Dajiang was overwhelmed with guilt at home. He reflected that He Shi hadn't known a good life following him all these years; he truly owed her. He Shi was outrageously wrong, but wasn't he wrong too? If he hadn't indulged her so much from the very beginning, things wouldn't have reached this pass. In the final reckoning, he bore the greatest responsibility for the current situation. That time, He Shi had been right in what she said about him.

If anything happened to He Shi this time, he would never know peace again. After all, she had followed him for so many years, borne him children, and despite all her faults, she had kept him at the very core of her heart all this time. Even after he drove her out, she always thought of him first when there was anything good to eat or drink in the Qingshan household. It was because she was saving the chicken soup for him that she had argued with Yuemei when Maomao was scalded last time. Even if he had to teach her a lesson, he shouldn't have been so heartless. What was he to do now?

Dajiang was consumed by worry. He hadn't slept properly for days. Every morning, before the sky even lightened, he went out searching, and only returned late at night after searching until it was pitch dark. But He Shi had vanished as if erased from the earth; there was no sign of her anywhere.

About five or six days passed. While Dajiang was agonizing at home, someone from the village came to his door. They said they had seen He Shi at a dilapidated temple about five or six li from the village. He Shi had merely said she was passing through and was on her way home. The villagers hadn't paid much mind until now, realizing Dajiang had been searching for her for days.

Upon hearing the news, Dajiang thanked the person profusely and hurried to the dilapidated temple mentioned. When he arrived and looked inside, there was no one there. Just as he was about to leave, he thought he heard some slight movement within the ruins. Dajiang turned back and searched the temple again. He finally found He Shi huddled in a small corner behind the temple’s main idol. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed unresponsive, only issuing a few shallow coughs. Dajiang called out, "He Shi!"

He Shi gave no reaction. Dajiang went to touch her; her entire body was ice-cold. If not for the faint breath under her nose, she might as well have been dead. Dajiang immediately hoisted her onto his back and ran toward home. On the road, he encountered Qingshan and the others, who were still out searching. Dajiang told Qingshan to quickly fetch a traditional physician while he rushed home.

At the village entrance, they ran into the entire extended family who were also out searching for He Shi. Everyone gasped when they saw Dajiang carrying He Shi back, seemingly unconscious. Thankfully, Dajiang confirmed she still had a breath of life in her, and the family immediately scrambled to help him get her home.

He Shi remained unconscious, her face frighteningly pale, her breath extremely shallow. Zhao Shi looked at her and pronounced grimly, "This is bad. He Shi might not make it. I don't know if the village physician can treat this. Dajiang, you and Erniu must quickly hitch the cart and take her to town, or it might truly be too late. I've seen people frozen to death; the dying look exactly like this."

Zhao Shi's words shocked Dajiang, leaving him stunned and frozen by He Shi's bedside, unsure what to do. Fortunately, there were many people in the house. Erniu, hearing Zhao Shi, quickly ran back to call Chang Geng to bring the horse-drawn cart. Ignoring Dajiang’s daze, Erniu hauled him onto the cart, fearing any further delay.

Erniu, Dajiang, Dasheng, and Chang Geng transported He Shi to town. Meanwhile, Qingshan had brought the physician. Upon hearing how serious his mother’s condition was, Qingshan was struck by a fresh wave of self-reproach, his eyes reddening. He immediately hurried toward town. Song Yuemei, beside him, was also racked with guilt, murmuring that she had seen how severely Maomao was burned and had lost control in her anger, never imagining things would escalate to this. She had assumed her mother would just go back to her father’s place to sulk, not that she would end up this way without even going back to apologize.

Huang Shi and the others lifted Maomao’s clothes to examine the child’s injuries. It was understandable why Yuemei had lost her temper; it had been a long time, and Maomao’s burns were still not fully healed. A large patch of skin remained severely swollen and red. Perhaps with the colder weather and the child moving around in thick clothing, the scabs had been rubbed open by the fabric. Seeing it now was alarming. Yuemei must have been heartbroken when she saw the scene. A child is a piece of one’s own flesh, after all.

Hearing Yuemei’s self-recrimination, Zhao Shi shook her head and said, "He Shi is here because of her own actions; no one else is to blame. I just hope she can pull through this ordeal. Otherwise, Dajiang will likely never have a moment of peace in his life." Zhao Shi sighed after speaking.

Hong Yun and Huang Shi also sighed, their minds too preoccupied to consider anything else. They waited in the courtyard. After a long silence, Zhao Shi suddenly asked, "By the way, Yuemei, I almost forgot. With such a major incident happening in your family today, where is Dongyu? We didn't see her when we went out searching the other day either. Where is Dongyu?"

Yuemei hesitated slightly before replying, "Dongyu is heavily pregnant and finds it difficult to move around. She’s been at home these past few days. Nothing is wrong."

Zhao Shi looked at Yuemei’s noticeably swollen abdomen, did not press the matter further, but her expression tightened subtly.

The group waited in the courtyard until after noon before Dajiang and the others returned. Zhao Shi and the women rushed forward to inquire about He Shi’s condition.

Dajiang reported, "The doctor said we were timely. If we had been two hours later, she would have been gone. He Shi’s body is weakened, and she will need a good period of convalescence, but she has managed to cling to life. Your sister-in-law is awake now; I’ll take her to the room first." As he spoke, Dajiang gently carried He Shi out of the carriage.

He Shi’s complexion was still poor, and she looked terribly weak. Seeing Zhao Shi and the others, she lacked the energy to speak, offering only a slight smile. In this state, He Shi appeared much more approachable than usual—at least the sharp, cutting aura she normally possessed was gone.

Dajiang took He Shi inside. The men, like Erniu, sat in the courtyard. Huang Shi and the other women went in to check on He Shi, offering a few comforting words to both Dajiang and He Shi before coming back out. Seeing that everything seemed stable, everyone departed, leaving only Qingshan and Yuemei staying behind.

Watching her mother-in-law in such a state, Yuemei felt genuinely uneasy. To be fair, while Yuemei could be fiercely formidable when provoked, she was not inherently malicious. She felt responsible for what happened this time. At He Shi’s bedside, she sincerely apologized, admitting she had been utterly out of line in her temper tantrum last time.