Zhou Huai'an entered the house to find Lin Xiaoxiao still seated at the small dining table, holding a bowl of boiled water. She had already eaten half of a coarse grain bun and finished the remaining stir-fried cabbage. The portion of braised pork, however, remained untouched.

Remembering how forcefully he had pushed her earlier, he felt a pang of guilt. After a moment of silence, he walked over to the cot, retrieved an envelope from beneath the pillow, and turned to hand it to Lin Xiaoxiao. "This is for you."

Lin Xiaoxiao was taken aback by the sudden offer. She instinctively wanted to reach for it, but then she remembered the original owner's persona. Instead, she snorted coldly, lowered her head, and continued sipping her water, ignoring Zhou Huai'an.

Zhou Huai'an sat down across from her, placed the envelope on the table, and pushed it toward her. "There are some food stamps and money inside. I acted too hastily earlier—I'm sorry."

Lin Xiaoxiao was inwardly surprised. In this era, especially in the northwest, machismo was widespread. For Zhou Huai'an to apologize voluntarily was quite unusual.

She kept her expression neutral and said faintly, "I just couldn't stand to see a child suffer. If it were an adult, I wouldn't care whether they lived or died."

She was tempted to refuse the money and food stamps, saying she didn't want them. But then she remembered that the original owner had left behind only a few dollars and ten pounds of provincial food stamps. She swallowed her words. If she wanted to gain a foothold in this era, she needed money and food stamps!

Seeing that Lin Xiaoxiao didn't refuse, Zhou Huai'an quietly said, "Thank you." Then he silently cleared the dishes from the table and went to wash them.

After Zhou Huai'an left for work, Lin Xiaoxiao picked up the envelope and poured out its contents. To her surprise, there were twenty-five dollars, fifty pounds of food stamps, and a small, thin booklet.

After examining it for a while, she realized it was Zhou Huai'an's ration book. With it, she could go to the designated grain store to claim white flour and cooking oil—though only a limited amount each month.

Her eyes lit up when she saw that twenty-five pounds of white flour remained for this month. If she claimed it, could she make steamed buns?

Carefully studying the unfamiliar food stamps and old-style banknotes, she put them away safely. Once she saved enough money, she planned to divorce Zhou Huai'an and leave this place.

Using Zhou Huai'an like this felt somewhat despicable, but she told herself she would split her earnings with him later. Staying tied in a loveless marriage would only hold both of them back.

Having justified her actions, Lin Xiaoxiao felt less burdened. She got up and went back to her room to sort through the original owner's belongings.

The original owner came from a relatively well-off family and hadn't suffered much. She wasn't much of a student, but she was a hopeless romantic—she'd even kept a diary. Its childish, elementary-school-level handwriting documented her infatuation with a boy.

The last entry read: "Chen wei, wait for me. You're the one I want to spend my whole life with."

Lin Xiaoxiao skimmed a few pages and felt a headache coming on. She stuffed the diary back into the box. The only good thing about the original owner was that she liked to keep things clean and neat.

After tidying the room, Lin Xiaoxiao put on a red cotton coat and prepared to go to the grain store to pick up the flour. Along the way, she could familiarize herself with the area.

She wondered if she could find a way to make a living. If possible, she still wanted to go back to school and pursue what she loved.

Wrapping a white knitted scarf around her head, she stepped outside. A group of women chatting by the roadside fell silent when they saw her and turned to stare.

Lin Xiaoxiao knew they had nothing better to do than gossip about her. She wasn't about to greet them—changing too much too soon would only raise suspicion.

Pulling the scarf over her mouth and nose, she walked past them without expression.

As soon as she was out of earshot, the women huddled together and resumed their discussion.

"Did you hear Lin Xiaoxiao was the one who saved Shanzi at noon?"

"Yes, I saw it from my window."

"Since when is she kind enough to save anyone? Before, she always looked down on everyone. Do you think she's up to something with Captain Zhou again?"

"Captain Zhou never should have married that woman. He'd be better off with Dr. Xiao—they're much more suited."

"I heard from my husband that Captain Zhou had someone else before. He only married Lin Xiaoxiao to repay some old debt."

"I heard that too. They're from the same village, and that girl sends him handmade shoes and sweaters every year."