Cheng Mingyue stared in disbelief. "A thousand yuan? What did you do that cost a thousand yuan? Where am I supposed to get that kind of money?"

Panicked and desperate, Lin Dalong didn't care about explanations—he only knew that if he didn't pay up, they'd break his arms and legs. "Just give me the money, Mom. A thousand yuan."

Furious, Cheng Mingyue shoved him. "Tell me what you did last night! How could you need so much money? Speak up! Are you trying to kill me with stress?"

Finally, through tears, Dalong confessed everything—the gambling, the deception, the debt. "They cheated me, Mom! It was a setup!"

The moment Cheng Mingyue realized he'd been gambling, she saw red. She slapped his shoulders, her voice shaking with rage. "Of all the stupid things! How could you get mixed up in gambling? Is this what I raised you for? A worthless, good-for-nothing son!"

She hit him again, harder. "Where do you expect me to get that kind of money? If you were brave enough to gamble, be brave enough to pay your own debts. I don't have it!"

Terrified, Dalong broke down. "If you don't pay, they'll cripple me! You can't just abandon me, Mom!"

As much as she wanted to stand her ground, Cheng Mingyue knew she couldn't let anything happen to him. He was her only son—her future, her pride, the one who would care for her in old age.

But she didn't have the money. Overwhelmed, she sank down crying. "You know how tight things are! This trip has already cost us so much, and I've taken unpaid leave. Where am I supposed to find a thousand yuan?"

"You're going to be the death of me. Why did it have to be gambling?"

When Li Jing returned and overheard the commotion, she came in to see what was wrong. After hearing about the gambling debt, she was horrified. "How could you be so reckless? That's no place for a boy like you!"

Worried Cheng Mingyue might ask for money, Li Jing spoke first. "I really don't know what to say. A thousand yuan... where can she possibly get that? We're barely making ends ourselves after the New Year. I can spare fifty yuan—that's all we have. The other ten has to last us for food."

She turned to Cheng Mingyue. "You'll have to find another way. These aren't people you want to owe. If you don't pay, they won't hesitate to hurt you."

Li Jing's message was clear: she wouldn't lend them money. With Cheng Mingzhong as their only relative in Beijing, Cheng Mingyue had nowhere else to turn.

That evening, before Cheng Mingzhong could even step inside, Li Jing pulled him aside and explained what had happened.

He frowned deeply. "How could Dalong do something so foolish?"

Li Jing was firm. "Don't even think about giving them money. You're the only one working—we've scrimped and saved for years. Our oldest will need money when he gets married after his military service, and the two younger ones will need help too. If you lend them money, we'll never see it again."

"I didn't even give my own family money when they were in trouble. If you help them, I'm leaving you."

Cheng Mingzhong stayed silent, though his instinct was to help. He couldn't just stand by if the boy was in real danger.

Knowing her husband's soft heart, Li Jing pressed harder. "Look what they've done in the short time they've been here! If you help them, I'm taking the kids and going back to my parents. We're done. And if this gets out, who do you think will be humiliated? You!"

Frustrated, she delivered her final blow: "If you help them, we're getting a divorce." With that, she turned and slammed the door behind her.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiaoxiao remained blissfully unaware of the drama outside. Lin Wenbin made sure of it—he didn't want to upset her with unsavory stories, especially ones involving his own underhanded methods.

Upstairs, Zhou Xiaoling was doing her best to keep everyone entertained. She had dragged Lin Wenbin into a card game, complete with strips of paper stuck to their faces whenever they lost.

Xiaoling had Xiaoxiao's days so packed with fun and noise that she had no time to worry or even read. The babies, thankfully, were peaceful—sleeping soundly after each feeding without a fuss.

At one point, Xiaoling turned to Xiaoxiao, a paper strip fluttering on her cheek. "I have to start my training soon. I'll only be back in the evenings. I was hoping to show you around the city after your confinement—once the weather warms up."

Xiaoxiao smiled. "We can do it on your days off. It's not like we're going anywhere."

Xiaoling nodded. "You'll be done in a week. I overheard Mom and Dad talking about throwing a big full-month celebration. It's been a while since we had something happy to celebrate."

She grinned. "We should make it loud and festive—let all the jealous busybodies see that the Zhou family is still strong. It's just that most of our relatives are overseas or in other provinces, so it seems like we're few here in the capital."

Xiaoxiao laughed. "We don't need to prove anything. As long as we're happy, that's what matters."

But Xiaoling shook her head, making the paper strips dance. "No, I want them to see how well we're doing. Let them choke on their envy!"

Lin Wenbin tsked. "Look how petty you are."

Xiaoling glared. "Who's petty? If I were petty, I would've called you and Xiaoxiao out for cheating earlier! You think I didn't see you swapping cards?"

She grabbed a paper strip and lunged at him. Wenbin jumped up, dodging and laughing as she chased him around the room. Xiaoxiao watched, amused, as the two tumbled playfully.

Eventually, Xiaoling managed to stick the paper on his face. Satisfied, she declared, "Call me petty again, and I won't play with you anymore." She turned to Xiaoxiao. "Hey, you want some fried dough twists? I'll go buy some!"

Without waiting for an answer, she bounced out of the room.

Lin Wenbin peeled the paper off his face, sighing. "She's even more immature than you are. What a lunatic."

Xiaoxiao chuckled. "She's wonderful. If she heard you say that, she'd make you pay."

Zhou Xiaoling threw on her coat and dashed out. Zhou Liyun called after her, "Dinner is almost ready! Where are you going?"

"Be right back!"

But as Xiaoling cycled through the gate, she was unexpectedly stopped by Hu Ling. Before she could speak, he said urgently, "Zhou Xiaoling, I need to talk to you. It's about your past."