Dan-niang broke free from the lady who was holding her hand and followed behind.
“Miss…” she called out, looking at Cheng Jiao-niang, who was walking by the side of her parents.
Madam Chen quickly pulled her back.
“Dan-niang, go back quickly,” she whispered.
“Do you still recognize me?” Dan-niang asked.
Cheng Jiao-niang glanced at her.
“I don’t recognize you,” she replied.
“Don’t recognize me?”
It was a fleeting encounter, and she was just a child. How could she remember clearly?
Chen Shao signaled for his wife to hold onto Dan-niang.
By this time, they had reached Old Master Chen’s room, and the maids hurriedly opened the door.
Old Master Chen had been ill for two months. Although his children were attentive and the maids thoughtful, the room still could not hide the overwhelming stench.
“Your diagnosis is indeed correct,” Chen Shao said, removing his wooden clogs and leading Cheng Jiao-niang toward the bedside. “But my father didn’t fall ill two months ago. He actually fell a month and a half ago, and that’s when his illness began.”
“That’s not it,” Cheng Jiao-niang said. “Two months ago, he had a nosebleed at night.”
A nosebleed at night?
Chen Shao and his wife exchanged surprised glances, and the maid beside them gasped.
“Yes, yes,” she nodded in shock, exclaiming, “Two months ago, Old Master had nosebleeds at night for a few days.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Chen Shao asked anxiously.
“Old Master said it was nothing, and indeed, it was nothing. After washing his face with water, it stopped. It only lasted for two or three days,” the maid said, looking frightened.
If what this lady says is true, then that’s when Old Master fell ill. The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became. If Old Master’s condition wasn’t treated because she hadn’t reported it earlier, it would be her fault, and that would be disastrous.
The maid knelt down in tears to admit her mistake.
“Even if she told you, what would that change?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked.
Chen Shao felt embarrassed.
Yes, what would telling him have changed? It was just a nosebleed, after all. The weather was dry, so it was inevitable. Who would have thought that this was a sign of illness?
“Get up,” Chen Shao said. “My father is elderly, and nothing is trivial. He hid it because he didn’t want to worry us, but you must never conceal things like this as well.”
The maid gratefully responded.
Cheng Jiao-niang had already reached the bedside. The palace lanterns on either side cast a dim light, illuminating the person sleeping on the bed, who seemed to be in a deep slumber.
Chen Shao and his wife followed, watching Cheng Jiao-niang nervously. Seeing her focused, they didn’t dare say a word, afraid of disturbing her while she was diagnosing.
The room fell silent, the tension almost suffocating.
“I can’t remember,” Cheng Jiao-niang suddenly said.
Chen Shao and his wife were stunned for a moment.
“Miss, what can’t you remember?” Chen Shao asked nervously.
Can’t remember the miraculous prescription?
“I can’t remember what he looks like,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied, looking at the old man, then turning her head to glance at Dan-niang, who was standing by the curtain, being pulled by the maid.
After Ban Qin left, she remembered the things that had happened, the names of people, and the places, but she could never recall what those people looked like. So, strictly speaking, the events before Ban Qin left were only remembered as the things written on paper.
Chen Shao and his wife exchanged a stunned glance.
After all that, it wasn’t about diagnosing an illness.
“Miss, you see, my father…” Chen Shao quickly asked, then sighed. “In the past half month, he has been awake less and less, and now, he survives each day only with the help of medicinal soup to keep him breathing.”
Cheng Jiao-niang extended her hand, and Chen Shao hurriedly helped pull his father’s hand out from beneath the blanket, watching as she took his pulse.
The room fell silent once again.
After a moment, Cheng Jiao-niang removed her hand, and Chen Shao and the others let out a sigh of relief, but they immediately looked at her with tension.
They didn’t even dare to ask how things were going.
“Prepare a set of gold needles for me,” Cheng Jiao-niang said. “I’ll start with the acupuncture to wake him up.”
Footsteps were heard outside the door, seemingly hurried, and the sound of wooden clogs could be heard as someone rushed into the room.
“No need to prepare them,” an elderly voice trembled. “I have them here.”
A young boy quickly followed in, carrying a medicine chest.
“Where is the divine doctor?” he squinted his eyes and looked around, asking.
Chen Shao and his wife quickly went over to greet him.
“Doctor Li, why have you come?”
“Didn’t I say? When the divine doctor is invited, I must be called no matter what time it is. If I miss such an important matter, wouldn’t I regret it for the rest of my life?” Doctor Li said, still looking around the room. “Where is the divine doctor?”
Over there, Cheng Jiao-niang still hadn’t gotten up, not even turning her head. Chen Shao had no choice but to lead Doctor Li over to her.
Dan-niang had already taken the opportunity to run to the bedside and kneel down.
“Miss, can you cure Grandpa?” She tugged at Cheng Jiao-niang’s sleeve, her voice full of hope. “Grandpa said he would take me to see the lanterns on the fifteenth of August, but we didn’t go. Cousin said we could definitely go on the fifteenth of January. Miss, I heard them talking privately, saying Grandpa is going to die. So, can Grandpa still take me to see the lanterns on the fifteenth of January?”
Children don’t understand life and death.
Cheng Jiao-niang turned her head to look at her.
“Yes,” she said. “He’ll be better in a few days. On the fifteenth of January, you can go see the lanterns.”
Dan-niang immediately broke into a smile, rushing to the bedside and shaking the old man’s arm.
“Grandpa, Grandpa, Miss says you’ll get better soon, and we can go see the lanterns!” she exclaimed happily.
Madam Chen quickly stepped forward to pull Dan-niang away.
“This is the lady of the Cheng family,” Chen Shao introduced Doctor Li to her, then turned to Cheng Jiao-niang and said, “This is Doctor Li from the Imperial Medical Institute.”
Only then did Cheng Jiao-niang look up, and Doctor Li looked over at her as well.
“Her?” He exclaimed in surprise. “This is the Cheng family lady you were going to invite?”
When he entered the room, he saw this lady, but seeing how young she was, he had assumed she was one of the grandchildren of Old Master Chen. He never expected that she was the one whom the Chen family regarded as their last hope, the lady they encountered by chance.
Cheng Jiao-niang showed no surprise.
“Do you have gold needles? Let me borrow them,” she said, extending her hand.
The Zhou couple sat uneasily in the hall, as did the others who were accompanying them. Everyone was preoccupied with the treatment happening here, but it was not appropriate to press for news, so they continued to listen to Fourth Master Chen tell stories from the journey.
The listeners were distracted, and the speaker was equally absent-minded, unsure of what else to say.
“…Several people bit into the wolf’s leg…”
A young woman couldn’t help but let out a giggle, and only then did everyone snap back to attention. Fourth Master Chen realized he had lost focus and felt somewhat embarrassed.
“Don’t know how the treatment is going,” he changed the subject.
“After all, she’s still young…” Master Zhou sighed, saying it in a way that, whether it worked or not, being modest was always a good approach.
A maid hurriedly came in from outside.
“The acupuncture has already been done, and Lady Cheng said he will wake up by tomorrow morning at the latest,” she said in a trembling voice.
The people in the room were thrilled, rising to their feet and rushing out in a scramble.
Chen Shao and his wife had already come over with Cheng Jiao-niang.
“Jiaojiao, how is it?” Madam Zhou eagerly stepped forward and asked, unable to wait. “Can he be treated?”
“Of course,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
“The acupuncture has been done, and a prescription has been given. Doctor Li is watching over him,” Chen Shao said to his brothers.
“And what do we do next?” Fourth Master Chen asked, looking at Cheng Jiao-niang.
“Wait,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Fourth Master Chen rubbed his nose. This young lady… always speaks plain truths.
“It’s getting late; let’s head back first,” Madam Zhou said as she took Cheng Jiao-niang’s hand. “You must be quite tired too.”
“I still need to wait for him to wake up and check the medicine,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
Madam Zhou felt a bit awkward.
“Lady Cheng can stay here; everything has been prepared,” Madam Chen quickly interjected. She had originally hoped the young lady would stay but felt embarrassed to ask. Since she planned to check the medicine later, it was all the better.
“Yes, it’s best if you stay here. It’ll also put everyone at ease,” Chen Shao said, giving a slight bow to the Zhou couple.
“Of course, of course,” Master Zhou and his wife quickly nodded in agreement.
“It’s late. You should head back and rest,” Chen Shao added.
The Zhou couple couldn’t very well stay longer. With a sick family member, the Chen household was undoubtedly overwhelmed and anxious. After leaving four maids to help, the Zhou couple took their leave.
As soon as the Zhou couple left, Cheng Jiao-niang prepared to rest. Madam Chen quickly arranged for someone to escort her.
“Oh, right,” Cheng Jiao-niang suddenly remembered something and turned back to say, “If he wakes up in the middle of the night, just give him the medicine. Don’t wake me.”
The Chen family members were momentarily stunned but soon seemed to understand something.
