’She didn’t want to put her heart into it, but she couldn’t be too careless either. After all, their two families were on very good terms now. And while the Shen Yi from her past life had been insufferable, the Shen Yi of this life hadn’t done any of those infuriating things yet.’

Shen Yi hadn’t expected a simple gift to put Qin Jiao in such an awkward position.

In truth, he had been hoping Qin Jiao would knit him a sweater by hand, just like in their past life. That was why he’d been planning to ask for this gift for a long time.

But Qin Jiao was focused on her studies now. ’She’s incredibly diligent,’ Shen Yi thought, ’often helping her parents with chores at home and even finding time to sell vegetables. Knitting a sweater would take too much time. Maybe a scarf, or even a pair of gloves, would be fine.’

’He would definitely wear them even when he slept!’

But unexpectedly, the Qin Jiao of this life was unwilling to knit him a sweater or scarf. Even though they saw each other every day, Shen Yi could feel that she was intentionally keeping her distance from him.

A purely platonic relationship as neighbors, classmates, and friends.

Nothing more.

She had even hinted for him to read Xu Zhimo’s poem, "By Chance." From that, Shen Yi guessed that she had probably realized his intentions and was gently rejecting him.

So, it was understandable that she was unwilling to give him a hand-knitted sweater or scarf.

She didn’t like him.

This realization made Shen Yi’s gaze darken. The beast suppressed within his heart roared, struggling to break free from its chains.

He took a few deep breaths, then said calmly, "Don’t worry about the gift. You can just owe me for now. Whenever you think of something, you can give it to me then."

Qin Jiao was taken aback. "A gift can be owed?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, then."

’Owed it is, then. It’s not a big deal anyway. Maybe one day when I’m out shopping, I’ll see something perfect for Shen Yi and just buy it for him.’

After putting the things away, Qin Jiao said goodbye to Mr. Du and headed home.

Shen Yi, however, remained standing in the courtyard. He watched her leave through the main gate, not moving, and listened as she returned next door and began sweeping the snow in their yard with her sister.

Although Qin Jiao’s refusal to give him a handmade gift left Shen Yi feeling a bit defeated, his spirits lifted at the thought that as long as the gift was owed, a connection between them remained. That subtle feeling was enough to make him happy again.

**

A little over an hour later, Su Yun returned, looking upset. Qin Na was with her.

Su Yun made a point of cooking some porridge and packing a few things. After Qin Na took the items and left again, Qin Jiao walked over to her mother, who still looked upset. "Mom, what happened? Is Grandma’s illness serious?"

"I’m at my wit’s end with Third Uncle’s family! Your grandma’s illness wasn’t serious at first. She had a stomachache and didn’t think anything of it. Then the pain became unbearable, but your third uncle’s family didn’t even think to take her to a doctor. And your grandma, she was too afraid of spending money, so she tried to just tough it out. But can you really tough something like that out? She ended up fainting from the pain. A neighbor couldn’t stand by and watch, so they called your eldest uncle. He rushed her to the county hospital immediately. Any later, and she probably would have been gone."

’Qin Jiao didn’t remember her grandmother having acute appendicitis in her past life. But then again, in previous years, her parents would have already gone back home for the holidays by now. If her grandmother had felt even a little unwell, they would have at least taken her to a clinic to get checked out.’

But the old lady had doted on her youngest son her entire life. Even when she was sick and in pain, her youngest son didn’t take it seriously. She herself was also terribly frugal, wanting to save every penny for him. She scrimped on everything, even her own food, so her health was much poorer than before.

And now, look what happened.