The room instantly fell into chaos.
Mrs. Fang's cold gaze shifted. With one hand she stroked Xia Shimei's chest, and with the other she helped him sit down on a chair. "Husband, do not be angry. How could a child understand such things? She probably heard it from somewhere and was just speaking out of anger. Do not lower yourself to her level. Once it passes, she will forget about it. Your health is what matters."
"Wretched creature! Truly a wretched creature!" Xia Shimei said hatefully, yet he did not spare Xia Qinghe even a single glance. "You are right. The people in this house teach her heaven knows what day after day, and she says whatever comes to mind! Is there any upbringing left at all?"
"Servants, after all. Sometimes when they say things, children take them seriously. Husband, there is no need to get angry. Tomorrow I will properly ask around and find out exactly who has been instigating the young lady behind the scenes. Then I will arrange for some reliable people to come and attend to her. With more guidance on ordinary days, it will be fine."
"Then I will have to trouble you. You have only just entered the household, and already you must act as a mother…" Xia Shimei said with a look of guilt, but Mrs. Fang coquettishly pressed a finger to his lips. "Sharing my husband's burdens is only my duty."
Seeing her cheeks flushed and her eyes shimmering with flowing light, the irritation and anger in Xia Shimei's heart dissipated in an instant, and an indescribable emotion surged in his chest.
"You take good care of the young lady!" Leaving behind that one sentence, he took Mrs. Fang's hand and left the Qinghe Courtyard.
Watching them, Mama Lin and Danxin felt a chill rolling through their hearts, utterly disappointed. Xia Qinghe had vomited blood and then fainted. The doctor administered needles and wrote a prescription. Urged earnestly to stay by Mama Lin, he agreed to keep watch for one night.
At the Xia Manor in Ancheng.
When Xia Shimei returned from the office in the evening, Xia Si hurriedly came up to report.
"Master, something is wrong. The young lady's high fever will not break. I fear she may not make it!"
"What are you panicking about? What did the doctor say?"
Xia Shimei walked behind the screen in the study to change out of his official robes. The calm and unbothered expression on his face immediately darkened.
"Last night the doctor stayed the whole night. He said… he said…"
"Say what? Hesitating like that, hurry up and speak!"
"The doctors said the young lady's heart and lungs are damaged, and her high fever will not break. They told us to prepare for… after… matters…"
Xia Si's voice gradually lowered as he cautiously watched his master's expression.
What?! Xia Shimei was stunned, and a layer of anger rose to his face. How had it come to such a point?!
"Let's go! Take a look."
In the rear courtyard of the Xia Manor, all was silent. Even the servants tried to soften their footsteps as much as possible, afraid of provoking the master's displeasure.
In the Qinghe Courtyard, grief hung even heavier over everything.
"Right, the Sumeru Bead!" The senior maid Danxin suddenly thought of something and stumbled off to fetch the bead. That bead had always been kept close by Mrs. Lin, and it had even been threaded with sturdy silk into a cord.
After Mrs. Lin died, it was handed to Danxin for safekeeping. Danxin solemnly tied the bead around the young lady's neck and tucked it into her collar against her skin.
Too many things had happened today, and she had nearly forgotten something so important. Now it truly seemed to fulfill what Master Huiru had said. She hoped this bead could keep the young lady safe and sound.
Xia Shimei walked in haste. Before he even entered the courtyard, he saw a young maid leading a doctor out.
"Doctor, my daughter's illness…"
Before Xia Shimei could finish speaking, the doctor shook his head and sighed. He bowed deeply, unwilling to say more, and quickly left.
Only after seeing the pity in the doctor's eyes with his own eyes did Xia Shimei finally feel a pang of panic in his heart, and guilt surged up within him.
"How do you all take care of the young miss?!" Xia Shimei looked around and did not see Mama Lin. Anger flared in his heart. The girl was this sick, so why was only Danxin in the room? "Where is Mama Lin?!"
Just then, a little maid carrying a tray entered from outside. She stepped forward and curtsied. "Master, Mama Lin did not take good care of the young miss. This morning she also talked back to Madam. Madam flew into a rage and drove her away! She arranged for two servants, Caiyu and Caihuan, to come and serve the young miss instead."
Hearing this, Xia Shimei had no time to speak before he heard Danxin cry out softly, "Young miss?!"
On the bed, a five-year-old little girl lay there in a tiny bundle, her face flushed red, her breathing heavy.
Xia Shimei stepped forward, took the handkerchief from Danxin's hand, and gently wiped away the thin sweat on her forehead, his thoughts churning.
Xia Qinghe felt as if her whole body were on fire, her throat so dry it seemed about to smoke.
In the dream, her mother urged her earnestly as usual. She tried hard to hug her mother, but embraced only emptiness. She called out anxiously, "Mother…"
"The young miss is awake, the young miss is awake!" Danxin wept with joy. Amid her shock, she felt deeply relieved.
"He'er! How are you?"
Her head hurt terribly. Xia Qinghe rubbed her own head. It was very noisy by her ears. She opened her eyes, and what came into view was a handsome man's face full of concern, along with a maid beside him crying into a puddle of tears.
Hm? What was going on? Why was everyone dressed like ancient people? She moved her body, and was so startled that her eyes went wide. Damn! No way, even she herself had shrunk by several sizes!
Only then did she realize she had transmigrated! How bizarre! To think that she, a genius medical doctor at an otherworldly military research institute, had actually transmigrated into the body of a five-year-old little girl!
She closed her eyes. The memories in her mind reminded her that none of this was a dream.
That handsome face just now was her father, Xia Shimei. Mm, this name was really hard to describe. Just hearing it made it clear he was scum.
The situation before her, oh, with just a little thought, she recalled what had happened.
This scumbag father really was not ordinarily scum. The original owner was truly pitiful too. Without a mother, and with a stubborn temper. The scumbag father married a stepmother, and this stepmother was obviously vicious. How could the original owner, at such a young age, understand all those hidden and dirty things in the inner household? Even if she lost her life, she probably would not have earned even a shred of sympathy!
"He'er, how do you feel?" Xia Shimei looked at his daughter, muddled and drowsy, afraid it might be a last rally before death, and felt unbearable grief in his heart.
"Master, the young miss's high fever seems to have gone down!" Danxin reached out and tested Xia Qinghe's forehead, somewhat pleasantly surprised.
A feeling of hunger came from her stomach. Xia Qinghe responded weakly, "I… am a little hungry!"
"Good, good, good. If you know you're hungry, then you should be fine! Quickly, quickly, have the small kitchen make some dishes He'er likes!"
"Master, the young miss has just woken up and can only eat something light! There has been millet porridge kept warm on the stove all along! Taohong, quick, go bring the porridge."
A little maid answered cheerfully and ran out.
Xia Shimei seemed to remember something. "Quick, quick, send someone to chase after the doctor. Ask the doctor to turn back and examine her carefully again!" The genuine emotion revealed at this moment had somewhat the feel of a loving father, and the joy of regaining what was lost on his face also swept away the initial heaviness in his heart.
In truth, on ordinary days Xia Qinghe was not particularly close to her father. It was probably because he was always very stern at home, though he would soften somewhat when facing Lin Wanying. If she had not seen Xia Shimei's gentle, jade-like manner while chatting and laughing outside, she would have truly thought he was originally that rigid and serious.
After Mrs. Lin fell ill, he became even more gloomy and frowning. At that time, who in Ancheng did not know that Lord An attended to his sick wife tirelessly, never leaving her side? Everyone urged him that his young daughter was still small and that he should quickly remarry to take care of things, and so on.
He was quite willing to take advice. Only half a year after Mrs. Lin passed away, his second wife was carried into the household. During these six months, the number of times he had come to Qinghe Courtyard could be counted on one hand. Seeing that the second wife was about to enter the house, only then did Xia Qinghe throw a temper at him. Otherwise, he would have forgotten he still had a biological daughter.