Qin Yan slept deeply, but just as the doctor had said, she developed a fever.
She whimpered in bed, uncomfortable.
Her little face burned bright red, and she sobbed like a scrawny kitten that looked as though it might not survive.
The old man beside her was so anxious that he kept thumping his cane against the floor.
Fortunately, the doctor had prepared for this.
After a round of treatment.
Gradually, the sleeping Qin Yan stopped whimpering in discomfort and sank back into a deep sleep.
She slept for a long time.
And Old Master Fu stayed beside her the entire time.
Before long, night gave way to day.
The little girl on the bed suddenly began crying as though something had frightened her, calling over and over, "Granny, Granny."
The despair and helplessness in her childish voice would have broken anyone's heart.
Old Master Fu, who had been reminiscing with a photo album in his hands, looked over and stroked her head.
"Why are you crying? Did you have a nightmare?"
Qin Yan's tear-beaded eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Seeing the person before her, she was still a little dazed.
Her tiny body lay curled up on the bed. Listening to the old man comfort her gently, she slowly raised her faintly trembling fingers to his face.
"It's Grandpa."
That tearful "Grandpa" melted his heart completely.
Old Master Fu picked her up, just as he used to hold his beloved youngest daughter.
"That's right, it's Grandpa. Don't be scared. Don't be scared."
Qin Yan leaned against him, warm all over.
Only after a long while did Qin Yan give a nasal murmur of agreement.
Meimei: [Don't be scared, Yanyan. Those bad people who bullied you will all be punished!]
If it had a physical body and hadn't run out of energy, it would definitely have helped Qin Yan fight back.
Speaking of which, it had only fallen into this world by chance, and its energy was nearly depleted. It needed to find some more.
While Meimei was still worrying about how to tell Qin Yan this, Old Master Fu had already changed her clothes.
He had sent someone out to buy them overnight.
It was a fluffy little cat onesie.
"You're too thin."
It would have been perfect if she were a little plumper.
Qin Yan carefully touched the clothes she was wearing. She liked them. They were warm.
"Come on, let's go eat."
It was mealtime.
When the door opened, the butler standing outside handed him a DNA test report.
It was the one for him and Qin Yan.
Old Master Fu's grip tightened for a moment when he saw the result on the report.
The two people tested were shown to be related.
She really was his granddaughter!
"Grandpa?"
Little Qin Yan tugged at his hand and looked up at him.
Old Master Fu answered her, then crouched down and hugged her.
Although Qin Yan didn't know what was going on, she stayed obediently in his arms.
She even noticed that something was wrong with his mood and patted his shoulder, comforting him in her sweet little voice.
"Don't be sad, Grandpa."
"All right."
Old Master Fu's voice was slightly choked.
This was his own granddaughter, the only child his daughter had left behind!
Yet this child had been swapped for a stillborn baby at birth and had endured so much suffering alone.
At that moment, Old Master Fu's heart ached beyond measure, and hatred began to grow.
He hated the person who had switched his granddaughter, hated the people who had abused Qin Yan, and hated himself for never noticing anything amiss!
"Don't cry, Grandpa."
Qin Yan's childish voice brought him back to his senses. Only then did Old Master Fu realize that tears were streaming down his face, and the little girl was looking at him worriedly.
He crouched down and stroked the face that resembled his daughter's when she was young.
The little child raised her thin, frail hand and gently wiped away his tears.
"Don't cry."
She comforted the old man with clumsy, childish words.
"Grandpa's fine. I just... just thought of some sad things."
Holding back his grief, Old Master Fu took her to breakfast.
The little girl was far too thin and malnourished. He needed to nurse her back to health.
Qin Yan ate slowly, her tiny body perched neatly on the chair with her legs dangling.
Her meal was a bowl of nutritious porridge.
Because her stomach was in poor condition, she couldn't eat too much meat or rich, greasy food all at once. For now, she could only rely on nutritious porridge and medicinal dishes to gradually restore her stomach's health.
The little girl, only three years old, wasn't picky at all, because to her, all of this was already incredibly delicious.
She was still a little reserved as she ate.
This place was worlds apart from where she had lived before.
Grandpa treated her so well that Qin Yan couldn't stop her tears from falling as she ate.
But she kept her head down, not wanting Grandpa to see her crying.
How could that escape Old Master Fu's notice?
"What's wrong, sweetheart? Doesn't it taste good? If you don't like it, Grandpa will have someone bring you something else."
Qin Yan shook her head hard, her tiny voice choked with tears.
"That's not it, Grandpa."
"It's really yummy. It's the yummiest food ever."
Everyone present felt their hearts ache at her words.
Damn it, what kind of heartless beast could have done this!
Qin Yan treasured every bite. She had become terrified of going hungry, so whenever there was food in front of her, she wanted to finish it.
But her stomach was tiny, and in the end, she ate too much and felt uncomfortable.
The attentive butler noticed and quickly brought her some digestive tablets.
"Come on, sweetheart. Keep Grandpa company on a little walk outside."
Old Master Fu also intended to take her out for a gentle walk to help her digest, and show her around her new home along the way.
"Okay."
Qin Yan obediently climbed down from her chair and hurried over to the old man with tiny steps, taking his hand on her own.
The old man led her out of the villa.
Qin Yan looked around, curious about everything, yet cautious as she took it all in.
What a big house!
As she gazed at the villa before her and the garden outside that stretched beyond her sight, her eyes grew much wider!
She said nothing, simply staying beside Grandpa and surveying this world with a kitten's curiosity.
Old Master Fu stroked her head. "From now on, this is your home."
Looking into the old man's loving eyes, Qin Yan felt warmth in her heart and a sting in her nose.
"Mm!"
She nodded hard.
Thank you, Meimei, she thanked the system Meimei in her heart.
Meimei had helped her find her family.
Meimei was deeply moved: [Sweetheart, this is the life you should have had all along!]
The little one really was so good.
After walking for a while, Old Master Fu began introducing the family members to Qin Yan.
"Yanyan, you have five uncles, you know."
He picked her up, sat on a stone bench beneath a ginkgo tree, and opened the photo album on his phone.
It was Qin Yan's first time seeing a phone. She was a little frightened, but mostly curious.
She nestled quietly and obediently in Grandpa's arms.
"Your uncles are all quite busy. Their work keeps them very busy too, so none of them are home."
"But I've sent them messages asking them to find time to come back and meet you as soon as possible."
"This is your eldest uncle. He's a businessman. He earns all the money for the family."
A man appeared on the phone, dressed in a sharp suit with his hair slicked back. His features were handsome and carried a hint of domineering authority.
Qin Yan blinked and called to the person in the photograph in her sweet little voice.
"Eldest Uncle."
Old Master Fu stroked her little head and nodded.
"That's right."
"Your eldest uncle is good at making money, but he's very stingy."
Old Master Fu's expression became rather hard to describe as he said this.
"He's a pixiu that only takes money in and never lets any out."
Of course, he was quite generous to those he considered family.
"This is your second uncle."
Before you continue