The old lady slept deeply, and Jing Shu sat quietly on a small stool by the bed, watching over her. Nurse Xu approached Jing Shu, who sat by the side, and asked, “Has the old lady not woken up at all?”
Jing Shu nodded and said, “She has been sleeping the whole time.” As the two conversed in hushed tones, the old lady’s brow furrowed slightly. Jing Shu, sensing a shift, quickly got up to get some tea from the outer room.
The old lady opened her eyes, and Nurse Xu approached, looking at her and said, “You’re awake. Do you feel any better?”
The old lady did not speak, but hot tears fell from her cloudy eyes.
When she was young, her spirit had been unyielding, and tears were a rare sight from her. Now, concern etched lines on Nurse Xu’s face as she saw the old lady’s tears. “What troubles you?” she asked gently.
The old lady murmured, a tremor in her voice, “It’s not my body… it’s my heart.” Nurse Xu squeezed her hand, a silent understanding passing between them. The recent illness was a stark reminder of the anxiety gnawing at the old lady – the price of her granddaughter’s precarious situation.
“Princess Jiu is safe now,” Nurse Xu soothed. “Please, find solace in that and focus on getting well.”
The old lady clung to Nurse Xu’s hand, her voice thick with emotion. “I just dreamt of Ah Xian and Ah Tian again…” A veil of sorrow descended upon her as she spoke the names, a lifetime of grief echoing in the unspoken words. The tragic deaths of her daughters in the palace remained an unhealed wound.
The old lady’s mention of her daughters sent a pang of sorrow through Nurse Xu. Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them back. “You mustn’t dwell on the past,” she said gently, squeezing the old lady’s hand. “Your health is what matters most right now.”
The old lady’s sobs grew heavier. “I shouldn’t have sent them…” she choked out, “It’s all my fault!” Her voice rose into a heartbroken cry.
A commotion from the outer room alerted Li Ling, who rushed in. But Jing Shu, standing guard at the door, stopped him with a hand gesture. The old lady, strong-willed by nature, had endured countless hardships without letting them show. Having just woken up, she was unaware that Li Ling and others were present. Knowing her temperament, Jing Shu understood the old lady wouldn’t want her vulnerability exposed to her family.
Li Ling, his brow furrowed in concern, mirrored Jing Shu’s understanding nod.
The two departed the inner room in quiet unison. Jing Shu made her way to the small kitchen, her steps light but purposeful. There, she retrieved the warm white porridge that had been simmering, its gentle aroma a silent comfort. Carefully, she transferred it to a thermos porcelain jar and returned to Anxi Hall.
Reaching the outer room, Jing Shu strained to hear any sounds from within. Only a heavy silence greeted her. Presumedly, Nurse Xu had managed to soothe the old lady’s grief.
With a meaningful glance at Nurse Xu, Jing Shu presented the thermos. Nurse Xu, her eyes filled with empathy, understood. Taking the porridge, she approached the bedside.
“We’ve warmed some porridge for you,” she said gently, urging the old lady to eat. “Please, have a little. Princess Jiu still needs your strength.” Her voice softened, carrying the weight of their shared worry for the granddaughter’s well-being.
The old lady, her gaze distant for a moment, finally spoke. “Feed me a couple of bites,” she said, her voice weak but resolute.
Relief bloomed on Nurse Xu’s face. Happily complying, she spooned the porridge into the old lady’s mouth, chattering as she fed her. “This illness of yours has caused the children so much worry. Li Ling and his wife have been watching over you for most of the night. It was only before you woke up that I insisted they go back to rest.”
“The girl Jing Shu has a good temperament and is thoughtful, truly a rare good child,” the old lady paused, then said, a tinge of finality in her voice, “I can rest in peace when I leave this family in her hands.”
Nurse Xu’s smile faltered. “What are you talking about, my lady?” she countered, her voice laced with concern. “You must live a long and healthy life. You still have to see your legitimate grandsons and granddaughters grow up, don’t you?”
Hearing Nurse Xu’s words, the old lady’s expression softened, and she murmured, “Yes, I still need to see my great-grandson.” Saying this, she looked up at Nurse Xu and inquired, “Has there been any news from Xiaoyu, the second daughter-in-law, recently?”
Standing at the doorway, Jing Shu felt a warm flush spread across her cheeks upon hearing the old lady’s words.
Li Ling looked down at her, his eyes alight with a mix of mirth and tenderness.
Feeling his gaze, Jing Shu glanced up sharply, her eyes sending a silent reprimand.
Li Ling mouthed silently, “Why are you glaring at me? I’m not the one who’s impatient.” He then subtly gestured towards the inner room and whispered conspiratorially, “It’s grandmother who’s anxious to hold her grandson.”
Jing Shu shot him a look that was both exasperated and fond, then spun on her heel, leaving him behind as she strode purposefully into the outer room.
Upon their return to Qingfeng Garden, it was well into the night. Exhausted from the long evening, they forwent their usual nightly routines and climbed straight into bed.
Li Ling drew back the covers and made sure Jing Shu was comfortably tucked in, saying, “You’ve had a long day, get some rest now.”
Jing Shu murmured her agreement, turned to settle down for sleep, but Li Ling extended his arm, gently pulling her into his embrace.
Jing Shu slipped out from his hold, her eyes narrowed in fatigue, and murmured, “I’m really tired, I need to sleep.”
It wasn’t that she was upset with him.
She was simply worn out from the day’s and night’s continuous activities.
At this point, she didn’t have the energy to engage in any further discussions.
Noticing her fatigued and drawn expression, Li Ling became more subdued, softly patting her hand, and whispered, “Sleep then.”
In her previous life, she suffered a miscarriage before her child could be born. The agony was as intense as if a needle had pierced her heart. This pain was nothing compared to the old lady’s, who had abruptly lost two grown daughters, each as lovely as flowers and as precious as jade.
She could deeply empathize with the old lady’s anguish.
‘Is Qingluan truly out of danger now?’ Jing Shu’s voice, soft and tentative, broke the stillness of the night.
At that moment, her concern for Qingluan was genuine. She did not want the old lady to experience the pain of loss once more—not because she had transformed into a paragon of virtue overnight, but because she couldn’t bear to see the old lady suffer again.
Li Ling was taken aback by her inquiry about Qingluan. Earlier, in the Anxi Hall, he had distinctly sensed her irritation when Qingluan’s name came up.
“She is now safe, merely weakened and in need of rest.”
“Thank goodness she will survive!” With a sense of relief, Jing Shu adjusted the blanket and settled down to sleep.
Li Ling added, “Yet, the perpetrator who endangered her remains unidentified within the inner court.”
Jing Shu could sense the profound anger emanating from the person next to her in just a few words. She inwardly scoffed, too weary to maintain the facade, and closed her eyes, succumbing to a deep, weary slumber.
(End of this chapter)