When Qiao Wanqing arrived at the county hospital, her second uncle was already asleep on the hospital bed.

“Second Aunt, how is Second Uncle’s injury? Is it serious? Does he need to be transferred to a hospital in the city?” she asked anxiously.

Her second aunt’s eyes were red from crying.

She replied, “He has a serious head wound and the doctor said he has a concussion. He needs to stay in the hospital for a while. He also has three broken ribs and a fractured shin.”

Hearing this, Qiao Wanqing felt a wave of guilt.

She handed Kouko to Grandma Qiao and hugged her second aunt, who was still teary-eyed. “I’m so sorry, Second Aunt. It’s my fault you got dragged into this.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” her second aunt said, holding Qiao Wanqing’s hand and forcing a smile. “Your second uncle was too impulsive, and those people went too far.”

That day, her second aunt had been picking vegetables in the garden while her second uncle was moving the vegetables to the roadside for packing and loading onto the truck.

At that moment, two men and a woman got out of a car.

They claimed to be from the greenhouse farm in town and accused Qiao Wanqing’s farm of stealing their business, causing their vegetables to go unsold.

Angry and resentful, they had come to confront her second uncle.

The intruders were aggressive, presenting two options: either Qiao Wanqing and her family stopped supplying vegetables to the various restaurants in town and ceased selling fresh vegetables at the farm stay, or they would let Dongyang Elementary School in their village take over their business.

The situation escalated, leading to the conflict that resulted in her second uncle’s injuries.

The other option was to cooperate with them, selling vegetables together.

Qiao Wanqing’s family would continue growing their vegetables, but the greenhouse people would handle the sales, buying the produce at a price even lower than the initial offer from the farm stay owner.

It was clear that these people were there to cause trouble, presenting an ultimatum: comply with their terms or face the consequences.

Her second uncle, being hot-tempered, laughed at their outrageous demands.

In response, the intruders started smashing their vegetables, and when he tried to stop them, they beat him up.

Fortunately, Qiao Wanqing’s family’s fierce weasel, Huang, with its smelly farts, heard the commotion and drove the intruders away.

After hearing the story, Qiao Wanqing trembled with anger at the injustice.

However, she knew that getting angry wouldn’t help.

She forced herself to calm down and asked, “Where are those troublemakers now?”

“I don’t know. The police just came to take statements. I don’t know what will happen next,” her second aunt replied.

“Good,” Qiao Wanqing said, holding her aunt’s hand. “They committed assault and outnumbered him. They will surely be punished.”

Her second aunt wiped her tears and said, “Who knows? They claim your second uncle started the fight, and they were just defending themselves. Plus, Huang scratched them pretty badly. They might even demand compensation from us.”

Huang was no ordinary weasel.

Usually gentle and affectionate, when angered, it became incredibly fierce and agile, with an impressive fighting ability.

Qiao Wanqing could imagine that those three troublemakers didn’t come out of it unscathed.

Qiao Wanqing comforted her second aunt, “Don’t worry, Second Aunt. With Second Uncle so badly injured, the police won’t just take their word for it that he started the fight. Plus, they came to cause trouble, and our vegetables were destroyed. These are all evidence. The police will make sure justice is served.”

Her second aunt nodded, “I hope so.”

After comforting her second aunt, Qiao Wanqing also reassured her frightened grandmother.

Then, she went to find the doctor to confirm her second uncle’s condition.

If it was serious, she would transfer him to a better hospital to prevent any long-term issues, as she would feel guilty for life if anything happened to him.

Her second uncle’s case was being handled by the department head, so she went to his office.

Qiao Wanqing knocked and entered.

To her surprise, the department head was young and quite handsome, wearing a white coat and gold-rimmed glasses, giving him a scholarly appearance reminiscent of the reserved doctors in romance novels.

Seeing her, the doctor smiled slightly, “Qiao Wanqing, long time no see.”

“???” Although the doctor looked quite charming, she rummaged through the original owner’s memories and found nothing.

“You don’t remember me, do you?” The doctor said without taking offense, “Come in and have a seat.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Qiao Wanqing walked in, “I’m not very good at remembering faces.”

The doctor chuckled softly, pulled out a chair for her, and poured her a cup of water in a disposable cup, “We were classmates in junior high, Huang Kewei. You probably forgot.”

Qiao Wanqing suddenly remembered, “Oh, Huang Kewei! Sorry, I didn’t recognize you at first. It’s been so long.”

Huang Kewei smiled, “No worries. I didn’t expect to see you here. How can I help you today?”

“My second uncle is the patient you admitted today. I wanted to make sure his injuries are being properly treated and if there’s any need to transfer him to a better hospital,” Qiao Wanqing explained.

Huang Kewei nodded, “Your second uncle is in good hands here. I’ll personally oversee his treatment and ensure he gets the best care. If there’s any need for a transfer, I’ll let you know immediately.”

Feeling relieved, Qiao Wanqing thanked him, “Thank you so much, Kewei.”

“It’s my job. Don’t worry, your second uncle will be fine,” Huang Kewei reassured her.

With Huang Kewei’s promise, Qiao Wanqing felt more at ease.

She returned to her second uncle’s room to inform her family of the good news and to continue taking care of her uncle.

Qiao Wanqing tried hard to search through her memory and finally recalled, “Huang Xueba, I remember now.”

“Don’t call me Xueba,” Huang Kewei waved his hand, “I’m ashamed to be in such a plight.”

“You became a director at such a young age, and you’re still feeling ashamed? Those of us who weren’t good at studying to begin with are even more embarrassed to speak,” Qiao Wanqing said, then asked, “How’s my second uncle doing? Is it serious?”

“He suffered a serious head injury and needs hospitalization for treatment. Besides that, everything else is okay. With bed rest and supportive medications, he should recover slowly. No need to worry,” Huang Kewei replied.

As they were old classmates, Qiao Wanqing asked directly, “Does he need to be transferred to another hospital?”

Huang Kewei smiled and said, “Qiao Wanqing, do you trust your studious classmate more, or those doctors from big hospitals?”

With the conversation reaching this point, Qiao Wanqing also smiled and said, “Then I’ll trouble you, Mr. Huang Kewei.”

Assured that her second uncle had no other issues, Qiao Wanqing felt relieved.

After exchanging contact information, they chatted a bit more.

Then Qiao Wanqing left the hospital and headed towards the village police station.

Since both parties were injured, no one was detained.

The police officers could only inform her that the case was under investigation and they couldn’t reveal any details at the moment.

They asked her to go home and wait, promising to contact her if there were any updates.

Unable to do anything else, Qiao Wanqing remembered that the nephew of the rural inn owner worked at the police station.

She could ask him to find out more about the situation.

After leaving the police station, Qiao Wanqing went to the rural inn.

Mr. Cai had heard about their family’s situation and felt deeply sympathetic.

He not only offered to help her make contacts but also had the chefs prepare some food and bone soup for Qiao Wanqing to take back to her uncle.

Qiao Wanqing thanked Mr. Cai and headed back to the hospital with the food.

That evening, Qiao Wanqing intended to stay and watch over her uncle, asking her aunt and grandmother to go home and rest.

Both she and Grandma Qiao were exhausted physically and emotionally from the shock.

However, her aunt insisted that she go home.

With her child in tow and the makeshift bed next to her uncle’s hospital bed being just a board added alongside, not another proper bed, Qiao Wanqing would only have a chair to sleep on if she stayed there, so it wasn’t necessary.

Unable to persuade her aunt, Qiao Wanqing reluctantly took Koko home first.

With the incident at home, Qiao Wanqing asked Li Shu to help her find a reliable person to pick and send vegetables to school.

The town would not send them temporarily in case the other party was unwilling, resulting in further complications.

Most of those who worked with Qiao Wanqing understood her family’s circumstances.

The next day, Qiao Wanqing brought prepared breakfast and lunch to the county hospital.

Grandma Qiao stayed home with Kouko.

When Qiao Wanqing left the previous day, her uncle was still asleep, and he had just woken up when she arrived.

“Why are your eyes so swollen, been crying?” her uncle said. “I’m fine, tough as nails, just a scratch.”

Qiao Wanqing had indeed cried a bit the previous night, overwhelmed with sadness.

Hearing her aunt describe the scene from yesterday, she couldn’t help but shudder at how serious her uncle’s injury could have been if not for their powerful Mr. Wong.

After crying, she had some trouble sleeping, and her eyes were swollen when she woke up this morning.

“I’m fine,” Qiao Wanqing said, feeling a bit embarrassed as she looked down. “I’m sorry for causing trouble for you, uncle.”

“Stop being polite,” her uncle interrupted. “I’m just glad it’s me and not you. You’re a weak girl, defenseless against unreasonable troublemakers. With my tough skin, a couple more wouldn’t bother me. They wouldn’t dare kill me anyway.”

Auntie was setting out the vegetables Qiao Wanqing had brought, and she heard him boasting.

She cut in without mercy, saying, “Stop boasting. Do you forget who was lying on the ground yesterday unable to get up? I was so scared that my legs were trembling when I got to the hospital. Thank goodness for Huang. I wonder how the police will handle this. They should teach those bad people a lesson so they won’t dare cause trouble again.”

“They will,” Qiao Wanqing assured her aunt. “Don’t worry, Auntie. Uncle is here recovering well. I’ll take care of everything.”

Uncle still worried, “They might come looking for trouble again. Don’t wander around. If they’re not satisfied, it won’t be good for a girl like you.”

Auntie added, “The police said they’d contact us. Why don’t you go home and stay with Huang? Don’t open the door if someone knocks. We’ll figure things out after everything settles down.”

Seeing them so frightened, Qiao Wanqing smiled reassuringly, “It’s not that serious. We’re in a lawful society now. If they dare touch me, they’ll face legal consequences. Both sides are waiting for compensation rulings. The more aggressive they are, the more they’ll be in the wrong.”

After saying a few more words to them, Qiao Wanqing left the hospital.

Mr. Cai’s contact in the police replied that the case had been handed over to the relevant authorities for processing.

He couldn’t find out much more, but he subtly warned her that the outcome might not be favorable.

The reason they dared to act so arrogantly was because they had connections.

She didn’t know the specifics of how powerful these connections were, but the likely outcome would be that Qiao Wanqing’s uncle would be implicated first.

He and their pet had injured someone together.

Not only would her uncle bear responsibility, but their family’s pet’s actions meant she would have to bear compensation liability.

Moreover, since the yellow weasel is a protected species, keeping one as a pet requires specific permits.

Although people usually turn a blind eye to such things, now that something had happened, Qiao Wanqing would have to take responsibility.

It might not be as serious as a criminal offense, but there would definitely be fines.

Qiao Wanqing was dumbfounded by this situation for the first time.

They were clearly in the right, yet they were the ones being bullied.

She was unwilling to accept this.

If things were indeed going this way, she would hire a lawyer and pursue legal action.

The other party told her that pursuing legal action might not succeed and would cost a lot of money.

They suggested it might be better to settle with some compensation to resolve the matter and move on, chalking it up to bad luck.

These words deeply chilled Qiao Wanqing’s heart.

For the first time, she felt profound helplessness.

Because of this ordeal, Qiao Wanqing noticeably lost weight, her already pointed chin becoming even sharper.

Qiao’s grandmother saw her running between the hospital and the vegetable garden every day, trying to seek advice from lawyers through connections, but with no progress.

She said, “Why not try asking Qiao Xinde’s family? His son seems to have some influence and is quite persuasive.”

Qiao Xinde was the cousin who had originally occupied their land.

Later, Gu Yanqing had promised to help resolve it, and somehow, the other party had stopped bothering them.

Qiao Wanqing had done so much just to stand her ground.

If standing her ground meant giving back what she had already fought for, bringing gifts and apologizing with a smile for help, then she might as well just compensate those people directly.

“Forget it, I’ll think of another way.”

“What about Mr. Gu? He’s wealthy, isn’t he? Maybe he can help?”

Gu Yanqing, since Qiao Wanqing had rejected his confession last time, hadn’t contacted her in nearly two months.

If she had to muster the courage to contact him again…

Qiao Wanqing said, “It’s okay, Grandma. I’ll think of something. Don’t worry, just help me look after Koko.”

“You can’t keep going like this. It’s taking a toll on your health.”

“I’ll be fine. I’m still young, Grandma. I’ll go water the vegetables in the garden first. Could you watch the bone broth stewing in the pot for me? Don’t let it burn dry.” She needed to take the bone broth to the hospital for her uncle later.

Grandma Qiao nodded. “Alright.”

After Qiao Wanqing left, Grandma Qiao placed Koko on the crawling blanket and went to her room to search for a while.

She found a business card and then carried Kouko to Aunt Li’s house.

Aunt Li was inside chopping chili peppers to make chili sauce.

When she saw Grandma Qiao, she washed her hands and came out, saying, “Sister-in-law, why do you have time to come over today? How are things going with your family?”

“Oh my!” Before Grandma Qiao could reply, Kouko, upon seeing a familiar face, joyfully called out.

Aunt Li smiled, “Kouko seems very happy today. Is there something good happening?”

When the whole family was anxious, only Kouko, the innocent child who knew nothing of the world, remained happy every day, well-fed and cared for without worry.

“Where could there be good news,” Grandma Qiao sighed, “The likely outcome now is that her uncle and our pet Huang will be blamed for intentionally causing harm.

He might even be detained after leaving the hospital. The other side coming to provoke is just part of the blame.

They’re demanding a whopping 150,000 yuan in compensation. I don’t know how it will turn out, we might not be able to pay that much, but tens of thousands for sure.”

“So much! Wanqing a single mother with a child, making money is already tough. They really have some nerve. It’s like they aren’t afraid of karma,” Aunt Li said indignantly.

“Their connections are strong, there’s nothing we can do. Ah,” Grandma Qiao said, handing over a business card, “Lianhua, call this number for me.”

“Alright.”

Aunt Li took out her old-fashioned phone, dialed the number on the card, and handed it back to Grandma Qiao.

She nervously held the phone. After just a few rings, someone answered.

A cold voice came through the receiver, “Hello.”

Aunt Li’s phone had some static, and Koukou, held by Grandma Qiao, perked up at the sound of the voice, excitedly looking around and babbling in delight.