"Look at me, Auntie, I forgot to tell you, I’m Yi Roujing, Ancheng’s wife." Yi Roujing introduced herself, "This herbal soup is a prescription from Mr. Chu, a traditional doctor in Jing City, and the acupuncture points are also indicated by him."

Yi Roujing took out the prescription and the names of the acupuncture points she had copied down and handed the paper to Dai Zhenhua.

"Mr. Chu? Is he the director Chu Song of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Jing City?" Dai Zhenhua asked with some disbelief.

Yi Roujing didn’t actually know Mr. Chu’s name. Hearing this, she looked towards Xu Ancheng, who nodded, "Yes."

"Jing is a nurse, knowledgeable in medical theory. When Grandfather was alive, he was also a doctor at the hospital, and she learned a bit from him. Knowing that Auntie was coming and understanding your situation, she consulted Mr. Chu in advance for this prescription." Xu Ancheng replied.

"Thank you." Dai Zhenhua was somewhat moved. Mr. Chu is the director of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Jing City and rarely sees patients anymore, usually only treating people in the compound.

It’s rare for him to see patients, and his appointments are quickly filled. Li Honghua didn’t want to bother anyone, having seen countless traditional doctors over the years—one more wouldn’t have mattered. So she hadn’t troubled the family to pull strings, and didn’t expect this time to work out.

The herbal foot soak was at just the right temperature. Li Honghua’s feet were cold, and once she put them in, she sighed with satisfaction. At that moment, the extra people in the room were cleared out, leaving only Dai Zhenhua and Yi Roujing.

After Li Honghua soaked for a few minutes, Yi Roujing began applying needles, targeting areas above the knee that were not submerged in the water.

Li Honghua soaked for twenty minutes. After drying off, Yi Roujing applied needles to the calf area. Once she was done, Li Honghua was already a bit sleepy, her face showing a content and comfortable expression.

Since the beginning of winter, it was the first time Dai Zhenhua saw her mother look so relaxed. She felt very grateful to Yi Roujing.

Li Hongying prepared noodles, and Dai Zhenhua brought them directly into the room. After eating, Li Honghua rinsed her mouth, and finally, she couldn’t resist falling asleep. Dai Zhenhua tucked her in and then went out to eat the noodles.

"Auntie, your cooking is amazing." Dai Zhenhua was amazed by the bone broth noodles that Li Hongying made, finishing even the broth.

"Tomorrow, Auntie will make something else delicious for you." Li Hongying was very pleased, smiling as she asked Dai Zhenhua about her favorite dishes, and being the smart one she was, Dai Zhenhua also mentioned her mother’s preferences.

Li Hongying was satisfied and started tidying up. Even though she went to bed a little late that night, Ding Weihe noticed that his wife slept soundly, without dreaming or waking up, and woke up naturally.

Not only Li Hongying, but Dai Zhenhua also noticed her mother slept exceptionally well, without being woken by leg pain during the night, and slept straight until 7 in the morning—a full eight hours. Previously, she would wake up in the middle of the night and rise early at 4 or 5 in the morning.

Breakfast was lavishly prepared by Li Hongying, including rice dumplings, boiled soybean milk, apple porridge cooked in a crockpot, steamed meat buns, pan-fried omelets, and fried dough sticks—all laid out on a large table.

Seeing the alkaline rice dumplings triggered nostalgia in Li Honghua. She ate a small dumpling with the soybean milk, drank half a bowl of apple porridge, and ate half a dough stick, enjoying a rare hearty appetite. Seeing her, Dai Zhenhua happily ate a bit more as well.

"I didn’t expect apple porridge to be so aromatic and tasty. Apples are the most abundant fruit we have in East Province. Mom, when we return after the New Year, let’s make it like this." Dai Zhenhua said happily.

"Okay." Li Honghua nodded, "Little sister, if you have time, you should also visit East Province and check out my elder sister’s place."

Li Hongying nodded happily.

After breakfast, Li Honghua and her sister Li Hongying spent a good hour and a half in the room together. When they came out, both of their eyes were red, but their mouths wore smiles. Their relationship seemed even closer, as they could now walk hand in hand. Seeing this, Ding Weihe was so happy that his smile stretched to his ears.

Li Honghua took out a stack of red envelopes, distributing one each to Ding Anguo, Ding Anmin, and Xia Xingchen. Xu Ancheng and Yi Roujing received three in total, with a thicker one to compensate for the wedding banquet, and with Li Hongying nodding in agreement, everyone accepted them.

"Little sister, Zhenhua and I need to run to Red Star Lane to see my mother-in-law. Why don’t you and your brother-in-law come with us? They’ve never met my family, so let’s introduce them this time." Li Honghua suggested, and Li Hongying joyfully agreed.

Li Honghua indeed wanted to invite the whole Ding family, but since Red Star Lane is run by her sister-in-law, she couldn’t make the decision unilaterally, so she only invited Ding Weihe and the couple, Li Hongying.

Mrs. Dai wasn’t aware of Li Honghua’s situation. The first time they met, Li Honghua was thin, gloomy, and had trouble with her legs. Mrs. Dai lived with her youngest son and hadn’t seen her elder daughter-in-law for years. Knowing that they were returning for the New Year and that Li Honghua would bring Dai Zhenhua ahead of time, Mrs. Dai was quite happy.

When the four of them arrived, it was Ning Xinyuan who opened the door. "Sister-in-law, Zhenhua, you’ve arrived. Mom has been talking about you since morning."

After speaking, Ning Xinyuan noticed Ding Weihe and Li Hongying a few steps behind, seeing the resemblance between Li Hongying and Li Honghua. She paused for a moment, "Sister-in-law, who are these two?"

Ning Xinyuan had seen Yi Roujing and Ding Anmin before, but she wasn’t familiar with other members of the Ding family. During Lou Wenjian’s wedding, the Dai family was there, but only the younger members of the Ding family attended, so it was her first time seeing Ding Weihe and Li Hongying.

"Sister-in-law, these two are my family, my little sister and her husband. Since they live close to Huaixi County, I thought I’d bring them over to meet Mom and you all." Li Honghua said with a smile.

Ning Xinyuan, already mentally prepared, warmly welcomed them, "Come in quickly; it’s warm inside. Sit down, sister and brother-in-law."

Having been in Jing City and met many families, Ding Weihe and Li Hongying gained confidence and poise without being timid or unsophisticated. Seeing this, Ning Xinyuan was impressed. In Huaixi County, she knew almost all the families with standing, and for the moment, she genuinely didn’t know what they did.

Mrs. Dai was sitting on the sofa and, hearing the commotion, looked toward the door. When she saw a group of people entering, she immediately recognized Dai Zhenhua, as they had bonded during the National Day holiday.

"Oh, Zhenhua is here. Come let Grandma have a look." Mrs. Dai beckoned, and Dai Zhenhua walked over smilingly to sit beside her, affectionately calling her Grandma.

"Eldest daughter-in-law, you too, have a seat; don’t tire yourself, given your legs." Mrs. Dai put on her reading glasses to see more clearly and noticed Ding Weihe and Li Hongying behind them.

Surprised by the resemblance between Li Honghua and Li Hongying, she looked back and forth several times and asked in confusion, "Eldest daughter-in-law, are these your family members?"