There weren’t as many visitors to Cheng Si-lang’s yard during the day anymore.
First Madam Cheng had cried until she couldn’t bear it any longer and was taking medicine, being forcibly sent away by First Master Cheng.
They had consulted all the nearby doctors, and those from farther away were still on their way. All possible remedies had been tried, and now they could only leave it to fate.
Outside the side gate, a maid took a paper package handed over by a woman.
“Chun Lan, are you really going to do this?” the woman asked softly, holding her hand, her face tense.
Chun Lan nodded.
“What if…” the woman said tremblingly, “even if they confess, you won’t escape the charge of being manipulated into harming your master.”
“Mother, don’t worry. When I administer the medicine, that maid will come over. If anything happens, others will witness it and will only say that someone took advantage of our inattention to poison the medicine. It won’t be related to us,” Chun Lan said softly. “Did you burn the prescription?”
“Yes, I burned it,” the woman nodded. “I asked the people at the pharmacy, and this prescription is commonly used, nothing special.”
“Whatever she says it is, it is,” Chun Lan said.
The woman looked hesitant.
“Why is she helping you?” she asked softly. “There’s no benefit for her at all.”
Chun Lan pursed her lips.
“How is there no benefit? All she wants is a good future,” she said softly. “Serving that fool won’t lead to any good prospects. By helping me this time, if it succeeds, I will remember her kindness for the rest of my life. You and Father will also take good care of her privately. I understand her intentions.”
The woman nodded.
“Mother, I’ll go in now,” Chun Lan said.
“And here is this medicinal ingredient…” the woman hurriedly added in a low voice, taking a mask out from her wide sleeve.
“I picked the ugliest one from the shop on the street,” she said.
Chun Lan reached out to take it. The woman held her daughter’s hand tightly for a moment before reluctantly letting go, looking at her daughter with a worried expression as she went inside.
Chun Lan sat in the room, watching the bubbling medicine pot. Hearing some commotion in the yard, her heart pounded fiercely. She stood up to look and saw a maid peeking into the yard.
“Where are you from?” another maid noticed and asked.
“My mistress sent me to check on Fourth Young Master,” Ban Qin replied.
Ever since the fourth young master fell ill, many people had come to visit. Although his siblings couldn’t come every day, they always sent maids over. This maid must be from one of the misses.
“Why haven’t I seen you before?” the maid asked.
Before Ban Qin could answer, Chun Lan came out of the room carrying the medicine.
“Xia Ju, help me watch the stove,” she said.
The maid responded affirmatively and stopped questioning Ban Qin.
“I’ll hold the curtain for you,” Ban Qin said quickly, walking a few steps ahead with a smile.
Chun Lan acknowledged with a sound, and the two of them entered the room one after the other.
“Oh, right, help me watch for a moment. I need to get the medicinal ingredient,” Chun Lan said as soon as she entered, then turned and went back out. She made a round in the kitchen and exchanged a few words with the maid watching the stove.
Seeing Chun Lan’s careful and nervous demeanor, Ban Qin curled her lips.
What was there to be nervous about? The medicine and prescription given by her mistress could even bring the dead back to life, so dealing with a simple lovesickness was nothing.
She looked around the room with a bit of ease.
The Cheng family certainly wasn’t poor; this room wasn’t shabby at all. Her gaze shifted to the bed, and she couldn’t help but exclaim softly.
Chun Lan and two other maids stepped in, startled by her gasp.
“Keep your voice down,” the maids scolded.
Ban Qin covered her mouth with her hand, looking at the person on the bed.
So it was that young master!
At the same time, she felt a sense of delight.
Her mistress was right—it was indeed the young master from the first branch of the Cheng family.
The room was filled with an atmosphere of gloom and despair, yet this maid was grinning happily, which made the other maids quite displeased.
“You should go back. The doctor said our young master needs to rest quietly,” they said.
Ban Qin responded with an “Oh” and left.
“Which miss’s maid is this? Why is she so ill-mannered,” the maids whispered discontentedly.
This incident definitely left a lasting impression on this maid.
Chun Lan believed Ban Qin’s earlier reaction was intentional. This further solidified her confidence in the remedy.
“Help the young master sit up so I can give him the medicine,” she instructed.
With assistance, Cheng Si-lang was raised up, though he could barely keep his eyes open, managing to swallow the herbal soup.
As night descended, Cheng Si-lang lay in bed motionless, resembling a lifeless figure.
With rumors of haunting spreading, the maids became increasingly fearful as night approached, some finding ways to avoid staying indoors, intensifying the eerie atmosphere.
Standing beside the bed, Chun Lan’s hands were sweaty and her body trembled involuntarily.
The medicine had been administered, and now its effectiveness depended on tonight’s medicinal ingredient.
In life, one inevitably faces choices and challenges.
“Young Master,” Chun Lan whispered, “Young Master, I’ve come to visit you.”
Cheng Si-lang had been feeling immensely fatigued, so much so that he longed to take a deep breath but found it impossible. However, not long ago, after being given a bowl of medicine, the overwhelming exhaustion had eased, replaced instead by a profound weakness that made him feel as if he could drift away.
The voices calling out to him grew clearer.
“Young Master… I’ve come to visit you.”
Visit me? Who has come to visit me?
With great effort, Cheng Si-lang tried to open his eyes, something he had struggled to do before, but this time, to his surprise, he succeeded.
In the dim glow of the night lamp, his vision was blurred.
“Young Master!”
The voice suddenly intensified, prompting Cheng Si-lang to focus his gaze on a ghostly face with a tattoo, looming closer.
Startled, Cheng Si-lang screamed and promptly passed out, his eyes rolling back.
Upon learning that Cheng Si-lang was in a bad state, Second Madam Cheng hurried to go see him, but Cheng Qi-niang held onto her arm, refusing to let her go.
“Mother, there are ghosts, there are ghosts! Please don’t go,” she cried.
Second Madam Cheng felt a mix of frustration and helplessness. She didn’t have time to console her daughter properly and could only gather the available maids to stay with Cheng Qi-niang.
Hastily arriving at Cheng Si-lang’s quarters in the outer courtyard, she heard cries emanating from inside.
“Is it serious?” she thought, her heart sinking.
Raising children in these times is tough, and if anything were to happen to such a grown son, it would feel like a piece of their hearts being torn out for the whole family.
Second Madam Cheng stepped into the room to find Chun Lan kneeling on the floor, trembling with tears.
“What exactly is going on? Where did this come from? What are you intending to do?” First Master Cheng yelled, forcefully slamming an object onto the ground.
The mask shattered upon impact, fragments stinging Chun Lan’s face.
Crying, Chun Lan continued to bow her head.
“What’s going on?” Second Madam Cheng was perplexed, just as the sound of First Madam Cheng’s crying outside reached her.
“Who informed First Madam?” First Master Cheng exclaimed in frustration.
If anything happened to their son, and if First Madam Cheng couldn’t bear it either, their family wouldn’t be able to continue!
“Do you find peace in knowing that I won’t be able to see my son one last time when he dies?” First Madam Cheng cried out weakly as she was carried in by the maids.
Second Madam Cheng quickly went over to comfort her, and First Madam Cheng was assisted to Cheng Si-lang’s bedside, still in tears.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t overthink it,” First Master Cheng said reassuringly.
First Madam Cheng looked at her son lying still on the bed, his face was a deathly palor.
“Oh, my son, are you…” She cried out, rushing forward.
Before she could finish, Cheng Si-lang let out a groan.
“You scared me to death!” he exclaimed loudly, and with First Madam Cheng’s push, he instantly sat up.
Second Madam Cheng and the nearby maids gasped and stumbled backward.
It was truly frightening!
The sudden turn of events left everyone in the room stunned.
First Madam Cheng stared blankly at her son, who was sitting up halfway.
“My son, you… you…” Her voice trembled, unable to find words.
Despite Cheng Si-lang’s pale complexion, his eyes showed signs of life. However, under the pressure of his mother’s weight, he groaned and slumped back down.
Chun Lan, who had been kneeling on the ground, abruptly stood up.
Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!
He’s truly recovered! He’s awake for real!
This remedy really worked!
She’s had a stroke of luck!
“Young Master,” Chun Lan rushed over, knelt beside the bed, and burst into tears, exclaiming, “You’ve awakened! I could die content!”
