The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 54: The Official Love Interest Appears
Lu Family.
No wonder Tong Huaqiong felt so familiar.
It turns out it was the Imperial Merchant Lu Family.
This girl with eyes like cold stars was Gu Jingzhe’s official match, Lu Zhaozhao, in a past life.
In the past life, it was also in this forest that Tong Dajiao and Gu Jingzhe encountered the siblings, Lu Zhaozhao and Lu Zhaoyang.
At the time, Lu Zhaoyang was too ill to continue traveling.
The genius Gu Jingzhe guessed the siblings’ family background from their attire and persuaded Tong Dajiao to take the Lu siblings home, even lending Silver to Lu Zhaoyang to consult a doctor.
After a few days of recuperating at the Gu Family, Lu Zhaoyang stabilized, and Gu Jingzhe personally escorted the siblings to the Government City Lu Family, thus becoming a guest of honor at the Lu Family as a benefactor and confidant of Lu Zhaoyang.
Speaking of the Lu siblings, they were rather unfortunate; their parents died early, leaving them to live with their grandfather, a Great Royal Merchant.
Lu Zhaoyang was exceptionally talented, being the most outstanding student at Wanliu Academy, but his health was poor since childhood, and he died three years after being saved by the Gu Family.
Lu Zhaozhao was the epitome of a lovestruck fool, deceived by Gu Jingzhe’s looks, and it could be said that meeting Gu Jingzhe ruined her life.
After Lu Zhaoyang’s death, Mr. Lu fell ill and could not recover, and during that time, Gu Jingzhe’s attentiveness touched Mr. Lu so much that he decided on his deathbed to betroth Lu Zhaozhao to Gu Jingzhe.
After Gu Jingzhe passed the provincial exam, the two were married.
Becoming a son-in-law of the Lu Family’s dragon, Lu Zhaozhao used half her family’s wealth to support Gu Jingzhe’s ambitions in the capital.
Gu Jingzhe did not disappoint and took the third top scholar position in one go.
Then came the clichéd yet disastrous Chen Shimei incident for Lu Zhaozhao. Gu Jingzhe caught the eye of the Commandery Princess, and for political gains, he concealed his marriage and chose to marry the princess.
Tong Dajiao was overjoyed at her son’s ability to marry a princess, leading the entire family to deceive Lu Zhaozhao by letting Gu Jingzhe marry someone else, all while keeping Lu Zhaozhao bound to the Gu Family to justify spending her wealth.
Lu Zhaozhao did not discover Gu Jingzhe’s betrayal until the Commandery Princess came to her, deeply shocked, she took her own life with their unborn child.
After Lu Zhaozhao’s death, Gu Jingzhe regretted nothing about his betrayal, only madly taking concubines. The common trait among these concubines was their resemblance to Lu Zhaozhao.
Just like the famous fourth lord in Qing court dramas, he immersed himself in the tragic repetition of longing.
Lately, he even took a brothel girl who was a replica of Lu Zhaozhao, indulging in favoritism at the expense of his wife.
A complete lunatic drowning in delusional deep affection.
What a sin!
Tong Huaqiong couldn’t help but curse Gu Jingzhe fiercely in her heart.
"...Brother, please don’t scare me."
Lu Zhaoyang nearly choked.
Lu Zhaozhao saw her brother’s heavy breathing, tears streaming down.
Seeing Tong Huaqiong lift the curtain, Lu Zhaozhao mistook her for a doctor, only to be disappointed it was a village woman.
Tong Huaqiong, under the sunset light, looked toward Lu Zhaoyang.
Lu Zhaoyang was half-lying, face pale, breathing fast.
"Miss, the space in the carriage is too cramped, your brother needs ventilation, bring him out," Tong Huaqiong said to Lu Zhaozhao.
Tong Huaqiong didn’t know what illness Lu Zhaoyang had, but staying in a closed space was certainly not good.
Lu Zhaozhao was overwhelmed, nodding at Tong Huaqiong’s suggestion.
Tong Huaqiong poked her head out of the carriage, calling for Gu Dashu and Gu Jingzhe to help lift the person.
Gu Dashu and Gu Jingzhe crawled into the carriage, lifting Lu Zhaoyang out as Tong Huaqiong instructed, then placed him steadily on the grass.
Lu Zhaozhao stepped down from the carriage, stumbling and being caught by Gu Jingzhe.
Tong Huaqiong took a fan from the carriage, fanning while instructing Gu Dahuan to give Lu Zhaoyang some water.
"Young master, how do you feel?" Gu Dahuan asked.
Lu Zhaoyang lay in the open space, breathing much smoother than in the carriage, coughing a few times without speaking.
"Auntie, thank you."
Seeing her brother’s breathing steady, Lu Zhaozhao felt grateful to Tong Huaqiong.
Her brother had fallen ill, and without someone mature present, she was terrified.
The sudden appearance of Tong Huaqiong strangely reassured Lu Zhaozhao.
"Your brother will be fine," Tong Huaqiong said.
Tong Huaqiong said this knowingly, in Tong Dajiao’s memories, although she hadn’t seen what illness Lu Zhaoyang had, she saw Lu Zhaoyang overcome this sickness.
Since the time of Lu Zhaoyang’s death in the past life was still three years away.
With Tong Huaqiong’s comfort, Lu Zhaozhao gradually stopped crying.
Gu Dahuan then introduced Tong Huaqiong and the group to Lu Zhaoyang and his sister.
Encountering his stepmother and younger siblings in this forest, Gu Dahuan was quite surprised, especially at the kind demeanor his stepmother showed, which was beyond his expectations.
He felt his stepmother seemed somewhat different from before.
It’s not viable for Lu Zhaoyang to just lie here; it’s getting late. He should be taken to see a doctor or brought home.
If taken home... Tong Huaqiong glanced at Gu Jingzhe, not wanting him to harm Lu Zhaozhao again in this life.
"Why not go to the town to see a doctor," Tong Huaqiong suggested upon seeing Lu Zhaoyang’s smoother breathing.
"I won’t see a doctor..." Lu Zhaoyang replied with a bitter smile.
He dared not randomly see unfamiliar doctors; once, during an episode at Wanliu Academy, a classmate helped by inviting a doctor, and the more he sought treatment, the worse it got.
This ailment was congenital, and all the doctors he visited gave different diagnoses, leading him to only trust doctors retired from the Imperial Hospital.
Since Lu Zhaoyang was reluctant to see a doctor, Tong Huaqiong couldn’t force him.
"...Why is Mr. Lu really unwell?" Tong Huaqiong was curious.
Lu Zhaozhao shook her head and said, "I don’t know, he’s been like this since childhood, sometimes good, sometimes bad, and we’ve invited numerous famous doctors to no avail."
As Lu Zhaozhao spoke, she began to cry.
"He was fine before. My brother said he was hungry and ate a piece of sesame cake, and then he became like this... It’s all my fault for giving him the sesame cake," Lu Zhaozhao cried.
Sesame cake, Tong Huaqiong was stirred, and she turned to observe Lu Zhaoyang closely, then couldn’t help but ask Lu Zhaozhao, "Miss Lu, do you have any more sesame cake? May I take a look?"
Lu Zhaozhao nodded, ran to the carriage, and took out a sesame cake.
Tong Huaqiong took and scrutinized it; it was an ordinary wheat cake topped with a layer of sesame seeds. The wealthy eat just that kind of food, inferior to the sesame cakes she made.
Tong Huaqiong, while examining the sesame cake and observing Lu Zhaoyang, suddenly flashed an excited look.
This sesame cake confirmed Tong Huaqiong’s suspicion that Lu Zhaoyang exhibited signs of gluten intolerance, a chronic wheat protein allergy.
In a past life, Tong Huaqiong first learned someone could be allergic to wheat products during college, where a roommate across from her had this condition.
Gluten intolerance isn’t a very serious condition, like nut allergy; as long as wheat products are avoided, it’s fine. But consuming wheat leads to weakness, fatigue, breathlessness, and in severe cases, could be fatal.
Tong Huaqiong suspected that in a past life, Lu Zhaoyang died due to severe allergies.
Considering this era was unaware of gluten intolerance, food made from flour was mainstream; if not deliberately avoided, it couldn’t be dodged.
Gu Dashu and the others watched Tong Huaqiong tensely, not knowing what she was up to.
Lu Zhaozhao asked, "Auntie, did you discern anything?"
Tong Huaqiong pondered and said, "Actually, your brother’s condition is simple yet complicated."
Gu Dashu and the others were puzzled. What was their mother up to, and how could she diagnose an illness?
Gu Dahuan was more concerned, fearing his stepmother harbored ill intentions towards the siblings.
However, Lu Zhaozhao appeared thrilled, eagerly asking, "Auntie, what do you mean?"
Not only Lu Zhaozhao perked up, but Lu Zhaoyang lying on the ground also became energetic, looking at Tong Huaqiong with anticipation.
"Mr. Lu has gluten intolerance," Tong Huaqiong said. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
What?
Gluten intolerance, such a novel term.
"No, mother, what do you mean?"
Gu Dashu asked a question everyone wanted to know.
