No one knew exactly what Yuan Yujun and Kang Wei discussed.

When Xia Xiaolan and Cheng Qurong returned from the hospital cafeteria, deliberately wandering around for half an hour before going back, the two had finished their conversation.

Neither Yuan Yujun nor Kang Wei showed any obvious changes – they weren’t avoiding each other, neither appeared to have been crying, and there was no visible increase in intimacy… If anything had changed, perhaps they seemed more natural with each other.

Hmm, so what was going on between these two? Hadn’t they discussed their feelings?

Xia Xiaolan silently criticized herself for three seconds – her thinking was too narrow-minded. When a man and woman talk, who says they must discuss romantic feelings?

Xia Xiaolan went upstairs to say goodbye, as she was preparing to return to Beijing from the Northwest. The aftermath of this incident had been mostly handled – not only had they successfully rescued Yuan Yujun and the two students, but she and Gu Zhengqing had directly faced the results of the “Eaglet Taking Flight” program, collecting data and summarizing findings to better adjust the program’s direction.

The Gao brothers had found fortune in misfortune. While Gao Wang was thoroughly lectured for his reckless behavior, his grandmother was admitted to a major hospital, and even their stolen sheep were replaced.

The county government arranged for Gao Wang’s grandmother’s hospitalization, and it wasn’t Xia Xiaolan who replaced the sheep – it was Kang Wei.

The original seven sheep became ten, and Kang Wei could have afforded a hundred times more, but what would be the point? Too many sheep would force the Gao brothers to drop out of school to become shepherds, which wasn’t Kang Wei’s intention.

While Gao Wang was lectured for his recklessness, no one criticized his tenacity and spirit. He had his ideas – schooling could be intermittent, and he wasn’t ashamed of being in fifth grade at fourteen. He’d take whatever education he could get but didn’t want to rely on others.

He was a stubborn boy.

But also a likable one – at least he understood something many adults didn’t: that one must primarily rely on oneself to survive in this world. Even when Kang Wei replaced their sheep, Gao Wang insisted on writing an IOU to repay him.

Xia Xiaolan admired Gao Wang’s persistence. In her previous life, the country had continuously worked on poverty alleviation, but the grassroots results were complicated. Government-provided livestock for poverty relief would often be immediately slaughtered for meat by poor households… Such aid rarely showed lasting results!

For this reason, Xia Xiaolan visited Gao Wang in his hospital room before leaving:

“Education can change destiny, and it’s not just about pursuing degrees. Look at your Teacher Yuan – despite her high education, didn’t she start learning new things like medicinal plant cultivation after coming to the Northwest? Applying knowledge is what gives it real meaning. Someone who enters university at eighteen isn’t necessarily smarter than someone who enters at thirty, and rural shepherds can attend university just like city children… If you and your brother want to change your fate through education, as long as you can get into high school, someone will sponsor you! Don’t refuse yet – this sponsorship isn’t out of pity. The sponsors hope you’ll succeed and become useful to society, like Teacher Yuan.”

There were paths in life without education.

But for many, education remained relatively the fairest path to changing one’s destiny.

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t just being charitable to Gao Wang – she couldn’t help everyone, nor could she be as selfless as Yuan Yujun. The “Eaglet Taking Flight” program had initially been for her business.

However, within her capabilities and in conjunction with the program, Xia Xiaolan planned to establish an “Eaglet Scholarship.”

The eaglets referred not only to college students willing to teach in remote, impoverished areas but also to the children in those areas who wished to change their fate through education… Only by giving wings to children’s dreams could they discover how far they could fly!

Xia Xiaolan believed that reaching high school would prove their determination to pursue education.

While Gao Wang couldn’t fully comprehend everything Xia Xiaolan said, her words about becoming someone useful to society like Teacher Yuan resonated with him!

Neither the Eaglet program nor the scholarship would affect Xia Xiaolan’s living standards – she was set to make a fortune in Hainan.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Xia Xiaolan left the Northwest for Beijing.

Only she and Shao Guangrong returned first, while Kang Wei and Gu Zhengqing remained in the Northwest temporarily.

Gu Zhengqing stayed for business, but neither Xia Xiaolan nor Shao Guangrong could be certain about Kang Wei’s thoughts.

The wolf-skin mattress wasn’t ready yet – wolf pelts needed tanning before use. Shao Guangrong left his address; someone would mail it to Beijing when finished.

“Kang’s being so mysterious, won’t even tell me what he and Little Yuan discussed,” Shao Guangrong complained.

Xia Xiaolan glanced at him – typical lack of self-awareness, given his reputation for loose lips.

“Well, whatever they discussed, I think Kang Wei seems much better now, and that’s good!”

That was true.

Shao Guangrong agreed with Xia Xiaolan on this point – Kang Wei’s spirit had improved significantly.

Ah, as a brother, he had to respect Kang Wei’s choices. Shao Guangrong envied Kang Wei – even if things didn’t work out between him and Yuan Yujun, at least it would be their mutual decision, unlike his situation with Little You…

He couldn’t think about it anymore – it was too heartbreaking. This New Year was unbearable!

On the fourth evening, Xia Xiaolan finally stayed at her in-laws’.

She slept well that night in Zhou Cheng’s former room, exhausted from her time in the Northwest. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Near dawn, she became alert when someone joined her in bed, arms wrapping around her waist. Xia Xiaolan almost kicked them off the bed.

“It’s me!”

Zhou Cheng?

Alright, that familiar embrace and scent – it was indeed her husband.

But suddenly climbing into her bed in the middle of the night was truly startling.

Xia Xiaolan mumbled, “You’ll scare someone to death. Weren’t you supposed to return tomorrow…”

Having finished work on the fourth day of the New Year, he’d rushed back overnight from Hainan just to see his wife.

His wife was so ungrateful. Zhou Cheng was both amused and helpless as he held her tighter, gently patting her back: “My fault, I shouldn’t have woken you. The Northwest trip tired you out, right? Go back to sleep, I’m here with you.”

Xia Xiaolan was truly exhausted and quickly fell back asleep, though restlessly nuzzling into Zhou Cheng’s embrace.

Poor Zhou Cheng recited the Party oath many times that night, managing only to doze briefly before dawn!

In the morning, Xia Xiaolan slowly realized the situation.

Had Zhou Cheng rushed back overnight because he was eager to see her and worried she’d feel uncomfortable staying with his family?

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t that sensitive, but this was indeed her first Spring Festival with the Zhou family. With Zhou Cheng present, she felt more natural interacting with his family.

When they visited Zhou Cheng’s parents, all family members were present, everyone accommodating Xia Xiaolan and Zhou Cheng’s schedule. Xia Xiaolan felt the special status of Zhou Cheng as the eldest grandson… Well, she shouldn’t be so ungrateful – the Zhou family valued her greatly, especially Old Master Zhou. With the patriarch’s attitude clear, no one in the Zhou family would cause trouble for Xia Xiaolan, and she felt very comfortable there.

Most surprisingly, after a year of marriage, there was no pressure to have children!

This truly relieved Xia Xiaolan.