The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 830 - 829 Self-blame

Wang Yongzhu thanked them, left the door slightly ajar, and hurried inside to take care of Old Granny Zhang.

Gu Zikai turned and ordered, "Quickly, bring the best doctor in town here!"

Lang Hao didn’t dare to delay and rushed off to fetch the doctor.

Gu Zikai thought for a moment, then returned to his own courtyard and instructed Old Lady Li, "Go to the backyard and lend a hand to Lady Wang. Auntie in the backyard is ill, and Lady Wang can’t manage alone."

Old Lady Li immediately stood up, wiped her hands on her clothes, and agreed as she walked to the Song Family Courtyard.

Gu Zikai then hurried off to the Academy.

As soon as Old Lady Li pushed the door open, she saw Wang Yongzhu anxiously attending to the patient inside the room while keeping an eye on the fire in the cookhouse. She hurriedly said, "Lady Wang, don’t worry, just stay with Sister Zhang. Tell me what needs to be done in the cookhouse."

Wang Yongzhu didn’t bother with formalities and asked her to boil a large pot of hot water to wash Old Granny Zhang.

Old Lady Li quickly got busy in the cookhouse, giving Wang Yongzhu a brief respite.

She found two clean inner garments and set them aside. Seeing that Old Granny Zhang’s fever had subsided and she seemed more stable, ƒreewebɳovel.com

the sweat on her body had lessened, and her body temperature was stabilized.

Just then, Old Lady Li came out and said the water was ready.

Wang Yongzhu quickly poured the hot water into a bucket, carried it into the room, poured it into a basin, adjusted its temperature, then soaked a cloth in it, wrung it out, and gently wiped Old Granny Zhang’s sweat.

Old Lady Li also helped alongside, and together, they wiped Old Granny Zhang’s body, changed her into clean clothes, and swapped the bedding.

Only then did they let Old Granny Zhang lie back down, feeling fresh and clean.

Perhaps it was because her fever had subsided and her clothes had been changed, Old Granny Zhang slept deeply without waking,

Wang Yongzhu tidied up Old Granny Zhang’s clothes and took the water out to be disposed of.

She solemnly thanked Old Lady Li!

Old Lady Li exchanged a few polite words, seeing that Wang Yongzhu was deeply worried, and could only offer a few comforting words of her own.

Thankfully, Song Chongjin had returned first, with a breathless Gu Zikai following behind.

As soon as Song Chongjin entered, he rushed into the room to check on Old Granny Zhang. Seeing that her condition was stable, he felt slightly relieved, and then looked at Wang Yongzhu. Originally managing alone and maintaining composure,

once she saw Song Chongjin return, the suppressed panic in her heart could no longer be restrained. She rushed into Song Chongjin’s arms and burst into tears, "Brother Song, I’m so scared! If anything happens to Mother, I could never forgive myself!"

Wang Yongzhu blamed herself intensely. If only she had been more attentive, more considerate, more concerned about Old Granny Zhang, she wouldn’t have been unaware of her condition.

Old Granny Zhang had devoted her heart to her, yet she had divided her attention too much between studying dyes and buying tea plantations, leaving little concern for Old Granny Zhang.

She had previously criticized others for being unfilial, but now she felt even more like berating herself for her lack of filial piety!

Old Granny Zhang was her anchor in this world, her sense of belonging. If anything happened to Old Granny Zhang, she felt she truly couldn’t face herself.

Of course, Song Chongjin understood Wang Yongzhu’s fear, guilt, and anxiety. He patted her back gently and comforted her, "Yongzhu, don’t worry. Mother will be fine! She is blessed and will surely be okay, trust me!"

Gu Zikai and Old Lady Li were unsure whether to stay or leave, feeling awkward as they glanced at the couple.

Gu Zikai lowered his gaze to his toes.

Old Lady Li awkwardly looked up at the sky. Oh dear, how sentimental the youngsters are nowadays—

Unfazed, Song Chongjin continued to comfortingly pat Wang Yongzhu’s back, speaking in a low, tender voice until she stopped crying.

Song Chongjin took out a handkerchief and wiped Wang Yongzhu’s tears. "Your eyes are swollen from crying. If Mother wakes up and sees this, she would be heartbroken!"

Hearing this, Wang Yongzhu’s eyes reddened again but she managed to hold back her tears.

Seeing that Wang Yongzhu had calmed down, Song Chongjin asked, "What exactly happened? When I got up this morning and saw Mother hadn’t risen, I thought she was just tired. To avoid disturbing her, I left quietly. It’s all my fault. If only I had checked earlier!"

Song Chongjin too felt a pang of fear. Thankfully, her mother-in-law wasn’t alone at home, otherwise—

He didn’t dare to think further.

Just as they spoke, Lang Hao arrived, dragging a stumbling doctor with him.

The doctor, not young himself, was almost yanked off his feet as he was pulled in from the carriage. If he hadn’t had a sturdy body, he might have been seriously injured.

Only after catching his breath did the doctor enter the room. He examined Old Granny Zhang, listening and questioning thoroughly before motioning everyone to follow him outside.

Old Lady Li volunteered to stay and watch over Old Granny Zhang. After stepping out, Wang Yongzhu listened as the doctor explained Old Granny Zhang’s condition.

The gist was that years of hard labor had taken a toll on her body. Despite her good constitution and her awareness that she couldn’t afford to succumb, as her daughter had no one else to rely on,

the subsequent troubles with the Wang Family left Old Granny Zhang no respite, forcing her to hold on until now.

It seemed that with things now in order, she had finally relaxed. Coupled with the exhaustion from travel, her previously suppressed ailments erupted.

However, this outburst was also beneficial. Prolonging it might have caused even greater harm.

Now that her fever had subsided, the most concerning and troublesome phase had passed. As long as she didn’t relapse into fever, with proper care, she would recover.

She just needed to avoid overexertion going forward, as her weakening body couldn’t handle it.

The doctor then prescribed medication, "I’ll start with two doses to calm the internal heat. When she wakes, she should have plain porridge for two days. Once she improves, I’ll prescribe tonics for a month or two, and she’ll be fine."

After writing the prescription, the doctor was about to leave when Song Chongjin stopped him, "I’m deeply sorry, but my mother-in-law’s condition worries me. Could you stay here for a couple of days, just in case? Once she stabilizes, we can escort you back. Would that be alright?"

The doctor was surprised, having initially thought Song Chongjin was her son, realizing now he was the son-in-law.

He didn’t expect such devotion from a son-in-law!

Nonetheless, it was not unusual for a doctor to encounter such situations,

so he nodded, "Someone should accompany me to get the medicine and some things."

Gu Zikai hurriedly ordered Lang Hao, but Song Chongjin, who wasn’t concerned about any issues, had to politely yet firmly decline Gu Zikai’s offer.

Gu Zikai, being astute, realized Song Chongjin was politely showing him the door.

He didn’t insist, but he turned to Wang Yongzhu, hesitantly suggesting, "I see Lady Wang is quite overwhelmed. Should Mother Lang Hao stay to help?"

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