A peasant girl travels through time with a hospital, rising to become an empress.

As soon as she finished speaking, the woman couldn't hold back any longer; her shoulders trembled, and she began to sob softly.

Just then, Nie Qianqian walked into the shop and spoke softly:

"My lady, don't blame yourself. It's not that you have a bad temper, it's postpartum depression."

Liu Yan and the others were hearing this term for the first time and couldn't help but wonder: "What is postpartum depression?"

"Giving birth is like a brush with death for a woman. She is reborn, her blood and energy are greatly depleted, and she is physically and mentally exhausted. She cannot sleep at night and her mind is in turmoil. This is because she is ill both physically and mentally, and it is not that you are deliberately being picky. Besides, I just heard that your family suffered a shock during your postpartum period. How can you recover well with such an ordeal? You have postpartum depression."

Nie Qianqian paused, then softly described the symptoms:

"You're constantly restless, crying for no reason, feeling anxious and irritable, and having trouble sleeping at night. You look at your child with love, yet you often feel powerless and wronged, even feeling worthless. These are all symptoms, not signs of a bad personality."

The woman listened, tears streaming down her face, and choked out her sorrow:

Since this happened in my family after I gave birth, I haven't been able to sleep at night. The slightest noise makes my heart race, and I feel inexplicably restless and anxious. I used to be gentle and always smiling, but now I always feel powerless. I'm afraid I won't be able to raise my child well, afraid I won't be worthy of the title of "mother." I feel both love and panic for my child, and I think I'm going crazy, that I've gone mad.

Nie Qianqian gently comforted her:

"You are not alone; many women in the world suffer this pain after childbirth."

Nie Qianqian's words resolved the woman's inner conflict.

She realized that she wasn't insane, but simply ill, which made her feel much more relaxed and facilitated her recovery.

As the women watching listened, their eyes reddened and their noses tingled. They tried to hold back, but finally couldn't help themselves and spoke up, each word a long-held secret, the deepest secret in their hearts.

"For the six months after I gave birth, even though I had no sad events, I couldn't stop crying. I would wake up at night and stay awake until dawn, feeling an empty and panicked feeling in my heart, as if someone had ripped a piece out of me..."

"Me too. I love my child so much when I hold him, but as soon as I turn away, I'm afraid. I'm afraid I won't be able to support him, afraid I won't be a good mother, afraid everyone will think I'm being dramatic..."

"Back then, I always blamed myself for becoming stupid, lazy, and spoiled. It turns out it wasn't that I wasn't good enough, it was that I was really sick..."

"The whole family revolves around the baby. Everyone only talks about whether there is enough breast milk or whether the baby is crying. But no one ever asks me if I am in pain, tired, or uncomfortable..."

"I even have to choose when my child is asleep to break down. I don't even dare to cry out loud, for fear of being called immature, for fear of being called a spoiled mother..."

"This child is someone I risked my life for, yet sometimes I suddenly feel like I can't breathe, and I don't even have the strength to love him. I've even hated myself for being so useless..."

With each word spoken, those grievances that were usually too painful to express, too difficult to express, too uncomprehending to express, or too easily dismissed as pretentious, finally found an outlet at this moment.

Those unseen nights, the exhaustion uncomforted, and the struggles misunderstood are all laid bare at this moment.

What was originally intended as comforting one person turned into empathy and solace for a room full of women. The room was filled with sorrow, yet because they were finally understood, they shed the most liberating tears.

After listening to everyone's words, the lady gradually relaxed her furrowed brows, realizing that she wasn't the only one like this.

Liu Yan gave the woman several cans of milk powder for free and carefully instructed her on how to feed her.

The woman was extremely grateful and promised to repay the debt once she recovered, and that she would buy milk powder from her in the future to raise her child well.

After the customers left, the shop closed.

Liu Yan sat in the shop, staring blankly at the snow falling outside the window.

Nie Qianqian: "Mother, what's wrong?"

Liu Yan sighed softly:

“It’s nothing. I just used to think that my life was hard. But now, compared to others, I realize how many women in the world are having a harder time than me. I have a thoughtful and capable daughter like you, but there are still many women who are stuck in the mire and don’t even have a way to save themselves.”

"Qianqian, I've made up my mind. I won't go back to Qiyue Tower. I'll stay here at Tong'an Pavilion and run this business properly. This is what I truly want—to live a peaceful and stable life."

“When we were poor, all I wanted was to earn more money to treat Gu Xiao’s illness and prepare a bigger dowry for you. But now that you are capable, you can live a rich and stable life on your own. Besides, you are the daughter of the Grand Tutor, with a noble status. Now I don’t care how much money I can earn. I just want to do something truly meaningful that can help others.”

Nie Qianqian looked at her mother and nodded heavily.

She recalled that when Liu Yan first left the Nie family, her heart and mind were only focused on her, her daughter. She had no thoughts of her own and no hope for the future.

But things are different now.

Having moved from Qinghe Village, Fulin County, to Jining Prefecture, and tried various ways of making a living—from Liu's Little Restaurant, a street stall, to the once-famous Qiyue Tower in Fulin County, and now to the unassuming Tong'an Pavilion in Jining Prefecture—Liu Yan has finally found her own path through repeated trials and tribulations.

Nie Qianqian felt very gratified, but at the same time, she thought of A Ling.

Ah Ling is different from others.

Most of the other people in Qiyue Tower treated her as the owner or manager; only Ah Ling truly regarded her as the master.

When Nie Qianqian saved her life, A-Ling was completely devoted to her master. She had no other thoughts but to serve her master for the rest of her life.

But Nie Qianqian never truly treated her as a servant of inferior status; on the contrary, she treated her like a younger sister.

When she first arrived at Jishetang, Nie Qianqian took her to identify medicinal herbs and learn basic pharmacology to see if she was interested in medicine.

Ah Ling was intelligent and learned very quickly. She had a talent for pharmacology, but she started too late and still had a long way to go.

Later, at Yuejige, Ah Ling found what she was truly good at and interested in.

She was born with skillful hands and used to do the hair and makeup of the ladies in the mansion. Now, with her background in hairdressing, makeup, and medicine, she has become the fastest improving and best performing person in the SPA treatment area on the third floor. She has gradually become a leader trusted by everyone.

That sense of accomplishment and belonging was something I had never experienced before.

Ah Ling, with tears in her eyes, once said to her, "Miss, I think I've found something I like."

Nie Qianqian felt incredibly at ease at that moment.

She looked at Liu Yan and said softly:

“Mother, in fact, if a person can find something they truly love and are willing to dedicate their life to, it is already a great blessing. Many women spend their whole lives busy and confused. When they are young, they listen to their parents; after marriage, they listen to their husbands; after having children, they revolve around their children. In the end, they do not live for themselves at all.”

After she finished speaking, she looked up at the figure that had just appeared outside the door.

In the wind and snow, a person stood quietly at the doorway, holding an oil-paper umbrella.

Then Nie Qianqian continued softly:

"Furthermore, consider the fate of this woman before us. She and her husband were once loving and harmonious, but an unexpected turn of events left her husband crippled in both legs and passed away prematurely, separated by life and death. This shows how unpredictable life is, how fleeting human life is, and how precious fate is."

"If two people are truly in love and affectionate, they should cherish this opportunity and not let worldly views or their own obsessions hold them back. Otherwise, if they miss this chance, they will only be filled with regret and lifelong remorse."

Nie Qianqian's words seemed to come out of nowhere, but Liu Yan followed her gaze and understood everything in an instant.