Wang Fenglan was weighed down by her two secrets, struggling to breathe under the pressure. She hadn't slept well in ages and truly didn't want Zhou Huai'an to come back.

Zhou Changan, still unaware that his past atrocity hadn't gone unnoticed, saw his mother's anxiety and tried to reassure her: "Why worry so much? Second Brother is already married. He definitely didn't come back because of Luo Caixia."

Just mentioning Luo Caixia stirred a lingering resentment in him. After that one time he'd forced himself on her, he'd expected some reaction when she returned to the village. But there was none—she went out to work as usual. So he'd tried to approach her again, only to find she was hiding a knife. She nearly cost him his life.

After that, he didn't dare pursue her again.

But her youngest son's words did little to comfort Wang Fenglan. Instead, they made her even more uneasy: What if... Zhou Huai'an had discovered the truth about his origins?

Would he cut ties with the family for good? Stop sending money entirely?

Zhou Mancang, however, was calmer: "Enough overthinking. He's already here. Tomorrow morning, kill those two chickens and borrow some cooking oil. We'll make fried bread for lunch."

Wang Fenglan wasn't having it: "Those are our only laying hens! We rely on their eggs for money.

What will we use to buy oil and salt later?"

Zhou Mancang burst into a fit of coughing, scolding hoarsely: "Shortsighted woman! This is Huai'an's first time home with his new wife. If you act too stingy, you think he won't notice?"

He coughed violently again, gasping for air until Wang Fenglan rushed onto the kang and patted his back in a panic.

After washing her feet, Lin Xiaoxiao went to dump the water in the yard. She could still hear Zhou Mancang's harsh, ragged coughing from outside. Back in the room, she asked Zhou Huai'an quietly, "Was your father good to you?"

Zhou Huai'an paused. "Not particularly. Why?"

She shook her head quickly. "No reason, just wondering."

Zhou Mancang looked honest and kind. If he had treated Zhou Huai'an well, she might have tried to help with his cough. But since that wasn't the case, she let it go.

From Zhou Huai'an's tone, it clearly wasn't good.

She dried her hands and stood by the kang. "Lie down and take your shirt off. I need to check your wound. Hurry up, I'm freezing."

Without hesitation, Zhou Huai'an took off his upper clothes and lay down. The bandage around his abdomen was stained with faint traces of blood.

Lin Xiaoxiao frowned. "It's bleeding. Doesn't it hurt?"

As she spoke, she began unwrapping the gauze. Layer by layer, she revealed the wound—partly reopened, the skin raw and slightly torn.

She pressed gently around the injury. "Really no pain? You mustn't move around tomorrow."

Zhou Huai'an shook his head, lips pressed tight. Her cool fingertips on his skin seemed to ignite a fire that raced through his veins. His body tensed involuntarily.

Lin Xiaoxiao examined the wound carefully, then fetched iodine and anti-inflammatory powder. She disinfected the area, applied the powder, and skillfully rewrapped it.

Zhou Huai'an lay still. Though he couldn't see her actions, he could tell she was experienced—more so than the nurses who usually tended to him.

Then he remembered: This Lin Xiaoxiao wasn't the same person anymore. It all made sense.

But who was she, really?

He was lost in thought when Lin Xiaoxiao finished bandaging him. "All done. You really must rest the next couple of days—no moving around."

Zhou Huai'an responded softly, "Okay."

Just as Lin Xiaoxiao was about to suggest preparing for bed, someone called from outside: "Huai'an, are you asleep?" It was Zhou Changyuan, the eldest brother.

Zhou Huai'an answered and sat up to get dressed. Lin Xiaoxiao watched him—broad shoulders, narrow waist, tan skin with well-defined muscles radiating strength.

She had known he was fit, but he'd been a patient then, and she hadn't paid much attention.

Earlier, she'd been too focused on the wound to really look.

Now, she could properly appreciate the view.

Zhou Huai'an's ears grew warm under her frank gaze. He dressed quickly. "Eldest Brother is calling me. I'll go see. You sleep first."

Glad for the space, Lin Xiaoxiao waited until he left, then climbed onto the kang. She laid out a quilt, took off her sweater and trousers, and slipped under the covers in her thermal underwear.

The bedding, long unused, felt icy. Shivering, she curled into a ball, her mind drifting until she eventually fell asleep.

Zhou Changyuan had invited Zhou Huai'an to his room: "Your sister-in-law took the kids to her for her nephew's wedding. Come sit with me."

Zhou Huai'an sat on the edge of the kang, glancing around the tidy room. "You've been getting by alright?"

Zhou Changyuan grinned. "Better than alright! Things are much better these past two years. At least we have enough to eat now. How about you? Heard you'll be staying in Longbei City?"

Zhou Huai'an nodded. "Most likely."

Zhou Changyuan nodded repeatedly. "Good, that's good! You'll be a city man now—no need to come back to this mountain hollow to farm."

He pulled out a cloth bundle containing tobacco and rolling paper, tearing off a strip to offer Zhou Huai'an. "Roll one?"

Zhou Huai'an declined. "No thanks, I don't smoke."

Zhou Changyuan rolled one for himself, seeming deep in thought. After a long pause, he asked, "Why'd you get married so sudden-like? Did something happen? You and Caixia were getting along fine... Why'd you leave her behind?"

Zhou Huai'an frowned. "Caixia and I were never together."

Zhou Changyuan looked surprised. "How weren't you? Three years ago, when you were hurt, she went to take care of you for weeks. Fed you, cleaned you up... She came back skin and bones."

Zhou Huai'an said nothing, his brow furrowed. He remembered Luo Caixia's red-rimmed eyes at the noodle shop in town, after Lin Xiaoxiao had left: "Huaian... I won't have happiness anymore. But you must be happy."

It bewildered him—why did everyone assume there was something between him and Luo Caixia?

Back at the border, his comrades all thought he had a girlfriend back home. At his new unit, they'd heard the same.

He wasn't one to explain himself, and with something like this, explanations only tangled things further.

Zhou Changyuan mistook his silence for guilt and went on, "Since you're married now, we'll leave Caixia be. But folks in the village aren't happy—they say you're a heartbreaker. If you hear harsh words tomorrow, don't take it to heart."

Zhou Huai'an remained quiet. He listened as his brother shared news about the village over the past couple years, and when it grew late, he finally returned to his room.

Inside, Lin Xiaoxiao was already asleep, curled tightly against the cold.

Zhou Huai'an stood by the kang for a few moments, then quietly arranged his bedding, turned off the light, and lay down gently beside her.

It was the first time he had ever shared a bed with a woman.