Chapter 11

Bai Jiaojiao realized he had misunderstood, but thinking about how this man was fixated on her body, she lost the desire to explain.

When he went to find something to bandage her wound, she stopped him:
“No need, I’ll do it myself.”
Her tone was deliberately sharper.

The man lowered his eyes, concealing the hurt in them. “Okay.”

He took over the chopping she had been doing and continued preparing the vegetables.

“You…” Don’t be upset.

Bai Jiaojiao wanted to comfort him, but the words wouldn’t come out. She felt guilty deep down but still didn’t say anything and left the kitchen.

Xiao Zhou watched her retreating figure, touched the item in his pocket, and his gaze deepened. In the shadows of his eyes flickered a hidden possessiveness.

Xiao’s father had to care for two females, one young and one grown, so scrapes and bumps were inevitable. They had plenty of medicine and band-aids.

After Bai Jiaojiao put on a band-aid, she felt much better. But Xiao’s father insisted she not do any more work due to her injury and asked her to stay with Xiao’s mother instead. He went into the kitchen himself.

Xiao’s mother sat in a daze most of the time, occasionally smiling as if reminiscing about something happy from the past.

Bai Jiaojiao took her pulse.

Xiao’s mother had suffered a head injury, but it had fully healed. In fact, her physical health was better than Bai Jiaojiao’s—probably from all the running around she did.

Bai Jiaojiao lowered her eyes. She felt Xiao’s current state was more like a psychological escape from severe emotional trauma, a deliberate choice to forget the past.

She was confident she could cure it. That part wasn’t in the original novel, and she didn’t know if changing it might alter the future plot.

But thinking about it, the plot had already diverged with the amnesia arc. She still had to save the entire Xiao family, and helping Xiao’s mother recover her memory was just another step. It didn’t seem like a big deal anymore.

“Auntie, do you want to remember?” she asked gently.

Xiao’s mother stood up, smiling dreamily. “Zhengguo, Zhengguo, I miss you so much.”

She ran into the kitchen like a young girl and clung to Xiao’s father from behind, even hugging his waist. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think they were a sweet young couple.

Xiao’s father smiled helplessly, but he let her be.

Bai Jiaojiao felt a resentful gaze glance at her. She turned her eyes slightly, pretending not to notice.

The father and son made seven or eight dishes—not much meat, but the spread was generous.

When Bai Jiaojiao saw the lion’s head meatballs, her eyes lit up. Xiao Zhou had already picked one up and placed it in her bowl.

“Try it,” he said.

Bai Jiaojiao kept a cold expression. “Mm.”

She took a cool bite of the meatball. Wow, it was amazing! So good!

Xiao’s father also tried one and praised it right away. “I thought it was getting late and planned to keep it simple, but Xiao insisted on making lion’s head meatballs. The boy’s cooking has definitely improved.”

He placed one in Xiao’s mother’s bowl too. She wasn’t fond of sweet foods, so after a bite, she put it into his bowl.

Xiao’s father picked up a piece of spare rib and gave it to her. This time, Xiao’s mother liked it and even kissed him on the cheek.

Bai Jiaojiao: “…”
They were definitely a real married couple—even today, they were clingy like newlyweds.

“Is it good?” the man beside her suddenly asked.

By now, Bai Jiaojiao was already on her third meatball.

She almost nodded instinctively but remembered she was supposed to be aloof. “It’s okay.”

Xiao Zhou didn’t mind her distant attitude. A satisfied smile tugged at his calm face, not a hint of gloom in sight. “As long as you like it.”

Bai Jiaojiao felt her cold demeanor was more like a one-woman performance. She had expected the villain to get angry, but after just a day, Xiao Zhou already seemed so well-mannered—none of the darkness from his amnesia phase.

Still, she knew that dark, brooding version was the real him.

She couldn’t help asking, “Didn’t you not like lion’s head meatballs? Why did you make them?”

Xiao Zhou said, “But you like them. Your eyes sparkle when you eat them—they get really bright.”

Bai Jiaojiao’s face flushed. It was true; this dish was her favorite. As a proper Suzhou native, she also preferred sweeter flavors.

But this region was more northern, where spicier food was the norm. She had been trying to adapt.

She hadn’t expected Xiao Zhou to notice so quickly.

The slightly sweet red-braised fish last night—maybe he had guessed she’d like that too.

Bai Jiaojiao didn’t dare respond. She felt like he was staring at her lips… Was he hoping she’d kiss him like Xiao’s mom did?

No way. She couldn’t do it.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere at the table, Xiao’s father quickly changed the subject. “The quilts were aired out a few days ago—just in time to use now.”

Bai Jiaojiao said, “I’ll sleep with Yueyue tonight.”

Xiao’s father’s house was much bigger than the one she and Xiao Zhou had been staying in. Yueyue had her own room, and Bai Jiaojiao had planned this ahead of time.

“This…”
Xiao’s father glanced at his son, clearly asking with his eyes—Already fighting?

Xiao Zhou pressed his lips together, his eyes shadowed. Under the table, his hand slowly clenched into a fist.

“Jiaojiao, you’re really not sleeping with me?”
His voice was calm, but under the surface, it churned like a coming storm.

Bai Jiaojiao felt a jolt of panic but stuck to her plan. “Dad, Yueyue’s condition reminds me of a friend’s daughter. I’d heard about how they treated her and was really interested. I want to try the same methods with Yueyue and see if she improves.”

Xiao’s father’s eyes lit up.

“That little girl got better?”

Bai Jiaojiao nodded. “Much better. That’s why I want to see if Yueyue will respond too.”

“Good! Then thank you for taking the time to sleep with Yueyue.”
Xiao’s father wiped tears from the corner of his eyes. “I just want her to be like a normal child, happy and carefree.”

Bai Jiaojiao thought for a moment and added, “Mom’s condition can also be treated.”

“What?! Really?”
Xiao’s father was stunned by the sudden joy.

Bai Jiaojiao explained that Xiao’s mother was subconsciously choosing not to remember. If he wanted her to regain her memory, it might lead to unpredictable consequences.

Xiao’s father glanced at his cheerful, childlike wife beside him and said, “If she doesn’t want to remember, then she doesn’t have to. I can take care of her for the rest of her life.”

Bai Jiaojiao had expected that answer. Xiao’s mother wasn’t young anymore, and being away from society for so long—if she remembered something traumatic, she might not be able to handle it physically or emotionally.

After all, a few decades ago, the world had been a far scarier place.

At least she got to sleep with Yueyue and wouldn’t have to face the awkwardness of being around Xiao Zhou all night.

She was just thinking that he’d probably remember everything soon—this place was filled with traces of his past.

Just then, she went to get another lion’s head meatball, only to find the plate, which had held a dozen earlier, completely empty.

Bai Jiaojiao widened her eyes. Who ate them all?

Xiao Zhou lowered his eyes, lips still stained with sauce, which he casually licked away with his tongue.

Bai Jiaojiao could only silently eat the other dishes, scooping the leftover sauce from the meatballs into her rice.

Fine. Even just the sauce was delicious.

After dinner, Xiao Zhou cleaned up the table and pulled Xiao’s father aside to talk. When they returned, Xiao’s father took care of washing Yueyue and Xiao’s mother.

Nights in the countryside were truly hard to get through. People slept earlier with each passing day.

When Bai Jiaojiao finished washing up, the little girl was already in bed, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling.

She didn’t move when Bai Jiaojiao got under the covers. She was still dazed.

Bai Jiaojiao’s heart melted. She stroked the girl’s head, remembering some tips her psychologist friend had shared about connecting with autistic children, and gently began telling the story of Rapunzel.

The little girl must’ve been tired; her eyelids gradually drooped, and soon she was peacefully asleep.

Bai Jiaojiao was a little disappointed—she still had a second story to tell! This was too early!

She wanted to sleep too, but after tossing and turning, she couldn’t fall asleep. It was only 7 p.m., after all!

Thinking of the New Year goods she brought, she got up, lit a candle, and dug out a few White Rabbit candies and some beef jerky. She grabbed a jacket to go outside—probably due to the dark, she accidentally grabbed Xiao Zhou’s. The rest belonged to Xiao’s father or the petite Xiao’s mother, and they were all old and worn. Of course she chose Xiao Zhou’s—it was big and warm.

She stepped into the yard and didn’t expect to bump into someone.

The man leaned against the doorframe, gazing at the moon. His tall figure and handsome features were bathed in moonlight. He should have looked serene and gentle, but instead, a quiet loneliness clung to him.

Bai Jiaojiao was about to turn back when a voice stopped her.

“Jiaojiao.”

Xiao Zhou had noticed her—and noticed she was wearing his jacket.

The corners of his lips lifted slightly, and his eyes flickered with something dark and unreadable.