Jin Lanyue flung herself against the edge of the bed, pressing her tiny face against her mother’s burning hand. “Mommy, Mommy, what’s wrong with you…”
“Mommy…” The little toddler’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Yue’er is back… look at Yue’er…”
Everyone in the room grew red-eyed at the sight.
The imperial physicians exchanged worried glances.
Jiang Xiyue had suffered a heatstroke while balancing the accounts today.
Managing the manor’s accounts was already exhausting mental and physical labor. Furthermore, she had opened the windows to use the sunlight for illumination. Shutting herself inside to calculate the numbers, she hadn’t noticed for a time that the ice in the ice basins had completely melted, and she had been too deeply focused to notice the rising external temperature…
By the time she fainted, the servants finally realized what had happened. They hurriedly summoned a doctor and sent someone to inform the Marquis of Beiding, who was still attending the morning court session.
A physician from the common folk had examined her and confirmed it was a severe case of heatstroke. He prescribed a formula and administered two doses of medicine, but it had absolutely no effect.
The Marquis of Beiding rushed back in a panic and immediately ordered people into the palace to summon the imperial physicians.
Several imperial physicians had arrived, yet the conclusion they provided was far from optimistic.
Presently—
“The Madam’s body has been invaded by extreme summer heat,” the leading imperial physician explained in a low voice. “If her fever cannot be broken tonight…”
Hearing this, Qu Zijin’s heart plummeted straight down.
He knew how fragile human life could be, and he also knew that people died from heatstroke every single year.
Although it wasn’t some rare disease, if it couldn’t be cured, a condition as common as this could easily claim a person’s life.
“Mommy, Mommy will be fine,” Jin Lanyue’s tears fell in large droplets as her tiny hand clutched her mother’s. “Mommy will always stay with Yue’er…”
Through her tear-blurred vision, her face carried a stubborn resolve she had never shown before.
The little toddler extended a plump, fleshy hand, carefully touching her mother’s pale cheek. “Mommy, Yue’er sing song-song, Mommy wake up fast…”
Her tender, childish voice echoed through the silent room, haltingly humming a tuneless melody.
It was still those same lyrics. The tiny tot sang with absolute earnestness, yet her tears could not stop falling.
[System Auntie]: Host’s need detected. Analyzing the illness.
[System Auntie]: Analysis complete.
[System Auntie]: Cause: High-temperature weather, prolonged direct exposure to the sun.
[System Auntie]: Condition: Exertional Heatstroke (Severe).
[System Auntie]: An Advanced Disease-Dispelling Talisman (x1) can be deployed to weaken the illness. Do you wish to use it?
“Yes!” Jin Lanyue answered in her heart without the slightest hesitation.
She didn’t know what heatstroke or a medical condition was, but she knew that this might save her mother.
As long as it could save her mommy, she would do anything required of her.
Being sick was very miserable. Her mommy was in a lot of pain, and she was in a lot of pain too.
She wanted her mommy to be healthy and happy, and to stay with her forever.
She couldn’t live without her mommy.
With tears hanging upon her cheeks, Jin Lanyue choked back a sob as she spoke to her System Auntie in her heart: Auntie, please save Mommy. Yue’er will give you my things, give you my pastries, give you my hairpins… Yue’er doesn’t want anything, Yue’er only wants Mommy… Please, Yue’er can’t live without Mommy.
[System Auntie]: Advanced Disease-Dispelling Talisman has been deployed.
A miracle occurred at that exact moment.
Jiang Xiyue’s eyelashes fluttered gently. Under the astonished gazes of everyone present, she slowly opened her eyes.
Weakly raising her hand, she wiped away the tears on her daughter’s face. “Yue’er… don’t cry…”
“Mommy!” The tiny tot threw herself into her mother’s arms, burying her small head in the crook of her mother’s neck as she sobbed. “Mommy is awake! Yue’er was so scared…”
A trace of color returned to Jiang Xiyue’s pale face. She exerted her strength to wrap her arms around her daughter. “Mommy is fine…”
As she spoke, two lines of clear tears also slipped down her face, and she actually tried to support her body to sit up.
She knew that although her daughter was a bit pampered, when had the child ever cried so heartbreakingly?
Jiang Xiyue only felt her heart wrench together, aching so intensely that she could barely breathe.
“Madam, please don’t move!” The imperial physicians frantically stepped forward. After checking her pulse, they looked at one another in utter bewilderment. “This… her pulse has actually stabilized significantly…”
The Marquis of Beiding rushed to the bedside in a single stride, grasping his wife’s hand. “You’re finally awake!”
His voice carried a hint of a sob.
Jin Qizhi and Jin Lizhi also swarmed forward; one busied himself with propping up pillows for their mother, while the other urgently went to fetch warm water.
Jiang Xiyue gently caressed the crown of her daughter’s head, her eyes filled with nothing but tender affection. “It was Yue’er who called Mommy awake… Mommy heard Yue’er singing…”
“Really?” The tiny tot raised her face, her large eyes still glistening with tears, wet and bright. “Then Yue’er will sing song-songs for Mommy every single day from now on!”
“Alright, then Mommy will listen to them every day.”
“Mommy…” Jin Lanyue held her tightly with her tiny hands, pressing her cheek against her chest. “Mommy must never leave Yue’er. Yue’er wants to be with Mommy forever…”
Jiang Xiyue shed tears once more, holding her tightly in her embrace. “Mommy won’t leave Yue’er either. Mommy cannot bear to part with Yue’er.”
Her daughter was only three years old; how could she ever bear to leave her behind?
Even if she had only a single breath remaining, she would fight with all her might to stay alive.
Mother and daughter embraced each other tightly, and no one present was left unmoved by the sight.
Jiang Xiyue’s awakening was partly due to the effects of the Disease-Dispelling Talisman, but the purest love between a mother and her child was the most critical catalyst.
Standing at the outer edge of the crowd, Qu Zijin watched this scene, his tense shoulders finally relaxing.
He noticed that Jiang Xiyue’s complexion was indeed improving at a speed visible to the naked eye, which defied all logical reasoning…
“The little County Chief truly is a lucky little star,” an old imperial physician remarked while stroking his beard. “I have practiced medicine for decades, yet I have never witnessed such a miracle.”
“Exactly!” The second brother leaned in, kissing his sister’s tear-stained little face before kissing his mother. “Our Yue’er is the most amazing!”
Jin Qizhi revealed a smile and sat by the edge of the bed as well. “Yes, thank you, Yue’er. This is truly wonderful…”
Jiang Xiyue pulled all three children into her arms, her chest overflowing with happiness.
She pressed a gentle kiss upon the tiny tot’s forehead. “With Yue’er here, whatever illness Mommy has is instantly cured.”
The Marquis of Beiding stepped forward directly to wrap his arms around all four of them. “We are a family; we cannot do without a single one of us!”
As the night deepened, the orange candlelight flickered gently within the room.
Qu Zijin quietly exited the chamber, standing beneath the veranda as he gazed up at the star-studded sky.
For a moment, he actually felt a hint of envy.
He had been standing under the veranda for quite some time when a tiny head suddenly poked out from the room.
Jin Lanyue’s eyes were still somewhat red and tear tracks remained on her face, yet upon spotting him, she still offered a sweet smile. “Grand Tutor…”
Looking at the red-eyed little toddler before him, Qu Zijin softened his voice to a rare degree. “Teacher may rest at ease at home to care for the Madam. There is no rush regarding your schoolwork.”
The tiny tot nodded vigorously. “Yue’er will take very good care of Mommy!”
Qu Zijin smiled. After granting her leave from school, he politely took his departure.
The following day.
Inside the main chamber.
The moment Jin Lanyue woke up, she went to find her mother.
The Marquis of Beiding had already personally helped Jiang Xiyue up, propping several soft pillows behind her back.
Seeing Jin Lanyue enter, he waved her over. “Yue’er, you’ve arrived just in time. Help Daddy hold this dish of preserved fruits.”
Since his wife’s severe illness had not yet fully recovered, he had no desire to attend the morning court session and had simply requested leave from the Emperor.
The Emperor had granted it very readily, even going as far as to temporarily dispatch a female physician from the Imperial Academy of Medicine to reside at the Marquis’s manor to facilitate round-the-clock care.
Naturally, the Marquis of Beiding was immensely grateful.
Jin Lanyue had precisely intended to do so. She immediately moved her short legs and ran over, accepting the glass dish containing the preserved dates.
“Come, drink the medicine first.” The Marquis of Beiding picked up the medicine bowl, ladling a spoonful of the dark liquid and blowing on it gently.
Looking at the pitch-black medicinal broth, Jiang Xiyue’s brows furrowed slightly.
Before it even entered her mouth, the bitter aroma alone made her throat tighten.
Standing beside them, the little toddler caught a whiff of the scent, and her tiny face instantly puckered up, revealing a terrified expression.
This smell… was so scary!
But no, she couldn’t be afraid!
The tiny tot cheered herself up in her heart.
She had to encourage her mommy; only by drinking her medicine could her mommy recover quickly!
“Mommy, don’t be scared, don’t be scared!” The tiny tot immediately stood on her tiptoes, picking out a sweet date from the small dish. “Yue’er give Mommy a sweet-sweet date!”
The Marquis of Beiding could not help but laugh. “Look at how thoughtful our Yue’er is.”
With that, he brought the medicinal spoon to his wife’s lips. “Drink it quickly, Madam. Don’t let our daughter’s sweet intentions go to waste.”
As the medicinal broth entered her mouth, Jiang Xiyue’s brows locked tight from the bitterness.
The tiny tot immediately stuffed the sweet date into her mother’s mouth. “Mommy, eat the date! Once you eat it, it won’t taste bitter-bitter!”
“Mmph…” Holding the sweet date in her mouth, Jiang Xiyue’s features gradually relaxed.
She pulled her daughter close to her side, pressing a kiss upon her forehead. “With Yue’er here, no matter how bitter the medicine is, Mommy can swallow it down.”
Watching this scene, the Marquis of Beiding smiled as he ladled another spoonful of medicine. “Another sip?”