The improved female villains regained their memories.

"If you're back, get back to work. Go and sort out the herbs over there."

Yang Pingsheng didn't move, just watched silently, then knelt down with a thud.

Old Qian's expression remained unchanged, but his voice hardened: "Kid, you think this will make me waver?"

"That's not what I meant."

“You’re right. Business is business, so I won’t use sympathy to force you to do something. I just want to make a deal with you.”

Yang Pingsheng lay down, his head touching the ground, and said, "I'm selling myself to you."

A silence.

The sound of wind and snow outside drifted in, and the scent of vanilla seemed to have intensified. The pattering stopped, the old man coughed, and asked, "What do you want?"

"Human life is at stake. You saved Su Rouxue's life. For the rest of my life, I will be your servant. I will do anything you ask."

"That requires signing a contract of servitude."

Yang Pingsheng took out the written indenture from his pocket and presented it with both hands.

"I can sign if you are willing to save Su Rouxue's life."

Old Man Qian fell silent.

The wind and snow grew louder, and the old man remembered some things, some trivial matters.

-----

The ancestral hall, passed down through generations, houses the ancestral tablets, all neatly arranged.

The man knelt at the door, his eyes bloodshot, and kowtowed forcefully: "Father, I was forced into this situation!"

"You unfilial son, you rebellious son!!"

The old man trembled with anger, raised a hand as if to strike, but ultimately did not.

"You bastard! It's one thing to abduct innocent women, but now you've embezzled military funds. When you were caught, you didn't dare take responsibility and even tried to defect! You unfilial son, you unfilial son!"

The man kowtowed and wailed, "Father, I have no choice! Everyone does this. It's the city lord who dislikes me and wants to punish me, so he dragged me out. Father, I have no choice! I don't want to die!"

"You coward, you unfilial son! My ancestors, how could I have given birth to such a worthless son!"

"father!!"

The ancestral Guan Dao was brought out, and the man cried and howled.

The knife flashed, and the man kowtowed, not daring to get up. He didn't react for a long time, and only when he looked up did he see that the old man had already put down the knife.

"You go."

In the blink of an eye, the old man looked as if he had aged ten years.

"From now on, pretend I don't have a son like you."

"father……"

"roll!"

The man got up, left a bag of money, glanced at the old man one last time, and hurriedly left.

The old man sat there silently, looking at the memorial tablet.

His grandfather once accompanied the emperor on a distant expedition, reaching beyond the northern border.

His father spent his entire life stationed in the North, and during his lifetime, not a single barbarian dared to enter.

When it came to him, because he was not good at martial arts, he joined the army under a different identity. Later, he was injured during the suppression of the rebellion, retired from the army, and returned here.

The ancestral Guan Dao (a type of halberd) had become too heavy for him to wield.

When it came to his son, he had no desire to even try.

Everything is gone: glory, dreams, the journey.

The Great Yan Dynasty was founded on military strength, but by the time of his son's generation, there was little military prowess left.

He sat in the chair, staring blankly at the money on the ground not far away.

Its copper-coated surface gleamed, its light shining brighter than the gleam of his sword.

"Money is still the most reliable thing."

He sighed and disappeared into the wind and snow.

---

After Old Man Qian's pharmacy opened, everyone knew that this guy only cared about money, not people.

One day, a foreigner came to the door, saying that a pregnant woman was suffering from insufficient blood and qi after giving birth and needed recuperation.

That day, he learned that his unfilial son had not only abandoned his wife, but also his child.

The woman named Su Rouxue just gave birth to a daughter.

"That's your granddaughter," the foreigner said with a grin.

He was feeling extremely annoyed and didn't want to talk to them. The foreigner said a few words, and seeing that he was unmoved, he laughed and said, "You only care about money, not people, not even your granddaughter?"

"I have no son, so naturally I have no granddaughter," he replied coldly.

The foreigner handed over the money: "Then I'll treat you to this. You'll have to come, right?"

Who would turn down money? He took the money, stood up, and said, "Let's go."

In that drafty thatched hut, the old man met Su Rouxue and also saw his so-called granddaughter.

Her gray hair was exactly the same as the boy's; he inherited his mother's hair color, and now he'd passed it on to his daughter.

A rebellious son is still a rebellious son; even after he's gone, he still causes me no peace of mind.

"It's just a deficiency of qi and blood, don't worry. These medicines are packed for you. Boil them three times a day and drink them on time."

He spoke in a cold, hard tone, his face expressionless, as if he were looking at a complete stranger.

The woman nodded in agreement. As he left, he turned around and saw the baby in its mother's arms, smiling at him.

Su Rouxue smiled and said, "Say goodbye to Grandpa."

"Ah, ah, ah, hehe!"

The baby girl made unintelligible sounds and waved her little hands at him.

The old man stood outside the door, his hand out of his pocket, then pulled it back in after a few seconds.

He didn't even know what he wanted to do.

-----

Old Man Qian's pharmacy operates on the principle of recognizing money, not people.

He always sat in that spot, puffing on his pipe, making a clattering sound. Patients who came in would first be overwhelmed by the smell of tobacco before they could even make out the old man's face through the swirling smoke.

The foreigner came again, bringing the latest news about the mother and daughter.

Because her son ran away, the mother and daughter had no way to make a living. Su Rouxue took care of the baby girl while weaving straw sandals to sell. The mother and daughter relied on this to make a living.

He listened in silence, and after a long while asked, "What does this have to do with me?"

"What business is it of yours what your granddaughter is?" The foreigner was shocked. Was this even human language?

“I don’t even have a son, so where would I get a granddaughter?” he replied coldly. “Do you want to buy medicine? If not, then leave.”

"for you."

"what?"

"Time, address, she usually sells here around this time."

He stared silently at the address the foreigner handed him, and after a long pause, uttered a single word: "Get lost."

The foreigner left, and he sat there alone, continuing to smoke in silence.

Plop plop.

As the sun set, he put down his cigarette, stood up, and walked out.

Near the South Gate, Su Rouxue was sitting with a baby girl on her back, and some straw sandals were placed in front of her.

Sensing someone's arrival, Su Rouxue looked up, her eyes filled with joy: "Ah, it's you!"

He nodded indifferently. The woman hurriedly wiped her hands, stood up, and offered him a pair of straw sandals, but he refused.

"It's only natural to make money when you're doing business."

He handed over the money, picked up a pair of straw sandals, and his gaze fell on the baby girl behind the woman, who was sleeping peacefully with her eyes closed.

"What's your name?"

"Ah...you mean her? She hasn't decided yet."

He remained silent for a moment, then asked, "Where is her father?"

Su Rouxue's gaze dimmed, and she pursed her lips: "They ran away."

He said "Oh," and then added, "Then let her take your surname."

Su Rouxue looked up in a daze.

But he had already turned and walked away, only taking a few steps before stopping and walking back.

"I'll take all of these shoes."

Let's buy a few more pairs at once. He's getting old and doesn't want to go out anymore.

Buying a few extra pairs is just right.

-----------

Everyone knows that Old Man Qian runs a pharmacy; only money can get him to go out.

Otherwise, he would just sit there, smoking his pipe.

But today, he suddenly felt like going out for a walk, perhaps to change his mood, or perhaps to change into a pair of straw sandals.

He strolled around the neighborhood, but Su Rouxue wasn't there. Since he rarely got out, he figured he might as well walk around a bit more, so he headed towards her house.

As they walked, not far away, the little girl was looking down to take out money when a man took the opportunity to hit her on the head.