Su Qing followed the sound and saw an elderly woman, perhaps in her sixties or seventies, collapsed on the ground. Her eyes were shut tight, and she was unconscious. A woman who looked to be in her fifties was beside her, calling out anxiously.

"The county hospital isn’t far from here. I can help you get her there to see a doctor." Since she’d stumbled upon the scene, Su Qing couldn’t just ignore it. She hurried over to the woman in her fifties and spoke, while discreetly sending a wisp of green mist into the elderly woman’s body.

"Ah, it’s you!" The woman in her fifties looked up at Su Qing’s voice, clearly startled. She hadn’t expected the person offering to help would be the very girl she had been investigating.

This woman in her fifties was none other than Mrs. Lin, and the unconscious elderly woman on the ground was Old Mrs. An.

The woman’s reaction puzzled Su Qing. ’Why do I get the feeling she knows me?’

But this wasn’t the time to dwell on it. She said, "We should get her to the hospital right away."

Just as she said that, Old Mrs. An slowly regained consciousness.

"I’m all right. I just felt a little dizzy for a moment," Old Mrs. An said softly, quickly speaking up when she heard them mention the hospital.

She sighed inwardly. ’I know it’s just a dizzy spell from being so upset. It’s nothing serious.’

With the end of the year approaching, Old Mrs. An missed her grandson terribly. She had brought Mrs. Lin and gone quietly to An Zhihan’s residence. But when they arrived, they learned that his old illness had relapsed and he had been hospitalized. She and Mrs. Lin rushed to the hospital, only to overhear a conversation between An Zhihan and Fang Lutian outside his room.

Fang Lutian had wanted to call Xiangcheng and inform the family of An Zhihan’s condition, but An Zhihan refused. He’d said that whether he lived or died had nothing to do with the An Family and that no one from the An Family needed to know.

Old Mrs. An understood An Zhihan’s resentment toward the An Family, but understanding it was one thing; hearing it with her own ears was another entirely. Hearing An Zhihan speak those words with such a calm, flat tone still felt like a knife twisting in her heart. She regretted her decision all those years ago even more, but what was done was done. No matter how much she regretted it, there was no turning back.

Her third son and daughter-in-law couldn’t be brought back to life, and words, once spoken, were like spilled water that could not be gathered again. And An Zhihan’s illness...

Old Mrs. An didn’t enter the room. Instead, she found An Zhihan’s doctor and inquired about his condition. When she learned it had worsened, she felt a heavy stone settle in her chest. She turned and left the hospital with Mrs. Lin, intending to find Mr. Gong at Hongji Hall. ’Today, no matter what,’ she thought, ’I have to beg Mr. Gong to examine Zhi Han. I can’t just stand by and watch my grandson slowly waste away.’

But not long after leaving the hospital, she was overcome by a wave of dizziness and collapsed.

"Ma’am, we should still get you checked out, just to be safe," Mrs. Lin urged. Old Mrs. An had never fainted like this before, and it had truly frightened her.

"I’m really fine." Leaning on Mrs. Lin’s arm, Old Mrs. An got to her feet. She looked at Su Qing, whom she now recognized, and said with a smile, "Thank you, young lady."

Su Qing gave a small smile. "It’s nothing, I was just passing by. I didn’t do much, really. You should probably still get checked at the hospital, so your family won’t worry."

"It’s fine. I know my own body. I’m all right," Old Mrs. An said with a gentle smile.

Su Qing didn’t press the matter. The wisp of green mist she had given the old woman was very beneficial. As long as she wasn’t suffering from a critical illness, that bit of green mist would be enough to resolve the issue.

"Well then, I’ll be on my way," Su Qing said with a smile, preparing to leave.

"Wait, young lady, what’s your name? You helped me, and I don’t even know your name," Old Mrs. An called out. She had a very favorable impression of Su Qing. The fact that this girl would see a strange old woman collapse on the street and offer help without a second thought spoke volumes about her character.

"I didn’t really do anything. You don’t need to thank me," Su Qing replied with a small smile, giving a little wave before walking away.

"Ma’am," Mrs. Lin said to Old Mrs. An as she watched Su Qing’s retreating figure, "we should still go get you checked."

She was still worried.

"It’s not necessary," Old Mrs. An said, shaking her head. "Come on, let’s go to Hongji Hall."

"Well... all right then." Seeing Old Mrs. An’s insistence, Mrs. Lin had no choice but to agree.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, An Zhihan soon learned that Old Mrs. An had been there to ask the doctor about his condition.

"Grandmother and Mrs. Lin were here?" An Zhihan was taken aback by the news that Old Mrs. An had come to Xiyuan County. He never would have imagined she would come all this way herself.

"Yes," Fang Lutian confirmed. "I showed the doctor their photos, and she said it was indeed your grandmother who came to ask about your condition."

Seeing An Zhihan’s silence, Fang Lutian added quietly, "Zhi Han, she really does care about you."

"I know." An Zhihan sighed softly. "New Year’s Eve is in two days. Go find out where my grandmother is staying. If it’s just her and Mrs. Lin, invite her to spend the evening with us."

An Zhihan’s words brought a flicker of joy to Fang Lutian. "Right," he said eagerly. "I’ll have someone look into it immediately."

Fang Lutian was thrilled that An Zhihan was willing to spend New Year’s Eve with Old Mrs. An. He hoped this would be an opportunity for the grandmother and grandson to grow closer. Old Mrs. An had been in the wrong back then, but he couldn’t bear to see An Zhihan live such a lonely life.

Su Qing planned to spend New Year’s Eve by herself this year. Since it was just her, she didn’t prepare much. Besides, she still had plenty of prepared dishes from her trip to Chuncheng stored in her space. She could just take a few of those out, make some dumplings, and that would be a perfectly lavish New Year’s Eve dinner.

Realizing New Year’s Eve was just a few days away, Su Qing decided to find Zhao Youcai and ask him to go with her to deliver this year’s support payment to the Old Su Family. That way, she would have a witness, preventing the Old Su Family from denying they received it later.

When he heard Su Qing wanted him to act as a witness, Zhao Youcai readily agreed and went with her to the Old Su Family’s house.

Seeing Su Qing arrive with Zhao Youcai, Tian Aixiang watched her warily. "Erya, what are you up to? We haven’t done anything to provoke you lately. What are you doing, bringing the brigade leader here?"

"This has nothing to do with you, Third Aunt," Su Qing said, giving Tian Aixiang a cool glance before ignoring her completely. She led the brigade leader toward Old Su’s room, leaving Tian Aixiang to grind her teeth in frustration. After a moment’s thought, she crept over to the window to eavesdrop.