Xia Zhi’s lips moved, but no words came out.  

Chen Yan then smiled and looked at her, saying, “Me? I can’t have children. No one wants me.”  

As she laughed, a few teardrops fell the moment she lowered her head.  

What she didn’t say was that Chen Yang (Doctor Chen) was her biological brother.  

Xia Zhi’s heart ached with sympathy. She had always thought Chen Yan was in her forties, but she was only thirty.  

“But Auntie, having children isn’t the only purpose of a woman’s life. Loving yourself and enjoying life is what matters.  

“And I’m twenty-one this year—you’re only nine years older than me. From now on, I’ll call you Sister Chen.”  

Xia Zhi smiled, linking arms with her, then changed the subject and chatted about other things.  

Chen Yan’s eyes glazed over in confusion. Love yourself? Enjoy life?

How was that even possible?  

But soon, her mood was lifted by Xia Zhi, and the two of them were laughing and talking again.  

“Sister Chen, I’m heading to the mountains. I’ll bring you back a gift!” She picked up a basket nearby and slung it over her shoulder.  

“Alright, be careful,” Chen Yan said with a smile, standing up to see her off.  

Watching Xia Zhi’s carefree figure, she couldn’t help but think of her words again.  

From the age of sixteen, her family had been arranging marriages for her. Later, after a year of marriage, her belly showed no signs of pregnancy. A checkup at a provincial hospital revealed she couldn’t conceive.  

The news spread, and from then on, she became the woman no one wanted in the eyes of others. The village’s scorn, disdain, and all kinds of vile words nearly drowned her. No one dared to propose to her after that.  

At twenty, she followed her brother and left her hometown for the military base, where she had stayed ever since. Had it really been so long?  

Yet she still felt as though it had all happened yesterday. Every time she remembered, her heart ached with pain.  

By mid-morning, everyone in the military base had gotten to know Xia Zhi. People greeted her warmly whenever they saw her on the road.  

After leaving the base, Xia Zhi let out a sigh of relief. They were just too enthusiastic.  

Just as she stepped out, she ran into Hao Liping and Gu Yunshen, who were returning from town.  

The moment Hao Liping saw Xia Zhi, she smugly wrapped her arm around Gu Yunshen’s and shot her a provocative look.  

“Xia Zhi, how does it feel to live like a widow?”  

Hao Liping deliberately tugged at her collar, revealing some marks on her skin.  

Xia Zhi gave them an exasperated once-over, then noticed some familiar faces from the compound behind her. She turned back to Hao Liping with a meaningful smile.  

Hao Liping’s triumphant expression froze. What was that look supposed to mean?  

“Oh my, Liping, you’re not even married yet, and you’re already sneaking off to hotels with Gu Yunshen?”  

Her words instantly drew the attention of everyone nearby.  

Hao Liping’s face paled in panic. “Xia Zhi, you’re just jealous! Brother Yunshen and I are already engaged. From now on, I’ll only belong to him.”  

Xia Zhi’s lips curled into a mocking smile as she glanced at Gu Yunshen, who was growing visibly annoyed by the onlookers. She laughed at Hao Liping.  

“You must’ve forgotten—there are plenty of women like you who love stealing men. Can you really keep him?”  

Hao Liping’s face turned ashen as she clung desperately to Gu Yunshen. “Xia Zhi, I’m nothing like you, a useless waste. No one will ever take Brother Yunshen away from me!”  

The future wife of the boss would only be her!  

Gu Yunshen looked at Xia Zhi and sneered before pulling Hao Liping closer. “Liping, she’s just jealous of how well I treat you. After all, when she was in my family, all she did was work like a slave.  

I never showed her a single ounce of kindness.”  

Hao Liping’s expression brightened. That made sense—back then, Xia Zhi had been nothing more than a servant in the Gu household. Now, seeing how well Gu Yunshen treated her, of course Xia Zhi would be jealous and resentful.

Xia Zhi’s expression darkened. So, the Gu family was fully aware of how they had treated the original owner.  

How disgusting.

“Hah, Gu Yunshen—people like you will get their retribution sooner or later.”  

After saying that, Xia Zhi adjusted the basket on her back, deliberately bumping hard into both of them before heading toward the mountain.  

Hao Liping watched Xia Zhi’s furious retreat with immense satisfaction. She had thought Xia Zhi truly didn’t care about Gu Yunshen anymore, but it turned out she was just putting on a tough act.  

Xia Zhi was furious on behalf of the original owner—someone who had offered her sincere heart, only to have it trampled on without a second thought.  

As soon as Xia Zhi reached the mountain, she felt a weight on her shoulder, followed by a playful tug at her hair. She turned her head and saw the little monkey perched there, its eyes carrying a hint of resentment as it stared at her.  

“I had something to do yesterday—went to town. But I brought you candy.” Xia Zhi dug a few pieces of candy from her pocket and handed them over.  

The little monkey glanced around cautiously before finally accepting them.  

Xia Zhi studied the creature on her shoulder. It didn’t seem to be the same species as the monkeys she’d encountered before. This one had a round face and a small, rounded mouth, with glossy fur that made it look oddly adorable.  

The little monkey led Xia Zhi through a winding path until they reached the bamboo grove from before. As soon as they arrived, Xia Zhi spotted the giant panda waddling toward her with its characteristic clumsy gait.  

She crouched down to examine its wounds—they had improved slightly. If she could shave the fur around them, the healing process might go even faster.  

She exchanged some points for an electric razor, then gently stroked the docile panda at her feet to soothe it.  

“Good boy, good boy. I’m just going to shave the fur so your wounds heal faster, okay?”  

She turned on the razor, watching carefully for any reaction. When it didn’t seem frightened, she began carefully trimming the fur around the injuries.  

The panda only trembled slightly throughout the process, thankfully showing no signs of stress.  

Xia Zhi let out a relieved sigh, then took out a medical kit to bandage the wounds. Once everything was done, she leaned back to rest—only for the little monkey to drop a dead rabbit at her feet.  

Xia Zhi picked it up. “This is for me?”  

The monkey nodded vigorously.  

She couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Not bad! You even know how to pay medical fees.”  

Standing up, she looked around. One rabbit wasn’t enough—maybe she could find more wild rabbits or pheasants nearby.  

The little monkey tugged at her sleeve, chattering excitedly before leading her in a new direction.  

After walking for a while, Xia Zhi noticed something odd—there were multiple animal carcasses scattered around. She crouched down to inspect them.  

These wounds…

They didn’t look like natural injuries. They resembled gunshot wounds.  

Xia Zhi immediately tensed. If these were just hunters’ kills, they wouldn’t have left the prey behind.  

She turned to leave, intending to alert the military base—but then voices nearby made her freeze.  

If she moved now, the noise might give her away.  

She patted her pockets but only found a few pieces of candy.  

Well, time to gamble. 

“Little monkey, take these down the mountain and give them to the people in green uniforms. Then bring them back here—quietly.”  

As soon as she finished speaking, the monkey, which had been reaching out, instantly retracted its hand and began creeping away with exaggerated stealth.  

Xia Zhi’s lips twitched. This thing is practically a spirit.

Hiding in the grass, she observed the strangers carefully. They were clearly Chinese, but their clothing wasn’t local.  

“I’ve checked—there’s no one here. We just need to hide the goods, then have the others come collect them later. It’ll work.”  

Xia Zhi frowned. Goods? What goods?

Just then—  

Crack. 

A twig snapped behind her.