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

In the following days, Liu Xiong often came to Liu Yan's house, firstly to discuss the food stall with Liu Yan, and secondly to take care of Gu Xiao, whose hand was inconvenient.

Liu Xiong felt that Liu Yan and Nie Qianqian were women and not very strong, so they would be unable to take care of Gu Xiao properly. As her uncle, he felt it was his duty to help.

To this, Gu Xiao could only say that it was really unnecessary.

That day, Huang Zhenzhu was working alone at home when she heard a familiar female voice coming from the yard, "Zhenzhu, are you home?"

Huang Zhenzhu went out with a broom and saw her sister Huang Xiuxiu covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, frowning as she looked around.

Huang Zhenzhu asked in surprise, "Sister, what brings you here?"

Since her older sister married and moved to the county, she rarely returned to the village. She always considered herself a city dweller and complained that the village was dirty and smelly. She would only bring her brother-in-law, Li Rong, back to the Huang family home during holidays to celebrate with her family.

Huang Xiuxiu quickly followed Huang Zhenzhu into the house, then gasped for breath, "You have so many chicks in this yard, you have to clean it up more often, the smell is too strong."

Huang Zhenzhu was speechless. Her older sister was now suffering from the disease of affluence. Her yard was clean enough that there was no smell at all.

Huang Zhenzhu pouted: "It doesn't taste like anything. You're just being too delicate these days."

Huang Xiuxiu fanned herself with a handkerchief, placed the things she had brought on the table, plopped down on a stool, and squinted at Huang Zhenzhu.

To make housework easier, Huang Zhenzhu wore tattered coarse cloth clothes, a dark gray apron around her waist, and her face was covered in dust. She carried a broom in her hand, a typical outfit for a village woman.

Looking at Huang Xiuxiu, she was wearing clothes made by a tailor shop in the county. She wore a light purple jacket and a dark skirt. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with patterns, and the fabric was of high quality. She wore a shiny plain silver bracelet on her right hand and a hairpin inlaid with pearls on her head. She looked much more refined and energetic than Huang Zhenzhu.

When Huang Zhenzhu saw Huang Xiuxiu's gaze, she nervously gripped the broom in her hand, a feeling of inferiority welling up inside her.

Huang Zhenzhu and her older sister did not get along well. Huang Xiuxiu was prettier than Zhenzhu since childhood, and she was very proud and competitive. She always tried to outdo Zhenzhu at home.

When she reached marriageable age, none of the young men in the village were interested in her. She kept going to the county, saying she wanted to marry a city man. In the end, she got her wish and married a man named Li Rong, who worked for a wealthy family in the county.

By chance, Li Rong had once helped the steward of this family, Zhou, and thus got a job as a steward in charge of cleaning the outer courtyard. This job involved managing many people and handling many tasks, so naturally there was some extra income. Their lives were quite comfortable even by county standards, let alone compared to the people in the village.

However, when it comes to the really good job, it has to be kitchen purchasing. This job involves a lot of money and is the most lucrative, making it a very profitable position. However, Steward Zhou has not yet agreed to give the job to Li Rong.

Huang Xiuxiu pointed to the empty teacup, "What are you standing there for? Pour your sister a glass of water."

Huang Zhenzhu reluctantly agreed and was about to pick up the kettle to pour water, but seeing Huang Xiuxiu's appearance, she turned around and took out the tea leaves that Nie Qianqian had given her from the inner room, and brewed a cup of tea for Huang Xiuxiu.

Boiling hot water is poured into the teacup, the tea leaves swirl and instantly release their aroma.

Huang Xiuxiu took a sniff and sighed inwardly: This is truly excellent tea! The aroma is rich and complex, far superior to the tea she drinks at home.

Huang Xiuxiu was surprised; how could the Pearl family have such good tea?

She raised an eyebrow: "Was this a gift from the family Liu Xiong went to work for?"

Huang Zhenzhu remained noncommittal and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Huang Xiuxiu: "Look at what you're saying. It's nothing. I just can't come to see my own sister."

Huang Zhenzhu pursed her lips. She knew her older sister well; she wouldn't do anything without a reason. Visiting her out of sisterly affection? That was impossible.

Huang Xiuxiu pointed to the bundle with her right hand, "These are things I brought for you. Inside are some old clothes of your brother-in-law and me that we can't wear anymore, but they'll fit you perfectly. There's also some brown sugar and tea inside, all top-quality stuff."

When the topic turned to tea, Huang Xiuxiu paused for a moment, explaining that the tea she brought couldn't compare to the one brewed in the cup with the pearls.

In the past, Huang Xiuxiu would bring some things for Huang Zhenzhu during the New Year. Most of them were old things that she could no longer wear or use. She didn't really want to take care of her younger sister; she was just trying to get rid of them.

Huang Zhenzhu was angry with her sister, but even angrier with herself. Although she felt bad, she would eventually accept the gift. Not for herself, but for her children, these were things the family needed. When life was hard, how could she have any backbone?

But this time, Huang Zhenzhu didn't want it anymore.

Perhaps it was because she had been visiting Qianqian's house more often lately, but Huang Zhenzhu had some hope for the future and no longer wanted to suffer such handouts.

Huang Zhenzhu: "Sister, you can take these things back. We have everything at home, we don't need them."

Seeing her expression, Huang Xiuxiu assumed she was just being stubborn and said, "I know you're angry with your family. A few days ago, Mother came to the county to see me and mentioned the matter of Liu Xiong's sister's family and Liu Yan's family building houses. There was only a small problem with the gold and silver, but instead of mediating, you, as the older sister, had them sent back directly, disregarding Mother's reputation. Mother cried for a long time here."

Huang Zhenzhu's face darkened: "This isn't for building a house for my family. I have no face to ask Liu Yan to keep the two of them here. My brother-in-law has both face and ability, so why don't you ask him to find some work for the two brothers, Yijin and Yiyin?"

Huang Xiuxiu choked. These two brothers were reckless and unruly. She had asked Li Rong to assign them tasks, not to let them tarnish Li Rong's reputation.

Huang Xiuxiu changed the subject, "Never mind, how could your sister not know your difficulties? I've been trying to comfort Mother. Mother and daughter shouldn't hold grudges overnight. You have nothing to do these days, so you should go home and see Mother."

"I've come to ask you about something else."

Huang Xiuxiu immediately became alert and pricked up her ears.

Huang Zhenzhu took another sip of tea and slowly said, "There's an older brother I know at the house where your brother-in-law works. His name is Wu Tongguang. He's a kind person and works as a gatekeeper there. His wife left two years ago, and he's single now. He's been looking for a reliable person to settle down with. I was thinking that since Liu Yan is divorced, it would be perfect for the two of them to be a couple."

"Don't underestimate the gatekeeper position. He makes a good living and lives a comfortable life, much better than in the village. If Liu Yan marries him, she can enjoy a life of luxury instead of struggling in the village. We are all women, so we know how difficult life is for divorced women. How can a woman live without a man?"

“With such good conditions, she could easily find a woman in the county. But I thought Liu Yan was an honest person, and her current situation was pitiful, so I wanted to help her if I could.”

Huang Zhenzhu sneered. After going through all this trouble, she finally revealed her true purpose: she wanted to set Liu Yan up with someone.

If that older brother were truly a good match, would Huang Xiuxiu have thought of Liu Yan?

Without even thinking, Huang Zhenzhu refused outright, "Sister, don't even consider this. I'm telling you clearly, this won't work. Liu Yan isn't interested in finding someone else right now. She just built a new house and is living a comfortable life. You don't need to worry about her."

Huang Xiuxiu scoffed, "Just because you built a new house doesn't mean you're living comfortably! Pearl, you're too narrow-minded, staying in this village all the time. It's just building a house. Wu Tongguang has a big house in the county and shops too. You couldn't find such good conditions even with a lantern!"

She continued to persuade her, "How could a woman who has just divorced say she wants to find someone else? As her sister-in-law, you should understand this and take the initiative to help her make connections."