Lin Zhuang dragged his sister out of the house, ignoring her struggles—intending to haul her straight to the Ding household to apologize.

But the moment they stepped outside, they ran into that “damned dogshit” Lu Qingqing.

“Uh, I’m just passing by,” Lu Qingqing said with a mild smile.

Her gaze swept across Lin Ye’s face.

Because Lin Ye usually went out wearing a scarf and always kept her head low with hunched shoulders, no one could ever get a good look at her face.

But now, caught off guard, Lu Qingqing saw it clearly.

It was even worse than she remembered.

Dark, bumpy patches of scarred skin covered the entire left side of her face, nearly spreading down to her chin.

Lin Ye yanked her brother’s hand off her arm, hastily grabbed her fallen scarf and pulled it back over her face.

Then she spun on her heel and fled back into the house.

“Lu Qingqing! Stay away from my family! Get lost!” Lin Zhuang roared at her.

“Sorry. I was immature before. I won’t bully Lin Ye again,” Lu Qingqing said sincerely.

“But I really think you shouldn’t go to Doctor Ding anymore. The poison marks on your sister’s face are already spreading. That’s the result of mistreatment.”

“I have a formula that can draw out toxins. I’d like to try treating her. Consider it a thank-you—for her standing up for me today.”

“Pah! Spare me your fake sympathy! Get lost!” Lin Zhuang spat at her.

Bang! He slammed the door shut.

Lu Qingqing shrugged.

In her previous life, people had thrown fortunes just to get her to help. Now she offered it freely—and was shown the door.

Life is unpredictable.

So what? She’d learned to keep her peace.

..

Back home, Lu Qingqing washed the elm seed leaves she’d brought back.

Elm seeds were actually a type of medicinal herb—used to reduce phlegm and dampness, strengthen immunity, and were high in iron—over ten times more than spinach.

She mixed the leaves with wheat flour, a bit of cornmeal, and cracked in an egg to make a savory steamed vegetable bun.

Food is better medicine than medicine itself.

Once Father Lu had a few more doses of proper herbal treatment, he could stop taking decoctions.

After that, food would suffice to nourish him.

After putting the buns into the steamer, Lu Yun squatted down to tend the fire, sneaking glances at Lu Qingqing now and then.

“What are you staring at, Second Brother?” she asked, tossing a few more eggs into the pot.

“Who taught you how to cook?” he asked, curious.

If her medical skills came from their mother, then her cooking certainly didn’t.

Their mother had never cooked in her life—she’d nearly set the kitchen on fire just boiling water.

Their father had always done the cooking.

“Learned it in a dream,” Lu Qingqing replied casually.

Lu Yun tugged the corner of his mouth—half a smile, half confusion—and asked again, “Do you remember anything from when you were little? Back in the capital?”

“Nope.”

The original Lu Qingqing had no memory of anything before falling into the river.

Which was oddly similar to herself.

Lu Qingqing couldn’t remember anything before age eight either.

The headmistress of her orphanage had said she’d been found unconscious on the roadside, clearly a starving vagabond.

After recovering, she remembered nothing—except for murmuring her name “Lu Qingqing” while unconscious.

Lu Yun’s eyes dimmed, clearly disappointed.

Lu Qingqing used to call him “Little Bro.”

They were only a year apart, always stuck together as kids.

But she’d been the clever one, always pranking him.

He vividly remembered the time their father bought them osmanthus candy.

Lu Qingqing had devoured her two pieces instantly, then pointed at his mouth and screamed, “Ah! There’s a huge ant in your mouth!”

Startled, he’d spat out his candy on instinct.

But it didn’t hit the ground—Lu Qingqing caught it midair and popped it in her mouth.

She’d chewed it loudly and triumphantly—crunch crunch crunch.

Just thinking about it now made him gag, but back then, all he cared about was candy.

So he’d cried.

She’d called him a “crybaby.”

Then she fell into the river, lost all memory, didn’t recognize their father, him, or Big Brother.

Many times he’d wished… even if he gave her all the candy in the world, he wouldn’t mind, so long as she didn’t look at them with disdain, so long as she could just call him “Little Bro” again.

Lu Qingqing was still pondering what to cook next when Father Lu walked in from outside.

He held a bunch of fresh xiangchun (Chinese toon) leaves in his hand, grinning ear to ear, his face creased with joy.

“Qingqing, this is from Baoshuan’s mother—she brought it to thank you!”

Just a handful of fresh leaves, and Father Lu was this happy.

Lu Qingqing had been rewarded with riches and honors many times for treating patients in her past life—but none of that had moved her.

Now, seeing her father’s genuine joy—she actually felt proud.

Father Lu didn’t want her to pursue medicine because he feared she’d suffer like her mother—exhausting herself and getting little in return.

But when people appreciated her—he was happier than anyone.

“Dad, do you know how to make a raft?” she asked.

“A raft? A bamboo one?”

“Yes. I want to fish in the mountains.”

“No way! You’re not going near the river again!”

Both Father Lu and Lu Yun’s expressions changed instantly.

Lu Qingqing had nearly drowned once—so they strictly forbade her from going near water.

And the original host had indeed developed a deep fear of it—never going near rivers.

Lu Qingqing wanted to say that she’d once been terrified of water too, but forced herself to learn to swim to overcome it.

Now she wasn’t afraid at all.

But she couldn’t let them know she could swim.

In the end, thanks to her insistence, Lu Yun agreed to accompany her.

They spent the entire day cutting bamboo, building the raft, and buying fine hemp thread from the villagers to weave a small fishing net.

Early the next morning, the two set off into the mountains.

Lu Yun didn’t believe they’d catch anything.

That river was full of water weeds and silt—it was dangerous.

Even in summer, mountain water was ice cold.

He remembered a villager who’d gone swimming in summer, caught a cramp, and nearly drowned.

But this time, they actually caught fish!

Three crucian carp, two koi, and one big grass carp weighing several jin.

Not only that—while paddling past the reeds, the raft slid across the pond to a stone bank beneath a cliff—and they found three nests of wild duck eggs!

Over thirty eggs in total!

Just in time, since they were out of chicken eggs at home—these would last a good ten days to half a month.

It was a massive haul.

Lu Yun was grinning ear to ear.

His little sister hadn’t just changed for the better—she seemed to bring good fortune with her.

No one in the village had ever found duck eggs here.

And she found three nests her first time.

And more would probably appear in the next few days.

They agreed: this had to be kept secret.

They hid the raft and the fishing net in the riverside grass, planning to come back later.

The duck eggs went in the bamboo basket; the five large fish in the water bucket.

As they descended the mountain, they ran into Little Xixi, who held a wooden chisel.

“Hey, Little Xixi! Remember when I took your bird eggs? Here, I’m giving them back!”

Lu Qingqing handed him one of the duck eggs.

But Little Xixi instantly tensed—then turned to run, like a spring-loaded trap had gone off.

Lu Yun quickly caught him by the neck.

“Hey, what are you running for? We’re giving you an egg, and you don’t even want it?”

Little Xixi struggled. “There’s no way you’re being this nice!”

“Of course we are! You brat—by seniority, you should be calling us Uncle and Auntie!”

“Your Auntie’s giving you an egg—take it! And next time you see her, say ‘Hi Auntie!’ Don’t act like she’s a ghost.”

“And stop badmouthing her behind her back. Got it?!”