Zhou Qiqi never expected that this seemingly stern and rigid women’s director, who appeared difficult to get along with, would apologize to her so straightforwardly.  

Her dislike for the woman diminished just a tiny bit.  

Though she could still clearly sense that the other party wasn’t particularly fond of her, at least this woman was reasonable—unlike Auntie Qiu and her gang, who were unreasonable and loved to stir up trouble.  

So, Zhou Qiqi set aside her earlier cold and distant attitude and responded politely:  

“Since it was a misunderstanding, I accept your apology, Director Zhou.”  

Among all the military wives in the compound, every single one of them fawned over and flattered her. This was the first time Zhou Shuhua had encountered someone speaking to her in such a manner—accepting the apology without even saying “it’s fine.”  

It left her feeling a bit unsettled. She glanced at Shen Duzhou in the yard, her eyes filled with worry and distrust.  

“Do you truly intend to accept this child, Zhouzhou?”  

Zhou Qiqi’s gaze was firm as she solemnly made her promise:  

“Huaichuan is my husband, so his family is naturally my family as well. There’s no reason for me not to accept her.”  

Besides, Shen Huaichuan had already promised her—she wouldn’t have to worry about taking care of the child.  

Then, her eyes flickered mischievously, and she lowered her voice slightly, her tone carrying a hint of sharpness that wasn’t easily detectable:  

“If you’re worried about what you overheard this afternoon, there’s no need. The person I said I wanted to kick out of the room wasn’t Zhouzhou—it was Shen Huaichuan.”  

The moment these words left her mouth, Zhou Shuhua’s face flushed bright red.  

Zhou Qiqi was calling her out—she knew Zhou Shuhua had been eavesdropping in the Shen family’s yard this afternoon!  

For a moment, Zhou Shuhua was utterly mortified.  

Fortunately, a commotion broke out outside just then.  

“Mom—are you here?”  

It was Zhou Shuhua’s eldest daughter, who had been looking for her for quite a while.  

“Come back with me quickly! The delivery guys for the bed are already here!”  

Zhou Shuhua slapped her thigh—how could she have forgotten about this?  

The only child of Political Commissar Lei’s younger brother—her nephew—had just graduated from university and was assigned to work as a train police officer in G City.  

Since the young man was new to the city and unfamiliar with the place, she had suggested earlier that once his three-month probation period was over, he should move in with them.  

Doing the math, he would be arriving in just a few days, and she still had to hurry back to get the room properly set up.  

After a quick farewell to Zhou Qiqi, Zhou Shuhua and her daughter rushed off in a hurry.  

Zhou Qiqi looked at Zhouzhou, who was still obediently squatting in the yard, and nudged Shen Huaichuan with her elbow.  

Since Zhouzhou had just returned, she definitely hadn’t eaten yet.  

Luckily, there was still half a bowl of braised meat left, and the rice was more than enough for a six-year-old girl.  

Shen Duzhou was exactly as Shen Huaichuan had described—an obedient and sensible child who tugged at one’s heartstrings.  

She obediently went to wash her hands, then quietly sat at the table to eat. After finishing, she even took the initiative to help clear the dishes.  

Once everything was tidied up, she went straight to her room to do her homework.  

The entire time, she didn’t cause Zhou Qiqi the slightest bit of trouble.  

She was so quiet it was as if she wasn’t even there.  

But Zhou Qiqi didn’t mind causing Zhouzhou a little trouble. She knocked on the door and walked over to where Zhouzhou was scribbling on paper, saying:  

“Zhouzhou, do you know where the outhouse is? Can you take Auntie there?”  

“Your uncle went to the bathhouse, and Auntie just arrived at the residential area—I don’t know my way around yet.”  

Shen Duzhou’s doll-like delicate face remained expressionless, but she gave a slight nod, set down her pencil, and walked ahead with small steps to lead Zhou Qiqi.  

When they arrived, Qiqi told Zhouzhou to go back first and went in herself.  

She stayed there for over half an hour.  

By the time she returned home, she saw Shen Huaichuan standing anxiously at the door, his eyes constantly darting in her direction, his expression tense.  

When he saw her return, he visibly relaxed—though he didn’t say anything.  

Zhou Qiqi explained somewhat sheepishly, “I used to be malnourished, so when I eat something good now, I tend to get diarrhea.”

At this point, she was feeling a bit weak, and Shen Huaichuan naturally supported her arm.  

“There’s malted milk at home. Drinking a cup every day can help supplement your nutrition.”  

Zhou Qiqi quickly waved her hand in refusal. “No, no, no! I’m probably lactose intolerant—that stuff would just make me run to the toilet even faster.”  

“Lactose intolerant? What does that mean?”  

Shen Huaichuan frowned, looking puzzled.  

Zhou Qiqi slapped her forehead—how could she have forgotten? “Lactose intolerance” was practically a modern term.  

In the 1980s, when people rarely even had the chance to drink milk, this term was completely foreign to them.  

It wasn’t until the 21st century, when the government strongly advocated for increased consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy, that it was discovered most Chinese people had a lactase deficiency—something rooted in genetics.  

Explaining this to Shen Huaichuan now was a bit too ahead of its time, so she simply said:  

“It means my body can’t absorb the nutrients in milk—it just gives me diarrhea. I can only drink things like goat’s milk or yogurt.”  

Back home, Zhou Qiqi felt like her butt no longer belonged to her. The discomfort was indescribable.  

She pulled Shen Huaichuan to sit on the edge of the bed, then gingerly shifted her hips onto the quilt, finally feeling a bit more comfortable. With a pitiful expression, she said:  

“Let’s hold off on the nutrition supplements for now—there’s a more urgent problem!”  

“In that outhouse… I just couldn’t go!”  

When she had volunteered as a teacher in rural areas, she had encountered pit latrines before.  

But she had never seen one like the one in the military residential area.  

Two rows of squat pits facing each other, with barely any space in between.  

The moment she pulled down her pants, she saw Qiu Chunfang squatting right across from her, staring straight at her.  

She felt completely uncomfortable—straining was awkward, not straining was awkward;  

looking up was awkward, looking down was even more awkward;  

even breathing felt weird, but holding her breath made her feel suffocated…  

In short, it was pure torture, and her legs had nearly gone numb from squatting.  

She never wanted to experience that again, so as soon as she got home, she straightforwardly voiced her request to Shen Huaichuan.  

“So I was thinking… maybe we could… Of course, if it’s not possible, then…”  

She asked cautiously, her eyes red and blinking, looking like a pitiful little rabbit who wanted to speak but didn’t dare.  

Shen Huaichuan’s face remained expressionless, cold as ice, but before she could even finish speaking, he nodded decisively and said, “It’s fine.”  

Zhou Qiqi was stunned for a moment. Once she processed his words, she quickly followed up:  

“Would that count as special treatment? Would it affect you?”  

If it would cause trouble for him, then forget it. As much as she wanted a proper toilet and bathroom, she couldn’t let it jeopardize his career.  

“No, it won’t. I’ll apply for it tomorrow.”  

Shen Huaichuan’s ears turned slightly red, but his answer was firm and unwavering.  

“That’s great!”  

Zhou Qiqi hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. She scooted closer to Shen Huaichuan in excitement, clasping her hands together as she eagerly suggested:  

“Since we’re building one, why not make a proper bathroom with a toilet and shower? How about it? That’s not too much to ask, right?”  

This time, Shen Huaichuan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze drifting—intentionally or not—toward her backside.  

Zhou Qiqi’s expression froze for a second, thinking she had been caught, but Shen Huaichuan quickly looked away, his face still serious as he nodded. “Not too much.”  

Only then did Zhou Qiqi relax. She stood up and continued enthusiastically outlining her grand plans for the future.  

“If we’re going to build it, we should make it nice and comfortable. We’ll probably be living in this courtyard for a long time—maybe even our whole lives!”  

“Besides that, I also want to build a flower bed around the house—that’ll help keep the bathroom from smelling too bad…”  

“And… the vegetable plot in the backyard should be cultivated too. We could even build a chicken coop, though I don’t know how to raise chickens…”  

“Getting a dog might be nice—it could also help keep eavesdroppers from sneaking into the yard…”  

The more she talked, the more excited and dreamy she became. Only after a while did she realize she hadn’t even asked for Shen Huaichuan’s opinion.  

But when she turned back, she saw him staring at her intently, his gaze so intense it felt like it could burn right through her.