"Okay, Qin Xiaoyu. I've heard about what happened to you. I want to apologize for the harm our family caused you."

"Commander Zhou, there's no need to talk about these things. There's no right or wrong here."

"Alright, you're a reasonable person, easy to talk to. Let me also state my position." Commander Zhou slowly stood up and walked to the window.

Qin Xiaoyu's heart pounded; she couldn't fathom the old man's thoughts.

“I don’t care what Zhou Xing thinks or does. He can protect his woman. I will protect mine. Zhou Xing’s mother has been with me for over twenty years. When I married her, I promised her I wouldn’t let her suffer at all. But she has suffered a lot, and that’s something I owe her. So whatever she does, I will support her.” Commander Zhou’s words surprised Qin Xiaoyu.

To outsiders, they seemed like a bickering couple, with no common ground and no other means of communication except arguing. Moreover, judging from Commander Zhou's actions, it was clear that Zhou Xing's mother held no weight. Yet, today's answer was truly solid, and Qin Xiaoyu was completely convinced of her defeat.

"I respect your opinion." What else could Qin Xiaoyu say?

“Zhou Xing is in the south now, so we can’t talk about the future. Let’s deal with what happened before. Zhou Xing’s mother acted rashly, and your school wasn’t easy to build. She can’t just take it back like that. So I’ve decided to give you some financial compensation.” Commander Zhou glanced at the large military green backpack on the table.

Qin Xiaoyu had actually paid attention when she entered the house, and now she suddenly realized that the scene from an idol drama had finally appeared: "Here is a check for one million. You must leave my son immediately, right now!"

Wait a minute, is cash the only accepted payment these days? Or is it ten-yuan bills?

Qin Xiaoyu imagined Cinderella struggling to carry dozens of kilograms of RMB out of the CEO's house, and suddenly wanted to laugh.

"This is for me?" Qin Xiaoyu suddenly wondered how much Zhou Xing was worth.

“Yes, you still have children to raise. Don’t be shy, take it…” Before Commander Zhou could finish speaking, he stared in disbelief as Qin Xiaoyu opened her green schoolbag and began counting the money.

"I don't want to, I just want to count, 23, 24, 25..."

Qin Xiaoyu counted them with her hands and realized there were quite a few, probably around 50,000.

"You, you should take it. I'll have Staff Officer Zheng deliver it to you," Commander Zhou stammered. His rhythm was a bit off, and Qin Xiaoyu wasn't cooperating at all, making it difficult to continue.

"Thank you, Commander Zhou. I can raise my children myself, so I can't accept this money. Thank you for taking care of the two children during this time. I'm leaving now." After saying her last words, Qin Xiaoyu turned and walked towards the door.

The meeting went fairly well; she was forced to witness a display of affection and was also nearly stunned by the 50,000 yuan she received.

Commander Zhou didn't ask a single question about Hanhan's condition; his restraint was truly remarkable.

Wait a minute, something's not right. Staff Officer Zheng is just a lowly army staff officer. Going to an artillery company to ask for shell casings and then transporting them back from a great distance seems like something he couldn't possibly do, right?

Qin Xiaoyu sighed; she understood.

Staff Officer Zheng had the driver take her out, and then went into his office.

"You saw it?"

"I saw her. Hanhan was being bullied," Staff Officer Zheng said hesitantly.

"What?"

"It seems a boy tried to hit him, but he hit him instead. The boy's grandmother wanted revenge, but Qin Xiaoyu protected her. If I had arrived any later, I don't know what would have happened to that mother and her two children," Staff Officer Zheng reported truthfully.

"You're such a worry! Go and count how many military dependents are in first grade this year, and assign them all to Hanhan's class. Make sure the arrangements are made and the tasks are clearly defined. Also, we need to strengthen military-civilian relations. Send soldiers who know martial arts to Hanhan's elementary school regularly to teach martial arts, and all the boys in her class must participate. Report to me immediately if anything happens!" After making the arrangements, Commander Zhou still felt a tightness in his chest. Watching the car that took Qin Xiaoyu drive away from the guard post and disappear in the blink of an eye, he let out a heavy sigh.

"Do you have anything else to say?" Commander Zhou asked again when he saw that Staff Officer Zheng hadn't moved.

“I just picked up Qin Xiaoyu. Since there was no one to help her take care of the child, she sent the brother and sister to Qi Si’s hotel.”

"What kind of behavior is this! How can you take good care of children in places like that? It's outrageous!" Commander Zhou roared in anger.

Qin Xiaoyu was unaware of all this; she was only focused on getting through the ordeal.

Hanhan and her siblings were eager to go home because they were worried about the shell casings at home. Qin Xiaoyu could only say a few words to Qi Si before hurrying out.

"You can drive the car away now, it's all fine. It's too inconvenient for you not to have a car." Qi Si chased after him and handed him the keys.

"Okay, then I'll drive first." Qin Xiaoyu put the two children into the car.

"Hey girl, wait a minute!" Qi Si ran back into the shop and came out a short while later carrying a large bag filled with frozen dumplings.

"These dumplings were made by someone and are frozen in the freezer. Take them home and put them in the refrigerator. If you don't feel like cooking, just boil a few. You and your children are like cats, easy to feed." Qi Si was really thoughtful; he was even more considerate than his own brother.

"Okay." Qin Xiaoyu started the car.

"Tell me when you're done eating, and I'll have someone make more..." Qi Si shouted his last words to the car that sped away.

"I like my uncle." Hanhan waved to Qi Si through the back window.

"Uncle is a good person." Qin Xiaoyu grinned as well.

This storm should be considered to have subsided for now. However, she never imagined that the person who brought her this storm was the one she loved most. And standing beside her at the center of the storm was the one who loved her deeply but could never have her.

Sometimes I think about it, and it seems that fate is really unfair to Qi Si.

Qin Xiaoyu went inside and arranged for the frozen dumplings first. She was careless and they would melt if she left them outside. It would be a waste of Qi Si's good intentions.

Knock knock knock, someone's knocking on the door.

Qin Xiaoyu had been traumatized and was now particularly sensitive to people coming from outside. She cautiously approached the door and asked, "Who is it?"

"I'm your neighbor from apartment 303." It was a woman who spoke. Qin Xiaoyu relaxed and opened the door.

At the door stood a middle-aged woman wearing glasses, with short, ear-length hair, dressed like a typical teacher. She even exuded a faint smell of chalk dust.

"My name is Yao Mei. My son saw the shell casings your family brought in and he really wanted them. May I bring him to see them?"

Yao Mei pushed a tall, thin boy out from behind her; this face was peeled off Yao Mei's face.

"Please come in. Hanhan, a little friend has arrived." Qin Xiaoyu certainly hoped that Hanhan would have more friends, and the mother and son were both very polite and pleasant to be around.

"My name is Tang Han, welcome." Hanhan extended her hand in a serious manner.

"My name is Jia Nannan."

The two boys smiled at each other and became friends.

"Let them play, come and sit for a while." Qin Xiaoyu gestured for Yao Mei to sit down.

"Have you heard about something unusual these past few days?" Yao Mei's words were loaded with meaning, but her calm gaze instilled a strange trust in Qin Xiaoyu, so she felt no aversion.