Standing in front of the ancient temple again, Zhou Jiao did not hesitate. She knelt down and kowtowed three times towards the gate. After standing up, she ran down the mountain quickly.

Time, what she lacks now is time.

To get to the guesthouse before midnight, she could make an excuse that someone in her family was on night shift, so she came back. Or she could make an excuse that after watching a movie, she was taken to someone else's house for a late-night snack and they stayed up late chatting.

The darkness brought great benefits to Zhou Jiao, but the girl hadn't noticed it yet. If she hadn't been driving a small car, the patrol officers would have questioned her.

She sped all the way, and this speed also brought her good luck. A few people who occasionally passed by the city gate thought that such a fast car must be in a hurry to go to the hospital.

Racing against time, she finally managed to reach the guesthouse after a bumpy ride. The watch on her wrist showed just after eleven o'clock.

Zhou Jiao pounded her waist hard, stretched, washed off the disguise powder, changed back into her original clothes, checked, retrieved the car, and ran towards the guesthouse in the distance.

The receptionist knew her. When she knocked on the door, he opened it and said with a smile, "Why are you back so late? Your friend just said you must have been left at home by a relative."

Zhou Jiao raised her eyebrows in surprise. She could vaguely hear the voices of her classmates inside. She really didn't expect that the silly boy Yi Jiefang hadn't rested yet.

She smiled softly and said, "I almost couldn't leave. I took advantage of the night shift when my aunt was working. My aunt's house only has two rooms, and she even made one available for me to sleep in. How could I do that? Why are there still noises in there? Will it disturb you?"

"No, some people come back and go to their rooms to rest. Now those few people are squeezed in by their companions and can't lie down. They are worried about waking up their companions, so they have to pay for a room at their own expense. They will fall asleep soon."

Zhou Jiao's eyes lit up when she heard that. "My room is 203. Are they asleep yet? Now that you mention it, I'm really worried about disturbing the students."

"Girls usually go in to rest early. I opened the door for you, just be careful and you'll be fine."

Oh, why didn't this lady understand what was being said? Since someone had already taken the lead, she didn't want to crowd into a place full of fleas and lice.

"I, I'd better forget it. I feel embarrassed to go in now. Could you please help me see if there are any vacancies? I'll pay the extra money. It doesn't matter what the conditions are, as long as I can sleep."

Although she said that, Zhou Jiao took out five dollars, which suggested to her that she should not be too cunning.

Look, the other party smiled and nodded, took the money and made a receipt and change for her.

Afterwards, Zhou Jiao blushed as she said, "If any classmates come looking for me, please tell them, otherwise it would be bad if people misunderstood that I dislike them."

"Okay. I'll take you to your room. It's getting late, go to bed."

Zhou Jiao took the thermos that the other person was holding for her, entered the room, and saw two empty beds. Her eyes flashed, and she smiled as she took out a can of meat from her bag and handed it to the other person.

"Need not……"

Zhou Jiao smiled and glanced at her, patting her bag, "My aunt gave me two bottles tonight, one for each of us. It's a deal." Seeing that the other party was still hesitant while holding the can, Zhou Jiao pushed her out the door, waved goodbye to her with a smile, and then closed the door.

This little brat is a pain in the ass. If it's not for tonight's bed, then this can of meat is worth it just so he can say a few nice words for me tomorrow morning.

Compared to the large bunk bed, this one-dollar-a-night room is undoubtedly much better. You really get what you pay for! But you can't blame the school. Funding is limited. We should be thankful that everyone can get a good night's sleep instead of having to wait in the waiting room all night.

When I was studying agriculture in school, I slept in thatched huts and on straw piles before. I can only say that the professors and teachers who led the group this time were very humane and even took the students for a walk.

After locking the door, Zhou Jiao figured no one else would be allowed in at this late hour. She quickly moved all the sheets, quilts, and pillows from the bed to the other bed.

I spread out the set of bedding that was provided in the space, quickly washed myself, and collapsed on the bed. I turned off the lights and thought about whether anything had gone wrong today.

After reviewing everything from beginning to end, Zhou Jiao closed her eyes and began to sort through the numerous wooden boxes in the space, realizing she hadn't missed anything. She had a tinkering ancestor, so she had no choice but to round up the half-empty boxes. Otherwise, how would she put her beloved fruit and the secret room in the Gu family's house?

At the end of the tidying up, more than half of the empty wooden boxes were filled with clothes and fabrics. After stacking all the wooden boxes layer by layer, Zhou Jiao finally breathed a sigh of relief and fell asleep peacefully.

That night, Zhou Jiao repeatedly dreamed that she had arrived at the third secret room. The Gu family's gold and jewelry simply couldn't fit into the space, and she was frantic.

The next morning, Zhou Jiao woke up, still bright and clear, feeling aches all over. She didn't know if it was from the excessive dreaming or just exhaustion from the previous night. Thinking back on the dream, she burst into laughter at her own obsession with money. But it also served as a reminder—she had lost her composure and couldn't let herself lose her composure over these frivolous things.

Seeing her watch pointed to five, Zhou Jiao made do with the remaining hot water and quickly showered. Then she made her bed, rushed out to take care of the most important matter in her life, and quietly checked out as soon as possible.

"Why so early? There's no need to be so anxious to get on the bus this afternoon."

Zhou Jiao smiled and shook her head. Early? Not early at all. The older woman in front of her had already gotten up last night for her shift, so the earlier the better, to avoid drawing attention.

After saying goodbye to the enthusiastic elder sister, Zhou Jiao left a note for Yi Jiefang and the others, did some warm-up exercises, and started jogging towards the river with her backpack on her back.

At around five in the morning, Jiangcheng was full of energy. The aroma of food was already wafting from the restaurants along the street, and sanitation workers were cleaning the streets...

There were already old men practicing boxing by the river, and many people were exercising slowly like Zhou Jiao. No one heard the legendary shouts of "going to the river to pick water chestnuts", but the sounds of women washing clothes greeting and talking could be heard from the river banks not far away.

As soon as Yi Jiefang opened his eyes, he washed up and ran to the front desk. Before he could say anything, the older sister handed him a note: I'm safe!

"Hahaha, that's so funny!" Yi Jiefang finally understood his buddy's hard work. With such a wife, Zhang Guoqing will live a life of both pain and happiness in this life.

"Comrade, what time will she be back?"

"Last night, when you went to rest in your room, she came back right after you. Maybe she wasn't used to sleeping, so she got up at dawn. She left a note for you and now she's gone to the river."

Knowing Zhou Jiao's whereabouts, Yi Jiefang finally relaxed his mind. As long as nothing went wrong, it would be fine. He was not surprised at all that Zhou Jiao always got up early to exercise. Living in a large compound, how could most people dare to sleep in?

Not long after, teachers and students came out of the room one after another. Hearing that Zhou Jiao started exercising early in the morning, and thinking of Lao Lingjiao, everyone went out to exercise tacitly.

Seeing this, Yi Jiefang followed counselor Wu closely. With such a supervisor around, he felt less worried and had less arguments.

When they arrived at the riverside, they saw Zhou Jiao practicing boxing behind an old man. Looking at her posture, several people thought she was joining in the fun and smiled at each other.