Xia Qingzhai's little dog—crossed out—wolf cub—has gone missing.

The temperature dropped again these past few days, and with the arrival of cold winds, many people in the village caught colds. In addition, people from neighboring villages, having heard the news, are coming to her almost daily seeking her medical help.

Because he came so often, even though the wolf cub usually hid and didn't come out to see people, quite a few people knew about him. Moreover, seeing how well-behaved he was, they liked him very much and always wanted to try to feed him.

But every time, it would disdainfully avoid me.

But for several days in a row, the furry little figure had not been seen. The villagers were curious and asked about it. Tongsu was writing a prescription and didn't even look up: "Its wounds have healed and it's gone."

"What? It ran away? Qingzhai, didn't you do anything about it? That was a wolf cub!"

Tong Su put down the pen she was writing the prescription for and said, "Yes, it's a wolf. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong with that! Wolf pelts are very valuable. If you don't like it, you can raise it, skin it, and sell it for a good price. If you think raising it is too much trouble, you can sell it to someone else."

Tong Su laughed, shaking her head as she laughed.

“How could I do such a thing! I brought him back to heal because he was injured. Why did I stop him from leaving? He is a wolf, he cannot be subservient to humans as a pet. He needs to experience the hardships of life, how can he be confined indoors?”

The villagers didn't understand, but they realized she genuinely wanted to release the wolf cubs, and they felt a pang of regret: "But what about all that silver..."

It's pure, hard-earned silver.

A faint smile flashed across Tong Suqing's clear eyes.

That morning, she got out of bed and the little wolf cub was nowhere to be seen.

At first, she thought he had run out to play, until Xia's mother screamed and she went over and found that there were several heavy silver ingots in the little nest where he had been sleeping.

Xia's mother asked in confusion, "What is this?"

Tong Su picked up the silver ingot. It was a small silver ingot, but it weighed forty or fifty taels. She laughed and said, "It's probably for food expenses."

Xia's mother didn't understand, because it was the little wolf cub who was rummaging around in the house and found the jar where money was hidden.

She rushed to check, but found nothing. She then searched the house inside and out and discovered that it was indeed missing.

"Oh, this little guy... is he gone already?" Xia's mother sighed, rambling on and on, not forgetting to comfort Tongsu, "Qingzhai, don't be sad, wolves can't be tamed after all... Even though it's healed and left, it might still remember you. Maybe you'll see it again someday..."

Tong Su nodded, smiled, and turned to comfort Xia's mother. Soon, the two returned to their usual routine, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, living a peaceful life of reading, seeing patients, and weaving.

Time flies like an arrow; it seems to pass especially quickly when there's no drama going on. In the blink of an eye, the New Year is here.

Tongsu and Xia's mother were alone, but the villagers all had a very good impression of them. Because it was still the mourning period for Xia's father, although there was not much celebration, they still had a peaceful New Year.

After the New Year, the county school will reopen.

Xia Qingzhai was a student who had passed the county and prefectural examinations. At that time, his father was still alive, and he was formally admitted to the county school and was a highly regarded student.

County schools were official schools established by the imperial court at the county level. The teachers there were called instructors and tutors, and they were all officials who were highly respected.

After Xia's father passed away, many people mocked and despised the widowed mother and weak children he left behind. Only the instructors and tutors were concerned about the original owner and did a lot of comforting and admonishing him.