Chapter Twenty: Receiving Diagnosis

  Dan Niang broke free from the woman's grasp and followed up.

  "Sister..." she called out, looking at Cheng Jiaoniang walking beside her parents.

  Madam Chen hastily pulled her back.

  "Dan Niang, hurry back." She said in a low voice.

  "Sister, do you still recognize me?" Dan Niang asked.

  Jiang Yao glanced at her.

  "I don't recognize him," she said.

  Don't you recognize me?

  A chance encounter in a foreign land, just a child at the time, who could have remembered clearly.

  Chen Shao hinted at his wife, La Hu Dan Niang.

  At this time they had already arrived at Old Man Chen's house, and the servant women hurriedly opened the door.

  Mr. Chen has been ill for two months, and although his children are filial and the maids are attentive, the house still can't hide the smell of medicine.

  "Miss's illness is indeed what you said." Chen Shao said, taking off his wooden shoes and leading Cheng Jiaoniang towards the bed, "But my father didn't fall ill two months ago, he fell down and got sick half a month ago."

  "No," said Jingniang, "two months ago, he had a nosebleed at night."

  Nosebleed at night?

  Mr. and Mrs. Chen stared at each other in surprise, while the maid beside them let out a cry of alarm.

  "Yes, yes." She nodded in surprise and exclaimed, "A few days two months ago, the old master had a nosebleed at night."

  "Why didn't you tell me?" Chen Shao asked urgently.

  "It's Old Master who said it was nothing, and indeed it was nothing. After washing with water, the bleeding stopped, and it only lasted for two or three days." The servant woman replied nervously.

  According to what this girl said, it was at that time that the old master fell ill. The more she thought about it, the more afraid she became. If the old master didn't recover, she would blame herself for not reporting it earlier, and that would be terrible.

  My wife knelt down and apologized with tears in her eyes.

  "What can you do about it?" asked Cheng Jiaoniang.

  Chen Shaoyu was embarrassed.

  Yes. What can you tell yourself? Just a nosebleed, dry weather. It's inevitable, who would have thought it was the start of an illness.

  "Get up," said Chen Shao. "Father is old, and nothing is trivial to him. He is heartbroken that you children won't speak out, and you mustn't follow in hiding the truth."

  My wife responded with gratitude.

  Jiangniang has already walked to the bedside, the palace lamps on both sides are dimly lit, shining on the person sleeping on the bed.

  Chen Shao and his wife followed behind, looking at Jingniang with some tension, seeing her look serious, they didn't dare to say a word. They were afraid of disturbing her diagnosis.

  The room fell silent until everyone was almost suffocated.

  "I can't remember." said Jingniang suddenly.

  Chen Shao and his wife were stunned for a moment.

  "Daughter, what can't you remember?" Chen Shao asked somewhat nervously.

  Have you forgotten the prescription?

  "I don't remember what he looks like," said Cheng Jiaoniang, looking at the old man and then turning her head to look at Dan Niang who was being held by a servant girl standing beside the curtain.

  After half a catty of wine, she remembered the things that had happened, remembered the names and places, but could never remember what those people looked like. So to be strict, before Ban Cui walked away, all she remembered were just the written records.

  Chen Shao and his wife exchanged a stunned glance.

  It's been a big fuss, but it wasn't about diagnosing an illness after all.

  "Daughter, look at my father... " Chen Shao hurriedly asked, sighing as he spoke, "In the past half month, he's been awake less and less often, every day just barely holding on to his breath with the help of ginseng soup."

  Jiangniang stretched out her hand. Chen Shao hurriedly helped take his father's hand from under the quilt, watching her feel the pulse.

  The house fell silent once again.

  After a moment, Jingniang Cheng withdrew her hand, and Chen Shao and the others let out a sigh of relief, only to immediately become tense again as they watched her.

  He didn't even dare ask how it was going.

  "Give me a set of golden needles," said Cheng Jiaoniang, "I'll administer them first and let him wake up."

  There were footsteps outside the door, as if in a hurry, without even removing his wooden clogs, he stepped into the house with a thud.

  "No need to fight, no need to fight, I have it here."

  An old man said with a trembling voice.

  A little boy ran up behind him, carrying a medicine box.

  "Where is the divine doctor?" He asked with narrowed eyes, looking around in all directions.

  Mr. and Mrs. Chen hurried over to greet them.

  "Doctor Li, why have you come so late?"

  "I didn't say that the divine doctor was invited, no matter how early or late, I had to be called. If this matter is missed, wouldn't it be a lifelong regret?" Li Taishan said, still looking around in the house, "Where's the divine doctor?"

  Jiang Jianguo remained seated on that side and didn't even turn her head. Chen Shao had to lead Li Taizhen over.

  Dan Niang took the opportunity to run to the bedside and knelt down.

  "Sister, can you cure Grandpa?" She pulled at the hem of Jing's clothes with a hint of expectation. "Grandpa said he'd take me to see the lanterns on August 15th, but we didn't go. Cousin said that by January 15th, I'll definitely be able to go. Sister, I overheard them talking in private, they said Grandpa is going to die... will he still be able to take me to see the lanterns on January 15th?"

  A child of four or five years old does not yet know about life and death.

  Jiang Yao turned her head and looked at her.

  "It's okay," she said. "It'll be fine in a few days, on the 15th of the first month, we can go see the lanterns."

  Dan Niang suddenly burst into a smile and pounced on the edge of the bed, shaking Lao Zhai's arm.

  "Grandpa, grandpa, sister said you're going to be fine, let's go see the lanterns." She exclaimed happily.

  Madam Chen hastily stepped forward and grabbed Dan Niang.

  "This is Madame Cheng," Chen Shao introduced to Li Taizhen, and then said to Cheng Jiaoniang, "This is Dr. Li of the Imperial Hospital."

  Jiang Nang raised her head and looked over, Li Taoyi also turned around.

  "Her?" he exclaimed in surprise, "Is it really the Miss Cheng that you're inviting?"

  He naturally saw the woman as soon as he entered, but she was so young that he thought she was one of Old Man Chen's grandchildren. He never imagined that she was actually Lu Yu's wife, who was considered by the Chen family to be their last hope for salvation.

  Jiang Nang didn't show much surprise.

  "Do you have a needle? Lend it to me for use." she said, stretching out her hand.

  The Zhou couple sat in the hall, feeling somewhat uneasy. The others who accompanied them also felt uneasy. Everyone's mind was preoccupied with the medical treatment, but they couldn't urge it hastily, so they continued to listen to Old Master Chen talk about his journey.

  The listener is absent-minded, and the speaker is also absent-minded; they are talking nonsense and don't even know what they're saying.

  "...Several people bit down on the wolf's leg..."

  A young woman couldn't help but burst out laughing, and it wasn't until then that everyone came back to their senses. Only then did Old Master Chen realize he had been distracted, and he felt a bit embarrassed.

  "I don't know how the treatment is going." He asked, changing the subject.

  "After all, he's still young..." Old Man Zhou sighed and said, no matter whether it works or not, being humble is always good.

  A servant woman rushed in from outside the door.

  "The injection has already been administered, and Nurse Chen said that at the latest, she will wake up by tomorrow morning." She said with a trembling voice.

  The people inside got excited and rushed out one after another.

  Chen Shao and his wife have arrived with Cheng Jiaoniang.

  "Jiao Jiao, how are you?" Madame Zhou hastily asked, "Can she be cured?"

  "It's natural." said Jingniang.

  "The injection has been administered and the prescription has been issued, Doctor Li is watching over him." Chen Shao said to his brothers.

  "What's next?" asked Old Master Chen, looking at Cheng Jiaoniang.

  "Just wait," said Jingniang.

  Mr. Chen stroked his nose, this woman... always speaks the plain truth.

  "It's getting late, let's head back first." said Mrs. Zhou, as she took hold of Jingniang's hand, "I'm also quite tired."

  "I'll wait a bit longer, until he wakes up and takes his medicine," said Cheng Jiaoniang.

  Mrs. Zhou was embarrassed.

  "Let the girl stay here, it's all settled." Mrs. Chen hurriedly said, originally not wanting the woman to leave, but feeling embarrassed to keep her, since she was going to take medicine anyway, it couldn't be better.

  "Yes, it's better to stay here, everyone will feel more at ease." Chen Shao also said, slightly bowing to Old Man Zhou and his wife.

  "It's good, it's good." Old Mr. Zhou and his wife nodded hastily.

  "It's getting late, you all should go back and rest," said Chen Shao.

  They didn't want to stay here either, every family had sick people and were worried and flustered. The Zhou couple left four servant girls behind and bid farewell.

  The Zhou couple had just left when Madame Cheng wanted to rest, and Madame Chen hastily arranged for someone to escort her.

  "Oh, right." Jingniang thought of something and turned back to say, "If you wake up in the middle of the night, just take the medicine, don't wake me up."

  The Chen family was shocked, but then seemed to understand something.