Lin Xiaoxiao helped Li Yunlan and Zhou Huai'an back home, ignoring the distraught Zhou Xiaohong trailing behind them.

The girl had gotten exactly what she deserved—and she'd nearly gotten Li Yunlan killed in the process.

If anything had happened to Li Yunlan, no amount of repentance would ever be enough.

Fortunately, Lin Xiaoxiao had felt cramps earlier that morning—a sign her period was coming—and had gone out to buy some tissue paper. That's when she saw Zhou Xiaohong walking arm-in-arm with Li Yunlan toward the river. Suspicious, she decided to follow them quietly.

Still, Zhou Huai'an and the others had arrived surprisingly fast.

She whispered to Zhou Huai'an, "Did you already know that Zhou Xiaoming was an imposter?"

Zhou Huai'an shook his head. "Not exactly. I'd only recently learned that there was someone who looked like him—a man named Zhang Changlong. They were somewhat similar, about five or six parts alike. But this Zhang Changlong disappeared three years ago."

Lin Xiaoxiao had to admit she was impressed. "You're really thorough. I can't believe you dug that up."

Li Yunlan seemed to be in a daze, letting Lin Xiaoxiao lead her home.

Seeing her like this broke Lin Xiaoxiao's heart. The son she'd raised had killed her biological child—who could endure such a thing? She helped Li Yunlan sit on the bed, then brought a towel to wipe her face and hands.

"Try not to dwell on it too much," she comforted her. "If you make yourself sick, Huai'an will worry. He may not say much, but he cares deeply about your health."

Hearing Zhou Huai'an's name seemed to bring Li Yunlan back to herself. She blinked. "Is Huai'an alright? What about his leg?"

"He's fine," Lin Xiaoxiao said, continuing to gently clean her hands. "He's just worried about you. Let's take some time to recover, and then we'll make sure Xiaocheng is avenged, alright?"

A spark of hatred flickered in Li Yunlan's eyes. "I will personally destroy that wolf cub. I will avenge my Xiaocheng."

Zhou Xiaohong sat on a small stool, softly crying. Her stomach still churned uncomfortably, but the ache in her heart was far worse.

What had she done?

Lin Xiaoxiao shot her a disgusted look. "Stop crying. Maybe try using your brain next time. You believe everyone else's lies, but not your own parents. And you call yourself a university teacher? If you ask me, you should quit before you ruin any more young minds with your nonsense."

Zhou Xiaohong cried even harder. She had no rebuttal—everything Lin Xiaoxiao said was true.

Overwhelmed with exhaustion—both physical and emotional—Li Yunlan closed her eyes, lay down, and drifted into a fitful sleep.

Lin Xiaoxiao helped her take off her shoes, covered her with a blanket, checked her pulse to make sure she was stable, and gently massaged her head.

Her main concern was that extreme stress could increase cranial pressure and risk damaging the tumor.

Zhou Xiaohong's crying grated on her nerves. "If you have to cry, do it somewhere else. I can't stand the sound."

Zhou Xiaohong immediately stifled her sobs. She knew Lin Xiaoxiao wouldn't hesitate to put her in her place.

Lin Xiaoxiao glared at her, resisting the urge to slap some sense into her.

When Li Yunlan woke later, she still seemed drained. Lin Xiaoxiao knew she needed time to process everything. She herself felt listless—the day's events, combined with her period arriving, left her sprawled lethargically on the bed.

This era didn't have sanitary pads. Those who could afford it used tissue paper; those who couldn't used cloth bags filled with ash. Not ideal, so she tried to stay as still as possible.

Zhou Huai'an noticed that Lin Xiaoxiao, usually so energetic, now lay pale and motionless.

Concerned, he asked, "Xiaoxiao? Are you feeling unwell?"

She groaned softly. "My stomach hurts."

"How did that happen? Should you drink some hot water?" He moved to get up and fetch some.

Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't help but laugh. That classic, useless line—drink some hot water!

But then she realized Zhou Huai'an genuinely didn't know. She needed to teach him. "Don't get water. Come here, let me explain."

Zhou Huai'an obediently walked to the bedside.

She patted the mattress, indicating he should sit.

He sat down.

She took his hand. "When my stomach hurts, you should warm it with your palm. Or make me some brown sugar water. It's because I'm a woman—I have my period every month, and it makes me uncomfortable."

Understanding dawned on Zhou Huai'an, his ears turning red. "I'll go buy some brown sugar."

But she pulled his hand closer, lifted her shirt, and pressed his palm against her stomach. "No need. Just warm it for me."

Zhou Huai'an froze. Under his hand, her skin was soft, smooth, and slightly cool. He didn't dare move.

Lin Xiaoxiao shifted closer, guiding his hand to rub gently.

Holding his breath, Zhou Huai'an pushed aside all other thoughts and focused on massaging her stomach—clumsily but earnestly.

Watching his serious expression, Lin Xiaoxiao smiled. Somehow, the pain seemed to ease. She spoke softly, "Zhou Xiaohong has no common sense. You should have someone keep an eye on her. Who knows what else she might mess up? Everyone else in your family is so sharp—how did she turn out so stubborn? Do you think she read too many books and lost her mind?"

Zhou Huai'an wasn't really listening. He was concentrating on the radio to distract himself.

When he didn't respond, Lin Xiaoxiao also tuned into the broadcast. It was a news update about rising tensions at the border.

It reminded her that although the border had always been unstable, the situation had grown particularly tense over the past two years—even escalating into a larger conflict recently.

She suddenly moved Zhou Huai'an's hand and sat up. "If... if there's trouble at the border, would you go?"

Zhou Huai'an shook his head. "I've already been discharged."

Lin Xiaoxiao fell silent. Her perspective was different. Others might breathe a sigh of relief if their husbands didn't have to go—happy to keep their family safe and life undisturbed.

But she thought, if Zhou Huai'an went, she would go too. She might not be on the front lines, but she could tend to the wounded behind them.

Husband and wife, fighting side by side—that actually sounded right.

After her nap, Li Yunlan seemed slightly better, but the sight of Zhou Xiaohong sitting by the bed still filled her with anger. She didn't want to speak to her.

Zhou Xiaohong still couldn't accept that the brother she'd respected could harbor such vile intentions. How was it possible?

Seeing her, Li Yunlan once again told her to leave. "I don't want to see you. Get out."

Zhou Xiaohong wept. "How was I supposed to know he would harm Second Brother? If I'd known, would I have invited a wolf into our home?"

Li Yunlan turned away. She hated Zhou Xiaoming, but she also hated herself. If she had been more careful, more attentive back then, she wouldn't have lost her eldest son.

She wouldn't have raised a monster.

With no other choice, Zhou Xiaohong went outside to wait by the door, hoping Li Yunlan would calm down later.

Just then, she ran into Lin Xiaoxiao coming out of the next room carrying two lunchboxes. Zhou Xiaohong looked awkward, unsure how to greet her.

Lin Xiaoxiao glanced at her dismissively and kept walking.

After a moment's hesitation, Zhou Xiaohong called out, "Sister-in-law... could I talk to you?"