“Xiu’er, you’re underestimating them. Do you really think they’re that easy to deal with? These people are all desperate criminals. It’s not just you—even the county magistrate wouldn’t be able to do anything about them.”

Over the years, Mother Jian had learned a thing or two about such matters.

The county magistrate only handled legal cases, and these people hadn’t caused any deaths.

As they said, repaying debts was only natural.

Even if the magistrate were here, they still had a point.

Besides, they really didn’t have the silver to repay right now.

“Mother, don’t worry. I’ll stay here and settle this with them.”

Hearing this, Mother Jian became even more frightened.

She thought when Jian Xiu said “settle this,” she meant calculating the principal and interest they owed over the years.

If that was the case, she didn’t even know if she could handle the final amount.

Back then, because of Qian Hongmei’s health issues, they desperately needed ginseng, so they had no choice but to borrow twelve taels of silver.

Over the years, they had only managed to repay part of the interest.

And even that was just a small portion. If they truly calculated everything now, she didn’t know what the final amount would be.

Mother Jian had already prepared herself to be in debt for the rest of her life.

But now, her daughter wanted to “settle the account,” forcing her to face reality.

However, what Mother Jian didn’t know was that the “settling” Jian Xiu referred to was completely different from what she imagined.

By the time the whole family had eaten their fill, Qian Hongmei brought over a bowl of medicine from the pot. Carefully, she fed it to Jian Ming.

Meanwhile, Jian Xiu fed Father Jian.

Jian Xiu’s injuries weren’t too severe—most of her weakness was due to poor health.

But Jian Ming was different.

The scar-faced man had kicked him several times.

Sure enough, after Father Jian drank the medicine, he woke up not long after.

Jian Ming also drank the medicine, but he still didn’t wake up.

However, his complexion wasn’t as pale as before.

Seeing this, Jian Xiu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Otherwise, they would have had to take him to Renhetang for treatment.

The moment Father Jian woke up, he immediately asked about the family’s situation, seemingly oblivious to the mess in the house.

Clearly, he was used to such things.

“Father, here’s some porridge. It’s freshly made and has cooled down now—drink it while it’s warm,” Qian Hongmei said, handing him the bowl.

“Good, good. Next time, don’t make it so thick—this way, we can stretch it over more meals,” he muttered before drinking.

After everyone finished eating, Jian Xiu noticed that Qian Hongmei still hadn’t touched her food.

Looking closely, she saw that Qian Hongmei’s face was full of worry.

“Sister-in-law, go eat! Try the bracken fern dish!”

“How can I eat? Fenjie was taken away by them—we don’t even know what’s happening to her now.”

At this, Qian Hongmei couldn’t hold back her tears.

“What? What did you say? They took Fenjie?” Jian Xiu asked in a deep voice.

At this point, there was no way to hide the truth anymore.

Qian Hongmei nodded. “They said they’d take Fenjie first. If we can’t come up with the money by this afternoon, they’ll… they’ll…”

“They’ll what?”

“They’ll take Jiejie too!”

As soon as these words came out, Qian Hongmei broke into loud sobs.

“Sister-in-law, don’t worry. Since they made that demand, Fenjie should be safe for now. Trust me, everything will be fine,” Jian Xiu said calmly.

Qian Hongmei and the others didn’t take her words seriously, assuming she was just trying to comfort them.

Only Zhang Zixuan, standing to the side, kept his eyes fixed on Jian Xiu.

She had once told him that in the apocalypse, they had undergone hellish training to become elite agents.

That meant she had formidable martial skills.

Thinking back, she had been right. The way she easily dealt with Old Liu’s family should have made that clear.

She had simply picked up a few small stones yet hit her targets perfectly every time.

That was not something an ordinary fighter could do.

Her skills were exceptionally high—far beyond average.

Once everything was tidied up, Qian Hongmei hurried off with the borrowed pot from Zhang Xuemei’s house.

It was clear she was returning it.

Jian Xiu was puzzled. It was just a pot—Zhang Xuemei wasn’t a petty person.

Besides, it wasn’t mealtime, so why the rush to return it?

When she had borrowed the pot earlier, her expression had been off.

If Jian Xiu guessed correctly, something must have happened in Zhang Xuemei’s household too.

She sighed. Every family had its struggles.

She had once lived under the rule of a cruel mother-in-law, so she could easily imagine Zhang Xuemei’s situation.

When Qian Hongmei returned, she was restless, pacing back and forth like an ant on a hot pan.

“Sister-in-law, trust me. I said everything will be fine, and it will be.”

“I can handle it. But I’m worried about Fenjie. When the scar-faced man took her, she was crying so desperately… I feel so useless as a mother.”

Just as she finished speaking, Jian Ming slowly woke up.

The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was call out for his eldest daughter.

“Fenjie… ugh…” He winced, sucking in a breath.

“Jian Ming, you’re awake! How do you feel? Are you in pain?” Qian Hongmei asked anxiously.

Jian Ming took a moment to compose himself, careful not to move too much.

He could taste the bitterness of the medicine in his mouth.

It was clear that, due to his injuries, the family had spent money on a doctor again.

He knew very well what their financial situation was like. If they had called a doctor, it was likely on credit.

If he moved carelessly and tore his wound open again, they would need even more medicine.

So he calmed himself and spoke softly, “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me—it’s nothing.”

He deliberately kept his voice gentle, trying to ease Qian Hongmei’s concern.

Before they could talk much more, loud curses came from outside.

Hearing the familiar voice, Qian Hongmei looked embarrassed.

She didn’t even need to check—she knew it was Old Li, Zhang Xuemei’s mother-in-law, yelling at them again.

Earlier, when she returned the pot, Old Li had been there and had immediately started scolding her.