"That's right, I find it strange too. If I don't hear her scold me for a few days, I feel like I'm sick. I can't eat or sleep. I have to hear her scold me a few times before I feel comfortable all over," Qi Si said, scratching his head.

"Your hair's gotten long. Go get it fixed by my master. What kind of image does a big boss have?" Qin Xiaoyu didn't say anything nice to him.

"Okay, I'll be there in a bit," Qi Si replied cheerfully.

"Brother, be nicer to your fourth sister-in-law. Now that you have a son, you should make the most of your family life and cut off all the other women." Qin Xiaoyu had subtly inquired about this from the waiter as soon as she arrived, which is why she said this.

"Sigh, I knew you'd say that to me sooner or later, so I indulged myself a bit. Now that you've spoken, let's call it quits. I, Qi Si, always keep my word. Unless I don't say it at all, once I do, it's my word."

Qi Si always kept his word, so Qin Xiaoyu felt relieved.

The lady was sitting in the yard sunbathing when she saw Qin Xiaoyu enter and hurriedly got up.

"Madam, please slow down, what's the rush!" Qin Xiaoyu hurriedly stepped forward to help her. Tang Wenwen seemed hesitant, quickly said hello, and went inside to find Grandma Hanhan.

"Little Fish, look, this courtyard is so deserted again. Life is getting worse, there are fewer and fewer people around." There were no more tears in the wife's dry eyes.

Qin Xiaoyu looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar courtyard and suddenly realized that it was dilapidated. Her cousin's family had moved away, leaving four people missing. Although the mother and her two sisters-in-law weren't well-liked, they were still there to make up the numbers, but now they were gone too. Only her aunt and the nanny remained in the west room.

The eldest sister-in-law and her family of three occasionally return to her parents' home, but they don't often appear in public.

With only the wife, Hanhan's grandparents, and herself, the three meals a day became simple.

"Little Fish, I heard this house is going to be demolished," Grandma Hanhan whispered.

"Really? That's good. We're going upstairs now."

"Madam is in a bad mood," Grandma Hanhan said, gesturing with her lips.

"Living in an apartment building means you don't have to burn coal, isn't that great? Why aren't you happy?"

"If it's on the first floor, that's fine, but if it's on a higher floor, will she be able to come down?" Grandma Hanhan sighed.

"I see, I was careless." Qin Xiaoyu already had another plan in mind. It seemed that the time was right to arrange for his wife to leave.

My cousin's house is lively; it would be most suitable for my wife to move there. Watching the excitement every day will surely prolong her life. Human life is like water; only what flows can last.

"Little Fish, look at Wenwen's hip bones, she's obviously not a young lady anymore. Sigh, she's completely disgraced the Tang family!" the lady muttered under her breath.

"Madam, it's one thing for others to guess what you're saying, but you're just repeating it too." Qin Xiaoyu could only pretend to be clueless.

“You’re young, you don’t understand. This isn’t just talk, it’s what you see! Women who have had children and women who haven’t are different. Look at you, no matter how thin you are, you don’t look like a young lady…” The lady took back her words, pulled Qin Xiaoyu around in a circle, and, not giving up, spun her around again, her brows furrowing even more tightly.

"What's wrong, madam?"

"Your figure is not right. You don't look like someone who has given birth."

Qin Xiaoyu chuckled to herself; it turned out the figure was still her own.

After coaxing his wife into a good mood, Qin Xiaoyu came out of the house. Tang Wenwen was reluctant and wanted to go with her, but Hanhan's grandmother held her back.

When Qin Xiaoyu came out, she checked the time. Hanhan had already finished school and had been picked up by Xiao Chen. So she drove straight back to the military area.

The Zhou family home was unusually quiet, with only Deng Jianyan sitting in the living room.

"Brother Deng, why are you the only one here? Where's my mom?" Qin Xiaoyu looked curiously into the kitchen, but it was quiet and didn't seem like anyone was there.

She suddenly felt uneasy.

"Little Fish, let's go for a walk. I have something to say."

"Is it about Zhou Xing?" Qin Xiaoyu guessed something.

"Xiaoyu, let's have a good talk." Deng Jianyan led her to the deepest part of the villa area, where some recreational facilities had been built, including a horizontal bar and a swing.

It's early April, the weather is still chilly, the branches and leaves are soft, but there's no green in sight. The swing has been idle all winter, and it looks much more haggard, the canvas is already peeling.

Qin Xiaoyu walked over and sat down; she just needed something to lean on.

"Zhou Xing isn't coming back?" She hoped to hear news of an irresponsible prodigal son; that would be the best outcome.

“He’s back.” Deng Jianyan’s eyes were wet.

Where?

"Commander Zhou's intention is to allow him to be buried quietly without disturbing others. The funeral has already been completed."

Qin Xiaoyu looked up, and it seemed as if a huge vortex had appeared in the sky, forcefully sucking her in. Her breathing became rapid, and her chest ached terribly.

"Alright, little fish, go ahead and cry." Deng Jianyan simply patted her back gently, and she slumped off the swing.

When she came to her senses, the two of them were still in the same spot, her head resting on Deng Jianyan's body. She felt like it was a dream, but it felt too real.

Now she finally found the whole answer: Zhou Xing escaped unscathed from Qi Si because Qi Si knew he was going to die soon.

Last time he suffered a head injury, a piece of shrapnel remained in his brain in a very bad location. If surgery were to remove it, he might not even survive the operation. At that time, he chose conservative treatment and spent the last moments of his life with his family.

"His last wish was for his family to accept you and take care of you and your child." Deng Jianyan's voice was soft, but every word struck Qin Xiaoyu's heart like a hammer blow.

That was his last act of tenderness.

It makes sense. After going through so much, Zhou Xing's mother and Commander Zhou suddenly became different people. With a repentant attitude, they hugged the mother and son into their arms, pampering and cherishing them. It wasn't out of pity, but because she was their son's favorite.

But she wouldn't even give him the last hug he wanted.

It turns out she was the heartless one.

"You've been aware of this all along?" Qin Xiaoyu looked up at Deng Jianyan.

“I discovered it when I took his pulse at the farm. So when they asked him to transfer to another hospital, I immediately let them go. Later, I hoped that traditional Chinese medicine could help, but unfortunately it failed. In the end, the shrapnel loosened, and he had to have surgery, but he didn’t make it…” Deng sighed.

"Thank you for being there for him during his final days." Qin Xiaoyu stood up, her legs feeling a little weak, but she had to go; her whole family was waiting for her support.

Strangely, she didn't feel overwhelmed with grief; it was just a dull, repetitive cutting, and most of the time she felt numb.

Now she finally understood that Zhou Xingma's crying wasn't because of menopause. Commander Zhou's desire to retire wasn't due to setbacks in his career either. This old man, who had spent half his life in the military, was fortunate to have survived the gunfire, but his only son had passed away before him—a devastating blow.

Perhaps Qin Xiaoyu had already subconsciously sensed it; how could someone as perceptive as her not have noticed?

She was afraid to face it. She always hoped that those clues were just her paranoia. How could such a lively person, with a life full of infinite possibilities, clumsily and naively telling her forever, just lie quietly in the ground and never wake up again?

This must be a dream, not real.