Shi Wan put down her chopsticks. "Mom, Grandma Wang's house is far away. I have to leave now, otherwise it will be dark when I come back and I won't be able to find my way."

“Let your dad go with you. You haven’t been up there in years. Don’t get lost,” said Shi’s mother.

"Wait for me, I'll pack up and we'll go up the mountain together," Shi's father said.

"No need, Dad, you rest. I know the way. I'll go first." After saying that, without waiting for her parents' reply, Shi Wan picked up her bag and left home, hurrying up the mountain.

"Slow down, don't fall."

Watching Shi Wan rush up the mountain so quickly and efficiently, Mao Xiaomin was filled with worry.

"Dahua, you should come with us. Wan'er hasn't walked on mountain paths in years. What if she gets hurt?"

Shi Jianhua nodded: "Mom, I'll grab some things and head out."

Shi Wan carried her bag and walked onto the cement road.

The road is not easy to walk on. It has been in disrepair for many years and is full of potholes. If you are not careful, you may twist your ankle. Even a strong young man is in danger of getting injured, let alone the elderly and children.

About half an hour later, we arrived at the place I remembered. Perhaps the vision of childhood is different from that of adulthood. The thriving farmland of my childhood is now barren and overgrown with weeds.

When Shi Wan knocked on the big iron gate of Grandma Wang's house, it wasn't Grandma Wang who opened the door, but a little girl of about five or six years old. She looked very frail and stared at Shi Wan with wide eyes: "Who are you looking for?"

Shi Wan bent down slightly, standing at the same height as the little girl, and smiled politely, "I'm looking for Grandma Wang."

"Who are you?" the little girl asked again, tilting her head. Shi Wan was prettier than the other girls in the village, and the little girl couldn't help but stare at Shi Wan.

"I'm a doctor." Shi Wan tilted her head like a little girl, with a touch of childishness.

"There's no Grandma Wang here, only my grandmother and I," the little girl said in her childish voice.

“Then I’m here to see your grandmother. Your grandmother’s surname is Wang,” Shi Wan replied in her childish voice, her face full of patience.

The little girl blinked and asked, "No, I'm my grandmother's granddaughter. My surname is Chu. How could my grandmother's surname be Wang?"

Shi Wan smiled and said, "Then Auntie will ask you a question too: What is your mother's last name?"

"My mother's surname is Huang, and her name is Huang Xiufen."

“Your mother’s surname is Huang, and your father’s surname is Chu. You took your father’s surname Chu, not your mother’s surname Huang. So your father also took your grandfather’s surname Chu, and your grandfather took your grandfather’s surname Chu, not your grandmother’s surname Wang. Do you understand what I’m saying?” Shi Wan laughed after saying that. Why was she telling this to a child who was only a teenager?

The little girl seemed to understand, but after thinking for several minutes, she nodded and said, "Oh! I see."

Shi Wan opened her mouth, about to praise the girl for being clever, when an elderly voice came from the inner room: "Jinxiu, who are you talking to? This is the middle of nowhere, don't let the big cat catch you!"

Shi Wan raised her voice and called into the inner room, "Grandma Wang, it's me, Shi Wan from the Shi family. I've come to measure your blood pressure today."

"Shi, girl, come in by yourself. My back hurts, so I won't get up to open the door for you," the voice came from inside the room again.

"good!"

Upon entering, Shi Wan closed the door behind him.

Shi Wan patted the little girl's fluffy head and took out a box of chocolates from her bag: "Sweet."

The little girl took it, and following suit, took something out of her pocket, pulled Shi Wan's hand, opened it, and placed the item in Shi Wan's palm: "Here, have some."

When I looked at it later that evening, I saw that it was a plump, juicy jujube.

Even such a young child knows how to reciprocate. Shi Wan pinched the little girl's chubby cheeks and said, "Thank you, Jinxiu. You play by yourself for a while. Auntie will go and see your grandmother first."

"Yes!" Jinxiu nodded.

"Grandma Wang!" Shi Wan called out as she entered the inner room.

"My dear girl, you've become even more beautiful in the years I haven't seen you. Please sit down, let me pour you a glass of water."

Grandma Wang struggled to sit up in bed to greet Shi Wan with warmth and kindness. Seeing how difficult it was for Grandma Wang to get up and lie down, Shi Wan immediately stopped her.

"Grandma Wang, no need to trouble yourself. I'm not thirsty. I'll pour myself some water when I get thirsty. Let me check you first."

Grandma Wang held Shi Wan's hand and said, "Alright, make yourself at home here."

"Your blood pressure is normal, but you look pained when you get up and lie down. Did you twist your back?" Shi Wan asked while putting away the blood pressure monitor.

"It's an old problem. The road has been full of potholes from the heavy trucks these past two years. The day before yesterday, I was carrying Jinxiu back when I stepped into a pothole and twisted my back. Today it's cloudy, and my back hurts even more. I can't walk down to the clinic. It's nothing serious, I'll be fine in a few days." Grandma Wang sighed. Only this old Shi family girl still comes to see her. Normally, who would want to walk on such a road?

"I studied traditional Chinese medicine for a while. I'll give you a massage; that should help." Shi Wan sat on the edge of the bed, massaging Grandma Wang to relieve her muscles.

After a massage, Grandma Wang felt much more relaxed and said with a smile, "It really does feel much better!"

“You still need treatment. I’ll bring my tools tomorrow. After massage, I’ll do cupping and acupuncture. That should relieve half the pain,” Shi Wan said.

Grandma Wang waved her hand and refused: "No need, no need. My old bones are still strong. I can bear it. It will be fine in a few days. The road is already difficult to walk on. It would be too much trouble for you to carry things. You don't need to come over."

The road... definitely needs to be repaired. Shi Wan insisted, "They're all neighbors. I rarely come back to the village, so walking around is good exercise."

“Jinxiu’s parents and grandparents have all gone out to work, and I haven’t been out for two days, so there’s not much to offer you. If you don’t mind, take some jujubes from the tree with you when you leave. They’re homegrown and very sweet.”

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!