When Yi Roujing arrived at the clinic, that child had already been stripped of her clothes, changed into clean, warm old innerwear, and covered with a blanket. The nurse had also taken a few empty infusion bottles filled with hot water to warm the child’s hands and feet.

The doctor examined the child’s limbs and did some tests. The child’s hands and feet had sensation, so he breathed a sigh of relief. Her hands and feet could definitely be saved; she just needed good care afterward. The worry was that she might catch a cold after warming up.

Yi Roujing retrieved her own cotton-padded coat, quickly returned Han Xiangxi’s to her, and put on her own. She was still concerned about the child, so she went inside to have a look. The girl was very frail, but now that she was warm, a faint smile blossomed on her face.

"Hey, why does this child look a bit familiar to me?" Han Xiangxi wondered aloud, then clapped her hands, "Hey, isn’t this Pan Meixin’s eldest daughter?"

Yi Roujing was a bit surprised. Although she wasn’t close to Pan Meixin, Pan Meixin always dressed herself very properly, even warmly after entering winter. But the child, when Yi Roujing found her, was wearing only a thin autumn outfit, without even a cotton-padded coat. That didn’t make sense.

Upon hearing that this was the child of a nurse from the hospital, someone immediately went to inform her. When Pan Meixin came in, there was a trace of anger on her face, which Yi Roujing took in fully.

Pan Meixin’s expression changed rapidly, from anger to annoyance, mixed with a touch of disappointment. Finally, she dramatically covered her mouth and gasped, "Eldest daughter, eldest daughter, how did you end up here? Oh dear, didn’t I send her to her grandparents’ house? How is she at the hospital?"

There was no concern for the child from beginning to end. Watching Pan Meixin’s insincere face, Yi Roujing frowned. As a mother herself, she couldn’t stand seeing a mother like this.

"Meixing, is this really your child?" Yi Roujing asked, somewhat unsure.

Pan Meixing nodded, "Yes, she’s my eldest daughter. I clearly sent her to her grandparents’ house yesterday. How could she be at our hospital? This child really, wandering around aimlessly."

"This child looks only about seven or eight."

"She’s already ten."

The moment Pan Meixing said this, the look in everyone’s eyes turned. A ten-year-old girl who looked only seven or eight indicated that she wasn’t fed well. Looking at Pan Meixing, wearing a thick, blue cotton-padded coat, the little girl when found didn’t even have a jacket.

"Pan Meixing, I remember your eldest daughter came from your own belly, right?" Han Xiangxi spoke directly, confronting her, "You raised your own flesh and blood like this?"

"I remember your son is quite sturdy, at five years old even bigger than other kids of six or seven. Have you really favored sons over daughters to this extent?" Han Xiangxi couldn’t believe it.

"No wonder I always see your son, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen your eldest daughter. Turns out she’s being left at home to suffer?" 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Pan Meixing’s face turned red, mostly out of anger, "What do you mean, how am I mistreating her, I..."

"Skin-and-bones thin, without even a cotton-padded coat, isn’t that mistreatment?" Han Xiangxi said sharply, "If your whole family were like this, I’d have nothing to say, poor conditions and all."

"But look at yourself, dressed decently, that coat was just made recently, right? Are you heartless?"

Pan Meixing opened her mouth but couldn’t say a word.

When Luo Yueyuan arrived, she happened to hear Han Xiangxi’s last sentence. Upon seeing Pan Meixing speechless, it was hard to deny her disappointment.

Pan Meixing saw Luo Yueyuan coming and behaved obediently like a quail.

"Doctor Liu, how’s the child?" Luo Yueyuan asked with concern.

"It was discovered early, and Nurse Yi’s treatment was correct. After this long period of massage, the hands and feet are fine. The concern is that she might catch a cold after warming up," the young Doctor Liu said, "Also, the child is malnourished and needs a good diet."

"A nurse’s salary shouldn’t be low, right? Does Nurse Pan have many children or many elderly to care for?" Doctor Liu asked.

Pan Meixing stayed silent, looking down, while Luo Yueyuan spoke, "Please, Doctor Liu, take special care."

Doctor Liu nodded.

Luo Yueyuan looked at Yi Roujing with a gentle expression, "Thank you, Roujing."

"I didn’t really do much. The child’s future care is what matters now." Yi Roujing’s words were tactful, but everyone present understood. Pan Meixing’s face turned paler.

Luo Yueyuan gave Pan Meixing a look before leaving, and Pan Meixing hesitated for a moment before following.

Han Xiangxi, curious, said, "Why does it feel like there’s something we don’t know, but the Nurse Chief does?"

"Hey, I remember something." Han Xiangxi leaned towards Yi Roujing, gossiping, "It seems that the match between Pan Meixing and her husband was set up by our Nurse Chief."

"It’s been ten years, and I almost forgot. Mainly, Pan Meixing was already married when she joined the unit, and said she had a daughter. At that time, the eldest daughter was just a month old, but even though Pan Meixing had just joined, she treated us with candies. In the past, she seemed to treat her eldest daughter well until the son was born when everything changed."

"That might be something Meixing’s family, and Nurse Chief Luo know, and she’s likely called them out for some counseling," Yi Roujing replied.

"I remember Pan Meixing’s husband works at the textile factory, and he’s a regular employee. How can two salaried workers not afford to raise two children?" Han Xiangxi muttered.

"Even if favoring sons over daughters, after all, she is her own flesh and blood. How can one not love her, treating her like this feels too much."

Han Xiangxi’s eyes lit up, "Could it be the eldest daughter isn’t hers by birth?"

"Hey, that’s not right either; I haven’t heard that Han Xiangxi’s husband was remarried."

In fact, Han Xiangxi’s analysis was close to the truth.

Luo Yueyuan went directly to an empty place downstairs, and seeing Pan Meixing following behind, sped up her pace, feeling increasingly annoyed.

"What’s going on with you? Before marriage, you promised to treat the eldest daughter as your own, which is why I arranged this match for you. Are you trying to embarrass me now?" Luo Yueyuan said indignantly.

"Don’t forget where you got this job, and it was for the sake of treating the child well. What now?"

Pan Meixing’s face turned pale, and she muttered, "I didn’t do anything."

"Did nothing? The child ended up in the hospital, almost froze to death. It seems she was here since yesterday. How can you be a mother and not know where your daughter is, or whether she’s warm or not?" Luo Yueyuan’s voice grew louder with anger.

"If I had known you were like this, I wouldn’t have matched you in the first place."

Pan Meixing’s heart filled with fury, but it dissipated quickly. Things were settled; her son was born, and she stood her ground.

"If anything else happens to the eldest daughter, be it the police or civil affairs bureau, I will report you. If your job doesn’t guarantee a safe environment for the eldest daughter, then you might as well lose it." Luo Yueyuan understood Pan Meixing’s thoughts.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Pan Meixing panicked.