When Grandma Qin learned the truth, she almost cried herself to death.

"What sins have I committed? Why did I have to ask you to go to the river? If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have fallen into the river. It's my fault, it's all my fault. I'm so sorry to my youngest son, so sorry to him, sob sob sob..."

Seeing that Grandma Qin was crying, Qin Yue cried even louder, "It's my fault, it's not Grandma's fault. Grandma only let my sister accompany me because of me. It was my fault that my sister fell into the river, sob sob sob..."

"Xiaoyue, sob sob..."

"Grandma, sob sob..."

The grandmother and granddaughter embraced and wept uncontrollably, while Qin Xiaoxiao, lying between them, remained speechless.

You two have had enough. Can you go cry somewhere else? There's a patient in the middle of us. Please consider how I feel!

Old Mrs. Qin cried for a while, and then fell seriously ill because of self-blame.

Qin Yue also fell ill; she was terrified and had a persistent high fever.

Qin Xiaoxiao was alright, but not everyone can withstand the icy cold of winter. She didn't get burned, but with a body temperature of 38.6 degrees Celsius, getting out of bed was out of the question.

Qin Ye and Qin Ming were in good health and there was nothing seriously wrong, but Ma Dahua was afraid that they would push themselves too hard, so she gave them a strict order: they were not allowed to leave the house and had to stay inside for a whole day, drink two large bowls of ginger and brown sugar water, and be observed for 24 hours before they could come out.

The doctor prescribed medicine for several patients and left only after confirming that there wouldn't be any major problems. While Qin Yue and Old Madam Qin were asleep, Qin Xiaoxiao drank a bowl of spiritual spring water for herself and secretly poured half a bowl into the water bowls that Old Madam Qin and Qin Yue were drinking from.

Qin Xiaoxiao is definitely not allowed to return to the educated youth compound in her current state, and she doesn't even dare to mention it. Whenever Grandma Qin is awake, she looks at her with red eyes and a guilty look. Grandma Qin even follows her to the toilet, for fear that something else might happen to her.

Qin Xiaoxiao was too afraid to go anywhere because of her grandmother's condition. In addition, she was still sick and had little strength, so she could only stay obediently on the kang (a heated brick bed). Fortunately, Qin Yue was there to keep her company and help share the burden from her grandmother.

Qin Aiguo called Qin Hai, and that very evening, the couple rushed back with a bunch of things.

How is my little one? Is she still running a fever?

As soon as Sun Zhirou entered the courtyard, she grabbed Ma Dahua and asked her questions, showing no concern whatsoever for her daughter and son, who were also running high fevers.

Ma Dahua laughed and said, "Don't worry, everything's fine now. Xiaoyue and Qin Ming are both okay. Xiaoyue's fever has gone down a bit. We'll see if she gets a fever again in the middle of the night after she takes her medicine."

Sun Zhirou's attention wasn't on her daughter; she was still asking Qin Xiaoxiao, "Where's Xiaoxiao? Will she still have a fever tonight?"

Ma Dahua frowned. "I think we still have to set it on fire. After all, we fell into an ice hole. The river water is so cold that no one can stand it, let alone our little one."

The two entered the house as they talked. Sun Zhirou only glanced at her own daughter before rushing to Qin Xiaoxiao's side. Seeing that she was awake, she gently asked, "How are you? Are you still feeling unwell?"

Qin Xiaoxiao smiled and shook her head, "Second Aunt, don't worry, I'm fine now, my fever has gone down, what could possibly happen?"

Sun Zhirou disagreed, saying, "Let's check again at midnight. If the fever is still there, we'll have to go to the hospital."

After saying that, Sun Zhirou looked at her daughter who was sleeping next to her like a little pig. Seeing that her daughter's cheeks were red, her maternal instincts were finally awakened.

"Why is this child's face so red?"

Qin Xiaoxiao looked at Qin Yue beside her, "She still has a slight fever, but it's not as high anymore. I guess it's because the kang (heated brick bed) is too hot."

He pulled the blanket down a little to cool Qin Yue down, and after a while, Qin Yue's face finally wasn't so red anymore.

Sun Zhirou continued, "Xiaoxiao, your second aunt won't say thank you. You're all in my heart. From now on, you're my own daughter, just like Qin Yue. When you get married, your second aunt will cover all your dowry. What Qin Yue has, you will definitely have too."

Sun Zhirou was grateful to Qin Xiaoxiao for saving her daughter, and she was also concerned about her daughter's condition. However, it would be unreasonable for her to go straight to her daughter as soon as she entered the house without caring about Qin Xiaoxiao, her benefactor. Besides, Qin Xiaoxiao had fallen into an ice hole, while her daughter was only frightened. In comparison, Qin Xiaoxiao had suffered more.

After Qin Xiaoxiao finished tidying herself up, Qin Hai and Qin Feng lifted the curtain and came in.

Qin Hai, his eyes red, first glanced at his daughter, then looked at Qin Xiaoxiao.

Seeing that Qin Hai was about to cry, Qin Xiaoxiao quickly said, "Second Uncle is here. Come in and sit down. Is it cold outside? Did you and Second Aunt walk over?"

Qin Hai wiped his face, smiled and nodded, "Yes, we came on foot. Well, when we heard you fell into an ice hole, your second aunt and I rushed back. We planned to stay for two days until you were alright before going back."

Qin Xiaoxiao shook her head, "I don't need it here. You should spend more time with Xiaoyue. She was terrified today, and we don't know if she'll have a fever tonight."

"It's good that you're here. If the fever spikes again tonight, get him to the hospital immediately. Don't delay."

It's not a big deal for a child to have a fever, even a high fever. The real problem is a persistent high fever that doesn't go down, as it can easily develop into pneumonia. These days, if it really gets to the point of pneumonia, it's quite dangerous.

Fortunately, Qin Yue wasn't some cannon fodder female supporting character. Heaven was very kind to her; Qin Yue's fever didn't spike again in the middle of the night, and her temperature remained around 37.2 degrees Celsius. She should be fine after taking medicine for another two days.

But Qin Xiaoxiao developed a high fever in the middle of the night. Not only did the fever not subside, but she also became delirious and kept talking nonsense.

"Kill... run!"

"No, don't eat me."

"They're all mine, they're all..."

"Don't die, I don't want to die, help..."

"Help me... Grandma, help me..."

"Mom and Dad... Waaah... I miss you so much..."

...

After hearing Qin Xiaoxiao's words, the old lady Qin, who had been watching over Qin Xiaoxiao and refusing to sleep, couldn't help but shed tears again.

"My little one dreamt of her youngest son. She misses her parents. My poor granddaughter, why is her life so miserable? Waaah... Old man, what should I do?"

Grandma Qin was at a loss and subconsciously looked for Qin Aiguo, whom she could rely on.

Qin Aiguo sat next to Qin Xiaoxiao, watching her intently. His brows were furrowed, and his aged face looked as if he had aged several years overnight, with two more wrinkles appearing on his face.

"Qin Feng, go and bring the tractor over. We're going to the hospital. Let's take Qin Yue with us. She's had a low-grade fever. Let's not delay any longer. Let's get her checked out too."

Qin Feng responded and quickly went out to call someone to turn on the gurney. Ma Dahua and Sun Zhirou were busy packing things for the hospital. Qin Ye and Qin Ming were watching over Qin Yue, and their expressions were not very good.

The whole family sprang into action, and soon Qin Feng had a tractor brought over. Every member of the Qin family got on the tractor, except for Qin Xiaoxiao, who lay down while the others sat. Even Qin Yue, who was a little drowsy, just leaned against Sun Zhirou and obediently remained silent.