The Qian family had a lot of things to do, so Shen Zhimei didn’t dare to stay any longer. After finishing her meal, she hurriedly left with her two daughters.

Shen Zhihuan slept straight through until noon the next day. If it hadn’t been for the unbearable hunger in her stomach, she might have continued sleeping.

Rubbing her still-groggy head, Shen Zhihuan forced herself to climb out of bed.

Just how frail was this body?

After resting an entire night, not only was there no relief from the exhaustion, but her whole body ached, completely devoid of energy.

If the doors and windows weren’t tightly shut, she might have suspected someone had sneaked in during the night to beat her up while she slept.

“Grrr… grrr…”

The protests from her stomach forced Shen Zhihuan to drag herself to the kitchen.

Suddenly, the world spun around her, and she felt darkness engulf her vision…

“Third Sister!” Xiao Weidong, who had just stepped into the courtyard, shrieked in panic.

“Zhihuan!” Li Qiuhua, who had been following closely behind, turned pale with fright. “Hurry and fetch Doctor Hua!”

Without responding, Xiao Weidong ran like the wind toward the Hua family home nearby.

Li Qiuhua, trembling with fear, carried the unconscious Shen Zhi Huan—her face as pale as paper and eyes tightly shut—back into the house.

Before long, Doctor Hua arrived, carrying his medicine chest and being dragged by a tearful Xiao Weidong and Xiao Pang (Little Fatty).

Seeing his grandson bawling with snot bubbles coming out, Doctor Hua’s hand froze as he checked Shen Zhihuan’s pulse.

He couldn’t help but wonder if, when he eventually passed away, this ungrateful brat would cry this hard for him.

“Uncle Hua, didn’t you say Zhihuan’s body was getting better? Why… why…” Li Qiu Hua’s eyes were red-rimmed, and her tears fell uncontrollably.

“Grandpa, you have to save Sister Huan!” Xiao Pang wiped his dripping snot with his sleeve, his eyes brimming with tears.

Xiao Weidong sobbed, “Grandpa Hua, my Third Sister…”

“Grandpa, I don’t want…” to remain single forever!

“Uncle Hua, Zhihuan…”

“Silence! All of you, quiet down! Can’t you let me concentrate on checking her pulse?” Doctor Hua couldn’t take it anymore and snapped, standing up abruptly.

From the moment he entered the house, it felt like he’d been surrounded by a swarm of buzzing flies, making it impossible to think.

Diagnosing someone required peace and quiet—didn’t these people understand that?

Li Qiuhua bit her lip and immediately stopped crying.

Xiao Weidong and Xiao Pang quickly clamped their hands over their mouths.

Once the group quieted down, Doctor Hua sat back down and resumed his examination.

Minutes ticked by…

Finally, when Doctor Hua withdrew his hand, Li Qiuhua anxiously wiped her tears and cautiously asked, “Uncle Hua, Zhihuan…”

“She’s fine, just overly exhausted and starving,” Doctor Hua said with a stern face. “Li Qiuhua, you know better than anyone the state of Zhihuan’s health. How could you let her get this exhausted and hungry?”

“Even if food is scarce, you can’t let a sick person starve.”

Li Qiuhua lowered her head, biting her lip as silent tears rolled down her face, soaking her coarse cotton cloth and forming a large wet patch on her chest.

“If you don’t take better care of Zhi Huan’s health, her condition will worsen, and you’ll regret it when it’s too late,” Doctor Hua sighed.

“I understand, Uncle Hua. I won’t let her leave the house anymore,” Li Qiuhua said, choking back sobs.

“She’s your daughter—do as you see fit,” Doctor Hua said, leaving the prescription behind. He picked up his medicine chest and tugged Xiao Pang along as he left.

Li Qiuhua didn’t even have time to prepare lunch. She handed Xiao Weidong some peach pastries bought from the county the previous day and rushed off to the village clinic with the prescription in hand.

The woman at the clinic counter shot her a disdainful glance.

“That one’s sick again?” the woman sneered, her voice dripping with mockery.

Out of 365 days a year, that sickly girl seemed to need medicine for 300 of them. Three days without getting sick was already a rare occurrence.

“Mm,” Li Qiuhua murmured, lowering her gaze as she reluctantly handed over the prescription.

“On credit again?” the woman asked, her eyes full of contempt as she glanced at the prescription.

“I’ll bring you the money later today,” Li Qiuhua said, her voice trembling slightly.

“Later? How much later? By New Year’s Eve?” the woman scoffed. “Don’t forget, your family already owes my brother 80 yuan!”

Fortunately, her brother had been smart enough to break off the engagement with that sickly burden. Otherwise, her nephew would’ve been dragged down by her.

“Before nightfall, I’ll definitely bring you the money,” Li Qiuhua said, her fists clenching at her sides.

“What if you don’t?” the woman taunted, her tone full of derision.

“Hongying, trust me. I’ll bring it to you before nightfall,” Li Qiuhua assured her, her voice desperate.

“Call me Dr. Su,” the woman corrected her with an arrogant tilt of her chin.

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed outside the clinic.

Upon hearing the familiar stride, the woman’s expression shifted slightly. She quickly grabbed the prescription and started preparing the medicine.

“You have a sick daughter at home, and you’re here chatting idly?” Doctor Hua’s icy voice cut through the air as he swept a cold glance toward the counter.

Li Qiuhua hung her head, not daring to speak.

Doctor Hua grumbled inwardly about how he’d expected this. Without him personally overseeing things, there was no way that girl would get her medicine on time.

Shen Zhihuan woke to the pungent smell of bitter medicine. Seeing two pairs of red, swollen eyes staring at her, she blinked, confused.

“Zhihuan, you scared me to death,” Li Qiuhua said gently as she helped her daughter sit up.

“Mom, I’m fine. I just didn’t eat last night and got too hungry,” Shen Zhihuan said, her body still aching terribly. She leaned softly against the headboard, no longer pretending to be strong.

“Third Sister, Grandpa Hua said you collapsed from exhaustion and hunger. Don’t worry, from now on, I’ll take care of the chores with Mom. You just focus on getting better,” Xiao Weidong said, his eyes still red.

“Weidong, give me the medicine. Go get your sister a bowl of rice porridge,” Li Qiuhua instructed, her heart aching as she looked at her pale-lipped daughter.

If only she were a better mother, her daughter wouldn’t have had to venture into the mountains for a living, nor would she have collapsed from sheer exhaustion.

If anything ever happened to her daughter…

Li Qiuhua didn’t dare continue the thought.

The bitter and foul-smelling medicine was almost unbearable, but Shen Zhihuan pinched her nose and gulped it down in one go, afraid that any hesitation would make her lose the nerve to drink a second sip.

In her previous life, her grandparents often prepared herbal remedies to nourish her health, but none had ever tasted this awful.

Only after finishing a bowl of rice porridge did the bitterness in her mouth finally fade a little.

“Mom, take this money,” Shen Zhihuan said, pulling out a cloth pouch from under her pillow.

“This is your money—I can’t take it,” Li Qiuhua said, shaking her head firmly.

“It’s not ‘my money’ or ‘your money’—it’s the family’s money,” Shen Zhihuan insisted, forcing the pouch into her mother’s hands.