Xiaobei couldn't quite pinpoint if it was because of the red flower incident, but she felt a sense of detachment developing in her relationship with Chen Qiumei.
When Chen Qiumei asked Xiaobei to accompany her to the market, Xiaobei said she was too tired and didn't feel like going. Chen Qiumei seemed to understand and didn't insist.
Once Chen Qiumei had left, Xiaobei lay back down for a while before rising to wash her face and use the bathroom. Before she could get up from the toilet, she heard sounds from the living room—someone was entering. Xiaodong's voice called out a couple of times, "Xiaobei." It seemed he had looked in both bedrooms too.
Xiaobei didn't feel right about responding from the bathroom, and then she heard Xiaodong say, "No one's home. I've just received word that Lu Zhanguo's training team will be arriving in Chen Family Village on Daqing Mountain in three days. You can teach them a lesson there."
