hou Huaian clearly saw through Lin Xiaoxiao's thoughts and said, "In three days, Lü Zhigang will come to pick us up." This meant that, regardless of whether they split the family or not, they would have to stay here for three more days.

Lin Xiaoxiao was a bit surprised. "He's coming too?"

"Yeah, he's here to handle some matters," Zhou Huaian replied without elaborating. But Lin Xiaoxiao had an intuition that this wasn't an ordinary situation. This place was remote and impoverished—apart from a few bold villagers like Wang Fenglan, most of them were simple and honest. What could Lü Zhigang be here to do?

Wang Fenglan, eavesdropping from inside Zhou Xiaoli's room, pursed her lips and peeked through the window. She muttered under her breath, "Lin Xiaoxiao is just a troublemaker!" She didn't dare blame Zhou Huaian for the family split; instead, she blamed everything on Lin Xiaoxiao.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xiaoli was lying on the bed, feeling wronged. "My second brother has changed so much. Just this morning, he even went all the way to the county town to buy milk, eggs, and chicken for Lin Xiaoxiao."

The milk and eggs from Li's Shop in the county were famous—rumor had it that only officials could afford them back in the day. Now, with relaxed policies, long lines formed outside the shop every morning.

Wang Fenglan had never tasted them, but she'd heard villagers say they were even more delicious than meat. She licked her lips and told Zhou Xiaoli, "How do you know that? Your second brother isn't that kind of person."

Zhou Huaian, who was usually so aloof, actually showed some tenderness?

Zhou Xiaoli muttered, "Cai Xia's sister saw it too."

Wang Fenglan was angry but knew that Zhou Huaian had already mentioned splitting the family, so she suppressed her anger and said, "Alright, we're not starving. Focus on taking care of yourself. When the time comes, find a good man to marry, that's the real priority."

Zhou Xiaoli's face darkened. "Who would want me now? I can't even have children."

Wang Fenglan glared at her. "Shut up! This is your own fault. Who would know if you don't tell anyone?" Her frustration grew. "Such a disappointment! If only you'd found someone in the city.

It would've been so much better."

Now, they could only wait for Zhou Xiaoli's health to improve and then find a honest man in a distant village to marry her.

Zhou Xiaoli seethed with resentment. "It's all Lin Xiaoxiao's fault! If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be like this. And my second brother—why did he have to marry Cai Xia's sister? Why not someone better? It's definitely her idea to split the family!"

Wang Fenglan said nothing but inwardly understood that the family split wasn't Lin Xiaoxiao's idea—Zhou Huaian's little ledger proved he'd long harbored such intentions. The thought of splitting the family made her even more uneasy. She only said to Zhou Xiaoli, "Enough, don't say any more. And don't keep mentioning Cai Xia anymore."

Zhou Xiaoli clenched her jaw and shot a venomous glare out the window—she would make sure Lin Xiaoxiao paid.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiaoxiao was checking Zhou Huaian's wound, though she mainly wanted to confirm whether he truly had a birthmark on his waist.

The wound was healing well, with little blood on the bandage. She applied some anti-inflammatory ointment, carefully cleaned around it with tweezers and alcohol swabs, and then moved her hand to his waist. Sure enough, there was a maple leaf-shaped birthmark about the size of a one-yuan coin, deep red and vividly painted.

Zhou Huaian, lying there, suddenly felt a cool sensation shift from the wound to his waist. Just as he was about to speak, he sensed Lin Xiaoxiao's fingertips gently touching him.

A cool, tingling sensation spread across his skin, causing his muscles to tremble slightly and tense up suddenly.

Lin Xiaoxiao examined the edge of the birthmark, confirming there was nothing abnormal, then casually said, "That birthmark is quite pretty, like it was painted on."

Zhou Huaian closed his eyes, suppressing the trembling inside, and silently sat up to put on his clothes.

Lin Xiaoxiao didn't shy away and knelt by the bed to watch. Such a scene was surprisingly soothing to the eyes—good for both body and mind.

Compared to him, Zhou Huaian looked like a shy young girl, awkwardly moving, while Lin Xiaoxiao resembled a little rogue—almost drooling.

Just as he was dressing, a strange woman's voice drifted in from outside, chatting with Chen Qiaolan.

Seeing Lin Xiaoxiao's curiosity, Zhou Huaian explained, "That's my sister-in-law, Niu Chunying.

She just returned to her parents' house for a wedding celebration a couple of days ago."

Lin Xiaoxiao remembered that her eldest brother Zhou Changyuan had three sons—aged fifteen, eleven, and just at the lively, mischievous stage.

At that moment, Zhou Huaian finished dressing and greeted her, "Sister-in-law."

Niu Chunying's voice was full of joy. "Oh, Huai'an's back! I just took the three boys to the village entrance and heard someone say you've returned. Those little rascals are so happy!"

The three children immediately gathered around, excitedly shouting, "Second Uncle! Second Uncle! Tell us a story about fighting in the war!"

Zhou Huaian looked at his nephews, who had grown taller after years apart. He felt a little dazed.

Niu Chunying scolded with a smile, "Don't bother your second uncle—let him rest! You're so noisy!"

The children quieted down but still looked at Zhou Huaian with eager eyes. In their hearts, he was a hero who could sneak into enemy camps, their favorite bragging point. Whenever war movies played on the big screen, they'd shout, "My second uncle is way cooler than those guys!"

Lin Xiaoxiao came out and saw that the three boys, though patched-up and worn, were clean and tidy—each taller than the last.

Niu Chunying, noticing her, warmly said, "This must be Huai'an's wife, right? So beautiful, like she stepped right out of a painting!"

Lin Xiaoxiao modestly smiled and replied, "Hello, Sister-in-law."

Niu Chunying responded enthusiastically, urging her sons, "Jianhua, Jianmin, and Jianjun—call your second aunt quickly!"

The second son, Jianmin, and the third, Jianjun, shyly called out "Second Aunt," but the eldest, Jianhua, kept his lips pressed tightly, his excitement fading, even showing a hint of hostility.

Lin Xiaoxiao clearly saw this but kept smiling—yet inside, she wondered: why did this fifteen-year-old boy seem so hostile toward her at first sight?