Lin Wenbin nodded. "To be fair, Zhou Xiaocheng is genuinely impressive—a man with depth. It probably comes from his upbringing. He had access to education from a young age and grew up learning from your father-in-law. That kind of exposure really shapes a person."

Lin Xiaoxiao pouted. "Hearing that just makes me feel worse for Zhou Huaian. It seems like his whole life has been nothing but hardship."

Every achievement of his was paid for with blood and sacrifice.

Lin Wenbin decided it was better to change the subject. No matter what they discussed, Lin Xiaoxiao always found a way to bring it back to Zhou Huaian. He wandered over to look at the three babies.

They were growing visibly every day—three plump, fair little buns, utterly adorable.

"I still remember when you were born," he mused. "So tiny, but you could cry with your whole lungs. You never stopped."

"But look at these three—so well-behaved. They just eat and sleep, never any trouble."

Lin Xiaoxiao didn't mind him bringing up her childhood. She had been a crier, after all. And since he was praising her children, she was happy. She joined him by the crib. "Of course they're good. Look who their mother is. If I'm this wonderful, they're bound to be absolutely precious."

Lin Wenbin shot her a look of mock disgust. "I've made my preparations. I'm leaving for the south at the end of the month. I was going to leave earlier, but a friend of mine ran into some trouble."

Surprised, Lin Xiaoxiao asked, "Since when do you have friends here? Are you going with this friend?"

"Yes, we're going together. We can look out for each other," he said, then added after a moment, "It's a business connection. You don't need to meet him."

She grew concerned. "It's not some unreliable type, is it? Be careful. Don't let yourself get swindled. Don't assume everyone in this era is simple and honest."

Lin Wenbin chuckled. "Anyone who can outsmart me hasn't been born yet."

Considering how shrewd and calculating her brother could be, Lin Xiaoxiao had to admit he was probably right. Still, she warned him, "Just be careful anyway. Don't get tricked."

Lin Wenbin didn't respond, but inwardly he thought the guy he'd taken a liking to—Liangzi—was pretty foolish.

Liangzi had been caught cheating at gambling by some young girl who'd then swindled him out of a fair amount of money. A cheater getting cheated—it stuck in his craw.

So now Liangzi was dead set on finding that little brat, teaching her a lesson, and getting his money back. The fact that he'd been bested by a teenager made Lin Wenbin question whether he'd misjudged the guy.

Lin Wenbin had to go help Liangzi come up with a plan, so he didn't stay for dinner.

Since Lin Xiaoxiao started school the next day, even Zhou Zhennan offered some rare advice at dinner: "If you don't like the food at the cafeteria, bring meals from home. If your classes run late, have the driver pick you up."

Lin Xiaoxiao quickly declined. Using official cars for personal matters could reflect poorly on Zhou Bingwen and Zhou Zhennan. "No, that's alright. I checked the schedule—it should be fine."

Zhou Xiaoling thought they were making things too complicated. "Why not just buy Sister-in-Law a bicycle?"

Li Yunlan agreed. "A bicycle would be much more convenient—she could go wherever she wants. We'll buy one tomorrow and have it sent directly to her school."

Again, Lin Xiaoxiao refused. "No, Mom, that's not necessary. There's already a bicycle at home. I can use that one."

Xiaoling objected, "One of them is my sister's—we're not using her bike. The other one is so old it rattles everywhere except the bell."

But Lin Xiaoxiao didn't mind. "The old one is fine. It's better this way—less noticeable at school. A new one would attract too much attention."

However anyone looked at it, she preferred to keep a low profile and avoid becoming the center of attention.

Zhou Xiaocheng thought her reasoning was sound and supported her. "Mom, let's do as Sister-in-Law suggests. She's just starting school, and students come from all over with different backgrounds. It's better not to stand out."

Li Yunlan finally relented but told Zhou Zhennan, "Then make sure the bike is properly repaired—check the brakes and oil the chain. We don't want it breaking down on her."

Zhou Xiaocheng volunteered. "I'll take care of it. I'll fix it up after dinner."

Lin Xiaoxiao thanked him with a smile.

That night, too anxious about starting school to sleep, she tossed and turned. To help her rest, Li Yunlan had the babies' crib moved downstairs so Zhou Liyun and the nanny could watch them.

Lying awake, she could hear Zhou Xiaocheng working on the bicycle outside.

She finally drifted off but woke suddenly some time later. Unable to fall back asleep, she decided to get up and move around. Just then, she heard the front gate open.

Curious, she went to the window and saw Zhou Xiaocheng push the bicycle out through the gate and ride off into the compound.

She glanced at the tin alarm clock on the table—it was already past one in the morning.Puzzled, she wondered where he could be going so late.

The next morning, when Lin Xiaoxiao came downstairs, everyone was already up. Zhou Xiaoling waved her over. "Sister-in-Law, hurry up! We're having dragon whisker noodles with meat sauce today."

Feeling a little embarrassed that the whole family waited for her each morning, she quickly took her seat and greeted Zhou Bingwen, Zhou Zhennan, and Li Yunlan.

Li Yunlan smiled warmly. "Xiaocheng got up who-knows-when to buy fresh pork. I had the nanny make meat sauce for you. You need a full stomach for school."

Meat was rationed, and unless you went early, it was hard to get good cuts.

Lin Xiaoxiao suspected Zhou Xiaocheng had been out all night and only returned early that morning. But when she glanced at him, he showed no sign of fatigue—he looked well-rested and energetic.

After breakfast, Zhou Xiaoling called out to her, "Sister-in-Law, we can part ways at East Street.

I'll walk with you until then."

Lin Xiaoxiao went to check on the babies one more time, then slung her book bag over her shoulder and left with Xiaoling.

Looking at the bicycle, Xiaoling remarked, "Second Brother did a great job. It looks brand new."

Lin Xiaoxiao found the bike, though large, rode very smoothly. "Xiaoling, what time did you go to bed last night?"

Xiaoling looked puzzled. "Why? I went to bed early—around ten-ish. I fell asleep as soon as I lay down."

Since Xiaoling clearly didn't know, Lin Xiaoxiao didn't press further. "No reason. I was just wondering how you always manage to wake up so early."