Li Yuling stared at her daughter in disbelief, her mind momentarily blank. It took her a good while to find her voice. "You're married? And you have three children? But you've been here for under two years."

Her daughter, who once thought dating was a waste of time, had certainly been efficient in this new world—three children in two years!

Lin Xiaoxiao laughed awkwardly. "Yes... well, all three at once, actually."

Li Yuling narrowed her eyes, utterly astonished. "With your slight frame, you had triplets? How old are they?"

Xiaoxiao gestured with her fingers. "Almost eleven months." Then she provided their exact birth dates.

"They're exactly two months younger than Tian Tian," Li Yuling said, surprised.

Knowing her youngest son was safe with her daughter eased Li Yuling's immediate panic. Her focus shifted to Xiaoxiao's well-being: Was she happy in her marriage? What did her husband do? Were her in-laws kind?

After hearing about Zhou Huai'an's family background, Li Yuling merely felt such a family was barely suitable for her daughter. After all, the Lin family's reputation—both in medicine and wealth—was formidable; they were true established gentry.

But when she learned that Zhou Huai'an had been stationed at the border for so long, her heart ached for her daughter. She pulled Xiaoxiao into a hug. "My little Xiaoxiao has grown up so suddenly, bearing such responsibilities."

A trace of plaintiveness tinged Xiaoxiao's voice. "Mom... don't you think Huai'an's profession is... difficult?"

Li Yuling tapped her daughter's forehead gently. "Silly girl, every profession needs people to do it. What he does is something most ordinary people cannot. We've traveled to many countries, even war-torn ones with your father. The refugees... their plight is truly heartbreaking. So, since you've chosen him, you must support his calling."

She then shared their own experience of crossing over. They had accompanied Xiaoxiao's father, Lin Wenyuan, to a country engulfed in war for a medical aid mission. Li Yuling had learned basic wound dressing and even assisted Wenyuan during surgeries.

Their reason for venturing into danger was the profound change in their daughter—she was no longer their Xiaoxiao—coupled with their son's disappearance, likely lost at sea. They had become detached from life and death, resolved to do as much good as they could while they lived, hoping to reunite with their children in heaven if misfortune struck.

Later, during an operation, an artillery shell hit the camp hospital. When they regained consciousness, they were in this unfamiliar world.

Xiaoxiao listened in wonder, hugging her mother tightly. "It must be because you and Dad did so much good that our family can be reunited."

They had too much to say, but the sky outside was darkening. Xiaoxiao had to return, lest Li Yunlan and the family worry, and her two little ones would cry incessantly. But would bringing Li Yuling home now be too abrupt?

Finally, she suggested, "Mom, let me take you to see my brother first. We need to discuss how to best explain this to my mother-in-law's family."

Li Yuling was desperate to see her youngest son and her three grandchildren, but barging in unannounced would indeed be rude.

She could only nod. "Alright, let's go see your brother first."

Xiaoxiao took Li Yuling to find Lin Wenbin. He was alone in his room, tinkering with a gramophone he'd acquired from the black market—a second-hand item with surprisingly good sound quality.

Hearing the door, he assumed Zhou Xiaocheng was home early and muttered without turning, "You're back early today. What's for dinner?"

When there was no response, he finally glanced over his shoulder.

His expression turned to one of sheer shock, as if he'd seen a ghost. His voice trembled slightly. "Ms. Li?"

Li Yuling's eyes were still swollen. Seeing her son standing there safe and sound, she felt a mix of tears and joyful laughter. She walked over and swatted his arm. "You nearly scared us to death! How could you let yourself be tricked and end up 'dead' at sea?"

Lin Wenbin quickly grabbed his mother's hands, looking her up and down to confirm she was truly, physically there. The corners of his eyes reddened. "Ms. Li, I've missed you terribly." He then pulled her into a tight embrace.

Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't help but wipe her tears, watching the scene, which still felt dreamlike and unreal.

But time was short. "Mom, you and Brother talk. I have to go back now, otherwise An'an and Duoduo will cry themselves hoarse if they don't see me."

Wenbin, aware of the children's habits, waved for Xiaoxiao to leave. Concerned about Zhou Xiaocheng returning and overhearing, he took Li Yuling out to a restaurant for dinner.

Although deeply moved to see his mother, Wenbin didn't break down sobbing like Xiaoxiao. After a moment of red-rimmed eyes, he quickly reverted to his irreverent self.

Now certain that Duoduo was indeed his brother, he couldn't resist teasing. "Not bad, you and Dad, at your age, managing to give me another brother."

Li Yuling glared at her son. "What nonsense are you talking! Your sister became a different person, you went missing... your father and I were barely holding on. In the end, we donated all our money and chose to wander."

At this, Wenbin became more interested in the fate of the imposter. "You just left? What happened to the fake one?"

Li Yuling shook her head. "We don't know. Regardless, she still inhabited Xiaoxiao's body. We told Fu Dongcheng that if she behaved decently, she'd receive a monthly allowance. If she continued causing trouble recklessly, then she was on her own."

She sighed, still grieving the loss of her daughter's original self.

Wenbin felt this outcome was far too lenient; the impostor had gotten off easy. But there was nothing he could do about it now.

…

When Lin Xiaoxiao returned home and saw Duoduo again, she felt an even deeper affection. She smothered Duoduo with kisses, making the little one giggle, thinking it was a fun new game.

Li Yunlan, however, noticed Xiaoxiao's red and slightly puffy eyes. Though Xiaoxiao was now laughing and playing with Duoduo, Yunlan felt uneasy. "Xiaoxiao, did something happen at school? It looks like you've been crying."

Xiaoxiao quickly shook her head. "No, it's nothing. I was helping the teacher move some things this afternoon, and the cold made my eyes sting."

Li Yunlan watched as Xiaoxiao cheerfully held Duoduo, then went to hug An'an and Xuanxuan. Her genuine happiness didn't seem like someone hiding unhappiness; rather, it seemed she had encountered something wonderful.

Thinking of this, Yunlan decided to share news that would make her even happier. "Your father came back and said that Huai'an's unit has begun assembling to return. They'll need to rest and reorganize in a neighboring city for about half a month before coming home."