The old lady glanced at the daughters-in-law and said, "The fourth daughter-in-law stays here, and the others go out."
The third wife was a little dissatisfied, but she did not dare to disobey her mother-in-law, so she followed Zhu out. Zhu did not forget to close the door and guard it herself, asking everyone else to stay away.
She didn't understand these things in the family home, but her daughter told her before she left that if she didn't know how to make decisions about the affairs of the inner house and Nanny Lin was not around, then she should follow Fourth Aunt. Her daughter's ability is obvious to all, and she will definitely be right if she does as she is told.
The third wife, Mrs. Xia, came over and whispered, "Even you, the eldest sister-in-law, were kicked out. Mother is too partial."
"My fourth brother's wife is more capable than me. Keeping her is more useful than keeping me."
Xia choked. Why in this world would there be someone who would so readily admit that he is useless
Inside the house, the old lady was panting heavily. Nanny Su brought some tea over and said, "Please rinse your mouth quickly."
The old lady wanted to rinse her mouth with a fishy taste, but the blackness in front of her eyes made her realize that something was wrong. She bit her tongue to gather her scattered thoughts and said to the fourth daughter-in-law, "The clan school will be closed, and all the civil and military teachers will be asked to leave the house. The Hua family will close the doors and no one is allowed to enter or leave except for basic shopping. Haitang, you have to take care of the family and hold on until Zhier comes back, no matter what means you use."
The old lady finished speaking almost without a pause, her chest rising and falling dramatically, her breathing as heavy as a bellows being pulled rapidly.
Her eyes were so earnest that Mrs. Wu nodded vigorously without thinking. The Hua family has always had a harmonious relationship between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law. Seeing the spirited old lady become like a withered firewood in such a short time, she felt very sad.
"The Hua family's burden is too heavy, and only Zhi'er can carry it. Haitang, you have to help her. She said she would get the men of the Hua family back. Maybe, maybe she can really do it. You must help her."
Such instructions for the final arrangements made the old servants cry so hard that they almost died. Wu's tears kept falling. She could not say anything. She could only hold her hand and nod vigorously.
The old lady's eyes gradually faded, and she murmured in self-mockery, "It's really useless..."
"Mother..." Wu used her shaking hands to check her mother-in-law's breath. After confirming that she was still breathing, she sat down on the ground. "Why hasn't Doctor Chu come yet? Go and get him!"
Baoxia came in quickly with the medicine. Normally, Fudong would deliver it to the old lady. She would also make a plate of snacks for the old lady to get rid of the smell of the medicine. However, she had already learned from the maid what had happened in the old lady's room. She hated her aunt so much that she subconsciously hid Fudong.
Wu turned around and asked, "Is this the medicine the old lady usually uses?"
Madam Su rushed to answer, "Yes, it was Miss Shaoyao's prescription. The old lady felt much better after taking it."
Mrs. Wu understood what she meant and nodded, "Help mother up."
But she couldn't feed it in! Mrs. Wu tried to pry open her teeth, but it was useless. The same amount that went in came out. The old lady couldn't swallow at all.
Wu's eyes were red and she covered her eyes for a moment before she calmed down. She helped Nanny Su change her mother-in-law's clothes with a wet collar.
"Doctor Chu is here!" Nanny Chen called out in a tone she would never use normally.
Wu quickly made way for him and said, "Doctor Chu, please take a look at my mother."
Chu Shitang couldn't care about anything else when he saw the current situation. He was so shocked that he could hardly sit still when he pinched the thin wrist to feel the pulse. His brows were tightly knitted. "How could this be? When I came to take the pulse a few days ago, it was clear that the patient had improved significantly!"
Family disgrace should not be made public, so Wu could only vaguely say: "The old lady is angry, Doctor Chu, my mother..."
Chu Shitang looked at Old Madam Hua, whose face was as pale as gold paper, lying on the bed and sighed in his heart. He had been to many noble mansions, received rewards and suffered hardships. Now that he had lived to this age, he had some experience, but there was only one Old Master Hua whom he respected.
Whether he asked him a few casual questions while holding a book, or they chatted for a while like old friends when they met on the road, he remembered it clearly, as if there was no clear distinction between different levels in his mind, even though he was the highest-ranking official of the second rank.
He respects his freedom.
And now, the man he admired has been exiled, and that man’s wife of many years is in danger of death.
With a long sigh, Chu Shitang looked at Wu and said, "I can only do my best and leave the rest to fate."
Wu held on tightly and didn't collapse to the ground. It turned out... It turned out to be this serious!
"Can you invite the girl named Shaoyao?"
Wu smiled bitterly, "She is not in the capital."
Chu Shitang secretly said that it was unfortunate, and he bent over the desk to write a prescription and said, "Go get the medicine, and be quick."
Bao Xia, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly said, "I would like to ask for your prescription. Miss Shaoyao left a lot of herbs here. As long as they are not too rare, most of them are available."
Chu Shitang handed it to her directly, "Was it her who wrote the prescription that the old lady took before? Could you show it to me?"
"Yes, I'll get it right away."
Comparing with Shaoyao's prescription, Chu Shitang thought carefully and changed two herbs in his own prescription. "Is it available?"
Bao Xia took a look and nodded, "Yes, all of them."
"Okay then, I'll let the medicine boy go get the medicine for you."
Baoxia did not say that the previous medicines were all prepared by Fudong and were also boiled by her. She agreed and led the medicine boy to the cross-courtyard where the medicinal materials were kept. While the young lady was doing things, Shaoyao was tinkering with the medicinal materials there.
Chu Shitang gave the old lady a set of nine silver needles, each of which was inserted into her head.
This set of acupuncture techniques is a family heir, but each generation of the Chu family will not use it easily, because this set of acupuncture techniques is actually to stimulate the vitality in the human body, even if it really saves the person, it will shorten the lifespan by several years.
What he said before was not to leave room for himself. The old lady's stage was indeed dangerous and she might not be able to survive. He had to do his best to be worthy of Old Master Hua.
Everyone in the room breathed as lightly as possible, for fear of disturbing Doctor Chu. Nanny Su kept crying, but no sound was made.
Wu went out to make some arrangements.
Soon, Mr. Mu and Mr. Wu and Wang Rong, who were arranged by Gu Yanxi, were told to leave the house immediately and did not need to come over in the next few days. Although Mr. Mu was puzzled, he did not ask too much. Wang Rong was more cautious and stood in several places without leaving any trace. He heard most of the things.
Thinking of the different way his master treated the eldest daughter of the Hua family, he did not dare to delay and immediately caught a pigeon to send a message to his master. Fearing that something might happen, he had to hide on the roof of the Hua family for several days.
Looking at the chaos in the Hua family, watching bowls of medicine being sent in and crying as they took out wet clothes, watching the Hua family go from being positive and optimistic to being at a loss, he felt that the Hua family was about to collapse, collapsed from the bottom of his heart.
He sent another letter to his master.
Gu Yanxi didn't dare say a word to Hua Zhi. He just used the excuse that he had to go back to Beijing for urgent matters, and once again they became a couple.
Hua Zhi felt his anxiety, but she didn't ask anything. She didn't say a word even when her thighs were swollen and torn. She applied medicine at night and continued on her journey the next day.
She doesn't know anything yet.
PS: Thank you girls, muah. Especially thank you to girl Li Zi who surprised me by updating more than ten chapters in a week. She proved that Kong Kong was not lazy.