Standing in front of the ancient temple once again, Zhou Jiao didn’t hesitate. She knelt down and kowtowed three times toward the main gate, then quickly ran down the mountain.

Time, it was the one thing she lacked right now.

She had to reach the guesthouse before midnight. She could use the excuse that a family elder was on the night shift, so she had to return. Or she could say she went for a late-night snack after a movie, and the chatting went on late.

The darkness brought great advantage to Zhou Jiao, something she hadn’t noticed yet. If she hadn’t been driving, the patrols would have definitely stopped her for questioning.

But as she sped along, her quick pace brought good fortune as well. People occasionally passing by the city gate thought such a fast car must be rushing to the hospital.

Playing a game against time, she finally managed to arrive near the guesthouse with her watch just past eleven.

Zhou Jiao punched her back hard, stretched lazily, washed off the disguise powder, changed back into her original clothes, checked the car and put it away, then ran toward the distant guesthouse.

The receptionist recognized her and upon seeing her knock at the door, even joked as he opened it "Why are you back so late? Your companion just said you were definitely kept by relatives at home."

Zhou Jiao raised an eyebrow in surprise, vaguely hearing the voices of classmates inside, truly not expecting that stupid Yi Jiefang was still awake.

She chuckled softly, "I almost couldn’t leave, sneaked out while their daughter was on night duty. My aunt only had two rooms, and even cleared one for me to sleep in. How could I bear that? Why are there still voices inside? Am I disturbing you?"

"Not at all, some went to rest in their rooms as soon as they came back. Those who can’t squeeze in, for fear of waking their companions, just had to pay for another room, they’ll turn in soon."

Hearing this, Zhou Jiao’s eyes lit up. "My room is 203, are they asleep? Now that you mention it, I’m worried about disturbing my classmates."

"The girls went in earlier to rest. I’ll open the door for you, you’ll be fine if you’re careful."

Oh, this sister doesn’t get the hint. Since someone already took the lead, she didn’t want to squeeze into a place crawling with fleas and lice.

"Well, on second thought, I’d rather not. It would be embarrassed going in now. Could you check if there’s an empty room? I’ll pay for it, and I’m not picky, as long as there’s a bed."

Even as she said this, Zhou Jiao subtly handed over five bucks, a high-level hint she couldn’t deny.

Sure enough, the other person nodded, smiling as they took the money and issued a ticket, giving her change.

Afterward, Zhou Jiao, flushed with embarrassment, said, "If any classmates come looking for me, please let them know, don’t let them think I’m avoiding them, that wouldn’t be good."

"Alright, I’ll take you to unlock the room, it’s late. Get some sleep."

Zhou Jiao took the hot water bottle the attendant handed her, stepped into the room, and upon seeing two empty beds, a gleam flashed in her eyes. She smilingly took a can of meat from her bag and handed it to the attendant.

"No need..."

Zhou Jiao shot her a sideways glance, patted her bag, "My aunt gave me two cans tonight, one for each of us, it’s settled." Seeing the attendant holding the can somewhat hesitantly, Zhou Jiao gently guided her out the door, waved her off with a smile, and then shut the door.

She may be troublesome, but it’s worth the can of meat not just for tonight’s bed but for the hope that the attendant might speak a good word about her in the morning.

Compared to the large common room, this one-dollar-a-night room was a vast improvement, proving once again that you get what you pay for! It’s hard to blame the school though; funds were tight. Just having a place where everyone could sleep peacefully rather than waiting in discomfort at a station was a blessing.

When the school did farm training, sleeping in thatched huts and hay piles was not unheard of. This time, it seemed the professors and teachers leading the trip were quite considerate, even taking the students out for a little stroll.

After securing the door, Zhou Jiao figured no other arrangements would interfere in the dead of night. She hurriedly moved the bedding from one bed to another.

Laying out her own bedding set, she quickly washed up, collapsed into bed, and mulled over whether there was anything left amiss from today.

From beginning to end, after replaying the day in her mind and finding nothing missing, Zhou Jiao closed her eyes and began sorting out the numerous wooden boxes in her space. She inherited a love for tinkering from her ancestors, so she carefully organized the half-full boxes. Otherwise, what would she do with her beloved fruits and the Gu Family’s secret room?

By the end, over half of the empty wooden boxes were filled with clothes and fabrics, neatly stacked up in layers, allowing Zhou Jiao to finally relax and fall asleep peacefully.

Throughout the night, Zhou Jiao dreamt repeatedly of arriving at a third secret room, with the Gu Family’s gold and jewels unable to fit, making her anxiously spin in circles...

When dawn broke the next day, Zhou Jiao woke up feeling sore all over, unsure if it was from running circles in her dreams or her fatigue from the night before. Thinking back to her dream provided some comic relief and a reminder—not to lose her normal temperament for the sake of all that gold and money.

Seeing the clock hands point at five, Zhou Jiao hurriedly washed with the remaining hot water. After tidying up the bedding, she went out to handle some business and quietly checked out early.

"Why so early? There’s no need to rush with the train in the afternoon."

Zhou Jiao just shook her head and smiled. Early? Hardly. This enthusiastic sister was already up from her night shift; the earlier, the better in avoiding attention.

After saying goodbye to the friendly sister, Zhou Jiao left a note for Yi Jiefang and the others, did some light exercises, slung on her bag, and began jogging toward the riverbank.

Around half past five in Jiang City was brimming with vitality. The nearby eateries were already filled with pleasant aromas as sanitation workers cleaned up the streets...

At the riverbank, elderly folks were already boxing, and there were many others like Zhou Jiao who were exercising by taking a brisk walk. Contrary to the rumor of shouting for water chestnut picking, there was only the sound of women greeting and chatting while washing clothes by the riverbanks.

Upon waking up, Yi Jiefang promptly washed up and rushed to the reception, and before he could speak, saw the attendant handing him a note: Safety note!

"Hahaha, so funny!" Yi Jiefang finally appreciated the hard work of his buddy. Having a wife like this, Zhang Guoqing would pain yet still find happiness in life.

"Comrade, what time did she come back?"

"She returned right after you went to bed; probably didn’t sleep well. She was up at dawn. She left a note and went jogging by the river now."

Knowing Zhou Jiao’s whereabouts, Yi Jiefang was finally at ease, as long as nothing went wrong that was all that mattered. Given Zhou Jiao’s routine of getting up early for exercise, it wasn’t surprising at all. Who dares to sleep in late at the Big Courtyard?

Soon after, the teachers and students came out of the rooms one after another. Hearing that Zhou Jiao started her exercises at the crack of dawn, thinking of the fresh water chestnuts, everyone tacitly went out to exercise. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Yi Jiefang followed closely behind Counselor Wu, finding comfort with a supervisor around, avoiding a lot of pointless arguments.

When they arrived at the riverside, they saw Zhou Jiao following an elderly man, practicing boxing, seeing her posture, they figured she was joining in the fun and exchanged smiles.