Ban Qin handed a handkerchief to the young maid.
“Is it really hopeless?” she asked.
The young maid took the handkerchief and wiped her tears. After a few wipes, she came to her senses.
This was the handkerchief of that fool; would using it make her a fool too?
But she couldn’t throw away someone’s kindness right in front of them. She clenched the handkerchief in her hand and swallowed back her tears.
“Indeed, it’s hopeless,” she said. “Although the master won’t admit it and is still seeking doctors everywhere, the doctors who come don’t even prescribe any medicine. Madam has fainted from crying several times.”
Ban Qin acknowledged with an “oh.”
“What happened to Fourth Young Master? How did this happen all of a sudden? Since when did it start?” she asked carefully.
Facing a stranger, the young maid opened her heart and answered one by one.
“The complexion was red at first and then turned white?” Ban Qin guided her to confirm.
“Yes, we initially thought it was a fever, so we gave him medicine for a cold to induce sweating. But after he started sweating, it wouldn’t stop. His clothes got soaked one after another, just like they had been soaked in water,” the young maid said.
She paused here, looking at the figure still sitting quietly on the rock, her face covered by a veil, as still as a statue.
“She…” The young maid pointed at her and asked Ban Qin, “Is it okay for her to sit like that? Aren’t you going to take her back?”
Take her back? How would Miss treat your Fourth Young Master then?
Ban Qin thought to herself, “truly unaware of the blessing in front of her.”
“It’s okay, my mistress just loves sitting idly like this,” she said, urging the young maid, “And then? What other symptoms?”
Fools do sit around dazedly, eating and sleeping; the young maid let it go as well.
“Later, he became confused, sometimes cold, sometimes hot, and spoke nonsense,” she continued. At this point, she couldn’t help but cry again. “Fourth Young Master, such a handsome gentleman, suddenly became unrecognizable…”
“Whether he’s handsome or not is less enticing than good food,” Ban Qin thought, as what she wanted to know wasn’t that. She quickly interrupted.
“And then what did the doctor say after examining him?” she asked.
Why did she want to know so many details?
The young maid looked at Ban Qin with some suspicion.
“Since he’s ill, the doctors must have given some explanation, right?” Ban Qin quickly said. “They can’t all be clueless. It it that the doctors are not capable?”
“So many doctors, they can’t all be incapable,” the young maid retorted, forgetting her suspicion and continuing, “They said it’s due to excessive worrying, damaging his brain and heart… also, it hurt his liver and spleen or something like that… In short, they said his internal organs are all damaged. But how could his insides be hurt without any external injuries?”
Cheng Jiao-niang stood up upon hearing this.
The young maid was startled.
“She moved!” she exclaimed.
“My mistress is a person, of course she can move!” Ban Qin said unhappily.
The young maid looked a bit embarrassed.
“Are you going back?” Ban Qin asked meaningfully.
“Yes,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
“She spoke!” the young maid exclaimed again, pointing at Cheng Jiao-niang with a look of disbelief.
“Hey, my mistress isn’t mute!” Ban Qin said, very displeased. What kind of rumors were these people spreading about her mistress!
The young maid curiously observed Cheng Jiao-niang, but unfortunately, she couldn’t see her face through the veil.
She had heard that fools usually had crooked mouths and slanted eyes.
Ban Qin had already understood Cheng Jiao-niang’s hint and, suppressing her displeasure, pulled the young maid aside.
“I don’t know if I should say this,” she said.
“What is it?” the young maid asked.
Ban Qin looked around, then took the young maid a few steps away.
“I have a remedy that might save Fourth Young Master’s life,” she said quietly.
“What?” the young maid exclaimed in surprise.
Ban Qin quickly gestured for her to lower her voice.
“Don’t shout,” she said.
“Are you serious?” the young maid calmed down and asked, “You… you… you can treat illnesses?”
At that time, her mistress couldn’t leave the house or see patients in person; she had to rely entirely on descriptions of the symptoms.
Ban Qin would gather information about difficult and complicated illnesses from people on the street and relay this to the mistress. Based on these accounts, the mistress would determine whether she could treat the illnesses. Ban Qin would then strategically encounter the patients’ family members on the street, using her persuasion skills to bring them home for treatment.
Ban Qin had become quite skilled at handling these questions and doubts.
“How could I know how to treat illnesses?” she said with a smile. “You know, I grew up in a Taoist temple.”
The young maid nodded, as everyone in the household knew that the fool had been raised in a Taoist temple.
“The priests in the temple know some medical skills. I’ve seen them treat illnesses, and they’re quite effective. If you don’t believe me, you can ask around in Bing-zhou,” Ban Qin said earnestly.
Who’s going to travel that far to ask?
The young maid was skeptical.
“I’ll go back and write down the prescription for you. You can give it a try,” Ban Qin said.
The young maid didn’t respond.
“If you have this remedy, why not tell the master and madam?” she asked.
“I’m not a doctor, and I’m just a maid…” Ban Qin said, glancing at Cheng Jiao-niang, who was still standing by the rock, and continued with a slight smile, “The master and madam wouldn’t believe me. But you’re different. You’ve served Fourth Young Master since childhood and have a closer bond. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have secretly come here to pray.”
The young maid was deeply moved by Ban Qin’s words and grasped Ban Qin’s hand, shaking it as her eyes welled up with tears.
“Please take the remedy and use it. If anything goes wrong with Fourth Young Master, hold me accountable,” Ban Qin assured her, holding her hand firmly. “But if Fourth Young Master recovers, it will be your sincere blessing, and I will have played no part.”
Ban Qin’s firm grip and meaningful nod conveyed her commitment.
The implications of curing the fourth young master were clear to the young maid; her eyes shone with understanding.
Considering her position, the best possible outcome might be becoming the fourth young master’s concubine. However, half of her fate rested on the future Fourth Mistress. Yet, saving Fourth Young Master’s life would change everything!
The young maid’s breath quickened as she unconsciously tightened her grip on Ban Qin’s hand.
“Okay, I’ll give it a try,” she said.
Ban Qin nodded in agreement.
“Wait here for me. I’ll write it down and bring it to you,” she promised.
“Please hurry,” the young maid urged.
Ban Qin acknowledged and swiftly turned away. As she did, she teasingly stuck out her tongue at Cheng Jiao-niang.
Beneath her veil, Cheng Jiao-niang’s lips curved into a faint smile.
It wasn’t until they stepped into the courtyard that Ban Qin felt comfortable speaking.
“Miss, can you really cure him?” she inquired.
Cheng Jiao-niang gave her a glance.
Ban Qin grinned mischievously and playfully stuck out her tongue.
“You should scold me. If you say you can cure him, then you definitely can,” she chuckled.
Cheng Jiao-niang seated herself, and Ban Qin fetched a small table, paper, and ink, preparing to write down the prescription.
“However, Miss,” Ban Qin couldn’t resist saying, “with such an effective remedy, do we really need to give it to that maid? Wouldn’t it be better to convince the master and madam to trust us instead?”
“No,” Cheng Jiao-niang responded.
“Why not?” Ban Qin asked, knowing she wouldn’t continue unless prompted.
“Because some things are easier done than said,” Cheng Jiao-niang explained.
That was indeed a fact. Ban Qin chuckled as she looked at Cheng Jiao-niang. She always spoke the truth plainly.
