Xia Wanqing turned around and saw Uncle Wen crying his eyes out.
“Uncle Wen, why are you crying?”
Uncle Wen turned his face aside and wiped the corner of his eye with his sleeve, his voice choking. “There’s sand in my eye. Little Miss, how much suffering have you endured?”
Most people would already be terrified at the sight of blood.
But the Little Miss wasn’t afraid at all, and her movements were skilled and practiced.
That meant she had seen a lot of blood.
Xia Wanqing knew Uncle Wen was worried about her and smiled. “Uncle Wen, I’m just brave, that’s all.”
Uncle Wen was an orphan. Back then, he had been bullied and nearly beaten to death until her uncle saved his life.
To repay that life-saving恩情, he followed her uncle through life-and-death situations.
The Ruan family had long regarded Uncle Wen as family, but Uncle Wen himself was used to addressing people this way.
In the past, he called her grandfather “Master.” After her grandfather passed away, “Master” became how he addressed her uncle.
As for Xia Wanqing’s explanation, Uncle Wen only thought she was forcing a smile. The tears he had barely managed to hold back came spilling out again.
Warmth welled up in Xia Wanqing’s heart. She smiled and said, “Uncle Wen, if your old underlings saw you like this, who knows how hard they’d laugh.”
Back then, the eastern docks were the Ruan family’s territory. Her uncle was the boss of the docks, and Uncle Wen was his right-hand man.
Later, her uncle handed the docks over to the state. The men under him changed professions, and many of them ended up doing quite well.
If those people knew Uncle Wen was crying at home, who knew what kind of reaction they’d have.
“Wanwan… is that really you?” Ruan Jiahe slowly opened his eyes amid their conversation.
He stared for several seconds before finally confirming that the person in front of him really was his niece, Wanwan.
Wanwan was Xia Wanqing’s childhood nickname, given to her by her mother, Ruan Jianian.
No one had called her that in so many years. Xia Wanqing’s eyes grew moist again. “It’s me, Uncle.”
Uncle?
Only when her sister was still alive would Wanwan call him that.
Hearing that form of address so suddenly, Ruan Jiahe’s heart trembled, and his eyes reddened.
“…Mm.”
Seeing the master and the Little Miss reconcile again, Uncle Wen’s tears, which he had just managed to hold back, fell once more.
Ruan Jiahe propped himself up on the edge of the bed, trying to sit up. Xia Wanqing hurried to support him and thoughtfully tucked a pillow behind his back for support.
He spoke with much more strength than before, no longer gasping heavily. “Wanwan… did they bully you?”
Wanwan had never liked him. For her to come to him of her own accord now, she must have suffered a great grievance.
“They don’t have that kind of ability,” she replied.
After surviving for years in the apocalypse, those tricks were nothing more than child’s play to her.
Seeing that she didn’t want to talk about it, Ruan Jiahe didn’t press further.
His niece had finally come home. He couldn’t scare her away.
Seeing that Ruan Jiahe was awake, Uncle Wen wiped his tears and said, “Master, it was the Little Miss who saved you.”
Ruan Jiahe noticed the silver needles in the room and thought a traditional Chinese doctor had been invited. He never expected that the person who had treated him with acupuncture was actually Xia Wanqing.
Since falling ill, he had undergone many treatments, but this was the first time he felt his body regaining strength.
He stared in disbelief. “Wanwan, how do you know medicine?”
Xia Wanqing felt that her rebirth was far too unbelievable. After some thought, she made up a more reasonable excuse.
“There are books Grandpa left behind at home. I was bored, so I flipped through a few pages.”
Her father loved collecting books and had even donated libraries to the city. Ruan Jiahe knew this.
To achieve such results through self-study meant that Wanwan must have put in immense effort.
Xia Jianye hadn’t taken good care of Wanwan!
Ruan Jiahe ground his molars so hard they nearly creaked.
“How could Xia Jianye let you learn something like this?”
Wanwan didn’t want to see him, so all her circumstances were relayed to him by Xia Jianye.
He had always thought Wanwan was being well cared for. He never imagined she’d have to endure the hardships of studying medicine.
“Uncle, what’s wrong with studying medicine? It can save lives.”
“Wanwan is amazing, but the path of medicine is too exhausting and bitter. How could anyone bear to let you suffer like this?”
Ruan Jiahe’s eyes were full of heartache.
“Having a skill to rely on lets me live well. I don’t think it’s bitter.”
Without ability, living as a parasitic vine dependent on others, one wouldn’t survive many days.
Ruan Jiahe froze for a moment. In a daze, he seemed to see Ruan Jianian.
Mother and daughter overlapped in his vision.
He smiled kindly, the corners of his lips lifting, his eyes full of appreciation. “You’re very much like your mother. It’s a pity…”
“Uncle…” Xia Wanqing reproached gently. “You’ve been sick. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Judging by his condition, he had been ill for over half a year.
Ruan Jiahe forced a smile. “It’s nothing serious.”
The moment the words left her mouth, Xia Wanqing felt deep regret.
In her previous life, she had been immature, mistaking her uncle’s concern for hypocrisy and ignoring him completely.
It wasn’t that her uncle didn’t say anything. Even if he had, she probably wouldn’t have listened.
She only learned of his death long afterward, thinking he had fallen ill suddenly, never knowing that he had already been sick for so long.
Dragging his ailing body, he had planned everything for her. Every last bit of the money Grandpa left behind, he saved for her.
In the end, it was all taken by Gu Xing, who used it to enjoy life with Xia Yiyi, while she herself died miserably in a snowy night.
She lifted her head and looked at Ruan Jiahe.
At some point, his temples had turned gray, deep lines etched between his brows.
He was only two years younger than her scumbag father, yet he looked twenty years older.
Besides illness, it was worry for her that had aged him.
“Uncle…” Xia Wanqing’s eyes burned as hot tears rolled down her nose. Her throat tightened. “I’m sorry.”
What had she… done?
Regret and hatred surged in her heart. Her nose stung, and tears fell like beads from a broken string.
“Don’t cry.” Ruan Jiahe panicked at once. He stood up, trying to prove he was fine, but lost his balance and nearly fell off the bed.
“Uncle, don’t worry. With me taking care of your health, you’ll definitely be fine.”
With her medical skills and the spirit spring, her uncle would surely recover.
“Good.” Ruan Jiahe was overjoyed. Uncle Wen finally stopped crying and smiled along with him.
A cheerful atmosphere filled the entire room.
But moments later, that joy abruptly vanished.
Xia Wanqing found an excuse to send Uncle Wen away, replaced the water in the cup with spirit spring water, and waited until Ruan Jiahe drank it. Only after confirming he was fine did she slowly speak.
“Uncle, I want you to help me find someone.”
Ruan Jiahe agreed without hesitation. “Who?”
“The day my mother gave birth to my younger brother, I remember there was a midwife. I want to find her and ask about something.”
Ruan Jiahe immediately sensed something was wrong. “What happened on the day your sister gave birth?”
At this point, Xia Wanqing had no intention of hiding anything. She poured out all her suspicions at once.
Ruan Jiahe was so furious he slammed his fist onto the bed. “That damned Xia Jianye! Uncle Wen, bring me the knife from my room. I’m going to chop him!”
Before his words even finished, Uncle Wen had already gone to fetch the knives. In no time, he had one in each hand. “I’ll go kill that beast!”
Xia Wanqing hurriedly stopped them. “Uncle, if you kill him, you’ll go to prison.”
“I’m not afraid!” Ruan Jiahe ground his teeth.
“But I am. I only have you as my uncle. If you die, I’ll be all alone.” Xia Wanqing covered her face and pretended to cry.
Her acting was exaggerated, but in the eyes of those who cared about her, it only made their hearts ache.
Unlike Xia Jianye—no matter how much she cried, he thought she was just putting on an act.
To someone who doesn’t love you, even if you hang yourself, they’ll think you’re just swinging on a swing.
Ruining one’s life for such people wasn’t worth it.
Ruan Jiahe looked conflicted. “Wanwan, I must avenge your mother!”
“Uncle, I’ll make them pay. Trust me!”
She would never let Xia Jianye and his family off.
“You already have a plan?”
With no one else around, Xia Wanqing explained her plan.
The admiration in Ruan Jiahe’s eyes deepened, mixed with a hint of pride. “Young people really do have sharp minds. I’ll fully cooperate with you.”
She had come today to see her uncle, not to take the property deeds.
Just as Xia Wanqing was about to leave, Ruan Jiahe had Uncle Wen bring over the property certificate.
“You’ve grown up. You won’t let others bully you anymore. This house was yours to begin with. Take it with you for now.”
If she didn’t bring the deed back, she probably wouldn’t gain Xia Jianye’s trust. Besides, she could store it in her space without worrying about it being stolen.
In the end, Xia Wanqing accepted the deed.
“Your grandfather left behind quite a lot of assets. Once I finish organizing the list, I’ll give it all to you.”
Her uncle’s unconditional trust filled Xia Wanqing’s heart with warmth.
In this life, she would make sure her uncle lived well.
Two days. She only needed two days to make that scumbag man and that vicious woman pay the price.
“Oh right, that Gu Xing…” Ruan Jiahe asked tentatively. He disliked that young man’s looks.
“Uncle, I was blind before. Now I have absolutely no feelings for him.”
“That’s good. Actually, I think that kid Gu Huaichuan is quite decent.”
“I plan to marry Gu Huaichuan. Once things are settled, I’ll bring him to see you.”
Ruan Jiahe’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Really.”
Using an excuse, Xia Wanqing replaced all the well water at her uncle’s house with spirit spring water. She also took out several prescriptions from her space and handed them to Uncle Wen, carefully instructing him on the precautions before finally leaving.
The moment she left, Ruan Jiahe still couldn’t believe his ears. “My hearing’s fine, right? Wanqing really plans to marry Gu Huaichuan?”
“You heard correctly. Judging by the Little Miss’s expression, she’s serious.”
“That’s wonderful.” Ruan Jiahe’s cheeks flushed slightly.
Uncle Wen sighed with emotion. “Master, the Little Miss came to see you and even cured her ‘blindness.’ Truly double happiness.”
“Quick, let’s hurry and sort out the assets. We can’t let Wanqing be bullied.”
……
“Steamed buns—hot, fragrant steamed buns!”
“Popsicles—three cents, five cents a popsicle!”
“Roasted sweet potatoes—hot roasted sweet potatoes!”
Vendors’ cries rang out along both sides of the street.
Gurgle.
Xia Wanqing’s stomach growled.
She hadn’t eaten breakfast, and she’d been so busy talking earlier that she’d completely forgotten.
Just as she was hesitating about what to eat, she turned around—and accidentally bumped into someone.