Xia Xiaolan wasn’t a saint, but she wasn’t a heartless beast either.

Humans have the capacity for gratitude, and she was grateful to Shi Kai. Shi Kai sacrificed himself to save Zhou Cheng’s life, and Xia Xiaolan felt they must repay his family!

Taking care of the Shi family was the right thing to do. If someone found it troublesome, lacking basic conscience and gratitude, they would be no different from animals.

Getting proper medical treatment and arranging work for the Shi family to ensure their future livelihood… this wasn’t to repay the debt of Shi Kai saving Zhou Cheng’s life—these were just things Zhou Cheng should have done.

Xia Xiaolan supported Zhou Cheng completely. Even if they didn’t have the means, they would create them to help the Shi family. And they did have the means, after all.

Financial compensation was the easiest solution—giving a large sum of money for superficial peace of mind.

But Zhou Cheng probably wouldn’t accept that, and Xia Xiaolan herself felt it wasn’t appropriate.

The money would eventually run out, and with the Shi family’s special circumstances, could they maintain it? An almost-blind mother, a mentally disabled brother, a young widow with two children—no matter how you looked at it, they needed ongoing care.

Take this situation, for instance. When Zhou Cheng brought Shi Kai’s mother to Beijing for eye treatment, he had to bring the entire family.

Shi’s mother wouldn’t come to Beijing alone. Taking Shi Ping but leaving Wei Juanhong alone at home with two children?

She wouldn’t agree to that.

Shi Kai’s death had made the family relationships very fragile. For example, Shi’s mother was grateful to her daughter-in-law for promising to never remarry and focus on raising Shi Kai’s children, but also feared Wei Juanhong was deceiving her—worried that once she went to Beijing for eye treatment, Wei Juanhong might remarry back home.

So if Wei Juanhong wouldn’t come to Beijing, Shi’s mother refused to come.

She harbored doubts about her daughter-in-law deep down, yet deeply depended on Wei Juanhong, knowing the family’s future would rely on her. People were just that contradictory.

These fragile, sensitive family relationships required Zhou Cheng to handle them with extra care.

As a man, Zhou Cheng struggled with handling such matters. Although he was trying his best, his own mental state was poor—how could he possibly handle everything perfectly?

Xia Xiaolan could sense Zhou Cheng’s anxiety.

The mental strain had made him act unusually when they met. Considering Zhou Cheng wasn’t even 22 yet and had probably seen many life-and-death situations at the front lines, this wasn’t the first time he’d experienced such emotions… Xia Xiaolan didn’t think Zhou Cheng was weak; rather, her heart ached for him.

“Zhou Cheng, we can’t bring back the dead—that’s a fact. But we can do our best to make amends. I’ll handle this with you.”

On this March evening, cold winds swept through Beijing’s streets.

Xia Xiaolan tried to wrap her hand around Zhou Cheng’s—it wasn’t big enough.

But what did that matter?

Zhou Cheng could feel the warmth from her palm.

He used to think his wife was too strong-willed, but at crucial moments, he appreciated the benefits of dating such a strong-minded girl.

When life hit obstacles, Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t panic more than Zhou Cheng, wouldn’t cry helplessly in his arms, and wouldn’t dump all problems on him to solve. Instead, she could offer advice, tell Zhou Cheng that no problem was unsolvable, that they’d face everything together—Zhou Cheng felt his heart might explode seeing his wife’s serious expression.

“You’re right, I should tell my family.”

This wasn’t the time to talk about independence—treating Shi Kai’s mother’s eyes was urgent, and Zhou Cheng couldn’t possibly know more doctors than Guan Hue.

“You arranged for the Shi family to stay at a guesthouse?”

Zhou Cheng nodded. Although he had houses in Beijing, most were rented out. The courtyard he was saving for after marriage wasn’t rented but was empty and inconvenient.

So he arranged for them to stay at a guesthouse near the hospital. The Shi family didn’t have to do anything—they had hot water and hot meals, which was the most convenient.

The Shi family thought the state was paying for everything. At the guesthouse, Shi’s mother even worried about saving the state money, suggesting everyone squeeze into one large dormitory bed. But with the elderly needing care and the young requiring attention, Zhou Cheng had arranged a suite instead.

Xia Xiaolan put herself in Wei Juanhong’s position and felt overwhelmed just thinking about it.

“Sister-in-law Wei has to care for two children alone, plus look after two other people—how did they manage in the countryside before… They’ll need to visit the hospital next, right? Should we hire a nanny to help with the children?”

How did they manage children in the countryside?

Letting Shi Ping watch the children wasn’t an option—his mind fluctuated between clarity and confusion. Previously, he could only follow Wei Juanhong to work in the fields; they couldn’t expect more from him.

The day Zhou Cheng brought Shi Kai’s ashes home, he saw Shi Kai’s two-year-old daughter playing in the courtyard with a rope tied around her waist, stumbling about. The rope kept her from wandering too far—they feared the child might fall into the sewage pit or pond.

He felt Xia Xiaolan’s considerations were right; women were more attentive than men. Xiaolan had helped him clear his thoughts.

They first went to see Zhou’s grandparents. Grandmother Zhou kept calling Zhou Cheng her good grandson, and neither Zhou Cheng nor Xia Xiaolan showed any unusual behavior before the old lady. However, Grandfather Zhou already knew about everything. He couldn’t pay attention to Zhou Cheng’s situation, and he had a serious talk with him:

“Zhou Cheng, it’s right to treat Shi Kai’s family well, but remember, following orders is your duty! Once things are settled here, you must return to the academy immediately—that’s the discipline you must follow!”

War was merciless, and Grandfather Zhou had seen plenty of life and death. He had certainly encountered situations similar to Zhou Cheng’s.

To this day, he still carries those responsibilities.

Could he afford to be dispirited?

If he became dispirited, those under his protection would have even less hope of survival.

A man must shoulder many responsibilities in life. Being a son, husband, and father were just the basics. If one chose this profession, there were greater responsibilities to family and country, ensuring the peace of this land. With such heavy responsibilities, Grandfather Zhou wouldn’t allow Zhou Cheng to be defeated by this.

“Besides Shi Kai, there are your other comrades who sacrificed themselves at the front. If you don’t pull yourself together, who do you think will look after their families?”

If he couldn’t manage himself well, when those people needed help, Zhou Cheng wouldn’t have the ability to help them.

Xia Xiaolan didn’t know what grandfather and grandson discussed in the study, but when Zhou Cheng came out, there was a spark back in his eyes.

Xia Xiaolan sighed in relief:

“Earlier, Grandmother mysteriously pulled me into her room and insisted on giving me two bankbooks. I told her I had money, but she wouldn’t believe me. When I refused them, she got very angry. Zhou Cheng, these bankbooks feel like they’re burning in my hands.”

Xia Xiaolan showed Zhou Cheng the two bankbooks.

They were both fixed-term deposits, one for 5,000 yuan, the other for 4,000 yuan.

Who knew how long the old lady had saved bit by bit to accumulate this much money?

The bankbooks were light, but the sentiment behind them was heavy, leaving Xia Xiaolan unsure how to handle them.