Zhou Liyun muttered, "Your voice sounds off—are you coming down with something? If you're sick, take some medicine now, and don't get too close to your sister-in-law."

Zhou Xiaoling nodded and gently urged her out. "I know, I know, I'm not sick. You go on downstairs to sleep. I need to talk with Sister Xiaoxiao."

She peeked out to make sure Zhou Liyun was really going downstairs, then carefully closed the bedroom door and turned on the lamp beside Lin Xiaoxiao's bed.

Only then did Lin Xiaoxiao notice Zhou Xiaoling's red, swollen eyes and pink-tipped nose. She guessed that Zhou Zhennan had told Xiaoling about her background. Gently, she began, "Xiaoling, I told Dad today about Hu Ling approaching you. I thought it was best that he be prepared."

Xiaoling sniffled, kicked off her shoes, and climbed onto the bed. "Yeah, Dad told me too. I just... I can't really accept it. How am I not a Zhou? I've always been Mom's daughter."

Then she remembered the diary and rubbed her eyes. "This journal belonged to my birth father. Reading it made me so sad. They seemed like really good people."

She handed the diary to Lin Xiaoxiao. "My birth parents loved each other very much."

Hesitating for a second, Lin Xiaoxiao took it and skimmed through the pages. The words brought to life a young man's passionate devotion to his country, his love for his wife, and his hopes for his child.

Especially moving was the last page—what read like a final letter to his wife. The last line said: May Xiaoling grow up proud of me...

Tears welled in Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes. "Your father was remarkable. Your mother was incredibly brave."

Xiaoling rubbed her sore eyes. "But they still left me, didn't they? Mom and Dad raised me."

Lin Xiaoxiao set the diary aside and hugged her. "They loved you. They just didn't have a choice. You know—without a country, how can there be a home? Look how blessed you are. Mom and Dad adore you."

Xiaoling sniffed again and stayed quiet. After a while, she whispered, "What do you think life would've been like if they were still here?"

Lin Xiaoxiao shook her head. "You still would've been happy."

Xiaoling seemed to accept that. She tugged Lin Xiaoxiao down to lie beside her, turning on her side to face her. Softly, she began to share: "Aunt Liyun told me once that when I was little, I was as tiny and fragile as a kitten. Mom kept me close against her chest just to keep me warm. Back then, times were hard. Whatever little good food we had, she gave to me."

"My older brothers and sister never got to eat canned milk formula, but Mom pulled strings to get some for me. Everyone else ate coarse grains—I was the only one who had fine grains at every meal. Sister got a little more than the others, but Zhou Xiaoming and Second Brother ate the same as Mom and Dad."

"It wasn't out of guilt that Mom was so good to me. I was just sick all the time—even at five or six, I was smaller than other kids and caught every illness. Later, when I got stronger, I turned into a little troublemaker. That's when the spankings started."

"If she really felt guilty, she wouldn't have hit me, right? But Mom never held back. Once I threw a toad into the neighbor's water jar. She chased me down two alleys with a willow branch and whipped my back till it bled."

"Then she made me apologize to the neighbors and stand in the corner all night."

Lin Xiaoxiao understood what Xiaoling was trying to say. All these memories were her way of proving that Li Yunlan and Zhou Zhennan's love was real—not out of obligation or pity, but pure parental love.

She patted Xiaoling's shoulder. "They do love you. You are their child. And it's normal to spoil the youngest. They're some of the best parents I've ever known."

Just like her own mom and dad, she thought.

Xiaoling wiped her tears with the edge of the pillowcase. "They won't abandon me, right?"

Lin Xiaoxiao smiled. "Silly, of course they won't. As long as you want to be, you will always be Zhou Xiaoling—the little princess of the Zhou family."

Xiaoling rubbed her eyes and grinned. "An'an is the princess now. I've been dethroned."

She went on chatting about her childhood: "Dad was away a lot, but every time he came back, he brought treats—always gave some to me and Sister, but I always got the most."

She also talked about her bond with Zhou Xiaocheng, her words full of affection and attachment to her family.

Lin Xiaoxiao thought what a special person Zhou Xiaoling was—clear about who to trust, firm in her opinions. Even after learning the truth about her origins, she still saw herself as a Zhou.

They talked until Xiaoling could barely keep her eyes open. Drifting off, she mumbled, "Zhou Xiaoling still sounds better than Lin Xiaoling anyway..."

Relieved, Lin Xiaoxiao felt that maybe the truth coming out wasn't such a bad thing. At least no one could use Xiaoling's background against her now.

Besides, Lin Jingdong's diary made it clear how both couples felt about each other. Zhou Zhennan had been a mentor and brother-like figure to him.

Since Lin Jingdong was an orphan with no family, he and his wife had always seen Zhou Zhennan and Li Yunlan as their own elder brother and sister.

No one could ever accuse the Zhous of having caused Jiang Qiong's death.

Xiaoling bounced back quickly. By the next morning, aside from slightly puffy eyes, she was her usual self. She tucked the diary away safely and ran off to find Li Yunlan.

Noticing her swollen eyes, Li Yunlan asked, "What happened? Did your father make you cry last night?"

Xiaoling grinned. "No, I just drank too much water before bed."

Satisfied, Li Yunlan went back to work. "The babies' full moon is in a couple days. I'm thinking we'll have a lunch at the union canteen for everyone. But some relatives will still come to the house—we need to prepare eggs and candy."

Zhou Liyun and the maid were busy steaming fancy-shaped buns in the kitchen.

Xiaoling wasn't much help with that. "After the full moon, can Sister Xiaoxiao go out with me?"

Li Yunlan shook her head. "No, she delivered three babies—it took a lot out of her. She needs to rest at home for at least forty days. Besides, it's early spring. The wind is strong—she could get sick."

Then she turned to Xiaoling. "Aren't you supposed to go to class? Dress warmly—and don't you dare take off your long johns! And no bringing back junk food for your sister-in-law."

She reached out to feel Xiaoling's pants. "Did you take off your thermal layer?"

Giggling, Xiaoling dashed toward the kitchen.

Li Yunlan called after her, "You never listen! You'll regret it when you're old and full of aches."

Lin Xiaoxiao, coming downstairs just then, saw the whole scene and smiled. She liked Zhou Xiaoling even more now.