“The bleeding has stopped, and there are no immediate life-threatening issues. However, Grandpa Liu is advanced in age, and his constitution is not exactly… robust. We’ll need to be extra careful with his meals.”

As soon as Wan Yongan spoke, Liu Qishuang’s expression relaxed, only to immediately furrow his brows again; he knew exactly what the eldest brother of the Wan family meant. He was saying that they should treat Grandfather to a nice meal.

But Liu Congxiang, standing nearby, couldn’t care less about any of that. Ever since she’d laid eyes on Wan Yongan, she’d been itching to beat the life out of her own ger! Didn’t that good-for-nothing know the rule about not airing one’s dirty laundry in public?

She didn’t even know whether to explain her father’s injury first or why he was sleeping in the cow shed.

“Brother Wan, my father is old and unsteady on his feet; there’s nothing to be done about the fall. Also, he doesn’t usually live here. It’s just that the room has been leaking for the past few days, and the roof hasn’t been repaired yet. My father is just staying here temporarily to keep out the rain. Once the roof is fixed, he’ll go back to his own room. Look at the fuss this has caused—if word gets out, people might get the wrong idea.”

Just a few days ago, Liu Congxiang had been berated by Niu Meiyu, who accused her of causing her own mother’s death—and not a single villager had spoken up in her defense. Now she felt a bit guilty and feared rumors of her mistreating her own father might spread through the village again.

Wan Yongan knew full well that Liu Congxiang was begging him not to go spreading rumors, but he couldn’t be bothered to pay her any mind and simply ignored her.

He wasn’t blind. When he arrived, the family was in the midst of a terrible argument. It was obvious that Grandpa Liu had been hurt by the Xu family—mother and son. Besides, regarding where he was staying—was Grandpa Liu truly just staying temporarily in the cow shed, or was his house right here? How could he not know?

This cow shed wasn’t just a simple wooden bed; there were plenty of Grandpa Liu’s belongings in there. How could this possibly be a temporary stay?

Besides, even if it were temporary, why put him through the ordeal of moving him into the cow shed? Even if there were no spare rooms, couldn’t he sleep in the wood shed? Or the main hall? Yet they insisted on making him sleep in the cow shed.

To make a frail, sixty-year-old man sleep in a cattle shed—that’s just the sort of thing this couple would do.

A thousand thoughts swirled through Wan Yongan’s mind, but since the Liu family’s affairs were so troublesome and the villagers didn’t want to get involved, he didn’t want to meddle with this family either, so he said not a word.

All he could think of now was to call the ger over and take him back with him to fetch some restorative medicine for Grandpa Liu. But he was wary of Liu Congxiang, fearing the medicine might never reach Grandpa Liu’s lips.

Just as Wan Yongan was wrestling with this dilemma, the group arrived at the Liu family compound. Liu Congxiang immediately spotted the Xu family—mother and son—carrying things out of the main hall.

Liu Congxiang immediately forgot all about Wan Yong’an, rushing over to grab the back basket, determined not to let them carry the grain away. “You…! Anyway, it’s not going to happen. It just doesn’t make sense—you can’t take this wheat away!”

Carrying wheat…

That’s right—it was already the Dragon Boat Festival. The wheat harvested at the end of April had long since been dried, winnowed, and stored in the granary; all that remained was to carry it to the mill so they could bring home white flour to make steamed buns.

That’s why his grandmother had come.

Actually, it was the same every year. It was just that in previous years, his father would carry the wheat harvest over to the Xu family himself. This year, because of his marriage, the two of them had been arguing. His father was likely trying to curry favor with his mother, which was why he’d been delaying taking the grain back—so she’d come over on her own.

Although he had been disappointed in his mother time and again—knowing that she would always give in at the slightest persuasion from her father and let them take things from the house—this time, Liu Qishuang still harbored a glimmer of hope.

In the past, although her mother had been unhappy about half the family’s grain being taken away, she had never said a word in front of her grandmother. But today, she actually reached out to grab the grain—this was a huge surprise!

Liu Qishuang hoped his mother would stand her ground to the end, keep the family’s grain, and refuse to compromise with his father—that she would hold firm against his arranged marriage and never back down. But in the end, he was disappointed.

As for the marriage, he didn’t know what would happen, but the grain was still going to be carried away.

A single glance from Bai Fengxian was all it took for Xu Shifan to steel himself and step forward. In the time it took him to say a few words, Liu Congxiang let go. Though her face looked as if she were about to burst into tears, the wheat was carried away nonetheless.

With the argument finally over, Liu Qishuang didn’t know where to hide his face. Even though he knew the villagers were well aware of his family’s shambles, being seen like this—especially by the eldest son of the Wan family—left him feeling too ashamed to face anyone.

Even an ordinary family wouldn’t want a ger like him, let alone the Wan family.

The three of them shuffled and jostled their way out the door, and only then did Wan Yong’an whisper, “Liu-ger, come back with me. I’ll slice some ginseng for you to take home. Tell your grandfather to hold a slice under his tongue for a while. Once he feels the ginseng has lost its flavor, he can just chew it up and swallow it.”

Wild ginseng? Isn’t that incredibly expensive?

As if reading Liu Qishuang’s inner hesitation, Wan Yong’an waved his hand dismissively. “It’s just a young ginseng root—not worth much. Besides, I’m not giving you the whole thing; I’ll just slice off a few pieces. Don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you, Brother Wan.”

Liu Qishuang thanked him with his words, but in his heart he was doing the math, desperately trying to figure out a way to make cash.

Wild ginseng isn’t cheap at all. Even just a few slices would cost more than he could ever afford. If he wanted to earn more cash, his only option was to join the villagers in foraging for wild vegetables.

Wild vegetables fetch a high price; a single trip could easily net a hundred or eighty wen. Three or five trips should be enough to pay off the cost of that ginseng. Liu Qishuang followed the group in silence, silently crunching the numbers, but suddenly he stared at Wan Yong’an’s retreating back with a puzzled look for several moments.

Just a moment ago, when he went to the Wan household to call for help, Big Brother Wan had followed him out without a moment’s hesitation. Yet just a few days ago, Wan Xiaohua had told him that her uncle didn’t want to be the village doctor anymore and wouldn’t be treating the villagers in the future.

Liu Qishuang was puzzled and speculated wildly about the reason, but he never could have imagined that Wan Yong’an’s change of heart was entirely the Jiang family’s own doing.

A few days earlier, Lin Qiuyue had run into Niu Meiyu on a village path. Niu Meiyu had deliberately bumped into her, sending her tumbling down the embankment, yet she had feigned a look of misunderstanding, enthusiastically helping her back to her feet and offering profuse apologies.

Lin Qiuyue wasn’t good at arguing with people to begin with, and since the other woman kept apologizing, she didn’t know what to say, but she told her husband about it as soon as she got home.

Wan Yongan and his wife had a very close relationship. Even though they’d been childless all these years, he’d never once considered divorcing her to remarry. Seeing the scrapes on her wrist made him feel uneasy. Later, when Lin Qiuyue brought it up again, they agreed that doing good deeds for the village would bring them good fortune—perhaps then they’d finally have a child.

Wan Yongan began to entertain the idea.

At first, Wan Yong’an didn’t want to take on the role of village doctor. For one thing, he was concerned about the Jiang family and didn’t want to compete with them for a living; for another, he felt his medical skills were lacking and didn’t want to endanger the villagers’ health or even their lives.

But after what happened with the Jiang family, he realized they weren’t exactly good people. Since they had no kindness in their hearts, they certainly wouldn’t treat the villagers well. So he set aside his earlier reservations and decided that if anyone came to him for help, he would examine them.

He would treat whatever he could, and for the rest, he’d tell them to hurry to the big clinic. As for the Jiang family, their legs were their own business—it wasn’t his concern.

After the two arrived at the Wan household, Liu Qishuang scanned the room, secretly looking for someone. He didn’t see Wan Dongyang or Wan Xiaohua. It wasn’t until he listened to Mother Wan complain a bit about the family’s pigeon business that he learned Wan Dongyang had gone to town to deliver pigeons—today was market day, and Wan Xiaohua had gone along with him.

After obtaining the ginseng, Liu Qishuang already had a plan in mind for dealing with his family. He asked Wan Yong’an to write him an IOU for the consultation and medicine fees.

Since Wan Yong’an had resolved to start treating villagers, he naturally intended to charge a few silver coins. But knowing the Liu family’s circumstances—and realizing the cash would likely come from this poor ger—he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Shaking his head, he waved it off and told him to take the medicine home directly.

“Brother Wan, just write me one. I want to go gather some mountain produce to sell for cash.” Liu Qishuang didn’t elaborate on his true intentions.

But Wan Yong’an was no fool; he saw right through her thoughts and said bluntly, “No need for an IOU—your parents wouldn’t even recognize the writing. No one dares to renege on the cash owed to the Wan family. Just do as you see fit. Hurry back—your grandfather is waiting for you.”

When Wan Yong’an mentioned Grandpa Liu, Liu Qishuang thanked him once more and hurried off.

When Liu Qishuang returned home, his mother was in the kitchen, cursing someone. Fortunately, his father had already gone with his grandmother to carry grain back to the Xu family, so he wasn’t too afraid and hurried to find his grandfather.

Grandpa Liu had regained some clarity by then. As soon as he saw his grandson, he immediately tried to sit up, but before he could speak, tears streamed down his face.

“Shuangshuang, Grandpa is so sorry, so very sorry! That couple—they’re not human!” Grandpa Liu couldn’t even bring himself to speak their plan aloud, yet that couple had actually gone through with it!

“They actually planned to marry you off to the Xu family, to make you serve the Xu family’s eldest son! You’re brothers—blood brothers!”

What was Grandpa talking about? The eldest son of the Xu family? His cousin?

“Isn’t he my aunt’s son?” How could it be his cousin? How could it possibly be his cousin! Have they gone mad?

So, Grandpa had been beaten because he’d found out about the Xu family’s plan but opposed the match, which had infuriated Grandma, leading to the beating.

Liu Qishuang was completely dumbfounded. Grandpa Liu kept ranting, while Liu Congxiang, who had heard the commotion from the kitchen, shouted, “What’s all the yelling about? I haven’t agreed to this yet!”

Having grown up in Wanjia since childhood, Liu Congxiang was still somewhat concerned about her reputation and didn’t want to be the subject of ridicule. Furthermore, she was still hoping to have a son and marry off her ger into the Wan family to serve as a pillar of support for her son. Naturally, she would never agree to this match.

Liu Congxiang’s shout roused the grandfather and grandson slightly, but over the years, Liu Congxiang had disappointed them so many times that they knew that in the end, she would still listen to Xu Shifan; the two no longer dared to trust her.

“Shuangshuang, Grandpa will go beg the Wan family. Grandpa will put his old face on the line. Grandpa will kneel before Changqing’s parents and admit his mistake, asking them to forgive your grandmother’s actions and take you home. Once you’re married into the Wan family, you won’t have to worry about…”

“Grandpa!” Liu Qishuang cut him off immediately, refusing to agree. “Grandpa, I don’t want to marry Wan Changqing. I’ll make my own decisions. Don’t worry about me. The most important thing for you right now is to take care of your health.”

Liu Qishuang’s face was stern, and he shook his head firmly.

He had never wanted to marry Wan Changqing. That branch of the Wan family didn’t like him, and even if they relented, he wouldn’t marry him. What’s more, even if things didn’t work out with Wan Dongyang, he still wouldn’t marry Wan Changqing.

Grandpa Liu didn’t understand why his grandson was so opposed to the idea of marrying Wan Changqing. Just as he was about to ask the reason, Liu Qishuang didn’t want to say much and quickly took out the ginseng slices given to him by Wan Yong’an.

“Grandpa, take a slice first. Brother Wan said to place it under your tongue; once the flavor fades, you can chew and swallow it.” After instructing his grandfather on how to take the ginseng slices, Liu Qishuang handed him the remaining five, telling him to keep them close to his body and take one slice a day.

Grandpa Liu tucked the ginseng slice away. Not wanting to waste a moment, Liu Qishuang immediately went to the kitchen to ask his mother for cash. As expected, her mother refused, telling her to earn it himself.

“Aren’t you so capable? If you’re capable of hiring a doctor, you’re capable of paying for the medicine. I won’t give you a single wen of cash!” 

“Fine.” Liu Qishuang replied bluntly, turning and walking away the moment he finished speaking, completely shedding his usual docile demeanor.

His unusual behavior infuriated Liu Congxiang so much that she slammed the kitchen knife in her hand down hard on the cutting board. Pointing at his retreating back, she cursed him, accusing him of growing up and getting too big for his britches, as if he were about to rebel.

Liu Qishuang pretended not to hear Liu Congxiang’s curses.

He no longer harbored the slightest expectation of his parents.

He had never imagined his father would actually agree to let him marry into the Xu family—to his own first cousin. He knew his mother’s temporary refusal wasn’t for his sake; though he didn’t know what her plans were, she would agree sooner or later.

It had always been this way since he was a child: whatever his father decided, his mother would eventually comply, even if she initially resisted. It was like that with his grandmother, and it would surely be the same with his marriage.

From now on, he would never obediently follow orders again.

Liu Qishuang had previously wanted to go into the mountains to gather wild vegetables to sell for cash, but he was afraid the family would take the cash. Now that he had a reason to repay the Wan family’s debt, he could keep the cash.

Four or five days passed in the blink of an eye. It was clear that Grandpa Liu’s condition was no longer serious, and Xu Shifan had returned. But perhaps because Grandpa Liu had taken a firm stance, the Xu family decided to target Liu Qishuang instead.

After Xu Shifan returned, not only did he refrain from beating or scolding Liu Qishuang, but he also spoke highly of Bai Fengxian to him.

Liu Qishuang saw right through the couple’s intentions. No matter what they said, he merely nodded in agreement without taking it to heart, treating it all as a charade.

His sole focus now was gathering wild vegetables in the mountains. When he found the time, he went to Lin-ger’s house; he knew the couple had good hearts and would surely help him.

But he never expected that he had misjudged them.

Even after he pleaded repeatedly and promised over and over that he would not be a burden, Lin-ger and his husband still refused to let him go into the mountains with them.

But he wasn’t entirely wrong—Lin-ger and his husband were indeed good people. Though they didn’t want him to go into the mountains with them, they were willing to lend him cash, and a considerable sum at that.

But loans must be repaid. Once he took their cash, he’d have to earn a living to pay it back—which meant he’d still have to go into the mountains eventually. If that was the case, why go through all that trouble in the first place?

Liu Qishuang left disappointed without any cash, but he had no intention of letting it go. On his way back, he kept mulling over a plan until he ran into Chen Damei, the eldest daughter of the Chen family, in the village. After chatting for a while, a smile finally appeared on his face.

He had found a partner.