Chapter 107: Bah, Sheng Hong, what act of filial piety are you putting on

Lin Lin Qinshuang looked at the plum blossoms in the room and asked, "When did the Master say the Yuan family was coming to present the betrothal gifts?"

Her personal maid, Zhou Zhou Xueniang, recalled for a moment and replied, "Replying to Wei Xiaoniang, it was agreed that they would depart after the Lantern Festival."

"Heh, there is still plenty of time; let us take it slowly and see whether this little whore's constitution is harder, or whether the weather is harder."

"Wei Xiaoniang, this slave estimates that Lady Wei she—"

Lin Lin Qinshuang cast a faint glance over, and Zhou Zhou Xueniang hastily corrected herself: "This little whore, Lady Wei! This slave estimates she is secretly selling off her dowry."

"Let her sell; the more she sells, the better." A smile played on Lin Lin Qinshuang's lips as she glanced at a spiderweb in the corner of the room, its threads glistening.

She pointed there, and Zhou Zhou Xueniang hurriedly wiped the web away with her sleeve.

"Wei Xiaoniang, it must be that the room is warm; this happy spider thought the weather had turned warm."

"Whoever cleaned the room yesterday shall be punished and deprived of ten days' allowance."

"Yes, Wei Xiaoniang."

Just as the two were about to say more, Sheng Sheng Changfeng rushed in in a frantic hurry:

"Mother! Mother! It is bad news; the Old Lady has fainted!"

Joy flashed across Lin Lin Qinshuang's face; she exchanged a glance with Zhou Zhou Xueniang, and seeing the smile on Zhou Zhou Xueniang's face, Lin Lin Qinshuang reined in her own smile, replacing it with a grief-stricken expression as she said, "Quick, go quickly and fetch a Physician, the best Physician!"

With that, she walked out swiftly.

Shou'an Hall,

At the entrance, upon seeing Sheng Hong approach, Lin Lin Qinshuang's face instantly filled with anxiety, and she paced back and forth at the door.

"Hong-lang, you have finally come; I heard that the Old Lady has fainted; could it be..."

She glanced at the maids at the doorway.

"It is nothing; you may return to Linqi Pavilion for now."

Inside the room,

Sheng Hualan had just rushed anxiously from the embroidery room to Shou'an Hall, having forgotten to put down the embroidery work in her hands.

Looking at her grandmother, who wore a forehead ornament of green gemstones, Sheng Hualan's eyes were red and filled with tears.

"Grandmother, what is wrong with you? How did you suddenly faint?"

Seeing the embroidery placed aside, the Old Lady Sheng knew that her eldest granddaughter was concerned for her.

She waved her hand, looked kindly at Sheng Hualan, and comforted her by saying, "It is nothing, it is nothing; I am simply getting old."

Sheng Hong's voice came from outside: "How is Mother?"

A maid replied, "Master, the Old Lady has awakened."

"Is the Da Da Niangzi inside?"

"The Mistress is in the side courtyard listening to the Physician's diagnosis."

Soon, Sheng Hong, carrying a chill about his person, stopped before his mother's couch; after bowing in respect, he looked at the Old Lady Sheng and said:

"Mother, you have worried your son to death! It is well that you are unharmed, it is well that you are unharmed."

The Old Lady Sheng, covered with a cotton quilt on the couch, nodded slightly.

The Old Lady said, "This old woman nearly jeopardized the Assistant Prefect's career! Rest assured, this old woman will not die! There is nothing wrong! Hua'er is here to look after me; you may go about your business."

Sheng Hong glanced at his mother's complexion, lowered his head, and said, "What words are these, Mother! Your son is concerned only for Mother's health."

Holding Sheng Hualan's hand, the Old Lady Sheng looked at Sheng Hong and slowly said:

"Mm, even if it is for the sake of this old woman of mine, do not quarrel."

Not understanding what she meant, Sheng Hong then said, "Mother, I will go to see the Physician."

The Old Lady Sheng nodded.

After stepping out, Sheng Hong summoned a maid from Shou'an Hall and asked, "What happened?"

"Master, this slave does not know."

Sheng Hong shook his head, then quickly walked outside to Weirui Pavilion's courtyard,

Seeing the young maid standing guard at the door, Sheng Hong knew this was one who often attended Wang Shi.

He walked over and asked in a serious tone, "What happened to the Old Lady?"

"M-Master, it was... it was the Da Da Niangzi who brought a piece of fabric, saying it was sent by the Old Lady of the Wang family; it is a precious material offered as tribute several decades ago, now lost to the world, and she wished to show it to the Old Lady."

Sheng Hong asked sternly, "And then?!!"

"I-I do not know how, but after the Old Lady saw it, she fainted."

"Where is the fabric?"

"It is inside the room, on the Da Da Niangzi's table; the Physician is examining it."

In the presence of others, Sheng Hong restrained his temper and entered the main hall with a face full of worry.

Inside the room,

He saw Wang Shi clutching a handkerchief, nodding repeatedly as she listened to the Physician's words, her eyes still holding some fear.

"Yes, yes, yes, what Mr. Physician says is correct; right, right, right, you truly are a divine healer! May the Bodhisattvas protect us!"

"The Master has arrived."

Only now did the maid at the door remember to announce him, and she hurriedly called out.

"Husband! Come quickly; the divine healer says Mother is fine! Thanks be to the Three Pure Ones for their protection!"

As she spoke, Wang Shi pressed her palms together and kept bowing incessantly.

The Physician bowed in respect,

"Greetings, Assistant Prefect."

"You are too courteous; I wonder..."

"The Old Lady's condition stems from depression of the heart, an illness born of excessive worry. While a heart ailment is generally not serious, it is most critical to avoid agitation. If possible, it would be best to raise a child in her presence to divert some of her attention, so she does not remain sunk in melancholy thoughts."

Glancing at Sheng Hong, he said, "Only thus can one prolong one's life and ensure longevity."

"Yes, yes, yes; thank you, Physician; you have taken great trouble."

"The Assistant Prefect is most filial; there is no need for such courtesy; very well, this old man shall go prepare the prescription."

"Good, good; many thanks, Physician."

Once everyone had left the room, only Nurse Liu remained standing in attendance.

"Why are you offering such unsolicited zeal when there is no occasion? Ah!? What is going on? Where is the fabric?"

Nurse Liu hurriedly went into the inner chamber and brought out the fabric.

Sheng Hong flipped through it and said, "There is nothing remarkable about this; how could it have caused Mother to faint?"

Nurse Liu squatted in salute, bowed her head, and spoke in a low voice, "Master, I just asked Nurse Cui from the Old Lady's quarters, and she said, she said—"

Sheng Hong snapped sternly, "Speak!"

"She said that the Master's elder brother once wore garments of this very fabric every single day."

"How could the fabric of the clothes worn by Elder Brother Wei cause Mother to—"

Wang Shi:.

Nurse Liu:

Sheng Hong:.

Sheng Hong cut off his words; he felt the deafening silence emanating from Wang Shi and her maid.

The anger vanished from Sheng Hong's voice as he asked tentatively, "Is it? The one used by the late Elder Brother Zhen!"

The beginning carried a tone of doubt, while the end was affirmative.

Nurse Liu bowed her head and nodded.

Wang Shi lowered her head, secretly rolling her eyes at Sheng Hong, thinking to herself: Just how many elder brothers do you have?

Sheng Hong's eyes shifted, and he drew in a breath.

He needed to break this noisy silence immediately.

The deafening silence made his heart exceedingly irritable.

Then Sheng Hong roared, "You as well! Why offer such unsolicited zeal when there is no occasion!!? Ah? If you have provoked Mother into being bedridden, just you wait until I beat—"

"Husband, I was only thinking of increasing our household's income! Since the Old Lady's grand-nephew is coming, if we could secure just a small portion of that precious white cotton flower trade—"

Nurse Liu painfully closed her eyes.

"You! You harbored such a scheme?"

"Hua'er is about to marry! Since you, Husband, found a noble family with a title in Bianjing for her, I was also thinking of currying favor with the Old Lady so that she might be more—"

"Silence! Is your dowry insufficient? Ah? Are you now plotting against the Old Lady's dowry?"

"I— You even say that I— You—"

Wang Shi's expression changed; she drew in her breath, intending to say something to shift the topic.

Seeing her Great Mistress's state, Nurse Liu hurriedly stepped forward and pinched the Great Mistress's shoulder.

Wang Shi turned her head in confusion and saw Nurse Liu shaking her head slightly.

In the end, Wang Shi said nothing, merely snorting once.

Sheng Hong rose and walked outward, saying, "Wait until I return tonight, and I will teach you a lesson!"

With that, he exited Weirui Pavilion as if fleeing.

Only after Sheng Hong had gone far did Wang Shi say angrily, "Playing the filial son before me; is he not merely worried about having to observe mourning leave? Pah! He cannot even remember his own biological elder brother."

"Great Mistress, speak with caution; what is most important for you during this time is to thoroughly prepare for the betrothal gifts!"

Nurse Liu added, "That is a noble family with a title in Bianjing."

"My Wang family is no impoverished or fallen household."

"Great Mistress, you are, after all, the daughter-in-law of the Sheng family."

Some readers have mentioned that the style feels different; this may be because I am publishing directly as I type.

Previously, I released two chapters daily, with a backlog of around ten thousand characters.

That afforded ample time for polishing and supplementation.

Reading more comments helps in understanding the readers, yet one must still follow one's own heart.

A few days ago, I discarded five thousand characters regarding the Lady Ningyuan Hou Fu.

The result is that I am now typing and publishing immediately, leaving no draft for any chapter.

I have seen the feedback; there should be two more chapters today, which I will polish and release either tonight or tomorrow.

Prioritizing quality, quantity shall be set aside for now.

My heartfelt thanks to everyone.

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(End of Chapter)