The five-and-a-half-year-old baby doctor comes to the city to cure those who refuse to listen.

As dawn broke, the clattering of pots and pans echoed through the Chen family's courtyard.

Old Mrs. Chen carefully wrapped Chu Chen's bag of money in a tattered cloth, layer upon layer, and stuffed it deep inside her bosom. She patted it down before feeling at ease.

"Erhai! What are you dawdling for! Hurry up and fetch water!" Old Mrs. Chen roared with a strong voice, her injured foot seemingly not hurting much anymore.

Chu Erhai emerged from the house with dark circles under his eyes and a look of utter despair.

He didn't sleep well last night.

He could see his hiding places for money being emptied one by one as soon as he closed his eyes, and then Chu Chen, that little devil, would be smiling at him while holding the money.

Chu Chen was woken up from bed by Old Mrs. Chen, who dressed him in the only old clothes in the house that were not patched.

"My dear grandson, let's go to the capital today! Let's go ask your grandfather for a mountain of gold!" Old Mrs. Chen's face was beaming like an old chrysanthemum.

Chu Chen rubbed his eyes, yawned, and looked like he hadn't woken up yet.

"Grandma, I can't walk..." he said, stretching out his little arms weakly.

Grandma Chen glanced at the gate of the courtyard and saw that some early-rising neighbors were already peeking in.

She gritted her teeth. For Jinshan, what did face matter!

"Alright, alright, Grandma will carry you! My eldest grandson is a lucky star, he's precious, we can't let him get tired!"

She bent down, and Chu Erhai lent a hand, helping Chu Chen onto her back.

Chu Chen's small body lay on Old Lady Chen's thin back, his head resting on her shoulder, and he could smell the sweat and medicinal oil.

"Let's go!" With a wave of her hand, Old Lady Chen carried Chu Chen on her back and headed towards the village entrance.

Chu Erhai, carrying a tattered snakeskin bag containing two changes of clothes and a few dry, hard cornbread buns, followed behind dejectedly.

This spectacle immediately attracted the attention of the entire village.

"Oh dear, Sister-in-law Chen, where are you going?"

"Carrying your grandson on your back? Has your personality changed?"

Grandma Chen straightened her back and announced triumphantly, "I'm taking my grandson to the capital! To find his maternal grandfather! His maternal grandfather is a high-ranking official in the capital!"

These words caused an uproar in the crowd.

"What? The capital? A high-ranking official?"

"That woman, Lin Xiu, has this kind of background?"

As they were talking, several gossipy women, who were usually fond of spreading rumors, gathered around under the big banyan tree at the village entrance.

The fat woman at the head of the group was the village chief's wife. She looked Old Mrs. Chen up and down and spoke in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh, isn't this Old Lady Chen? She was practically killing that mother and daughter a couple of days ago, and now she's all pampered? Your skin is thicker than the ground beneath our feet."

Another tall, thin woman chimed in, "That's right! Everyone knows you embezzled Lin Xiu's medicine money, and now that she's dead, you're trying to use the younger one to climb the social ladder? You've done too many wicked things; be careful you don't get your comeuppance!"

Old Mrs. Chen's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red. She was very concerned about her reputation, and being exposed like this in public made her tremble with anger.

Just as she was about to retort, Chu Chen on her back suddenly tugged at her ear.

"Grandma, she's insulting you," Chu Chen said in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"I heard it!" Old Mrs. Chen gritted her teeth.

"She said you're shameless and immoral," Chu Chen continued.

"Stop talking!"

"Grandma, she said you're greedy and will be punished. Aren't you going to scold her?" Chu Chen's voice carried a hint of doubt. "If you don't scold her, I won't leave. I'm tired, I want to go back to sleep."

As he spoke, his small body began to wriggle on Old Mrs. Chen's back, as if he wanted to slide off.

Go back? What about Gold Mountain then?!

Old Mrs. Chen was getting anxious; she was now completely under the thumb of this little tyrant.

She suddenly looked up at the gossipy women, and the suppressed anger and desire for gold in her chest erupted instantly.

"Pah! You fat, wretched woman! You dare to meddle in my family's business? What's it to you if I discipline my grandson? Do you care if your husband cheats on you? Do you care if your son sneaks around climbing over widows' walls every day?"

She exhaled in one breath without even panting.

The fat woman was completely stunned by the scolding.

Old Mrs. Chen then turned to the tall, thin man.

"And you! Horse-faced woman! You say I'm greedy? Last year you stole rice from your husband's family to feed your younger brother, did you think no one knew? You traitor, you have the nerve to talk to me? If you dare say another word, believe me, I'll expose all your family's dirty secrets!"

Today, Old Mrs. Chen seemed to be possessed by the God of War, transforming into the ultimate verbal sparring partner, unleashing a torrent of spittle that flew everywhere.

The villagers were dumbfounded.

The gossipy women were scolded until their faces turned pale and then red, and they couldn't utter a word for a long time. In the end, they could only slink away.

Grandma Chen won the argument and felt refreshed; even the wound on the sole of her foot no longer hurt.

She bounced Chu Chen on her back triumphantly: "My little grandson, see? That's how you deal with people like this!"

Chu Chen whispered in her ear, "Grandma, you're amazing! You're practically my online mouth double."

"What substitute?" Old Mrs. Chen didn't understand.

"It means Grandma, you're incredibly amazing!"

Grandma Chen was even happier, carrying Chu Chen on her back, walking briskly.

After a long and arduous journey, we finally arrived at the town's bus station.

The station was bustling with people, and everywhere you could hear shouts from all over the country.

Chu Chen slid off Old Lady Chen's back, sniffed the air with his little nose, and then pointed to a steaming stall not far away.

"Grandma, I'm hungry, I want to eat that."

Grandma Chen looked in the direction he pointed and saw a meat bun shop selling four for one yuan, which was considered a luxury these days.

She was about to suggest eating the cornbread she had brought when Chu Chen grabbed her sleeve.

"Mom said that Grandpa's family eats meat buns every day, and they would be unhappy if they smelled cornbread on me."

The moment her maternal grandfather was mentioned, Grandma Chen immediately cowered.

"Buy! I have to buy!" She took out her money from her pocket, her face scrunched up with heartache, but she still gritted her teeth and bought a basket.

Chu Chen took the hot meat bun, took a bite, and the aroma of oil filled the air.

He then pointed to a red can in the nearby convenience store: "I want to drink that too."

Chu Erhai leaned closer to take a look and saw that it was Jianlibao, one yuan and fifty cents a can! That was more than his daily wage!

"Mom, this thing is too expensive, let's just have some water!" Chu Erhai said anxiously.

"You don't know anything!" Old Mrs. Chen slapped him on the back of the head. "My dear grandson is going to meet an important person. Doesn't he need a good drink to boost his courage? What if he gets scared and can't speak? Who will Jinshan ask for help from then on?"

With a heart full of pain, she bought Chu Chen a can of Jianlibao.

Chu Chen held the Jianlibao (a popular Chinese soft drink) and took small sips, the sweet orange flavor spreading in his mouth.

After waiting for ages, the bus to the city finally arrived.

The bus was packed like sardines in a can, there wasn't even room to put your feet down.

Taking advantage of his small size, Chu Chen squeezed through the gaps in the crowd and snagged a seat by the window.

He sat down comfortably, looking at Old Mrs. Chen and Chu Erhai, who were squeezed in the aisle and could barely stand.

Old Mrs. Chen clutched the money in her arms tightly with one hand, while also holding onto the handrail with the other, and was jostled about.

Chu Erhai fared even worse; carrying a large bag, he was squeezed so much by a plump woman that his face was pressed against the car window.

The car started and slowly drove out of the station.

Chu Chen looked out the window at the dilapidated street scene rushing past, his small face expressionless.

The road to the capital is still very long.

And this path is your path of atonement.

He turned his head and looked at Old Lady Chen and Chu Erhai, whose faces were contorted in the crowd. A slight, almost imperceptible smile appeared on his lips.

The carriage was bustling with noise and a mixture of smells.

Suddenly, Grandma Chen felt a sharp, itchy pain in the wound on her foot. She looked down and saw that the yellow pus had soaked through the gauze, leaving a disgusting mark on the sole of her shoe.

She looked up and met Chu Chen's dark eyes.

His gaze was frighteningly calm, as if to say: This is just the beginning.