Inside Old Master Chen’s room, the doors and windows were open, letting in bright light. It was no longer as gloomy and dim as it had been the previous day.
Cheng Jiao-niang picked up the golden needle box.
Doctor Li hesitated for a moment by her side.
Yesterday, due to the urgency of the situation, there was no need to avoid it, but today, seeing it before him, would it be inappropriate?
“Lady Cheng, do I need to step aside?” he asked.
To treat Old Master Chen’s incurable illness, it must be a secret technique, so it wouldn’t be proper to display it casually in front of other doctors.
The young junior was too embarrassed to speak up, and as a senior, he knew the proper etiquette.
“It’s fine.” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Doctor Li was overjoyed.
“After seeing it, you still won’t be able to learn it.” Cheng Jiao-niang continued.
Can’t this lady speak without gasping for breath?
Doctor Li’s face hardened.
“Lady Cheng, who is your master?” he asked again.
He knew most of the famous doctors in the world and was curious to see which master had taught such a good disciple.
Cheng Jiao-niang paused for a moment, then said,
“I can’t remember.”
Can’t remember? What kind of answer is that?
If she didn’t want to say, she could have just kept quiet. Doctor Li flicked his sleeves and sat down angrily.
Cheng Jiao-niang didn’t care what others thought or whether they misunderstood her. From the initial frustration of not being able to speak in complete detail, she had now grown accustomed to it.
Those who wanted to understand would naturally understand; those who didn’t, no matter how much she said, wouldn’t get it. It was better to leave it as it was.
Cheng Jiao-niang stretched out her hand, and the maid quickly knelt down to help her tie up her sleeves.
On the bed, Chen Shao helped his father remove his clothes.
“Yesterday, you were still in a deep sleep and didn’t feel the pain,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, picking up a long needle and looking at Old Master Chen. “Today, with your mind fully awake, it will hurt a lot.”
Old Master Chen showed a weak smile.
“Lady Cheng, being unaware and unfeeling is the true pain,” he said in a trembling voice.
“That’s just how you perceive it. The real sensation is not like that,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied, and with that, the needle swiftly pierced.
Chen Shao knelt by his father’s head and clearly heard his father let out a sharp cry. His furrowed face instantly changed color, and his hands, which had been resting by his side, gripped the bedding beneath him. A layer of sweat formed on his forehead.
So painful…
Chen Shao couldn’t help but tighten his grip.
Doctor Li was also watching, but he was watching Cheng Jiao-niang, observing her needlework and trying to gauge the strength she applied.
He won’t be able to learn it even if he watches, hmph, there’s no such thing as something that can’t be learned.
But the more he watched, the less he could figure out. It seemed light, yet beads of sweat appeared on the lady’s forehead.
Old Master Chen didn’t manage to hold out until all twenty-four needles were applied. He passed out halfway through.
When he woke up again, he saw Cheng Jiao-niang was just finishing up the needling. He let out a long breath.
“Still, being unaware and unfeeling is better, right?” she said.
Old Master Chen gave a bitter smile.
“What’s meant by ‘reluctant to live, unwilling to die, to live and die repeatedly’,” he said.
Cheng Jiao-niang curved her lips slightly but said nothing.
“Lady Cheng,” Old Master Chen said weakly, “If, back then, I had let you treat me, would it have turned out like this?”
Chen Shao and Fourth Master Chen quietly exchanged glances and signaled Cheng Jiao-niang.
The patient needs comfort; any doctor should know that.
“Of course not,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied. “At that time, there would have been no need for needling—just three cups of wine and a dose of pill medicine, that’s all.”
That’s all…
Chen Shao and his brother exchanged a glance and shook their heads.
“That’s not right,” Cheng Jiao-niang said again, as if remembering something.
Old Master Chen looked at her with a hint of expectation.
“Two cups of wine,” Cheng Jiao-niang said. “At that time, I already gave you one cup of wine.”
Lady, one should be considerate.
Chen Shao and Fourth Master Chen looked at Cheng Jiao-niang, speechless, unsure of what to say.
Watching the lady walk out, the father and son of the Chen family sighed at the same time. The medicine had also arrived, and the two brothers served the old man as he took his medicine.
“You two, be sure to treat this lady well,” Old Master Chen said. “In a single thought, no one knows what might be missed.”
The brothers, Chen Shao and Fourth Master Chen, responded in unison.
Fourth Master Chen seemed to think of something and smiled.
“If we’re talking about this, I’m afraid the Zhou family feels it more deeply,” he said.
Old Master Chen had only just woken up, and no one had spoken to him about these matters yet.
“Tell me in detail about this lady,” he said.
Steward Cao, accompanied by four maids, stepped into the Chen family’s gate, and right away, a group of young servants with sticks and nets ran toward them.
“Go to the Fire God Temple, behind the Fire God Temple there are more…”
“…There are some empty houses near the West Market, there are more over there…”
They were shouting and arguing in a chaotic manner, not paying attention to the road, and nearly collided with them.
“What’s going on?” Steward Cao asked in surprise.
“We’re catching sparrows,” the leading young servant chuckled.
“Catching sparrows? At this time?”
They are too naughty. Has no one in the Chen family been overseeing things? As expected, with the family in turmoil, people’s hearts are unsettled, and everything is in disarray.
When they arrived at Cheng Jiao-niang’s residence, Steward Cao was stopped again.
“Miss is sleeping, please wait a moment,” the maid said.
Some of the maids couldn’t help but look at the sky. It was neither early nor late, not even noon—what was she sleeping for?
They were here to treat someone, and yet it seemed even more casual than at their own home.
Is this appropriate?
They exchanged glances and looked toward Steward Cao.
Steward Cao responded respectfully, sitting calmly and quietly in the corridor, not hurried or anxious.
“You have worked hard too. Please, go rest,” he said with a smile.
Even the maids in the house, who were usually treated with respect, hadn’t received such deference from Steward Cao. The maids exchanged glances and hurriedly followed suit, kneeling and sitting in the corridor to wait.
Fortunately, this time, they didn’t have to wait as long as before. Soon, Cheng Jiao-niang woke up after a brief nap.
“The few people who were impolite and offended Miss have already been dealt with and sent away,” Steward Cao said, kneeling in the corridor.
The door opened, and as soon as he looked up, he could see Cheng Jiao-niang sitting inside, drinking water.
“These are the newly selected people,” Steward Cao continued.
The maids quickly moved a few steps forward and bowed in unison to Cheng Jiao-niang.
“Good,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Steward Cao let out a sigh of relief.
“Miss, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to say,” he asked again.
Cheng Jiao-niang glanced at him.
“I need to purchase some things. You can accompany my maid to go,” she said.
Steward Cao was overjoyed.
The word “accompany” meant spending money, but at that moment, what Steward Cao feared was not the money being spent, but that they wouldn’t spend it.
Two ladies arriving alone—if they asked the Chen family for things, it would be like slapping the Zhou family in the face.
Fortunately, fortunately.
Steward Cao led the maid out of the Chen family gate.
“I need some fabric to make clothes,” the maid said, while looking at the list in her hand.
After every needle was inserted, Miss’s undergarments were soaked through. Her attire was already simple, and she only had two or three pieces when she came, so there was simply no time to change.
“It’s my oversight,” Steward Cao hurriedly said. “We have a seamstress at home, I’ll go and call her.”
The men never paid attention to such details; these matters about women’s clothing were always left to women to worry about.
He recalled how, when the third mistress of the house went to the Bailin Temple outside the city, the madam was in a rush to remind the maids and nannies to bring replacement clothes, fearing the morning dew or light rain would dampen the garments.
As expected, only those who are close to you truly care for you. Children without mothers are truly pitiable.
This thought flashed through Steward Cao’s mind, and a thin layer of sweat broke out on his back.
Isn’t the trouble already enough? Why go looking for more?
“It’s fine, Miss’s clothes are simple, she said she’ll make them herself,” the maid said.
This fool can do needlework? Make her own clothes?
Steward Cao couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.
