That evening, the old man developed a low-grade fever and a persistent cough.

The night in the port city was noisy yet distant. Bai Ya quietly stayed by his bedside, listening to the trams clanging past the window. The sea in her heart was calm yet unfathomable.

When she returned, she found that the old man was ill, but he had always been healthy. Her pulse indicated that he had caught a cold. She didn't know if this family was behind it, but she didn't dare to relax for a moment.

After being given the medicine, the old man's complexion improved significantly.

The next day, she politely declined her aunt's suggestion to work in the kitchen of a restaurant she knew.

She left her two children and bodyguard to take care of the old man and went out to buy medicine.

As soon as she stepped outside, she noticed someone was following her.

She subtly led the person into the alley.

He slipped into a blind spot and, when the other person got close, pressed the gun in his hand against the other person's back.

"Who sent you?" Her tone was low and menacing, yet it sent a chill down the other person's spine.

He tremblingly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Miss, you must be mistaken. I was just passing by..."

Bai Yajing didn't believe a word of it. She smiled sarcastically and said, "Guess whether your mouth is harder or my bullet is harder?"

Realizing she really wasn't joking, the man in front of her was already sweating profusely.

Damn it! Wasn't it supposed to be this delicate woman? He calls this delicate?

"Miss, heroine! I was wrong! I'll tell you everything!"

Bai Yajing did not let go of the gun in her hand, but waited quietly for him to speak.

"Yes, a man wearing glasses approached me, gave me a thousand dollars, and told me to kill you and throw you into the sea!"

"Wearing glasses?" She remembered Bai Zhihua, whom she had met that day, and guessed it. Sure enough, money can be a powerful motivator.

Without saying a word, she knocked the person unconscious and waited until dark before leading them over the wall to the old man's room.

The old man woke up and saw the man and granddaughter climbing in through the window. He probably guessed what had happened, closed his eyes, and looked somewhat dejected.

"Grandpa, you guessed it?"

The old man smiled wryly, "I know my own body best. You've taken such good care of me that I rarely get sick..."

"Alright, alright, we've talked enough here. Do whatever you want to punish them. Let's go after this is over!"

...

The days passed by as the two families would occasionally ostensibly "visit" but in reality, they were trying to find out more.

That night, after the old man's coughing and wheezing subsided somewhat, under the lamplight, he tremblingly pulled out a small package wrapped in several layers of oilcloth from the lining of his new thin cotton-padded jacket.

"Nannan..." His voice was hoarse as he reached out and placed the item in her palm. "Keep this safe... It's something left by the Bai family ancestors... This is our only keepsake..."

The tarpaulin was lifted, revealing several slightly yellowed sheets of paper. These were the land deeds and house deeds for the ancestral home in the inland region.

There was also a parchment scroll with a map drawn on it.

"Back then... your eldest uncle and third aunt came here... I hid those things... I didn't let them know where they were..." The old man gasped for breath, each word seeming to have consumed a great deal of energy, "Originally... I wanted to leave them for Jingxing after you settled down..."

But this illness has made me feel increasingly powerless. I've decided to retire here. You should take this and the children back home!

Bai Yajing held the small package, her tone somewhat indignant, "So all the 'enthusiasm' and 'care' from my uncle and aunt came from here?"

Grandpa, I won't leave! We'll all stay and keep you company!

Bai Jingxing narrowed his eyes and glanced at the crack in the doorway. He gently threw himself into the old man's arms. "Great-Grandpa, we'll all stay with you. You'll definitely get better!"

Jin Yu also held onto the old man's hand tightly, saying, "Great-Grandpa, Mom's medical skills are excellent; she will definitely ensure that nothing happens to you!"

The old man patted their heads with a look of relief, but then sighed repeatedly, appearing as if he were terminally ill and beyond saving.

The two pairs of eyes watching from the shadows held greed, malice, and a hint of guilt.

I'm sorry, Grandpa, they really didn't know that the old man's health was so fragile...