Twenty-three to settle the debt, with an extra portion of flour provided as a gesture of goodwill.

By the hour of the Rooster, Old Jin and the others had returned. Having barely eaten all day, they washed their hands and sat down to dinner immediately upon arriving home.

Jin Yan'an and the others were somewhat at a loss when they saw the long-absent greens on the table.

"Mother, aren't we saving the vegetables to sell for money?" Qiao'er asked, shoveling a mouthful of rice and an egg, savoring every bite.

"Yun'er gave me twenty taels today. We've paid off what we owed Uncle Changhe, Uncle Zhuzi, and the others, and there was still some left over. Your sister-in-law said you’ve all grown too thin, so we’re improving the meals lately to help everyone put on some weight," Zhou Yaru said in one breath.

Upon hearing this, everyone stopped eating and stared at Meng Yun in silence.

"Sister-in-law, how much did you sell those herbs for? You bought so much rice, flour, and fabric, and you still gave Mother twenty taels?" Jin Yanzhe looked at Meng Yun with sparkling eyes; she was a treasure trove!

"Besides earning over seven taels from the herbs today, I also saved a child," Meng Yun explained the situation.

"Saving someone... one hundred taels..." Jin Shan was left petrified. One hundred taels—his own savings had once exceeded that amount, but alas...

"Sister-in-law, do you know medicine?" Jin Yanzhe asked the most important question.

"I only know a little," Meng Yun didn't dare to boast.

"I thought that since you could forage herbs and save lives, you were a healer. Otherwise, my eldest brother, second brother, and father..." Jin Yanzhe fell silent. The hope that had just surged within him vanished instantly.

"Although I am not a doctor, I believe there will always be a way. Perhaps in the near future, we will find a solution," Meng Yun said.

"Let us hope so," Jin Yanzhe said, continuing his meal.

Everyone ate their fill. Meng Yun took out a rice bag and said, "Mother, when we pay back the money later, let's give five catties of white flour to each family."

"That’s fine. Five catties of flour is worth nearly fifty wen; if we give more, they probably wouldn't accept it," Zhou Yaru agreed. Jin Shan nodded as well.

"Mother, Achuan and I are going into the mountains to forage for herbs again tomorrow. If we are back late, please don't worry," Meng Yun said, preemptively calming her mother-in-law.

"But the mountains... they are too dangerous." The thought that her daughter-in-law had to risk her life in the deep mountains to forage for herbs made Zhou Yaru’s heart feel incredibly heavy.

"Mother, don't worry, I will be careful," Meng Yun promised.

Zhou Yaru glanced at Jin Yanchuan. She wanted to ask if Achuan could stay behind—not only was he frail, but his mental faculties were also lacking.

"Mother, I want to go," Jin Yanchuan immediately declared his determination.

"Then you must watch your safety," Zhou Yaru felt that besides this, there was nothing else she could say.

Qiao'er brought over a measuring tape to take measurements for the family's clothes. Meng Yun continued to paint a bright picture of the future, filling everyone with hope.

While the Jin family was in a harmonious state, the Meng family in Meng Village became the focus of the entire village once again.

Early in the morning, Mrs. Bao woke up with a splitting headache. As she got dressed and reached under her pillow, her pain intensified. She flung the pillow away in a rage; the pouch she wore every day was gone.

"Oh my, Old Man, get up! We’ve been robbed!" Her scream was heard by everyone in the courtyard.

The three households woke up one by one, all discovering the disorder in their rooms.

"My silver!"
"Which god-forsaken thief stole my money!"
"It’s over, it’s all gone!"

The wives of the three households wailed. "Mother! Our rooms have been robbed! You have to seek justice for us!" They cried in unison, making it seem as though Mrs. Bao herself had passed away.

When the daughters-in-law entered the old woman's room and saw her staring at the ransacked chest, they stopped crying.

"Mother, let's report this to the authorities," Feng Cailian suggested. "Yes, Mother, report it," Liu Hehua echoed.

"Fine. Eldest, go to town and report this immediately," Mrs. Bao said, her heart so pained that she lacked the strength to speak. Meng the Eldest didn't even have time to eat and hurried off to town.

Fortunately, the thief only took money, leaving the kitchen untouched, so the three wives prepared breakfast. The grandchildren were terrified to speak, fearing they would be beaten by the maddened women.

When the meal was ready, everyone ate in silence. "What is going on with Yuqing? Does she need an invitation to eat?" Mrs. Bao slammed the table in anger.

Feng Cailian signaled her youngest daughter, Meng Ting, to check. The girl scurried off and returned shortly after. "Mother, Eldest Sister is not in her room!"

"Not in her room?" Feng Cailian dropped her chopsticks and ran to Jiang Yuqing’s room. Indeed, the bed was empty, and even the quilt was gone.

"Yuqing, Yuqing..." Feng Cailian called out anxiously. Receiving no answer, she felt a surge of blood in her throat. Her vision blurred, and she collapsed, the back of her head striking the doorframe. She began to bleed immediately.

"It’s bad! Mother has fallen and is bleeding everywhere!" Meng Ting ran into the courtyard, crying for help.

The entire household rushed to the room, seeing Feng Cailian lying on the floor in a pool of dark red blood. Mrs. Bao was startled; she hadn't expected such a terrible fall.

"Second son, go find a doctor immediately!" Mrs. Bao wasn't necessarily worried about Feng, but she couldn't let her die after everything else that had happened.

A long time later, Zhou Fugui was finally brought over. Feng Cailian’s breathing had become shallow from blood loss.

"This person... it’s looking grim," Zhou Fugui shook his head.

"Doctor, you must save her!" Meng Yougen begged, weeping.

"She has lost too much blood. How can I save her? Unless you have thirty or forty-year-old ginseng, or high-quality astragalus and codonopsis—which I don't have. You’d have to go to town to buy the medicine; one dose alone costs five taels, and she would need to take it for seven or eight days. That comes to forty taels of silver," Zhou Fugui explained.

"We don't have that kind of money!" Meng Yougen was stunned.

"Alas, there is nothing I can do," Zhou Fugui said, packing his kit and leaving without even asking for a consultation fee.

Meng Yougen carried his wife to the bed and wrapped her head with cloth strips. Feng Cailian, who had been unconscious, opened her eyes. "Yuqing, Yuqing..." Her voice was like a mosquito's hum, impossible to understand. The children sobbed, helpless to do anything for their mother.

The other daughters-in-law watched, terrified by how someone who had been lively just that morning could be fading away so quickly.

"Mother..." Meng Yougen looked at the old woman.

"My money was stolen, and besides, my entire life savings don't even add up to forty taels," Mrs. Bao sighed. It seemed Meng Yougen truly had deep feelings for Feng Cailian.

An hour and a half later, officials from the town office arrived. Two officers looked around but couldn't make heads or tails of the situation, simply telling them to wait for news before leaving. The report was as good as nothing; it was all for naught.

With the officials’ visit, the whole village came to watch the spectacle. Those living nearby had heard the commotion at the Meng house all morning, but now everyone knew: a thief had hit Old Man Meng’s house last night. They also heard that Mrs. Bao had lost over fifty taels along with silver hairpins, and each of the three households had lost about five taels of silver.