Time flies, and it was winter of 1973.

Qin Yecai's sisters, except for Qin Shumiao, have all gotten married and haven't returned to the city for many years, so Lin Guodong has lost hope.

That winter, Lin Guodong also fell seriously ill. Over the years, Qin Shumiao had never bothered him and had always kept her promise.

Qin Shumiao had heard these past few days that Lin Guodong was seriously ill, and she was very worried because he had no one to take care of him.

After thinking about it for a long time, she decided to go find him. She didn't care what others said. Over the years, she had become very strong and never cared about what others said.

"Is anyone there? Is Lin Guodong here?"

"He's here, but he's quite ill right now. His cough keeps coming back, and he can't get up."

Qin Shumiao nodded and went to check on him to see how he was doing.

"How are you, Guodong? Are you still feeling unwell? It's so cold in your room."

"Cough cough, I'm fine, just a bad cold, nothing serious."

“How can this not be a big deal? You’ve been sick for three days now, and it’s getting worse. Let’s go to the city to get it checked out.”

"It's nothing, don't worry, I just got a bit cold in the winter."

Shumiao ignored what he said and started heating the kang (a traditional heated bed). Although someone was taking care of him, there were still many things that she was not as meticulous about.

I boiled some water for him and fed it to him. I decided to go to the team to find someone to take a look at him first.

There are now many barefoot doctors in the countryside who can treat illnesses, and Qin Shumiao is also afraid that if too much time passes, her condition will worsen.

She prepared porridge for him, and after watching him finish eating, Qin Shumiao braved the heavy snow to go out and find a doctor.

"Dr. Lin, could you please examine someone for me? He's in a rather serious condition."

"I'll provide you with grain then, is that alright?"

"Alright, alright, let's go check on him now, make sure he's not seriously injured."

Upon arrival, Dr. Lin prescribed a considerable amount of medicine, instructing Qin Shumiao to take it on time.

“Sapling, you came at just the right time. If it had been delayed for a few more days, it would have gotten serious, and we would have had to go to the city.”

"Thank you, Dr. Lin, for coming all this way in such heavy snow."

Dr. Lin had also heard about her story and admired her greatly, but at the same time, he felt a pang of regret, knowing that nothing could ever come of it.

"Then I'll be going now, you don't need to see me off."

"Well, I'll bring you some food in a few days when he's feeling better."

"No rush, you take care of him first."

Looking at Qin Shumiao's face, Lin Guodong couldn't help but feel moved. For so many years, he had thought that if she was willing to wait for him, he would take her with him when he returned to the city.

But right now, he himself is not sure if he can go back.

Qin Shumiao didn't care what others said; she just quietly went to prepare the medicine for him.

She tidied up the house and cooked for him at the same time, and the news spread throughout the village.

"Thank you, sapling. You've worked hard," Lin Guodong said, holding the medicine in his hand and looking at her.

"I never needed your thanks, and you don't need to overthink it. I'll leave once you're better, and it won't cause you any trouble."

“Let’s get married,” Lin Guodong said after a moment’s thought.

"You should take your medicine and eat properly. What did you say?"

Qin Shumiao was talking to herself when she suddenly heard him say something like that, and thought she had misheard him.

"I said if you're willing and think I'm okay, let's get married."

Lin Guodong repeated it again.

"You don't need me to take care of you, and you're saying this to repay me?" Qin Shumiao still couldn't believe it.

“No, when you told me you weren’t going to get married, I thought that if I could go back to the city, I would take you with me.”

"But as you can see, I don't know when we can go back. We've already wasted so much time, let's not miss out again."

"Life is so short. I was wrong before. We should cherish the time we have now."

"Sapling, will you marry me? I'm not marrying you because I'm moved by anything."

"I was indeed shocked by what you said at first, but over the years you have developed many good qualities: hardworking, conscientious, kind, and beautiful."

"I'm sincere, are you willing?" Lin Guodong was still very nervous, as this was the first time in his life he had ever confessed his feelings.

"I, I," Qin Shumiao was also very hesitant and conflicted. She had never thought of this before and thought it was impossible.

I was still a little confused when he suddenly said that.

"What are you saying?" Lin Guodong was also a little nervous, afraid that Qin Shumiao would not want to marry him.

"I do. We'll get married once you're better."

Lin Guodong nodded happily, looked at the bowl of medicine in his hand, and drank it all in one gulp.

I only realized how bitter it was after I finished drinking it.

When a person is in a good mood, they recover quickly from their illness. The villagers always see Qin Shumiao taking care of Lin Guodong.

I was originally looking forward to seeing them make a fool of themselves, but I never expected to hear that the two of them were getting married.