If it weren't for the gunshot that had alerted Xu Keke, and the fact that her hearing was already more acute than most people's, she wouldn't have heard the muffled knocking sound mixed in with the wind and rain at all.

Xu Keke guessed that this person didn't want to, or was afraid of disturbing someone in the yard.

With that thought in mind, Xu Keke held onto the door frame with one hand, controlling the strength in her other hand, and carefully pulled open the latch on the door. Then she slowly opened the door, trying to keep the sound as quiet as possible.

Xu Keke extended one hand to the man, but as they drew closer, the smell of blood emanating from him made her extend both hands. Using the strength of her hands, the man stood up. Xu Keke leaned forward, shifting some of his weight onto her.

The man gritted his teeth, not making a sound, and tiptoed into the house.

This man was so tall; it was quite a struggle to support herself without making a sound. Xu Keke slowly squatted down. The man guessed what she meant and, following her posture, slowly sat down against the wall.

Xu Keke turned around and gently closed the door. She crouched down and asked softly,

Where are you hurt?

"leg!"

When Xu Keke first heard his voice, she was startled. His voice was a little hoarse, but it shouldn't be unpleasant.

Before she could ask another question, she heard a dull thud as the door slammed shut in the courtyard. Xu Keke knew the man had heard her too, because they both held their breath. Then she heard the sound of rain mixed with a soft rustling. After a while, a beam of light appeared in their window—a flashlight.

Xu Keke frowned in confusion, then realized that the smell of blood at her door had been detected by the person outside. The person outside was shining a flashlight through the gap in the curtains, peering inside.

In a panic, the man reached out and covered Xu Keke's mouth, pulling it further inside. Knowing he couldn't see, Xu Keke still couldn't help but glare at him. If she hadn't understood the situation, he would have been discovered long ago.

As the beam of light shifted, the soft rustling of shoes on the ground outside could now be clearly heard, though the sound was so faint it was easily overlooked.

"Mom, I need to pee," Yuanbao's voice came from inside the house. The flashlight beam went out instantly, and the room went completely dark again.

If she didn't respond, the children would realize she was gone and start calling, which would be troublesome. Fortunately, the inner room was only three steps away. Xu Keke made a quick decision. When Yuanbao's cries rang out again, she pulled the man's hand away, bent down barefoot, and tiptoed back to the inner room.

Once inside, Xu Keke let out a breath and then turned on the light.

She took a deep breath, calmed herself for two seconds, and then walked to Yuanbao's bedside. The little guy had his eyes closed and was still mumbling something. Xu Keke gently patted his body, "Yuanbao, Yuanbao, get up and pee."

Yuanbao sat up with his eyes closed. Xu Keke took the potty from under his bed and handed it to him. Yuanbao took it and nodded his little head back and forth. After he finished urinating, he returned the potty to her, knowing she had it, and then crawled back into bed and went back to sleep.

Xu Keke breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, the little one had been getting up at night for the past few days. Otherwise, she would have thrown the shoe to scare the person away with the noise. But that would have been too risky, too deliberate, and would have woken the child up.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Da Cui sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking at her groggily.

"It's nothing, your brother just got up in the middle of the night. You should go back to sleep too! I'm going to get some water."

Da Cui responded and lay down. She turned over to find a comfortable position, her head facing inwards, and fell asleep again.

Xu Keke put on Da Cui's shoes, deliberately making a clattering sound, and walked to the outer room. She casually turned on the light. The man sitting on the floor looked up at her.

The makeup on the man's face had been washed away by the rain, and his malnourished yellow skin was gone, replaced by a healthy wheat color. He raised his face, revealing his eyes. This man was no longer ordinary.

Xu Keke winked at him, then walked to the cabinet, took out the medicine packet inside, and put it in her pocket. Although it wouldn't be of much use for treating gunshot wounds, at least the bandages and hemostatic powder inside could help stop the bleeding for now.

She walked to the table again, knowing the person outside could see her reflection. Xu Keke picked up the thermos under the table and poured herself a glass of water. She sat down and drank the water slowly.

Taking advantage of the moment, Xu Keke thought for a moment. The man's movements were very light, so he must have been trained. If he became bolder and went into the house to check, she and the two children would be in danger.

Setting down her cup, Xu Keke walked to the window. She tossed the medicine packet into the man's arms and then kicked him. The man looked at her, puzzled. Xu Keke gestured for him to move a little further in. Before he could react, she reached out and pulled back the curtains.

The rain outside had subsided considerably. With the light from inside the house, you could see the pomegranate tree standing alone in the yard, like an abandoned traveler. The large water vat next to it was full, with raindrops falling sparsely on it.

The other two houses in the courtyard had their doors and windows tightly closed, hidden in the dark, silent as if no one was there.

Just now, when she drew back the curtains, she caught a glimpse of a figure by the window moving to the side.

So she didn't look in that direction, only pretending to glance up at the sky. Feeling that the person outside the window should have seen the situation inside, she then drew the curtains again, turned off the lights, and went back into the inner room.

Xu Keke lay in bed without sleeping. She used this time to think carefully about the people in the courtyard and Feng Lichun's memories from his previous life.

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