“What’s going on?!”

“What else could it be?!”

“It’s just that simple.”

The Song family was once considered a wealthy household in the capital city, Jing.

However, they came from generations of merchants and had no powerful background or connections.

A few years ago, disaster struck. First, all the family’s valuables were taken away by certain people. Then, their houses were seized as well.

To force the Song family to hand over all their remaining wealth, those people pushed them so far that both sons ended up dead, the eldest daughter-in-law died too, and the younger one ran away.

If it weren’t for the grandchildren needing care, Old Master Song and his wife would have followed their sons into death long ago.

For the sake of the children, the elderly couple had no choice but to grit their teeth and carry on. They now lived in the worst of all their former homes.

Even so, most of it had been taken, and only a few rooms were left for the grandparents and grandchildren to barely survive in.

Not to mention, they’d never had a full meal in days. It was still bitterly cold outside.

They had no money to buy coal for heating, and even their blankets weren’t warm enough.

It was no surprise that people started falling ill.

“Even that wasn’t the worst. Just a few days ago, someone from the local authorities came by and said that Xiao Luo had reached the age for being sent to the countryside. They want him to leave.”

“Going to the countryside might not be so bad. There’s wild vegetables everywhere; at least he won’t starve.”

“Grandpa, Grandma, I don’t want to go to the countryside! If I leave, what will happen to you two?! What about the younger ones?! They’re still so small.”

After recounting the Song family’s hardships, Grandma Song sighed deeply and began to speak of their new dilemma with a heavy heart.

But unlike her, Old Master Song didn’t see it as a bad thing.

In fact, he believed his eldest grandson being sent down might be a good thing—a way to survive.

Before the old couple could finish speaking, Song Luoyun couldn’t hold back and protested emotionally.

He just couldn’t be selfish and leave the family behind. He couldn’t do it.

Qiao Jiuru and Su Huaiyuan glanced at the sickly and fragile family members in the room, then looked again at Song Luoyun, who was supposedly almost seventeen. They would’ve guessed he was only fifteen.

“Xiao Luo, this countryside placement isn’t something we can choose. It’s out of our hands.”

Old Master Song shook his head helplessly. Every household was required to send someone of age to the countryside. In their case, only the eldest grandson was of age. There was no way around it.

And given their family’s situation, it was best to send Xiao Luo to the southern region—where crops could be harvested year-round and the winters weren’t as cold. The family had no extra blankets or warm clothes to give him, and that was a major concern.

Song Luoyun said nothing more, silently wiping his tears. He couldn’t bear to leave his grandparents and younger siblings.

“Grandpa, Grandma, the little ones’ fever seems to be gone!”

Suddenly, a cheerful, crisp voice broke through the heavy silence. It was Song Shuyun, the second sister, who had been quietly listening without drawing any attention.

She had been silently monitoring her feverish younger siblings and was the first to notice their condition improving.

“What?!”

“The fever’s gone?!”

“That’s wonderful!”

The Song family was stunned and overjoyed, as if they had just heard the voice of heaven. None of them expected the fever to subside so quickly. They were both surprised and deeply relieved.

“It’s gone, really gone!”

“Good, good, good!”

Grandma Song reached out to feel their foreheads and found that they were no longer burning hot. Excitedly, she confirmed it aloud.

Old Master Song was also overjoyed, feeling an immense weight lifted off his shoulders.

“Huh? I don’t seem to be coughing anymore either.”

He had been coughing violently earlier, even as he spoke. He hadn’t been able to help himself and had taken one of the cough pills given by Qiao Jiuru.

Now, after speaking for quite a while, he realized he hadn’t coughed once—and was stunned by the effectiveness of the medicine.

This herbal pill was amazing—quick fever relief and effective cough suppression.

“Comrade Qiao, Comrade Su, we truly don’t know how to thank you enough.”

Sigh… right now, they had nothing.

Not to mention money—they couldn’t even afford to offer a proper breakfast.

Old Master Song blushed with shame and quickly stood up to bow respectfully to Qiao Jiuru and Su Huaiyuan.

Seeing this, Song Luoyun also understood their family’s situation and knelt down to kowtow a few times in gratitude.

“No, no, don’t—please get up, child. It was just a bit of medicine, it didn’t cost much.”

“Yes, the medicine was cheap. Anyone would’ve helped out. It’s nothing big.”

Qiao Jiuru and Su Huaiyuan were startled by the family’s reaction—the old man and grandson moved so quickly that the couple didn’t even have time to react, only barely managing to help Song Luoyun back up.

“Not everyone would help out in these times. You two are good people.”

Grandma Song couldn’t hold back her tears. She lowered her head, wiping her eyes and choking up. If not for these two people, she truly didn’t know what they would’ve done.

“Comrade Qiao, you said your surname is Qiao. Are you from the Qiao family that runs Jishengtang? I heard the courtyard next door once belonged to Madam Qiao as her dowry. Are you from the medical Qiao family?”

Now that the children were recovering, Old Master Song’s mind began to clear, and he recalled some things from the past as he looked at Qiao Jiuru.

“Yes, I’m from the Qiao family that runs Jishengtang. My grandfather, father, and older brother are all doctors.”

Qiao Jiuru didn’t hide her identity. She had no fear that the Song family could be enemies. The Qiao family had always practiced medicine, saved lives, treated others with kindness, and had built only goodwill over generations.

“I knew it! The Qiao family are good people.”

Old Master Song completely relaxed.

No wonder the medicine worked so well.

“Comrade Qiao, what a coincidence! I was classmates with your father, Qiao Xingcheng, when we were young. I only finished middle school before taking over the family business, but I heard he went on to high school. Who would’ve thought—decades later, I’d meet his daughter. And his daughter saved my grandchildren.”