But soon, a figure stepped forward, blocking his line of sight.
The man’s voice was icy. “Do you want to lose your eyes?”
Qin De snapped back to reality. He was about to flare up, but when he met the tall, nearly six-foot-three Sheng Zexi dressed in olive-green military attire, he immediately backed down.
A soldier?!
Why would a soldier be in Qin Tian’s home? And this soldier didn’t look like someone to be trifled with.
Qin Tian stepped forward and introduced, “Uncle De, this is Sister Gu, and this is her husband, Brother Sheng. Sister Gu can treat Grandma’s illness.”
What?
That pretty young girl could cure Grandma Qin’s tuberculosis? Qin De instinctively refused to believe it—how was that possible?
At the same time, he was puzzled. How did the Qin siblings even meet this military couple? Their appearance not only caught Qin De off guard but also disrupted his plans.
Recognizing that Sheng Zexi was not someone to provoke, Qin De, though still lusting after the beauty, didn’t dare linger.
“Alright, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. Xiao Tian, my offer still stands. If you change your mind, come find me. After all, Grandma’s illness can’t afford to wait.”
Qin De still didn’t believe the young beauty could cure tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis—even in big-city hospitals, it was rarely curable.
As Qin De left, Gu Jianing glanced at his retreating figure out of the corner of her eye, narrowing her eyes slightly.
After Qin De was gone, Gu Jianing opened her small medical kit and took out a packet of herbs. “I’ve prepared the medicine in advance. Go brew it for Grandma to drink.”
“Thank you, Sister Gu.” Qin Qing took the packet and went to prepare the decoction.
When it came to brewing medicine, the siblings were quite skilled. They had done it many times before when their grandmother was ill.
Gu Jianing then took out some needles. “I’ll give Grandma some acupuncture to ease her symptoms. It’ll reduce the frequency and severity of her coughing.”
“Ningning—may I call you that? Thank you for your trouble.” Grandma Qin’s eyes were warm and kind.
“Of course. Grandma, lie still. I’ll begin the acupuncture. Everyone else, please step out for now.”
The room was soon empty except for Gu Jianing and Grandma Qin. Gu Jianing swiftly inserted the needles. As she worked, Grandma Qin felt the heaviness in her chest gradually lighten. Her breathing became smoother, and the oppressive feeling faded.
Just as Gu Jianing finished the acupuncture, a *ding* sounded in her mind.
Then, flashes of images appeared.
In the vision, Qin Qing was kneeling by the bed, weeping. Grandma Qin on the bed had already passed away. More scenes followed—Grandma Qin’s funeral…
When Gu Jianing came back to herself, she sighed inwardly.
So this was Grandma Qin’s fate in her past life?
In the past life, without her treatment, Grandma Qin, suffering from tuberculosis, had died quickly.
In truth, Grandma Qin’s tuberculosis was indeed severe. Gu Jianing could confidently say that only she, with access to the medical knowledge of countless legendary doctors in her Divine Doctor Space, could treat it.
Otherwise, even in a big-city hospital with the medical standards of this era, given how long the illness had been neglected, Grandma Qin would have been beyond saving.
So, that so-called “Uncle De” had merely been deceiving Qin Tian.
And his true motives…
When Qin Tian re-entered the room, he saw Grandma Qin fast asleep on the bed.
Under his questioning look, Gu Jianing explained, “These past few days, the coughing must have kept Grandma from sleeping well. The acupuncture I gave her can temporarily suppress the cough and let her rest peacefully for now.”
“Mm, thank you, Sister Gu.”
“By the way, Xiao Tian, who is that Uncle De? Is he a relative of yours?”
When Gu Jianing brought up Uncle De, Qin Tian quickly explained the situation to her.
It turned out that this “Uncle De” was a distant relative of Qin Tian’s family—technically an uncle, but the blood relation was quite remote.
However, according to Qin Tian, ever since their parents left, Uncle De had been helping their family. He would even provide them with food during times when the three of them—Grandma Qin, Qin Qing, and Qin Tian—had nothing to eat.
This time, after learning that Grandma Qin had tuberculosis and that Qin Tian had no money to take her to a big city for treatment, Qin De told him about a furniture factory in Min City that was hiring apprentices. He claimed to have connections and could arrange for Qin Tian to work there, earning 10 yuan a month. Once Qin Tian became a full-time worker, his wages would increase.
Not only that, but Qin De also promised that Qin Tian could receive an advance of two months’ wages—10 yuan—as soon as he agreed to go.
“…Uncle De said that once I went, he would help my sister take Grandma to the big city for treatment.”
After listening, Gu Jianing’s eyes turned icy. “So you were planning to accept his offer?”
Qin Tian rubbed his nose and nodded, but quickly added, “But now that you’re here to treat Grandma, I won’t go.”
Qin Tian had only been desperate for money to save his grandmother. Now that Gu Jianing could cure her, he would rather stay with his grandma and sister if possible.
Gu Jianing understood Qin Tian’s filial devotion.
She patted his head and asked, “Earlier, you said your parents left eight years ago. In all that time, have they never contacted you or sent any money?”
At the mention of his parents, a trace of sadness flickered in Qin Tian’s eyes. He shook his head. “No.”
Gu Jianing fell silent.
But in reality, they had.
Yes—the moment she saw Qin De, flashes of future scenes had appeared in her mind.
She saw that, over the past eight years, although Qin Tian’s parents had never written, they had sent money every month—substantial sums, ranging from dozens to even hundreds of yuan.
But all of that money had been intercepted by Qin De, who had been pocketing it for eight whole years.
Eight years. In this era, that amount added up to a fortune.
If the Qin family had received that money, they would never have struggled so much all these years.
But the truth was, Qin De had stolen every penny, while Qin Tian and his family believed their parents had abandoned them without support.
And Qin De? He occasionally tossed them scraps, making Qin Tian feel indebted to him.
When in reality, with that money, the Qin family wouldn’t have needed anyone’s charity—they could have lived comfortably.
But Qin De wasn’t satisfied with embezzling their money for eight years. Now, he wanted Qin Tian dead!
The so-called “apprenticeship at a furniture factory” was nothing but a lie.
Qin De planned to sell Qin Tian to human traffickers.
When Gu Jianing saw Qin Tian earlier, she also glimpsed his fate after being abducted—he was beaten to death by traffickers while trying to escape.
As for the Qin family, Qin De pretended to take Grandma Qin for treatment, but in the end, she still died.
Qin Qing? She was tricked into going up a mountain by Qin De, who then pushed her off a cliff, killing her instantly.
When Qin Tian’s parents returned half a year later, triumphant and wealthy, all they found were the graves of their children and mother—and the brick house they had paid for, now occupied by Qin De’s family.
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