Upon hearing Madam He’s promise, Madam Qin finally nodded with relief, “Then I thank you. Now I can rest assured. My child was born on the Lantern Festival this year, and I didn’t care for him well, so he is rather frail. If you raise him and he is fortunate enough to grow up, you don’t need to let him remember me; just treat him as your own flesh and blood, and let him take your husband’s surname.” Then she turned to Madam Zhang, “I wish to see the child one more time. Could you bring him closer?”

Madam Zhang quickly held the baby nearer to Madam Qin. Madam Qin lay semi-reclined, gazing at her child with infinite yearning. She reached out and touched his little face. After a moment of stroking, her hand suddenly slipped away.

Madam Zhang and Madam He looked and saw that Madam Qin’s eyes had closed. Seeing this, the tears they had held back could no longer be suppressed, and they streamed down their faces.

After a period of sorrow, Madam He spoke, “Third Aunt, Madam Qin has given me a child. Now that she has passed, I shall arrange her funeral rites.”

Madam Zhang objected, “That won’t do. You have only been separated from the main house for a short while, and you don’t have much spare money. I will handle this matter, Sister-in-law!”

“No, she gave me the child. If I cannot do anything for her, I will not feel at ease,” Madam He insisted.

Madam Zhang knew Madam He’s temperament, so she reluctantly agreed that the two of them would arrange Madam Qin’s funeral together. Madam He considered this for a moment before finally agreeing with a sigh.

Madam Zhang pondered for a moment; it was truly difficult for two women alone to manage. So Madam Zhang said, “I will go to your Second Uncle’s mill to see if I can find someone to lend a hand. You wait here first.” With that, Madam Zhang went out.

Madam He sat waiting for Madam Zhang, holding the child. Suddenly, she realized the infant had been completely still, eyes closed. Could something have happened to him? She quickly gathered the infant and hurried off to find a physician to check if there was any issue.

The physician examined the child and informed Madam He that the child had a fever and likely hadn't eaten for a long time, which is why he lacked the strength to move.

When Madam He heard this, her heart ached terribly, and she urged the physician on how to treat him.

The physician, aware of the whole day’s events and knowing both Madam Zhang and Madam He were kind-hearted souls, was moved. He kindly helped boil the medicine at the clinic and brought it to Madam He to feed the child. After giving the child the medicine, Madam He intended to ask the physician about the medical fees required for treating Madam Qin and the child, but the physician shook his head. “What you and your aunt have done is an act of righteousness and benevolence. At my age, how can I be inferior to you two? I will not accept any silver for the medical treatment. I only hope that in the future, you will treat the child well.”

Madam He quickly nodded, “Rest assured, Sir, I will certainly treat him well.”

The physician nodded, then wrapped up several packages of the medicine the child had just taken and handed them to Madam He, saying nothing further.

Not long after, Madam Zhang returned with Wang Qinghua, bringing with them a donkey cart. The three of them transported Madam Qin and the child back to Wangjia Village, heading directly to the old homestead.

At the old homestead, Madam Zhang and Madam He recounted the entire sequence of events to the elders. Although the Old Master was somewhat stubborn, he was fundamentally upright, and thus he quite approved of the actions of Madam Zhang and Madam He. However, he still disagreed with Madam He’s intention to register the child under her and Wang Qingshan’s names. In his view, even if Wang Qingshan and Madam He had no children, they could adopt a descendant from the Wang family; there was no need to adopt an outsider. What if this child turned out ill-behaved and refused to provide for the couple in their old age?

The Old Madam and Madam Tian were greatly displeased with what Madam Zhang and Madam He had done. Sending the person to the clinic was one thing, but now, having to arrange her funeral—how much money would that cost? And it was for a complete stranger. Thus, they were inwardly very unhappy, but seeing the Old Master’s approving expression, they couldn't voice their opposition.

After Madam He explained the situation, thinking the child hadn't eaten, she rushed back to her room, found an egg, and made a bowl of egg custard. Resolutely waking the child, Madam He looked at his half-open, weak eyes and felt a stab of pain in her heart. She carefully fed him the custard with a spoon. The child ate very little, only a few mouthfuls before closing his eyes again. Madam He had to save the remainder of the custard to feed him again later.

After feeding the child, Madam He took the infant to the room of the Old Master and Old Madam. Wang Qingshan had already returned. Seeing Madam He arrive again with a child, he immediately walked to her side and asked for the details of what happened.

Madam He recounted the events and then expressed her desire to adopt this child. Wang Qingshan already felt guilty toward Madam He, and upon seeing her wish to adopt this child, he resolved to fulfill it. Consequently, Wang Qingshan also spoke to the elders, saying that he too wished to adopt the child, as there would be someone to care for them in their later years.

The elders held less affection for Madam He, but they valued Wang Qingshan highly, so they gave serious consideration to his opinion.

The Old Master considered that finding a suitable descendant from the Wang family for adoption right now was difficult; even among the Wang clan members in the village, there was no suitable candidate. They might as well wait; Wang Qingshan and Madam He were not young anymore, and even if they waited, the child’s relatives might be reluctant to hand him over. It might as well be this child they adopt! With this thought, the Old Master ceased his objections.

Wang Qingshan and Madam He were overjoyed when they saw the Old Master agree. Once the head of the household had spoken, any further opposition was useless.

As for Madam Qin, the Old Master also agreed to help arrange her funeral rites. However, the Old Madam announced that the household did not have that much money.

The Old Master, hearing this, immediately understood it was the Old Madam’s way of shirking the responsibility, and he became somewhat displeased, almost starting an argument with her.

Madam Zhang saw the elderly couple about to quarrel and, fearing further complications, quickly announced that Madam Qin’s funeral arrangements had already been decided between her family and Madam He’s family to handle jointly.

Upon hearing this, the Old Madam did not confront Madam Zhang, as Madam Zhang still had money. Instead, she turned her dissatisfaction toward Madam He, saying, “You and Qingshan have only been separated for how long? You didn’t receive much of the family wealth then, and now you want to spend money arranging the funeral for an outsider! Do you even know how to manage a household?”

Madam He ignored the Old Madam’s words, simply stating, “Madam Qin gave her child to me. The least I can do for her now is to ensure her funeral is properly conducted. Therefore, I must see this through.”

Wang Qingshan chimed in, “Yes, Grandmother, she did give us a child after all.”

The Old Madam saw that Wang Qingshan had spoken, so she said no more, “Fine, do as you wish. I will not interfere.”

With the Old Madam’s tacit agreement, the two families busied themselves. Since it was too late to have a coffin built, the families purchased a pre-made one from the coffin shop, and they also hired monks for the rites. It took several days of work before everything for Madam Qin’s burial was completed.

Though Madam He was busy during these days, most matters were handled by Wang Qingshan and Wang Youtian; her main focus remained caring for the child. While bathing the child, Madam He discovered a piece of jade on his body. Madam He knew little about jade stones and couldn't tell if this piece was valuable or not. However, thinking it must have been left by Madam Qin for her son, and being the only thing she left him, Madam He re-hung the jade around the child's neck and resolved to keep it hidden from others in the future to avoid trouble.

The child was indeed as frail as Madam Qin had claimed. Even after the fever broke, he lacked energy and was not as lively as other children his age, which worried Madam He greatly. Wang Qingyun’s Gou Sheng, though younger, appeared much healthier at a glance. Madam He wondered if she should give this child a common, humble name (a jianming).

Eventually, Wang Qingchen couldn't bear it, finding the suggestions for humble names truly unacceptable. He proposed that Wang Qingshan and Madam He name the child Wang Shuquan, with Quan () being a homophone for Quan (, meaning recovery), signifying recuperation. Only then did Madam He give up the idea of a humble name, usually calling him Quan'er Quan'er, hoping to call her son back to full health.

Madam Yang also came to visit Quan’er. The child was very small and thin. Madam Yang had heard of his background and pitied him greatly. Just then, the Wang Youfu household was preparing extensively for the arrival of the child Madam Yang carried: small clothes, tiny shoes, diapers, and supplies for Madam Yang’s confinement. Madam Yang realized that since He’s family had just separated, they weren't wealthy, and after arranging Madam Qin's funeral, they must be facing further hardship. Therefore, Madam Yang selected some items from her home and brought them over.

Madam He looked at the things Madam Yang brought: several pieces of fine cloth, which Madam Yang had had Wang Qinghua buy earlier; these were very soft and specifically for making children's clothes. There were also diapers, two pairs of small shoes, twenty eggs, and some rice flour, which the Wang Youfu mill had helped procure. Generally, children the size of Quan’er were still breastfeeding, but given the current circumstances, rice flour had to suffice—this was Wang Qingchen’s suggestion.

Madam He felt there was too much and refused at first. It was only after Madam Yang persuaded her, saying she should think not just for herself but also for the child, that Madam He tearfully accepted. Afterward, Madam Zhang also sent over some items.