Lin Qingqing smiled. “I understand. Take your time. I… I’ll go prepare the spare room and move a small bed there. I’d like to sleep in that room.”

“…” Lu Cheng couldn’t bring himself to refuse her request.

His sense of responsibility and reasoning prevented him from saying no, as did the fact that, if her words were true, the person in front of him wasn’t really his wife.

How could he share a bed with someone who wasn’t his wife? “Alright.”

No, no, they had already slept in the same room and the same bed.

With this thought, Lu Cheng was overwhelmed with guilt—toward the woman in front of him, and also toward the girl who had used wild ginseng to save her aunt. “Can you tell me when you came here?”

Lin Qingqing replied, “When I first became conscious, it was during a fever over 40 degrees. I thought she might have died from the fever, so that’s when I came.”

Lu Cheng: “…”

His feelings of guilt suddenly faded because of her straightforward explanation.

Lin Qingqing: “I’ll go move my things.”

Lu Cheng: “I’ll do it.”

How could she move everything on her own?

Lin Qingqing didn’t have much to move—just a small bed and a five-drawer cabinet.

Her clothes were thin and all fit in the cabinet.

As for the original owner’s clothes, since it was June when she arrived, there weren’t any thick clothes to pack.

Lu Haici was napping on the big bed, unaware that his parents were busy moving things around the house.

They tried to keep as quiet as possible to avoid waking him.

As they worked, both of them remained silent.

Lin Qingqing wasn’t sure what the future would hold, but for the moment, she felt a sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted.

Lu Cheng, on the other hand, was lost in thought.

He kept wondering: was Lin Qingqing just influenced by superstitions, or was what she said real?

If it was real, it was beyond belief.

But if it was just superstition, she wouldn’t have spoken so seriously about it, even tying it to history.

To her, it was history; to him, it was the future.

After they finished moving, it was around 1:30 p.m.

Lu Cheng went to wake up Lu Haici since he needed to go back to the army and Haici needed to go to kindergarten.

When Lu Haici woke up, he went to wash his face, while Lu Cheng said to Lin Qingqing, “We’re heading out now.”

Lin Qingqing replied, “Alright.”

She walked with them to the gate, watching them leave.

Sigh… After they left, she stood at the gate for a long time, then quietly turned around. Instead of going inside, she stood in the yard, gazing around.

In just a few days, she had somehow grown used to life here.

Was it because she felt sorry for the little one?

Because reality had become too lonely?

Or was it because Lu Cheng was genuinely kind?

Lin Qingqing felt that all of these reasons played a part.

If Lu Haici weren’t such a sweet kid, or if Lu Cheng were a cold-hearted man, or if her real life weren’t so lonely—she thought she might have already left without a second thought.

But there were no “ifs” here.

While Lin Qingqing was lost in complex thoughts, Lu Cheng, who was taking Lu Haici to kindergarten, felt just as torn.

He recalled Lin Qingqing’s words, thinking about the Lin Qingqing he knew before he left on his last mission.

They were almost like two different people, with obvious changes in her behavior.

At first, he thought he just didn’t know her well enough and made a quick judgment.

But now he realized that her changes might mean she wasn’t even the same person.

“Haici,” Lu Cheng asked, “can you tell Dad how you and Mom got through things when I was on my mission? Like when Mom got sick—what did you both do?”

Lu Haici didn’t understand why his dad was asking, but he had a good memory and could recall those events clearly.

So he obediently said, “Mom was sick and lay in bed all day. I got food for her, washed dishes, wiped the table, and swept the floor.” Lu Haici counted each thing he did on his fingers.

Lu Cheng listened, frowning. “And then? How did Mom end up going to the hospital?”

“Because Mom didn’t eat breakfast. I called her for a long time, but she didn’t come out. I got worried and went to check on her.

I saw her sleeping and sleeping, and no matter how much I called, she wouldn’t wake up.

Then I cried, cried a lot, and begged her not to die, and eventually, I cried so much that I woke her up.

After that… I went to call Aunt Qin, and she called more aunts, and they took Mom to the hospital.

When she woke up, we came back home, and Mom cooked delicious food for me, bathed me, washed my hair, and held me.” Lu Haici’s eyes sparkled as he recounted.

As Lu Cheng listened to his son, he connected it to Lin Qingqing’s words.

She’d said that the previous Lin Qingqing might have died from a fever of over 40 degrees.

Could it be that, while his son was calling her, she’d actually passed away?

And when she woke up, she was now this Lin Qingqing?

Lu Cheng found it impossible to believe. It was something so mind-bending that he could never have imagined it.

More importantly, if this Lin Qingqing wasn’t really his wife, then what would they do next?

There were only two options: divorce or stay together.

Divorce wasn’t an option—the situation was far too complicated.

So, they would have to stay together.

But if they stayed married, how would they live?

Share the same yard, carry the title of husband and wife, but live like strangers?

That wouldn’t be fair to her.

He couldn’t keep her tied down like this.

His mind was spinning with all these thoughts.

He remembered how she had mentioned “two years”—that she would wait for the original Lin Qingqing for two years.

If the original didn’t return within two years, they would become a real couple.

This meant that she had feelings for him.

And what about his own feelings?

Without a doubt, he cared about her too.

But he was already a husband, and he had to be loyal to that identity.

At first, he had been puzzled by her “two years,” but now, he was even more bewildered by her origin.

He wished this was all just superstition, but reason told him it wasn’t.

“Dad, we’re at kindergarten,” Lu Haici said, tugging on his dad’s hand as they walked past the gate. “Dad, even Mom doesn’t lose her way.”

Lu Haici patted his dad’s hand. “Dad, this won’t do—you need to learn from Mom!”

Hearing his son’s soft, childish voice, Lu Cheng let go of the inner conflict he had been carrying. “Yes, Daddy was wrong. Daddy needs to learn from Mommy.”

“Okay, but you have to keep your word,” Lu Haici replied, clearly pleased with his father’s ability to admit mistakes.

He then skipped off happily into the kindergarten.

Watching his son until he disappeared inside, Lu Cheng returned to his duties.

He had already decided how to handle matters concerning Lin Qingqing.

He was a man, and he would never hide behind a woman.

He would take responsibility for everything, and if any mistakes had been made, he would be the one to bear them.

Inside the kindergarten, the little kids were all present.

“Lu Haici, come here!” Qin Ming spotted Lu Haici and waved at him excitedly. “Look! I have biscuits and pastries for you. My mom bought them from the department store.”

Qin Ming’s mom had just returned from town and brought him many treats, which he happily shared with his friends.

Although he had always liked sharing, he was especially generous now because he had enjoyed many treats from Lu Haici’s mom and wanted to reciprocate.

“Thank you, Qin Ming,” Lu Haici said, accepting a pastry and taking a small bite. “It’s delicious! It’s just as good as the sesame paste I had this morning.”

“Sesame paste?” Qin Ming asked curiously. “What’s that? Is it good? I’ve never tried it.”

“It’s sesame paste my mom made for me,” Lu Haici explained. “It’s really tasty and smells great. I’ll ask my mom if we have any left at home, and if we do, I’ll bring some for you.”

Qin Ming beamed. “Yes, please!”

Jiyang joined the conversation, saying, “Lu Haici, my mom is going to start working in the cafeteria soon. Will you come and eat there?”

His mom had told him the good news, and Ji Yang couldn’t wait to share it.

“Sure! Qin Ming, do you want to go, too?” asked Lu Haici.

“I’ve never tried Ji Yang’s mom’s cooking. Is it good? If it’s not, I won’t go,” Qin Ming said.

He was quite practical, and only good food could win him over.

“My mom’s cooking is good, too,” Ji Yang replied proudly.

Although it wasn’t quite as tasty as Lu Hai Ci’s mom’s, he still enjoyed it very much.

“Then let’s go tonight!” Qin Ming declared. “Lu Haici, are you coming?”

“Okay, but I’ll tell my mom first,” Lu Haici replied.

“Great!” Ji Yang said. “Oh, by the way, Lu Haici, my mom is so happy about her new job that she’s going to make me a pair of underwear with a little yellow chick embroidered on it. Did your mom make anything special for you when she got her job?”

Lu Haici shook his head, unsure how a job and underwear were connected.

But he added, “My mom made me a handkerchief.”

He carefully took it out from his bag. “Look, it even has my name, Lu Haici, on it. My mom embroidered it.”

Ji Yang and Qin Ming leaned over to admire the handkerchief.

Though it was just a piece of cotton cloth with his name stitched on it, the kids were impressed.

“Wow, your mom is really nice,” Qin Ming said, slightly envious.

His mom had never made him anything, but his carefree personality meant he didn’t mind much.

Lu Haici puffed out his little chest with pride. “Yes, my mom is the best.”

“My mom is the best, too,” Ji Yang added.

Just then, Chen Zhou spoke up. “But what if your moms have a baby brother? Will they still treat you so well?”

All eyes turned to Chen Zhou.

Chen Zhou hunched his shoulders. “My mom says the reason your moms are nice to you is that they don’t have sons yet. If they have their own sons, they won’t treat you as well anymore. They’ll take your stuff for their own sons—money, food, meat—everything. You’ll be pitiful.”