After selling out her braised meat and returning to the village the next day, the first thing Xu Mingzhu did was take the money to the Song family. Once the divorce was finalized, she would finally be free of the cannon-fodder role of the villainous supporting character.
She knocked on the door several times, but no one answered. “Song Ci!”
Xu Mingzhu called out repeatedly, but still got no response. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly heard a woman’s sobbing from within. Without thinking, she pushed open the door and ran inside.
Madam Song had collapsed onto the floor of the main room, half-holding Father Song in her arms, crying so hard that her entire body trembled.
Father Song’s complexion was bluish-purple, and his lips had turned a frightening shade of grayish white.
“Mingzhu, your father-in-law… I think he may have died?”
Xu Mingzhu rushed over, crouched down, and checked his breathing.
His breath was so faint that it was almost impossible to detect. Fortunately, it was still there.
Xu Mingzhu sighed in relief. “He’s still alive.”
“Where’s the medicine he normally takes?” As she spoke, she loosened Father Song’s collar, untied his belt, and pulled open the upper part of his clothing to make breathing easier.
Madam Song, already flustered and at a loss, was bewildered by the flurry of activity. But seeing how serious Xu Mingzhu looked, she didn’t dare interfere.
Her voice trembled as she replied: “He… he has some. When his chest feels tight, he takes pills from a small gourd-shaped bottle. They’re… they’re in the cabinet beside the bed in the east room!”
“Go get them. Quickly!”
While Madam Song stumbled away to fetch the medicine, Xu Mingzhu had already adjusted Father Song’s position.
Fortunately, Xu Mingzhu had previously arranged for several medical workers to give first-aid training sessions to her restaurant staff, so she remembered the basics. She quickly grabbed a rolled-up cloth from nearby and placed it beneath Father Song’s back and shoulders, raising his upper body into a semi-reclining position of about thirty degrees.
Madam Song handed her the medicine, crying so hard she could barely speak. “Mingzhu, your father-in-law was perfectly fine just now. He said he wanted to bring some books out to air them. Then, all of a sudden… all of a sudden…”
Xu Mingzhu had no time to comfort her. Taking the medicine, she supported Father Song’s jaw with one hand, tilting his head slightly back to keep his airway open. Then she carefully placed a pill beneath his tongue.
“I’ll get some water,” Madam Song said blankly as she started toward the kitchen.
“No need. He can’t swallow right now. Just leave it under his tongue.”
In the novel, Father Song’s death had only been briefly mentioned. It had supposedly been brought on by rage after the original Xu Mingzhu misappropriated Song Ci’s tuition money.
But she hadn’t done that. So why had he still fallen ill?
“Where’s Song Ci?”
“Ci’er… Ci’er went to Qingzhou City early this morning to visit his teacher. I’ll go find someone to bring him back right away.”
“Forget it. There isn’t enough time.” Turning to Madam Song, Xu Mingzhu continued: “Mother, go pack a few sets of everyday clothes and prepare a hot-water bottle. I’ll borrow Wu Da’s ox cart from the village. We’re taking Father Song to Qingzhou City for treatment immediately.”
“Alright.”
After borrowing the ox cart, Xu Mingzhu and Wu Da carefully lifted Father Song aboard.
Just as Madam Song climbed onto the cart with the hot-water bottle in her arms, she suddenly turned back toward Xu Mingzhu. Biting her lip, she pleaded softly: “Mingzhu… could you come with me?”
“Alone… I’m afraid.” Madam Song hadn’t wanted to say those words.
She knew Xu Mingzhu’s temperament well, so even her request came out as a humble plea. But with her son away from home, if anything happened, she wouldn’t know what to do on her own.
Xu Mingzhu had intended to go with her anyway. If anything happened to Father Song, her own future would become uncertain as well. Besides, Madam Song was terrified right now, and Xu Mingzhu couldn’t leave her alone.
“I’ll go with you.” Without another word, Xu Mingzhu gathered up her skirts and climbed onto the cart.
Madam Song hadn’t expected her to agree so readily. She grabbed Xu Mingzhu’s hand and thanked her over and over again.
As the ox cart left the village, Xu Mingzhu kept one hand on Father Song’s shoulder to keep him from being jolted around by the ride. With her other hand, she reached out and felt his forehead.
The cold sweat on Father Song’s body had lessened, but his skin was still cool.
Xu Mingzhu placed the hot-water bottle beside his hands so that they could warm up first.
Wiping away her tears, Madam Song said, “I shouldn’t have let him air out those books today. He carried out two loads already. I told him to rest, but he wouldn’t listen. On the third trip… he had just reached the doorway when he collapsed…”
As she spoke, she started crying again. “If I’d known this would happen, I would never have let him carry them. It’s all my fault…”
“It’s not your fault,” Xu Mingzhu interrupted. “With a heart condition like this, the root of the problem is already inside the body. Even if he hadn’t been moving books, something else could have triggered it. Don’t blame yourself.”
Sniffling, Madam Song looked at her in surprise. In her memory, whenever Xu Mingzhu interacted with her, she either gave her the cold shoulder or complained that Song Ci didn’t care about her enough. Never had she spoken so gently or offered comfort like this.
The ox cart hit a rough patch of road, and the entire cart lurched violently.
Xu Mingzhu reacted instantly. One hand shielded Father Song’s head while the other braced against the side of the cart to steady herself.
Madam Song was thrown sideways by the jolt. As she sat up again, she noticed how protectively Xu Mingzhu held Father Song. Her lips moved slightly, but in the end she said nothing.
“Uncle Wu,” Xu Mingzhu called to the driver at the front, “I know we’re in a hurry, but safety comes first. The road ahead is rough. Please go a little slower.”
“Got it!” Wu Da called back as he gently tugged on the ox’s reins, slowing the cart.
“Mother,” Xu Mingzhu asked, “who has been treating Father all this time?”
Madam Song thought for a moment.
“Doctor Liu from Jishi Hall, and Yining.”
“Wen Yining?”
Madam Song nodded. “Yes, but every time it was A Ci who invited her over. Right now, I don’t know where she is.”
Xu Mingzhu immediately said, “Then let’s go to Jishi Hall and find Doctor Liu.”
“Alright. I’ll do whatever you say.”
Upon reaching Qingzhou City, Xu Mingzhu had Wu Da drive the ox cart directly to Jishi Hall.
As soon as the cart stopped, Xu Mingzhu jumped down and, with the apprentice who had hurried out upon hearing the commotion, carried Father Song inside.
Madam Song followed close behind, still clutching the hot-water bottle in her arms, flustered and stumbling as she walked.
The physician on duty, Doctor Liu, was a thin old man in his fifties. He had been taking a woman’s pulse, but when he saw a patient being carried in, he set it aside and came over. He lifted Father Song’s eyelids, then checked his pulse. His brows drew tightly together. “When did the attack begin?”
“About an hour ago,” Madam Song replied, her voice trembling.
Doctor Liu nodded. He instructed the apprentice to prepare acupuncture needles and heat the medicine stove, then examined Father Song’s tongue and complexion.
He noticed Father Song’s collar was loosened, his hands and feet were warm, and a pill lay beneath his tongue. He picked up the small gourd-shaped medicine bottle and sniffed it before turning to look at Xu Mingzhu.
“Who did all this?”
Xu Mingzhu remained silent.
Madam Song hurriedly answered, “It was my daughter-in-law… she did it. Doctor, none of us understand medicine. Please, you must save him!”
Doctor Liu glanced at Xu Mingzhu. A hint of surprise flickered in his eyes, but even more approval. He didn’t ask any further questions. Instead, he simply said, “You handled it very well. Otherwise, the patient wouldn’t have lasted until now.”
Then he continued: “He can still be saved.”
Tears immediately welled up in Madam Song’s eyes. She grabbed Xu Mingzhu’s hand and repeated the same words over and over: “Mingzhu, the doctor said your father-in-law can still be saved. He can still be saved…”
“Don’t celebrate too soon,” Doctor Liu cautioned. “The damage to his heart meridian is quite serious. We’ll need good medicine to sustain him. I have several herbs here: premium ginseng, Sichuan aconite, processed aconite, and salvia. They’re all high-quality aged stock, but they aren’t cheap.”
“We have money.” Madam Song quickly pulled five taels of silver from a cloth pouch tucked inside her clothes. “Doctor, we have money.”
Doctor Liu looked at the five taels of silver but did not take them. After a moment of silence, he said, “If you truly want him treated, you’ll need at least twenty taels.”