Zhou Qiqi sighed inwardly, knowing she couldn't keep pushing herself like this.

She took a deep breath and suggested softly:

"Dad, Mom, Huaichuan, let's stop for a bit and catch our breath. Shouting like this isn't going to work. Our throats can't take it. And staring at the screen without getting a response is making us feel even worse."

But remaining silent certainly wouldn't work either. Her eyes darted around, and she thought of a gentler approach:

"How about... we just sit here and chat like we normally do? We can talk about interesting things and share our experiences, as long as Zhouzhou can hear us. That way we won't be so tired, and we can relax a bit. Maybe... it will actually be more effective?"

The elderly couple now regard their daughter-in-law, who is decisive and capable, as their pillar of support. What she says makes sense, so naturally everyone agrees with her.

Shen Huaichuan always listened to his wife without question.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Zhou Qiqi then made the arrangements:

"You guys keep talking, I'll go to the cellar to get some autumn pears and make some rock sugar pear water to soothe everyone's throats. We don't know how long this battle will last, so we need to take good care of ourselves so we can stay with Zhouzhou."

She had considered everything very carefully; in a protracted war, logistics had to keep up.

She was gone for about twenty minutes, but she was still worried about what was happening inside the house.

It should be noted that Shen Huaichuan was not a talkative person at home in the past, and there was some distance between the elderly couple and their son for various reasons, so the atmosphere of their casual conversations was always a little awkward.

She had originally hoped that this opportunity to "speak" would allow the family to naturally open up and perhaps ease tensions.

But when she returned to the door with the pear soup she had prepared, she heard a voice inside that was flat and even a little...overly serious?

This doesn't sound like... casual conversation.

She listened intently, curious.

Sure enough, you could only hear Shen Huaichuan's voice in the room!

Moreover, what he was saying wasn't just casual conversation; he was clearly giving a serious work report!

All that could be heard was Shen Huaichuan saying:

"...Two years ago, after being promoted to regimental commander, my main responsibility was leading new recruit training. At the end of the year, the regiment achieved the highest overall score. My next focus will be on the practical application of combat skills in field training..."

Shen Zhenbang would occasionally chime in, always with a frown and a few words of commentary:

"Yes, leading troops requires strictness, but also requires methods; we can't just rely on brute force..."

This is no casual chat; it's clearly a work summary meeting in the military!

The atmosphere was incredibly serious and tense!

We really shouldn't have too much hope for these soldiers.

Zhou Qiqi shook her head helplessly, raised her hand and knocked on the door before going in.

The moment she entered, the tense, businesslike atmosphere instantly eased.

Zhou Qiqi didn't want to hear any of that. While distributing the warm pear soup to the three of them, she naturally interrupted the topic and instead asked about the elderly couple's hospital check-up that day.

Although a detailed report has not yet been released, some basic examination data was available at the time.

The elderly couple said that their overall condition was actually quite good, even better than when they were carefully recuperating in the sanatorium.

Hearing from the elderly couple that their health was good, Zhou Qiqi felt more at ease.

She then steered the conversation toward hospitals, saying that although the military hospital in S City might not have the same equipment as the one in B City, the doctors there were reliable.

She tried to ramble on about these trivial matters, carefully avoiding mentioning what happened at noon.

But some things are not something she can avoid just because she wants to.

As we chatted, the topic naturally shifted to the treatment arrangements for lunch today, mentioning that Dr. Wu and Dr. Chen took Zhouzhou to that grove of trees to recreate the scene.

When the Shen family elders returned, He Wanrou had already been taken away, and the police had also left.

When they stepped into the house, all they saw were Zhou Qiqi and Zhouzhou, who were unconscious.

The elderly couple's hearts shattered into eight pieces at that moment. They could only watch over one side for a while, and then watch over the other side for a while, feeling heartbroken from both ends.

Zhou Qiqi only realized at this moment that Qin Peilan had been by her bedside less than ten minutes before she woke up.

She vaguely remembered that in her dream there seemed to be a pair of hands smaller than Shen Huaichuan's, gently stroking her forehead and wiping away her cold sweat.

It turned out that was her mother-in-law's hand.

This silent care warmed her heart and moved her deeply.

But it also made her realize that she could no longer hide this from her parents; she couldn't fool them.

"That's fine," she thought to herself. Right now, the two elders were on edge trying to save Zhouzhou, and their spirits were higher than usual. Telling them the truth now might not cause them to collapse instantly.

She exchanged a glance with Shen Huaichuan, and they both saw the determination in each other's eyes.

So she took a deep breath, slowed down her speech, and told the two elders about He Wanrou in detail.