Qiao Qingqing hesitated only for a moment before stepping out of the space.
In rural areas, people rarely close their doors during the day. Wu Xia was no different. Qiao Qingqing walked up to the door and called softly, “Auntie Wu, are you home?”
Wu Xia turned her head, slightly on guard at the sight of an unfamiliar girl. “Who are you?”
Qiao Qingqing spoke earnestly, “May I have a word about Xu Peiling’s child?”
Wu Xia froze, her face paling slightly.
“Come in first.”
Qiao Qingqing followed her inside.
Truthfully, coming unannounced to tell someone that their daughter-in-law was carrying another man’s child seemed rather bold.
She scratched her head, a little nervous, afraid of being scolded for speaking nonsense.
Yet she didn’t expect the other person to be even more awkward and embarrassed.
When people were uncomfortable, they often pretended to be busy. Wu Xia walked around the room, grabbed an enamel cup to wash, then went to check the stove, murmuring, “I made some herbal tea. If you don’t mind, would you like some?”
She then realized the stove had no fire and froze in her embarrassment, not moving for a long while.
Seeing this, Qiao Qingqing suddenly guessed, “Auntie Wu… could it be that you already know there’s something wrong with Xu Peiling’s child?”
Wu Xia was taken aback, pursed her lips, and after a long silence sighed, “I’m a doctor—how could I not notice? But she’s a poor girl. If she had been cherished by her parents, how would she have married into a family like ours? So…”
Qiao Qingqing glanced at the prescription for protecting pregnancy on the herbal table and immediately understood.
Wu Xia knew all along that the child Xu Peiling carried wasn’t her son’s. Yet, out of pity, she had no intention of exposing it and even intended to help the girl carry the pregnancy safely.
Qiao Qingqing had no words.
There are always bad people in the world, and good people are never in short supply, but why are the good ones always wronged?
There wasn’t much time to ponder. Qiao Qingqing said, “Auntie Wu, there are things I must tell you.”
She pretended to search her pocket, then pulled out two sheets of paper.
These had been salvaged from the river, damaged multiple times, the ink blurred in most places. The night before, she had carefully dried them over coals and flattened them in a book.
Now the paper was fragile but preserved as best as possible. She laid them on the table for Wu Xia to see.
Wu Xia clearly understood, her eyes widening, hands trembling. “Th…this is…whose?”
“This was written by Xu Peiling,” Qiao Qingqing said straightforwardly. “She had an affair with my fiancé and got pregnant, then married into your family. That couple fears exposure and is scheming against us. My whole family has been captured, and soon it will be your turn.”
Wu Xia was shocked and could hardly believe it.
Qiao Qingqing knew Wu Xia was inherently kind, so this kind of malice would be hard to digest. But the evidence was right in front of her; no amount of talking could replace seeing it for oneself.
So she said, “I suggest you deal with your medical books and such—they could be used as evidence against you. Move the most valuable herbs into the mountains so others can’t take them.”
“Money and other possessions—if you can’t save them, don’t worry. Living well is more important. If something happens to you, what would become of your son?”
She paused, then added, “If you are taken away, remember to admit mistakes when necessary, cooperate, and don’t suffer unnecessarily. Also, the Cui relatives can’t be trusted. If you’re sent for re-education, take your son with you—it’s better than leaving him alone in the village.”
In her previous life, she had searched everywhere for her family and had seen many similar situations.
Wu Xia, as a woman with an outsider surname, was never allowed to practice medicine under the Cui name, couldn’t decide her son’s marriage, endured constant marginalization, and ultimately met a tragic fate.
Why? Because she held the Cui family’s assets.
Could such relatives ensure her son’s survival?
Wu Xia looked confused. She gazed at Qiao Qingqing. “Girl… do you know me? You… seem to know a lot about my situation.”
Qiao Qingqing could have made up an excuse, but memories from her previous life suddenly surfaced—the scene where she had coughed up blood and collapsed, and it was this woman’s frail, aged hands that had caught her, even calling for help until the very end.
Her voice caught as she spoke the truth, “You helped me before, and I owe you a debt of gratitude. This time, we are all victims. Of course I want to help you.”
Her words were hesitant, but Wu Xia seemed to understand, interpreting it as the girl having received her medicine and care before. Her confusion began to fade.
“I understand… I… need to think.”
“All right, but act quickly. Stay strong—your son needs you. You have to live well for both of you to have hope.”
Qiao Qingqing finished speaking, looked at the time, and pointed to the two sheets on the table. “This is the evidence of her reporting you. I need to take it to preserve it. You can look over it carefully one more time.”
Wu Xia shook her head. “No need. You keep it.”
“I have other matters to attend to. Take care of yourself,” Qiao Qingqing said.
Time was pressing. She couldn’t linger. After taking the papers, she left quickly.
Wu Xia stayed in a daze for a long while, then looked at her son, quietly helping with the fire. Her mind was in turmoil.
Unable to understand everything at once, she decided to act, finding tasks to occupy herself to calm her mind.
She took a few books from under the cabinet, threw them into the fire, letting the flames consume them. Then she picked up a hoe and a basket, calling Cui Haiqing to go with her into the mountains.
“Son, if something happens at home and Mom can’t stay here, do you want to go with me, or stay with Second Uncle and the others?”
Cui Haiqing, though 18 and physically sturdy, was slow-witted and childlike in demeanor.
Without hesitation, he shook his head. “I don’t want to stay with Second Uncle and the others.”
“Is it because they would tease or bully you?”
He shook his head again. “No.”
“Then why?” Wu Xia asked patiently.
“No reason,” Cui Haiqing said, still slow, but seriously. “I only want to stay with Mom.”
Wu Xia’s eyes reddened instantly. She clenched the hoe. “All right, then you’ll come with me.”
…
Qiao Qingqing returned to the space. She had merely intended to move invisibly as usual, quietly leaving the village.
But when she looked up, she noticed a change in the space.
A row of flickering words in the void read: [Redemption Value: 1].
Qiao Qingqing was stunned.
At that moment, images flooded her mind, like chaotic phantoms flashing before her eyes.
She saw Wu Xia’s home being raided.
Leading the team was none other than Lin Jianjun!
He and his men ransacked the house, smashing jars, taking herbs, and seizing valuables.
Lin Jianjun beamed with delight.
Someone exclaimed, “This is ginseng! Such a thick root, must be a hundred years old! How much could this be worth?”
“And there’s money, silver dollars!”
“What ‘saving lives’? It’s all business—where else would this money come from?”
She saw Cui Haiqing screaming in terror, being pinned and beaten by several people. Wu Xia struggled to protect him, but a large iron clamp struck her eye, blood gushing out.
Cui Haiqing frantically tried to intervene, shouting, “Mom! Mom!”
Someone knocked over the stove; sparks fell onto scattered papers, igniting a fire.
In the flames, Wu Xia’s eyes were filled with hopelessness.
Then, the images shattered, fragments scattering and gradually disappearing.
Qiao Qingqing froze.
Was… Wu Xia’s future being changed?
She studied the redemption value closely. The number had increased by 1, but nothing else happened—no upgrade or other phenomenon in the space.
She was a little bewildered, unable to figure out exactly what the redemption value did. It seemed she had changed something, but also… in vain.
Yet she felt no disappointment.
The tragic future had been broken. She hoped that in this life, Wu Xia would have a better ending.