The Second Young Madam stamped her foot in anger. “What does he mean by that?!”
She turned to Kui Ya. “Little Ya, you’re so young and beautiful—why would he say that about you?”
The way he looked at people, could she be blamed for thinking he was a lecher?!
Kui Ya could tell the Second Young Madam feared her father-in-law and didn’t dare speak out. At this point, she no longer expected this foolish woman to do much for her.
Her eyes shifted as she casually soothed, “Maybe he’s using Tiger-Wolf Medicine. Just wait and see—no need to rush.”
“But… what about Wenbin?” If Old Master insisted on giving Wenbin the medicine, she wouldn’t dare stop him!
Kui Ya hinted darkly, “You wouldn’t go up there like Zheng Danrui and volunteer to feed him the medicine yourself? You’re the Second Young Master’s wife. If you’re feeding your husband, the caregiver won’t compete with you.”
The Second Young Madam’s eyes widened. “You mean… swap the medicine?”
She wasn’t completely hopeless, reacting quickly and even lowering her voice.
Kui Ya said, “I’ll test it with someone I know at the lab. If you trust me, sister, hand me the medicine, and I’ll have it checked.”
The Second Young Madam agreed at once. “Of course I trust you, Little Ya. If not for the folk remedy you gave me before, Wenbin’s condition wouldn’t be the lightest!”
In truth, the Second Young Madam had been wary of Kui Ya at first, fearing she’d set her sights on the Second Young Master and steal him away. But since the Zheng Family’s troubles began, Kui Ya had constantly placated her and provided that “folk remedy” to ease symptoms, so her trust had grown until she now followed her every word.
Kui Ya’s lips curved. She was truly curious about Chu Yi’s medicine. If it wasn’t something that forcibly stimulated bodily functions, then it had to be genuine Spiritual Medicine… something she could certainly use.
Chu Yi had administered the medicine in this order: Old Master Zheng, Zheng Eldest Young Master, his pair of children. By the time it came to the Second Young Master, he was somewhat fatigued and didn’t pay close attention to the Second Young Madam’s actions.
This allowed everyone to feel much better after taking the medicine—except the Second Young Master, who got nothing. Fortunately, Chu Yi’s Internal Force acted as a placebo; he only thought his father and big brother recovered at an exaggerated speed and didn’t suspect he’d received different medicine.
Of course, since Kui Ya had been placating the Second Young Madam, his symptoms had been the mildest to begin with, so no one noticed anything amiss.
After resting a bit, Old Zheng got up and saw his son and grandsons, who hadn’t left their beds in ages, coming downstairs. “Yongming, and Wenhan, Wenbin—you… you’re all fine now?”
His lips trembled as he struggled to sit up from the sofa, hardly believing his eyes.
What did the elderly fear most? Probably outliving their children and grandchildren. His son, grandsons, and even great-grandsons had all fallen mysteriously ill. If not for his broad experiences in youth and sheer willpower holding him up, he would have collapsed long ago.
“Dad, take it slow—don’t rush.” Zheng Yongming hurried forward to support his father.
“Hey hey, never mind me—sit down, I can manage.” Old Zheng now felt his son was frailer than him and dropped the stern patriarch act. Father and son vied to support each other, a scene both comical and heart-tugging.
Zheng Danrui, Zheng Eldest Young Master, and the Eldest Young Madam rushed over to help too, while Zheng Wenbin—supported by the Second Young Madam—felt dizzy and weak-legged.
He didn’t understand it. His symptoms had been the mildest, so why could his father walk on his own while he still needed help?
Maybe because Dad took the medicine first and rested longer?
Once everyone sat down, Old Master Zheng asked about his two great-grandsons. “Are the little ones better too?”
Zheng Wenhan said excitedly, “Yes, all better. The Master gave us medicine, and we’ve got our strength back. But the kids are young, so we didn’t let them come downstairs.”
“Not coming down is right—let them rest well.” Old Zheng smiled with relief.
But soon Zheng Yongming told him the medicine treated symptoms, not the cause, and his smile faded. He turned to Chu Yi. “Master, what about this curse then?”
Chu Yi glanced casually at Kui Ya. “It’s too late today. Since Old Master Zheng and the others have recovered, we can do the Curse Removal tomorrow.”
Old Zheng naturally had no objections. Learning from his son how much energy the Master had expended to heal them, he quickly instructed the kitchen to serve dinner. The family always kept tonics like Deer Antler, bird’s nest, and old hen soup ready for everyone to drink. No extra effort needed— the Master could join them to replenish his strength.
During the meal, Zheng Yongzhou and Zheng Yongqi arrived. Old Zheng glanced at Chu Yi, who gave a slight nod, so he treated them as usual without chasing them out.
Zheng Yongzhou and Zheng Yongqi, seeing their cousin’s family recovered, looked clearly displeased. They kept glancing distractedly toward Kui Ya but knew they couldn’t show their hand, quickly averting their eyes.
Old Master Zheng and Zheng Yongming had been quietly observing them all along and said nothing upon noticing.
As an old fox, Old Zheng had long read the truth from his son and granddaughter’s looks. Though they hadn’t spelled it out, he could tell from the Master’s arrangements that he planned to catch the turtle in the jar.
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