Upon learning that Ye Chenghong would return to Xuandu City in early January, and now with less than a month left, Old Master An immediately decided to set the date for An Yiqing’s homecoming banquet after Ye Chenghong’s return. The An Family intended to introduce their precious daughter to everyone in grand style!
In the week that An Yiqing spent with the An Family, she lived a warmth she had never experienced before. Her smiles were so sweet they seemed dipped in honey. Now, with loving relatives, a loving man, and her loving master, she silently vowed to become even stronger, to protect this hard-won happiness!
Ever since her daughter returned, Kong Shi took full charge of her daily medication, not letting Aunt Zhang lift a finger. But even so, An Yiqing still noticed Kong Shi’s health continuing to deteriorate. Were it not for the Spirit Spring sustaining Kong Shi’s well-being, her mother might have long since departed from this world. This realization greatly annoyed An Yiqing, who, despite her pondering, could not figure out how Aunt Zhang was managing her mischief.
The mother could see the worry in her daughter’s eyes and felt it ache in her heart. To ease her, Kong Shi decided to take her shopping for a distraction.
"Niuniu, Mommy is fine. Your treatment these days has made a lot of improvement to Mommy’s health. Besides, don’t we still have your ’Spirit Spring’?" Kong Shi said affectionately, stroking An Yiqing’s long hair and gently reassuring her.
An Yiqing of course knew that with the Spirit Spring, her mother would be safe, but Aunt Zhang was like a fishbone stuck in her throat. With the An Family’s influence, it would be easy to make Aunt Zhang disappear, but An Yiqing couldn’t do that now. They had no leads on the forces behind Aunt Zhang. Yiqing had asked Bai Wuchang to check on Aunt Zhang’s background, which turned out to be squeaky clean, with nothing suspicious to be found. Helplessly, An Yiqing could only continue to keep Aunt Zhang close at hand until the big fish behind her was caught.
In the mall, Kong Shi was excitedly leading An Yiqing around, eager to buy her everything.
"Mom, don’t buy so much; I won’t be able to use it all," the girl couldn’t help but laugh and cry at her mother’s actions, feeling both happy and helpless.
"You’ll use it, you’ll use it," Kong Shi was so excited that she wished to buy the entire store’s clothes, pulling her daughter’s hand and saying, "Niuniu, you can wear a different outfit every day. Mommy wants to dress my daughter up beautifully!" Looking at her graceful and refined daughter, Kong Shi felt proud but also a twinge of regret for the nineteen years she had missed, a void in her heart.
Sensing her mother’s wistfulness, An Yiqing gave a gentle smile and affectionately wrapped her arms around Kong Shi, speaking softly, "Mommy, you’ll have many more years to take care of me. Niuniu has come back and won’t leave again."
Looking at her sensible and well-behaved daughter, Kong Shi’s eyes reddened slightly. She was relieved as she stroked An Yiqing’s head. Though she had missed the most important nineteen years of her daughter’s life, she still had such a long future to make up for it. If only...
"Silly child, Mommy is getting old, and one day I’ll lose all my teeth and won’t be able to walk," Kong Shi said with a warm smile, tinged with regret.
The girl’s eyes flickered slightly, and looking at Kong Shi with a touch of helplessness, she whispered, "Mommy, have you forgotten that Niuniu is the Divine Doctor? Niuniu can help you live a long and healthy life!"
"Alright! Our Niuniu is the Divine Doctor!" Kong Shi thought her precious daughter was just comforting her and couldn’t help laughing along in agreement.
Seeing that Kong Shi didn’t believe her words, An Yiqing didn’t elaborate further and simply moved her plans forward on her mental schedule.
The mother and daughter continued their laughter-filled stroll through the mall when suddenly, they heard a loud shout from behind.