Upon hearing her say this, her grandfather's expression changed. "What are you saying! How can you be blamed?"

“When Ke Wei’er was little, that’s what the elders thought, isn’t it?” Xin Jiuwei said, her tone not accusatory, but rather somewhat disappointed.

She doesn't actually have many memories of visiting her maternal grandparents' house when she was a child. She only remembers that at the beginning, people like Qi Xin and her uncles weren't very enthusiastic towards her.

They didn't mistreat her, but they just didn't seem particularly eager to see her.

She and her sister overheard the servants talking, saying that whenever the elders saw her, they would be reminded of their younger sister who had died in childbirth, and they would inevitably feel sad.

Perhaps as time went by, the elders gradually came to terms with it and treated her as usual.

After all, she's just a child, so there's no reason to blame her.

But like their maternal grandfather, they could never forgive Xin's father. After all, the man who had vowed to take good care of his wife had caused her to lose her life while giving birth to their third child.

Xin Jiuwei has always been able to understand the feelings of her maternal grandparents, but having been given a second chance at life, she still doesn't want the two families to go down the same old path of never speaking to each other again and being harmed by Qi Huaiyu.

“Grandfather.” Xin Jiuwei slowly knelt in front of her grandfather, resting her head on the old man’s lap as she did when she was a child. “There are not many people left in the Xin family. In Yingzhou City, I can only grow up on my own with my older brothers and sisters. I feel so envious when I see my close friends hiding in the arms of their elders and acting spoiled.”

"After what happened with Qi Huaiyu, I realized I was afraid. You are my mother's blood relative, and also Wei'er's blood relative. Wei'er really hopes that when something happens, she will have her father, her maternal grandfather, her uncles, aunts, and cousin to support her, to unite as one, and not be broken by anything..."

She whispered, "Grandpa, I miss my mother so much."

The grandfather's eyes reddened, and he reached out to touch Xin Jiuwei's hair.

"You were frightened by what happened today, weren't you?"

Xin Jiuwei shook her head, "There are some, but with my maternal grandfather and cousin around, I'm not afraid of anything."

"Enough, enough," Grandfather sighed. "All those years have passed, but it was only because I couldn't get over the hurdle in my heart that I resented your father."

He helped Xin Jiuwei up and patted the back of her hand.

“You and your siblings are all grown up now, and we shouldn’t leave you without your maternal grandparents’ family to rely on.”

Xin Jiuwei sniffed, holding back her tears.

Qi Huaihe added from the side, "The Qi family has more daughters, and the two families are of one mind. This way, the cousins ​​will have someone to talk to, so that they won't encounter hypocrites in the future without an elder to help them see through them."

The maternal grandfather shook his head and laughed, "Look at your older cousin, he's mature beyond his years."

Xin Jiuwei also laughed, "My cousin is both scholarly and martial, and he's also very thoughtful. Just looking at him makes me feel safe."

The grandfather glanced at the two of them, seemingly lost in thought.

"Enough, it's time to turn the page on the past. When you go back, tell your father that our two families will celebrate the New Year together this year. I haven't seen Yao'er and Yunzhou in a long time."

Xin Jiuwei exclaimed with delight, "Grandpa, you're so kind!"

The maternal grandfather smiled and shook his head, pointing to Xin Jiuwei at Qi Huaihe, "Look at your little cousin, she's still a child."

Qi Huaihe smiled, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes.

Having chatted with her maternal grandfather and outmaneuvered Qi Huaiyu, Xin Jiuwei was in a very good mood.

However, she did not forget her other purpose for coming to Yuncheng.

After her maternal grandfather's birthday celebration ended, although she stayed in Yuncheng for a few more days, citing the fright she had suffered, she could not let the matter drag on any longer.

That day, Xin Jiuwei personally took Wang Qing and Mian Feng to the streets, using the clues she had previously gathered, to search for the divine doctor's whereabouts in the west of Yuncheng.

“Miss, look, these are the clinics I visited the other day,” Wang Qing said, pointing ahead. “They’re both open today. Do clinics and pharmacies in Yuncheng really have designated days off?”

Xin Jiuwei turned her head to look, but couldn't see anything special about these two ordinary medical clinics.

Just as I was about to look away, I suddenly saw a gray figure slowly approaching and stopping in the empty space next to the clinic.

It was an old man with a hunched back, carrying a large basket on his back. He put down the basket, took out a large piece of burlap and spread it on the ground. Then he took out one package after another of various medicinal herbs from the basket, opened them and placed them on the burlap.

After he finished arranging them, the medicinal herbs looked incredibly abundant.

"Huh?" Wang Qing exclaimed in surprise, "Miss, he's the old man who sold me the medicine that day."

Xin Jiuwei glanced at it a few more times, and was about to go over to take a look when several people angrily came out of the clinic behind her.

"You old fool, how many times have I told you? You want a beating, don't you?!"

They rushed over and, without saying a word, kicked the medicinal herbs on the burlap sack, sending many leaves flying everywhere. Once they landed, they trampled them underfoot.

"You don't appreciate our kindness and insist on having to resort to violence! Well, today we'll overturn your stall and see if you still listen to us!"

Xin Jiuwei frowned. These people from the clinic were too arrogant, completely disregarding the gazes of those around them. But judging from their tone of voice, it was more like they had reached their limit than that they were being domineering.

"Miss?" Mianfeng asked hesitantly, "Don't stand too close, or they'll hurt you."

Xin Jiuwei shook her head as she observed the old man in gray.

His gray hair was neatly combed back, and although he didn't look very well, his eyes were clear.

He remained silent as the group tampered with his stall, even taking out a pipe and smoking it while watching them trample the medicinal herbs he had brought to pieces.

As he lit his cigarette, a section of his wrist peeked out from his rough linen sleeve, revealing what appeared to be a dark birthmark.