Unlike Roan’s grim mood, Sofia was delighted—even though she had no idea who was moving into the old house next door.

  "Big brother, have the new neighbors moved in yet? Should we bring them something?" Sofia felt her way to the door, her small face turning toward Roan with anticipation.

  Roan withdrew his gaze. "They’re still fixing it today. It'll probably be a couple of days. They’re female soldiers who just joined the corps this year. Your second brother has been dealing with them lately. As for a gift... they probably don't have any vegetables. It would be nice to pick some from our garden to send over."

  Sofia’s joy grew. Thinking of those sweet candies, she felt a natural fondness for Elena and the others even before meeting them.

  "Then you have to take me to pick them later!" Sofia looked up at Roan, her face full of hope.

  Roan gently ruffled the hair on top of Sofia’s head, his eyes full of doting affection. "Alright."

  Watching his sister’s utter lack of guile, Roan felt a pang of worry. However, he wasn't about to start spreading lies to blacken the women's names just to stop his sister from associating with them. We'll see, he thought. Hopefully, they’re good people.

  Satisfied, Sofia stood on her tiptoes at the door for a while before slowly feeling her way back to her usual spot. She had to hurry and twist more straw rope.

  Next door, Elena and Lucy were tidying up after work.

  The roof was fixed. At least now they weren't standing inside looking up at the blue sky, and light no longer leaked through the gaps in the tiles. Though the house was primitive, it was more than enough to provide basic shelter from the wind and rain.

  Compared to a regular farmhouse, the cabin was small. Including the courtyard and vegetable patch, it was at most seventy square meters, but for two people, it was plenty. There were two rooms: one for living and the other for cooking and bathing. The stove was already there, and being a blue-brick house, it was much sturdier than an adobe hut.

  The interior connected to a small courtyard paved with neat, orderly bluestones.

  "Once we set up two bed slats on some benches, we can move in. We just need to plant some vegetables to give it some life. It’d be even better if we could raise a few chickens," Elena said, satisfied. The house sat at the edge of the village, making it quite peaceful.

  Lucy nodded. She had been scared before coming here, but now that she was on-site, her worries vanished. "Once we set up two bed slats on some benches, we can move in. We just need to plant some vegetables to give it some life. It’d be even better if we could raise a few chickens," Elena said, satisfied. The house sat at the edge of the village, making it quite peaceful.

  Lucy nodded. She had been scared before coming here, but now that she was on-site, her worries vanished. With the two of them together as company, she wasn't even afraid of ghosts anymore. "When do we move?"

  "Tomorrow." Elena didn't want to spend another night in the air-raid shelter. Sienna was annoying, but she was right about one thing: sleeping next to piles of rice was incredibly prickly. Plus, the warehouse always smelled of gunpowder. Elena genuinely worried that an old soldier smoking leaf tobacco might accidentally ignite the explosives.

  That would be a total wipeout for everyone.

  However, to make the place habitable, they needed to sprinkle some quicklime. They could buy it at the shop in Beldora.

  The next morning, Elena asked Major Barda for a half-day leave, got a letter of introduction, and went to the shop to buy quicklime and snake-repellent powder. When she returned, she mixed the lime with water and sprayed it inside and out. After circling the cabin with snake-repellent, she finally felt at ease.

  Lucy paid for half the supplies, and Elena didn't refuse. She intended to look after Lucy, but she didn't plan on carrying everything herself. They were equal friends. Over-coddling Lucy would either soften her backbone or eventually drive them apart. Elena wanted neither.

  After finishing the preparations, Elena went back to work. Once her shift ended, she and Lucy began moving. Elena had requested three door panels from the headquarters to use as beds; the extra one would be propped up as a table. They built the bed legs out of scavenged brick fragments—simple but sturdy.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  They had brought a small pot from the army. The cabin didn’t have a large rural earth-stove, just a small burner. The original mountain guard likely had family who brought him meals, and the small stove was a later addition by the lonely old man who had lived there.

  Sofia heard the commotion and desperately wanted to help, but her eyes made it difficult. Roan refused to let her go over, so she felt her way to the vegetable garden instead and picked a large basket of greens.

  But before she could send them over, Elena and the others arrived at their door.

  Major Barda and Silvia, the head of the Beldora office, also came by to check on them. They saw how neatly Elena had organized the cabin and felt relieved. They were responsible for the well-being of these recruits, after all.

  "We plan to clear the weeds next to the house and plant some vegetables," Elena said, pointing to the neglected patch. "Major Barda, can we use this land as we please?"

  Barda didn't say much, but Silvia smiled and praised them. "You’ve tidied it up well; you certainly know how to run a household. Planting vegetables and raising chickens isn't against the rules. As long as you manage your lives and don't neglect training or farm work, it's fine. If you have any difficulties, bring them up to the army. Now, let’s go introduce you to your new neighbors so you can look out for one another."

  Only then did Elena realize that their neighbor was Roan. Marco, the boy who had been bringing them loaches and eggs, was Roan’s brother. They also had a younger sister—a disabled girl who was blind. The three siblings were orphans, living together without any elders.

  When they arrived, Roan was sitting at the back door splitting bamboo. In the main hall sat a young girl twisting straw rope. Her movements were incredibly swift. Even though the group had been quiet, she stood up immediately to greet them. "Uncle Barda, Auntie Silvia."

  When God closes a door, He opens a window. The girl’s hearing was remarkable.

  The busy Roan stood up and greeted them, his gaze scanning back and forth between Elena and Lucy.

  "The other day, than—" Elena started to thank him for catching her when she arrived in the village, but she was cut off.

  "Major Barda, who are they?" Roan asked. He had no intention of becoming too close with his neighbors. Of course, he also thought this was for their own good.

  Is he pretending not to know us? Elena and Lucy exchanged a look but didn't speak again.

  "You’ll be neighbors from now on. A near neighbor is better than a far relative. Look out for each other," Barda introduced them simply and added a few pleasantries.

  Roan nodded and replied politely, "Don't worry, Major. I’ll keep an eye on things."

  Inwardly, though, Roan was thinking: Look out for them? At most, I'll make sure no thugs break in to bully them. Don't expect anything else from me. And I hope these two don't try to take advantage of us. Stay far away.

  Though Roan didn't show it, Elena could sense his detachment. He didn't seem particularly welcoming. Elena didn't think he was wrong to feel that way; it was perfectly normal. To the Roan siblings, they were strangers, and no rule said you had to be warm to strangers.

  "I didn't expect them to be our neighbors," Lucy said as they left, carrying the vegetables Sofia had given them. "That little girl, Sofia, is so sweet and well-mannered. It’s such a shame she can't see. How tragic."

  Speaking of Sofia, she was another point of confusion for Elena. In her past life, did Roan have a sister?

  In her previous life, Elena had fallen ill as soon as she arrived. After returning from the hospital, she lived in the army compound and had little contact with the villagers. Later, she was framed and sent to a farm. By the time she returned and integrated with her comrades, she only had occasional contact with locals. She vaguely remembered Roan having one brother.

  Only two brothers?

  No matter how hard she tried to recall, Elena couldn't remember Roan having a sister. Since Sofia didn't seem to wander the village often, perhaps she had just never crossed paths with her. Elena pushed the doubt aside. "I saw a lot of bamboo products and mats at her house. Don't we need mats? Why don't we buy some from Sofia?"