Lin Xiaoxiao was filled with questions as she watched Cheng Mingyue's face shift between pale and flushed. Finally, Cheng Mingyue said to her, "Your father's birthday is in a few days. If you have time, come visit us in the provincial capital."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away.

Lin Xiaoxiao found it all very strange. The original host's biological father had died long ago, and the man Cheng Mingyue had remarried had never treated the original host well. It was only because the original host had cut ties with her grandfather that she'd been forced to go live with the Lin family.

There was more to the story: the original host's biological father and Cheng Mingyue's current husband were cousins. Essentially, after the older cousin died, the younger one married his widow.

A dark thought crossed Lin Xiaoxiao's mind—maybe Cheng Mingyue had already been involved with the cousin while her husband was away for long periods.

Noticing Lin Xiaoxiao's distraction, Zhou Huai'an asked, "Ready to go home?"

Snapping back to reality, Lin Xiaoxiao tugged at her clothes. "Yes, I need a bath. I reek. Can't you smell it?"

She leaned closer, insisting he take a whiff.

The smell of decay had clung to her hair and clothes and wasn't fading easily. Zhou Huai'an had already noticed the odor of rotting flesh when she approached. Up close, it was even stronger, making him frown. "Weren't you scared?"

Lin Xiaoxiao waved a hand dismissively. "What's there to be scared of? Don't you think the living are far more frightening than the dead? Come on, let's go home. I need to wash up, or I won't be able to eat tonight."

Watching her walk ahead, full of energy, Zhou Huai'an felt certain: this wasn't her first time dissecting a body or seeing a dead person.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have reacted so calmly.

When he first enlisted at seventeen, the sight of blood had made him vomit, and he couldn't eat properly for days.

Squinting at Lin Xiaoxiao's back, he thought perhaps her fearless approach to life wasn't such a bad thing.

But why had Cheng Mingyue come? Had she heard something and come to verify it?

Once home, Lin Xiaoxiao grabbed a change of clothes and hurried to the public bathhouse. She washed her hair repeatedly, scrubbed under her nails, and made sure no trace of the smell remained.

After her bath, she washed her clothes right there in the laundry room before heading home with a basin of wet laundry.

Zhou Huai'an had already made dinner: millet porridge, multigrain steamed buns, and a dish of scrambled eggs with leeks.

It was only the second time Lin Xiaoxiao had seen green vegetables in this world. "Where did you get leeks? It smells amazing."

"Lin Zihao brought them by this afternoon. I thought about making leek and egg dumplings, but I'm not very good at making dough," Zhou Huai'an admitted honestly.

Lin Xiaoxiao was already pleased. It was impressive enough that Zhou Huai'an could cook while using crutches. chauvinism was still very strong here.

She'd noticed that at their landlord's place, the wife did all the cooking, washing, and cleaning, while the husband came home, sat under the eaves, and did nothing—just drank tea, read the paper, or smoked.

He wouldn't even comfort a crying child.

So she appreciated that Zhou Huai'an didn't have these habits. He helped with chores, even volunteered for them.

Compared to others, he was a gem. Smiling, she went to hang the laundry, washed her hands, and helped serve the food. "I know how to make dough. Next time, wait for me, and we can make dumplings together."

As they ate, Lin Xiaoxiao chatted about everything and nothing. She wanted to talk about the anatomy class but worried it might be too much for Zhou Huai'an.

Most people couldn't handle those details.

Zhou Huai'an listened more than he spoke, but he enjoyed hearing her talk about hospital gossip and daily life.

After a sip of porridge, Lin Xiaoxiao suddenly asked, "How did you know my mother was here? Or did you just run into us at the hospital?"

Zhou Huai'an hadn't known Cheng Mingyue was coming. "I was on my way to see Lu Yuanda and happened to see you."

"Oh," Lin Xiaoxiao said. "What kind of deal did you make with my family? I don't remember her saying they wouldn't come back after moving to the provincial capital."

Zhou Huai'an paused, looking at her. "When we got married, your mother asked for two thousand yuan as a bride price."

Lin Xiaoxiao nearly choked on her porridge. "How much? Two thousand?"

In this era, two thousand yuan was an enormous sum. Most bridal prices were几十 or maybe a hundred yuan.

Even with Zhou Huai'an's relatively high rank, he only earned 41.5 yuan a month. It would take him four or five years to save two thousand yuan—and that's if he spent nothing.

Not to mention, he'd been sending money to Wang Fenglan's family all along. Where would he get that kind of cash?

Zhou Huai'an nodded. "Two thousand."

"Did you pay it?" Lin Xiaoxiao asked, stunned. "Where did you get that much money?"

"Most of it was borrowed."

Suddenly, the porridge didn't taste so good. So, not only were they not well-off, they were buried in debt?

Zhou Huai'an tried to reassure her. "It's alright. I'll pay it back slowly."

Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't help complaining, "Why would you borrow so much to get married? If they asked for two thousand, why did you agree? Did you think I was so pretty that no price was too high?"

Zhou Huai'an shook his head. "It wasn't like that."

"Then why did you marry me?" she pressed.

He didn't answer, lowering his head to silently eat his porridge.

Lin Xiaoxiao knew he was avoiding the question. She couldn't push too hard—she already felt guilty enough.

But she wasn't giving up. If she wanted to know, she'd find a way.

The next day, however, Cheng Mingyue showed up at the hospital again. This time, she brought a bag of old-fashioned bread and was much more polite. "Xiaoxiao, I was in a rush yesterday. I'm glad to see you're doing well here. I brought you something to eat. I'm taking the bus back to the provincial capital this afternoon."

Lin Xiaoxiao didn't take the bread. She studied Cheng Mingyue. "I thought after taking a two-thousand-yuan bride price, you wouldn't come back. Would you have asked for two thousand if it were Hongyan?"

Lin Hongyan was her half-sister, who should be about fourteen now.

Cheng Mingyue's face tightened. "How dare you speak to me like that? Did Zhou Huai'an say something to you?"

Lin Xiaoxiao snorted. "Just answer the question: did you take the money or not? If you did, don't come looking for me again."

Seeing her daughter's stubborn, cold expression, Cheng Mingyue suddenly felt that Chen Wei's suspicions were wrong. This was the same defiant, sharp-tongued girl who never listened to her.

Angry that she'd bothered to come, she snapped, "I did it for your own good! Why do you think Zhou Huai'an was willing to marry you? Only because your grandfather still had some influence.Otherwise, who would want damaged goods like you?"

Lin Xiaoxiao was shocked. "What did you say?"

Realizing she'd gone too far, Cheng Mingyue quickly backtracked. "Just... take care of yourself. Don't come crying to me later."