Chapter 13: Husband, My Chest Hurts

Because Pei Aosong was worried that Lin Jiaojiao had been "possessed by a ghost" again, he personally kept watch by the bedside for the entire night.

Lin Jiaojiao had originally been feigning unconsciousness, but she had fallen fast asleep while doing so without even realizing it.

At daybreak, A Yan came to report that the Old Madam had woken up; only then did Pei Aosong rise, tuck the quilt in for Lin Jiaojiao, and leave to see his mother.

Lin Jiaojiao had a satisfying sleep, and her dreams were filled with the healing smile of that little baby, Zhu Geer; while half-asleep and half-awake, she mumbled, "So cute, come here, let Mommy give you a kiss."

Bai Zhi, who was guarding outside the door, heard the sound and asked, "Concubine, are you awake?"

Hearing Bai Zhi's voice, Lin Jiaojiao truly woke up, and she responded with an "Mm."

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhi went to fetch water, preparing to help Lin Jiaojiao wash up.

Lin Jiaojiao got out of bed on her own and sat before the vanity; seeing the red spots on her face in the bronze mirror looking a bit smeared, she took advantage of the fact that no one was around and quickly wiped them off.

When Bai Zhi entered the room with warm water to help her wash, she discovered that the red spots on Lin Jiaojiao's face were gone, and she was both surprised and delighted, "Concubine, the rash on your face is healed."

Lin Jiaojiao feigned surprise and looked at herself in the mirror, "Oh, really?"

Looking left and right, the more she looked, the more satisfied she felt with her own face: a fair, oval-shaped face, a pair of phoenix eyes that held affection with the slightest expression, and beneath a straight bridge of the nose were two cherry-like, tender lips.

With such a charming appearance, it was no wonder Pei Aosong was head over heels for her.

Bai Zhi wiped her face, her words filled with joy: "The rash is gone, which means it wasn't smallpox; this is a happy event. Now that you are better, Concubine, everyone won't have to worry or be afraid, and the Pei Mansion will naturally be able to lift the lockdown."

Lin Jiaojiao nodded in response and asked casually, "Where is that cheap husband of mine?"

Bai Zhi had finished wiping her face and was wringing out the washcloth; hearing the Concubine's question, she replied, "A Yan just came to report that the Old Madam has woken up, and the Master has gone over to visit the Old Madam."

As soon as Lin Jiaojiao heard that the Old Madam had woken up, her heart tightened: if this old woman is awake, she probably won't let me off; no, I must quickly find a way to get out of the mansion!

She pondered for a moment, then suddenly clutched her chest and cried out in pain, scaring Bai Zhi into putting down the water basin she had been about to carry away and rushing over to help her back to bed, "Concubine, what is wrong with you?"

"My chest hurts," Lin Jiaojiao pretended to be in distress, "Ever since I woke up, I've felt a tightness in my heart, and there is a voice shouting in my mind, screaming about revenge or something..."

Bai Zhi suddenly recalled the ghost haunting from last night, and her small face turned deathly pale; could it be that her mistress had been possessed by a ghost again?

But it was broad daylight, that shouldn't be possible!

Yet Lin Jiaojiao remained clutching her chest in a display of agony, which left Bai Zhi panic-stricken: "Concubine, you lie down and rest first; I will go find A Yan right now and have him relay your condition to the Master."

After saying this, she carried the water basin away and then walked quickly out of Jiaohua Garden.

On the other side, Pei Aosong went to Anshou Hall to visit his mother; at this time, the Old Madam was lying in bed, being served medicinal soup by Qingyin Nanny.

Pei Aosong took the medicine from Qingyin Nanny's hands to feed his mother himself, but when the Old Madam saw him arrive, she kept her eyes tightly shut, unwilling to take the medicine.

"Mother," Pei Aosong saw he couldn't get the medicine in, so he coaxed, "Please take the medicine quickly so that you can get better."

The Old Madam opened her eyes, her gaze falling upon the bowl of medicinal soup, completely unwilling to look at her own son.

"My illness is all thanks to that little vixen, yet you, on the other hand, treat her like the apple of your eye every single day."

"I heard from Jingyi this morning that she was playing at ghosts and spirits in the middle of the night; instead of guarding Wanqiu to prevent her from being frightened, you ran off to that fox spirit's side and even let her run wild."

At the mention of last night's ghost haunting, Pei Aosong couldn't help but lose his temper.

He set the medicine down forcefully to the side and simply stopped feeding the Old Madam, "Mother, why are you always at odds with Jiaojiao? Furthermore, if it weren't for the fact that you have been too ruthless in dealing with the servants in the past, she certainly wouldn't have been possessed by a ghost in the middle of the night."

The Old Madam was so angry that she raised her eyes to look at Pei Aosong, but she could only repeat one phrase, "You, you... you unfilial son!"

Suddenly, she clutched her chest; seeing this, Qingyin Nanny hurried over to soothe her, helping her lie back down while looking at Pei Aosong with a hint of reproach.

Jingyi Nanny followed suit and tried to persuade him: "Young Master, I watched you grow up; the Old Madam is still ill, you shouldn't anger your mother like this. Moreover, the Old Madam has exhausted her heart and energy for the Pei Mansion, and that concubine of yours is not a simple character; if she hadn't bumped into the Old Madam while ill yesterday, the Old Madam wouldn't be in this state today."

Pei Aosong could only take a deep breath, struggling to calm his emotions, and in the end, he didn't even want to stay in Anshou Hall anymore, "If Mother truly dislikes Jiaojiao, I shall have someone send her out of the mansion!"

Just then, the servant A Yan came to report something, and Pei Aosong bid farewell to the Old Madam directly: "Mother, I have matters to attend to, so I am leaving; please rest well!"

The Old Madam watched Pei Aosong's hurriedly departing back, her anger rising, "Unfilial son! I raised you with such great difficulty, yet you defy me like this... *cough cough! * If I had known then, I shouldn't have brought you into the mansion!"

The two nannies sat on either side of the bed, comforting and soothing her, "Old Madam, if we hadn't brought him into the mansion back then, the Pei Mansion would surely be hollow from within today and would have long since been targeted by the wolves and tigers outside..."

Outside, Pei Aosong heard the news from Jiaohua Garden from A Yan and couldn't help but frown: Jiaojiao having smallpox is false, but what is this about chest pain?

Never mind, first have the House Physician Liu Shouyi go take a look, and then report the situation to him.

Pei Aosong had roughly guessed that the smallpox was false; otherwise, why would his own mother be perfectly fine, with no red rashes on her body or face—that appearance was clearly being sick from anger.

Since it wasn't smallpox, then they should be able to send the people from the Dali Temple away.

So he called for A Yan, "A Yan, go tell the kitchen to prepare a meal, set out good wine and dishes, and prepare to properly entertain the people from the Dali Temple."