Lin Xiaoxiao shot her brother a warning look. She knew his jabs at Zhou Huaian stemmed from a protective place, a belief that she had been wronged by his long absence. But Zhou Huaian was hers. And no one, not even her brother, was allowed to speak poorly of him. She hardly even dared to complain about him herself.

Seeing his sister's genuine irritation, Lin Wenbin quickly turned a conciliatory smile toward Zhou Huaian. "But it's really good you're back. Truly. It's wonderful to have the whole family together again."

Lin Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Such phony concern."

Lin Wenbin chose to ignore her. After Zhou Huaian had changed out of his cold clothes and taken An'an back, he sat down to chat. Deep down, he held a profound respect for men like Zhou Huaian—those who faced death fearlessly to protect their country. He wasn't sure he could do the same, given his own fear of blood and death. His tone became noticeably more serious as he asked Zhou Huaian about his experiences at the front.

The answers he received, however, were consistently brief: "It was alright," "Manageable," "The conditions were tough, but we endured." The thrilling, dangerous scenes Lin Wenbin had imagined were entirely absent from Zhou Huaian's stoic summaries.

Zhou Huaian was never one for lengthy conversation, and his attention was now firmly on the three children. With An'an in his arms, Qianqian and Xuanxuan had toddled over, using furniture for support, and now leaned against his legs, one on each side. His responses to Lin Wenbin grew increasingly perfunctory.

Finding the conversation rather dull, Lin Wenbin pulled Lin Xiaoxiao aside. "Have you thought about how you're going to explain Mom and Dad to Zhou Huaian?" he whispered.

In her happiness, Lin Xiaoxiao had completely forgotten this looming issue. The thought now gave her a headache. "I don't know. Can't we just say they're my godparents? That should work, right?"

Lin Wenbin gave a soft, skeptical laugh. "Zhou Huaian isn't that easily fooled. He's sharp." Though a man of few words, Zhou Huaian possessed keenly observant eyes that seemed to see right through people.

Lin Xiaoxiao sighed. "So what? He'll have to believe what I tell him. I won't say anything more, and he can't force me." She wasn't the least bit worried about him finding out. In fact, she had already considered that if he ever did, she would simply tell him everything. Whether he would believe her, or even consider sending her to a psychiatric hospital, was a problem for another day.

In the kitchen, Li Yunlan and Zhou Liyun were happily assisting the housekeeper with making dumplings. Everyone was buoyed by Zhou Huaian's return.

"With Huaian back, let's see what those gossips in the compound have to say now," Zhou Liyun said with satisfaction.

Li Yunlan, however, was focused on simpler joys. "I'm just happy all the children are safe and sound. Liyun, do you think I should go to the temple to give thanks? It must be by the Bodhisattva's grace that our family is whole again."

Zhou Liyun chuckled. "Sister-in-law, that's not really encouraged these days. Someone might accuse you of promoting superstitious beliefs."

The housekeeper, who had been diligently rolling out dumpling wrappings, suddenly spoke up. "I know of a place—the White Cloud Temple. I've heard it's very efficacious. There's a fortune-teller near the entrance who's supposed to be remarkably accurate."

Despite her earlier words, Zhou Liyun was suddenly intrigued. "Really? What does this fortune-teller look like? Could he be a fraud? I'd like to have my fortune told, to see why I can't get along with either of my daughters-in-law." It puzzled her and the housekeeper alike; Zhou Liyun was good-natured, open-hearted, and generous, not to mention young enough to help with household chores and childcare. Yet, she simply couldn't see eye to eye with her sons' wives.

The housekeeper offered her opinion. "Well, a reading might not fix that, but they say he can tell you about past lives. I heard about one woman who felt cursed—no matter how hard she worked, her life was nothing but hardship. She was widowed young, then lost her child. After remarrying, her second husband went to cut firewood and was bitten by a snake! Can you imagine? A snake bite here in the North!" The housekeeper was a firm believer in such things, convinced that one's lot in life was predetermined by the karma of previous existences.

Li Yunlan listened but didn't take the story to heart. Zhou Liyun, however, was captivated, already planning to visit the fortune-teller to see if her and her daughters-in-law's eight characters were inherently incompatible.

Lin Xiaoxiao had come to help with the dumplings but instead found herself drawn into the conversation, listening with amusement. She treated it purely as a story, giving it no serious thought.

After lunch, Lin Wenbin departed, and Lin Xiaoxiao and Zhou Huaian took the three little ones upstairs for their nap.

Getting one child to sleep was manageable; getting three to sleep simultaneously was a formidable challenge. The moment one was settled, another would pop up. Xuanxuan was the main culprit. The instant he was near his older brother, he would start bullying him—kicking him or crawling over to sink his teeth into Qianqian's face. His little teeth were surprisingly sharp, and a single bite would send Qianqian into loud, miserable wails.

Xuanxuan showed no remorse. Seeing his brother cry, he would simply clap his hands and giggle.

Her heart aching for Qianqian, Lin Xiaoxiao quickly scooped him up. She gently pinched Xuanxuan's chubby cheek. "Why are you so naughty? Look what you did to your brother! Last time it was his hand, this time his face. If you do this again, Mama will have to spank you." As she spoke, she applied a little more pressure, leaving a red mark on Xuanxuan's pale skin. His little mouth quivered, and he burst into loud, indignant tears.

Lin Xiaoxiao examined the deep tooth marks on Qianqian's cheek, worried the skin might break. She felt a mix of heartache and helplessness. "I don't know why this one insists on picking on Qianqian. The moment we look away, he's hitting him. Yet he never lays a finger on An'an." It was strange; while he was quick to use his hands against his brother, he never pulled hair, never hit An'an, and had never been rough with the family dog. His aggression was reserved solely for Qianqian, each attack surprisingly fierce, as if they were sworn enemies from a past life.

Remembering the housekeeper's story, she couldn't help but laugh. "Do you think Qianqian and Xuanxuan were enemies in a past life? Is that why they're already fighting so fiercely?"

Zhou Huaian, holding a sleepy An'an in one arm and the crying Xuanxuan in the other, replied, "They're far too young for such notions."

Just then, Xuanxuan, his face covered in tears, pointed a tiny finger at his brother and began babbling an unintelligible protest.

Lin Xiaoxiao immediately felt silly for her fanciful thought. Looking at Xuanxuan's adorable, tear-streaked face, she thought it impossible that he could remember a past life or hold some ancient grudge against his brother.

She began describing the children's distinct personalities to Zhou Huaian. "An'an is a bit spoiled and clingy, but she's incredibly strong. I wonder if she'll grow up to be a female warrior." The idea of a muscular, doll-like girl was one she wasn't quite ready for.

Changing the subject, her thoughts returned to Lin Zihao. "Would it be possible for me to visit Lin Zihao in the hospital?"