Around 8 a.m., the slight noise from the doctors and nurses making their rounds woke her up.

She groggily opened her eyes and instinctively reached for the bedside, only to find her hands empty; the large hand that had been tightly holding hers was nowhere to be seen.

Shen Huaichuan had gotten up at some point.

"Huaichuan...?"

Her heart tightened slightly, and she called out softly.

The ward door was pushed open, and she looked up with anticipation in her eyes, but it wasn't Shen Huaichuan who entered, but Qin Lei.

"Sister-in-law, you're awake?"

Qin Lei smiled sheepishly and explained,

"The regimental commander went to make you some rice porridge and told me to stay here and watch over you. He said he would let you know if you woke up."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qiqi frowned, feeling somewhat displeased.

"So early? Did he cook it himself again?"

She couldn't help but mutter to herself, "I'll definitely have a good talk with him when he gets back!"

He's not made of iron. He only slept for a short while last night, and now he's already making rice porridge again?

Just as I was thinking this, the ward door was pushed open again.

Speak of the devil, and he appears; Shen Huaichuan walked in carrying a thermos.

Just as Zhou Qiqi was about to say something to him, Shen Huaichuan seemed to see through her thoughts and preemptively explained:

"Don't worry, I didn't cook it. Mom got up early this morning to cook it and brought it over. The rice oil has been cooked out and it smells delicious. But I put in too much and accidentally spilled some. I went to clean it up."

As he spoke, he waved the thermos in his hand.

Zhou Qiqi finally relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief, but her gaze involuntarily drifted behind Shen Huaichuan:

"Mom cooked this? Where is Mom? And where is Zhouzhou? Didn't they say they'd come over first thing this morning?"

She really wanted to see her mother-in-law and child right now, but the soup was delivered and the person was nowhere to be seen.

Shen Huaichuan was also puzzled and shook his head:

"I don't know, they're being so mysterious. My parents took Zhouzhou out early this morning, saying they had some things to do and would come back as soon as they were done, and told me not to rush."

Zhou Qiqi had no choice but to suppress her longing and nodded, "Okay."

Unexpectedly, this wait lasted for almost the entire morning.

It was almost noon, and there was still no sign of the three people.

Zhou Qiqi felt a bit stuffy in the ward, so she asked Shen Huaichuan to open the door to let in some fresh air.

As soon as I opened the door, I could faintly hear laughter and chatter coming from the other end of the hallway. It sounded like several people were coming in from outside, clicking their tongues in amazement.

"Wow, this is the first time I've ever seen anything like this!"

"Yeah! How did it get like that?"

"How strange! All three of them look exactly the same! Could it be that they planned it together? What's the point?"

"It doesn't seem intentional, does it? Who would go through all that trouble for no reason? But... at least wear a hat to cover it up..."

......

These few words that drifted into her ears made Zhou Qiqi's heart skip a beat!

This description... just doesn't sound right.

For some reason, she suddenly felt that the people they were talking about were her parents-in-law and Zhouzhou.

A guess vaguely popped into her mind, but she dared not think about it further.

Just as she was biting her lip and lost in thought, familiar footsteps finally came from the doorway.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Zhenbang, Qin Peilan, and Xiao Zhouzhou appeared side by side at the door of the ward.

Zhou Qiqi only glanced up once, and was immediately dumbfounded.

Those discussions outside are definitely about those three, no doubt about it!

At that moment, the father-in-law, mother-in-law, and little Zhouzhou all walked into the ward with disastrous new hairstyles.

That hair...

The hair that Zhou Qiqi had haphazardly cut by Brother Long and his gang was not only very similar, but practically identical!

No, it's even worse!

Father-in-law Shen Zhenbang was a little better off. His hair was already sparse, and after this cut, at first glance it looked like the old man's baldness was uneven.

But Qin Peilan and Zhouzhou's outfits looked particularly conspicuous.

Although Qin Peilan was in poor health in the past, she was full of energy and her white hair was neatly combed, making her look clean and capable.

Now look what's happened! It's been cut so unevenly that it's even messier than Zhou Qiqi's hair!

Xiao Zhouzhou's once long, glossy black hair, which could be tied into beautiful braids, is now pitifully short.

Although it wasn't as messy as Qin Peilan's, it completely lost the delicate appearance of a young girl and looked exactly like a mischievous tomboy!

Looking at the three messy heads in front of her, Zhou Qiqi felt a lump in her throat, her eyes instantly reddening, and asked:

"Dad, Mom, Zhouzhou... what, what's going on here...?"

Shen Zhenbang scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, chuckled twice, and didn't say anything.

Qin Peilan and Xiao Zhouzhou, on the other hand, looked completely at ease, and even seemed quite happy.

Qin Peilan stepped forward, touched her prickly short hair, and said cheerfully:

"What's wrong? I think it's great! Cool! Clean! It'll be easier to wash my hair from now on, I won't even need to comb it much, so convenient! I feel refreshed!"

Zhouzhou can't speak in long sentences yet, but she tilted her little face up, her big eyes sparkling, and said:

"Auntie, it looks good whether you hang it up or not!"

Seeing them express their support in this way so as not to feel sad or inferior because of their hair was truly touching.

Zhou Qiqi felt a warm current surge through her body, which moved her to the point of speechlessness, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She took a deep breath, suddenly reached out, and took off the hat she had been wearing since waking up last night, revealing her equally choppy short hair.

Nodding vigorously, they said, "Yes! We all look good!"

Her gaze swept over the three heads, and suddenly, an idea struck her.

"Quickly! Huaichuan!"

She suddenly grabbed Shen Huaichuan's hand and asked:

"Do you have paper and pen? I... I suddenly have a new design idea! A really great idea!"

Shen Huaichuan was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded:

"Yes, yes, yes! I brought your bag over; you always keep one in your bag!"

He turned around and went to get the handbag that Zhou Qiqi had placed on the bedside table.

But after taking out paper and pen, he glanced at Zhou Qiqi, who was still lying weakly on the hospital bed, and hesitated:

"But you can't draw like this..."

She had a chest injury and couldn't sit up at all, let alone sit down to draw.

Zhou Qiqi only then realized what was happening, and looking at the paper and pen in front of her, she felt deflated.

Just then, Zhouzhou raised her little hand high, leaned forward, and said:

"I! I'll draw it for my aunt!"

Zhou Qiqi's eyes lit up, and she nodded emphatically: "Okay! Come on, Auntie says, Zhouzhou will draw!"