Old Master Chen’s room was in a complete mess, and soon the news spread throughout the whole courtyard.
“He’s awake!”
“He really woke up!”
“I told you, he would wake up by dawn at the latest, and he really did!”
Chen Shao paced around in excitement.
“Hurry, hurry, go and ask for Lady Cheng.” He said with a trembling voice.
Several maids quickly ran out but were stopped by Chen Shao’s wife.
“San-lang, didn’t Lady Cheng say that if he wakes up, he should just take the medicine and she asked us not to disturb her?” she said.
Chen Shao stamped his foot.
“Such a grand statement is just something to say, how could we take it seriously? She’s just trying to show us how confident she is!” he replied, waving his hand. “What she says doesn’t necessarily have to be what we do. Hurry, hurry!”
To make it easier for her to examine and administer medicine, Cheng Jiao-niang’s residence was arranged very close to Old Master Chen’s. Over there, the place had already started to bustle before dawn, while here, everything remained as quiet as usual.
The lights in the courtyard were fewer than in other places, and the room was dark, indicating that its occupants were still deep in sleep.
Of course, that only applies to Cheng Jiao-niang and her maid. The four maids from the Zhou family never slept soundly, and hearing the commotion, they had rushed out to look several times already.
Now, seeing the Chen family maids arriving, they hurriedly greeted them with nervous excitement.
“How is it?”
“Miss is truly a divine doctor,” the Chen family maids said in unison, their voices full of reverence despite addressing these maids. “Old Master really has woken up! Quickly, please wake Miss.”
What a miracle!
The Zhou family’s maids were overjoyed. Seeing the Chen family’s maids already showing them great respect, they felt quite pleased.
“Please wait a moment, we’ll go call her right away.” They immediately said, turning to rush toward the main room. Before they had taken more than a few steps, the door was pulled open, and a figure stepped out.
“She didn’t sleep either, I guess she was also worried about the noise over there, pretending to be calm.”
The Zhou family’s maid thought to herself, just about to step forward to offer her greetings.
“What are you all doing?” A displeased voice from the maid came, lowered in tone.
“Sister, quickly tell Miss, Old Master has woken up,” the maids hurriedly said with a smile.
“So what. Didn’t we say, just give him the medicine, and don’t come to disturb Miss?” The maid scolded softly.
All the Chen and Zhou family maids present were taken aback.
“Miss Ban Qin,” one of the Zhou family’s maids stopped smiling, warning with a hint of displeasure, “You don’t understand medical matters. It’s better to go and inform Miss, and let her decide.”
The maid snorted with a sneer, taking a couple of steps toward the door but not forgetting to close it behind her, making sure the noise stays outside.
“I don’t understand, but do you?” she asked in a low voice.
This rude little maid!
The maids’ expressions turned awkward. They were all trusted attendants by Madam Zhou, respected and with authority to give orders. How dare a maid, and just a niece’s maid, be so disrespectful!
“Is this how the Cheng family picks their servants?” one of the maids said with a stern face.
Before she could finish her sentence, the maid spat at her.
“What’s with all this Cheng family and Zhou family nonsense? Can’t you understand human speech?” she said in a low voice.
The maids were stunned, then immediately filled with shame and anger.
“You vile servant, how dare you be so rude! Beat her!” they shouted.
If this weren’t in the Chen household, they would have slapped this insolent maid long ago.
The maid stood in the corridor, looking at the four servants. The sky was just about to break dawn, and the light was growing dim, casting an unclear shadow over her.
“What are you saying? Beat me?” she said, then smiled again, “That’s right, someone this rude deserves to be beaten.”
The Chen family servants were left dumbfounded.
What… what is happening here…
Chen Shao paced back and forth in the room, glancing outside while sighing anxiously.
“Why haven’t they come yet? Why haven’t they come?” he muttered.
“They’re here,” a maid outside called out.
Everyone was overjoyed and hurried to meet them, only to see that only two maids rushed in, and no one else followed.
Chen Shao and the others were slightly surprised.
“The maid said, Miss instructed that we shouldn’t disturb her sleep. When Old Master wakes up, just administer the medicine. Miss will come over when she wakes up,” the maid said timidly.
Chen Shao’s wife couldn’t help but glance at her husband.
What was said is exactly what was heard.
Chen Shao was a bit stunned. This lady…
“There’s more,” the maid hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself.
“What’s wrong?” Madam Chen asked, frowning.
“Because just now, when they went to call Miss, the Zhou family’s maids and Miss’s maid had a quarrel…” the maid lowered her head and said. “That maid told those four maids to go back…”
In fact, “go back” was still being polite. What the maid actually said was, “Get lost.”
What?
Chen Shao waved his sleeve in frustration.
Madam Chen tried to comfort him.
“I’ll go take a look,” she said, quickly signaling for the maid to lead the way. Several of them hurried off.
Chen Shao and the others let out a breath, unsure of what to feel.
“It’s fine, it’s fine, just take the medicine, let’s take the medicine first,” Doctor Li said, holding the prescription that Cheng Jiao-niang had dictated and the maid had written out. He handed it to the young boy.
The boy hurried off to prepare the medicine.
“San-lang, San-lang, is it… is that lady who has come?” Old Master Chen trembled as he reached out his hand from the bed.
Chen Shao quickly stepped forward. Looking at his frail father, now so emaciated that he was barely recognizable, he felt his heart wrench. They say men don’t cry easily, but that’s only because they haven’t reached their breaking point.
“Yes, Father,” he said tearfully, kneeling down to take his father’s hand. “It’s all my fault as your unfilial son, making you suffer like this.”
“Don’t say that,” an elder cousin stepped forward, shaking his head. “Didn’t Lady Cheng say it? Uncle’s condition was an old hidden illness. If not for following you on this journey and encountering Lady Cheng, we’d truly be helpless right now.”
The other brothers in the room quickly chimed in.
“This isn’t the time to say such things. Now that we finally have hope, if Lady Cheng says it can be cured, then it can be cured.”
“Where’s the medicine? Hurry and check on the medicine!”
Outside the room where Cheng Jiao-niang was resting, the four maids stood with awkward expressions.
“We’ve caused enough trouble to make you come here, Madam…” they said, lowering their heads.
Madam Chen glanced over them but said nothing.
“The old master’s illness is what’s important. Whether she sleeps a little more or less doesn’t matter,” one maid said. “This is our family’s internal matter; apologies for letting you witness this.”
“Our mistress is young, and so is this maid. Neither had anyone to teach them proper manners growing up, so they’re ignorant. Madam, please excuse them,” another quickly added.
Madam Chen hesitated.
Strictly speaking, this was indeed their family’s internal matter, but…
The expression and words of Lady Cheng last night resurfaced in her mind.
In front of the Zhou family, Lady Cheng had insisted on seeing the patient and not leaving. But as soon as the Zhou family had left, she immediately said it wasn’t necessary to see him.
This made it clear that Lady Cheng wasn’t putting on airs for their Chen family, but rather seemed reluctant to deal with the Zhou family at all.
Madam Chen’s hand clenched slightly under her sleeve.
“Let’s do it this way. You should head back first,” she said. “We’re asking her to treat an illness. If she gets upset, it’s not a big deal for you among yourselves, but for us, it would be awkward. Consider it as your Madam being considerate of me, and bear with it for now. Let’s follow her wishes.”
The four women were stunned.
The morning light gradually filled the room, and soon the sky was fully bright.
Cheng Jiao-niang turned over, stretching an arm out from under the embroidered quilt.
“Miss, do you need some water?” the maid asked from outside the bed curtains.
“Yes,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
The maid lifted the curtains and came in, kneeling as she handed over a cup of warm water.
Cheng Jiao-niang sat up and took a sip.
“What’s wrong? Couldn’t sleep?” she asked.
The maid’s face showed clear signs of exhaustion from lack of sleep.
“I don’t have Miss’s good fortune. When I change places, it takes me a day or two to adjust before I can sleep,” she said with a smile.
Cheng Jiao-niang handed the water cup back to the maid.
“It’s not really a blessing,” she said, lifting the quilt to get up. “Wherever I am, it’s all the same to me.”
Strangers everywhere, unfamiliar places.
The maid wasn’t sure how to respond to this topic. Not knowing what to say, she chose silence and helped Cheng Jiao-niang to her feet.
Cheng Jiao-niang didn’t ask about Old Master Chen’s condition, and naturally, the maid didn’t bring it up either. Meanwhile, the maids waiting outside were left to suffer in their patience.
“Still not up yet?”
“They’ve already finished the medicine over there, and the master sent me to check again…”
“You’d better not rush her. Those four from the Zhou family were sent away, and if you annoy her, she could just as easily dismiss you with a single word. Then what would you do?”
Their quiet murmuring was suddenly interrupted as the door was pulled open. At once, they stood still and fell silent.
