Lin Xiaoxiao dozed fitfully, not daring to sink into a deep sleep. By the time she rose, darkness had fallen.

Zhou Huaian was no longer beside her, and the bed had been tidied meticulously. Aside from the pleasant ache in her muscles, there was no trace of their afternoon.

She sat on the edge of the bed for a long moment, wrestling with how to face everyone downstairs. Surely, they would all guess what had happened. She buried her face in her hands, overcome with a wave of mortification.

Just then, Zhou Huaian entered carrying An’an. Seeing Xiaoxiao sitting there with her face hidden, he hurried to the bedside, thinking she was unwell. "What's wrong?"

An’an, curious, reached out to play with her mother's hair.

Lin Xiaoxiao peeked through her fingers, her voice a muffled groan. "It's completely dark outside! How can I go down? This is so embarrassing!"

Amused that this was her concern, Zhou Huaian smiled. "It's fine. Grandpa and Dad just got home. Mom and Aunt Liyun took the children out visiting right after their nap. There was no one around when I came downstairs; they only returned a little while ago."

Xiaoxiao dropped her hands and stared at him. "Mom and Aunt Liyun went out this afternoon?"

He nodded. "Yes. They said they make a point of taking the children out for some sun and a visit every day after their nap, even when it's cold."

A wave of relief washed over her. It was true; the children's daily outing was a firm routine. She then shot Zhou Huaian a mock-stern look. "You need to be more careful next time."

He didn't dare argue, simply nodding obediently—though he wisely kept to himself the fact that she had been the one insistently pulling him back to bed.

After grumbling a little more for good measure, Lin Xiaoxiao finally felt cheerful enough to get up and carry An’an downstairs. The little girl, however, squirmed and reached for her father. Deliberately ignoring her wishes, Xiaoxiao laughed and carried her down anyway, delighting in the child's pretend-whimpers.

Downstairs, Li Yunlan was feeding Xuanxuan steamed egg custard. Of the three children, he had the heartiest appetite. Seeing Xiaoxiao with the baby and Zhou Huaian following behind, she smiled. "Dinner is almost ready. I was just about to have Huaian wake you. He said you've been studying very late recently and needed the extra sleep. But you must rest properly, even while studying hard."

Lin Xiaoxiao's cheeks flushed. She muttered an agreement. She certainly had been "studying" with Zhou Huaian—just a rather different subject matter, involving human anatomy and the harmonious rhythms of life itself.

Oblivious, Li Yunlan continued feeding Xuanxuan. "We're having flatbreads tonight, with congee and side dishes. The auntie made a shredded cabbage salad and stir-fried bean sprouts with vermicelli and pork."

"That sounds perfect," Xiaoxiao said. Even though she'd eaten a substantial lunch, she felt ravenously hungry. "The auntie's bean sprout stir-fry is the best."

Li Yunlan beamed. "I know you love bean sprouts, so I had the auntie grow plenty this winter. Oh, Huaian, are you going to the hospital later? Should we pack some food for Lin Zihao?"

Zhou Huaian shook his head. "No need. I'll just go check on him." It was unlikely Lin Zihao would even let him stay.

"He's just a child who doesn't know any better right now," Li Yunlan said sympathetically. "We all need to be patient with him. Go ask him what he'd like to eat, and we can make it for him next time."

Lin Xiaoxiao nodded in agreement. "Yes, see what he wants. He might not like what we assume." Zhou Huaian could only agree.

During the meal, Li Yunlan shared a rare piece of gossip. "The new daughter-in-law of the Geng family… she had a miscarriage. Right at the main entrance, apparently."

Lin Xiaoxiao was surprised. Lin Hongyan had seemed as strong as an ox; she wouldn't have expected her to miscarry.

Zhou Liyun, however, looked positively pleased. "Serves her right! You should have seen the smug, superior look she put on whenever she came back to the compound. I heard she and Geng Aiguo got into a fight right at the gate, she fell, and lost the baby."

"Who does she think she is, some delicate princess? And that Lin Hongyan is utterly ungrateful. After living with Li Jing's family for so long, she hasn't visited the Wang family once since returning. She doesn't even acknowledge them when she sees them!"

Lin Xiaoxiao also felt it was deserved. She had no desire to see that woman thrive.

Zhou Zhennan frowned. "Let's just eat. It has nothing to do with our family. Best not to gossip."

Li Yunlan was not satisfied. "Why shouldn't we? Remember what the Geng family said about us? I say it's retribution. If you do wicked things, you'll eventually pay the price."

Not daring to contradict her, Zhou Zhennan simply smiled indulgently. If it made her happy, so be it.

Lin Xiaoxiao chimed in, "She's right. Besides, it probably isn't just us talking. I'll bet everyone in the compound is." Now that the Geng family was finally the subject of shame, why not add a little fuel to the fire?

At the hospital, Zhou Xiaoling was trying to coax Lin Zihao into eating his dinner—lamb soup with wide noodles and a few thin slices of meat.

But the current Lin Zihao disliked lamb. As an adult, he would have tolerated it to fill his stomach, but now, with a child's honesty, he outright refused anything he didn't like, no matter how Xiaoling reasoned with him.

Finally, she resorted to her usual threat. "If you don't eat, I'm leaving. You can stay here alone tonight."

Lin Zihao frowned, looking at her with a look of grievance in his eyes. "Sister, this noodle really tastes bad."

Xiaoling snorted. "Bad or not, you have to eat to get better. You can't stay 'Lin the Seven-Year-Old' forever."

Lin Zihao, who was seven years old, looked at her with innocence in his eyes. "It's okay, Sister, I will grow up. This lamb is too smelly. I don't want it."

Xiaoling realized her threat had lost its power. "Fine. If you won't eat, you'll go hungry. I'll eat it all myself."

She sat on the edge of the bed, picked up the bowl, and proceeded to eat every last noodle and slurp up all the soup with obvious relish.

Watching her eat so heartily, Lin Zihao couldn't help but swallow. He patted his rumbling stomach, feeling a pang of regret. Maybe just one bite would have been okay.

Xiaoling put down the empty bowl and deliberately let out a small burp, wiping her mouth. "So delicious! The noodles were thin and chewy, and the broth was rich with a hint of sweetness."

Her description made his stomach growl even louder. His face fell into a pitiful expression. "Good sister," he pleaded. "I'm not picky anymore. I'll eat the lamb soup noodles."