Over on their end, Qin Jiao accompanied her father, Qin Zhonghui, as he completed all his check-ups, and then they went to see the outpatient doctor.

The doctor said, "Your hand will probably scar, but it’s not a serious issue. For now, apply the ointment regularly, don’t let it get wet, and it should heal up in about a month if you rest. Also, these test results show that while you don’t have any major health problems, you do have a whole slew of minor ones. And on top of that, you’re somehow malnourished."

Qin Zhonghui was in his thirties, the prime of his life. He was also a tall, strapping man, so the doctor was surprised to find he was malnourished.

Qin Jiao, however, knew the truth. ’My dad is incredibly frugal. When he’s away working, he secretly saves all the best food for his wife.’ Although he was careless, far too trusting of his parents and brothers, and neglectful of his daughter, at his core, he was a kind, soft-hearted man and a good husband.

It wasn’t that he didn’t care for his daughter; he was just a rough-around-the-edges kind of man who had no idea how to show his fatherly love.

After advising Qin Zhonghui to eat more meat and pay attention to his nutritional balance, the doctor said sternly, "You’ve already developed stomach problems. From now on, you need to eat your meals on a regular schedule. You can’t afford to go hungry, nor can you binge eat."

Qin Zhonghui mumbled, "I’m a cook. I don’t really have a set time to eat."

"That’s no excuse! You might think it’s just a stomach problem now, but if you’re not careful, it will get worse and worse. It could even become cancer! Just look at your daughter. She’s so young. Are you planning to make her shoulder your exorbitant medical bills in the future?!"

’Of course not.’

Besides, Qin Zhonghui knew he was the pillar of the family. The moment he heard the word "cancer," he was filled with regret and hurriedly nodded in assurance. "Yes, Doctor. I’ll definitely eat at regular times from now on."

The stern expression on the doctor’s face softened slightly. "Good. Also, you can’t drink excessively. A few sips now and then is fine, but you absolutely cannot drink heavily!"

"Yes, yes." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Seeing her father acting like an elementary school student in front of the doctor, Qin Jiao couldn’t help but smile.

When they left the hospital, Qin Zhonghui looked at the bill for over a hundred yuan and his face crumpled. "Sigh, that was so much money."

Qin Jiao said, "Dad, you have to think about it this way: spending a hundred yuan now will get this treated. If you don’t, and it gets worse later, you have no idea how many hundreds you’ll end up spending. Plus, you’d have to endure much worse pain than you are now. So, this hundred yuan was well spent!"

Qin Zhonghui smiled wryly. "Little Nine, I get the logic, it’s just... our family isn’t rich. Sigh."

"Dad, we need you to be healthy so we can earn more money in the future and our whole family can live a good life."

Qin Zhonghui felt his daughter was right. He nodded at once, his gaze firming with determination. "Little Nine, don’t you worry. In the future, Dad will definitely make sure you, your mom, and your sibling all have a good life!"

"Mhm!"

While they were wrapping things up at the hospital, Su Yun had successfully gotten her second older brother, Su Lei, to help handle Xiao Shi’s school enrollment. His wife, Sun Miaohong, looked at the gifts she’d brought, a smile crinkling the corners of her eyes. "Oh, Xiao Yun, you shouldn’t have. We’re family, all you had to do was ask. Why bring so many things?"

Despite the polite words, Su Yun noticed her sister-in-law was much warmer toward her than last time.

She thought for a moment. ’Little Nine was right after all.’

’People helping you is a kindness, not an obligation. Her second brother was her own flesh and blood, but his wife shared no such ties with her. It was only natural for her to have her own opinions on the matter.’

In the end, Sun Miaohong insisted that Su Yun and Xiao Shi stay for a meal, but Su Yun said, "My Zhong Hui burned his hand, so I had Little Nine take him to the hospital. We arranged to meet them at the county hospital later and then head home together."