Li Yunlan, with her characteristic warmth, asked the housekeeper to prepare dinner and made a point of inquiring if Li Yuling had any dietary dislikes.

Once she had composed herself, Yuling finally had a moment to properly look at the three little ones. Her eyes lit up when she saw An’an. She smoothly handed Duoduo to Lin Wenbin and gently touched An’an’s small hand. "What a beautiful little girl."

She looked exactly like Lin Xiaoxiao had as a baby.

Xiaoxiao passed An’an to her. "This is An’an. She’s not shy at all—in fact, she loves being the center of attention."

Yuling held An’an for a long while, then looked at Qianqian and Xuanxuan—two equally beautiful babies. A smile spread across her face. Who could have imagined their family would have such an extraordinary reunion?

While Zhou Liyun and Li Yunlan were in the kitchen and Zhou Xiaoling had slipped away somewhere, Yuling lowered her voice to speak with Wenbin and Xiaoxiao. "Your father was beside himself with excitement. He’ll probably arrive in Beijing tomorrow."

Xiaoxiao was thrilled. "That's wonderful! Then our whole family will be together."

Wenbin chuckled dryly. "We still need to figure out how to be a family without drawing too much attention. Standing together, we’ll obviously look related, yet we'll have to insist we're not."

Yuling wasn’t worried. "It's just a form of address. We shouldn't get hung up on it. Being together is what truly matters."

Xiaoxiao nodded eagerly. "Yes, exactly! As long as we're all together."

Duoduo only took a little while to warm up to his mother before clinging to her. He seemed to grasp that this was his birth mother, though he still sometimes mixed up his words, calling Xiaoxiao "Mama" as well.

Just before dinner, Zhou Zhennan and Zhou Bingwen returned. They learned that Li Yuling was Duoduo's birth mother and that she bore a striking resemblance to Xiaoxiao. Though puzzled, they didn't press the matter, instead warmly welcoming Yuling.

During the meal, Yuling observed the Zhou family. They indeed seemed as reasonable and easygoing as her daughter had described, which gave her some comfort. After dinner, she prepared to take Duoduo back to her dormitory.

Though reluctant to part with the boy, Li Yunlan understood that the child should be with his mother. She helped gather Duoduo's belongings. It was surprising how many clothes the little boy had accumulated in his short time with them. Lin Wenbin volunteered to see Yuling home.

Xiaoxiao and the family saw Yuling and Wenbin off at the gate, watching as they walked away, carrying the child and his things. Li Yunlan still felt a pang of loss. "I forgot to pack more milk powder for Duoduo. And some biscuits, too."

Zhou Zhennan comforted her. "Ms. Li seems quite capable. I'm sure she won't let Duoduo want for anything. Besides, she is his mother."

But Yunlan remained uneasy, convinced that no one could care for the child as well as she could once he was out of her sight.

For Xiaoxiao, however, the world felt solid and secure. This wasn't a dream; their family was truly reunited in this world.

Wenbin carried Duoduo while Yuling held his bag of clothes. By the time they reached the bus stop, the last bus had already departed, forcing them to walk back to the campus.

As they walked, Yuling sighed. "Why couldn't we have landed in the nineties? Conditions were much better then, with more opportunities. You and your father are so clever; you'd have made money quickly, bought a car... Look at now—nothing but walking, walking, and more walking."

She also had complaints about the food. "The cafeteria meals are awful. Each counter only has one or two dishes, all pale and bland-looking, with no richness at all."

Then she added, somewhat proudly, "But your sister did well to get into university first. A degree carries real weight in this era. Why didn't you think to take the entrance exam too?"

Wenbin scoffed. "I'm too old. I'd be over thirty by the time I graduated. A complete waste of time. And don't complain about the food—many students can't even afford what the cafeteria serves."

Yuling feigned surprise. "Lin Wenbin, I never knew you were so socially conscious! When did this happen?"

Wenbin smirked. "You'll understand after you've been here a while. People in this time are quite endearing, very straightforward. Even their badness is out in the open."

Yuling had to admit that in her class, many students' faces were lined with hardship, yet their eyes shone with a fierce desire to learn.

Her thoughts turned to Xiaoxiao's marriage. "You've met your sister's husband, right? What's his temperament like? How did our Xiaoxiao, who never could be bothered with romance, become so taken with this man that she had three children with him?" She had always considered her daughter very rational about matters of the heart.

Wenbin thought for a long moment but couldn't find quite the right word to describe Zhou Huai'an. "Doesn't look particularly bright. Quiet. Seems capable, though."

Yuling was taken aback. "That doesn't sound like a person; it sounds like a simpleton!"

Wenbin quickly shook his head. "Don't say that! Xiaoxiao is fiercely protective of him. He's not simple, just... unpretentious? You'll see when you meet him. He had a very difficult childhood." He then recounted Huai'an's early hardships. "So, he's had a hard life, which made him a bit reserved. But he's genuinely good to Xiaoxiao."

This reassured Yuling. "Xiaoxiao needs someone solid and dependable. If she were with a schemer like you, with more tricks than a honeycomb has holes, she'd be taken advantage of. And the Zhou family does seem very decent. No conflicts with the in-laws, it seems."

Wenbin had to agree. "The Zhous are good people. Kind-hearted and uncomplicated. So your daughter hasn't suffered." Then he added, "But, Mom, you never asked if I've had a hard time since coming here."

Yuling shot him a look. "What hardships could you possibly have? You're a man; a little difficulty is good for you. Now hurry up, Duoduo is getting sleepy."

Wenbin muttered under his breath, now convinced he was the child they'd picked up somewhere.

…

After Wenbin and Yuling left, Zhou Xiaoling linked arms with Lin Xiaoxiao, full of questions. She was especially curious about the incredible coincidence of their resemblance—so strong they could be mistaken for mother and daughter.

Xiaoxiao thought to herself that she only resembled her original self by about seventy percent. The real her would have been a near carbon copy of her mother, especially in the eyes and brows.

Zhou Zhennan, however, was more cautious. After Xiaoling and Xiaoxiao took An’an upstairs, he said to Li Yunlan, "This Li Yuling has returned from abroad. It might be best if she doesn't visit the compound too often for now. Let's wait until I've looked into things a bit more."

Yunlan hadn't thought that far. "She seems perfectly nice. I don't think she has any ill intentions. And look how much she resembles An'an! It must be fate."

Zhennan shook his head. "You can't judge a person by their appearance. I noticed she didn't seem overwhelmingly emotional when she held Duoduo."