The knocking on the door grew more and more urgent, accompanied by a woman's shrill voice from afar. Xu Keke opened her eyes, sat up in bed, her throat itchy, and couldn't help but cough twice.

The room was small. Besides the bed, there was a chair against the wall with two or three floral cloth bundles piled on it.

The knocking outside was urgent, and Xu Keke didn't have time to process the original owner's memories. She grabbed the patched cotton coat from the quilt, put it on, and got out of bed.

As soon as she took a step, Xu Keke felt dizzy. She swayed and grabbed the opposite wall to keep from falling. She braced herself against the wall, closed her eyes to steady herself, and then opened them to walk to the door.

"Beginning of Spring, go and see what those women outside are shouting about."

The withered old woman outside the door looked somewhat panicked.

It wasn't just knocking outside, it was banging on the door. Xu Keke didn't have time to think. She stepped over the old man, crossed the cramped living room, and opened the door.

A thin girl, barely reaching her chest, appeared to be standing in front of her. Because she was so thin, her small face made her eyes look unusually large.

The girl pursed her lips, crossed her arms over her chest, and clutched the large, flatbread-like object tightly. She stared at her with a stubborn look in her eyes, and if it weren't for her body trembling slightly, Xu Keke would have almost missed the fear hidden in her eyes.

"Mom..." Next to the girl was a boy who was half a head shorter than her, looked about seven or eight years old, and had a chubby face. He took half a step forward with a wronged expression, but before he could call out to Xu Keke, he was drowned out by the sound from the side.

"You finally showed up! How did you raise your child? Stealing at such a young age. And you, as the adult, don't even care?"

"Exactly, they dare to steal from the military. I've seen it happen more than once or twice. If the kids are like this, the adults won't be any better. People like this shouldn't be allowed to stay in the military. They need to be moved out."

"Yes, they need to move out. They're really embarrassing Battalion Commander Zhou..."

A cacophony of voices buzzed into her ears, creating a chaotic scene. Xu Keke squinted, glancing at the women standing behind the girl.

All of them were dressed in gray Lenin suits, and Xu Keke's gaze finally fell on the girl's left.

The woman standing there caught Xu Keke's attention. She had fair skin and slightly curly hair braided and coiled at the back of her head.

Although the woman didn't speak, her arrogant expression clearly indicated that she was the leader of the group.

Seeing her look over, the woman returned her gaze with disdain. Her condescending attitude was as if she were looking at an ant. "Your two children have stolen from the army mess hall more than once. Tell me, what are you going to do about this?"

Xu Keke barely managed to stay upright. She could clearly feel the chill from outside seeping into her body through countless cracks. She couldn't help but shiver; her body must be running a fever.

Her head was throbbing painfully, and she felt dizzy all over. Xu Keke had a bad feeling and instinctively reached out to grab the girl's arm. The girl felt the strength in her hand and knew something was wrong, so she quickly stuffed the pancake in her hand into her younger brother's hand.

"Mother, Mother, are you alright?" She anxiously reached out to support Xu Keke. Her sleeves were too short, revealing a section of her arm as thin as a bamboo pole.

Xu Keke withdrew her weight from the girl. Leaning against the doorframe, she gritted her teeth and rested for a while, allowing herself to recover. She shook her head at the girl to indicate that she was alright.

"Don't pretend. Don't think you can get away with faking illness. You were quite confident when you argued with Battalion Commander Zhou the other day."

They repeatedly mentioned Battalion Commander Zhou, suggesting that this body had a special relationship with him. Battalion Commander—a high-ranking position—gave Xu Keke some confidence.

"She..." The words that came out startled Xu Keke herself. Her voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against a table. Xu Keke swallowed hard, enduring the pain, cleared her throat, and then spoke again, "What did she steal from you?"

"Hmph, she stole 50,000 yuan from me. It was in her pocket." This was said by the slightly plump, short-haired woman standing on the other side of the girl. Her hand was tugging at the girl's clothes on her shoulder. The hand was white and fleshy, making the girl's small face look dark and rough. She tilted her head back, shoving her nostrils at Xu Keke.

The girl's hand, which was holding Xu Keke's arm, unconsciously tightened its grip. Xu Keke looked down and met her gaze, but the girl's eyes were completely unmoved. Xu Keke couldn't immediately tell whether she had really stolen the woman's money.

Even though Xu Keke instinctively disliked the women outside the door, she still forced herself to be alert and asked, "How did you know the money was in her pocket?"

The fat woman stared at her in astonishment, as if she had been insulted, and shouted in a shrill voice, "Of course I know, I saw her put it in her pocket with my own eyes."

"Then how can you prove the money is yours?"

The woman's eyes weren't big, but she still opened them wide in anger, "How can this not prove it? Everyone saw it!"

What did everyone see?

"I saw her put the money in her pocket!"

The plump woman blinked rapidly. Just as Xu Keke was about to ask another question, the door to the next room creaked open. A woman emerged, her head wrapped in a white towel, wearing a floral cotton-padded jacket—a typical rural woman's outfit.

The woman took two steps forward and stopped three steps away from them. She looked anxiously at Xu Keke, raised her eyebrows and winked at her, "Yuanbao's mom, hurry up and let it go, let Da Cui apologize first. We'll talk about the rest later."

Why would she admit her mistake so readily? She had already sensed the hidden meaning in the fat woman's words. What was she thinking, admitting her mistake now?

Seeing that Xu Keke didn't respond, the woman became even more anxious. "Da Cui, Da Cui, don't be stubborn. Listen to Aunt Hua and quickly admit your mistake."

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