During the short time Lin Xiaoxiao and Zhou Xiaoling were eating, their bicycle was stolen!

Furious, Zhou Xiaoling stormed outside, cursing loudly: "Which bastard dared to steal my bike? Has he got a death wish? Just wait till I catch him—I'll chop him into pieces!"

Lin Xiaoxiao was also taken aback. Was public safety really this bad? They'd only been inside eating—how could the bike disappear so quickly?

She tried to calm the fuming Xiaoling: "Let's look around nearby. Maybe the thief hasn't gone far."

Xiaoling almost laughed. "You really think so? He's probably already over the hills by now. He'll scratch it up, remove the bell—I won't even recognize it."

What made it worse was that the bike was borrowed from her unit. Now she'd have to buy a new one to return.

The thought made her curse all over again.

In the end, the two had no choice but to walk back. Xiaoling spent the entire trip wishing the thief would have a son with no anus.

Then she caught herself, covering her mouth: "No, no—I shouldn't say such things. I don't want my nephew to hear."

Lin Xiaoxiao reassured her: "Your brother left me some ration tickets before he left, including an industrial ticket. I'll give you money—you can buy a new bike to pay them back."

Xiaoling glared. "What? No! I have my own money and tickets. I even have extra sugar ration tickets—I'll give them to you."

Still, the loss stung. "I was saving up to get you and my brother a television."

There probably wasn't a single TV in all of Longbei City. Xiaoling had been determined to give them a impressive gift. Now, thanks to the theft, she'd have to use an industrial ticket she'd been saving.

Lin Xiaoxiao quickly stopped her: "No, no, we wouldn't even be able to get a signal here. It would just sit there uselessly."

Xiaoling sighed. "Well, it's out of the question now anyway. I'll have to save up all over again."

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. That Lin Zihao must be bad luck—why else would she randomly lose a bike?

That evening, Xiaoling moved her things in to stay with Lin Xiaoxiao.

Worried Lin Xiaoxiao might refuse to use her money, Xiaoling had already exchanged for brown sugar, white sugar, and all kinds of grain tickets, which she insisted on giving to her.

As they lay in bed chatting that night, the topic turned to the college entrance exam. Xiaoling was confident Lin Xiaoxiao would do well: "Your household registration is under my brother, and you're not a formal employee at the clinic. He can easily get someone to write you a referral letter."

Mention of Zhou Huai'an made Lin Xiaoxiao miss him terribly. It was only the first night apart, and she already felt a hollow emptiness. She wondered how she'd get through the next month.

Xiaoling, unaware of her mood, brought up Xiao Yan: "That Xiao Yan wants to take the exam too, right? It might be harder for her. As an educated youth, she's one of many in her point waiting for a chance to return to the city. You'll see—plenty of them have probably already heard the rumors and started pulling strings."

Lin Xiaoxiao was surprised. "You know about all that?"

Xiaoling looked pleased with herself. "I'm clever. I may not like studying, but I read the papers and listen when the older uncles talk. So I pick things up."

Lin Xiaoxiao hadn't realized it could be so complicated. She felt lucky—Zhou Huai'an was her greatest advantage.

Rolling over, she hugged Zhou Huai'an's pillow, wondering if he had boarded the train yet. Was he sleeping?

The first few days were hard, but after a week, Lin Xiaoxiao grew used to life without Zhou Huai'an. She worked during the day, studied at night, and chatted with Xiaoling. Life was actually quite comfortable.

She was now certain she was pregnant. Her appetite was enormous, and her tastes had changed completely. She used to prefer light vegetables and rice; now she craved strong, oily flavors and noodles.

Even a simple bowl of noodles fried with scallions, soy sauce, and vinegar could satisfy her deeply.

Lin Xiaoxiao found it fascinating. She knew pregnancy could change habits, but she hadn't expected such a dramatic shift.

Her appetite shocked even Xiaoling. One morning, watching Lin Xiaoxiao finish a large bowl of plain noodles, Xiaoling stared: "Sis, your appetite lately is kind of scary."

Lin Xiaoxiao had never eaten much before. Now she was devouring every meal.

Setting down her bowl, Lin Xiaoxiao said, "Maybe I'm carrying a little glutton? I wake up hungry in the middle of the night. I eat this much and I'm still hungry before noon. I'll have to bring a flatbread with me later so I don't get desperate."

It felt strange. "Most women don't have symptoms until three months. This is really early."

Xiaoling didn't understand either, but she tried to comfort her: "It's fine. Eating is good. If my brother's salary isn't enough, I have grain tickets. I won't let you go hungry."

Lin Xiaoxiao sighed. "I wonder if your brother has reached Beijing yet. I hope everything's going smoothly. Do you think investigating your second brother's case is dangerous?"

Xiaoling didn't dare speculate. It was impossible for there to be no risk. If the people behind her second brother's case were in Beijing, then her brother was walking right into their territory.

Not only was it dangerous—it was very dangerous.

But she couldn't tell Lin Xiaoxiao that and make her worry. "It's fine. Lin Zihao is there. So are Mom, Dad, and Grandpa. They wouldn't let anything happen to him."

Still, Lin Xiaoxiao felt a lingering unease. With no way to contact Zhou Huai'an, her imagination ran wild....Meanwhile, Zhou Huai'an, newly arrived in Beijing, had met up with Lin Zihao. They were staying at a hotel near the train station.

Lin Zihao handed him a stack of investigation materials: "This is all the evidence against Hu Yaozong and his father Hu Shiliang for colluding with foreign agents. Zhou Xiaoming once accidentally told his wife he wasn't really a Zhou. Hu Yaozong and his father used that—they made sure Zhou Xiaoming found out that Zhou Xiaocheng had also discovered you existed, then led him to harm Zhou Xiaocheng."

"In the chaos, they lured Zhou Xiaocheng away, planning to trade him alive for money. But Zhou Xiaocheng escaped against all odds. We brought you here to expose this father-son pair. But your sister is about to marry Hu Yaozong. Can you stop it?"

Zhou Huai'an's hands trembled with rage as he read through the documents. How could anyone do such things? His voice was cold: "Don't worry about her. I'm going to the Zhou family tomorrow."

Lin Zihao nodded. "Once you show up, Hu Shiliang will panic and make a move. That's when we'll catch him red-handed. But be careful—stay safe."