Li Yunlan felt Zhou Zhennan was overthinking things, though living within the compound did require a certain level of caution. "Then look into it if you must. But surely she wouldn't have been hired to teach if there were any real concerns."

Zhennan shook his head. "They were raised overseas. Their worldview is fundamentally different from ours. Most importantly, they received a foreign education. Could their thinking have been influenced? We must be careful about these things."

He believed that a mother who had just found her lost child would hold onto them tightly, unable to conceal the overwhelming emotion of having them returned. Yet he had noticed that Li Yuling seemed more drawn to An'an, even holding her longer than her own son that evening. This struck him as abnormal.

Yunlan, however, didn't dwell on these details. After discussing Yuling, her thoughts quickly returned to Zhou Huai'an's impending return and how the family should celebrate.

Lin Xiaoxiao spent another restless night, too excited to sleep soundly. She dreamed that Huai'an returned home but didn't recognize her. A strange woman was by his side.

In a painfully cliché turn, he said to her, "This comrade here cared for me when I was injured. She saved my life. So, please, you should take the children and leave."

Xiaoxiao saw red. She stormed into the kitchen, grabbed a cleaver, and decided she'd rather end them both than let him get away with this. How dare he tell her to leave with the children?

Just as she swung the cleaver toward him, Xiaoxiao jolted awake, sitting up abruptly in bed. She patted her chest, her heart racing. What an absurd dream!

She turned to find An'an had rolled to the far side of the bed, blankets kicked away. She pulled the child back and tucked her in properly.

Taking a deep breath, she got up and went to the window. Snow had fallen silently during the night, blanketing the world in a thick layer. Under the dim yellow glow of a streetlamp, a figure trudged through the wind and snow.

The dream lingered, filling her with unease. Her previous dreams had a way of turning real. Could Huai'an actually bring a woman home?

The thought festered, souring her mood. Finally, she gave herself a firm pep talk: If Zhou Huai'an really does bring a woman home, I'll leave with the children. But before I go, I'll perform a little 'surgery' to ensure he's never capable of that again.

Her mind buzzing with these chaotic thoughts, she climbed back into bed and managed to doze off fitfully.

She woke late. Carrying An'an downstairs, she overheard Li Yunlan and Zhou Liyun discussing something with puzzlement. "How strange. Who left a chicken at our doorstep in the middle of the night?"

Liyun was equally perplexed. "Maybe someone needs a favor from my brother? Since New Year's is coming, they left a chicken?"

Yunlan shook her head. "Unlikely. If someone wanted a favor, they'd leave a note. How would we know who it's from? Anyway, we can't risk eating this chicken."

Liyun agreed; what if someone had poisoned it?

Xiaoxiao suddenly remembered the figure she'd seen in the night. Could it have been them? The light was too dim to make out any features, but the person had been short and bundled up. A suspicion formed in her mind: Could it be Luo Anran?

Zhou Xiaoling came downstairs yawning. Hearing the conversation, she blurted out without thinking, "Maybe it was Luo Anran. No one else could just wander in here at night."

Liyun gasped. "That's actually possible! I saw her the other day. Does she still want to get back with Xiaocheng?"

Yunlan sighed. "When you think about it, Xiao Ran is a pitiful child." A part of her even felt a softening of heart; if Xiaocheng really didn't want anyone else, perhaps reconciling with Anran wouldn't be so bad.

But Liyun was firmly against it. "She used to know her place. What's happened to her? Doesn't she think how awkward it would be, living in the same compound? To put it bluntly, I'd rather Xiaocheng marry an outside widow, or a divorcee, than marry someone that scoundrel Geng Aiguo has been with. The thought alone is revolting."

Xiaoxiao kept her thoughts to herself, silently agreeing that sometimes, when a relationship is over, it's simply over. She sat quietly, listening.

Yunlan felt conflicted. "You can't say the girl did anything wrong. It seems unfair to judge her like that."

Liyun wouldn't budge. "Her misfortune is her own affair. She's not for our Xiaocheng. With his prospects, why would he settle for her when there are so many unmarried young women available?"

Ultimately, the objection came down to Luo Anran being previously married. The discussion was still going strong, with Liyun muttering about finding a suitable match for Zhou Xiaocheng, long after Xiaoxiao finished breakfast and left for the day.

The heavy snow meant Xiaoxiao and Zhou Xiaoling had to walk to school. Perhaps because of the morning's chicken mystery, they walked mostly in silence. There seemed little left to say about Luo Anran, especially for Xiaoling, who felt torn between not wanting Anran with her brother and pitying her situation.

It wasn't until they reached the fork in the road where they parted that Xiaoxiao remembered to tell Xiaoling, "I might be home late tonight. If you get back first, let Mom and Dad know not to wait for me for dinner."

She was thinking that if her father arrived from Shanghai today, the family would surely want a private reunion to discuss their future plans.

Xiaoling, not thinking much of it, readily agreed.

However, due to the severe snowstorm, many train lines had been suspended, including services from Shanghai.

Xiaoxiao was bitterly disappointed. She sat slumped in Li Yuling's dormitory room.

Yuling, holding Duoduo, smiled. "What's the rush? It's not like your father can disappear. He's even more anxious than you are—I doubt he slept a wink last night. He'll be on the first train out once service resumes."

There was nothing Xiaoxiao could do about her disappointment. After playing with Duoduo for a while, and seeing it was getting late, she went to the cafeteria to fetch a meal for Yuling. "Is my brother coming today?"

Yuling wasn't sure. "He should. But it's getting dark. You should head home now. Once your father arrives, we'll come to your house to formally express our thanks. We can also make the adoption official then, which will make future visits much easier."

Xiaoxiao sighed. "It's ridiculous that our own family has to meet in secret."

But even with the complaint, she was profoundly grateful they were all together.

After making sure Yuling and Duoduo had eaten, Xiaoxiao began the walk home. Night had fallen completely, and the streets were nearly empty, with only a few hurrying figures rushing toward the warmth of their homes.

Xiaoxiao walked on, lost in thought, until she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. She blinked, staring at the man striding toward her through the snow...