Ling Ziyue, seeing Lou Xiaowu’s serious tone, didn’t have the heart to remind her that there was still another person in the room.

An Jiu lay on the bed, pretending not to exist.

“As a family head, you’re doing very well,” Ling Ziyue encouraged her.

Lou Xiaowu pulled her blanket down a bit and rested her chin on her hand. “Don’t comfort me. I know I’m not doing well. If it weren’t for Aunt, Second Sister wouldn’t have handed the family over to me. But I’m trying my best.”

She leaned closer to him and whispered, “I’ve made many types of weapons. If the imperial army uses them, it will help in conquering the Liao country!”

There’s an old saying that those with nothing to lose fear nothing. The imperial court lacks backbone, and the battlefield lacks ferocity. The country can only be pushed around, and people’s hearts have weakened. Even with the strongest weapons, it would be like a child holding a powerful bow – ultimately just for show.

Ling Ziyue, having guarded the borders for so many years, understood this deeply. However, seeing Lou Xiaowu’s sunny smile, he swallowed his words and instead said, “Mm, then you must work hard!”

An Jiu sensed the encouragement and resignation in Ling Ziyue’s tone. Thinking of the entire Song Dynasty’s state, a small flame of anger – or perhaps hope – quietly ignited in her heart.

She could precisely kill targets while being hunted by the entire world, living a life of constant hiding. She was the strongest sniper yet also a weakling living in the shadows. So she understood better than anyone the thrill of being in a position of judgment, as well as the frustrating struggle of living in the dirtiest corners.

Perhaps, from now on, she had finally found the meaning of life!

An Jiu’s spiritual energy was currently injured, much weaker than usual, but her eyes were brighter than ever before.

It turns out that continuously pursuing something makes life more exciting. What she truly wanted deep down wasn’t as simple as retiring to a peaceful life! She wanted to change, to change the current situation. To live more freely and boldly.

In the past, whenever An Jiu hovered between life and death, she always longed for a peaceful life. But when a calm and peaceful life was right before her eyes, she didn’t feel as overjoyed as she had imagined, nor did she feel satisfied at all. She once suspected herself of being insatiable and even doubted whether she could ever erase the dependence on killing deep in her blood and soul. So she felt conflicted and lost.

However, it wasn’t until today that An Jiu finally understood – without unlocking the shackles on her heart, even if she got the peaceful life she wanted, it would be nothing more than tending sheep while in chains. Like a prisoner doing labor, there was no enjoyment. How could there be joy?

“I don’t want to be a mouse, and the country I live in can’t be a mouse either…” An Jiu’s mumbling grew louder, until finally she laughed uncontrollably, “I’m not a mouse! Haha! I’m not a mouse!”

We all should live under the bright sunlight, moving towards hope, and the future. Striding forward with high spirits!

So this was the kind of life she had always hoped to live.

An Jiu’s laughter echoed throughout Meihua Lane.

Lou Xiaowu and Ling Ziyue looked at each other in bewilderment.

Sui Yunzhu, carrying freshly made food, ran in with a pale face. “Is Fourteen having an episode again?”

As soon as she spoke, An Jiu appeared at the doorway. Leaning against the doorframe with a smile, she said, “I’ve decided! I don’t want to be a mouse! Nor do I want to be a mouse tending sheep!”

“This is bad,” Lou Xiaowu anxiously grabbed Ling Ziyue’s clothes, whispering, “Fourteen’s condition seems to have worsened. Before, she would just act crazy at most, but now she thinks she’s a mouse! And a sheep-herding mouse at that!”

The three of them stared at An Jiu with unwavering eyes.

The room fell into an eerie silence.

“People from a different world indeed don’t understand me,” An Jiu thought. If Chu Dingjiang were here, he would surely understand what she meant. He would also understand how happy and excited she was at this moment.

An Jiu didn’t bother to explain. She waved her hand and went out humming a tune.

“Fourteen, where are you going?” Sui Yunzhu quickly asked.

“I’m going out to bask in the sun.” Such a beautiful and memorable day deserved to be spent under the bright sunlight.

Sui Yunzhu didn’t dare stop her and watched helplessly as she left. Turning to the other two, she said, “She knows it’s raining outside, right?”

“Maybe she forgot?” Ling Ziyue noticed her behavior was somewhat different from her usual episodes.

“It’s over,” Lou Xiaowu said, on the verge of tears and full of worry. “Fourteen thinks she’s a sheep-herding mouse from a different world than us, wants to sunbathe on a rainy day, and she’s even singing!”

“What should we do?” Sui Yunzhu was now fully convinced that An Jiu had gone mad again.

Ling Ziyue remained skeptical and offered a sensible suggestion, “We can’t forcibly restrain her physically, so we should use gentle methods. Xiaowu looks the most harmless, so try to approach and calm her. If things go south, protect yourself first.”

Sui Yunzhu thought carefully and remembered that An Jiu had never hurt anyone during her episodes, and sometimes even recognized them. So she agreed with this plan.

Lou Xiaowu gritted her teeth and rose dutifully, wrapping herself in the blanket as she moved outside.

After going out, An Jiu saw the misty rain and remembered it had been raining during the earlier battle. She had been so excited she’d forgotten. Though disappointed, it didn’t dampen her good mood. She decided to squat under the grass shelter in front of the house to watch the rain. From there, she could overlook most of the island, with all the scenery half-hidden behind the mist, appearing like a Chinese ink painting.

Lou Xiaowu heard An Jiu humming something unintelligible and worried she wouldn’t be able to communicate in mouse language. With an anxious heart, she squatted down beside An Jiu, nervously preparing what to say.

An Jiu knew Lou Xiaowu had arrived. After waiting a while without hearing her speak, she turned back to look at her suspiciously.

Lou Xiaowu quickly introduced herself, “I… I’m a mushroom.”

An Jiu was momentarily stunned. Seeing Lou Xiaowu’s adorable appearance, she felt both curious and playful. “How can a mushroom speak?”

Lou Xiaowu was inwardly delighted that there seemed to be no language barrier, but she had to rack her brains to maintain the lie. As a developer, she had always pursued truth and was a factual, good child. She was completely inexperienced in making up stories. “Well… well… I’m a mushroom spirit. I absorb the essence of heaven and earth here… so… and then… and then… as a result… just… just…”

Lou Xiaowu’s little face turned red with effort.

The two people in the room, not far from the grass shelter, couldn’t help but facepalm upon hearing this.

“Anyway, don’t be afraid, I’m a good person!” Lou Xiaowu earnestly promised, her expression serious, as if ready to swear to the heavens if An Jiu didn’t believe her.

“Are you a mushroom or a person?” An Jiu suppressed her laughter and continued to tease her.

Lou Xiaowu immediately deflated, hanging her head. “You’ve figured it out. I’m human, but I’m a good person.”

An Jiu nodded, “What do you want to say?”

“Don’t you want to be human instead of a mouse?” Lou Xiaowu asked, her face full of concern but still maintaining an air of innocence.

An Jiu raised an eyebrow, her expression noncommittal.

Lou Xiaowu, taking her silence as agreement, didn’t think twice before saying, “Then do you want to be friends with people?”

Seeing An Jiu not respond, she tempted her, “I have candy!”

After fumbling around for a while, she pulled out a piece of candy and held it out to An Jiu.

Inside the room, Sui Yunzhu chuckled, “This child is quite strategic.”

Ling Ziyue stood by the window, smiling as he watched the two girls in the grass shelter. Setting everything else aside, the scene was as pure as could be. Having seen so much killing and scheming, Ling Ziyue found this moment particularly precious.

An Jiu picked up the candy, remembering Lou Xiaowu saying that eating candy would improve one’s mood. Not minding making herself happier, she smiled and popped it into her mouth.

Lou Xiaowu now firmly believed that An Jiu was having an episode because the normal An Jiu would never smile so much. She looked amiable now, but Lou Xiaowu felt it was strange and couldn’t help but miss the cold-faced, prickly person she knew.

Perhaps because of her earlier conversation with Ling Ziyue, which had touched on her deepest wounds, Lou Xiaowu was now particularly sensitive and fragile.

With a sudden wave of sadness, she could no longer keep up the act. She threw her arms around An Jiu and began to cry loudly, “Fourteen, please don’t give up on treatment! Little Xiu doesn’t have many relatives or friends left in this world. The second Sister gave her life for revenge, the Aunt has to bear the family’s fate for the rest of her life, and I have no one to talk to. You must be good and take your medicine, get better soon, wuwuwu…”