In the corridor of the county hospital, Grandpa Yang, the shepherd, sat despondently beside his wife’s bed, occasionally wiping the tears streaming down his face.
The money from selling the sheep had long been spent, yet his wife’s condition had not improved. Because he couldn’t pay, the doctors had stopped her medication, and last night she had nearly…
That morning, the hospital issued a final warning: if fees were not paid by lunchtime, the patient would have to leave.
His wife’s bed had already been moved from the ward to the corridor, extinguishing the last flicker of hope in Grandpa Yang.
Suddenly, a group of doctors and nurses arrived, fussing around his blind wife’s bed, causing her to groan in pain.
“Don’t kick us out! Please don’t make us leave the hospital! I’ll find a way to pay!”
Grandpa Yang’s face went pale. He knelt on the ground, utterly desperate. For the poor, what dignity is left? Compared with his wife’s life, kneeling was nothing.
The doctors were shocked.
“Good heavens, sir, what are you doing?”
Grandpa Yang cried, “Please, don’t throw her out! I’ll go home and sell everything to pay the fees!”
The doctors hesitated, then realized what was happening. “Sir, you misunderstand. We’re arranging a transfer for the lady… Chief!”
Before Grandpa Yang could react, Qin Shuyao staggered forward.
“Grandpa, get up!”
Chen Qilan followed immediately, helping him sit.
“Director Qiu, why is this elder kneeling? What’s going on?”
Lu Jinzhong spoke with authority, and even the hospital director broke into a sweat.
“Chief, this is a misunderstanding!”
Director Qiu stammered, “As soon as we received the notice, I came to arrange the transfer. Perhaps the elder misunderstood…”
Grandpa Yang could hardly believe what he was seeing. The seemingly ordinary elderly couple turned out to be relatives of someone important in the chief’s circle.
Had they revealed their identity earlier, they wouldn’t have faced any medical fees—they could have gone straight into the best single room in the hospital.
Embarrassed, Director Qiu hurriedly apologized to Grandpa Yang.
Grandpa Yang could only stare, bewildered, at his granddaughter.
Qin Shuyao held his rough, weathered hands, tears brimming in her eyes.
In both past and present lives, she had been separated from her grandparents for many years. When they died, she hadn’t been able to fulfill her filial duties, and the pain and guilt were unbearable.
During the countless nights of abuse and suffering at the hands of the Zhang family, the only thing that sustained her was the love of her grandparents.
“Shuyao, remember, no matter what obstacles you face, never waste your life. Clench your teeth and live on!”
Grandpa’s words echoed in her mind.
Now, reunited with her grandparents, Qin Shuyao felt both joy and grief. She couldn’t help burying her face in Grandpa Yang’s chest and crying.
Her blind grandmother struggled to rise as she heard her granddaughter crying.
“Shuyao, dear child! Who has hurt you?”
The power of love was so strong that even two young nurses couldn’t restrain her.
Seeing this, Chen Qilan stepped forward and embraced Qin Shuyao, lifting her away from her grandfather.
“Listen to me. You can’t cry anymore. If you cry, it will destabilize her emotions.”
He whispered in her ear, soothing her gently. His display of intimacy in front of everyone, including Director Qiu, earned him a congratulatory glance from Lu Jinzhong.
“Qin Shuyao!”
Grandpa Yang was no fool. He wouldn’t believe the hospital was charitable for nothing. Seeing his usually obedient granddaughter entwined with this man, he guessed the truth.
“You… you…”
From childhood, he had taught her self-respect, self-love, independence, and integrity. How could she betray these principles?
Qin Shuyao saw the anger and disappointment in her grandfather’s eyes. She pulled herself out of Chen Qilan’s arms and knelt straight before him.
“Grandpa, I’ve failed your teachings. Please, hit me if you must!”
Tears ran down Grandpa Yang’s face as he struck his own cheeks.
“I am useless. I couldn’t save my wife and dragged you into the fire too!”
Lu Jinzhong, watching, couldn’t help smirking.
“See? She’s in the fire!”
Chen Qilan gave him a subtle glare, warning him to stop.
Grandpa Yang’s self-flagellation continued, but Qin Shuyao held his arm, choking back her sobs.
“Grandpa, I didn’t jump into the fire alone. Chen Qilan saved me.”
She recounted how she had been tricked into marriage by the Zhang family and how Chen Qilan had rescued her, omitting the more intimate details.
Hearing her story, and seeing her injuries, Grandpa Yang’s heart ached.
He tried to kneel again in gratitude, but Chen Qilan was quick to support him.
“You saved my granddaughter and treated my wife. This is a debt I could never repay with my life,” Chen Qilan said.
“It’s just a matter of keeping things separate. My granddaughter is still young. Please, spare her. You and she are… not suitable.”
Without asking about Chen Qilan’s background or consulting his granddaughter, Grandpa Yang said those three words with certainty: “Not suitable.”
Qin Shuyao wanted to defend him, but Chen Qilan instructed quietly: “Shuyao, go take care of your grandmother. She can’t be left alone.”
Lu Jinzhong, seeing this, promptly escorted Qin Shuyao away, teasing her: “The talk between the men is something we women don’t need to worry about.”