After returning to the capital, the eldest daughter saved her entire clan with her medical skills.

"Ru'er, my son, you're finally awake."

The old woman watched as her son, who had been in a coma for many days, finally woke up, and she held him and wept bitterly.

"Mom, what's wrong with me?"

A look of doubt flashed in Zhao Shiru's eyes. He felt like he was having a very long dream in which he kept hearing his parents crying. He wanted to wake up but couldn't open his eyes.

"My son, this young master said you were poisoned, but thankfully you have woken up."

"Poisoned?"

Zhao Shiru was stunned for a moment, his eyes flashed, his face turned cold, and he exuded an icy aura.

Those people finally couldn't resist and made a move against him, humph!

They think they can flaunt their status and humiliate him at will, but they've picked the wrong person.

He is not a pushover, to be molded and manipulated by others.

"Yes, it was this young master who saved you. You should thank him quickly."

When the old man saw his son wake up, a great weight was lifted from his heart, and he looked at Xue Ruanruan with gratitude.

"Thank you so much for saving my life, young master. I will repay your kindness with my life."

Zhao Shiru then noticed a stranger standing next to him and quickly thanked him.

Xue Ruanruan raised an eyebrow. Why did these words sound so familiar? It was as if she had said the same thing to Murong Xun before she died in her previous life.

Since his rebirth, he has been so busy earning money to prepare food and supplies for his father and brothers on the frontier that he has completely forgotten about his benefactor. He is truly ashamed.

I wonder if Murong Xun has sold that batch of goods yet. When he delivers the goods next time, I'll give him another bottle of Body Tempering Pill as a small token of my gratitude.

Those who owe him money will surely be repaid in due time.

But why did the young man in front of her look so familiar? It was as if she had seen him somewhere before.

Xue Ruanruan frowned as she carefully recalled her memories of her past life. There weren't many people she could remember, but this young man looked very familiar; she must have seen him in her past life.

His mind was ringing as if it had been shattered by a thunderbolt. The person in front of him was actually the same person he remembered from his previous life who was the top scholar.

Why would this top scholar, who should have been living a life of glory and high spirits, end up in such a simple and dilapidated farmhouse?

As far as she knew, the top scholar was the eldest son of the Minister of Rites, a man of great status. How could he possibly settle down in such a position? It was truly perplexing.

The reason she was so impressed by the top scholar was because she had once received a favor from him.

In her past life, the top scholar was handsome and dashing, quite different from his current appearance, which is why she almost didn't recognize him.

The newly appointed top scholar was personally selected by Regent Murong Xun. He was exceptionally talented and should have had a bright future, but Princess Yuli took a liking to him and forced him to become her son-in-law.

When the new emperor ascended the throne, the Xue family ran into trouble. Despite Murong Luo's fury, the newly appointed top scholar pleaded for the Xue family, but to no avail.

Later, he and Princess Yuli were estranged, and he became depressed and hanged himself.

Xue Ruanruan steadied herself and pretended to be nonchalant as she cleaned Zhao Shiru's wounds. Before leaving, she took out a porcelain-white jade bottle from her pouch and handed it to him.

"After taking the medicine according to the prescription, continue to take this medicine. It will have the effect of improving intelligence, strengthening the body and consolidating the foundation, which will be of great benefit to your son."

After explaining things to the old man, Xue Ruanruan went straight out of the yard; the calf still needed to be bought.

"Thank you very much, young master. I will repay your great kindness by serving you like a slave."

"You're too kind, sir. Let's go see the calves first. I have other matters to attend to and need to get back soon."

"Alright, I'll take you to the cattle pen to see those two calves. They were just born a couple of days ago, and I don't know if they'll survive. If you don't mind, I'll give them to you."

As soon as the old man finished speaking, Wang and Li immediately objected.

“Dad, if we raise the two calves a little longer, they can help with plowing and farming. They’re even easier to manage than strong laborers. You’re just asking to give away the calves we’ve worked so hard to raise. Your daughter-in-law won’t agree to that.”

Wang was already unhappy that her father-in-law had sold the family's two calves to pay for her brother-in-law's medical treatment. Now, the money was gone in an instant, and she was furious.

“Sister-in-law is right. The calf cannot be given away. It is the offspring of the old cow that my big dog and second dog feed every day. They should have a share.”

Li was no pushover either; with a few quick words, she claimed all the credit for herself.

Wang felt very uncomfortable after hearing this, but now was not the time to fight over it; she needed to persuade her father-in-law first.

“My eldest son, second son, and third son have also pulled weeds for the old ox quite a bit. My father-in-law’s heart is almost completely biased towards them, and he doesn’t even care about his grandsons anymore.”

While outwardly forming a united front, the Li and Wang families were secretly locked in a fierce competition, neither willing to yield to the other.

The elderly couple from the Zhao family weren't stupid; they couldn't help but show disappointment on their faces, which only strengthened their resolve to separate the family property.

Children grow up and become independent; let them live their own lives from now on.

"I apologize, young master. Please disregard what I said earlier. I'll take you to see these two youngsters right away, and we'll price them at 10% below market value."

The old man wanted to repay Xue Ruanruan's kindness, but his two daughters-in-law were unwilling, so he had to think of another way.

"Old man, there's no need to blame yourself. I never intended to take it for free. I'll just give you the market price, whatever it is."

She never intended to take someone else's calf for free, and after Wang and Li joined forces to make such a fuss, Xue Ruanruan wanted to just go home.

But the old man's eyes were full of pleading, and he couldn't bear it in the end, so he agreed to go and check on the cattle pen.

It was called a cattle pen, but it was actually just a simple pavilion built of adobe and wood. It was the dead of winter, and the calves were already frozen stiff, huddled in a corner unable to move.

"Young master, the calf has not been well cared for. I don't know if it can survive. Perhaps we should go and look for another family to help."

The old man really didn't want to make money like this against his conscience.

“Father, what are you saying? Our family is so poor that we can barely afford to eat. How can you turn away customers? Young master, don’t listen to my father. We’ll sell this calf.”

Wang, who had been reluctant to sell the calves, saw that the two calves in the cattle pen were almost frozen to death, so she decided to sell them as soon as possible.

As long as they give them the money, whether they live or die is none of their business.

"You guys... you're such shallow-minded fools!"

The old woman who followed her out was furious to see her daughter-in-law acting so irresponsibly and trying to cheat her savior.

Wang did not refute; as long as the money was in hand, she would say whatever she wanted.

"I'll buy the calves. I'll pay the market price: two calves for five taels of silver. Does the old man have any objections?"

"The price you offered, young master, is higher than the market price. Three taels will suffice."

The old man was an honest man; he had already inquired and found out that a newborn calf, just a month old, would cost between one and two taels of silver.

My two calves are not even a month old yet, and they've been freezing so badly. Giving them three taels of silver is already too much; how could I possibly accept five taels from my benefactor?