"Second!" Great Grandfather sternly admonished.

    This person was the second eldest of the grandchildren, aged eighteen, and considered a genius of the family.

    "Keeping her is just a waste, Great Grandfather. She can't earn money, nor is she useful for any work. Why keep her?" Second Brother disdainfully said, glancing at the small figure.

    "Second, don't forget that Uncle Nine has contributed greatly to our family. Is it so difficult to take care of his daughter?" the elder replied wearily.

    "I..."

    "Say no more. Seventeen is one of your sisters, remember that," the elder's voice revealed he was losing his patience.

    "If you insist on keeping her, I will no longer work for the family."

    "The Liu family has raised you well. Isn't it because of Uncle Nine that you have grown to be who you are today? Couldn't your father alone find such fine medicines for you to use lavishly? If you can't appreciate Uncle Nine, fine, but to be so heartless towards a little girl?" the elder concluded, breathing heavily from the strain.

    He was truly old.

    "You are useless, even a servant is more useful than you."

    Yi You bowed her head, but her eyes sparkled fiercely.

    She remembered those who were kind to her and those who were not.

    "Then, can I work as a servant? I can clean, I can sweep and mop," the small figure said hesitantly.

    She still couldn't live on her own outside and had the aim to access as many books as possible to assess what she could do in this world.

    In case she was driven out of the family one day, she would need to be able to support herself.

    "Hmph!" The second Brother flicked his wrist dismissively, clearly detesting her.

    Indeed, he had been taught to think this way.

    Lord Nine, Yi You's father, was a genius of this world, and when a genius arose in the family, they spared no resources to support him, which only made Yi You's father stand out more. But prominent figures often became the target of envy, including by some of his own siblings.

    As Lord Nine grew older, so did the Liu family's fortune, ensuring no one dared obstruct his path. At twenty, he was a sought-after match by many major families, yet he chose to marry a woman of unknown origin, like Yi You's mother.

    This was the start of intense hatred from more than half the family.

    "In that case, you can sweep and mop the floors in the Medicinal Hall and the Library," the elder said tiredly, waving his hand as a signal that everyone could leave.

    To expect a five-year-old to contribute to the family, I really want to ask, when you were five, what could you possibly contribute?

    The elder squinted as he watched the eighteen-year-old storm out of the room.

    "Father," Uncle Six hesitated, "if you let Seventeen clean the Library, wouldn't that give them more reasons to fault her?"

    Just one damaged book could be an excuse to drive her out of the family.

    "No one else is allowed to enter or leave the library," the elder instructed firmly. "As for the Medicinal Hall, there's nothing there she could damage."

    "Yes, Father," Uncle Six responded, then turned to look at the small figure who was sitting with her head bowed. He reached out and gently stroked her head. "Your father has only disappeared, not passed away. There might come a day when he returns to you."

    Uncle Six comforted her with these words before looking up at his father again and asking,

    "Father, should this box really stay with Seventeen? What if those people try to take it away..."

    "These items are things they no longer care about. The good things that your brother Nine left have all been used up. This is just for show and serves no practical purpose," the elder replied, his eyes flashing with displeasure.

    "Then I will take my leave," Uncle Six said as he bowed and then motioned for the small figure to get up.

    "I bid you farewell, Great Grandfather," the young girl said sweetly before being led out by Uncle Six. However, Great Grandfather’s voice followed them out, "Six, take Seventeen to see her grandfather once."

    "Yes."

    The uncle and niece walked past various houses until they reached a moderately sized one.

    "Seventeen, go in and pay your respects to your grandfather," Uncle Six said as he opened the door for Yi You to enter a room where a middle-aged man lay sleeping deeply on a bed.

    His pale appearance clearly indicated he was severely ill. Yi You glanced at Uncle Six and asked, "What’s wrong with him?"

    "Two years ago, your Grandfather Five heard news about your father and went out to look for him. Months later, he was found in this state in front of our manor. He has been in a coma for two years now."

    "And what do the doctors say?"

    "It seems his Qi points are damaged."

    Yi You nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation without needing to ask anyone else. She immediately scanned Grandfather Five's body, and what she saw shocked her.

    His life force was nearly extinguished, and not a single one of his 108 Qi points was open. Being unable to circulate Qi energy had left his body almost devoid of life. That he had survived for two years was remarkable.

    But if nothing was done, Grandfather Five would indeed pass away soon. The small figure turned to Uncle Six again,

    "Uncle Six, may I come to wipe down Grandfather every day?"

    The young man raised his eyebrows slightly before slowly nodding, "There are two servants taking care of him here. If you need help, you can ask them."

    The young girl nodded in agreement,

    "Alright, let’s head to the library now," and they walked out together.

    Yi You looked back at the figure lying on the bed with a complex gaze. She wasn’t sure how to feel, but this was her true grandfather.

    On their way to the library, they encountered several relatives. Some smiled at her gently, others looked at her with a mixture of pity and sadness, but many clearly showed their disgust. Yi You, however, did not care.

    What others thought of her didn't matter as long as they didn't cause her trouble.

    "Little girl, Seventeen," a familiar voice called out, making her turn.

    "Grandfather Three," both uncle and niece greeted the elder together.

    "Um, Seventeen, do you happen to have any more of those sweets?"

    Uncle Six, "...”

    Yi You "..."

    Grandfather Three, your principle is fortune favors the bold, isn’t it?

    "Grandfather Three, I can no longer fetch things from the kitchen," she said.

    "Oh," the elder nodded, "Then what do you need? I'll go get it for you."

    "Sweet potatoes, salt, sugar, fresh milk."

    "Alright, I'll bring them to you at the house," Grandfather Three replied before quickly turning to leave.

    That's it?

    Uncle Six looked down at the young girl, "What kind of sweets have you made that even Grandfather Three is lured by?"

    "..." I didn't.

    After escorting Yi You to the Library and the Medicinal Hall and offering a few more words of guidance, Uncle Six took Yi You back to her house, holding that wooden box in his hand.

    Inside the wooden box were several letters, love letters that her father had written to her mother. Yi You slowly read each one, feeling how deeply her father loved her mother, which made her somewhat envious because in her original world, she had never experienced love.

    Someone disabled like her, could she ever hope for someone to love her?

    Yi You read and smiled through all the letters before folding them and placing them back. The other items were of no real value except as tokens of her parents' affection for each other. However, among those items was one peculiar piece that seemed to have escaped the notice of the family members. Yi You looked around discreetly.

    No matter how she looked at it, it was an "egg."

    It appeared to be a single egg. Was it edible? She picked it up and held it to her ear. Hearing nothing, she tried shaking it.

    "Stop right there, you stinky face!"

    !!!???