In just two days, the Zhou grandfather and grandson trio had been completely conquered by Liu Zhixia’s cooking.
Old Master Zhou even had the illusion that they were not here for “reform at all,” but rather on a vacation.
With someone helping with labor and every meal filled with delicious food prepared by Liu Zhixia, life had become unexpectedly comfortable.
Time passed quickly. The autumn harvest ended.
The villagers finally had a chance to catch their breath, and at the same time, another group arrived in the village—soldiers sent to participate in production and construction.
It was said they had been assigned from above to build roads.
When the brigade leader went to receive them, he was somewhat uncertain.
Logically speaking, Hongshan Village did not need additional manpower for construction, especially right after the autumn harvest.
Captain Xu Kaishan felt uneasy as he led the group of ten into the village.
The leader of the group was named Song Zhihua.
He wore a straight military uniform, his expression stern, tall and imposing.
He first saluted Xu Kaishan, then said politely:
“Comrade, hello. This is my military ID. Please arrange a quieter place for us to stay.
We will be troubling you for some time.”
The aura around him made Xu Kaishan instinctively tense up.
After a moment, he coughed and said:
“A quieter place… we do have one, but the conditions are not good.
It’s all thatched huts—small and cramped. Ten of you might find it crowded…”
Song Zhihua replied:
“It’s fine. We serve the people; we don’t mind those conditions. Please lead the way.”
Zhou Yunting had not been going out lately, but he had been quietly observing the situation outside.
The arrival of these ten men was unexpected.
His eyes darkened slightly as he watched them being assigned to the thatched hut next to theirs.
Meanwhile, Liu Zhixia did not go to work that day after the autumn harvest.
For the past two days, she had vaguely sensed that the abnormal changes in her space might be related to the original novel’s female lead’s space.
She remembered that the female lead’s space seemed to be related to butterflies—and the lifelike butterfly on her chest had expanded her own space.
Zheng Chunli’s decline only reinforced one truth in her mind:
She had merged with the female lead’s space under certain conditions—she had taken her “golden finger.”
Liu Zhixia did not feel guilty toward the so-called “white lotus female lead.”
Instead, she was even less bothered now.
The orderly marching footsteps earlier had caught her attention.
If she was not mistaken—soldiers had arrived in the village?
This had not appeared in the original plot.
The storyline had already begun to deviate completely.
Perhaps it was her resurrection, or the female lead’s rebirth, that had caused the butterfly effect.
Out of curiosity, she still observed the ten men.
Their physiques were solid, their stances steady—clearly well-trained.
What were they doing here?
Could there be something special about this small Hongshan Village?
Zheng Chunli was also shocked when she heard that soldiers had arrived.
She clearly remembered that in her previous life, this group had never appeared.
And her lost space only made everything feel even more bizarre.
Was it because her rebirth had changed events?
Losing her space felt like a knife twisting in her heart.
She had already grown used to it—used to the endless supplies, money, and convenience it provided.
Without it, how was she supposed to survive?
Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind.
Could it be because Liu Zhixia had not died, causing everything to change?
If that was the case… once everything returned to its “proper track,” would she regain her space again?
Her desire grew rapidly, almost uncontrollably.
Her eyes turned red with madness.
She began making plans.
She thought of Sun Haomin, who had feelings for her.
In her eyes, he was greedy and hypocritical—but also meticulous and useful.
That was enough.
Night fell.
The wind rustled through the thatched hut.
Beneath it, faint footsteps could be heard.
Both Liu Zhixia and Zhou Yunting opened their eyes at the same time.
Hearing the man beside her get up, Liu Zhixia blinked.
As expected—these people were his acquaintances.
Most likely the ten soldiers from earlier.
She closed her eyes again, pretending to sleep.
But her senses were too sharp; even unwanted sounds drifted into her ears.
“Captain! You’re really here!”
“Captain! We finally found you!”
“…”
“Old Song, why are you here?”
Zhou Yunting’s cold voice rang out.
“Captain, we owe you our lives. Even if it means death, we wouldn’t hesitate!”
“Me too…”
“And me…”
The group spoke one after another.
Zhou Yunting sighed.
“What mission did you take?”
Song Zhihua’s tone became serious.
“Captain, we know you and the Old Chief are here.
We also tracked down enemy spies near Hongshan Village, so we requested this assignment.”
He paused, then pulled out a stack of cash.
“Captain, this is a little something from the brothers…”
Zhou Yunting’s expression turned cold instantly.
The air seemed to freeze.
“Take it back. I don’t need money.”
After a pause, his voice softened slightly:
“Your sister-in-law has it.”
At the mention of Liu Zhixia, his tone unconsciously warmed.
The sharp edges in his expression softened significantly.
The soldiers froze.
“…Sister-in-law?”
“Captain, you’re married?!”
Zhou Yunting shot them a cold look.
They had not known about his marriage.
The wedding had been simple, attended only by a few elders from the military compound.
And on the wedding day, everything had already gone wrong.
The news never spread.
Curiosity surged among the group.
Song Zhihua hesitated before asking:
“Captain… since she’s your new wife, did she come down here with you after you were sent here?”
Zhou Yunting replied calmly:
“She had a choice to leave on the wedding day of the accident.
But she chose to stay and came to Hongshan Village with me.”
At that, the group immediately looked at Liu Zhixia with respect.
Such loyalty and righteousness were rare.
No wonder their captain—who had always been cold and detached—had been moved.
It wasn’t hard to understand.
Because every time Zhou Yunting mentioned her, his expression was different.