Chapter 14

Du Ruo's eyes lit up, "Did the grandmother pass away?"

"..." Jiang Cheng choked for a moment and hurriedly said, "No, no, but it's not far off. They invited my master to the old house early this morning, saying that Grandmother and Aunt-in-law have been vomiting and having diarrhea for a day and two nights, and they are about to die!"

Wow, that's serious.

Du Ruo put the meatballs into the basket one by one and said perfunctorily, "Is that so? That is truly... too pitiful."

"What's pitiful about it?" Jiang Cheng said angrily. "You pity them, but they turn around and frame you, saying it was all your fault that they became like this, and they told me to come back and call you over for questioning!"

The light at the doorway dimmed, and Jiang Zhan walked in, his handsome face pulled tight.

"Sister-in-law cannot go."

"Why can't I go?" Du Ruo laughed. "It's not a dragon's den or a tiger's lair; can they eat me?"

Besides, they hold the title of elders; is it something you can just decide not to go to?

Jiang Zhan naturally understood this, but Grandmother was currently ill and would definitely try every means to torment his sister-in-law; he was truly worried.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I will go with Sister-in-law."

Du Ruo thought about it and agreed.

She was not familiar with the situation at the old house, and having Jiang Zhan there would be good for support.

The three of them first hid the food and told Tie Dan to keep a good eye on Jiang Wan, then closed the courtyard gate and headed to the old house.

The old house was in the center of the village, about a quarter of an hour's walk away.

Compared to the surrounding houses, the old house was clearly much better, with blue bricks and black tiles, and a rammed-earth fence. The courtyard was very large, many times bigger than the Second Branch's dilapidated little courtyard.

Looking at this house, Jiang Zhan's delicate brows were tinged with a bit of coldness.

This house was built with money from his father, Jiang Mo Nian. Later, after his father fell off a cliff and went missing, his mother brought them back here.

A few months later, their family was heartlessly driven out, and except for a few old clothes and half a bag of coarse grain, they had nothing...

Jiang Zhan took a deep breath and stepped into the courtyard first.

In the courtyard, a sturdy middle-aged man was pacing back and forth, his rough, dark face full of anxiety, looking into the room from time to time.

"Uncle," Jiang Zhan walked over and called out.

Jiang Dabo stopped his steps, glanced at him, gave a noncommittal grunt, and then turned his gaze to Du Ruo behind him.

"You are the Du woman?"

Du Ruo bowed neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Yes, Uncle."

Jiang Dabo stared at her for a long time before saying in a deep voice, "You are the daughter of the Assistant Magistrate's family; you should know what the crime of harming an elder is, right?"

"I know, a capital crime."

"Are you not afraid?"

"Afraid of what?" Du Ruo blinked, every pustule on her face revealing innocence. "If you don't do anything wrong, you don't fear a knock at the door. I didn't harm any elder, so why should I be afraid?"

Suddenly, as if thinking of something, she covered her mouth in shock, "Uncle, you look very scared; could it be that Grandmother's illness is because of you..."

"Absurd!" Jiang Dabo was furious. "Full of nonsense! Du woman, do you have any sense of propriety left in your speech?"

Du Ruo said "Oh," and stood obediently to the side, saying no more.

At this moment, the cloth curtain of the main room was lifted, and Dr. Gu walked out from inside.

"How is my mother?" Jiang Dabo asked hurriedly.

Dr. Gu shook his head and sighed.

Jiang Dabo's face changed, "You mean..."

"Your mother is old, and her spleen and stomach were already weak. Now that she has eaten something bad, it has caused persistent abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. The situation... is very bad."

"Dr. Gu, you must save my mother!" Jiang Dabo's eyes were red with anxiety. "She just celebrated her sixtieth birthday and hasn't yet enjoyed the blessings of her children and grandchildren. No matter what, please save her! Don't worry, money is not an issue. As long as the old lady can get better, it doesn't matter how much silver it costs!"

Du Ruo was surprised.

That shouldn't be. Phoenix grass is used to remove dampness and promote urination; it is cool in nature and is one of the ingredients for laxatives. But the toxicity is not high, and they didn't eat much, so how could it be to the point of death?

Could it be a misdiagnosis?

She looked at Dr. Gu suspiciously and happened to catch a flash of cunning and triumph in his eyes.

So that's how it was.

Du Ruo sneered inwardly. A dog really can't change its habit of eating excrement. This black-hearted doctor was scamming people again, deliberately exaggerating the patient's condition to disturb the family's peace of mind, and then asking for an exorbitant price for the consultation fee, while the patient's family would still be grateful to him.

Sure enough, the next second she heard Dr. Gu pretend to be in a difficult position and say, "I do have a good medicine here that is just right for the symptoms, but... it's not cheap."

"How much money?"

"Two taels of silver per dose, one dose is enough, and it will be effective immediately."