light the stove.

Zhou Huai'an knew she wouldn't be able to manage. He glanced at Lü Zhigang. "Let him do it. He knows his way around here—he can borrow some hot coals from a neighbor."

Xiaoxiao immediately fell silent. Given the original owner's reputation, she'd likely be met with cold shoulders. She wasn't about to set herself up for that.

Lü Zhigang didn't mind. He took the fire tongs and went to get embers.

Xiaoxiao didn't feel right moving Zhou Huai'an's things out of the inner room, so she helped him rest on the narrow bed instead. "I'll cook once the fire's going."

Zhou Hua'an shook his head. "Don't bother. Lü Zhigang can get food from the canteen."

"Isn't that too much to ask? We can't have him do everything."

Just then, Lü Zhigang returned with the burning coals. "Don't worry about it, Sister Lin. Zhou Hua'an might seem quiet, but he's got deep pockets and even deeper plans!"

Xiaoxiao smiled awkwardly. She wasn't yet comfortable with Lü Zhigang—she felt more at ease with Zhou Huai'an, oddly enough.

As soon as the fire was lit, someone knocked.

Xiaoxiao opened the door to find a pile of supplies: a speckled hen, a basket of eggs, canned food, pastries, milk powder, and two packages of sugar cubes. The women who dropped them off were already hurrying away.

She hadn't seen who brought what. She turned back to Zhou Hua'an. "What should we do with all this?"

Lü Zhigang peeked out. "Just accept it, Sister Lin. Don't feel awkward—that's how things work here. Everyone helps out when someone's in need."

Zhou Huai'an shot him a look—he was sure getting used to calling her "Sister Lin." He said to Xiaoxiao, "Bring it in for now. We'll find a way to return the favor later."

Lunch was brought back by Lü Zhigang from the canteen: cabbage soup and cornbread. A few slices of fatty meat floated in the soup, and Xiaoxiao ate heartily.

The room had warmed up by after lunch, but Lü Zhigang showed no sign of leaving. Instead, he made himself at home on the narrow bed and waved. "You two go rest, don't mind me."

Zhou Huai'an knew exactly what he was doing—he'd noticed they slept separately and was sticking around. "Go to the guesthouse," Zhou Hua'an said, glaring.

But Lü Zhigang wasn't so easily dismissed. He turned to Xiaoxiao. "Sister Lin, I'm exhausted from the drive—mind if I just sit here a while?"

Xiaoxiao couldn't very well say no. She smiled. "Of course, make yourself comfortable." Then she said to Zhou Huai'an, "You should rest in the inner room. I'm going to return Hongxia's knitting needles—they're too thick for me."

As soon as Xiaoxiao left, Zhou Hua'an turned to Lü Zhigang. "Stop causing trouble."

Lü Zhigang clicked his tongue. "Who's causing trouble? Lin Xiaoxiao isn't anything like the rumors. You should make it work. I heard your name came up for that training program."

It wasn't that he particularly liked Lin Xiaoxiao—he just wanted Zhou Huai'an to have a stable home, a good future, and a way out of this place... and away from his draining family.

Xiaoxiao had just reached the path when she saw Dong Hongmei walking quickly toward her, a basket over her arm.

As soon as Dong Hongmei spotted her, she broke into a wide smile. "Xiaoxiao, you're back! Perfect timing—I needed to talk to you."