Zhou Huaian’s focus snapped entirely to the idea of Lin Xiaoxiao being wronged. He turned onto his side to face her, his hand closing around hers. “Who bothered you?”

Lin Xiaoxiao let out a soft laugh. “No one dares to bully me. With Mom, Dad, and Zhou Xiaoling around, nobody would even try. I just meant… with you home, my heart feels settled. I feel safe.”

Happily, she rolled over and propped herself up on his chest, poking his cheek playfully before letting her fingers gently trace the scar near his eyebrow.

The cool touch of her fingertips made Zhou Huaian’s breath catch. He pulled her closer, his arm tightening around her waist…

They had been apart for so long, yet they needed no words. Every touch carried a tender warmth.

Lin Xiaoxiao dared not make a sound, afraid of waking the three children beside them. This secretiveness held a thrilling, almost forbidden charge.

Then Zhou Huaian paused, feeling a sudden warmth against his leg. He stilled, glancing at Lin Xiaoxiao with a hesitant look. “One of the children wet the bed.”

Lin Xiaoxiao covered her face, laughing. She’d forgotten to take them for their usual nighttime potty trip. They quickly got up and moved Xuanxuan, only to discover that Qianqian and An’an had also wet the bed at some point. Exhausted from their earlier excitement, they’d slept right through it.

The two made a flustered but efficient team, stripping the bed, changing the sheets, and wrestling fresh clothes onto their deeply sleeping children. By the time they lay down again, the earlier mood had completely vanished.

Thinking it over, Lin Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but chuckle. “Little troublemakers.”

Yet a profound sense of peace settled over Zhou Huaian. He reached for Lin Xiaoxiao’s hand, holding it tightly, his heart finally calm.

The next morning, Lin Xiaoxiao considered skipping school, but she needed to check if her father was arriving by train today. Reluctantly, she got up and watched as Zhou Huaian, holding An’an awkwardly, tried to dress her. He held her little hand gently, but the girl, surprisingly strong and notoriously resistant to getting dressed, squirmed and struggled.

Qianqian and Xuanxuan sat patiently in a row, waiting for their turn with Dad.

Lin Xiaoxiao watched, amused. Five minutes passed, and Zhou Huaian hadn’t even managed to get one sleeve on An’an. Smiling, she stepped in and took the wriggling girl. “You need to be a bit firmer. An’an is very strong and quite the little imp. If you don’t hold her steady, you’ll never get her clothes on.”

Zhou Huaian had indeed noticed her unusual strength. He had no frame of reference, no idea if it was normal for a child her age.

After watching Lin Xiaoxiao deftly get An’an into a sweater, he tried dressing Xuanxuan. The two boys were far more cooperative, giggling throughout the process, their little white teeth showing. It was unclear what they found so funny, but their joy was contagious.

Once he’d finished dressing Qianqian, Zhou Huaian mimicked Lin Xiaoxiao, carefully smoothing out the boy’s clothes. Then he broached a subject. “There’s something I need to tell you. I brought someone back with me. She’s staying at the guesthouse. She’s the sister of my comrade, Feng Dachang.”

Lin Xiaoxiao’s hands stilled as she was pulling An’an’s pants on. Suddenly, she remembered her strange dream—the one where Zhou Huaian brought a woman home. The only difference now was that he hadn’t lost his memory, yet he really had brought a woman back.

She turned her head, staring at him, waiting for him to continue.

Zhou Huaian didn’t understand why she was looking at him as if he were the enemy. Her expression sent a flicker of panic through him. “Feng Dachang was also from Beijing. His sister served as an army medic. She’s brought his personal effects back. After breakfast, I need to accompany her to her family’s home.”

A flood of clichéd plots from TV dramas and novels rushed through Lin Xiaoxiao’s mind—stories where a soldier cares for his fallen comrade’s family, only for the sister to develop feelings for him.

Before she could stop herself, the question slipped out, trying to sound casual. “How old is your comrade’s sister?”

Zhou Huaian, not picking up on her tension, thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. Maybe twenty-four or twenty-five?”

Lin Xiaoxiao’s heart sank. The age matched the woman from her dream. “As a medic… did she ever treat you?” she asked, her voice tighter.

Zhou Huaian shook his head, puzzled. “No.” His wounds had always been tended to by his fellow soldiers.

Lin Xiaoxiao let out a small breath of relief. At least that part was different from the dream. She’d have to see for herself. “Alright. We’ll go after we eat. Let’s get the children downstairs now.”

Downstairs, Li Yunlan was waiting. She immediately took the children from them. “Were these three little rascals difficult this morning?”

Lin Xiaoxiao laughed. “You could say that. They all wet the bed last night, at the same time.”

An’an, dissatisfied being held by her grandmother, squirmed toward Zhou Huaian, clapping her hands. “Dada! Up! Dada up!”

Li Yunlan tapped An’an’s nose playfully. “So you remember he’s your daddy now? You don’t want Grandma anymore?”

But An’an struggled so hard Li Yunlan could barely hold her, quickly passing her back to Zhou Huaian. The little girl instantly became his personal accessory, refusing to go to anyone else. Even after breakfast, when Zhou Huaian and Lin Xiaoxiao prepared to leave, An’an whined and fussed, wanting to go with them.

Lin Xiaoxiao was used to An’an’s daily morning goodbye tears. She knew the crying would stop soon after they left. But Zhou Huaian didn’t know that. Seeing his daughter’s dark, glistening eyes, her little mouth quivering, his heart wrenched. “Maybe we should take her?” he asked Lin Xiaoxiao.

Lin Xiaoxiao thought it inappropriate for the somber visit they were about to make. “It’s not a good idea. She’ll be fine. Once we’re gone, she’ll calm down.”

As they stepped out the gate, An’an’s heartbroken wails followed them, her cries of “Dada!” making Zhou Huaian hesitate with every step. “Will she be okay crying like that?”

Seeing him ready to turn back, Lin Xiaoxiao grabbed his sleeve. “We’ll make it quick. If you go back now, we’ll never get out of here today.”