Lin Xiaoxiao let out a light scoff, eyeing her brother sideways. "Any wish? Really? Then I wish Mom and Dad were here in this world with us."

Lin Wenbin sucked in a breath. "You're asking the impossible. Am I some kind of genie? I don't even know how I got here."

She pouted. "Then don't make promises you can't keep. And another thing—you're almost thirty. You should start thinking about settling down. People are going to start wondering if there's something wrong with you."

He snorted. "Look who's talking. Weren't you the one who said, 'Bro, we're staying single forever!'? And then what? Married with a kid by twenty. Very impressive."

Lin Xiaoxiao scratched her ear. "You just don't get how good marriage can be, or how wonderful it is to have children. Besides, being single isn't really a thing in this era. How many people your age aren't married? And when you go south, you can't act like you used to—no flitting from one flower to the next."

"What are you implying? That my love life was some kind of mess? I only ever had two proper girlfriends," he retorted.

She grinned with mock disdain. "Two girlfriends, but plenty of 'close female friends.' That kind of behavior here? They'd call you indecent. A major character flaw."

Lin Wenbin grabbed her by the neck in a playful headlock. "Since when did having kids make you so nosy? Anyway, I'm not planning on getting involved with anyone here. What if we find a way back? I don't need that kind of complication. You're the one who should be worried."

Lin Xiaoxiao fell silent. She'd struggled with that very fear but ended up losing the battle—first with her heart, and then, quite unexpectedly, with her womb, which decided to produce three children at once.

Noting her sudden quiet, Lin Wenbin chuckled unkindly. "Worry about yourself. I'll be fine. I'm leaving in a few days, and communication won't be easy. Take good care of yourself."

He pulled out a thick stack of bills—probably two or three thousand—and handed it to her. "You don't have an income. Take this. Buy whatever you need. Better than always having to ask your mother-in-law for money."

She refused. "You'll need money for your trip. I get Zhou Huaian's salary, my mother-in-law slips me money sometimes, and I've been doing some writing for local publishers. I can make my own spending money."

He laughed. "Zhou Huaian's salary isn't even fifty a month. What can that get you? I won't have my little sister window-shopping at Xidan, too broke to even try a piece of cake. Take it. And how much can translating even pay? Don't overwork yourself. I can provide for you."

Her lips quivered. "I'm going to miss you so much. Maybe you really shouldn't find anyone. If I had a sister-in-law, you probably wouldn't be this good to me anymore."

He gave a dry laugh. "You little ingrate. What a mercenary. Don't you feel sorry for your old brother, still alone at his age?"

She burst out laughing. "You're young! It's fine to be single. I'm sure you have your own ways to... keep yourself entertained."

Annoyed by her insinuation, he grabbed her by the neck again.

Just then, Zhou Xiaoling walked in and saw the siblings roughhousing. "I'm kind of jealous," she said. "You're just cousins, but you're so close. You seem closer than I am with my own second brother."

Lin Xiaoxiao pushed Lin Wenbin away. "Only because his hands are too idle. He's always picking on me."

With Zhou Xiaoling there, Lin Wenbin toned it down. "So, you've settled on a date for the party?" he asked her.

Xiaoling nodded. "This Sunday at noon. We'll need three tables."

Lin Xiaoxiao was surprised. "Three tables? That's a lot. I thought it would just be our family and a couple of close relatives. If we start inviting the whole compound, it gets awkward—who do you invite and who do you leave out?"

"I know," Xiaoling agreed. "That's exactly why it ended up being three tables. My mom says we should prepare enough food for five, just to be safe."

The thought of hosting so many people made Lin Xiaoxiao's head spin, but if it made the older generation happy, she was willing to go along with it.

On Sunday, the weather was perfect. Five tables were set up in the courtyard, and every seat was filled.

Even Cheng Mingzhong and his wife, Li Jing, were invited. After some discussion, Li Yunlan and Zhou Zhennan had decided to include them. They were, after all, Xiaoxiao's only blood relatives in the city. It would prevent gossip in the compound, and Cheng Mingzhong was a decent man who could serve as a supportive figure in Xiaoxiao's life.

Li Jing was thrilled. She'd gotten up early and urged Cheng Mingzhong to get ready. "We can't just bring eggs to a celebration like this," she said. "I've packed those two good bottles of liquor, and we'll give a twenty-yuan red envelope. You get ready and come later. I'm going over early to see if they need any help."

Cheng Mingzhong thought twenty yuan was too much—wedding gifts were usually only three or five.

"See what others are giving first," he cautioned. "Twenty might make Xiaoxiao uncomfortable."

Li Jing considered this. "Alright, I'll see. If others give less, we'll give five."

She put on an apron and headed to the Zhou house to see if she could help in the kitchen.

Lin Hongyan watched Li Jing's eager-to-please performance with cold disdain. She remembered how Li Jing used to look down on them because they had no money or influence. Now, just because Lin Xiaoxiao had married well and had a bright future, she was falling all over herself to suck up. Just wait, Lin Hongyan vowed silently. I'll marry someone even better. Then we'll see who you look down on.

Meanwhile, the Geng family, who hadn't received an invitation, were at home with their own thoughts.

Old Man Geng thought it was understandable. Their families had never been close, and after the drama between Zhou Xiaoling and his son Geng Aiguo, relations had cooled even further. An invitation was hardly to be expected.

His wife, however, saw it differently. She thought the Zhous were just showing off. "What's the big deal?" she sniffed, knitting a sweater. "I don't believe some country girl suddenly became so brilliant she test into Capital University. Who knows what really happened? Don't forget, Zhou

Zhennan and his wife were both there when she took the exam."

Old Man Geng frowned. "Don't talk nonsense. The Zhous aren't like that. If they were, they wouldn't have sent both their sons to the front. And even if they did help, after that sacrifice, their daughter-in-law deserves to go to university."

His wife had no retort. She herself had refused to let Geng Aiguo enlist, insisting he stay safe with a job in Beijing.

Geng Aiguo, who was home on his day off, listened sullenly. Suddenly, he turned to Luo Anran. "Tell me," he said. "If Zhou Xiaocheng ever comes back one day, will you regret your choice?"