Lin Xiaoxiao quickly picked up the bag herself. "No need, I've got it."

She didn't believe for a second that Wang Fenglan actually wanted to help—more likely, she was just curious about what was inside.

Wang Fenglan wasn't pleased, but with Zhou Huai'an present, she forced a smile. "Alright then, you two get some rest. It's the same room Huai'an used to have. See if you need anything."

Zhou Mancang added from the side, "Don't forget to turn on the light."

As Lin Xiaoxiao walked out with Zhou Huai'an, she noticed Zhou Changan's gaze—the greed and ill intent in his eyes were barely concealed.

She sighed inwardly: What kind of family was this? It was a miracle Zhou Huai'an had turned out so decent growing up in a place like this.

Zhou Huai'an's room was at the eastern end, tiny—no more than five or six square meters. Inside was a kang bed covered with a coarse bedsheet and two faded quilts. The walls were pasted with old newspapers.

Under the window stood a three-drawer desk, completely empty.

It was clear this room had been hastily prepared by Wang Fenglan. None of Zhou Huai'an's old belongings remained; probably divided up by the family long ago.

Lin Xiaoxiao muttered under her breath, "You definitely aren't her biological son."

Zhou Huai'an set the bag on the desk and glanced at her. "What did you say?"

She shook her head quickly. "Nothing. Just that your mother is... quite welcoming."

Zhou Huai'an didn't press further. His eyes fell on the two quilts laid side by side on the kang, and it hit him: bringing Lin Xiaoxiao here meant they would have to share this bed for the next few days.

He was hesitating how to explain—to let her have the room while he stayed elsewhere—when she spoke first:

"Is there hot water? I'll check your wound later. After all this moving around, I hope it hasn't reopened."

Having decided to come back with Zhou Huai'an, Lin Xiaoxiao had expected something like this.

As "husband and wife," sharing a room wasn't strange. They had separate quilts, after all.

Besides, Zhou Huai'an was seriously injured—what could possibly happen?

So she didn't overthink it. She just wanted to wash up and get some sleep—her body ached from the day-long journey—and to check his wound as soon as possible.

No sooner had she finished speaking than Wang Fenglan barged in with two dark-colored thermoses. "Hot water, just boiled after dark. You can use it to wash."

She set down the thermoses, glanced again at the bag on the desk, and left with a stiff laugh. "I'll go get you a washbasin and a foot basin."

Zhou Huai'an hardly got a word in. He went out to fetch a bucket of cold water, then stopped Wang Fenglan on her way back with the basins, urging her not to trouble herself and to go back to her room.

Unable to read Zhou Huai'an's mood or guess why he had returned so suddenly, Wang Fenglan chose her words carefully:

"You two sleep in tomorrow morning. The work team started digging irrigation channels these past few days—it might get noisy early."

Zhou Huai'an gave a vague "Mmm," then carried the basin inside.

Wang Fenglan grew more uneasy the more she thought about it. She hurried back to the room and said to Zhou Mancang on the kang, "Why do you think Huai'an came back all of a sudden?"

Zhou Changan, slouching by the kang, shrugged unconcernedly. "It's his home, isn't it? Why shouldn't he come back? When he said he wouldn't hold a wedding banquet, I thought his woman looked down on us country folks. Isn't it good that he's back now?"

Wang Fenglan shot him a glare and hissed, "You have no idea! Have you forgotten about Luo Caixia?"

Zhou Changan stiffened, stammering, "Second Brother never admitted he was with her... Besides, what happened between me and Luo Caixia—you agreed to it too!"

Wang Fenglan spat. "Shut up! You useless thing—I got her right into your room, and you still couldn't pull it off. If you had slept with her then, she'd be your wife now!"

Zhou Changan retorted defiantly, "Who knew she'd rather die? I don't know what she sees in Second Brother... But he didn't want her either. Now she's damaged goods—who'd dare take her?"

Wang Fenglan had actually always liked Luo Caixia. She was the most beautiful girl in all the nearby villages—clever, obedient, and skilled. Her family consisted only of her widowed mother, who was also hardworking.

She had originally hoped Luo Caixia would end up with her youngest son. But then rumors started that Luo Caixia was involved with her second son.

It was true that whenever Zhou Huai'an was home, he often helped Luo Caixia and her mother with farm work, fetching water, and cutting firewood—so Wang Fenglan assumed he had feelings for the girl.

But Zhou Changan also liked Luo Caixia. Wang Fenglan doted on her youngest and preferred Luo Caixia as his wife. Once Luo Caixia's widowed mother passed, wouldn't their family compound belong to Zhou Changan?

So, several years earlier, Wang Fenglan had schemed to have Zhou Changan force himself on Luo Caixia—"cook the raw rice," as the saying went—so she wouldn't be able to refuse.

But Luo Caixia would rather die than submit. She even slammed her head against the wall.

Fearing a disaster, Wang Fenglan hurriedly comforted her, claiming Zhou Changan had had too much to drink. She begged Luo Caixia not to tell anyone and promised that Zhou Huai'an would marry her someday. She even got down on her knees.

Luo Caixia, soft-hearted, agreed. Wang Fenglan quickly arranged for a bride from a remote mountain village for Zhou Changan, and things settled down for a few years.

Then, three years ago, Zhou Huai'an sent a telegram saying he was seriously injured and needed someone from home to come care for him.

Wang Fenglan didn't want to go herself—every person away meant fewer work points earned, and it would take many days. After some thought, she sent Luo Caixia.

Luo Caixia left that very afternoon and was gone for over half a month. Everyone in the village assumed Zhou Huai'an would marry her—after all, a young woman caring for him day and night without any formal relationship?

They all waited for wedding drinks, but three years passed. Then, a few months ago, news came: Zhou Huai'an had married a city girl.

The villagers cursed Zhou Huai'an for betraying Luo Caixia, calling him a heartless liar.

But Wang Fenglan knew the truth.

What really happened was this: on her way to care for Zhou Huai'an three years ago, Luo Caixia had been dragged into a cornfield by Zhou Changan and raped.

Zhou Changan thought no one had seen, but Wang Fenglan had secretly witnessed everything.

After satisfying his animal urge, Zhou Changan pulled up his pants and left, abandoning Luo Caixia half-dead.

Terrified that Luo Caixia would report her son, Wang Fenglan moved her to a shed up in the mountains and tended to her for half a month. She coaxed and promised that Zhou Huai'an would marry her if she stayed silent.

And so the incident was buried. Luo Caixia never spoke of it. She was quiet by nature, and no one noticed anything wrong.

But Wang Fenglan lived in constant fear—fear that Zhou Huai'an would find out, and even more that he would discover the truth about his origins.

After all, two years ago, officials from Beijing had already come to the village asking about Zhou Huai'an...