Lu Cheng finished bathing Lu Haici, quickly dried him off, and carried him back to the room.

However, the moment he opened the door, the tidiness inside made his gaze flicker.

With the freshly laundered clothes drying in the yard, the cleanliness of the room didn’t come as a complete surprise.

He placed Lu Haici on the bed and fetched a clean set of clothes, dressing him swiftly.

After almost a year of taking care of the little guy since he brought him from the military, he was quite familiar with the routine. “You can play on the bed by yourself,” Lu Cheng said, picking up a piece of his training uniform that he had carelessly left on the little bed.

He couldn’t remember if he had changed out of it in a hurry before heading off on a mission half a month ago or if it was just a leftover from when he returned from the military and dropped it there in a rush.

“Dad, that’s the outfit Mom wears to sleep! Don’t touch it!” Lu Haici quickly exclaimed.

Lu Cheng was left in a predicament; he couldn’t decide whether to put it down or take it with him.

The thought that Lin Qingqing wore his clothes to sleep made him feel a bit awkward.

He recalled how passionately she had pursued him when they first met and later proposed that they marry.

It was entirely possible she wore his clothes to reminisce about him.

Feeling embarrassed, he was further taken aback by the faint but lingering fragrance coming from the shirt.

He hadn’t noticed it until Lu Haici pointed it out, and now it seemed to become even more pronounced.

“Hmm…” Lu Cheng pretended he hadn’t heard his son and calmly set the shirt down before exiting the room.

Just as he stepped out, he saw Lin Qingqing entering, carrying a laundry basin filled with the undergarments she had changed out of after her shower.

She was still wearing the same clothes as earlier in the day—a white floral shirt paired with black pants.

Seeing her intimate garments made Lu Cheng feel a bit embarrassed. “You… you’re done with your shower?” he stammered.

Lin Qingqing felt a little embarrassed as well.

Being in her twenties before the book’s plot began, it was naturally uncomfortable for her to have a man see her personal items. “Yeah, I’m done. You can wash up now,” she replied.

Lu Cheng hurriedly said, “I’ll go right away,” before making a hasty exit.

“Hey…” Lin Qingqing sighed.

Living with a stranger was more awkward than she had imagined.

In the room, Lu Haici lay quietly on the bed, waiting for his mother to tell him a bedtime story.

Hearing movement at the door, he turned his head and shouted, “Mom, you’re here!”

His voice was loud enough that Lu Cheng, who was drinking cool water outside, could hear him.

“I’m here!” Lin Qingqing responded with a smile.

“Mom, just now Dad wanted to take the clothes you wear to sleep!” Lu Hai Ci reported, trying to get his mother to praise him more. “But I told Dad that this is the outfit Mom wears to sleep.”

He pointed at the military-green training outfit on the bed.

Pff… Lu Cheng, who was drinking water outside, almost choked.

Lin Qingqing’s legs went weak, nearly losing her composure.

Regarding the incident of wearing Lu Cheng’s training outfit to bathe last night, it truly wasn’t her fault; it was the original owner’s fault.

The original owner had been cooped up at home for half a month without a clean piece of clothing.

She couldn’t bring herself to wear the original owner’s pajamas, which hadn’t been washed in half a month, so she took Lu Cheng’s training outfit.

Moreover, Lu Cheng’s training outfit was a 100% cotton short t-shirt, quite suitable as sleepwear.

And considering her height of only 163 cm compared to Lu Cheng’s 183 cm, this t-shirt reached just above her thighs, making it even more suitable for pajamas.

Last night, Lin Qingqing had opted for convenience and hadn’t anticipated Lu Cheng’s early return.

When she went to grab her clothes before bathing today, she only took her clean underwear and didn’t think about the outfit.

Now, it was too late to destroy the evidence.

Additionally, she had washed the original owner’s pajamas in the afternoon, and they hadn’t dried yet, leaving her with no sleepwear to wear tonight other than Lu Cheng’s training outfit. So…

Lin Qingqing really wished she could tape Lu Haici’s mouth shut.

“Mom… What’s wrong?” Seeing his mother look at him with a strange expression, Lu Haici asked innocently.

“It’s nothing. You go to sleep first; I’ll step out for a bit,” Lin Qingqing replied.

“Okay.” Lu Hai Ci obediently lay down, straight as a ruler. “I’ll wait for Mom to sleep together.”

Lin Qingqing thought to herself: Thanks, but no need to wait.

As Lin Qingqing stepped out of the room, she saw Lu Cheng standing in the yard, facing away from the hall.

Feeling a bit awkward, she walked over. “Lu Cheng…”

Nervous and somewhat embarrassed, her voice came out softer and lower than usual.

Lu Cheng’s ears perked up.

Since returning from his mission, it was the first time he heard her call his name, and it was different from her usual assertive tone; this sounded somewhat delicate.

Lu Cheng instinctively took another sip of water, feeling his Adam’s apple slide down. “Hmm?” He turned around.

“That…” Lin Qingqing looked at him, her face a little flushed. “I’ve been sick for half a month, so I didn’t have enough clean clothes at home, so I borrowed your training outfit as pajamas. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. You can keep wearing that outfit; I have plenty of training clothes.”

Lu Cheng replied, “If you want something new, that’s fine too.”

After a moment’s thought, he added, his tone serious, “As husband and wife, we shouldn’t feel awkward about these things.”

“Mm.” Lin Qingqing smiled.

What else could she say?

She had just replied to a fan’s comment about wanting to experience a novel world, and here she was, thrust into one.

The original character… she had a vague feeling that the fever that took her life that day was somehow involved.

But what about her?

Could she ever go back?

Her mind was a jumble, and she couldn’t make sense of it all.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Cheng noticed her furrowed brow and asked.

“Nothing, nothing.” Lin Qingqing hurriedly replied, “I’m going to tell Haici a bedtime story.” With that, she dashed into the room.

Lu Cheng thought to himself that she had changed a lot since before their marriage. Before, she had been bold and straightforward; now, she seemed more reserved.

But he didn’t dwell on it too much.

Tomorrow, he needed to buy the supplies to fill the gaps in their home and to improve the small room Lin Qingqing mentioned, so he had to finish the task report from his recent assignment tonight.

With that in mind, Lu Cheng decided not to continue working the fields and followed her into the room.

Lin Qingqing had just climbed into bed, and Lu Haici was snuggled up next to her, ready to listen to her bedtime story.

Her story was from Journey to the West, a long tale she was quite familiar with, making it easy to narrate. “Once upon a time, there was a stone that suddenly shattered, and out jumped a monkey…”

Lu Cheng opened the door and heard those words.

Lin Qingqing’s storytelling abruptly halted as she looked at Lu Cheng standing in the doorway.

Lu Haici turned to his dad, innocently asking, “Dad, are you here to listen to Mom’s bedtime story too?”

Lu Cheng ignored his son’s question and looked at Lin Qingqing instead. “I’m going to take a shower. I need to go to the base to work later, so I might be back quite late. You two don’t need to wait for me.”

Lin Qingqing had no plans to wait for him, so she immediately gave him a bright smile and encouraged, “Work is important; you don’t need to worry about us.”

This was great!

She had been feeling awkward about sleeping in the same bed with him later, even though she planned to have Lu Haici sleep in the middle.

But now, it seemed she might already be asleep by the time Lu Cheng returned.

Lu Cheng raised an eyebrow.

Did he hear her right?

Did she just breathe a sigh of relief?

“Mm.” He didn’t think too much of it, nodded, and went to grab his change of clothes from the small bed.

After taking a shower, Lu Cheng didn’t continue…

Instead of going back to the room, she headed directly to the army.

Inside the room, Lin Qingqing didn’t know how the story had progressed; she and her son had their heads resting against each other and were sound asleep.

However, Lin Qingqing’s sleep wasn’t peaceful.

It felt as if she had returned to the modern world, back to the home she shared only with her grandmother.

Strangely, there were many wreaths at the entrance of the courtyard, and inside, there were lots of people, making it quite lively.

Curious, Lin Qingqing walked in.

She saw a familiar face coming toward her; it was one of her grandmother’s old friends from when she was alive.

Lin Qingqing called out, “Aunt Qi…”

But Aunt Qi walked past her without acknowledging her.

Furrowing her brows, Lin Qingqing wondered what was going on.

She continued forward, encountering many familiar faces—her grandparents, her aunts, and even her younger sister.

But just like Aunt Qi, no one paid her any mind.

A bad premonition crept over her; with the wreaths at her home’s entrance and all these people gathered there, did it mean… one of her parents had passed away?

Although Lin Qingqing had a distant relationship with her parents, they were still her biological parents.

The thought that one of them might have died made her rush into the house.

She then saw her mother crying next to a coffin.

Lin Qingqing’s eyes turned red all of a sudden—her father had died.

“Dear, you should go eat something first. Qingqing in heaven wouldn’t want to see you like this.” Before Lin Qingqing could approach, she heard her father’s voice from the side.

Then she saw her father walking over with a pained expression.

Did she… really hear that?

Her father mentioned Qingqing in heaven…

What did that mean?

Lin Qingqing rushed over in shock…

She stared blankly at the girl lying in the coffin.

That girl looked exactly like her—the face she had seen for over twenty years.

How could she be mistaken?

More importantly, she was wearing a white dress that Lin Qingqing loved very much, a Miu Miu piece that had cost her over twenty thousand yuan.

No, no, no!

Lin Qingqing shook her head.

She must be dreaming!

How could she be dead?

It was impossible…

Suddenly, Lin Qingqing opened her eyes wide, dazedly staring at the ceiling…

Until she felt a warm sensation in her arms, bringing her back to reality.

She looked down to see Lu Hai Ci lying in her embrace.

She… had been dreaming.

Lin Qingqing tightened her hold on Lu Haici.

The warmth and soft touch from her little boy were the only things that felt somewhat real.

Why did she have such a dream?

Did she… really die?

For some reason, she had an unsettling feeling that she truly was dead and could never go back.

Lin Qingqing let out a long sigh.

Her parents had a shallow relationship; they had passed away, so what?

They had given her life, and she would consider the millions in savings she left behind as her way of supporting them in their old age.

It was a form of repayment for the gift of life.

Hopefully, with her sister around, they wouldn’t be too sad.

She hugged Lu Haici a little tighter.

“Mom…” Lu Haici, feeling a bit uncomfortable from being held too tightly, drowsily opened his eyes.

But seeing his mom holding him, he happily closed his eyes again.

Lu Cheng worked late into the night.

By the time he finished, it was already past one in the morning.

He hurriedly sealed up the documents and locked them in the drawer before stretching his limbs and heading toward the family quarters.

Not far from home, he saw the lights on in his house.

Though they weren’t particularly bright, they seemed to shine into his heart, warming up the chilly night.

Lu Cheng’s parents had an arranged marriage, and their families were old friends, but he had known since childhood that their relationship wasn’t harmonious.

His mother loved his father very much, but his father didn’t return that love.

He often stayed away from home for work, and when he finally returned, he told his mother he wanted a divorce because he had fallen in love with someone else.

His mother was not a weak person.

When his father didn’t love her, she had endured the situation because he didn’t have anyone else.

But now that his father had admitted to loving another woman, she didn’t want to hold on anymore.

When he was still young, she had said, “I don’t want to love a man who loves someone else; that’s unfair to me.”

His mother agreed to the divorce on two conditions. that she could take Lu Cheng with her and that she would receive all of his father’s current assets.

Perhaps due to his own guilt, his father agreed to her demands.

However, shortly after the divorce, Lu Cheng’s mother fell ill.

By then, his grandparents had passed away.

Although he still had uncles and aunts, his mother entrusted him to his aunt.

His aunt was a strong and opinionated woman, who had a rare love marriage in her era.

However, because of their mismatched backgrounds, they didn’t receive the approval or blessings of Lu Cheng’s grandparents.

According to his aunt, only his mother saw her off on her wedding day.

But even with just his mother there to support her, it was enough for her to stand her ground in her new family.