Chapter 13

“I just said that once you book a room, you can go upstairs. I didn’t say I was going to tell you anything. Please speak clearly, comrade.”

Seeing the young girl’s attitude, Bai Shuishui stomped her foot angrily and pulled out a dime from her pocket. “Could you please just tell me?”

A dime wasn’t enough. Seeing the girl unmoved, Bai Shuishui pulled out another dime.

The young girl had seen all kinds of people while managing the guesthouse. Seeing that Bai Shuishui was already annoyed, she figured if she pushed further, it might really cause trouble.

So she decided not to press it, quickly pocketed the 20 cents, and wrote “301” on a piece of paper in front of her.

Finally getting the answer she wanted, Bai Shuishui immediately took the key and went upstairs. After placing her belongings in her room, she went straight to Room 301.

Lu Zhiyao and the children had not been in their room for long before they entered the space (dimension). But unexpectedly, there was a knock at the door.

She told the two children to stay inside the space and not come out. After stepping out, Lu Zhiyao opened the door.

“What are you doing here?”

Seeing Bai Shuishui standing at the door, Lu Zhiyao’s mood instantly soured.

“Yao Yao,” Bai Shuishui hesitated for a moment, thinking it would be best if she could convince Lu Zhiyao to go back, “I came because I have something to talk to you about. Can I come in?”

“Whatever you have to say, say it at the door!”

A flash of annoyance passed through Bai Shuishui’s eyes, but she quickly hid it. “I came today to apologize. Please stop causing trouble. Don’t go to the army base.”

“Some of the money Mu Qingyuan sent back before did indeed pass through my hands. I know I was wrong. From now on, I’ll return all of it to you.”

“If I give you the money back, your monthly living expenses will increase a lot. Isn’t that a good thing? Why insist on bringing the kids to find their father?”

While Bai Shuishui was talking, Lu Zhiyao said nothing.

Seeing no reaction, Bai Shuishui grew nervous. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t you think I’m right?”

“Sure,” Lu Zhiyao replied casually.

Bai Shuishui immediately smiled. “I knew it. We’ve known each other for so many years — I understand you.”

“Just take the kids and go back. Stop making a fuss. Just think of this as a trip to the capital. You’ve seen it now, right?”

“Just tell everyone in the village that you saw Mu Qingyuan and that your living expenses will increase. Isn’t that good enough?”

She beamed, cursing Lu Zhiyao inwardly for being a fool.

But the next second, Lu Zhiyao sneered, “Who said I’m accepting your apology? I just wanted to see how shameless you could be. Turns out, you’re far more shameless than I imagined!”

“Since I’ve come to the capital, I will go to the army base and get to the bottom of this. I will see Mu Qingyuan!”

“I can endure hardship, but I will not eat a half-cooked meal. And don’t try to drive a wedge between us again!”

“Get lost!”

As the saying goes, vent your anger to make others miserable — otherwise, you’ll just suffer yourself.

Lu Zhiyao’s goal was to drive others mad with anger!

Let Bai Shuishui be upset!

With a bang, Lu Zhiyao slammed the door shut in her face, leaving Bai Shuishui fuming.

She stomped her foot angrily outside the door, while Lu Zhiyao went back into the space.

The two little ones had been happily playing on the lawn in front of the villa just moments ago. Seeing bits of grass in their hair, Lu Zhiyao laughed heartily.

“Why is Mommy laughing?”

Dabao and Xiaobao looked back. They had just rolled around on the grass. It was so soft and comfortable.

“I’m laughing because my two babies are just too adorable!”

Lu Zhiyao joined them and lay down on the grass together.

Inside the space, there’s no night — when it’s time to sleep, all she had to do was pull the blackout curtains. The temperature was perfectly constant and comfortable.

Even if the temperature changed, it would automatically adjust to the most comfortable state.

After playing on the grass for a while and seeing the kids getting tired, Lu Zhiyao brought them to the bathroom for a bath.

Their days at the train station had left them sticky and uncomfortable. After washing up and changing into clean clothes, they jumped happily on the big bed in the space while Lu Zhiyao watched with a doting smile.

In her past life, she had hurt her body as a child and couldn’t have children. When she grew up and realized it was because of her stepmother’s actions, she resented her deeply.

Now, seeing the smiling faces of her two children, Lu Zhiyao felt her wish had truly been fulfilled.

How wonderful!

While they enjoyed themselves in the space, Bai Shuishui was still furiously banging on the door outside.

“Come out!”

“I’ve already talked to you like this, why won’t you listen?”

“Stop asking for trouble!”

Bai Shuishui had been deeply angered by Lu Zhiyao’s words. She wanted to drag her out and scold her again.

And maybe warn her about what kind of consequences she’d face if she made a scene at the army base.

The old Lu Zhiyao cared deeply about Mu Qingyuan’s reputation and wouldn’t have allowed it to be tarnished.

Bai Shuishui pounded on the door furiously, shouting loudly.

Lu Zhiyao, meanwhile, acted like she hadn’t heard a thing inside the space. The two kids happily played with the bubbles from their bath soap, completely unbothered.

They didn’t notice anything.

Just as Bai Shuishui was about to resume knocking after tiring herself out, the door to the room next door suddenly flung open.

“What the hell are you banging on the door for in the middle of the night?! Calling ghosts or what?!”

“Yelling and cursing — do you have a screw loose?!”

“You look normal, but your brain sure isn’t!”

A burly man came out cursing, and after just a few words, Bai Shuishui got scared and quickly turned and ran downstairs, returning to her room.

Back in her room, she patted her chest nervously and locked the door, cursing Lu Zhiyao all over again.

As if spending all that money because of Lu Zhiyao wasn’t bad enough, now she’d been yelled at by a stranger because of her too.

What a jinx!

She never stopped bringing misfortune.

Bai Shuishui paced around the room anxiously, thinking the guesthouse was too far from Lu Zhiyao’s room — they weren’t even on the same floor. She had no idea when Lu Zhiyao might leave and couldn’t just stand by the stairs all day.

Getting impatient, she finally decided to rest.

The train ride had left her nerves frayed, and soon after lying down, she fell asleep.

The next morning.

Lu Zhiyao woke up early, stretched, and opened the curtains. The sunlight in the space felt warm and comforting.

She basked in it for a bit, then went to the kitchen in the space to make breakfast for the kids.

Using fresh vegetables and rice, she cooked a pot of vegetable porridge.

The kids, still sleepy, smelled the aroma and shuffled to the kitchen in their little slippers.

Seeing them, Lu Zhiyao took them to wash up, then brought them to the table for breakfast.

The porridge was tasty, and the little ones ate heartily. After breakfast, Lu Zhiyao planned to take them to the army base.

Downstairs, the same young girl from yesterday was at the front desk.

Lu Zhiyao asked, “Miss, do you know where the largest army base around here is?”

“Army base?” The girl frowned, then shook her head. “No idea. I know there are several army bases around, but I don’t know which one is the biggest.”

This left Lu Zhiyao a bit troubled. “Do you know anyone who might know?”

“There are a bunch of people over there. You could try asking them!” she said, pointing to a group of people resting in the distance.

Lu Zhiyao took the kids and asked around, but few people answered.

She began to suspect that information about army bases was classified, and since bases were usually located far from cities, not many people would know.

With no other choice, she returned to the guesthouse, checked out, and left with her children.

On the street, she saw a man pedaling a tricycle and calling out for work.

She waved him down.

The man, a middle-aged tricycle driver, was happy to be stopped. “Miss, where are you heading?”

“I wanted to ask if you know where the biggest army base around here is?”

Lu Zhiyao only knew there were three or four bases in the area, but she didn’t know which one Mu Qingyuan was in. Still, she could search one by one.

She wasn’t going to be deterred by minor issues, no matter how much Bai Shuishui tried to block her.

After all, she had enough money to support herself until she found Mu Qingyuan.

“The biggest army base, huh…” The man thought for a bit, then shook his head. “Can’t say I do. I’ve never been there. There’s one smaller one, but it’s really far away!”

Lu Zhiyao shook her head, disappointed.

“Try asking someone else,” the driver said, then rode away.

Lu Zhiyao continued asking around with the kids until finally, a different tricycle driver said he knew the location.

But once she heard it, she was a little dismayed — he said the place was really far. If they went by tricycle, it’d take at least ten hours.

“It’ll be dark by the time you get there,” the driver said.

Hearing that made Lu Zhiyao hesitate. It was still morning, and arriving at night meant it was a long journey.

Tricycles also weren’t comfortable, especially for children.

“Is there any other way?” she asked.

The driver said nothing.

Lu Zhiyao quickly realized what was going on and pulled a dime from her pocket. “Please, sir, can you tell me how to get there?”

“I’m here with my kids, looking for my husband. I wanted to join him at the base, but lost the address, so I have no choice but to ask around.”

Seeing how generous she was, the driver said, “Well, I won’t take your money for nothing. I’ll tell you how to get there and even take you to the bus station!”

Lu Zhiyao nodded, then got into the tricycle with her kids.

The driver explained the entire route on the way to the bus station — which buses to take, where to transfer, everything clearly.

Lu Zhiyao listened carefully and even took out a little notebook to write it all down.

After dropping them off, the driver said, “Wait here. Buses come about every half hour — one should be here soon!”

Then he left. Lu Zhiyao and the children waited.

Meanwhile, Bai Shuishui, who had fallen deeply asleep from exhaustion at the train station, finally woke up to daylight.

She quickly got up, freshened up, and went downstairs to grab something to eat and ask about Lu Zhiyao.

Downstairs, seeing the same young girl from last night, she was a little annoyed but still asked, “Did the woman with two kids who went upstairs before me yesterday… did she leave?”