Several people entered the door, and soon a young woman around thirty years old came out to greet them: “Old Master.”
She looked expectantly toward Old Zheng behind her. Someone had probably already told her about the Master’s age, so she wasn’t too surprised by the overly young and handsome Chu Yi. She just nodded politely and greeted President Yu as well.
“This is my Eldest Young Madam,” Old Zheng introduced briefly, then frowned. “Why are you the only one here? Where’s the second young madam?”
The Eldest Young Madam hesitated. “She got a phone call saying there was something going on at her family home, so she went back.”
“She’s always running back to her family home!” Old Zheng was a bit unhappy. Back then, he hadn’t been satisfied when his youngest grandson insisted on marrying a woman from such a small family, but since his grandson was determined and his son agreed, he hadn’t interfered much.
Normally, it wouldn’t have been a big deal for the second young madam to visit her family home. He wasn’t the kind of old master who meddled in his children and grandchildren’s household affairs—he usually turned a blind eye… But didn’t she know the situation right now? Her father-in-law and husband were both bedridden, so weak they needed help even to drink water. How could she feel at ease leaving them to go back home?
Old Zheng was a face-conscious man, and besides, the second young madam wasn’t the main focus right now. He grumbled offhandedly and let it go, then turned to Chu Yi politely. “Master, shall we head upstairs to take a look?”
Seeing that his complexion wasn’t great, Yu Qingxian suggested, “How about having the Eldest Young Madam, Miss Zheng, and your assistant come upstairs with us? You can rest down here for a bit?”
Old Zheng was getting on in years, after all, and he’d been busy at the exhibition all day. He was probably quite exhausted by now.
Old Zheng did feel like he couldn’t hold out much longer, so after thinking it over, he agreed.
Chu Yi remarked, “President Yu is quite attentive.”
Yu Qingxian replied, “My family has an old man too. I’ll introduce you sometime.”
Chu Yi raised an eyebrow. Was he really treating him like a friend, even wanting to introduce him to his family’s elder?
Of course, it might just be a casual polite remark. Before he could figure out how to respond, Zheng Danrui cut in first. “The Master and Third Young Master seem to have a good relationship?”
It wasn’t just that Yu Third Young Master had bid on an entire set of ancient coins and given them away as a gift. If she knew a master like this, she’d try her best to get on his good side too. What surprised her was that whenever these two chatted, they had this atmosphere that outsiders couldn’t join—an inexplicable rapport like they’d been friends for years.
Moreover, thinking back on what the Master had said in the car, it almost felt like he was teasing Yu Third Young Master on purpose. Could a set of ancient coins really be used as magical artifacts?
Chu Yi explained, “Miss Zheng, you wouldn’t know, but President Yu… President Yu is my boss. This relationship has to be good even if it’s not.”
He’d originally wanted to say that President Yu seemed aloof but actually had a warm heart. He treated people with subtle kindness that was impossible to refuse—how could their relationship not be good? But that was too personal; President Yu definitely wouldn’t be happy hearing it, so he changed his wording.
Zheng Danrui laughed. “The Master really knows how to joke!”
The Master’s attitude toward Yu Third Young Master didn’t seem like one toward a boss at all, and what boss would specially bid on a set of precious antiques to give to an employee?
Yu Qingxian’s tightly clenched fingers slowly relaxed. He’d thought Chu Yi would say something else, but it turned out to be just this…
As they spoke, the elevator reached the upstairs floor. Old Zheng had only one son, Zheng Yongming, but his son had two grandsons. The eldest grandson had married the Eldest Young Madam who’d just greeted them, and they already had a son and a daughter—Old Zheng’s great-grandson and great-granddaughter.
The Second Young Madam had only been married into the family for two years and didn’t have children yet.
That meant there were currently five people lying in sickbeds: Zheng Yongming, his two sons, and the eldest son’s son and daughter.
They went to see Zheng Yongming first. His room had been converted into a sickroom, fully equipped with all sorts of medical devices.
Zheng Yongming lay on the bed, his body shrunken to an unrecognizable state, his face an unnatural grayish hue. Forget about fifty or sixty—he looked like he’d die even sooner than Old Zheng downstairs.
“Dad, this is the master that Old Master invited,” the Eldest Young Madam leaned down by his side and said softly.
Zheng Yongming blinked and waved his hand, signaling for the Eldest Young Madam to remove his ventilator. Only then did he gasp, “Thank you for your trouble… Master.”
Chu Yi stepped forward to take his pulse, then turned to the Eldest Young Madam. “Please pour a cup of warm water.”
There was a Canteen right in the room, so the Eldest Young Madam didn’t bother calling a caregiver and poured the water herself.
Chu Yi took the cup and poured out a black, glossy Medicinal Pill the size of a soybean from the medicine bottle he’d prepared earlier.
Tsk, what a pity. This was a Qi-Supplementing Pill he’d refined from that Yellow Jade Bodhi—only ten in total, originally meant for his own cultivation.
But human life was at stake, and trading half of them for the Purple Flower Bamboo had been worth it. He couldn’t be too stingy.
Seeing that he was about to feed the Medicinal Pill to her father-in-law, the Eldest Young Madam hesitated and glanced at Zheng Danrui, who gave her a nod of approval.
